Jumping for Glory

Show jumping star Basel Al Dossari started off his equestrian season and New Year on a high note, bagging first places in the opening Grand Prix and the National Day Cup.

The 39-year-old Saar Riding School head instructor has leapt to the top of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (BREEF) table after his recent successes and is aiming to ride to victory again this Friday at the Bahrain Defence Force Equestrian Centre in Sakhir.

Al Dossari, who used to ride with the national team but is now representing the Conseil International Du Sport Militaire (CISM), secured the Cup while riding CISM 2 Al Fateh and completed the round in 52.47 seconds with four faults.

He said: “The season started in November and I’ve competed in three shows so far. I’m happy with my results. I placed first in the opening show and fifth in the second but have landed the number one spot at the recent National Day Show Jumping Championship.

It was a great achievement for me especially as it was on National Day. I was also honoured to have won it three years in a row and am planning to hold onto that title. “At the moment I’m at the top of the league and am going to work hard to keep it that way.

Every ride is a new one and I treat it as such. By staying number one I can make my future goals of continuing to compete internationally a reality.” Show jumping, also known as stadium jumping or simply jumping, is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters and equitation.

Jumping classes are commonly seen at shows including the Olympics and international competitions are governed by the rules of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI).

This sport is designed to be a true test for horse and rider. As elegant and as simple as it looks, show-jumping requires extreme amounts of athleticism and precision. A course will be made up of anywhere between, on average, 10-13 fences some of which may be double or treble combinations with penalties incurred for each obstacle knocked down or refused.

The type of fences and terrain in showjumping courses often varies depending on the level. The winner of the competition is the horse and rider combination that incurs the least number of penalties, completes the course in the fastest time or gains the highest number of points depending on the type of competition.

Al Dossari was always passionate about horses but he jumped into the sport at the age of 13. Since then he has competed in the kingdom and across the region. He has also participated in shows in Germany, France, UK, Holland and Spain, as well as the World Cup Military tour in Brazil.

Aside from training six riders at the stable, Al Dossari prepares four hours every day for his feats. He added: “We train every day at the stables and work hard on each and every horse individually. Thanks to the effort and God we are achieving great results in return. I would like to thank my sponsors for their constant support over the past years namely, CISM, Al Fateh Equestrian, Alice Alessi, KepItalia and JinStirrups.”