Helena Gabrielsson winner of the South East Asian Show Jumping League 2008

As Malaysia locally gears up for the World Endurance International Championships, the Sport of Kings seems to steadily grow in popularity in the Region  with more and more dates added to the polo tournament calendar and the South East Asian Show Jumping League celebrated its eleventh year. Singapore gets ready to host the first Asian Youth Olympics, next year in preparation for the 2010 Youth Olympics. But the sport at it’s highest level in the recent Beijing Olympics was marred by doping scandals that may put the future of equestrianism in jeopardy.

Princess Haya, the President of the FEI, as reported by the Horse and Hound, expressed the concern regarding the future of the sport, saying there was no guarantee the sport can survive beyond 2012.

On another note, the spread of the Equine Influenza virus crippled the Equestrian Industry in Australia for almost a Year, and recently a vet and 5 horses died in a Hendra Virus outbreak in Queesland, Australia.

Hendra Virus is deadly, more than half of infected horses die and similarly humans are affected.

Malaysia and Singapore experienced a similar Hendra Virus scare some years ago that was contained but changed the course of Horse Riding and Racing for these two countries for ever.

In the past both Singapore and Malaysia formed part of the same circuit with  regular movement for horses.  Horses travelled freely from one centre to another within the Malaysian States and Singapore for Equestrian Events, Racing and Polo. Today horses must undergo strict Veterninary tests and Quarantine procedures.

The Singapore Quarantine Station is experiencing a long waiting list of back log for horses entering the Republic from Overseas and Malaysia due to the ban during the Equine Influenza virus outbreak in Australia, where most of the Thoroughbred Race horses are imported from.

The industry as a whole has something to worry about, let us hope that the spirit of the sport can overcome all these shortcomings, the lack of popularity of dressage, the safety issues of eventing and the increasingly technical requirements of show jumping courses among others.