al khalediah : enchanting horses& the allure of themiddle east
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“INCOGNITO”
Enchanting Horses & the Allure of the Middle East
by Samantha Mattocks photography by Irina Filsinger
January 2011 sees the fourth running of the world-renowned Al Khalediah
Arabian Horse Festival. With an auction, endurance, racing and an ECAHO A
class halter show, the Festival is a thoroughly enjoyable, week-long event that
has become a firm favourite among the Arabian horse community.
The festival is run under the patronage of HRH Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin
Abdulaziz Al Saud and represents a coming together of his innovative vision
in promoting the origins and versatility of the Arabian horse. Central to Arab
culture, the Arabian horse has its origins in the desert and HRH Prince Khaled
is proud to be behind this showcase event which captures the true magic of the
Arabian horse, which has captivated so many for hundreds of years.
“PERUVIAN SPLENDOR”
Flying into Riyadh is a magical experience,
with the sprawling metropolis rising out of the
desert sands to meet you. The largest city in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is the nation’s
capital and belongs to the historical regions of
Nejd and Al-Yamama. An hour’s drive away is
Tebrak, home of Al Khalediah Stables, and the
setting for the Festival.
Al Khalediah Stables is home to show-ring
stars such as Baanderos, Marquis and Layan
Al Khalediah and with its beautiful layout, own
racing circuit and endurance track, as well
as a purpose-built show arena, the stables is
the perfect setting for this benchmark show.
Renowned for quality and depth of entries, the
atmosphere at Al Khalediah is always one of
calm and serenity, with guests able to sit back
and relax, and enjoy the beautiful Arabian horses
before them.
The 2011 Festival will begin with endurance.
The Prince Khaled’s Cup Endurance Challenge
2011 is a FEI CEI** 120km event, where riders
are able to compete through the desert. With the
safety and welfare of the horses of paramount
CH BAANDEROS
importance, there will be ice water for
cooling and drinking water available
for the horses every 5km. The true
spirit of the desert Arabian will be
tested in this exciting opening to the
Festival.
The Monday sees an auction of 70
pure-bred Arabian horses, providing
a chance to purchase some of the
treasured bloodlines of this region
while on the Tuesday, the attention is
focused on the racetrack. Open to pure-
bred Arabian horses from the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia, this five-race card
offers all the thrills and excitement you
would expect from such an event. With
Al Khalediah Stables and Athbah Stud
having had race winners across Europe
and the Middle East, this will be an
event not to be missed.
The final part of the Festival is spent
at the horse show. Each year, the
quality of entries has deepens and the
horses that have ended up victorious
have gone on to enjoy further success
around the world. For 2011, the
judges for this ECAHO A Show are
Dr Gianmarco Aragno (Italy), Nayla
Hayek (Switzerland), Holger Ismer
(Germany), Jaroslav Lacina (Czech
Republic), Dr Mohamed Machmoum
(Morocco) and Marie-Louise van Wyk
(South Africa).
HRH Prince Khaled has a clear and
explicit desire for the show to be held
in a natural, relaxed manner away
from the bagging that accompanies
many shows, and this is strictly
enforced throughout. This desire runs
through all aspects of the Festival and
the wellbeing of the horse is the main
focus.
During the three-day show, there are
also the hotly contested desert-bred
classes. For horses bred only in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and of the
original desert lines, these are the
classes that the local breeders most
want to win.
On the Friday evening, the Festival
finally draws to a close, and as the sun
sets in the desert behind, the newly
garlanded Champion Arabians sparkle
under the centre-ring spotlights. This
moment is a culmination of not just the
week’s events, but months of planning
that has gone into making the Festival
a success for everyone.
This exciting and all-encompassing
Festival is capably run by Melanie
Mannix with her dedicated team.
Melanie has a strong equine
background in racing which, combined
with good business knowledge, ensures
that the Festival runs smoothly for
horses, exhibitors and spectators alike.
LINKS
alkhalediah-festival.com
For more information on the 2011 event,
please contact the Festival Office at
info@ahahf.com or visit the website:
www.akahf.com. We look forward to seeing
you there, where you can experience the
majestic beauty of the Arabian horse,
combined with the allure of the
Middle East, for yourself.
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