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For the 14th year, the green light is on for the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX), which runs longer this year, from three to four days, with Emirati heritage and sustainable hunting in its poll positions.

On Tuesday morning, 650 exhibitors from no less then 40 countries were standing by their pavilions, waiting for the gates of the exhibition halls to finally open. Their wait came to an end at 11 am, when dozens of visitors were already queuing to get in.

"Overall, the show this year is re-organising itself. There is a more commercial approach for this 14th edition, with a lot more match making for companies, but there is also heavy emphasis on culture, heritage and environment, which are enhanced by the participation of government organisations that put a lot of efforts is showcasing their work," said Abdullah Butti Al Qubaisi, Director of ADIHEX.

"We are also working on a five years new strategy for the exhibition and you can already see some changes at this year's edition," he added.

Indeed, there is a new look to ADIHEX 2016. For a change, all exhibitors are grouped thematically. Flanked, as usual by the weaponry and equestrian sections, the heart of the exhibition is organised on a few separate areas. There is the trading of outdoors equipment, particularly thick sleeping bags ideal for the cold desert winters or water and weather proof tents, camping cooking tools, lights and even drones, seen for the first time at ADIHEX, along with a golden bow that can actually be used in arching and jewellery too.

There is the falconry section, headed by the Emirates Falconers Club, organiser of ADIHEX, with several breeders selling their best birds, from around AED 8000 to 12,000. There is an art gallery hosting several artists exhibiting their works on Emirati landscapes and heritage. There is also a special area dedicated to government organisations, such as the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi or the UAE Army, showcasing the best of two worlds: conservation of wildlife and preservation of Emirati culture and traditions.

And then there is the arena, where several daily horse and dog shows are taking place. As soon as it opened, dozens of school children took advantage of the pony rides offered here to the general public.

ADIHEX 2016 will remain opened daily to visitors, from 11 am until 10 pm. Closing day is Saturday, September 8th.

THE STORY OF ADIHEX

It all began in 2003, a time when the population of wild falcons was disappearing and one of its favourite prey, the Houbara bustard, was just as endangered. The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had already launched several projects for the conservation of the two birds, but ADIHEX was to be different. ADIHEX was to reach out directly to falconers and encourage them to keep and preserve their customs and traditions, but do so in a sustainable manner.

On 22nd September 2003 the first ADIHEX began in Abu Dhabi, known then as the Arab Hunting Show. It was attended by 40 companies from 14 countries. On the last day, Sheikh Zayed himself came to tour the exhibition and while praising the organisers for their great efforts, he also told them to focus even more on falconry.

"When it began in 2003, the idea was to preserve hunting that some call sport, but here it means a lot more; we call it a passion. We were wondering how to do it and we thought of the similar festival in Dubai that was going on at that time. We decided to use the same concept, but at higher levels,” said once Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, the former Chairman of ADIHEX Higher Organiser Committee, the man who was behind all major Emirati heritage conservation projects in Abu Dhabi, until his passing in November 2014.

"There were lots of challenges; for example, we had to work out how to do the marketing. We just got into cars and drove around European cities to market the event. What got us motivated and turned ADIHEX into what it is today, was the visit of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan during the first edition," he had also stated.

By the next year, the number of the participants rose to reach 192 companies from 21 countries and in the following edition, in 2005, ADIHEX grew to 353 companies from 36 countries. A decade later the show has become the largest one of its king in the world, recording a remarkable 1200 percent growth in the number of exhibitors and participating countries.

As the only such exhibition in the entire Middle East, traders, artisans, weapon makers, horse breeders, even environmentalists from all over the region and beyond took an interest in the exhibition.

One of the initial aims, to get falconers to switch from wild falcons to farm bred birds, also succeeded, with ever more breeders, not just from the UAE, but from the region and as far as Europe coming to exhibit here, increasingly convincing falconers that hybrid falcons are just as skilful hunters as the wild ones.

Since its early days, ADIHEX has changed a lot. According to the organisers, in the beginning, participants were new to exhibiting and did not know how and what products to show and sell or how to best make use of a 12-square-metre space.

From falcons and outdoor products, the exhibition also grew to add the equestrian and a marine section, as well as growing environmental awareness and ultimately becoming a tourist attraction for all its heritage and cultural shows and activities.

By its 10th anniversary, in 2012, ADIHEX has reached 630 exhibitors from 40 countries. It was also its biggest year yet for equestrian activities. Just like camels, falcons and salukis, the Arabian horse has a special place in the Bedouin heritage and its celebration became bigger and bigger at ADIHEX.

Unlike falcons and salukis, which were generally used by Arabs in hunting by to provide for their daily meal, the Arabian horse was considered an art piece, an animal of nobility, whose pure breed was carefully guarded by the tribes’ sheikhs.

"My young horses are brought up in the freedom of the desert, where they roam at will and adapt to their natural surroundings. Camel’s milk and dates are an essential part of their daily rations, as they were for the horses of my youth. Like those horses, many young ones must grow to be brave, tough and strong. As one of our leading poets wrote: ‘Good horses are few, like good friends/Though they appear many to the inexperienced eye’," once said Sheikh Zayed.

The history, nobility and skills of the Arabian horse is part of ADIHEX for the first time this year, during two educational workshops organised for students by the Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival.

