HH Sheikh Ali Al Thani: a rider to watch...
Qatar is one of the fastest growing Arab nations in the sport of Jumping, which their national team demonstrated at the end of 2011 by finishing third at the Pan Arab Games in Doha.
Currently based in Qatar, 30 year-old Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al Thani has produced numerous outstanding performances on all nine horses that he competes with. He has taken part in some of the world’s most prestigious jumping events, including the FEI World Cup™ Jumping Arab League, the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 in Lexington, Kentucky and the Longines Global Champions Tour.
Notable performances include 4th place with his team at the Asian Games in Doha (2006), 6th place with his team at the Pan Arab Games in Cairo in 2007 and 3rd place at the CSI4* Grand Prix in Braunschweig in Germany.
Sheikh Ali Al Thani also showed his worth at the Games by claiming an impressive individual second-place finish riding Sieshof’s Abraksas. The Pan Arab Games came soon after the CSI3*-W Riyadh (KSA), where he secured a second-place finish with 11-year-old gelding, Cascano, in December 2011.
Jumping 151 places up in the Rolex rankings
In April 2012, the young Qatari rider was named the Rolex ‘One to Watch’ jumping 151 places up in the Rolex rankings. The Rolex One to Watch is an initiative which identifies the rider who has made the biggest jump within or into the Top 250 of the Rolex Rankings the previous month.
This tall 30 years old rider, who is the father of a six-year old son, lives in Doha but spends the summer in Europe, especially in the Netherland her he trains with Jan Tops, as all the riders of the Qatar Armdes Forces Team do.
His Highness Sheikh Ali Al Thani granted Cheval Savoir an exclusive interview.
Interview
By Laetitia Bataille
iCheval Savoir: Sheikh Ali, Your Highness jumps for Qatar in many top-level show-jumping events. When did you first start riding?
Sheikh Ali Al Thani: I started when I was six years old. In our private farm, my uncles had horses, and I could ride just for fun. I loved dit.
iC.S. As you were a very young child, did you start on ponies, or on small arabian horses?
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