In a couple of years, young showjumping horses will fly all over the world when they are fetched by their owners, who last Friday invested in them at the Flanders Embryo Auction in the Emirates. This fourth edition in Sharjah yielded an average price of 18,642 euro ($27,300 CAD) and the most expensive of the unborn foals was one that had never been on the market before: a Chacco Blue out of the half-sister to Catch Me If You Can for 30,000 euro ($43,900 CAD).
The Sharjah Equestrian & Riding Club is a truly unique location, where also riders from Europe love to go every year. Over the international courses built by the Limburg professional Henk Linders national favourites and riders from surrounding countries will compete this weekend with world stars such as Michael Whitaker and Christian Ahlmann.
Immediately after the Youth Nation Cups on Friday – which is an Arabian Sunday – the public clung to their seats for the embryo auction. The desert air cooled off considerably as soon as the sun set, but the Arabs were still hot for the foals soon to be born and to be reared in Europe, as summers in the Emirates are too hot and any grass would not have sufficient nutritional value and prohibit sound development. Once fully grown, the horses are cared for and trained in perfect manner. The thirst for know-how, products from Europe and the USA and the upgrading of their riding can not be quenched for the Arabians.