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UAE claim 12th spot in World Dressage

UAE-based riders claimed high rankings in the FEI World Dressage Challenge, while the UAE team clinched 12^th spot.

The event, held on Wednesday at Meydan Group’s Emirates Equestrian Centre, is designed to allow riders in developing dressage countries, which do not have their own dressage Grands Prix, to compete against other nations without the need for expensive and time-consuming international travel.

It sees competitors remain in their home countries and perform dressage tests for traveling international judges who then pool all results to establish a league table of high scores.

The UAE competes in Zone 4 alongside Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Turkey. UAE riders were unable to repeat their overall winning performance of 2012, but nevertheless high-class individual performances ensured that the UAE finished up the rankings.

Lynn Al Redha landed the UAE leg of the Prix St George class with 66.58 per cent from Tartan Special, claiming an overall spot of 7^th in the world out of 113 riders. Cristina Calin-Thompson took the Advanced class on Landor’s Filou with a score of 66.08 per cent.

Al Redha struck again in the Medium class where Roma’s score of 70.44 per cent propelled her to the top of the world rankings while junior rider, Sarah Khairallah’s 68.53 per cent on Flagmount’s Crackerjack was good enough for 11^th in the world out of 210 competitors.

Susanna Foustok claimed the UAE leg of the Senior Preliminary class on Don Rodolfo with a score of 67.93 per cent.

The UAE leg of the FEI World Dressage Challenge was supported by Bonjour Equestrian Supplies, along with Dubai Equestrian Club, Emirates Equestrian Centre and the Emirates Equestrian Federation. Emirates Equestrian Centre’s Lilian Sternvad said: “It went very well and we are very pleased with the standard that the UAE riders achieved. I think that they were more consistent this year across all classes. Even if they didn’t land the top ranking, for the UAE Team to finish 12^th out of 53 countries is still an excellent result.”