Abu Dhabi: An Abu Dhabi school on Sunday hosted an Arabian horse show as part of its celebrations for the UAE’s Golden Jubilee in the lead up to the 50th National Day (December 2).
Repton Abu Dhabi students and teachers learnt about the special love and role of Arabian horses in Emirati culture while watching two horses perform, led by horse-master Ali Al Ameri, within the huge atrium at the schools’ Fry Campus.
Al Ameri was also invited to judge the students’ artwork from Nursery to Year 11 on student depictions of the Arabian horse and understanding of Emirati culture as part of their learning experiences.
With the help of his two horses – 17-year-old Tahib and 7-year-old Adhan – Al Ameri explained the history of these elegant horses while putting up a set of performances for students.
‘It was epic!’
Students Zain and Zachary Davis said: “Seeing the horses was really cool. Our favourite part was when the horse stood up. It was amazing.”
Their schoolmate Emma Kelly said: “It was such a lovely surprise to see the horses. They were incredible.”
Students learned how vital the Arabian horse has been in the development of the UAE and how important they still are in UAE culture. They also learned how horses can be trained to star in movies and even rescue people.
Teachers were equally thrilled. Charlton Jansen said: ‘It was epic!’. Her colleague Catherine Hall said: “This was a wonderful opportunity to experience Emirati heritage and it is the start of what will be some amazing 50th UAE National Day celebrations at Repton Abu Dhabi.”
Riding lesson as prize
The 15-minute shows were held for different groups of students to ensure social distancing. Al Ameri then spent 20 minutes judging the students’ art work. Tahib, the huge Arabian horse, followed him the whole time and seemed to select some art pieces too.
Fourteen Repton students whose artwork were selected as 1st place in each Year group category have been awarded a riding lesson at Al Ameri’s Rahal Ranch.
