[IsraelTimes] Located on the shores of the Arabian Peninsula, the United Arab Emirates is well known as a desert nation awash in oil, gas, foreign currency, and, above all, sand.According to a report published Friday by the Daily Mail, however, Dubai ordered 1,500 cubic meters (16,146 cubic feet) of sand from a German company for its world-class horse racing track.
The local sand is considered too coarse for local horses, many of whom are among the world?s most elite thoroughbreds, and not stable enough to race on compared to central European sand, the report said.
While the news may seem strange to those unfamiliar with horse racing, this wasn?t the first time the Arabian principality reached out to the Europeans for sand: the Crown Prince of Dubai ordered 3,000 tons of sand in 2003 from Lancashire, England in order to provide his horses with a top-quality track, the Telegraph reported.
?Local sand is large-grained and rough. It is very bad for horses and is unstable to ride on,? said Udo Ellekotten, the owner of Equiterra, the company tasked with providing the sand to Dubai.
| Sand was also imported to the Magic Kingdom for use in sandbags during Desert Storm. In that case, the sand was too fine and worked its way out of the sandbag's fabric. |
?We quickly realized, however, that it wasn?t, and we?re very proud that such a distinguished client chose us,? the German business owner added.
The German sand is far more absorbent than Arabian sand and subsequently has less damaging qualities for the multi-million dollar horses racing upon it.