Bigger and stronger than ever, the story of ADIHEX continues this year with the same messages - "deep rooted tradition" and "sustainable hunting" - that it started in 2003, when the theme of the show was: "Towards Sustainable Hunting for the Protection of Grandparents' Heritage".

RUNNING FAST, BEAUTIFUL AND EXPENSIVE ON ADIHEX'S ARENA

Arabian horses and dogs are the stars of this year's arena shows at ADIHEX. Daily from 11 am to 9 pm throughout the exhibition, there will be several shows, competitions and a new auction for the public.

The beautiful, noble, worldwide admired Arabian horse will display its skills and playfulness in the arena mostly courtesy of Dhabian Equestrian Club.

An old friend of ADIHEX, Dhabian returns this year with several horse shows, from Pony Riding and Grooming Sessions for the General Public to show jumping and horse whispering training techniques.

For Tina Al Qubaisi, who founded the Dhabian Equestrian Club in 2007, horses are not a business, they are a passion.

 "I founded Dhabian Equestrian Club in 2007. My adventure in horse rescuing had started two years before, in 2005, in the garden of my villa in Khalifa City.  From this rescue a life commitment emerged and one rescue led to another, and before I knew it, I had 12 horses in the garden," stated Tina.

Nowadays, she has over 40 horses and quite a few of them are at ADIHEX, participating in various shows and demonstrations.

In the evenings, the arena belongs to the Emirates Arabian Horse Society for the daily Horse Judgement Education Session. This is the practical side of educational workshops for students on the history, skills and handling of the Arabian horse. Held for the very first time at ADIHEX, the workshops have theoretical classes in the mornings and practical demonstrations, in the evenings.

Abu Dhabi Police's K9 unit is also back at ADIHEX this year with dog shows taking place daily at the arena, until Thursday, October 6th. From German Shepherds to Terriers, the canine Police have been trained for a spectacular skills performance.

The Arabian Salukis are back too for their annual beauty competition, taking place in the last two days of ADIHEX. This time, Abu Dhabi's Arabian Saluki Centre is organising the competition for UAE based saluki only, with separate prizes for female and male dogs, long and short hair.

The last trot on the arena belongs to the Arabian horse, which will close the shows on October 8th with a horse auction, run by the Emirates Arabian Horse Society. To encourage bidders, each of the two highest bidders will receive a horse as a gift!

BIG NEWS FOR HOUBARA

The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) is joining the 14th Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) with big news: for the first time in history, the Fund's total annual breeding of Houbara exceeded the global target of 50,000 birds, to reach 53,743 Houbara chicks in 2016.

Thus, the number of Houbara chicks born since the breeding programme began in the emirate in 1996 has reached 285,000. Since 1998, about 200,000 Houbara bustards have been released into the wild, helping to boost the population of this endangered species.

"This is an important step towards the sustainment of the Houbara population into the wild.  Recently, a large number of falconers took part in a survey conducted by the Fund. It appeared that 88 percent of these falconers are fairly aware about the current situation and concerned with the preservation of the Houbara bustards," said Ali Mubarak Al Shamsi, Acting Head of Communication and Public Relations Department at IFHC.

While at ADIHEX, the Fund plans to raise further awareness, particularly among falconers, about the need to protect and help grow the wild population of Houbara, a favourite prey among falconers.

Emirati falconers have long been concerned with sustainable hunting, starting with the late Sheikh Zayed, who established conservation programmes in the country four decades ago.

In 1976 the first International Conference for the Preservation of Falconry took place in Abu Dhabi, which paved the way for conservation programmes. A year later, the Houbara breeding programme was launched at Al Ain Zoo and, in 1982, the first Asian Houbara chick hatched in the UAE. The Fund itself was established in 2006.

"After a whole decade of achievements, the Fund is reformulating its strategy on the basis of what has been accomplished between 1976 and 2015. The objective consists in laying new foundations for the sustainment phase that began in 2016 and will last until 2025," added Al Shamsi.

WIN A BULLET WORTH AED 135,000

The High Peak Estate, a hunting tourism company from New Zeeland, is coming to ADIHEX with an offer hard to kill! The family owned estate is offering one lucky hunter at ADIHEX the chance to shoot the rarest Stag that can be hunted in New Zealand, if not the world – a Royal White Stag of High Peak Estate!

According to the Estate, this is a prize worth AED 135,000!

Descended from the Danish Royal Herd, the Royal White Stags of High Peak Estate are hunted in "fair chase" conditions. A mythological creature, the white and elusive stag has often been associated with purity. According to Arthurian legends, it has a perennial ability to evade capture, and that the pursuit of the animal represents mankind's spiritual quest.

The white coloured deer is, in fact, a red stag that looses its pigmentation due to leucism, a condition leucism that causes its hair and skin to lose its natural colour.

This is the first time that High Peak Estate offers hunters in the Middle East the opportunity to shoot a Royal White Stag. To get the lucky bullet, at least five hunters must book a High Peak Red Stag Hunt during ADIHEX 2016 by putting down a nominal deposit of AED 5,000. One in the first five to make the booking will win the prize.

The winner must complete the hunting trip during the 2017 hunting season and when the High Peak Estate Royal White Stags are in hard antler (February-July 2017). The hunter will be responsible for all taxidermy and expediting costs associated with the hunt.