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First leg of Hathab equestrian series from today

November 16,2024
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13-October-2017

First leg of Hathab equestrian series from today

DOHA, October 13, 2017-The first leg of the Hathab Equestrian Tour series will be held today and tomorrow at the Al Shaqab arena. The vet check for horses was held yesterday, followed by a technical meeting for the riders. Today, the action will begin at 2pm, and tomorrow at 9 in the morning and at 2 in the afternoon.

A brainchild of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, the 12-leg series is open for Qatari nationals and also to residents of Qatar. The event is being conducted jointly by Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) and Al Shaqab.

Results of the competition will be used in the selection process of riders to represent Qatar in future international competitions. Each leg will carry points, with only top seven results to be counted, and an overall will be declared at the end of series.

Around 150 riders, from as young as six, will be in action and has free admission for spectators. The events will be held in both show jumping and dressage and will consist of five categories: Future Riders Program (6-12 years old), Children (12-14 years old); Junior (Small Tour 14-18 years old), Young Rider (Medium Tour 16-21 years old) and Senior (Big Tour- over 21-year-old). There will be a total of 12 competitions in the series which will be held either at Al Shaqab or Qatar Equestrian Federation premises. Seven events will be held at Al Shaqab and five at QEF's Outdoor Arena.

The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) rules and regulations will be followed and all competitions will be shown live on Al Kass channel. 'Hathab', which means 'Canter' in Arabic aims to improve the standard of horse riding among Qatari youths, while also encouraging the involvement of private stables and individual horse owners to grow awareness of horsemanship as part of Qatar's history and tradition.

The series, to be held either at Al Shaqab or Qatar Equestrian Federation's outdoor arena, will be spread across seven months with the final leg to be conducted next April. A total of QR1mn in prize money will be on offer for the competitors.