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Butheeb 2022
On 25 February 2023, Butheeb International Endurance Village hosted the 18th edition of the FEI Endurance World Championship over 160 km: the first world championship after the lifting of pandemic restrictions, and the largest event on the FEI calendar. This is how it was.
The championship
The championship saw 24 teams at the start, the largest number to take part since the pandemic, led by the Spanish team as defending team champions and confronted by strong rivals in the host Emirati riders, in Salem Hamad Malhouf Al Ketbi as holder of the individual title, and in the Brazilian team, silver medallists at the previous edition.
Three former champions rode: Spain's María Álvarez Pontón, world champion in Malaysia in 2008 and in the United States in 2010; her compatriot Jaume Punti Dachs, champion of the 2016 edition in Slovakia and captain of Spain's team title twice; and the champion of the 2021 edition in Pisa, the Emirati rider Salem Hamad Malhouf Al Ketbi. Eight Arab nations took part, led by the UAE with seven world titles, alongside Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Algeria and Jordan.
The course ran over six loops of 33, 30, 29, 28, 20 and 20 km. Each nation could enter five riders with the best three counting for the team title, and the FEI's definite entries listed 129 riders from 37 countries with 143 horses. The Village had staged a preparatory 160 km ride the previous December, in coordination with the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, which drew praise from the FEI.
Individual gold to Bahrain's H.H. Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa on Darco La Majorie; team gold to France.
New standards for endurance rides
Butheeb 2022 was run to the highest standards, and especially in the implementation of sustainability initiatives, an effort by the Organising Committee to set new standards for endurance riding: the first environment-friendly edition of the championship, in line with the declaration by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, of 2023 as the Year of Sustainability within the UAE's strategic initiative to reduce emissions and achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to announce that goal.
The championship, called the Green Championship, considered the major environmental aspects: recycling all plastic packaging, reducing water use and reusing it in agriculture, and using the championship to promote sustainability initiatives, spreading awareness among the public and participants and showing the country's efforts in this field.
Horse welfare
The FEI approved a veterinary panel of 12 treating veterinarians, in addition to 20 veterinarians on the Veterinary Commission for the vet-gate inspections, and eight ambulances for the treatment of horses at the veterinary clinic. Stables were established for horses arriving from Europe, Latin America and the Gulf states, in addition to those in the Emirates, and veterinary committees were present from the moment the horses arrived at the airports until they left the country after the championship.
The stables and quarantine stables were prepared to the best international practice, with horses from Latin America, North America, Europe and the Gulf handled according to their origin, and the Dubai and Sharjah equine hospitals appointed as referral hospitals for any serious injury before or during the event, alongside an integrated veterinary clinic at the Village.
The championship's organisation
The championship was held under His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan as Honorary President. The Higher Committee was chaired by Major General Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, President of the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, with H.E. Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism; H.E. Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi; H.E. Dr. Salem Al Kaabi, Director General of Operations Affairs at the Department of Municipalities and Transport; Yakoob Al Saadi, Head of Abu Dhabi Sports Channels; and Brigadier Dr. Jassim Ibrahim Al Mansouri, General Coordinator of the Committees.
The 2022 logo carried the falcon over the fort, the horse's head, the Arabian traveller with his camel and guide, and the two palm trees: heritage, horsemanship and the generosity of the people of the Emirates, with "Abu Dhabi" written on the fort.
The Organising Committee, officials and partners of Butheeb 2026.
