Muscat: Organised jointly by Oman Equestrian Federation and the Royal Cavalry, the Oman Equestrian Festival and Race will kick off today, December 7, under the auspices of HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth.
The event will take place at Al Rahba Farm’s Racecourse in the Wilayat of Barka.
The race and festival reflect HH Sayyid Theyazin’s keenness about equestrian sports and his concern about elevating such sports in the Sultanate of Oman.
The race covers five rounds. The first round called ‘Jabal Al Khour’ will cover a distance of 1,600 metres, the second round “ Jabal Misht’ is classified for thoroughbred horses “89 and less” that covers 1,600 metres, third round “ Jabal Samhan” for hybrid horses will cover a distance of 2,000 metres, fourth round “ Jabal Al Akhdar” for Arabian thoroughbred horses will cover 2,000, while the fifth “Theyazin’s round” will cover 2,000 metres and its winner will get the grand prize as well the Oman Equestrian Festival and Race’s cup.
Theyazin’s round for thoroughbred local horses would encourage horse owners to locally breed Arabian horses known for their resistance and endurance.
The event will include other activities, including horse racing, show jumping, endurance race and sundry equestrian sports peculiar to Omani heritage.
Horse riders of the Oman Cavalry will present different horse shows associated with musical performances.
In affirmation to the deep-rooted relation with the equestrian sport, knights from different governorates will partake in horse traditional shows.
