Success for endurance courses in UAE
The Emirates Equestrian Federation was suspended in March due to serious horse welfare concerns and non-compliance with rules.
Nearly 1,400 people have attended a series of educational courses on the sport of endurance in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The courses formed an important part of an overall clean-up of the sport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Earlier this year, the Emirates Equestrian Federation (EEF) was suspended by the international governing body for equestrian sport, the FEI. This was due to serious horse welfare concerns and non-compliance with rules and regulations.
The provisional suspension was lifted in July this year, after EEF signed a legally binding agreement with the FEI. The recent educational courses were an important part of this agreement.
Over a four-day period, the courses were attended by athletes, trainers, grooms, veterinarians, judges, technical delegates and stewards.
Sessions for athletes, trainers and grooms covered FEI and national rules, mandatory rest periods, penalty points, the entry system, field of play and veterinary aspects such as vet gate procedures, anti-doping rules (human and equine) and medication procedures.
Veterinarians and judges were required to take an exam following the courses, with a 100 per cent pass rate.
Commenting on the courses, FEI endurance director Manuel Bandeira de Mello said: "There was a huge thirst for knowledge and a desire to increase the depth of understanding of all aspects of the discipline from everyone who attended.
"There has been great team work here in Dubai, and everybody is fully committed to success."
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
