Japan: an amazing rider

Last night I drove from the Endurance City back to the Jazira hotel - 20 miles of single lane road, dark, the back-road to Abu Dhabi. Didn't see a single car. Not even a lone camel. Just a few communications towers and a lot of sand and emptiness. This is an amazing country - Leaving a 5* hotel which resembles a centiuries old desert fortress, driving a single lane road full of potholes, drifting sand, not a soul in sight - to arrive 30 minutes later to a huge polo/racing complex with a resort hotel plopped down in the middle. A land of contrasts.

The road (path) from the Endurance City to the gulf coast takes a turn about half way and parallels a large wall which surrounds the Maha Forest - a 100km square man-made forest - a microclimate, another project of these indomitable people - whose ambitions are not bound by costs, but who are accutely aware that some day the oil will run out, and this is their opportunity to build a nation cabable of sustaining itself by means other than petroleum. I feel a great deal of admiration and respect for them on this account. To arise from bedouin tribespeople, and achieve such a level of technology and modernization in only a 40 year span - this required great vision. The UAE is not the only nation with huge oil reserves, but this nation is fairly unique and progressive in the manner that it has used this gift to build a future. The death of their King last month was a big blow to the nation, he was revered and will be missed. Now it's up to the next generation to carry on with the vision.

So - the story of the Japanese rider, hopefully I'll get most of the details right:

Seiichi Hasume is a successful businessman in Japan - owner of a publishing company with offices in Japan and the US. In 2002 he watched a show (National Geographic) on the Tevis. After seeing the show he decided that this was something he wanted to do. He had never ridden a horse before, knew nothing about horses, much less Endurance, but - no matter. I don't know the exact sequence of events, but after watching the show, he purchase SMR Fayette do Cameo from Potato Richardson (they were Tevis winners and Haggin Cup recipients). Hasume hooked up with Hal and Anne Hall in order to learn about Endurance, and train him and his horse. ONE YEAR later, he rode and finished his first Tevis! This was in 2003. Prior to 2002 he had never even been on a horse... He rode Tevis again in 2004. His goal is now to receive 10 Tevis completions, in sequence - 2003 to 2013. Why not!

Hasume also set his sights on International Endurance. He decided he would try to ride for Japan in the 2004 WEC, so began plans for this also. he came to Oreana in October for the Owyhee 100 FEI ride - it would be his first FEI event, and his one and only chance at qualifying for the WEC. Hasume and Cameo finished in the top ten, and Cameo received High Vet Score. Success! Next stop, Dubai.

Hasume is here now with his wife Harumi, and his employee/groom Kiyataka Yaguchi. Yaguchi also knew nothing of horses, but was a trusted employee in Hasume's business, so of course he would quickly learn whatever was necessary. Seiichi and Harumi currently own three 'ranches' in Japan where they have Arabian horses. They recently purchased two more horses from the US (Flight Leader Farm in Texas) - I think he is now an addicted Endurance Rider! We had a nice dinner with them - Eduardo, Mercedes, Seiich, Harumi, Kiyataka and moi. Very pleasant. Eduardo and Mercedes have invited them to Argentina for the Pan Americans in April. Who knows!!

There are two other riders here from Japan - Ms. Kanako Hayashi with a horse from Darolyn Butler - DJB Wersus, and Mitsuko Masui with a French horse - Fax de Sky. Hayashi and Hasume are stabled in the US quarantine barn since their horses shipped from the US. Masui is in the European barn since her horse shipped from France - so they will see each other on race day!

What a crazy sport - in my little rental car, traversing the dark desert of the Arabian gulf - pondering life (there was nothing else to look at) - wondering - how else would you find this mix of people - riders - dining together in a 5* hotel/resort/museum constructed in the middle of the desert over a 5 month period - the same riders from Japan, Argentina, USA who rode in the Owyhee desert only a few months ago, and will possibly ride together again on the atlantic coast of Argentina. How else could you find such a mix of competitors - riding on the same course - businessmen from Japan, royalty from UAE, veterinarians and grooms from Argentina, dentists from Italy, etc. etc - its a very unique collection of humans!

All thanks to the great horses -

Steph