Three days of elite riding, village-style discoveries and feel-good community moments await.
- The fifth Virtus edition opens the UAE’s international show jumping season.
- Nine international classes offer around AED 300,000 in prize money.
- Sunday’s Longines Grand Prix carries a AED 129,000 prize fund.
- Boutique retail, wellness services and dog adoption add lifestyle appeal.
There’s a particular energy to a sporting event when the crowd has reasons to stay long after the action in the arena. In Dubai, November weekends are made for getting outdoors, catching up with friends and finding something different to do with the family. Virtus Dubai brings all those elements together from 13 to 15 November, with international show jumping at its heart.
The sound of hooves landing after a clean jump is reason enough to take a seat by the arena. This year, the fifth Virtus CSI2* Show Jumping Spectacular opens the UAE’s international show jumping season at Emirates Equestrian Centre, with nine FEI classes ranging from 120cm to 145cm. Competition starts at 9am each day. Expect plenty of precision, speed and close finishes.
Friday sets the pace with a 120cm Special Two Phase, a 125cm Speed Class and a 140cm Two Phases competition. Saturday brings technical jump-offs and another 140cm contest against the clock, before Sunday takes centre stage with the 145cm Longines Grand Prix at 3.30pm. The stakes rise. Around AED 129,000 is on offer in the Grand Prix alone, part of a total event prize fund of approximately AED 300,000.
For anyone new to show jumping, the appeal is easy to understand once a horse and rider approach a fence at speed. The partnership is remarkable. Sunday’s programme adds another spectacle, as Z7 Show Horses returns to the main arena with a performance celebrating the connection between horse and rider ahead of the Grand Prix. The final rider line-up is still to be announced, so the full field remains one to watch.
Away from the competition, the Virtus Village gives visitors a reason to make a day of it. Boutique shopping, food and beverage outlets create space to browse between classes, while the new beauty and wellness section brings a different kind of pit stop. SKIN III will offer beauty treatments, and KUUR Rehabilitation will provide physiotherapy services. A little reset, between rounds.
There’s a softer side to the weekend, too. The popular dog adoption initiative returns on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, giving visitors the chance to meet dogs looking for permanent homes. It’s a lovely reason to pause. For families and animal lovers, this could become the moment they remember long after the final jump.
The wider appeal of sport-led social events is increasingly visible in Dubai, where race-day experiences are being shaped around hospitality, family time and the atmosphere beyond the competition. Virtus has its own version, bringing together main sponsors Longines, DXB Horses and SMRM Team with sport, retail and community activities. It feels like a weekend with several ways in.
Competition begins at 9am daily at Emirates Equestrian Centre, with the Longines Grand Prix on Sunday 15 November at 3.30pm. Those unable to attend can follow the action on ClipMyHorse.TV. For event details, visit the Virtus website or follow @virtus_ae. Come for the horses. Stay for everything around them!
