Having just returned from the Dubai International Equine Symposium, and aside from the fact that I’m still having trouble deciding which day it is, I came away from this trip enlightened. While the speakers who presented the 29 different lectures came from either the United States, England, France, or Scotland, there were more than 40 countries represented. Some of these exotic (to me) locales included Jordan, Zimbabwe, Libya, Hungaria, Morocco, Iran, Egypt, Sudan, India, Bahrain, Pakistan, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Russia, Malaysia, and Kenya.

Then there were the usual delegates you see at many international equine meetings representing countries such as Australia, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, and Japan.

While many of the countries mainly treat horses as sport and recreation animals, there are still people who make their living with work horses, or depend on them as transportation through parts of their countries not yet invaded by civilization. Even in countries with large populations of horses used for recreation and sport, there is still room for new technologies and ideas that can be shared to make the lives of horses better.

That, I think, was what Sheikh Mohammed had in mind when he convened this symposium. Sheikh Mohammed, host of the symposium, is the Crown Prince of Dubai (one of seven member countries of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates). A long-time Thoroughbred owner, he and his three brothers also are deeply involved in racing and endurance Arabians. Sheikh Mohammed is a hands-on horseman who on a daily basis sees the problems that equines face to remain healthy, sound, and productive