UAE Endurance Riders, and the Fitness Behind the Sport

The UAE's endurance riders are on the road again. The national endurance team, run out of Dubai Equestrian Club, has travelled to Portugal for the FEI World Championship for young endurance horses on 11 September, and the country's confidence in them is being said out loud. It is easy to file endurance riding under horse sport and scroll past. Do that and you miss the part that matters in a gym: a good endurance rider is a seriously conditioned athlete, and the qualities that carry them through hours in the saddle are worth building whether or not you ever sit on a horse.

The news, and the bigger stage behind it

The immediate story is the trip to Baroca de Alfa in Portugal. Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmouk Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Equestrian Club, said his confidence in the UAE riders is great, and team director Ahmed Rashid Al Kaabi described a squad of elite riders with real international experience. Those are the club's words, and the expectation behind them is plain.

The bigger backdrop is at home. The senior FEI Endurance World Championship 2026 will be staged in the UAE, at Butheeb International Endurance Village in Al Khatim, from 14 to 20 December, with the main race on the 19th. It is the second world championship the venue has hosted, and it says something about where this sport sits in the Emirates: not a curiosity, but a discipline the country leads and now welcomes the world to.

Why endurance riding is an endurance sport for the rider

Here is the bit that surprises people. Championship endurance is a long-distance sport, with senior rides run over great distances, up to around 160 kilometres in a single day. The horse is the athlete everyone watches, but the rider has to stay balanced, steady and in control for hours, over changing ground, managing effort and pace the whole way. That is not passenger work. It is a genuine test of stamina, strength and nerve, and it asks a lot of a human body.

What the saddle actually asks of a body

Break it down and endurance riding leans on the same qualities any gym-goer can train:

• Aerobic endurance, so the heart and lungs can sustain a long effort without fading.
• Core and postural strength, to stay stable in the saddle and protect the lower back over hours.
• Grip and forearm strength, for steady contact through the reins.
• Leg, hip and balance work, to absorb movement and hold a secure position.

How to train those without a horse

None of this needs a stable. Build the aerobic base with longer, easy cardio you can talk through, then sharpen the top end with intervals, the idea behind a HIIT session, once or twice a week. Train legs and core with squats, hinges and carries for the strength and grip a long ride demands, and use a yoga class to build the balance, mobility and steady breathing that keep a position honest when you are tired. It is a well-rounded, deeply practical way to get fit, which is exactly why it carries over to everything else.

Where GymNation comes in

You do not have to be an athlete, or anywhere near one, to train the way an athlete trains. The whole idea at GymNation is a room where a first-timer and a seasoned lifter are equally welcome, so the only thing standing between you and a stronger, steadier engine is starting. If watching the UAE's riders has you thinking about your own fitness, joining a gym is a fine place to turn that into a habit.

Build your own engine

You will probably never ride 160 kilometres in a day, and you do not need to. The point is that the fitness under a sport like this is completely trainable, one honest session at a time, and it makes ordinary life feel easier too. GymNation is a no-ego, everyone-welcome place to start building it. Not sure what your first step looks like? Fill in the enquiry form and our team will point you to the nearest gym and a plan that suits you.

Sources:

albayan.ae

gulfnews.com

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.