Mahra Al Shamsi has been riding horses for five years. Lee Hoagland / The National
Mahra Al Shamsi has been riding horses for five years. Lee Hoagland / The National

My UAE: setting the pace with endurance horse racer Mahra Al Shamsi



After hours of racing through the desert, Mahra Al Shamsi recites the Quran to her horse to give it strength. Al Shamsi, an endurance horse racer from Ras Al Khaimah, will go to any length for her horse.

She competes for Seeh Al Salam stables in 80km, 100km and 120km events, a test of perseverance, strength and strategy for both horse and rider that may last five or six hours.

“I talk to my horse, I sing to my horse, and I recite the Quran to my horse during the race,” she says. “Sometimes when somebody passes by me, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, what did you say’?”

“I say, ‘No, I’m talking to my horse’. If you don’t connect with the horse, that horse is going to bound off or throw you off.”

Endurance horse racing has grown in popularity with young women since Al Shamsi, 27, took up the sport five years ago.

Training requires a minimum of two or three hours a day, four days a week. “Every season I do seven races, sometimes more,” she says.

Al Shamsi plans to return to the sport next season with her own four-year-old horse Miracle.

Born and raised in Suhaila, a desert area south of Ras Al Khaimah city, Al Shamsi remains based in her community, as an English teacher at the Hamham Secondary School for Girls and volunteer for the RAK Animal Welfare Centre outreach programme.

While camel racing remains the preserve of men, in horse racing female jockeys compete alongside men or at women-only events. Sheikhs offer generous prizes, luxury vehicles and hundreds of thousands of dirhams.

“There are a lot, a lot, especially this year, last year and the year before. There’s just so many women. We do feel very happy when a woman takes the trophy,” she says.

Preferred distance?

I like races of 80 or 100 kilometres because they’re shorter and you can go a little bit faster. If you go too fast, you’re going to wear your horse out and he’s going to stop mid-race. That’s the hardest part, holding that horse, keeping your energy.

The best type of horse?

I don’t like cuckoo horses but I like them strong. When I ride horses that aren’t competitive and they’re just slow and tripping over themselves – it’s not that I don’t like those horses, but when you’re riding a strong horse you feel the competition. So I like to ride the stronger horses, but there’s a difference between the strong and the psycho.

Favourite place in the country?

I love Dubai; it’s very diverse. There’s so much to do in Dubai. We ride in the Marmoun area, so Marmoun is my favourite area in Dubai because I’ve been riding there for so long. So many tracks, so many horses and different teams.

Favourite type of movie?

Horror movies. I’ve been watching them since childhood. I love the 1980s movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, Psycho, Night of the Living Dead, Poltergeist. I love this stuff. I love getting scared.

Favourite horse?

You know the horse that Sheikha Maryam [bint Mohammed bin Rashid] rode, Trouble Maker? I rode him the race after she fell, which was a pretty scary experience for me. He was such a strong horse. He was my favourite. It was my favourite race ever because of his strength and when I went that morning I felt that I was going to be first. He’s a champion and very well known in the endurance community.

Best advice from a parent?

My father says, it’s an Arabic saying: keep an arm’s length between you and your friend. Never get close to someone. He probably meant that when you get too close to someone, you get hurt. I do believe him now, after experience and after growing up.

Best advice from a trainer?

Listen to your trainer and listen to your horse, because the only person that can feel the horse or understand the horse is the rider.

What has racing taught you?

Patience. It taught me patience and it makes you a better person, honestly. It makes you very respectful. It changes you so much.

Favourite horse breed?

Arabian. They’re pretty, they’re strong and they’re smart.

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UAE - India ties

The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China

Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion

The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India

Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015

His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016

Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017

Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

UK's plans to cut net migration

Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.

Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.

But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.

Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.

Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.

The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Brief scores:

Manchester City 3

Bernardo Silva 16', Sterling 57', Gundogan 79'

Bournemouth 1

Wilson 44'

Man of the match: Leroy Sane (Manchester City)