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Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, one of the world's leading racehorse owners, has initiated a bold experiment featuring Australian wild horses, know as Brumbies.
The experiment surrounds 13 wild horses from the Tanami Desert in Western Australia which have been transferred to Shaikh Hamdan's Seih Assalam Endurance Stables in Dubai. Success could result in the thousands of Brumbies in Australia that face the threat of being culled, being given a fresh lease of life.
After it was brought to Shaikh Hamdan's notice by his Racing Manager Ali Mohammad Al Muhairi, who photographed these wild horses in Australia, Shaikh Hamdan encouraged his team to check out the potential of these horses in endurance sport.
The Brumbies have in fact hit the headlines of late as they were being regarded as a pest to the native ecosystems and were being culled.
While a few organisations regard these as part of Australian heritage and many 'Save Brumbies' groups have also been vociferous in their support, the killing of these wild creatures has continued.
If not culled to reduce their population, many have also been killed for pet feed, mainly for dogs, but now, based on the success of those that have landed in Dubai, these creatures could earn a fresh lease of life.
After Shaikh Hamdan showed interest in them, 13 horses were captured and from Western Australia were moved over 4,000kms by road to New South Wales where all but one of them were broken. After being placed in quarantine, the horses began their historic journey from Sydney to Melbourne and then to the UAE via Singapore.
"They have taken the journey quite well and also the change in environment also," said Al Mohammad Al Muhairi.
Though plucked from their home turf and brought to a different continent, the Brumbies have been christened with aboriginal names like Jaarni, Jalka, Luca, Malarn, Malu, Marran, Paraku, Steely, Tanami, Timana and Tinjil with a six-month old colt foal named Marjii.
While Purebred Arabian and Part-bred Arabian horses have been the most suited for the gruelling sport of endurance, the fact that these Brumbies have survived harsh conditions and roam long distances in search of water do make them potential long distance runners.
Dr. Alan Post, an Australian vet working for Shaikh Hamdan said, "The Brumbies are basically thoroughbreds based with Arabian and Percheron influence. You can term them as Part Arabs or Anglo-Arabs. They come from conditions where the summer temperature exceeds 50 degrees Celsius so the UAE desert climate will not be a big challenge."
While most of them will get to see competition in the coming season, it will be at least another two years before one can come to some conclusion over their ability as endurance horses.
However, Shaikh Hamdan's move is certain to propel the Brumbies into the limelight and the creatures that were being sold at $ 20 per head for pet feed could very well chart a new course for themselves in their fight for survival.
learning curve
Seih Assalam stable staff spellbound
Irshad Ahmad, the Stable Foreman at Seih Assalam Endurance Stables feels the Brumbies could turn out to be useful endurance horses.
"They look very strong and sturdy. They also are well built and have a big chest. It is early days but I think they do have the potential," said Ahmad, who comes from the Indian desert state of Rajasthan.
"Initially they were very nervous and frightened. But very soon they began to get friendly and now they are showing positive signs," said Ahmad as he watched the grooms trot the wild Australian horses.
"We did have some problems with some of them. One of them was very aggressive. But even in other breeds we do find troublesome horses. But they have settled down now and are learning quickly.
"They also are showing the right attitude which is very important," added Ahmad, saying that their arrival had excited the grooms and other staff in the stables.
- M Satya Narayan
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