Article: Rearing up for gala time

Saturday May 30, 2009

By ALEX TENG

THE 2009 National Horse Show will officially open next Friday and it promises to be an exceptional event not to be missed.

The Penang Turf Club (PTC) will play the perfect host of the 2009 National Horse Show and it is leaving no stone unturned to make this year's event one of the most memorable horse shows ever held in the country.

Traditionally, the National Horse Show is the venue where the nation's topnotch riders get to flex their muscles but this year, the 2009 National Horse Show has been given an extra dimension.

Apart from lending support to our equestrian programme, the PTC is making sure the 2009 National Horse Show will be both entertaining and educational for everybody, thus, paving the way for the public especially the youth to have a chance to interact with the equestrian sport.

About 872 students including 60 international students from Universiti Sains Malaysia have been invited to attend the opening ceremony of the 2009 National Horse Show where Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is expected to launch it.

National riders like Qabil Ambak, Quzandria Nur and Diani Lee will lead an array of top-class equestrian riders from Malaysia and Hong Kong who will be taking part in the 2009 National Horse Show at the oldest turf club in the country.

"Although, the opening ceremony is on June 5, equine enthusiasts can still visit the site on June 3 and June 4 as there will also be the unofficial fun and games for pony club members and the unofficial competition. Bring along the entire family and you are sure to have a good time here at the show," said Johari Lee, the 2009 National Horse Show director. An event many should also find captivating, according to Johari, is the farriery competition.

This contest touches on the aspect of shoeing and trimming of horses' feet by professional equine blacksmiths. The judge for this event is Australian Peter Strafford, the present chief farrier at the Victoria Racing Club.

At the carnival ground, the children should be kept occupied with pony and carriage rides, the strolling clowns, face painting, magicians and stage performances while the breed display, exposition of equine products and services and a horse chiropractor demonstration should appeal more to the adults.

There is also a wide range of other products available at the bazaar including booths from Zeon Computer, Chocolate Boutique, Party Girls Collection, B & R Gifts, Hiroko's Porcelain Doll, Pearl Health Supplement Enterprise, Abundant Resources and etc.

At the expo site, visitors can also explore the stalls set up by Fireflyz, Hong Leong Bank, O'Driscoll Produce, the National Stud Farm, the PTC Equestrian Centre, Mitavite Asia, the Malaysian Equine Council, the MSM Horse Feeds, Tallahesse, the Department of Veterinary Services Malaysia, De Dengkil Stable and Arabian Stud Farm, KM Vet Pharma and Network Medical.

There are also six stalls managed by St Nicholas Home, Penang Cheshire Home, Rumah Relau Charis, Kiwanis Club of Butterworth, Asia Community Centre and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

A trip to the 2009 National Horse Show will not be complete without paying a visit to the hawker's fair where a variety of Penang's famous food like hokkien mee, laksa, char koay teow, nasi lemak and many more will be showcased.

While admission to the 2009 National Horse Show is free, visitors will have to pay RM2 for the pony ride and RM3 for the carriage ride.

The 2009 National Horse Show is sanctioned by the Equestrian Association of Malaysia and the Malaysian Equine Council. This is the third time that Penang is hosting the national event since it was first introduced in 1994. PTC also hosted it in 2001 and 2004.

The 2009 National Horse Show is mainly sponsored by the Lembaga Totalisator Malaysia and the Pan Malaysian Pools. The Star is the media sponsor.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Metro: North 30 May 2009