Abu Dhabi Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition

Today we went to the Abu Dhabi Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition with our friends Rob and Karima. Not sure if we posted last year, but we went then too. The show combines heritage displays, camel and horse auctions, Saluki beauty contests, falcon sales, weaponry, and hunting and camping supplies. It takes up the entire exhibition hall, and only runs for one weekend.

Visiting the weaponry section can be disconcerting. Especially when, like this year, you have a seven-year-old child in the exhibit with you who wants to touch an try out everything. Guns, guns and more guns...all out on display and available for you to inspect and purchase. Funny, I have no qualms about archery or fencing as sports, but when it comes to shooting--even target shooting--I get very uneasy. There were video-arcade-style target ranges for people to try their luck at this year. Rob and his son Ocean tried it out, and didn't do too badly.

There were many more falcons on sale this year, and we got to watch some Emirati men doing some serious shopping. Don't know exactly how much a falcon would put you back, but they were paying in thousand-dirham bills! We also went back to the horse stables to see the horses that hadn't yet been auctioned off. The handlers were happy to show us around, and encouraged Ocean to try riding some of them (!), but we declined...

Below are some photos from the show, to give you a taste of what it was like:

Lots of serious dune-bashing vehicles on show. Here's my favorite--black with MAJOR flames:

A close up of one of the falcons on display. I would LOVE to learn falconry; I think working with and training them would be fascinating. We saw a booth from the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, and found out they do educational tours. We're thinking of going some day for a visit:

One of the horses at the auction:

A Saluki, which is a breed of hound/hunting dog highly prized in the UAE. This one was wearing a ribbon saying he'd won best in show in the annual Saluki Beauty Contest that takes place at the exhibition. He was visibly tired after a long day and this was the best photo i could get. I kneeled down to say hello and he came right over to me a leaned on me trustingly...so sweet:

Finally, here's a cute picture of Rob and Karima's son Ocean dressed up as a desert warrior in traditional Emirati clothing. Posted with parental permission, of course! I believe they let him keep the belt and headscarf: