Many of Sheikh Hamdan's regular activities include the outdoors, shooting and hunting being his favourites. Not surprisingly, he was an active boy scout during his school days and till today fosters the Boy Scout movement in the UAE. However, there is more to Sheikh Hamdan's appeal for the outdoors than meets the eye. He is the owner of several stud farms in the UK and USA, and his thoroughbreds have notched up several top-class victories in the international racing circuit. Arabian horses are also bred at his Shadwell Estate in Norfolk. But his love for animals does not extend to horses alone. Sheikh Hamdan also has great ardour for camels and falcons; traditional fauna of the desert.
A conservation-minded man, he has assumed a greater responsibility than his love of these two animals demanded. In order to ensure that the falcon and camel populations received the finest medical attention available, he established two specialist medical and research centres: the Dubai Falcon Hospital and the Dubai Camel Hospital. Besides shooting and hunting, he is also an avid fan of the Sport of football and is the President of Dubai's Al Nasr Football Club.