Sheikha Latifah Al Maktoum has made it her mission to champion the world of show jumping in the UAE. Here she discusses her love for the sport and her ultimate dream of winning an Olympic medal.
The equestrian and horse riding industry in the UAE is one of the most important aspects of the country’s culture. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai has shown true dedication to the sport and his Godolphin team is seen as one of the best in the world.
His love for the sport inspires others and is the fundamental backbone of the country’s riding scene. The industry has grown so much with dozens of international competitions now taking place in the UAE every year.
Helping the growth of the sport in the region is the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation. The federation is working with the local teams and riders to ensure the industry here lives up to the high calibre of racing that we find in Europe and the rest of the world. No one has as much love for riding in the UAE than Sheikha Latifah Al Maktoum.
The 34-year old Emirati athlete competes in show jumping as part of the UAE national team. Sheikha Latifah Al Maktoum is part of the Al Maktoum family, her uncle is Sheikh Mohammed who has been a huge inspiration to her choice of career.
As one of the UAE’s leading female riders, she has already achieved a lot in the sport despite her young age. She represented her country at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, as well as the World Equestrian Games in Lexington in 2010.
Her most recent accomplishment has been as part of the UAE Team which consists of Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi, Abdullah Al Marri and Nadia Taryam. The four competed in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup recently where they came in third only to Germany and Ireland and became one of only two Middle Eastern countries to qualify for the prestigious Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup final taking place in October in Barcelona. The UAE will compete against some of the best show jumpers in the world.
But Sheikha Latifah Al Maktoum has an even bigger goal as she plans to compete in the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo. The qualifiers take place this October in Morocco and are the first step in her journey to an Olympic medal.
We were lucky enough to meet with Sheikha Latifah in between her vigorous training schedule. Humble and truly proud to share with us her life and her horses, she spent the morning showing us around her stables in Dubai.
With eight horses currently, Sheikha Latifah barely has time for anything other than riding as she is committed to riding at least six of her horses every single day. And these horses are more to her than a part of the sport – you can really see the relationship she had built with the animals, animals she bred herself and nurtured from birth.
With two dogs aswell, Sheikha Latifah is a real animal lover and we were inspired by her passion and commitment when we met. Here she shares her love for the sport and what she strives to achieve for the future.
“DON’T LIMIT YOURSELF. WE SEE A LOT MORE NOW OF WOMEN GETTING INVOLVED IN BUSINESS, IN SPORTS AND THAT’S SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF.” SHEIKHA LATIFAH AL MAKTOUM
What does it mean to you to represent your country in show jumping?
Representing your country is the biggest accomplishment any rider dreams of. There’s no feeling like winning and hearing your national anthem playing and seeing your flag going up.
Why did you choose the path of becoming a rider?
Riding has always been part of our family. Everybody rides, so I was always around horses. I loved the idea of show jumping because you have such a short time in the ring and it’s so much work at home which nobody sees, they just see the one minute in the ring. But the fun part for me is the work at home and the struggles.
You have to believe in your horse and believe in yourself and that one minute in the ring represents all the work that you do at home and that’s a lot of fun.
Were you ever afraid of riding when you were young?
No, not really. I think when you’re young you don’t really have a lot of fear. I guess if you learn something new when you’re older that’s when you have the fear because you actually think about things. When you’re young you just get on with it. So no I was never afraid.
How has your family inspired you to get into the sport?
They’ve been very supportive. I’m very close with my cousin Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and she’s done everything – karate, she’s been to the Olympics, she’s now doing polo and she’s such an inspiration to me because of what she does for sports in the UAE.
I look up to her and my uncle as well for all the things he does in endurance and in the racing world. So if I can do half of that for the show jumping world I’d be really happy.
What is the message you would to spread as an Arab woman?
Don’t limit yourself. We see a lot more now of women getting involved in business, in sports and that’s something to be proud of.
What importance do you feel horse riding has in this region?
I think it has a huge importance in the region. It’s all about horses here – whether it’s endurance, polo racing, show jumping – it’s our culture, it’s part of us.
What importance do you think there is to being part of a team and how does it compare to competing on your own?
