Australia's endurance horse riding community is split over the international suspension of riders from the United Arab Emirates.

An international equestrian body voted to suspend riders from the UAE, because of allegations of poor animal welfare practices and cruelty. The recent death of Australian horse Splitters Creek in an UAE event brought the issue to the forefront.

The ructions come as preparations are underway for the staging of the 50th running of the prestigious Tom Quilty, a 160 kilometre endurance race at the Hawkesbury over the June long weekend.

The Australian Endurance Riders Association (AERA) supports the move against the UAE. However the New South Wales branch recently voted against the decision.

The Tom Quilty is regarded as the Melbourne Cup of endurance racing, attracting riders from all round the world with a 400-strong field expected this year due to the milestone reached.

While the AERA has overarching management of the Quilty, the staging is handled by the state body which hosts the ride year-by-year.

Australia along with France used to be the main supplier of horses to the Middle East country, however this has fallen away.

Critics of the NSW stand have argued the vote against the suspension was partly driven by attempts to appease the UAE therefore leading to buyers returning to Australia.

At 73 years of age, Dr Simon Bain is one of the oldest competitors, having first competed in the 1980s before taking a break from the sport.,

He was the team veterinarian for Australia at the 1988 world titles in the USA.

Dr Bain advises the Australian body on animal welfare matters and is a member of the NSW committee and voted against the move to have the suspension of UAE riders lifted.

"We've got an industry that sells Australian horses to the UAE and makes pretty good money out of it," he said.

"That has undoubtedly swayed those people into believing that the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale) and the Australian Endurance Riders statements were an error.

"It is purely a money situation. Those of us who go into the sport for the love of it wouldn't agree with that but you've got two different sides to the argument."

While Dr Bain was willing to comment on the situation, his NSW president Greg Moore and national body head Melanie Scott declined to be interviewed.

It is understood that with passions at a high, a number of committee members have come in for verbal attacks over the stand taken.

It is not the first time the sport has provoked concern over possible cruelty.

It came in for scrutiny during a 1991 senate inquiry into animal welfare.

This resulted in changes to the sport and its management, and those supporting the suspension of UAE riders want to ensure the improvements to the Australian events are not hindered by the controversy surrounding the Middle East country's handling of the sport.

Honorary Professor at Sydney University and veterinarian Dr David Evans closely studied horse welfare when it comes to thoroughbreds.

"Research has provided wonderful guidelines where vets inspect them for lameness, soreness and any signs of ill health, and check their heart rates to make sure they have recovered to below a certain level.

"But that doesn't cover all circumstances. Horses still suffer extreme fatigue and occasionally death in endurance rides."

Another area of concern is how the horses in the UAE can average speeds of around 33 kilometres per hour, while in Australia it is around 11 to 12 kilometres per hour.

For Talea Hasko-Stewart, she has mixed feelings about the suspension.

The 21-year-old Canberra rider is regarded as one of the country's brightest.

She has competed overseas and has taken part in five Quiltys with third her best finish. The industry views her as a definite chance in this year's race along with her horse Bombora.

"The UAE has been a really controversial topic and the AERA when it made the decision to ban the UAE riders, it wasn't really their decision, it came from the international committee," she said.

"The AERA being a part of that committee had to follow the sanctions. There was a lot of uproar but at the end of the day our association is part of that international federation and we have to abide by their rules.

"I believe there has to be change in the UAE. However I think there were one or two (UAE) riders wanting to come over and do the Quilty and I don't see any harm in them coming over.

"We have strict horse welfare monitoring so it would be good for them to come over and experience that."