JEDDAH: The Makkah Arabian Horse Show 2022 gets underway on Thursday at Sawary Farms in Jeddah. More than 250 horses will take part, belonging to 144 owners and 130 Gulf, Arab and international stables. The countries represented include Australia, Egypt, Kuwait and Qatar.

This year marks the 13th staging of the annual three-day event, which is held under the patronage of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the governor of Makkah, and will be supervised by the King Abdulaziz Arabian Horses Center. Hisham Basha, the head of the organizing committee for the event, said that it is also under the supervision of the European Conference of Arab Horse Organizations, which oversees the management of competitions.

Essentially a beauty contest for horses, the event is divided into 12 categories, for fillies, mares, colts and stallions of various ages. The winners will be crowned during six finals on Saturday.

Abdullah Al-Mahmoud, a Saudi stable owner from Riyadh with 25 years of experience in the field who has won top prizes in more than five tournaments, said he has horses competing in Makkah in the three-year-old fillies category, called Jarrah Al-Muawad.

“I am considered one of the oldest generations participating in this tournament, which is one of the most important horse championships in the Kingdom and it will be broadcast on the Arabian Essence website,” he told Arab News.

“Last year I won first place in the fillies category and I also won the silver medal for young foals, and this year I am eager to achieve even greater success in the contest. I also wish all the good luck and success for the rest of the participants.”