Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

As usual, I'll try to sum up my experiences and observations of this  
event. My reason for being here was to continue the story of the  
Malaysian effort... and that was my focus. But this event was so  
huge, that it deserves comment too.

Everything about this event was the 'mostest' - best, biggest,  
fastest, fanciest, richest... consistent with everything that is  
associated with HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. As ruler of  
Dubai, Shk. Mohamed has been instrumental in turning Dubai into a  
wonderland of technology, industry, tourism, commercialism, sports  
center... on and on. Currently under construction in the city center  
are the 'world's tallest building' and the 'world's biggest shopping  
center'.  Shk. Mohamed has also had a profound effect on the sport of  
Endurance, fueling the growth of the sport in the UAE and also  
abroad.  His drive to make Endurance a prestigious International  
sport - worthy of Olympic venue has resulted in an astonishing  
investment in horses, training stables and venues (Emirates  
International Endurance City) in addition to sponsorships of events  
and fueling the Endurance industry around the world. And an ultra  
'most' rapid growth of the sport at the International - FEI - level.

This rapid growth - along with the creation of an Endurance horse  
industry which in some ways resembles the industry of flat track  
racing - has left many people trying to find their place in the  
sport, or trying to distance themselves from it. Riders who grew up  
with the 100 Mile Tevis Cup, the Florac, the traditional tests of  
Endurance which were as much about challenging terrain as they were  
about horse racing, are not associating themselves from this new  
sport of Endurance Racing. Riders who love a good challenge on  
horseback but don't have the desire to push the physical and mental  
limits of their horses - these people are finding that theirs is not  
the same sport. But in the purest definition of Endurance - as a  
timed event, it is a horse race. And countries such as UAE, with the  
means and the drive to be the best, are doing the obvious thing -  
doing whatever it takes to become the best. And in this sport best  
means fastest. And to have the fastest horses, one has to have the  
best genetics, the best training, the best nutrition and care - the  
best program. And as an industry, the horse's performance is the  
bottom line.

A speed record was set at the Al Maktoum cup - 6:28:28  by the horse  
Charlandre El Sharif. Genetic freak of nature, such as Secretariat?  
Or simply a continuation of the process of perfecting selection,  
training, and competing? Hard to say, I can't image that a horse  
could ever go faster than that... but we were saying that a few years  
ago about sub 8 hour 100's.   It seems that a 30% completion rate has  
become the acceptable norm here. The vetting is very very strict -  
the vet commission does not let anything questionable go back out on  
the track  - this is for real - and it's a good thing that they are  
so strict in these races. But still - the fact that there are so many  
horses that simply can't do it, somewhat indicates to me that this is  
not a sustainable sport in it's current trajectory... hmmm. Many  
great and well funded minds are trying to figure out how to make this  
an acceptable Olympic level sport. It will be very interesting to see  
what the next ten years brings!

next - Malaysia - a taste of success on the trail!

Steph




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