Prince Moulay Rachid inaugurated the 14th edition of the Salon du Cheval at the Mohammed VI Exhibition Centre in El Jadida, Morocco, on Tuesday.
Following the inauguration, Prince Rachid visited Qatar’s booth, which is held by the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC), where he was received by Sheikh Abdullah bin Thamer al-Thani, ambassador of Qatar to Morocco; Issa bin Mohamed al-Mohannadi, QREC Chairman; Prof Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, General Manager of the Cultural Village Foundation – Katara; Faleh bin Mohamed al-Nasser, Deputy Chairman of Katara International Arabian Horse Festival Organising Committee; and the rest of the Qatari delegation to the Salon.
Sheikh Abdullah and al-Mohannadi presented a memento trophy to Prince Rachid, marking the occasion and expressing the importance, which Qatar attaches to the annual participation in the major Salon. The week-long exhibition brings together all that is related to the equestrian sport, including horse shows, show jumping, heritage shows and seminars covering all various aspects of the equestrian sport and horses.
The Salon du Cheval is being held at the Mohammed VI Exhibition Centre in El Jadida, Morocco, until 22nd October with the participation of 40 countries. Every year, QREC takes part in the Salon, being one of the prominent events in Morocco in general.
Through its booth in the international village of the Salon, QREC promotes its events of purebred Arabian horse show and horse race meetings at Al Rayyan and Al Uqda racecourses as well as the major international racing events, which QREC sponsors, including the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France and the Qatar Goodwood Festival in the UK.
Al Shaqab, a member of the Qatar Foundation, is participating in the Salon’s activities by competing in the International Arabian Horse Show “A”, which will be held today and tomorrow. With an impressive record the purebred Arabian horse show discipline, Al Shaqab presence and contesting in the Show represents and added value which enriches and raises the standard of the event.
In addition to the International Arabian Horse Show, the Salon features several other events, including the Grand Prix of His Majesty The King Mohamed VI of Show Jumping, the Grand Prize of His Majesty King Mohamed VI of Tbourida, which is one of the events that attracts great public interest at the Salon and its contests are held daily during the Salon. According to estimates by the organising committee for this year’s edition of the Salon, approximately 300,000 spectators are expected to attend the events of the week-long Salon and 40 countries from around the world will also take part in the various shows and contests.
The theme chosen for the 2023 edition is “The horse and Sustainable Development”. The Salon du Cheval d’El Jadida has become a showcase for the rich cultural heritage associated with the horse and also an opportunity to express the deep attachment of Moroccans to this noble creature. It further contributes to the growth and development of the professions of the equestrian sector in Morocco and provides a basic exchange platform between various players in the equestrian sector.