World Equestrian Games: “Yamamah is one of a kind”

Normandy, France: There can be no greater praise for a horse than to earn the respect of his trainer.

And Yamamah, the Australian-bred mare that carried Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, to victory in the endurance event at the World Equestrian Games on Thursday, was a recipient of the highest acclaim.

“You don’t need a horse to be big and strong to win, you need a horse with a big heart,” UAE endurance trainer Esmail Mohammad told Gulf News. “That’s what makes Yamamah so special. I have seen many good horses, both endurance and flat racehorses, but this mare is different. She’s one of a kind.

“Ever since I got her from Australia, I knew she was special and she proved it on Thursday by helping Shaikh Hamdan win the gold medal.

“But even if you have a horse like Yamamah, you need to understand her and know how to ride her and that’s what Shaikh Hamdan does best. Together they are a winning combination.”

Mohammad revealed that one of the keys to keeping Yamamah fit and strong, is to keep her happy and to help her to perform at her best for you.

“We’ve taken her to Dubai, England, Europe, everywhere, and she is so resilient and this is what makes a good endurance horse,” he added. “Horses need to acclimatise and to adapt to new surroundings and new challenges in order to be successful.”

Mohammad also admitted that Thursday’s 160m endurance course, which traversed all sorts of terrain, was one of the most difficult tracks that Yamamah had ever been exposed to.

“It was her first attempt at such a difficult course. There was rain, slush, rocks, wind, sand everything that you could think of that the horse had to negotiate and she did it bravely and with confidence,” he said.

“It was extraordinary to see how much of courage she had, as more than 137 riders and their horses were eliminated from the event. It shows you just how special she is, as she adapted to the challenge and came through with flying colours.

“She has to be one of the best endurance horses in the sport today, and Shaikh Hamdan has proved to the world that he is one of the best horsemen.”