Egyptian breeders throw 1st beauty contest for Egyptian Arabian horses

On a sand track in the northern Egyptian province of Sharqia, an Egyptian Arabian brown chestnut horse with a white blaze on its face, ridden by a trainer, was gracefully moving its legs against the Arabian music playing in the background. This was an Egyptian Arabian horse beauty contest held last Saturday by breeders in and around the province.

The performance of the chestnut horse, amid the cheers of spectators, was followed by dozens of other horses of different colors, including purely white and black horses, in the beauty contest with the participation of nearly 60 Egyptian Arabian horses coming from about 25 stud farms nationwide.

The one-day event, entitled The First Meeting for Beauty of Egyptian Arabian Horses, was held at a club in the Ramadan city of Sharqia for the first time by the newly established Egyptian Arabian Horse Breeders Cooperative Association, in cooperation with the 10th of Ramadan Investors Association.

"We have invited visitors, horse breeders and TRIA investors to promote horse trading and breeding among the Egyptian people," EAHBCA chairman Hamdy Assy says.

"One of our goals is to bring Egyptian Arabian horses to China too," he notes, hoping for cooperation with China in this area.

A commentator introduced to the spectators each Egyptian Arabian horse performing on the sand track, such as their names, types and the stud they came from.

The beauty of a contesting horse is judged on a number of criteria, including the beauty of the head, the neck, the back, the legs and the movement.

Dalia Rady was one of the participating breeders, who owns a breeding farm carrying her name in Giza province near Sharqia.

Rady, also an engineer, established the stud about 15 years ago out of her love for horses that she inherited from her father, saying that a passion for Arabian horses ran in her family.

"The Arabian horse is known for being purebred and free from hybridization, which is why its qualities are inherent, including its tremendous speed, the beauty of its shape and movement and its loyalty to its trainer," she says, adding that most horseraces in the world have Arabian breeds.

A Cairo-based stud called El Farida Stud, which has a unique selection of mares and stallions including world champions in horse beauty contests, also participated in the event.

"We have participated in many horse beauty championships in Egypt and foreign countries, including France, Belgium, Italy, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates," says Abouda Mohamed, manager of the El Farida Stud.

"The event has raised awareness of the importance of the purebred Egyptian Arabian horses, and of how to preserve and develop their breeds," he adds, expecting the festival to grow more popular and larger in the coming editions.

Xinhua