2008-2009 Season Calendar(PDF)
Abu Dhabi - The sporting season has just got off the blocks in the UAE, and it’s going to get better and in full swing.
After the summer break and the Ramadan and Id festivities, the UAE endurance season will roll on November 1, with the staging of the FEI 100 km ride for Juniors and Young riders. The day will also feature two Federation Qualifiers 40km and 80km respectively.
The UAE endurance season is promising to be a hectic one with several national and international rides being planned along with rides for juniors and young riders, owners of local stables and also exclusive rides for ladies.
After the World endurance Championship which is slated to be held in Malaysia on November 7 and 8, in which six UAE riders will be participating, endurance riding will start off briskly in the UAE on November 15, with FEI, 120-km ride scheduled to be held at the Emirates international Endurance Village, Al Wathba. Dubai Endurance City will open its doors for the season with FEI 120-km ride on November 29. The rides will be held in Emirates International Endurance Village, Al Wathba, Bou Thieb Endurance Village, Al Khatem, Al Asayel Endurance Village, Sweihan and Dubai International Endurance City, Seih Assalem, Dubai.
Some of the eagerly awaited rides of the season include the National Day Cup, Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup, Shaikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Challenge (Two Rounds), Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Challenge (Two Rounds), Shaikh Saeed bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup, three-day 240-km Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Cup, which is part of the Endurance Festival held annually in Bou Theib Endurance Village, His Highness The President Cup for Junior and Young Riders, His Highness The President Cup Open ride, His Highness The President Cup for Ladies, FEI Ladies Challenge (in three Rounds) and the FEI GCC Ladies Championship (which is making its debut this year).
Most of the days will be featuring Federation Qualifiers to enable junior and young riders to participate in rides of longer distances.
Taleb Dhaher Al Muhairi, who took over as the Secretary General of the UAE Equestrian Federation, recently expressed the hope that the current season will be as successful as the earlier ones.
He said that the UAE endurance rides had attracted a huge number of participants including UAE and GCC nationals and expatriates. He said continuous cooperation between those involved in the rides and strong support from the sponsors made the rides successful in the country. The previous endurance season was an exciting and eventful one. As many as 68 rides kept the organizers busy throughout the period. The rides included 25 FEI rides, several open rides, rides exclusively for ladies and Federation Qualifiers. Of the 25 FEI rides, a total number of six rides were held at the Emirates International Endurance Village, six in Seih Assalem, Bou Theib Endurance Village played host to nine, whereas four rides were held at Al Asayel Endurance Centre. As many as 2,837 horses started in the rides, including qualifying rounds and rides for ladies, covering a total distance of 5,904 km in all. The number of finishers was 1,226 amounting to 43.21 per cent completion. As many as 1,611 horses were eliminated out of which 973 for lameness, 391 for metabolic reasons, 180 horses retired, 22 disqualified, 542 were presented in vet clinics and 435 were treated.
The endurance department issued new licences to 528 horses, 560 riders and 43 trainers during the season.
UAE Equafed Bulletin
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