With annual seasons ranging from hot to very hot, most of the UAE’s residents and businesses have learned to adapt. And the country’s equestrian centres are no different. In Abu Dhabi you should head for the Al Forsan centre in Khalifa City and if you fancy venturing even further out of the city, we recommend you try the Mushrif Equestrian Centre in Dubai.
The park itself is a vast, dune-filled place, with an interesting, hilly landscape that makes a change from the UAE’s typically flat topography. Driving through on our way to the equestrian centre as the sun set, the park was, unsurprisingly, empty (it is September, after all), but the scattering of slightly older and quirkier children’s playgrounds and houses (giant toadstool, anyone?) offered a charm that the UAE’s newer green spaces lack. And though some areas of the park have a slightly abandoned feel, if anything it only provided a further incentive for horseback exploration.
As we parked up and wandered over to the centre, Maria, with whom we’d arranged the desert ride, expressed concern at the sight of our shorts. ‘You’ll get bruised,’ she warned.
We were already slowly melting in the warmth of the evening and couldn’t face the thought of donning any more clothes. ‘We’ll risk it’, we replied. The horses had already been saddled up, so all that was left to do was pick a helmet. Yes, you have to wear one – you may be heading into the desert on horseback, but this isn’t an Indiana Jones movie.
Our ride began just as dusk set in, with Iranian guide Ahmad leading the way. We made our way mostly downhill into the parts of the park we had just driven through, across paths and sand. It was noticeably cooler in these parts than in the rest of the city, and we couldn’t help wondering if it was the slight elevation that helped.
Our rudimentary knowledge of the physical differences between horses and camels told us that stalking through soft sands and clambering up dunes is not as easy for the former as the latter, and we began to hope our extra weight wasn’t putting our beautiful Arabian horse under too much strain. While we’re on the subject, it’s worth mentioning that horse riding is far more comfortable than barrelling around on a camel, and involves far less work from your core and legs to stay upright. Our ride continued with little incident – unless you count a toilet stop by our horse, which leaft us rushing to catch up with the group – though later conversations with others who have done the rides when it’s slightly darker revealed that sometimes the horses can get spooked. While the rides may be good for beginners (you’re led rather slowly and are essentially just following a guide), they’re not ideal if you’re nervous around horses at the best of times.
But really, there’s nothing to be concerned about. It’s not an intensive expedition where you will be expected to gallop around – it’s an enjoyable way to learn the basics of steering (albeit outside a paddock) and to get a feel for the animal’s temperament. We’re certain our horse had a mischievous streak, and we’re convinced he checked how tightly we were holding the reins on more than one occasion. When he started to speed up at one point, Ahmad called over to remind us how to slow him down. We knew this, but were actually hoping our horse would pick up a little speed anyway, just to see…
It’s a very relaxing way to spend an evening and if you take one of the full-moon desert rides, you might also discover a spiritual side to the experience.
If nothing else, the draw of cooler evenings should prove attractive to most and it’s definitely worth a break from your usual routine.
In Abu Dhabi try Al Forsan, night riding lessons start at Dhs180, Khalifa City (02 556 8555). Mushrif Equestrian Centre, Dubai, www.mushrifequestrianclub.wordpress.com (04 357 1256).
