The Battle To Define the Arabian Horse

The Battle To Define the Arabian Horse

One September afternoon last year in Bilbeis, Egypt, I stood at the edge of a dusty arena as the Sharqia Arabian Horse Festival opened. Running since 1991, it features riding displays and a competitive horse show, but what matters is the setting: This is Egypt’s only equine festival tied to a single province. Even Sharqia’s flag bears a rearing white stallion on a green background — shorthand for the province’s long marriage of horses and agricu…