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Monday, 13th February 2017
And yet another delightful visit to see true Bahraini horses. This time we went to the stud of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa, whose horses descent from the very same source as those of the Royal Stables. Luckily the rain (!) stopped when the presentation started, and we saw again a parade of stallions, mares and foals, sorted according to their families. Although the stallions were a bit overweight, they all had much spirit, fire and charisma – and the next moment they were docile as a lamb, although presented in mixed groups together with mares and foals. They proved to be the REAL Bedouin horses, while the Straight Egyptian horses, we saw at Al Rashediah in the evening proved to be living pieces of art, presented in the most tasteful setting. Based on Ansata and Dr. Nagel bloodlines, Mr. Al Jasmi has gathered a valuable collection of broodmares. The highlight was to see Jamil Al Rayyan and ZT Faa’iq, the first also presented his first foal crop which he definitely stamped.
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Sunday, 12th February 2017
The stud visit of today was the highlight of the whole trip: we went to the Royal Stables! Here, the traditional Arabian horse, the Bedouin horse, has been preserved for 200 years. Looking at these horses is like looking back in time – nearly all of them you could imagine to be a famous war mare. And what a kind disposition they all have: Six breeding stallions all lined up on a rather small space, with the visitors mingling among them, and not one of them getting agitated. And most of them had movements, we hardly ever see in the show rings of this world.
It should be made compulsory for any breeder, to train his eyes on this type of horses, before he decides to go only for pretty heads…!
Again, the day was concluded by a wonderful dinner, this time at the Bahrain National Museum!
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Saturday, 11th February 2017
The last day of the conference opened with a report by the Chairman of the Registrars Meeting, informimg that names of horses may be changed after registration, if there are valid and good reasons to do so, AND if the horse was never shown, raced or bred prior to the name change.
Then followed more guest speakers, such as Emma Maxwell’s pedigree research on Bahraini foundation mares and their influence today. Anna Stojanowska and Jerzy Bialobok spoke about the Kuhailan Afas sireline whose founder came to Poland in 1930/31 and who now had a successor in Kuhailan Afas Maidaan, a stallion which was gifted to Poland by the King of Bahrain a couple of years ago.
Last not least, and some of the most interesting talks of the day were given by Dr. Samantha Brooks about laminitis and in a second talk she took a scientific look at the population structure and the ancestry of the Arabian Horse.
The big gala dinner, again with horse presentations, concluded the day. |
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Friday, 10th February 2017
The conference continued, first with some technical items, such as the accounts. As foal registristrations are generally declining, WAHO’s income is doing so, too.
Then followed some interesting talks about the significance of strains and their origins by Edouard al Dahdah, as well as a brief voyage through the history of Bahrain.
The afternoon we spent at the racetrack, where we saw (among others) a race for original Bahraini horses (desertbreds). Then followed a visit at the charter museum, very modern and nicely done! Needless to say that we were escorted once more by the police half across the island to go to the Riffa Fort for dinner. With the fort as a backdrop, we were entertained by some Bahraini music with backpipes (which are very popular in the Gulf) and a display by local riders.
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Thursday, 9th February 2017
Today, the conference started in the presence of HRH Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa and other Royalties.
President Peter Pond welcomed everybody, followed by a very nice and emotional tribute to Izabella Zawadzka, who had left us since the last meeting.
After all the technical parts were done, the 31 voting delegates unanimously voted in favour of some constitutional changes with regards to the composition and election of the Executive Committee.
Then followed the reports of the delegates about the development of Arabian horse breeding in their respective countries.
For anybody who wondered, why the highway in Manama was closed for the traffic for some time – it was the WAHO Conference on the move to the Sofitel for dinner, escorted by the police.
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Wednesday, 8th February 2017
Another day full of sightseeing, before the actual Conference starts tomorrow.
We went over to Muharraq island to visit the Arad Fort, built by the Omani in the 15th century. The souk was a bit of a disappointment, if you have seen the Souks of Damascus, Aleppo, Isfahan or Tripolis…
So, we went on to the Sheikh Isa bin Ali house, the house of the 6th Ruler of Bahrain. Compared to other Palaces, this is VERY modest, but gives a nice impression of the architecture of the time (1869).
In the vicinity of this house were several buildings, formerly owned by family members, rich merchants, etc., which are now converted into small museums, educational centers etc, and very tasteful renovated.
The day ended with a dinner invitation and horse presentation under spotlights, lots of talks with new and old friends.
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Tuesday, 7th February 2017
The sun is shining – finally!
A huge sightseeing program was waiting for us today. We headed off to the falcon hospital where we watched a live endoscopy of a falcon. They are getting microchipped, too, just like horses!
Next stop: Al Areen Wildlife Center, where we saw one of the last few remaining Arabic Leopards.
The Camel Farm was a bit too touristy, and we were hungry, so done in no time and off for lunch at a nice Lebanese Restaurant ?
In the afternoon we visited the Grand Mosque, and the National Museum to get an impression on what life has been about 40 – 80 years ago here in Bahrain. We also learned about the Dilmun civilization, which lived here some 5.000 years ago.
And on to the Bahrain Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was night by now, which made it even more impressive. Last but not least, a brief visit to the Bahrain Fort Museum ended the day… |
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Monday, 6th February 2017
It’s raining in Bahrain!
We went for a sightseeing trip today, including the Riffa Fort, the Tree of Life, an acacia tree out in the desert, and a museum – which was closed, of course, as all museums in the world are closed on Mondays? So, instead we took a sightseeing tour around ‘downtown Manama’ – although not really the ‘picturesque’ weather that I expected… Did I mention already?
It’s raining in Bahrain! |
 On the way to Bahrain |
Sunday, 5th February 2017
Great flight with Lufthansa including WIFI on board – not so great that it worked only two out of four hours… |
