A horse show near Luxor

Today is the beginning of a 12 day festival of horses, in a small village near Luxor. I was invited to attend byEgyptUnveiled, and although I'm allergic to horses, I wanted to see it. What seems to happen is that over a 2-300 metre course, horses are put through their paces, the sticks the riders trail behind the horse putting a cloud of dust in the air! It's more of a horse show, with each owner showing his horse at it's best, as they think.

Over the next few days, people from outlying towns throughout Egypt will be attending, and obviously horse sales are involved. More of a market than a horse race, but the local people really enjoy seeing these Arabian horses, which are obviously well cared for, and a source of great pride for their owners.

Unfortunately, the skill of the riders left a lot to be desired - falling off, colliding with other horses etc!