Riders, horses and crews from 28 nations were tested in hot and humid conditions in the foothills of the French Pyrenees at this year’s FEI World Endurance Championships for Young Riders and Juniors.
Eighty-six riders and their horses started the race on a Saturday morning in July at the time indicated on the clock at the right.
1. What time did the event start? Include a.m. or p.m. in your answer.
The track was made up of four loops with a wide variety of terrain and many challenges.
On the 37 kilometre first loop, riders took advantage of the rolling track and cooler conditions to cover it at a good speed. Less than 3.5 minutes separated the top 30 horses at Vet Gate 1, with all athletes arriving within 30 minutes of the leaders.
The first horse and rider arrived at Vet Gate 1 at 8:23:23.
2a. In the time written above the 8 represents the hour. What unit of time does the first ‘:23’ represent?
b. What unit of time does the second ‘:23’ represent?
3. How long did it take them to travel the first loop?
Horse Talk: Vet Check/Vet Gate – After each loop or phase in an endurance race, horses are stopped for a veterinary inspection, where they are checked for soundness and dehydration, with their pulse and respiration taken. To continue the ride, the horse must pass the examination, including reducing its heart rate below that specified for the event, typically 64 bpm, although terrain and weather may require the ride veterinarians to set a different maximum target. The riders’ time keeps running until their horses reach the required target, so it is important that the horses recover as soon as possible. Any horse deemed unfit to continue (due to lameness or excessive fatigue, for example) is eliminated from further competition.
How to take a horse’s pulse and respiration will be covered in the Level 1 workbook due out in early 2014.
Coming into the first vet gate, the United Arab Emirate (UAE) team had five riders in the top six, including the lead rider, 14-year-old Khalifa Ali Khalfan al Jahouri riding Niac Armor. They headed into the second 30 km loop in the lead having covered the initial stage at 19.58kph. But with a much tougher stage ahead of him, it remained to be seen if he could hold onto the advantage.
4. What was the total distance of the first two loops?
Eleven horse and rider combinations failed to pass the vet check at the end of stage 2 and did not qualify for the third stage.
5. How many horse and rider combinations remained in the race at this stage?
Loop 3 was considered the toughest of the day, measuring 32 km, and in soaring temperatures (34ºC) and high humidity. The arrival into Vet Gate 3 saw a change in the leader. Erin Krahnen of Australia riding Emily Jones TE arrived first to Gate 3 with a total time of 05:12:50. Khalifa Ali Khalfan al Jahouri and Niac Armor arrived with a total time of 05:12:56.
6. How much time separated these two horse and rider teams?
7. How far had the horses and riders traveled at the completion of loop 3?
The final loop was highly contested, with a front group of UAE horses setting a blistering pace. At this stage they still held top position in the team competition and, it seemed, were in line to take the individual honours too. However, this was not to be, when only one combination of the leading group passed the final vet check. Al Jahouri, who had been in the front running with Niac Armor from the very beginning, was the lone UAE team member remaining. He and his horse clinched the title with a time of 06:00:34.
8. The total distance of the race was 120 km. How far was the last loop of the race?
The silver and bronze were still up for grabs and crowds waited excitedly at the finish line to see who would be claiming the next on the podium. The Dutch combination of Marijke Visser and her 10-year-old gelding Eomer took silver following a fast final loop at 23.4kph, crossing the finish line with a time of 6:13:05.
9. How much time had elapsed between Al Jahouri and Niac Armor crossing the finish line and Marijke and Eomer?
The final step on the podium was taken by Krahnen (06:21:10), whose mount Emily Jones TE also took the coveted Best Condition title.
Thanks to good horse management and sensible riding there was close to a 60% completion rate despite the conditions.
10. Given that 86 rider/horse combinations started the race, approximately how many horse and rider combinations were able to complete the entire race?
This year was the first for a new formula for the team competition. All Nations can now enter five athletes without the need to declare a team. The top three positions from the five count for the team score – but now medals are only awarded to the three athletes whose scores have contributed to the final result.
France took home team gold with a time of 19:44:49; Belgium came in second with a time of 20:40:22 and Spain took home bronze with a team time of 20:50:32.
11. How much faster was the French team than the second place Belgium team?
World Endurance Championships for Young Riders and Juniors Answers:
1. What time did the event start? Include a.m. or p.m. in your answer.
Answer: 6:30 a.m.
2a. In the time written above the 8 represents the hour. What unit of time does the first ‘:23’ represent?
Answer: If you look closely at the face of a digital stopwatch the time should be shown in HH:MM:SS:SS. This is to be read left to right as (HH) Hours, (MM)Minutes, (SS) Seconds, (SS) hundreds of seconds. The first ‘:23’ shows the number of minutes.
b. What unit of time does the second ‘:23’ represent?
Answer: The second ‘:23’ indicates the number of seconds.
3. How long did it take them to travel the first loop?
The rider and horse left at 6:30 a.m. and arrived at the first vet gate at 8:23:23.
Math Talk: Important to remember! Hours, minutes and seconds are in increments of 60 so when you borrow keep this in mind! Also – be sure you have lined up hours with hours and minutes with minutes!
Answer: 8:23:23 – 6:30 = 1:53:23
4. What was the total distance of the first two loops?
Answer: 37 km + 30 km = 67 km.
5. How many horse and rider combinations remained in the race at this stage?
Answer: 86 – 11 = 75. 75 horse and rider combinations remained entering stage 3.
6. How much time separated these two horse and rider teams?
Answer: 05:12:56 – 05:12:50 = 6 seconds. Just 6 seconds separated the top two horse and rider combinations at this stage.
7. How far had the horses and riders traveled at the completion of loop 3?
Answer: 67 km + 32 km = 99 km. The first 3 loops covered 99 total km.
8. The total distance of the race was 120 km. How far was the last loop of the race?
Answer: 120 km – 99 km = 21 km. The final loop of the race was 21 km.
9. How much time had elapsed between Al Jahouri and Niac Armor crossing the finish line and Marijke and Eomer?
Answer: 06:13:05 – 06:00:34 = 12:31. Twelve minutes and 31 seconds had elapsed between the two riders.
10. Given that 86 rider/horse combinations started the race, approximately how many horse and rider combinations were able to complete the entire race?
Answer: 86 x .60 = 51.6. Approximately 52 combinations completed the race.
11. How much faster was the French team than the second place Belgium team?
Answer: 20:40:22 – 19:44:49 = 55:33. Fifty-five minutes and 33 seconds had elapsed.
Photos:
Fording the Ebble, Stratford Tony – geograph.org.uk – 752840.jpg by Trish Steel
Endurance controle veterinaire01 by Eponimm; CC BY-SA 3.0
20070518_0348 by Daniel Johnson; CC BY 2.0
IMG_5904 by Daniel Johnson; CC BY 2.0