Purebred Arabian stallions dominate the world of endurance horse events, but it is increasingly likely that the rider guiding them to glory will be a young woman.

The United Arab Emirates is the hotbed of equestrian's fastest growing discipline, and new entrants to the top level of the sport such as 18-year-old Fatima Al-Marri are already upsetting the established order.

"We love to challenge the men," she told CNN's Winning Post, while fellow competitor Mariam Mothana has another take.

"The best thing is when you see the look on their faces when they pass the finish line," Mothana said.

"It's nice to see that they understand that the women here can challenge the men -- they can be as strong as men."

Some 40% of registered endurance riders are now women, and the bar has certainly been set high for the likes of Fatima and Mariam.

Back in 2010, Spanish rider Maria Mercedes Alvarez Ponton won her second world title just seven weeks after giving birth to her first child.

Remarkable feat

Then 34, she held off an all-powerful squad from the UAE to take the endurance championship at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

Riding her Arabian wonder horse Nobby, Ponton successfully defended the title she won two years previously in Malaysia and added to her European title of 2009, becoming the first rider to achieve that triple.

Ponton could soon be facing challenges from young Emirati women from the UAE, where traditional cultural barriers are being eroded.

Shamsa Al Shamsi is typical of the emerging riders who are pushing for acceptance.

"There might be some people who are sticking to the tradition that a woman can't be a rider, but nowadays so many of us are riding here in the UAE and the Gulf region," the 28-year-old told CNN.

She is one of 15 women being trained at the stables owned by Sheikh Hamdan, the brother of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum -- so recent developments truly have royal consent.

Sheikh Mohammed is the backer of one of the highlights of the region's endurance racing season, the Al Maktoum Endurance Cup.

The field of top international riders for the 2013 edition had a strong contingent of women entrants.

Champion's views

"Women are getting more and more interested in this race," Sheikh Mohammed told CNN.

And can they compete at the same level?

"Yes, yes definitely!" came the reply.

As the reigning world endurance champion, Sheikh Mohammed is certainly well placed to make that judgment.

He rode the 11-year-old Intissar -- trained by Ponton's husband Jaume Punti-Dachs -- to victory at Euston Park in Britain last August.

Ponton, riding the evergreen Nobby, was relegated to fourth place as the Sheikh covered the 160-kilometer course in treacherous and wet conditions at an average speed of 22.82 kph.

According to Ali Al-Muhairi, the racing manager at Sheikh Hamdan's stables, women have riding skills ideally sorted to endurance riding.

"Men and women are different," he told CNN. "The girl is softer, she pulls the horse, she pulls gently and the horse will understand, 'Oh she will not hurt me.'