Muscat: ‘Haboob Muscat’ clinched the title of the Oxy Endurance Race for a distance of 100 km, led by rider Ahmed bin Said al Saeedi in Ibri on Friday.
As many as 61 horses took part in the race, organised by the Oman Equestrian Federation with the support of Occidental Oman Company for the second year in a row, in cooperation with the Governor of Al Dhahirah.
The event was held under the auspices of Najeeb bin Ali bin Ahmed al Rowas, Governor of Al Dhahirah, in the presence of Shaikh Saeed bin Mohammed bin Abdullah al Kalbani, Vice-Chairman of Oman Equestrian Federation, and Eng Nasser bin Issa al Maskari, Director of Social Responsibility at Occidental Oman Company.
The 100 km race witnessed strong competition among 61 participants through four stages. The first and second stages were run for 30 km, while the third and fourth stages were run for 20 km.
The first place and the car prize was won by Ahmed bin Said al Saeedi on ‘Haboob Muscat’, owned by Hala al Turki and coached by Said bin Khamis al Hinai. The second place and car was claimed by Faisal Basem al Qadi on ‘Nebras Muscat’, owned by Hala al Turki and trained by Said bin Khamis al Hinai. The third place and car was won by Khaled bin Youssef al Riyami on ‘Donderval’ from Al Buraq Stables and trained by Abdullah bin Khalifa al Azizi.
On the sidelines of the competition, the riders of Bahla Stable for purebred Arabian horses exhibited their skills of tent pegging, such as the round of capturing rings with sword and spear, and the relay round for teams with spears, where the riders dazzled the audience with their show.
In addition, the knights of Ibri presented traditional horse sports shows, horse ‘humble’ which is traditional singing on the horses. Horse riding, which is one of the heritage sports of the Sultanate of Oman, was also on the show.
At the end of the ceremony, the top three winners of the 100 km race were presented with three cars. The Director of Social Responsibility at Occidental Oman was also honoured along with the Al Dhahirah Equestrian Committee.
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