Photo Credit: ©EC/Caroline Soble
17 May 2021
By Kathy Irvine
Congratulations to Robert “Bob” Gielen of Flesherton, ON, and his Arabian gelding, Morebangforyourbuck (Doran x Forty Thieves), aka “Bang”! With the completion of the Fun in the Sun (FITS) CEI 3* 160km endurance ride in Williston, FL, on March 12, 2021, Bob retained his FEI (Fédération Équestre Internationale) Elite Athlete Status.
Robert Gielen, a veteran of the Canadian Endurance Team from Flesherton, ON, has reached the impressive milestone of FEI Elite Athlete Status.
Bob, 70, started endurance riding in 1995. In those fifteen years he, with some exceptional horses, has racked up a respectable 18,624 competitive kilometres. Bob has been a team member representing Canada in several World Championships: the 2008 Malaysia World Endurance Championships; the Lexington 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG); the 2013 North American Endurance Championships (NAEC) in Florida; and the 2016 NAEC in Millbrook, ON. In 2018, he rode in both the WEG test event and WEG in Tryon, NC.
The Elite Athlete Status Bob received demonstrates to foreign officials that he has the skill to guide a leased horse safety and expertly over a 160km course. To attain this designation, a rider must successfully complete a minimum of 10 CEI 3* or 4* 160km events. To retain Elite Athlete Status, they must complete same level ride within every successive 24 months; however, the timeline was extended to 33 months due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Even with the extension, the past two years hasn’t made this easy. In 2018 the ride at WEG was disrupted and the next year, COVID-19 frustrated everyone’s plans. So, with only one shot left, Bob completed this 160km ride at FITS within 33 months as required...
Read more here:
https://www.equestrian.ca/news/rGCJNWZNTyT9oWgoj/robert-gielen-secures-coveted-elite
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