Huge field for Emirates Endurance Ride tod

By A Correspondent

9 March 2006


DUBAI ? Over 80 riders have confirmed their participation for the Emirates Challenge endurance ride to be held at the Emirates International Endurance Village, Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, on Thursday, March 9, 2006.

The CEI 3-star, 120-km Emirates Challenge ride will be run in five stages of 32 km, 30 km, 24 km, 18 km and 16 km respectively. It will feature horses aged six and above and the ride is scheduled to start at 6am.

Some of the contenders taking part in the ride include Shaikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin Faisal Al Qassimi, Shaikh Abdullah bin Faisal Al Qassimi, Jaber Bittar, Jesus Manuel Berna, Yousef Ahmed Al Bloushi, Omair Hussain Abdullah Al Bloushi, Ahmed Hassan Ahmed Al Hammadi, Khalid Abdul Rahim Al Hammadi, Khalifa Ahmed Atiq Al Marri, Khalifa Matar Mohammed Al Neyadi, Abdullah Saeed bin Huzaim, Abdullah Thani Ahmed Al Dalali, Layla Abdul Aziz Al Redha, Salem Rasahid bin Ghadeyar, Mubarak Khalifa bin Shafya, Ali Mohammed Al Muhairi, Thani Mohammed Al Muhairi, Hassan bin Ali and Sultan Ahmed Al Bloushi.

As is the case during all the endurance rides in the UAE, whips, spurs and long reins are not permitted during the ride.

The riders have been requested that they make sure that their horses are sufficiently warmed-up before being taken inside the vet gate. No more than two persons and the rider will be permitted to accompany a horse inside the vet gate at any time.

The riders have also been instructed that they must wear hard type riding helmets and shoes with heels.

It is also forbidden to give water or any other kind of assistance from inside a car. Any horse that is retired after the start must be shown to an official Ride Veterinarian before it leaves and venue. Furthermore, crewing of horses is not permitted in the entrances or inside the vet gate. All the participants have been requested by the Federation to follow these rules to make the rides smooth and trouble-free.

In the Emirates Challenge ride, The Best Condition Competition is restricted to the first ten horses that cross the finish line.