Princess Haya leads equestrians’ charge to help Haiti

Equestrians around the world are riding to the rescue of Haiti, devastated by last month’s deadly earthquake.

First, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, president of the Federation Equestre International, which governs equestrian sports worldwide, and a United Nations Messenger of Peace, flew Jan. 22 from Dubai to Port-au-Prince in her husband, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s, 747B-400 with 90 metric tons of supplies. On board were canned food, high-energy biscuits, hospital tents, water sanitation equipment, prefabricated offices, and computer and telecommunications equipment.

The princess, in addition to heading up the organization bringing the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to Lexington in the fall, chairs the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, which organized supplies.

The Jordan-born princess toured the capital, met with Jordanian U.N. peacekeepers, and then the princess flew back to Amman, Jordan, with 21 Middle Eastern evacuees, including some children, who had been stranded in Haiti by the quake on Jan. 12.

Princess Haya has been outspoken in support of efforts to rebuild the poverty-stricken country.
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