sraeli National I Championship Show THE 29TH ANNUAL ISRAELI NATIONAL SHOW was the largest show ever held in Israel, with over 180 entries, proving the ever-increasing popularity of Arabians here. A first-time visitor to this show was immediately impressed by two things: the caliber of the horses, who would be competitive anywhere in the world, and the multinational nature of the exhibitors and spectators. The Israeli Nationals felt like a United Nations gathering, with Arabs, Jews, Druze, and Christians all cooperating with one another in order to put on a successful show. The unrest in the Middle East has no place here, as those who attend are joined by their love of the Arabian horse. The show had a wonderful party atmosphere, despite the unseasonable heat (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit each day), with attendees sharing food and drink with their neighbors and cheering raucously for their favorites, showing their enthusiasm by beating drums, shaking ricefilled balloons, blowing horns, and so on. This year’s show was held at Kibbutz Yifat in the Jezreel Valley, which had good stabling for the entries as well as many shade trees under which spectators tried to keep cool in the heat. Their passion was infectious, particularly when two or more horses had the same points and had to be reshown comparatively to break the tie. The music accompanying the classes added a lot to the excitement, with some hypnotic drum music accompanying horses’ entrances. Israel’s national shows are ECAHO recognized and are conducted under the European point system, except for the weanling classes, which are judged by the comparative method. Judges for this year’s competition were Dr. Marek Trela of Poland (the director of the Janow Podlawski Stud), Pierluigi Rota of Italy, and Koenraad Detailleur of Belgium. These gentleman proved tough to please, with many of the scores lower than anticipated by the spectators, prompting one internationally known breeder to comment “They are not giving anything away this time!” The competition
October 16-17, 2009 Kibbutz Yifat, Jezreel Valley by Arlene Magid-Williams Photos by Menashe Cohen
Gold Champion Senior Stallion AA AL BASHYR (Al Maraam x El Thay Beshira), owned by Riki Zerinzki.
also had its first international steward, and a number of yellow warnings were given to exhibitors for a variety of rule violations that included hoof painting, makeup on the face, face shaving, and ginger usage. It was educational for owners and spectators alike for infractions to be announced when the horses came into the ring. The significance of the Israeli National Show on the international scene was evidenced by the many international handlers, with trainers from Germany, Italy, and the United States leading many of the entries. The presentations during lunch breaks and between classes were a special treat. On the first day, the crowd enjoyed a dressage demonstration by the straight Crabbet stallion Sabra Jupiter, a former Israeli Futurity Champion who has competed successfully against all breeds in open competition. On the second day, showgoers were treated to a lively belly-dancing display during the lunch break, and prior to the championship classes there were presentations of last year’s National Champion Mare, the superb moving JPJ Talai, and National Champion Stallion A Sharif Pasha (also a top ten winner at the World Championship show in Paris). The final presentation was the amazing Laheeb, who was paraded into the arena to the cheers of the ecstatic crowd to be presented with the WAHO Trophy, an exclusive award given in each member country annually to horses with special lifetime achievements.
2 6 ARABIAN HORSE WORLD 6 JANUARY 2010