Under the patronage of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Prince Moulay Rashid officially inaugurated the 15th edition of the Salon du Cheval at the Mohammed VI Exhibition Centre in El Jadida, Morocco on Monday.
The Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) and delegations representing 40 Arab and European countries are participating in the Salon. QREC’s participation in the Salon this year comes at the invitation of the Morocco side and QREC accepted the invitation and included it under the framework of the Qatar-Morocco 2024 Year of Culture.
The official opening ceremony was held in presence of the heads of the participating delegations. Prince Moulay Rashid visited the booths of the Salon, including the QREC’s booth, which has become one of the distinctive features of the Salon every year. During the visit, Issa bin Mohammed al-Mohannadi, QREC Chairman, presented QREC Shield to the Prince, in presence of Abdulrahman bin Saleh al-Attiyah, Charge d’ Affaires a.i. of Qatar Embassy in Morocco, and the members of the Qatari delegation to the Salon and members of both Morocco’s Royal Society of Horse Encouragement (SOREC) and the Organising Committee.
Qatari participation
QREC’s booth has been receiving visitors, the day following the official inauguration day, which is always limited to VIPs and the participating delegations.
Through the QREC pavilion, the events organised by QREC, including Arabian horse shows and race meetings at Al Rayyan and Al Uqda racecourses, as well as the major international racing events sponsored by QREC such as the Qatar Goodwood Festival in the UK and the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France, are promoted.
This year, the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France coincides with the Salon and the QREC management co-ordinated the participation in the two events to ensure a successful and good representation of Qatar’s equestrian sport in both events.
The visitors of the Salon learn about the remarkable development of Qatar’s equestrian sport and the tremendous successes in enhancing Arabian racing worldwide.
The booth also highlights Qatar’s leading role in the Arabian horse show discipline in terms of both winning the world’s biggest titles and excellence in organising shows for many years in the Arab region.
Cultural and historical heritage of equestrian sport
Held at the Mohammed VI Exhibition Centre in El Jadida city, the Salon will continue until October 6 and will include a large variety of equestrian events and championships throughout the week.
The Salon celebrates the equestrian heritage in its cultural, historical and scientific dimensions through the display of paintings, artworks and manuscripts, as well as through cultural and scientific lectures, which are conducted in presence of senior equestrian experts.
The Salon du Cheval has gained a distinguished international status, becoming one of the most famous horse and equestrian salons in the world and one of the strongest events in the international equestrian programme. This year’s edition is held under the theme “Horse Farming in Morocco: Innovation and Challenge”. During the Salon’s activities, all professions related to horses will be represented, including modern and traditional saddle making, modern farriery and “Tbourida” rifle making. “Tbourida” is one of the most famous and popular equestrian activities in Morocco. In addition, the programme of the Salon includes an Arabian Horse show and a show jumping competition.
QREC Chairman Issa bin Mohammed al-Mohannadi presented a shield to Prince Moulay Rashid in presence of Chargé d’ Affaires a.i. of Qatar Embassy in Morocco Abdulrahman bin Saleh al-Attiyah.