Mohammed bin Rashid ... A leader par excellence Mohammed bin ...

Cover Storyfrom the race.Arabian horses have proved exceptionally well suitedto these rides, because of their legendary stamina.Riders from the UAE have also excelled in this sport,with HH Sheikh Mohammed as captain of the nationalteam which ranks among the top in the world, despitethe UAE participation in world endurance ridingis relatively recent. Indeed, HH Sheikh Mohammed’ssons, HH Sheikh Hamdan and HH Sheikh Rashid, theytopped the world rankings in 1999 and 2000 respectivelyand HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed won theWorld Endurance Championship in 2002, becomingthe youngest rider ever to do so, and the first Asianworld champion. 2003 saw HH Sheikh Majid bin Mohammedstart competing in senior races on a moreregular basis, and he was part of the UAE team for theEuropean Championship.The sons of HH Sheikh Mohammed are quick to credittheir father’s role in their success. He is widely acknowledgedto be a master tactician, recognising exactlythe time to demand maximum effort from thehorses, and when to hold them back. HH led the UAE tovictory in the 1999 European Championship in Spain/Portugal and was captain when they retained the titlein Italy, in 2001. In the 2003 European Championshipin Ireland, HH was captain once again, and wonthe race. HH is also a leading figure in the campaign tohave endurance racing included in the Olympics.Major endurance racing victories ofHH Sheikh MohammedRace EventAl Ahram Al Araby Endurance RideEmirates Giants Endurance RideAl Ahram Al Araby Endurance RideVillacastin Endurance RideInternational Endurance RideSpanish Endurance MarathonNorwegian Open ChampionshipDubai Endurance City Masters RideCEI Bodyweight RideSheikh Zayed Challenge, Round IINorthern ChampionshipsEuropean Open Endurance ChampionshipSyrian International Endurance RaceFEI CEI Endurance Championship RaceEndurance Championship raceAl Hussein International Endurance RideStars Endurance raceSecond Round of the Giants Endurance Challenge RideEuston Park Endurance ChampionshipStars Challenge raceFEI World Equestrian Games Endurance ChampionshipDateMay 19, 2000January 18, 2001April 21, 2001July 30, 2001June 1, 2002August 17, 2002August 24, 2002January 25, 2003February 13, 2003February 15, 2003August 24, 2003September 19, 2003May 31, 2008June 28, 2008August 22, 2008November 14, 2008August 3, 2009January 9, 2010July 13, 2010July 26, 2010September 27, 2010LocationEgyptUAEEgyptSpainItalySpainNorwayUAEUAEUAEEnglandIrelandSyriaEnglandEnglandJordanEnglandBahrainEnglandEnglandUSAIssue 31 - January 2011 - www.rta.ae8