I think riding in a team basically means you push yourself harder than you would if you were doing it by yourself. In the Nations Cup when I had the first fence down I would normally get really demoralised and want to give up, but I knew I had to keep going for my team and I had to ride better. You push yourself that little bit harder because you don’t want to let your team down.
You are preparing to compete in the 2020 Olympic Games what can you tell us about that?
We have the qualifications in October and I think we have an amazing team and can do really well, we just need to polish a few things. We have good team spirit around us and the riders that were with us on the team at the Nations Cup really made us feel comfortable. I knew they had my back, they knew I had their back.
I’ve been to the Olympics once before in Beijing in 2008. I was very young and I didn’t know what I was doing, it was just something completely new for me and I just wanted to do well, and now I think with a bit more experience I could do much better and I want that chance again.
What goes through your mind when you are taking part in a big competition?
What has to happen is that you have to keep your mind very clear. You can’t let yourself get distracted, you have to stay very focused, have a plan, and not worry about anything else that’s going on.
Trust yourself, trust your horse and go in knowing what you want to do and what works for you and what doesn’t and take it one fence at a time. Don’t worry and don’t overthink everything. Don’t think about the course as a whole, just one fence at a time and you’ll be fine.
You travel a lot for your work – what do you think travelling has taught you or brought to you as a person?
The riding community is really small so even though you’re travelling you always see the same people. But what it teaches you is that riding is the same language in any country. All riders speak the same. In the warm-up we communicate in the same way. So I think there’s not a lot of difference and that’s a nice thing.
Who or what has been a big support for you in your career?
My mother. She pushed me from an early age to always try to improve. But I also think for the sport here, in general, The UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation has been a big help because of the amount of competitions we have here. We have so many international shows back to back, we have international riders coming from all over the world and we barely have to go to Europe anymore to compete.
The shows here are so good, we have three five star shows a year and that’s amazing for us because we don’t have to travel far, we’re at home with the family and that is a huge deal. This many good quality shows with good footing and good conditions for the horses, you don’t find that a lot. In Europe, you have to travel so far to get to these shows, but here everything is so close and comfortable. I think that’s a huge help for us.
How do you balance your work and family life?
Well, I don’t balance it very well! I’m in the stables most of the time or training to be able to ride better. I work out a lot to be able to ride the horses well. My horses are pretty big and strong so I have to be fit enough to ride them.
What has been your biggest achievement so far?
In 2010 when we won silver as a team and I won silver as an individual. We had really good riders at the time – Ramzy Al-Duhami who is my coach – he won gold that year and I won silver so I was really proud of that. I was competing with the best and when you place among the best it’s a huge achievement.
I think my other biggest achievement is winning the President Cup in 2015. It was the first time anyone from the UAE has won a five star Grand Prix, and I did it with a horse that I had from the age of five and built up. She jumped in the Nations Cup and didn’t jump so good and I really had to make up for it in the Grand Prix. We did really well, I was really proud of her.
What’s the relationship that you have with your horses?
I think in show jumping there really has to be very good chemistry between you and your horse because it’s a relationship. They have to understand you and you have to be comfortable in the type of horse you’re riding. It’s very important that the horse suits you. I’m small and don’t have the strongest of legs and I’m not so strong to hold them, so they need to fit me and my riding.
What is there that you still want to achieve?
For sure an Olympic medal at one point. Maybe it’s not so realistic at the moment to think about it for the next Olympics but I think that is the ultimate goal. An Olympic medal is something any athlete dreams about as a child.
What is the motto that you live by in life?
Never give up, hard work pays off.
If you weren’t a horse rider you would be…
I have no idea! I’ve never thought about it. I’m quite an active person so for sure it would be something to do with sports, but without horses – I don’t know! Horses define me I think.
How would you like the world to remember you?
That I always had love and passion for my horses and the sport. I’m a firm believer that you have to work hard for what you want and you have to love what you’re doing no matter what. You have ups and downs and you just have to keep going. So the passion and love for the sport is something I’d like people to remember me for.
Interviewed by Lindsay Judge
Photography by Alysia Knowles
