President of the UAE Endurance Cup
President of the UAE Endurance Cup takes place Approx. Feb 2027 (160km at Al Wathba; confirm on the UAERF calendar) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The dress code is Casual, modest desert wear with sun protection, a hat and closed shoes. A fleece for the pre-dawn start, stripped off by mid-morning. Free to attend; budget up to 300 EUR per person for hospitality and extras.
A 160-kilometre endurance ride over desert loops at the Emirates International Endurance Village at Al Wathba, and the headline fixture of the UAE's heavily backed endurance season. Riders set off before sunrise and pass through a series of veterinary gates where horses must meet heart-rate and soundness criteria to continue, so the crew areas become the real theatre. It offers an unusually close view of a discipline that most visitors never see up close.
- When
- Approx. Feb 2027 (160km at Al Wathba; confirm on the UAERF calendar)
- Where
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Dress code
- Casual, modest desert wear with sun protection, a hat and closed shoes. A fleece for the pre-dawn start, stripped off by mid-morning.
- Cost
- Free to attend; budget up to 300 EUR per person for hospitality and extras.
- Weather
- 15 - 26C, dry and sunny, genuinely cool at the pre-dawn start
- When to book
- Nothing to book for spectators beyond a car and a hotel; confirm the date on uaeerf.ae, as the endurance calendar is published season by season.
- Getting there
- AUH (Abu Dhabi), 45 min to venue
- Where to stay
- Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, Radisson Blu Hotel, Abu Dhabi Yas Island
- Official site
- https://uaeerf.ae/
How to attend
Free for spectators, with no ticketing - drive or taxi out to the Emirates International Endurance Village southeast of Abu Dhabi city. Rides start around 6am, so plan an early departure; the vet gates between loops are the best viewing and are open to the public. Check uaeerf.ae for the confirmed date and start time before travelling, as the fixture moves within the winter season. To compete, entry is through a registered stable or national federation only.
Free to watch with no ticketing - you drive out to the Emirates International Endurance Village and walk in, ideally before the pre-dawn start; only riders and their teams enter, and that goes through national federations.
Insider tip
Skip the start line and go straight to the first vet gate - the crewing area at Al Wathba is open access and you can stand a metre from horses being iced and heart-rate checked between loops, which is where the sport is actually decided.
Get inside President of the UAE Endurance Cup
Booking matters here: nothing to book for spectators beyond a car and a hotel; confirm the date on uaeerf.ae, as the endurance calendar is published season by season. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.