KUWAIT: Kuwait Festival for the Arabian Horse 2018, sponsored by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, will kick off on February 2. The festival, due at Bait Al-Arab (House of Arabs), will include the Seventh International Championship for Arabian Horses Beauty Contest, scheduled on February 2-3, said Abdullah Al-Braihi, the event manager at a news conference held at Bait Al-Arab yesterday.
There will be other activities namely the Third All Nations Cup Straight Egyptians, due on February 16-17, said Al-Braihi who lauded His Highness the Amir for his continuous support for the sport. Efforts by horse breeders from Kuwait, sisterly and friendly states to promote the sport have been helpful for the event success, he said alluding as a fruit of these efforts a decision by the European Conference of Arab Horse Organizations (ECAHO), lifting the festival rating from B to A. Meanwhile, Nasser Bouresli, a member of the festival higher committee, said 289 studs would partake in the Arabian Horse Festival and 172 others in the Egyptian horses' category.
Participation in this year's festival is higher by 20 percent as compared to the first championship and 35 percent in contrast to the second, he said, alluding to greater interest from the GCC countries and easy registration. Bouresli said 17 ECAHO-accredited referees, nine for the Arabian festival and eight for the Egyptian competition, would be present, predicting sensational contests and noting that the awards would exceed one million dollars . Nasser Al-Ghaith, member of the committee, said the festival managers, led by Sheikha Sara Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, are keen on facilitating all procedures related to the activity.- KUNA