Samorin, Slovakia: The FEI World Endurance Championships for Young Horses 2014 got off to a colourful start as riders from 15 countries came together in pursuit of glory at Samorin, Slovakia.

An array of riders from the UAE, Argentina, France, Estonia, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic will compete in the challenging 120km CEI 4* event for seven-year-old horses.

The event opened to the rapturous sound of drummers sporting the green and gold colours of HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival, the principal sponsor of the event, as representatives from the participating countries waved their national flags.

Miloslav Seruga, President of the event was joined by Peter Pellegrini, Minister of Education, Science Research and Sport, and Lara Sawaya, Chairman of Ladies Racing Committee in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR), offered an enthusiastic welcome to the riders and wished them best of luck.

The FEI World Endurance Championships for Young Horses is being held in Slovakia for the first time in history.

As many as 43 riders will have to cover the gruelling 120-kilometre track from Pezinok to Samorin, which is divided into five loops.

In his welcome speech, Seruga thanked Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, for supporting the event and equestrian sports around the world.

He also encouraged the riders to compete in the spirit of friendship and to keep the sport at heart. “This is such a prestigious event that marks a new page in Slovakian sporting history and we hope that it will ensure that it will provide a boost to equestrian sport in the region.”

Ian Williams, the FEI’s Director of Endurance, also thanked the Shaikh Mansour festival for its continuous support of endurance event around the world.

“It is with great pleasure that we bring the FEI World Endurance Championships for Young Horses 2014 to East Europe for the first time in history,” he said. “I believe that it represents a great opportunity for the riders and their young horses, who can become the starts of the future. “I wish all competitors best of luck and a safe ride.”