Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Abu Dhabi Turf Club to showcase future of equestrian sport at ADIHEX 2026

Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club (ADEC) and Abu Dhabi Turf Club (ADTC) will showcase the evolution and the future of Abu Dhabi’s equestrian and racing sectors at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2026 (ADIHEX), taking place from 28 August to 6 September 2026 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, open daily from 10:00 to 22:00.

Under the theme ‘Heritage in Motion’, Stand A-125, beside the Grandstand entrance, will present racing, community initiatives and equestrian technology across a series of digital displays, together with an interactive racing game, reflecting Abu Dhabi’s growing equestrian and racing ecosystem.

Stepping onto the stand, visitors will be able to look ahead to the 2026-27 racing season. The calendar features 16 meetings from October to April, with Thursday Race Evenings and two of the season’s flagship fixtures. The UAE President Cup will take place on 12 December 2026, followed by the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup, one of the world’s most valuable Thoroughbred races, on 7 February 2027. A 90-second Abu Dhabi Turf Club brand film, built on the platform “The Home of Racing in Abu Dhabi”, will also bring the upcoming season to life.

Beyond the track, guests can discover ADEC’s Therapeutic Riding Programme, delivered in partnership with the Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an and founding partner Mubadala Foundation. The initiative provides individually tailored sessions for People of Determination, senior citizens and vulnerable children, supporting the development of confidence, communication, balance and coordination through guided interaction with carefully matched therapy horses. Visitors interested in taking part, or in training as volunteers to support mounted and unmounted sessions, can register their interest on the stand.

The stand’s third area turns to equestrian technology, showcased through video and explained by the team on site. At its centre is a rider simulator that recreates a horse’s walk, trot and canter, built from more than 30 years of motion analysis of live horses. Sensors track the rider’s balance, rein contact and leg pressure in real time, producing an objective assessment of their position. For ADEC, the simulator is a pivotal part of the Therapeutic Riding Programme. It gives participants a controlled first step, a place to build position, balance and confidence at their own pace before their first mounted session while giving instructors a precise, repeatable record of each rider’s progress.

In racing, technology is also developing across the racecourse. A second screen carries a race-day analytics dashboard, which breaks a full race down into data: sectional times, early and average speed, and a live GPS trace of the field around the track, extending to stride length, running order and the distance each horse actually ran. By turning every race into rich, readable data, this technology points to a future in which analytics deepen both the sport and the spectator experience, the next chapter in Abu Dhabi’s equestrian story.

Visitors can experience race-day performance first-hand through an interactive racing game. The trackers used on the racecourse will be in visitors’ hands on the stand, and by scanning a QR code participants can join a race, choose their colours and watch their speed, position and sectional times build live on screen. Each run is randomised, but every parameter behind it comes from real races run at Abu Dhabi Turf Club. The top performers will receive two tickets to a Thursday night race meeting.

In line with ADEC and ADTC’s sustainability commitment, the stand has been designed as a paperless experience, with QR codes replacing printed materials: nothing printed, nothing binned at the end of the show. Visitors can scan to download the racing, show jumping and dressage calendars, register their interest in the Therapeutic Riding Programme, and keep up with news and upcoming events throughout the exhibition.

Ali Al Shaiba, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club and Abu Dhabi Turf Club commented: “We are pleased to participate in ADIHEX 2026 and to showcase the continued evolution of Abu Dhabi’s equestrian and racing sectors. Through ADEC and ADTC, we remain committed to preserving our equestrian heritage while advancing racing, horse welfare, community initiatives and innovation. We look forward to welcoming visitors to our stand and sharing the experiences and programmes that are shaping the future of equestrian sport in Abu Dhabi.”