UAE keen to assert their endurance supremacy

It certainly is a chance of a lifetime. The strong UAE team know this well and will be hoping to seize the opportunity to cap their world-wide domination in endurance sport with a win today.

Led by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Minister of Defence, the UAE are making a strong bid for both individual as well as team honours.

With endurance sport's better-known equestrian counterparts like show-jumping, dressage, reining, eventing and vaulting all performing on one common stage here in Jerez, Spain and with over 1400 media persons present, what better way for the UAE riders to show the equestrian fraternity the progress of both the modern day endurance riding as well as the UAE's mastery in the sport.

Reigning world champion Maya Killa Perringerard said "This is a perfect chance for the world to see the progress and popularity of endurance."

The UAE has in Sheikh Mohammed, Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, a two-time European Open gold medal winning trio.

Sheikh Mohammed is also leading the current World Masters Series with three wins, Sheikh Rashid is the reigning European Open champion and Sheikh Hamdan is the reigning world junior champion.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum completes the four-member UAE squad bidding for team honours.

Saeed Abdullah Al Ketbi and Saif Ali Al Ketbi are the other two members of the UAE team. All six will also be in the fray for individual honours.

Close rivals come in the form of the U.S., French, Australian and hosts Spain. Two-time world champion Valerie Kanavy of the U.S. summed it all up when speaking to Gulf News.

"The UAE are very hard to beat. Australia have some very good horses. The French have always been strong contenders. The Spanish are on home turf," said Kanavy, whose daughter Daniella has also won a world championship.

"The terrain is hard and we may see a lot of eliminations as it will be tough on the horses," said Kanavy.

Apart from Kanavy and Maya Killa, Meg Wade of Australia, Tarek Taher of Saudi Arabia, Fausto Fiorucci of Italy and any one of the 12 Spanish riders (Spain enter 12 riders as hosts while all other countries can only enter six) will also be providing tough competition for the UAE.

The all-male UAE team will be leading the pack of other male riders as they try to break the domination of the individual event by women riders, who have always triumphed at the world championships.

The UAE riders provide that hope to the knights from around the world.

The French broke one tradition in the last championship when Maya finished first and ended the U.S. domination of the individual event. Today could be the UAE's turn to rewrite history.

But for that the nearly 160 riders from over 35 countries will first have to negotiate five phases of tough Spanish countryside terrain over a distance of 160kms. A fit rider and a fit horse is not all that one needs.

A little bit of luck is also needed as just one wrong step over a small pebble is enough to ruin one's hopes, maybe just a few hundred yards from the finish.