Her Royal Highness Princess Haya, the wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, toured the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club a day before the ‘Inaugural Polo Season Opening’ to mark the official opening of the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club.
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Founding Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, welcomed HRH Princess Haya and gave her an official tour of the luxury equestrian resort in the heart of Dubailand. “I am happy that Her Royal Highness Princess Haya bint Hussein got the opportunity to see what we have created in the desert,” Al Habtoor said. “The Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club showcases the innovation of Dubai. It is a city that is always transforming. We have brought vast open green spaces to city, enabling the equestrian community to practice their sport in a state-of-the-art facility.”
He added, “The development is aimed at promoting polo in Dubai. The Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club has already played host to world-class polo tournaments, and attracted some of the best talent from around the world.”
More than 200 guests joined the Chairman on Thursday 28 September 2017 for the official launch of the resort and club. Guests gathered at The St. Regis Dubai, Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club, the centerpiece of the equestrian resort. The 136-key luxury Andalusian-style hotel in the heart of Dubailand. It marks the legendary brand’s first equestrian-inspired resort worldwide. The resort features 151 luxury guest rooms, which includes 30 suites and 25 St. Regis-branded villas.
In his welcoming speech, Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Founding Chairman, Al Habtoor Group said he was proud to bring a new landmark destination to Dubai. “The Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club is unlike anything else we have in our portfolio. It offers the UAE something truly unique. The St. Regis Dubai, the centerpiece of the resort, is surrounded by lush greenery, four world-class polo fields and premium stabling for more than 500 horses. The riding school offers multiple riding disciplines from polo, dressage and show jumping to traditional horseback riding.”
He added, “The Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club is the home ground for the Dubai Open, a high-goal tournament that has already established itself as one of the world’s top polo events, and reinforced Dubai’s standing within the global polo circuit. The Polo Season Opening will be an annual event to rival other large-scale polo events around the world.”
A marching band opened the event with the UAE National Anthem, after which there was an equestrian show to demonstrate the varied skills offered by the Polo Academy and Riding School. Guests were treated a polo and showjumping demonstration as well as a dressage taster session.
The Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club, a sprawling 6 million square foot equestrian development, has 516 stables, a polo academy and riding school offering riding lessons for adults and children from new riders to experienced equestrians. An expert team of fully-qualified professional instructors are on hand to provide an array of lessons including polo, dressage, show jumping, and traditional riding. In addition, there are pony club activities and camps, desert riding and evening rides, which include campfires and clinics. In addition, there are five horse walkers and two exercise tracks at the resort.
Aside from the St. Regis-branded there are an additional 122 luxury villas surrounding the luxury development. The gated community consists of 3, 4, and 5-bedroom homes directly overlooking the state-of-the-art polo fields and The St. Regis Dubai, Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club. Each villa has a unique view of exquisitely landscaped development devoted to all aspects of equestrian life. Residents can enjoy all the equine offerings in state of the art facilities or simply watch the world go by from their luxurious private haven.