The Organising Committee of the International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition - Abu Dhabi 2009 (ADIHEX) held a series of press conferences during its Gulf tour. The three days tour included Doha, Kuwait, and Riyadh, between the 16th and the 18th of August, 2009, took place in collaboration with the UAE embassies in those countries.During the press conferences, Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Director of ADIHEX, hailed the successes achieved by the Exhibition during its past sessions, stressing the determination of ADIHEX for more progress in the new session.

The exhibition will be launched on September 30th - October 3rd, 2009 under the slogan “Deep-rooted Heritage and Sustainable Hunting.”

ADIHEX, held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Representative of the Ruler in the Western Region and Chairman of Emirates Falconers Club (EFC), is organized by EFC, with support of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH).

“The participation of GCC countries at ADIHEX in each session is considered a major addition, whether in terms of the number of visitors or exhibitors taking part,” said Qubaisi.

“Such participation also reflects the depth of fraternal relations between the Gulf States, and the great value of sports heritage to the people Gulf, who hold the customs and traditions of the region in high regard,” he added.

“The Exhibition is also a great opportunity for joint GCC cooperation in the protection and preservation of the environment, and for the preservation of heritage and its transmission to future generations to sustain inherited Arab customs and traditions,” stressed Qubaisi.

The new session will host a variety of activities that proved successful previously, including contests on the art of making Arabic coffee; best Nabati poems describing birds and hunters; best research on Arab hunting and equestrian; most beautiful paintings of hunting, equestrian, and heritage; most beautiful photographs of equestrian and heritage, and Saluki beauty contest (of Rish and Hos categories), and best horses contest.

“The event will also include a number of accompanying programme of diverse cultural and heritage activities, including the participation of Britain’s Household Cavalry of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the Exhibition for the first time in the Middle East, where 36 soldiers and 28 horses would be staging rare musical performances,” said Qubaisi.

“The Musical Ride’s participation underlines the very strong ties between Britain and Abu Dhabi and a shared knowledge and passion for all things equestrian. Part of the purpose of ADIHEX is to act as a bridge between the many equine cultures and traditions around the world. The Musical Ride’s performances in Abu Dhabi represent a significant milestone in the evolution of ADIHEX as a truly international event,” added Qubaisi.

The Exhibition will include the participation of the most important international racecourses and horse stables, notably the Farm of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan for horse breeding in Normandy, France;  Newmarket; Britain’s famous Ascot track; the Arab French Horses Association (AFAC); German Arab Horses Society (DRAV); Dutch Arabian Association; French Hunting Association; Russian Equiros Exhibition; Baden-Baden, Frankfurt racecourses in Germany; International Equestrian Federation (FEI); Asian Equestrian Federation; Emirates Equestrian Federation; Dubai Equestrian Club; Reef Stables;  Al Wersan Stables; Bou Thib Stables; Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club; and Ghantoot Equestrian Club.

Qubaisi highlighted the participation of ADACH and the Emirates Falconers Club in the Second International Falconry Festival which was held July 11-12 in Britain.

“The participation of the Emirates Falconers’ Club and the Authority in the second International Falconry Festival held in Britain on the 11-12 of July with the participation of 52 states, the Heritage Village of Abu Dhabi at the festival was visited by more than 15,000 people a day, and attracted the attention of Great Britain’s media.” Qubaisi emphasized.

“The United Arab Emirates has recently hosted a workshop, organized by ADACH, on the preparation of the international file for registering Falconry at the UNESCO. The workshop was held in Abu Dhabi for two days during which a final version of the file was drafted after an extensive study and review of the files provided by the participating delegations in the run-up to its submission to the European Union in preparation to submit a comprehensive and participative file to the UNESCO for the registration of Falconry History in the representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,” he added.

Qubaisi highlighted the many different preparations underway to make the ADIHEX will run smoothly.

“A security committee was formed to provide the requirements of the organization of the exhibition and preservation of the safety of visitors and participants, overseeing the process of buying and selling arms, and follow-up of companies supplying arms, in addition to raising the awareness aspect for buyers of weapons purchased in the exhibition,” added Qubaisi.

“The area allocated to the bookings in ADIHEX has increased to 21,530 square meters compared to the 16,281 square meters in 2008, or an increase of 25%, owing to the strong demand from exhibitors to take part in this year’s exhibition,” he said, highlighting the role played by ADIHEX in the field of sustainable hunting, which aims to achieve a balance between the preservation of heritage and the protection of the environment, and the achievements in promoting the use of hybrid birds in captivity for falconry sport instead of the endangered wild falcons and emphasizing the UAE efforts in the preservation of the natural environment, and intensifying hubara and falcon breeding programs.

“The Exhibition has also achieved a wide popular and universal standing. It has promoted the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as a unique and attractive point for visitors and exhibitors as the number of participations in the last edition (2008) reached 526 from 37 countries. The exhibition also witnessed a staggering influx of visitors which exceeded all expectations as the number of visitors surpassed the 95,000 mark during the four-day exhibition. Contracts worth millions of UAE dirhams were signed and the exhibition’s total revenues and sales were more than 85 million dirhams,” said Qubaisi.

Qubaisi thanked the Breeding Stables of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Normandy-France, Sorouh, Abu Dhabi Sports Council for sponsoring the event and the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage for their support and for their ceaseless efforts in order to contribute to the continuing success of the International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Abu Dhabi 2009) and invited the public to visit the exhibition and enjoy its various activities.

Captain Edward Olver, from the Royal Household Cavalry, who took part in the tour, praised the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage for having the vision and motivation to invite the Cavalry Regiment to participate in an exhibition of Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian - 2009.

“Such participation is an exceptional opportunity for the Musical Ride to show its performance for the first time in the Middle East,” he said.

“The Arab World and the United Kingdom share a sense of camaraderie with a horse, which represents a unique opportunity to build bridges between cultures,” he emphasised.