By Duane Fonseca
All systems go! That’s the message local organisers would like to send out to the fraternity as they welcome the best riders from around the globe for the 2022 FEI Endurance World Championships that will be held at Boudheib International Endurance Village (BIEV) on 25 February. BIEV was awarded the event in November after the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) decided to strip Italy’s Verona of the event last September citing concerns over track readiness.
Nearly 200 horse and rider pairs will represent 37 nations at the CH-M-E 160km event, to be broken down into six loops and traverse the sands of BIEV, which is located approximately an hour’s drive from Abu Dhabi. At the event, the top UAE riders will lock horns against those representing Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bahrain, Chile, China, Croatia, Spain, Lithuania, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Netherlands, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Switzerland, Thailand, Uruguay and USA among many others. Endurance riding tests the stamina and determination of both man and horse, with horses needing to be deemed fit to continue after a thorough examination at the end of every phase.
The UAE is among the pioneering nations when it comes to endurance riding with the sport enjoying heritage status within the Emirates. The country has a number of state of the art facilities dedicated exclusively to endurance competitions with Boudheib one of the top venues in the country, as it brings together the latest technologies applied in the sport and a landscape that offers a stern test of the character of participants.
Speaking to Adiyat Racing Plus, Dr Ghanem Al Hajri, the secretary general of the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, said: “We are ready to host the event and all preparations have been completed to bring together the endurance world. We have the best facilities here in the UAE and we have ensured everything is in place to deliver an event that is worthy of a World Championship.”
Dr Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, the general manager of Dubai Racing Club and Dubai Equestrian Club, who is also the chef d’equipe of the UAE camp, added: “We will do our best to make the UAE proud at this prestigious event which we are also proud to host. It’s not just our facilities that are top class, our riders are the best in the world and thanks to the leadership of the country for their encouragement in all spheres of the sport. We will do our best to bring the UAE honour.”
