TEAM CAPTAIN

Abdul Rahman has loved horses since his childhood when he rode horses at his grandfather's farm. As a 10-year-old he began riding at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club to further develop his skills. Three years later, in 1999, Abdul Rahmn began competing in Endurance races. In addition to his Endurance career, he has competed in Dressage and Show Jumping events. His success in show jumping includes a first-place gold medal in his first competition. His Endurance riding success in 2009 includes a second at the Al Khaldeyah International Championship in Saudi Arabia. Abdul Rahmn has competed internationally for a number of years. His international competition includes 2007 European Championships, the Pan Arab Championships in Egypt and events in France and England. He qualified for the 2008 World Endurance Championships but was unable to compete due to his commitment to college courses at Qatar University.

Abdulla began riding as an eight-year-old and has competed in endurance events since 2003. Two years after his first endurance race, he won his first event the Al Malik Cup in Bahrain. In the 2008 World Endurance Championships, he and Atta Mohammed Beer, were the only two Qatari riders, to have competed in the WEC. Abdulla's list of major competitions includes: 2006 World Endurance Championship, Aachen, Germany; 2008 WEC, Terangganu, Malaysia; and 2007 European Championship in Barroca d' Alva, Portugal.

As the oldest member of the Al Shaqab team, Atta brings a wealth of experience as a rider. His appearance in the 2009 World Endurance Championships marked the fifth time he has competed in the WEC. His first WEC was in 1998 as he finished 15^thin the event hosted in Dubai. In 2008, Atta finished 11^thto register his best performance in a WEC event.

As a 10-year-old, Faleh was encouraged to take up riding by his father, who serves as a pilot for the Qatar Air Force. He is one of the youngest members of the Al Shaqab team and will celebrate his 19^th birthday in May 2009. An accomplished competitor in both show jumping and endurance, he has been competing in endurance events since 2004. In the 2008 WEC, Faleh followed team mate Atta Mohammed Beer by one second to finish 12th overall and second on the Qatar team.

Hamad's passion for horses began as a six year old when he started riding lessons at the Qatar Equestrian Club. His father also enjoyed riding and encouraged Hamad to ride and participate in other sports. After approximately five years of lessons, his interest turned to Endurance riding. As a 12-year-old in 2001, he competed in his first junior endurance competition and finished fifth. During his career he competed in the Youth World Cup and was named the best Junior/Youth Rider in 2006. A year later, 2007, Hamad participated in the European Endurance Championship and the Arab Endurance Championship.

Hassan and his brother Mohammed Tahous Al Nuaimi both compete as riders on Al Shaqab's Endurance Team. As an 11-year-old, Hassan began riding as he followed his brother into the sport. The brothers are the only members of their family involved in equine sports. As the younger sibling, Hassan welcomes his brothers coaching and encouragement as they compete in endurance events. The brothers enjoy a friendly rivalry and enjoy the opportunity to train and race together.

As with most of the Al Shaqab riders the spirit for riding began at an early age for Jassim. He began riding horses at the age of 7 developing his skills with horses at this family's farm. Unlike the other riders, Jassim was a bit older when he took up Endurance riding. He began the sport in 2002 as a 22 year old and has been competing regularly since that time.

Since a young age Khalid has been interested in horses. He credits his God Father, Khalid Ghanim Al Maadeed, with encouraging him by teaching him to ride. Khalid began training for Endurance riding in 2000, and admits he was a bit afraid at first. In 2001, at the age of 10, he competed in his first Endurance race. Khalid was eager to prove himself and was successfully as he took first place in the 20 km event in Qatar. He followed with a second in a 30 km race in 2002, and then won his first 80 km race in 2003 as a 12-year-old. He also began Show Jumping that year and won a Junior International Show Jumping event to quality for the World Cup Championships. In 2008, Khalid, a 17-year-old at the time, served as the youngest member of the Al Shaqab Endurance Team that represented Qatar in the World Endurance Championships. His win in the 2007 Qatar National Cup is one of Khalid's most prized achievements in the sport.

Endurance riding is shared in the family as Mohammed became interested in the sport after seeing the success his brother. In 2001, after his brother Khalid won his first championship, Mohammed made the decision to begin endurance riding. Although he was playing football at the Al Saad Sports Club, he began endurance training. After five months, in 2002, he competed in his first race and finished fourth. Following that success, Mohammed decided to give up organized football to fully concentrate on endurance riding.

Mohammed was the first member of his family to take up riding and his interest in the sport led to younger brother, Hassan, joining the Al Shaqab team two years later. A member of the Qatar Army, Mohammed began riding in 1997. He enjoys the competition riding with his brother and considers it a benefit of having his brother on the team. His 2009 success includes a victory in the 120km Emir Cup in Qatar.

As compared to most of the other riders, Naïf was much older when he began riding. He began riding as a 16 year old in 2006. It was two years before Naif made the transition to Endurance competition. In his first year of riding, he competed in a total of 10 events, seven Qatar national races and three international events.

He developed his passion for horses as a 12 year old riding and training at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club. It was almost two years later that he decided to begin competing in Endurance events. His first competition was in 2004 and he has done well since that time with a number of first