For someone who took to equestrian at the age of six, Omar al-Mannai went on to excel in both – dressage and showjumping. He also represented Qatar at many international events including the 2006 Asian Games in Doha in dressage.
During his riding career, he spent nearly six years training and further developing his skills with some of the world’s top riders. Now in his role as Commercial Director of Al Shaqab (world’s finest equestrian centre) and as the Vice-Chairman of Higher Organising Committee of Hathab – Qatar’s premier domestic equestrian series, he looks back at the season’s success and the road to the future. Excerpts from an interview.

On Hathab’s just-concluded Season Six
Hathab this season also had a mix of international equestrian events. This year there were additional 2-star and 3-star competitions which added a very positive value to the overall season. The riders’ abilities have been rising in stature and in the final Tour we saw top level performances. It was a well-studied and well spread equestrian series through the year. The length of the season has also been of significance since the upcoming riders will learn as to how to keep their horses in good shape so that they can keep performing with their trusted horses throughout the season. This was one of our objectives to set as a learning curve for all the riders.

On more riders now having their own horses
Encouraging the riders, especially the young, to own their own horses was set as a target for us three years ago. And today, there are almost 30 to 45 new horses competing in Hathab every season. The growing population of competition horses and also the number of riders is what we had been aiming for. One of the objectives of Hathab is – to create awareness, to encourage riders to own their horses and to continue the development of this sport year after year. We consider this seriously and which is an investment young riders and their parents are making and with perseverance they will achieve their goals.

On Hathab’s runaway success
What has been achieved till today was conceived a long time ago. We are putting together all the methods and encouragement for the riders and their parents to invest in their children and their good future. That has been our aim from the very beginning. Hopefully, we have already achieved that but this is not the end of the story. Now there will be more competitions and growing standards. For us at the organizing committee we have a role to make it more competitive, more attractive, increasing the number of sponsors and thereby the prize money as well.

Challenges for Hathab in the World Cup year
Last year we began a month earlier because of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 for which we had a three-month long break to our series. It also extended the overall season length. Now by the end of this month we shall announce the calendar for 2023-24 season which will start in October this year.

Growing Qatari riders at Hathab
It’s a part of our culture, tradition and legacy. As you can see in Hathab, the maximum number of riders are Qataris. Only a small percentage of foreigners reside in Qatar.
There is also a huge demand for admissions in the riding academies and riding schools in Qatar. This is also because of the parents’ encouragement to their children. Families play a big role in making their kids excel in horse riding and equestrian sport which not just shapes one physically but personality.

More female participation
The number of female riders has highly increased and this is something which we encourage. Also, we are giving opportunities for those who want to be a part of our various functional areas. We believe in the spirit of teamwork and oneness without differentiating besides equestrian is also a gender equal sport.

Setting the bar high at Al Shaqab
After every event, we look at the good points and the challenges we faced and try to enhance regularly. After every tour, every season we review things. The development part is something which we are majorly considering. We are also looking at other competitions in the region and the world for a comparative study to be used as a benchmark for progressive growth. I feel we have succeeded so far but we want to excel so that others see us as the benchmark.

On his role and fulfilment
Al Shaqab is my home. At the end of the day whatever we aim to do, we do it in good fashion. I have also been a former rider and I know exactly what a rider and other team members, horse grooms, judges and others would need. So we as a team try to do our best to accommodate each and every person who is involved with the competition. We focus on the details and maybe this is the strength of what we are doing. We are trying to satisfy everyone’s needs to be in top shape for the competitions and including the horses. The horses need to be in a nice place, their stabling and training areas are also to be cared for. If we do our job well, the people will recognize our efforts. But if we don’t work hard enough then we won’t achieve the goals of success.