A Window to the Present

WAHO Conferences do have a great appeal, and so around 200 participants followed the invitation of the Royal Family to come to Bahrain for the 22nd WAHO Conference. But it is not only the social gatherings and meeting with friends, the horses and sightseeing that make a WAHO Conference attractive, there are also interesting hard facts about the development of our breed.

Arad Fort - IMG_0241Bahrain – a group of 33 little islands in the Arabian or Persian Gulf, of which it is said that the Garden of Eden was there. The islands have been inhabited for about 5000 years and the area – from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar to the Eastern coastal regions of Saudi Arabia – was known as Dilmun. Dilmun is regarded as one of the oldest civilisations of the Middle East. It was an important trading centre and at the height of its power, it controlled the Persian Gulf trading routes. Later, Bahrain became known for its pearl diving and pearl trading with which came a certain wealth, but those who expect a placid little fishing village will be disappointed: Today, the capital Manama is a modern city, trying hard to catch up with Doha, Abu Dhabi or Dubai.
There live about 1,4 Mio people on these islands and 5000 horses, of which 2000 are Arabians. Purebred Arabians have at least a 200-year-old history in Bahrain, beginning with the war horses of the ruling Al Khalifa family (see last issue). Such a traditional and historic place is without any doubt the perfect setting for a WAHO Conference.

From Warhorse to Peacemaker

The conference was formally opened by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince of Bahrain, welcoming the around 200 guests from all over the world. It has become a “trade mark” of the WAHO Conferences that they are a meeting point for Arabian horse aficionados from all around the world, regardless of any political or religious views, or different cultural background. The common denominator is everybody’s interest in the Arabian horse. And as Jenny Lees put it so aptly in her introductory speech: “Throughout the centuries the Arabian has been a formidable warhorse. From the number of countries represented in this room today, it seems the Arabian horse is now a creator of lasting friendships and a universal peacemaker.” And WAHO President Peter Pond emphasised on the anachronism in which horse people live: “We live in a very fast-moving Internet age of social media, instant communication and sometimes unrealistic expectations of instant answers and instant results… But any involvement with horses requires time and patience… In some ways it is perhaps an anachronism for us all to fly half way round the world just to get together for a few days, but I hope that by socialising together, meeting new people from every corner of the globe who all share one common passion – the Arabian horse – you will leave here feeling enriched and invigorated by new friendships and with a greater understanding of what WAHO is all about.”

The Conference

Peter Pond then turned to the formal part of the Conference, i.e. the report on the work of the Executive Committee. He informed about the application of China to become an Applying Registering Authority Member of WAHO. The importation of purebred Arabians into China is increasing and over the last few years, around 200 horses were imported, all from “WAHO-sources”, but often without export certificate. Registration procedures are similar to that of English Thoroughbreds and the applying member of China is aiming to have it’s studbook ready for approval by the next WAHO Conference in 2019. China’s application for Applying Registering Authority Member was accepted.
Then the WAHO Delegates remembered those that passed away since the last conference, among which Izabella Pawelec-Zawadzka must be mentioned. She was commemorated by a beautiful tribute produced by Horsefly Films.
The President then introduced the members of the WAHO Executive Committee, informing the meeting of some changes since the last Conference. The former Vice-President Sami Al Nohait has not yet returned to full health, and is replaced by Dr. Marek Trela. Princess Alia Al Hussein, Sami Al Boenain, Ali Shaarawi and Caroline Sussex were moved up from Consultants to be full member sof the Executive Committees. All were confirmed by unanimous vote of the delegates present. A detailed resume for each Executive Committee member was circulated and can be accessed at the WAHO website, www.waho.org, that have the Best Web Hosts 2017, so look on the Executive Committee News page. Later in the Conference, the retirement of WAHO’s Treasurer David Angold was announced, the new Treasurer is Caroline Sussex.
As promised at the last Conference in Qatar, the Executive Committee also looked into the Constitution, both to update it and to find a more democratic way of selecting its Consultants to the Executive Committee in future. The revised Constitution was presented to the Delegates and unanimously approved in a paper ballot vote. Peter Pond stated, that WAHO “can now move forward with a stronger and better Constitution and also with what we hope will be seen as a more democratic way of finding new people to serve on the Executive Committee in the future. We look forward to the WAHO Conference in Australia in 2019, which will be the first time to enact the protocol for the nomination and election of new Consultants.”

