The US equestrian company announced its participation in the 2021 World Endurance Championship, and a Monroe County citizen will be one of only five representatives of US teams in the International Federation of Equestrian Sports.
Holly Corcoran, who is originally from Stroudsburg, will ride her 2007 Arabian eunuch named Poete at the championship event, which will take place at the San Russoor Ranch in Pisa, Italy on May 22. The six-stage, 160-kilometer race will begin at 7:00 AM local time on May 22.
Corcoran also has a second horse that will compete in the World Endurance Championship, a 2011 Arabian mare called Poetrie, which will be ridden by Hannah Whitman.
Compiling this year’s roster adds to the list of successes for Corcoran, who in January 2020 ranked the International Equestrian Sports Federation as the world’s No. 1 endurance competitor. Corcoran maintained its top ten ranking through July 2020 and climbed to finish the year in ninth place.
Corcoran, who graduated in 1988 from the University of East Stroudsburg and is a certified public accountant, has been based in Stroudsburg since 1991, according to Their website. He now lives on his farm and struggles with his five Arabian horses.
The Equestrian Endurance Journey includes various stages of fixed distances, with riders stopping at a veterinarian to make sure their horses are in good health and able to continue riding. To pass a veterinary test – also called a “veterinary examination” – a horse must have a heart rate of 64-68 beats per minute within 15-20 minutes of reaching each checkpoint, with a special criterion for each checkpoint.
While the first group of horses and riders to cross the finish line in San Russoor and pass the health check will win a gold medal, finishing the endurance race after passing each visit to a vet is an achievement in itself. Additional prizes are also awarded after the race, such as the “Best Condition Award”.
Corcoran and Whitman are raising money to fund the trip to Italy through the platform gofundme.
According to the gofundme page, the proceeds will help pay for shipping the horses to Italy, air travel expenses for the crew, accommodation and other costs associated with the tournament.
If the event is canceled, the net proceeds will be donated to the USA NE Endurance or the American Horse Trials Foundation.
To find out more, go to gofund.me/6de113e3.
– Frank Pescani is Sports Life multimedia reporter at Pocono Record. You can email him at [email protected] or find him on the frankpiscani social media platforms.
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