 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
For Eng. Ali Al Shaiba, equestrian life isn't just a passion; it's a bloodline. Centuries of family legacy bind him to the sport, coursing through his veins like the thunder of hooves on desert sand. This ancestral connection fuels his fervour for promoting equestrianism, a mission he champions as the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.
“I was always a hobbyist,” Al Shaiba said. “I like to ride. I like to go and see horses, attend races, and attend competitions. From my career perspective, I specialize in creating destinations, and with my background in media and tourism, I was presented with this exciting opportunity to use my experience for the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.”
For Ali Al Shaiba, taking the helm of the storied racing club wasn't just a career move, it was a checkered flag dropped on his ambition. Stepping into the shoes of such a prestigious outfit wasn't without its pre-race jitters.
“And to be honest, it wasn’t an easy challenge to accept,” Al Shaiba admits, the glint of a competitor still in his eye.
But Al Shaiba isn't one to let nerves stall his engine. With his crack team in place, they hit the ground running the moment he joined, putting his mind at ease and freeing him up to shift gears and plan the club's future.
Al Shaiba grew up with several cousins who worked as horse trainers. They worked in the industry for 30 or 40 years. He also decided to invest in horses when he got older.
While it wasn’t a financial boon for Al Shaiba, he learned much about the industry.
“I had a little experience investing in horses,” Al Shaiba said. “Especially in racing, it wasn’t bad. I didn’t get a lot of money from that, but it was a good experience for me to learn in detail how the industry works.”
As the mastermind behind the club's operations, he leads a crack team with the precision of a champion jockey. Their mission: to transform the club into the crown jewel of Middle East’s racing and equestrian industry. From manicuring the paddock to a pristine emerald expanse to shaping the riding school into a world-class training ground for future champions, Al Shaiba's dedication is as unwavering as a desert Arabian Purebred’s gallop.
But his most spirited pursuit? Fostering a vibrant tapestry of cross-club camaraderie, where knowledge and passion for the sport are swapped like silks in the winner's circle.
“It’s imperative, in my opinion, in this position to always work on keeping the lines of communication with other clubs open and transparent,” Al Shaiba said.
“And that’s what we are doing today; we are working closer and as a unit. I work closely with my peers in other clubs in the UAE, the federations, and the organizers of the races and competitions. When we do this collectively, we share the knowledge, collaborate, and elevate equestrian and racing sports in the UAE to a level where it’s used as a benchmark. “
 |
The Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club didn’t unbar its doors until open racing until 1991. Previously, the club was only occasionally available for Arabian breed horses. Once the club opened its arms to other types of horses, there started to be a definite change in the atmosphere.
“This had a huge impact on what you can see from a facility perspective in the club,” Al Shaiba said. “Because the more horses that come, the more competitions we are starting to host.”
HH Sheikh Zayed helped make significant improvements to the facility. What he pushed for during 1994 was a makeover of the club. This work helped revolutionize the club and make it a regional destination.
“He instructed them to modernize the club and construction,” Al Shaiba said. “He started with fibre turf in the racetrack, the first and only in the region. We built a grandstand for 500 seats. With the hospitality boxes and VIP suites, it was the only one of its kind at that time to be built in this region.”
A history of innovation will be essential to drive the club’s success. With more interest in racing in the Middle East, the club will need to find a way to continue to draw more events to the area.
Al Shaiba believes that they are in a position now where a refresh of the facilities would be wise.
“We are in another moment where we need to develop the facilities further because now, we are hosting not only racing but also show jumping and dressage competitions on a high level, an international level,” Al Shaiba said. “And that will also require us to upgrade our facilities further. And today, we are at that stage.”
The HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Horse Racing Festival has been one of Abu Dhabi’s top racing events. What that event helps promote is the strong abilities of Arabian breed horses.
“More people are now interested in knowing about this breed,” Al Shaiba said. The festival sponsors the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Jewels Cup every year as part of their world tour.
In addition to this flagship race, the Jewels Cup, Al Shaiba is also keen on executing the President’s Cup this season.
“I believe the fact it’s called the President Cup tells you how special this race is because it’s meant to be for local owners and local horses, and when I say local, it’s not just the UAE. When it comes to horses, when we say local, it’s the region, so it’s the owners from UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait.”
Al Shaiba has high aspirations for the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club. He’s hoping that by making the club a destination for horse enthusiasts it will consequently help boost Abu Dhabi.
“I would say our aim is to become the benchmark for the equestrian world,” Al Shaiba said. “Today, we are transforming our place to an equestrian destination, a destination for horse lovers. We have accomplished a lot of developments from upgrading our systems internally, how we work, upgrading our facilities and the offerings, and also the hiring of professionals to join the family.”
What Al Shaiba has been focused on is figuring out ways to host more events. Many of the federations he has worked with worldwide have mentioned how the club has a prime location for holding events.
“Everyone wants to come and compete here, but we need several things to be enhanced,” Al Shaiba said. “We are actively planning to host more international competitions in the future. We are planning to create and execute competitions that are attractive to the international equine audience. Our strategy is to reintroduce the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club as the Capital’s equestrian destination.”
Being an effective communicator has allowed Al Shaiba to attract all different kinds of events. He concentrates on working with the Emirates Racing Authority. The focus on luring those specific types of events has been to bring in the top horses in to compete.
“At any racecourse, attracting a large audience is a direct result to the venues’ global recognition,” Al Shabia said. “It’s not easy because of the congested regional calendar. You have to align with Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi, Bahrain and the other UAE emirates; so it’s not an easy task to find a calendar gap to create another international race and/or competition. Working closely with the other organisations surely helps in finding the right time to create a recognizable international race in Abu Dhabi and stapling it as part of the global calendar.”
For show jumping, the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club recently hosted the four-star events. But they have ambitions to grow even more with the five-star events like the Super League and consequently host the World Cup in Abu Dhabi.
“Once we set these targets for ourselves, the operational and development plans simply created themselves,” Al Shaiba said. “We not only require to develop those two pillars, but are also focusing on attaining the right human capital to come and work with and for us. It is a synergy between working groups, working together towards the same goal. One side handles the facilities and the construction. The other side handles these relationships with the relevant organizations/federations to best develop these races and/or competitions to be hosted at our destination.”
The last 12 months have been a busy time for Al Shaiba. One of the major growth points has been developing the riding school. They are relentlessly working on getting their riding school internationally certified.
“We started with the riding school because it’s the core of our business, we hold our selves responsible to building the next generation of riders and equine enthusiasts,” Al Shaiba said. “We are luckily situated in the centre of Abu Dhabi Island and surrounded by communities of people who have been raising and riding horses on the regular. To best serve this demographic, it is our goal to build and maintain the best facility the sports has to offer. Therefore, we started with upgrading our riding school facilities physically and operationally. It will be a new era for the club; and we are 90 percent there.”
“We are going to be providing best-in-class training facility for horse riders who aim to compete at a global scale,” Al Shaiba said. “The facility is fully equipped to harbour, train and maintain our member horses. We are also developing a rehab centre where a member can rest assured that their horse is receiving best care to a faster recovery before the start of a season and/or after an injury.”
By Dean McHugh