The Austrian International Endurance Horseride held yesterday (June 28) in Bad Blumau, Austria, is a qualifier for the World Endurance Championship to be held Nov. 9-11 in Malaysia. Bahrain’s Royal Endurance Team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Ahmed Abdulsamad were winners, according to an article on gulf-daily-news.com. Shaikh Nasser is president of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation.

Bahrain’s veteran rider Yousif Taher failed to finish the race after his horse was injured during the third stage. Other Bahrain team members Jaffer Mirza and Abdulrahman Al Saad also did not finish. Mirza was forced to quit after his horse was injured, and Al Saad’s horse failed to pass the veterinary examination after the fourth stage.

Shaikh Nasser extended the team’s appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad of Bahrain for his continued support of equestrian sports in general and endurance races in specific, according to the article.

This was the first time the Bahrain team had particpated in a race in Austria. The article said the team had mostly competed in the United Kingdom and France, plus Ireland, Germany, and Portugal