Qatar Equestrian Tour Longines Hathab new season begins today
Qatar Tribune
Tribune News Network Doha The fifth edition of the Qatar Equestrian Tour Longines Hathab will swing into action with the first Tour showcasing showjumping ...
Tribune News NetworkDohaThe fifth edition of the Qatar Equestrian Tour Longines Hathab will swing into action with the first Tour showcasing showjumping events on Friday at the Qatar Equestrian Federation. It will kick-start with the Small Tour at 3pm and will be followed by the Medium Tour action from 5pm onwards.Day Two, Saturday, will see the Future Riders, Open Class, and Big Tour competitions from 9am, 3pm and 5.30pm onwards respectively. Excitement among the participants and organisers is palpable as the new 2021-22 season, for the first time since the launch of Hathab in 2015, will see two extra rounds.Hathab, meaning âcanterâ in Arabic, is an initiative of His Excellency Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee.The annual Qatar Equestrian Tour, which will now take place over 14 legs of competition, having been increased from 12, is organized and hosted jointly by Qatar Equestrian Federation and Al Shaqab. It aims to improve the standard of horse riding among Qatari youth, while encouraging the involvement of private stables and individual horse owners to spread awareness of horsemanship as part of Qatarâs history and tradition. Omar Al Mannai, Vice-Chairman, Organising Committee Longines Hathab, welcomed the new season and hoped for more competitive action through the season. âHathab has helped our riders gain in stature besides several riders from GCC countries seeking to participate. Some will be seen participating by the middle of the season. This will add more challenge and spice up the competition even more,â he said.Event Director and former Asian Games gold-medalist and Olympian Ali Al Rumaihi expects fierce competition with the addition of two more rounds to the season. âMore riders with more horses are keen to perform in Hathab and with the next Asian Games coming up in 2022, this is a great opportunity for them to improve and sharpen their skills,â opined Al Rumaihi.Riders are already excited with extension of the competition length of Hathab and more than eager to take the field.âWe have two additional rounds from this season and so competing will be tougher than it has been, said Nasser Al Ghazali, the defending Big Tour champion. âHathab has been highly competitive and both the horses and riders have improved consistently and hence this season will be more challenging. As far as I am concerned, I am excited about the new season and confident of doing well,â he added.Al Ghazali, who beat Saeed Nasser Al Qadi and Hamad Nasser Al Qadi last season, has been highly successful on his stride Quel Homme. âHe will be my main horse this time too, besides What A Pleasure and Hurry Up,â he said..Also awaiting the action is Cyrine Cherif, who became the first woman rider to clinch a Hathab crown claiming the Medium Tour. Cherif has been rapidly improving and growing in stature. She beat, Khalifa Al Baker and Rashid Towain Al Marri to the post the last season and is keen to carry on with her good show. âIâm focused on doing well in each round,â she said.Cherif was also part of the camp held in Europe and will make use of that experience to enhance her showjumping skills and performances.Khalifa Abdullah Al Khaldi, who stood tall winning the Small Tour in 2019-20 season will now be riding in the Medium Tour and aiming to excel in the higher category as well.Longines Hathab will mark the start of a long equestrian season in Qatar leading to a number of high-profile championships will be staged throughout the season. The FEI World Dressage Challenge will be held on 21 February 2021 when the QEFMP will host the elite dressage riders. Another important landmark in the season will be the Commercial Bank CHI AL SHAQAB Presented by Longines, which will involve show jumping, dressage and para dressage between 24 and 26 February.February will round off with the HH The Amir Sword Show Jumping Championships, which is organised by QEFMP in partnership with QFâs Al Shaqab and coincides with the H.H. The Amir Sword Festival, which is organised by the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC). Early March will be the time for the Longines Global Champions Tour, which is one of the worldâs most successful and thrilling show jumping championships. It will be organised at Longines arena of Al Shaqab in March (4 to 6).