Horsing Around - Riding Lessons in Qatar

If horse riding is your sport, Qatar is a great place to get into the saddle and put your equestrian skills to the test. However, even if you've never mounted a horse but fancy trying some riding boots on for size, Qatar also provides plenty of opportunity for the novice rider. 

Qatar is a horse-loving nation with plenty of stables, stud farms and equestrian centres to prove it, plus they have top-class race courses and arenas that attract national, regional and international equestrians to compete in the competitions and tournaments held there. So it stands to reason then that Qatar’s love of horses would also create an array of opportunities for teaching their beloved sport. 

To give you a head-start on your horse riding  journey, we recommend trying the two most popular horse riding stables where lessons are part of daily equestrian life:

Al Shaqab Equestrian Centre

Image: alshaqab.com

Al Shaqab Equestrian Centre, built in 1992, is the brainchild of the former Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The centre was established to preserve and sustain the Arabian horse breed (a vital component of Qatari heritage and history). To train riders and horses for long-distance endurance races (an ever-popular Arab sport and one that is gaining worldwide traction) and to educate people in horsemanship and equestrianism. The centre was erected on the site of a pivotal battle against the Ottomans over one hundred years earlier as an ode to the country's horse-riding warrior ancestors who won the war. That battle led to Qatar's eventual independence. 

Today, Al Shaqab's world-class facilities include indoor, outdoor and warm-up arenas, stables for dressage, show jumping and endurance horses, stables for the Emir's horses, a breeding centre, exercise and fitness centres, a veterinary clinic and, for two-legged visitors, a visitor/education centre and a clubhouse. The centre stables, breeds and trains horses, hosts numerous national and international championships and competitions, horse auctions and other equestrian events, and provides courses and programmes to teach equestrianism and hosts riding academies for the general public, from novice to competition level.

So, if you want to saddle up, Al Shaqab certainly has the credentials to help you. 

The Riding Academy offers the following programmes:

Pony Rides

An introduction to horse riding for 3-6 year olds.

• Lessons: Two 30-minute classes per week, afternoons only
• Choose from: Saturday and Tuesday / Monday and Thursday
• Class Timings: between 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm
• Costs: QAR 1,500 per month*

Riding Academy Programme

Group riding lessons from novice to advanced levels for 6-18 year olds, including practical stable management and equestrian theory classes. (Students have the opportunity to advance through four explicit levels.)

• Lessons: Three 45-minute classes per week, afternoons only
• Choose from: Saturday, Monday and Wednesday / Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday
• Class Timings: between 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm
• Costs: QAR 3,000 per month / QAR 1,000 registration fee*

Adult (18+) Group Classes

Group riding lessons from novice to advanced levels, including optional practical stable management and equestrian theory classes. (Students have the opportunity to advance through four explicit levels.)

• Lessons: Three 45-minute classes per week
• Costs: QAR 3,000 per month / QAR 1,000 registration fee*

Adult (18+) Private Classes

One-on-one riding lessons from novice to advanced levels, including optional practical stable management and equestrian theory classes. (Students have the opportunity to advance through four explicit levels.)

• Lessons: Twelve 45-minute classes per month, mornings only
• Class Timings: between 6 am to 9:45 am
• Costs: QAR 6,000 per month / QAR 1,000 registration fee*

Ladies (14+) Only Programme

Group riding lessons from novice to advanced levels, including optional practical stable management and equestrian theory classes. (Students have the opportunity to advance through four explicit levels.)

• Lessons: Twelve 45-minute classes per month
• Costs: QAR 4,200 per month / QAR 1,000 registration fee*

*Lesson costs as of 2022.

For more information about horse riding, events and other programmes, visit the Al Shaqab website or contact the centre directly:

Contact Details:

• • Tel: +974 4454 6185 / 6662 5379
  • Email: [email protected]

Al Samriya Riding School

Image: Facebook.com

Located just outside of the city where the desert plains begin, Al Samriya Riding School is located on the Al Samriya Estate. The estate incorporates a farm, an equestrian centre, a museum (the Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani Museum), and an animal reserve, and it is dedicated to cultural preservation and conservation. The equestrian centre housed in traditional sandstone buildings and stables, with green and sand paddocks, tree-lined driveways and hacking trails, and courtyards filled with date palms, is a haven away from the hubbub of the city. Aside from the beautiful surroundings and working buildings, the centre also accommodates a tack shop, a cafe, a recreation building and a playroom. The centre was created to promote Qatar's equestrian heritage through breeding, training and educational programmes - horsemanship and equestrianism, including horse riding.

The Riding School offers structured training for all ages and levels, from novice to advanced to competition level. Riders can move through varying levels of training via assessment-based learning. The school also offers summer camps and after-school clubs for kids, which include riding lessons and a host of other enrichment activities. 

If you are looking for riding lessons and yearn for a slower, quieter pace of life (if just for a few hours per week), Al Samriya Riding School is the perfect location.

The school offers the following:

Pony Rides

An introduction to horse riding for 4 years+.

• Lessons: A 30-minute class for one
• Costs: QAR 100 per session*

Semi-Private Course

• Lessons: A 40-minute class for two (8 years+)
• Costs: QAR 250 per person, per session*

Private Course

• Lessons: A 30-minute class for one (8 years+)
• Costs: QAR 300 per session*

To enrol at the school, riders must first complete an assessment with an instructor. The assessment is approximately 40 minutes and costs QAR 300.

*Lesson costs as of 2022.

For more information about horse riding, events and other programmes, visit the Al Samriya Estate website or contact the estate directly:

Contact Details:

• Tel: +974 5070 9521 / 4490 2359 
• Whats App: +974 7797 3397
• Email: [email protected]
• Location: Al Samariya Estate, Dukhan Road, Al Shahaniya

Main image: ebonyeg/Shutterstock.com