ABU Dhabi once again turned itself into the self-proclaimed ‘capital of the world’ last week as it played host to more than 700 guests as part of the Sheikh Mansoor Global Arabian Horse Racing Festival and it proved to be an interesting and productive networking event for racing people from more than 60 countries.

Held under the banner of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a three-day conference on education and training formed the centre-piece of a five-day festival which also included the general assembly of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) and a race day which contained the finals of an international apprentice series plus the Ladies World Championship for Arabian horse racing and the world’s richest race for purebred Arabians.

The conference attracted representatives from all the main racing schools around the world with sessions containing a range of industry professionals, media players and specialist speakers.

Panel discussions looked at worldwide jockey training, safety issues, jockeys as high-performance athletes, PR and media skills plus optimum management of diet and weight.

Leading jockeys who contributed to these sessions and acted as ambassadors for the festival included Richard Mullen, who has forged a very successful career in the UAE over recent years, and North American lady jockeys Julie Krone and Chantal Sutherland.

Richard Mullen highlighted the benefits of coaching and professional preparation for young riders and the advantages of overseas experience but felt the lapse of a traditional apprenticeship system has been detrimental to the professional education of many young jockeys. He described the perseverance required to keep learning and improving and how the benefit of some external perspective from a coach or mentor can make all the difference.

Retired Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone provided an upbeat presentation on what it takes to be successful in competitive race riding and her positive outlook provided a welcome boost for the many female jockeys in the audience.

As the only woman to have won an American classic and a Breeders’ Cup race, and with 3,700 career wins to her name, she certainly has proven her ability over many years.

Her insights to horsemanship qualities and overcoming the barriers put in front of lady riders were well received.

In a later session, George Wilson from Liverpool John Moores University gave an update on their latest research findings which clearly demonstrate how following a sport-specific diet and exercise plan can greatly improve the lives of riders in terms of weight management, race riding performance and mental health.

The scientific evidence is clear and irrefutable at this stage but the biggest barrier of cultural resistance in the weigh-room remains.