The two-day competition from today
Tribune News Network
Doha
The eighth competition of the 12-leg Hathab Equestrian Tour National series will take place at the Qatar Equestrian Federation's (QEF) indoor and outdoor arena in New Al Rayyan on Friday and Saturday.
The mandatory veterinary check for the horses was done on Thursday followed by riders' warm-up sessions.
The competition on Friday will begin with Small Tour and Medium Tour events.
On Saturday, dressage events (Level 1 and 2) will be held in the morning, to be followed by the Open Class and Big Tour events later in the afternoon and evening.
Hamad Nasser al Qadi is currently leading the Big Tour in showjumping with a tally of 159 points and holds a 27-point lead over Nasser al Ghazali, who has 132 points. Mubarak Yousuf al Rumaihi is third with 129 points.
In the Medium Tour, Saeed Nasser al Qadi tops the table with 164 points, much ahead of Mohammed Sultan al Suwaidi at 121 points.
The Small Tour is led by Ghanim Nasser al Qadi with 94 points. He is being chased by Mohammed Khalifa al Baker and Abdulaziz Ghanim al Nuaimi (both at 76 points).
All top riders of Qatar are participating in the QR1.1 million Hathab National series which was launched last year by Al Shaqab, a member of Qatar Foundation, and QEF.
Best seven results out of the total 12 will be taken into account in deciding the overall national champions.
Hathab, meaning"Canter" in Arabic, is an initiative of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee.
The vision for Hathab is to have a national series of equestrian competition to inspire Qatar's next generation of international champions.
Schedule
Friday
Small Tour: Accumulator with Joker (100/115cm): 3.15pm
Medium Tour: Table A, One round against the clock with jump off (120/130cm): 5.45pm
Saturday
Dressage: Level 1: 9am; Level 2: 10am
Open Class: Table A, One round against the clock (115/125cm): 3.15pm
Big Tour: Competition with winning round (130/140cm): 5.45pm.