18 countries to take part as Katara horse festival begins Wednesday

Under the generous patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the third edition of the Katara International Arabian Horse Festival (KIAHF 2023) will begin Wednesday at the Katara Corniche with the participation of 18 countries.
Continuing until February 11, the festival has been organised by Katara - Cultural Village Foundation in co-operation with Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) and Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC).
In a statement Monday, Katara said the Arabian Peninsula Horse Championship will be held from February 1-4, the Auction on February 6, and the Title Show from February 8 to 11.
The festival features a number of cultural events with more than 30 activities, including exhibitions, art workshops, competitions and live art shows. These activities will be held at the Katara Corniche.
Six artistic workshops will be held, featuring handicrafts related to equestrianism, cutting and pasting, sewing horse dolls, papier-mâché, and more.
The audience will also have the opportunity to watch an artist work on a horse-sized stained glass artwork. Visitors will be able to follow the work throughout the festival while also enjoying the participation of 15 flower shops in another accompanying event on Ibn Al-Reeb Street.
A number of exhibitions have lined up for the festival, including the 'Interactive Mirrors' exhibition and others. Besides Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum, Qatar National Library and Postal Stamp Museum in Katara will present their distinguished collections on stamps featuring horses and equestrianism.
Eight artists will present a huge mural with wooden and mirror parts, enabling the audience to follow the drawing process live.
Further, the festival will host a number of competitions with the participation of 30 artists from within and outside Qatar, including a competition for painters. The winners of the Nabati poetry contest, which was held earlier, will be announced on the sidelines of the festival.
According to earlier reports, the total prize money for the festival's horse show competitions amounts to over QR17mn this year, in addition to in-kind prizes for first-place holders. Of this, a total prize of QR13,900,000 has been allocated for the Title Show, in addition to valuable in-kind prizes provided by the sponsors.
The festival enjoys a large and growing interest, which is reflected in the volume of international participation with the best and finest ancient horse breeds that will be transported from different continents of the world.
Qatar will also host the World Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses in December 2023 – a result of an agreement signed by Katara with the National Centre for Agricultural Exhibitions and Competitions in France. Katara will host the 2023 and 2025 editions of the championship, which will be held for the first time outside France in 40 years.