Around the World

The reports from the individual countries, although they take a lot of time, are very informative, as each country has its own history and development in Arab horse breeding. It is interesting to hear the difference in popularity of various activities, for example racing, in the different countries, In some countries, the registration figures have declined, while others are thriving.
Looking at the statistics, the countries with the highest foal registrations are the United States, which is to be expected as it is the largest WAHO Member country, however their numbers have declined considerably in recent years, then seven out of the Top Ten countries are within the Arab world, and only two countries within the Top Ten are in Europe, i.e. France and Italy. The biggest breeders in the Arab world are Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE.
On a worldwide level, there were more than 23.000 foals registered in 2015. Of these foals, most were born in the Arab world (35 %), followed by Europe (23 %), North America (14 %), Asia (including Turkey and Iran, 13 %), then follow South America, South African countries (as the North African (Maghreb) countries are included in the Arab world) and Australia / New Zealand. The global number of registered foals has risen by appr. 1500 heads since 2013, i.e. an increase of 6,7 %. The big “winners” (since 2013) are Iran (where registration has increased by more than 60%, but the 2015 figure may also include some late registrations of the previous year), and the Arab countries Oman (plus 280 % with 171 registrations in 2015), Qatar (+81 %), Bahrain (+61 %) and Kuwait (+49 %), while the “losers” are Argentina (-32 %), Canada (-32 %), and Uruguay (-29 %). Germany has lost about 14 % and is down to 663 foals per year. Very often, the ups and downs follow the economic figures of a country, but they also reflect if a country’s breeders have taken a “specialized track” in general, with a higher number of in-demand horses bred for racing, endurance, or showing, for example.
Interesting information reached us from Syria: Despite the war that is tearing the country apart, the breeders still maintain the breed, and in 2016 have registered 800 foals, this is more foals born in Syria than in Germany! However, there might be some late registrations included in this number. The registrar Mohamad Al Chaieb reported, that they lost about one third of the horses during those years of war, and the National Stud, which safeguarded a carefully collected treasure trove of the old Syrian or “Desertbred” bloodlines, was completely destroyed, with all the horses stolen – although recently a small number have been recovered and they are rebuilding the facility. Despite the adverse situation, the Syrians organised a show in Damascus, some endurance rides, as well as eight races in 2016.

Registration Issues

Xavier Guibert reported on the proceedings of the WAHO World Registrars Meeting of which he is Chairman. Some time had been taken up with explanations of the latest EU directives, which include changes to the passport model. Emphasis was placed on the importance to the registries of lobbying the EU to prevent possible changes to the use of the UELN and to the separation of the identification document, which is the passport, from the certificate of origin and pedigree. A proposal to allow name changes under strict control and only if the horse has not yet competed in any sport or show and has not been bred yet was discussed and passed by majority vote of the Registrars, to be put forward to the Executive Committee for further study. Several other issues of importance to the smooth running of the world’s Arabian studbooks were discussed, and recommendations for updating or adding some registration rules were made, to be brought forward to the next Conference in Australia.

Message from WAHO

In his closing speech, Peter Pond made a number of important points, one of which was the abuse of Arabian horses in sports, namely in endurance, where several horses died during the current season on the track by suffering bone fractures. He said: “It is deeply shocking and it simply cannot be allowed to continue without our voices being raised in defence of these horses, who have no voice of their own and no choice but to go at the speeds dictated by their riders. Arabian horses have tremendous heart, tremendous courage, and tremendous bravery which is why they are the chosen breed for endurance. To stay silent and effectively abandon them to their fate would be to go against our core values and objectives. I can now assure you the Executive Committee will be writing a strong letter to the FEI very soon to put pressure on them to find a solution, and quickly, to this serious situation.” The letter to the F.E.I. and their reply will be available to read on the WAHO website. He added WAHO’s praise and support for HH Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s Boudtheib Initiative with rules which are designed to protect the horses while at the same time retaining the competitive and fun side of the sport of endurance.
He concluded his remarks by emphasising that WAHO is a totally non-political organization in which every Registry, regardless of size and regardless of country, is equal, and will not be pressured by any group to change its rules or procedures in any way. He said, “As Jay Stream often repeated ‘It’s not the horses that bring their problems to WAHO, it is the people’. We have always tried, and will always try in future, to resolve all of these issues the best way that we can, as and when they arise, in the best interest of WAHO, of our Members and of the purebred Arabian horse.”

The Side-Programs

Part of the WAHO Conferences are the side programs, that give the guests a deeper insight to the country, whether it be in a cultural context or with regards to their horses. No different here, where during the specially arranged “Pearls of Bahrain Days” we were treated with visits to the Royal Stud and the Stud of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Khalifa (see last issue), with horses of traditional Bahraini bloodlines, as well as to Al Rashediah Stud, where Rashid A. Rahman Al Jasmi breeds Straight Egyptian horses, or more precisely, horses mainly based on Katharinenhof, Ansata and Imperial bloodlines. Apart from the live-horses, among them the well-known breeding stallions Jamil Al Rayyan (Ansata Hejazi / Dana Al Rayyan), and ZT Faa’iq (Anaza El Farid / ZT Jamdusah), the horse-head fountains “on a string”, created by Karen Kasper, were truly an amazing sight.
Another afternoon program took us to the race course at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club. There we watched the WAHO Cup, a 1400 m race with seven starters of traditional Bahraini bloodlines. The special race for the Jay W. Stream Traditional Arabian Horse Cup had 12 entries and was run with riders wearing traditional costumes. It was more of a fun race and concluded the Arabian races of the afternoon. Each day ended with a fabulous dinner during which the breeders of Bahrain had the chance to show us their horses.
As is the tradition with WAHO Conferences, there were many interesting guest lectures – however, due to lack of space they will have to wait for the next issues, rather then being cut short.
All that remains for the moment is to thank HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Patron of the Conference, and HH Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Host of the Conference, for so generously hosting WAHO’s 22nd General Assembly, and all involved with the organisation of this event, especially Dr. Khalid Hassan and Mr. Jehangir Rustomjee from the Royal Stable, as it was once more an “experience of a life time”! I am sure, all regular “WAHO Conference Goers” look very much forward to the next WAHO Conference, taking place in February 2019 in Australia!
Gudrun Waiditschka