Great emotion gave us today the Uruguayan horses and riders in Saudi Arabia

Once again, they made the world of Endurance vibrate

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Federico Ferber riding HC Yaiza (195) and Andres Rivero riding SM Fabricio

The preparations for one of the most important competitions of the international calendar in which 30 countries and 200 riders were preparing to participate was lived with great intensity from Uruguay.  The difficult track of soft sands and ups and downs challenges the horses to finish the competition.  AlUla, is 1100km northwest of the capital Riyadh, it is characterized by a lush valley surrounded by sandy mountains.

Six Uruguayan riders prepared for the start of the 120km FEI (Federico Ferber, with HC Yaiza, Carolina García with Karam Sanad, Virginia García with General, Cecilia García with Safien, Cecilia Sebben with Marengo and Andrés Rivero with SM Fabricio).  Federico and Andrés, who represented the Al Ain Stable, by the hand of Federico Zubiaurre, gave us the immense joy of winning first and second place respectively.

From Uruguay we lived it as a world finale. We got up very early, before dawn, to be present from the start following minute by minute all the competition. All the Uruguayan Endurance family was connected, encouraging, and dreaming of this achievement.

From the first stages we saw how the Uruguayan binomials were the protagonists, they went out to run on the top against the best horses and riders of the world. The riders, without giving anything away, demonstrated their podium level. Their strategy was excellent, they helped each other throughout the journey, demonstrating once again that this is only achieved with good teamwork, we want to highlight the excellent work of Dr. Cecilia Sebben, Matías Lema and Fernanda Villar.

We know that it is a very difficult competition in which the smallest detail must be taken care of, and for this we trust in the great team led by Federico Zubiaurre, who, with his great career in this discipline, conveyed the certainty that a great achievement could be achieved.

As the stages progressed, the Uruguayan horses were beating their rivals, there we no longer doubted that the triumph would be possible. We found ourselves with a last stage led by the two Uruguayan binomials with a very professional strategy, they arrived holding hands thus crowning themselves in first and second place.  This was experienced with great emotion in Uruguay. There are unique moments in which the Endurance community, supported by the fans of the Uruguayan government authorities, bet that when there is a Uruguayan around the world, he always fights and always plays the winner.

This confirms the first level that characterizes the Uruguayan Endurance and at the same time continues to feed the hope that this is the path that must be followed, with the head held high, convinced that the next great challenge that is the Verona 2022 World Cup, Uruguay must not only say present, but be protagonist as it was today.

Once again, with great pride Asociación Uruguaya de Enduro Ecuestre (AUDEE) congratulates the entire group of Uruguayans in AlUla.

Luis Puig

Prince Abdullah bin Fahd bin Abdullah Crowns Winner of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup for Endurance 2022 (AlFursan Cup 2022)

AlUla, January 30, 2022, SPA -- Prince Abdullah bin Fahd bin Abdullah, President of the Saudi Equestrian Federation, crowned the Uruguayan rider Federico Ferber after winning first place in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup for Endurance 2022 (AlFursan Cup 2022), while Uruguayan rider Andres Rivero came in second, and the French rider Margo Chazel came third.

The championship, which has been approved by the International Equestrian Federation and bears the classification of two stars, saw the participation of elite jockeys of ability and endurance from various countries.

Prince Abdullah bin Fahd bin Abdullah expressed happiness for the success of this version of the championship and said: “Firstly, I would like to thank the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, for their support for the sports sector in general and the equestrian sports in particular, and with the follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports. I am happy to congratulate Federico Ferber for winning first place, and I would like to thank the Royal Commission for AlUla Governorate and the International Equestrian Federation for their tireless work that contributed to the success of this tournament."

He added: "We hope that the jockeys, their horses, and their crew enjoyed their journey and experiences this week in AlUla, and we look forward to hosting them in the next editions of the tournament."

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup for Endurance 2022 (AlFursan Cup 2022), hosted by AlUla Governorate, was concluded as part of the international sporting events for the Winter at Tantora Festival, organized by the Royal Commission for AlUla Governorate and under the supervision of the Federation. --SPA