Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club participates in all official equestrian disciplines in the United Arab Emirates.
The official start of flat races in the country was in 1983 at the track of the Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club. The racetrack has witnessed several stages of development to keep pace with the global development in the horse racing tracks
The club allocates a group of special stables for racehorse breeders and provides them with all needed services. The racing section also includes the racing Grand Stand and attached to it are 100 stables to host the visiting horses participating in the races organized by the club.
The naming of Sharjah Longines Racecourse
As part of the strategic partnership between the Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club and Longines, the distinctive brand that has long been providing support and care for equestrian sports in the United Arab Emirates and around the world, a new sponsorship agreement was signed to name the new Sharjah Racecourse - Sharjah Longines Racecourse.
The management of the Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club has adopted the name of the races in honour of those who have had a great impact on the development of equestrian sports in the country:
• His Highness Ruler of Sharjah Cup Race
• His Highness Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup Race
• His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Cup Race - may God Almighty have mercy on him
• His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Cup Race
• His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Cup Race
• His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan's Cup Race
• Gulf Cooperation Council Cup Race
One of the main goals in establishing the Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club is to showcase the highborn and elevated progeny of Arabian horses and to encourage the breeding of this noble horse to increase its pedigree. According to the directives of H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the club represented the United Arab Emirates at the 1986 World Arabian Horses Organization conference held in Morocco. The UAE was then accepted as a member of that conference.
Sharjah Stud was designed to reflect Arab architecture and is equipped with up-to-date facilities and staffed with a professional team chosen to train and care for the Stud`s horses.
Sharjah Stud contains:
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74 boxes built only for Arabian horses
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4 sand paddocks
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2 grass paddocks
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1 main grass arena
The club organizes an annual festival for Arabian horses. The first Sharjah Arabian Horse Festival took place in 2000/ 2001 at the club arena and is considered a leader in the field. In addition, there are currently 3 more festivals being held; one for Straight Egyptian bred and one for locally bred Arabians and Sharjah Kalba Show.
Many of the best riders participating in show jumping in the UAE began their careers at the Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club. The club has generously sponsored a number of youths and provided them with first class trainers and horses in addition to organizing many competitions. The club’s riders are central to the success of the Emirates National Show Jumping Team which has achieved remarkable results at national and international levels.
Annually, Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club organises two International Show jumping events, the Sharjah International Show Jumping Competition World Cup Qualifier “CSI3*W” and the Sharjah Ruler’s Cup “CSI2*.” A large number of riders from the Emirates as well as many international equestrians participate in these important competitions.
Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club also hosts six National jumping events supervised by the UAE Equestrian Federation.
Dressage
Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club has excellent facilities for dressage riders and horses. With many arenas to train in and good trainers to train with, dressage has been growing to a professional level.