Tarek Taher

l a i c n e o i t p i s d e

ENDURANCE ATHLETE REPRESENTATIVE CANDIDATE

www.sportendurance-evo.com

MADE in ITALY

TAREK TAHER a true story

ATHLETE ELECTIONS 2018

I AM

AN FEI ENDURANCE ATHLETE REPRESENTATIVE CANDIDATE

A HORSE saved my life

by Tarek (a True Story)

Taher

A

horse saved my life at eight years old when I was attending summer school at Surrey in the U.K. My name was mistakenly put on a list to go riding with older boys and girls who were riders already. At that early age in my life I had never ridden a horse, I was too embarrassed to say I can’t ride.

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So I went along with the rest of the kids to a nearby farm where I was put on a horse along with the rest of the kids.

We went out of the farm in a single file on the country lane then crossed through open gates into a massive country side English field, as soon as the gates opened all the horses bolted into a full gallop (No walk,

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No trot, No canter) and so did my horse with no choice of mine, I was holding on to dear life, the situation got worse when my horse kneeled into a ditch.

Clean Endurance

A young Tarek Taher

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Tarek Taher with HH Sh. Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum

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My dream is... a different endurance

I

flew off the saddle into the horses neck, then she pushed me back into the saddle and stopped. I saw my life flash before my eyes.

That Mare saved my life. Two things happened to me at that point, the first is that I fell in love with that horse for saving my life, the second is that I fell in love with the adrenaline that came with that speed.

Respect your horse, first

A

s of that day I had no fear of speed and felt indebted to this horse for saving my life.

Hence then I started riding lessons and became a lad on a thoroughbred race farm just across the creek from our home in Obhur, Saudi Arabia. I was able to race thoroughbred and Arabian horses on the track as a reward for training the horses. That was in the 70’s.

I

rode endlessly in the desert by the sea just outside our home for years then became a Show Jumper in the 90’s. In 1996 I was selected to be an endurance rider on the national team of Saudi Arabia, and the rest is history.

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ince then I participated in several WECS, several WEGS and several European Championships.

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The highlights of my career is winning the World Cup in Qatar in 1997, Silver Medal Euro Champs in 1999, 1st place Moncoq in 1999,

and 1st place in Tattersalls New Market, most recently qualified for WEG 2018 in Madine with 2nd position.

Safe and sound horses

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H

orses did not only save my life but also gave me honor and pride.

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ITS NOT ABOUT WINNING OR LOSING... ITS ABOUT HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME

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I

am 61 years old now and I feel it is time for me to give back to these wonderful amazing animals, and the sport that gave me so much over the past 22 years as a professional endurance rider I have seen the sport evolve to be reckoned along with the rest of the equestrian disciplines, I have also seen it

True Endurance

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deteriorate with doping and unfair horse welfare treatment by riders, trainers, owners and in many cases by some judges. This must stop, my Moto is “let’s bring true endurance back”.

Doping has become a complex reality in the endurance sport especially with the pharmacological and technological developments.

Illegal enhancing drugs have no place in our sport.

Endurance is our sport, it is our responsibility to keep our sport clean. I am willing to go the extra mile and do whatever it takes to bring back true endurance, clean endurance. Let’s put our hands together and “Just Do It”!

Clean Endurance

Tarek Taher SPORT ENDURANCE EVO

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