26 April - 2 May 2001
Issue No.531
|
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 26 April - 2 May 2001 Issue No.531 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Gulf sweep
It was a one, two, three finish for the UAE in the Al-Ahram endurance horse race, reports Nashwa Abdel-Tawab
The riders' motto is "To Finish is to Win." So tough is Egypt's Al-Ahram Al-Arabi international endurance horse race that just completing it is a success in itself. But Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum went one step further when he won this year's gruelling 100-kilometre desert event, successfully defending his title in the process, Nashwa Abdel-Tawab reports on the triple victory
Sheikh Mohamed on Fay ( top); Chairman of Al-Ahram Organisation Ibrahim Nafie presenting Sheikh Mohamed with the first prize (down)
photos: Mohamed Mosa'd
Riding on Fay, Sheikh Mohamed won the course in 5:46:43 hours, averaging a speed of 18 kilometres per hour. Sheikh Hazza' bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the son of the UAE president, came second, followed by Sheikh Rashed bin Mohamed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum for a clean sweep by the Emirates.
While he is an accomplished horseman and has entered many major endurance races worldwide, Sheikh Mohamed is better known as one of the world's leading racehorse owner-breeders with stables in Britain, France and the United States. "I did not compete for the prize," he said, referring to the LE1 million total purse. "I came here to compete and have a good race."
His explanation for the UAE's dominance in the sport: "We look after the horses well. Since the early 1970's we have been improving their breeding. Today we have our own pure Arabian and thoroughbreds." An Arabian, Sheikh Mohamed said, will take care of its owner as no other horse can, for it has not only been raised to physical perfection, but has been instilled with a spirit of loyalty unparalleled by that of any other breed. "So we, in turn, take care of it."
The event, the second in Egypt to be governed by international rules, began Saturday at dawn in Sakkara, outside Cairo. The 95 riders looped around a hilly course overlooking the pyramids of Giza, Dahshour and Sakkara. Contestants from Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, France and the United States were judged on the condition of their horses as well as the time they took. "This is a new type of sport in Egypt, so I came to encourage and support Egyptian riders," said Sheikh Mohamed.
The 100-kilometre race is divided into four stages. The first is 36 kilometres long followed by a 30-minute break; the second is 30 kilometres with a 40-minute rest period; the third is 20 kilometres after which follows 50 minutes of rest; the last phase is a 14-kilometre stretch. A final vet check-up is then conducted.
Mandatory checks by veterinarians are conducted on the horses every 30 minutes on blood pressure, dehydration symptoms and injuries. If a horse is judged to be unsound or physically unfit, for its own sake the animal is taken out of the race.
The horses ran in temperatures reaching 35 degrees centigrade and could quench their thirst at watering stations every five kilometres. "We vetted around 160 horses the day before the race and several were disqualified for being either under six years old or for health reasons," said Bobby Surendra, of the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation and one of the race's main veterinarians. "During the race, out of 81 horses, 14 were eliminated. Most of them came up lame. Most of them were Egyptian," Surendra said.
"There was very good organisation," said Sheikh Hazza', who rode Morocado. "From the availability of water to referees to resting stations to the vets."
Endurance riding is defined as an athletic event with the same horse and rider covering a measured course within a specified maximum time. Although the rides are technically races, many, if not most, riders participate to complete it rather than place. To them, the satisfaction of completing 100 kilometres of tough terrain on a horse is reward enough.
Sheikh Mohamed hopes the endurance race will become a medal sport in the 2008 Olympics. "I'm doing my best to make it a spectator sport in Athens in 2004."
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page