Top breeders, trainers participate on opening day
Arabian Racing Conference kicks off in The Hague

It was another milestone reached as the Second World Arabian Racing Conference organized by the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival was inaugurated on Thursday at the Hilton Hotel here by H.E Ali Thani Al Suwaidi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to The Netherlands. “I hope the Conference will go a long way in improving Purebred Arabian racing here in The Netherlands and all over Europe. The three-day conference and the race meeting on June 19 will reflect the role of the UAE leadership in preserving Arabian Horse Racing which is part of the UAE’s culture and heritage,” HE Al Suwaidi said.

It was another milestone reached as the Second World Arabian Racing Conference organized by the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival was inaugurated on Thursday at the Hilton Hotel here by H.E Ali Thani Al Suwaidi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to The Netherlands.

“I hope the Conference will go a long way in improving Purebred Arabian racing here in The Netherlands and all over Europe. The three-day conference and the race meeting on June 19 will reflect the role of the UAE leadership in preserving Arabian Horse Racing which is part of the UAE’s culture and heritage,” HE Al Suwaidi said.

H.E Sheikha Najla Al Qassimi, Ambassador to the UAE in Sweden and HE Noora Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Director of the UAE General Women’s Association and Chairwoman of the UAE Women’s Sports Committee, Lara Sawaya, Director of HE Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival, Sami Al Bunain, Chairman of the International Federation for Arabian Horses (IFAHR) along with some of the world’s top breeders, owners, trainers, veterinarians and officials connected to Purebred Arabian racing were all in attendance as the three-day conference opened with a lot of excitement and expectations.

IFAHR Secretary Mats Genberg welcomed the delegates and guests and said, “The opportunity which was given to us in Abu Dhabi was a fantastic experience for all of us and seeing that being repeated here gives us an equally great feeling.”

“Seeing people of high standing in various sections of society is fantastic for all of us at IFAHR,” he said.

HE Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage said in a message, “The World Arabian Racing Conference falls within our strategy to safeguard our heritage and use its elements to communicate with the rest of the world.

“We look forward to the discussions and papers of the Conference, which will give us an insight into the way the world is looking at Arabian horses and its characteristics,” he said.

With Dr Mohammed Almashmoum donning the role of a moderator the Second World Arabian Racing Conference was soon in business and the morning session focused on “Breeding’ of Purebred Arabian horses.

While Khalid Al Naboodah and Faysal Al Rahmani highlighted the challenges faced by UAE breeders before they finally reached success, Deborah Mihaloff (US), Longin Blachut (Polish/ Swiss), Dominique Akel (France) and Mondher Zoueiten (Tunisia) touched on their respective experiences in owning and breeding Arabian race horses.

While the session was unanimous in that the character and type of the Arabian horse should be protected two other topics which drew a lot of discussions were Artificial Insemination and Embryo-transfer technology for breeding.

Later in the afternoon, one of the finest assembly of top class trainers were seen in action as the packed hall lapped up every bit of their experience and expertise.

With the moderator being Redha Attiyeh of Tunisia, four of France’s top trainers Jean-Pierre Totain, Erwan Charpy, Eric Lemartinel and Alban De Mieulle were joined by two equally accomplished lady trainers, Gillian Duffield from the UK and American Tracey Nunley.

The Conference continues for the second day on Friday and the morning session is on ‘Women in Arabian Racing’, while in the afternoon the subject is ‘Vets and Nutrition.”

The HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival is organized by ADACH, co-ordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with IFAHR and Emirates Arabian Horse Society. The Festival’s activities are staged with support from Invest AD, HSBC, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, Areej Al Ameerat, La Sirene, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2011,Wathba Stud Farm and Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.