UAE Federation to hold FEI Judges course,
Endurance seminar

The UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, in conjunction with the Federation Equestre Internationale, FEI, is organising a FEI recognized Judge Course for Candidate Judges on February 15, 2005, in Abu Dhabi. It will be held at the Sheraton Hotel (Corniche) from 8 am to 5 pm.

The event is being organized on the occasion of the His Highness The President of the United Arab Emirates Endurance Cup, which is being held at the Emirates International Endurance Village, Al Wathba, on Thursday, February 17, 2005.

On the sidelines of the course, a seminar is also being organized which is aimed specially at introducing the requirements to be an FEI International Candidate Judge. The course is open for all but to receive an official credit for the course, the participants must have an authorization from their respective National Federations.

The seminar will be conducted by dr. James Bryant, Head of the Veterinary Department, UAE Equestrian Federation and Mr. Ian Williams, FEI Endurance Judge.

A judge is a member of the Ground Jury appointed to control an equestrian competition or event. There are three categories of judges: official International Judges, International Judges and International Candidate Judges. The FEI maintains a list of all International Candidate Judges who have been nominated by their respective National Federations and accepted by the relevant Technical Committee. It also maintains a list of International Judges appointed by the relevant Technical Committee after consultation with the National Federations.

Those interested in participating in the seminar should contact the veterinary department of the UAE Equestrian Federation on phone , fax , email before February 14, 2005.

HH President of the United Arab Emirates Endurance Championship on February 17

The sixth edition of the His Highness The President of the UAE Endurance Championship will be held at the Emirates International Endurance Village, Al Wathba, on Thursday, February 17, 2005. It is being jointly organised by the Emirates International Endurance Village and the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation. The holding of an endurance ride named after the President of the country by itself shows the importance attached to such a championship.

The CEI, three-star, 160-km ride, set to attract a strong field of international and local riders, is held under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs.

The 80-km HH President's Cup for Juniors and Children will be held at the same venue the following day. (February 18)

From the year 2000, when the championship was inaugurated, The UAE President Cup has been gaining more and more momentum. It has been noticed that the foreign endurance riders eagerly await this championship as it is considered a very highly successful and prestigious event and even more prestigious if they are a part of it.

In keeping with the traditions and aspirations of his father late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan will continue to support all equestrian activities in the country in general and the pure-bred Arabian horses in particular. His Highness Sheikh Khalifa will continue in the footsteps of Sheikh Zayed, a task that he has set himself for nearly 30 years ever since he became the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in 1969.

His Highness Sheikh Khalifa encourages the country's youth to come forward and take part in all equestrian activities, as he firmly believes that these activities have a deep tradition and reflect the rich heritage and culture of the country.

In the last couple of years, endurance is by far the fastest growing equestrian sport not only in the UAE but many other European and American countries, where equestrian sports are active. Over 75 countries and thousands of riders are involved in endurance riding throughout the world. Watching the way the sport is gaining importance in the world, very soon more countries will jump into the fray.

The President's Cup brings together young and the old, as there will be two events every year, open ride and the ride for juniors and children. The number of mega sponsors that the event attracts also proves its significance.

THE INAUGURAL RIDE

The inaugural HH The President of the UAE Millennium Cup in 2000 saw an impressive number of finishers, which stood at 35. The 160-km ride was run in six loops and Abdullah Khamis Ali Saeed finished in the first place riding Ben Salou in a timing of 07:49:13 hours.

In 2001, the ride was renamed HH The President of the United Arab Emirates Cup, which saw 15 finishers with Hassan bin Ali finishing in the first place riding Salah El Saadran in a timing of 08:09:51 hours.

The following two years Shareef Mohammed Abdullah Baja was declared the champion. In 2002, he finished first riding Domino in a timing of 08:24:57, whereas in 2003 also riding the same horse Domino, he finished first in a timing of 7:24:55 hours.

The year 2002 saw 16 finishers. The year 2004, HH the President of United Arab Emirates cup CEI three-star ride saw Abdul Rahim Helal Al Jenabi crossing the finish line first riding Super from the Al Wathba Stables he recorded a timing of 7:20:00 hours. As many as 26 riders completed the ride distance successfully during the event.
Ten UAE jumpers for Qatar Championship
Asian General Assembly meeting also scheduled

The UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation has decided to send a ten-member show jumping team to participate in the Sixth Qatar International Show Jumping Championship to be held in Doha from February 8 to 12, 2005. The decision was taken after a special committee on show jumping met at the Federation premises on Dec 21, 2004, to study the invitation from the Qatar Equestrian Federation.

The tem will be accompanied by Abdul Aziz Al Marzouqi (Chef d'Equipe) and Lt. Col Ronnie MacMahon, Technical Advisor, Show Jumping department, UAE Federation.

The UAE will take part in both Team and Individual Championships. The four members vying for the Team Championship include Ahmed Ameen from Ajman Equestrian Club, who will be riding Caleeto, Abdullah Humaid, Sharjah Equestrian Club, Quatro H, Adil Khamis, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, A Clear Day and Mohammed Al Soweidi, Sharjah Equestrian Club, Matahab.

Adil Khamis	Mohd Al Soweidi	Ahmed Ameen	Abdullah Humaid

Those competing in the individual championship include Mufta Al Dhaheri, Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club, Ikea, Rashid Al Hasni, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Ambala, Farid Ibrahim, Sharjah Equestrian Club, Calam d' Jones, Mohammed Al Owais, Al Safinat Stables, Great Boy, Mohammed al Kumeiti, Sharjah Equestrian Club, Al Barak, and Abdul Ajnai, Emirati Guards, Kokie.

On the sidelines of the show jumping championship, the Asian Equestrian Federations' General Assembly meeting will also he held along with a meeting of the Higher Committee of Arab League Show Jumping competitions. Capt. John P. Roche, manager, Show Jumping, FEI, will attend the latter meeting. Hussein Mohammed Hussein, Secretary General of the U

AE Equestrian Federation and Sultan Mohammed Khalifa, Board member of the UAE Federation will represent the UAE at the Asian Federations meeting.

On UAE's participation in the Qatar Championship, Hussein Mohd. Hussein said: "We are proud to be taking part in these competitions as in the past. This is part of our efforts to advance the standard of show jumping in the region. Selection of the UAE riders was done based on their performance in the current season. It is equally important for the UAE to be present at the championship because the competitions also include qualifiers for the FEI World Cup Arab League."