Workers prepare Boutheib Endurance Village for the endurance race beginning on Thursday. Victor Besa / The National
Workers prepare Boutheib Endurance Village for the endurance race beginning on Thursday. Victor Besa / The National
Workers prepare Boutheib Endurance Village for the endurance race beginning on Thursday. Victor Besa / The National
Workers prepare Boutheib Endurance Village for the endurance race beginning on Thursday. Victor Besa / The National

Abu Dhabi equestrian endurance cup to award prizes for healthiest horse


Haneen Dajani
  • English
  • Arabic

A series of endurance races that are due to start on Thursday will not only award the first past the finish line, but also those with the healthiest horses.

The competition is being held in honour of the Year of Zayed and combines two endurance cups held at Boutheib Endurance Village in Abu Dhabi by the grandsons of Founding President Sheikh Zayed.

The Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan and Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Endurance Cup will award gold, silver and bronze to the first three in an international 120.7 kilometre Two Stars race.

Unusually, the top three healthiest horses will also receive gold, silver and bronze cups in a move that is part of a healthy-horse initiative the event’s organisers are trying to promote.

“We initiated something called the Boutheib Protocol so that riders protect their horses and do not over-exhaust them to reach the finish line faster,” said Mustapha Mafoudi, the equestrian technical co-ordinator of the race.

Workers prepare Boudheib Endurance Village for the horse racing which begins on Thursday. Victor Besa / The National
Workers prepare Boudheib Endurance Village for the horse racing which begins on Thursday. Victor Besa / The National

Once a horse reaches the finish line, its pulse and overall well-being is examined.

The Boutheib Endurance village has been holding a variety of equestrian championships since it opened its doors in 2004.

The two royals, whose name the cup carries, have been training at the village since they were children. Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed has been holding his own endurance cup at Boutheib for 13 years, and Sheikh Hamdan for seven years.

They will also be participating in an 80km endurance race on Thursday.

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On Tuesday afternoon, a team of French timekeepers were busy setting up the heart monitoring devices and related gadgets that will examining the horses’ well-being.

“The first time we implemented the healthy horse award four years ago, the chief of the veterinary clinic described it as a historical day because the clinic was absolutely empty, there was not a single horse (that required medical aid),” said Francois Kerboul, a competition judge.

The horses are also taken on to the stage to receive the award.

“When the horses finish racing, they go on to the stage to receive the prize with the rider. They are in good condition, so why not include them?” said Mr Kerboul.

The first 80km endurance qualifying race will kick off at 7.30am on Thursday. The races can be followed on the Yamamah app, and on www.atrm-systems.fr.

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'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

La Mer lowdown

La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
 

Scores in brief:

  • New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
  • William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
  • Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
  • Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
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Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)

What is THAAD?

It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.

Production:

It was first created in 2008.

Speed:

THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.

Abilities:

THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".

Purpose:

To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.

Range:

THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.

Creators:

Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.

UAE and THAAD:

In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.

Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site

The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.