I regularly attend the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, held every February at WestWorld. The horses are beautiful, and Kelly and Kim, my 12-year-old and 9-year-old daughters, still enjoy walking through the barns there and petting their favorites. It's a first-rate event, and Scottsdale, widely recognized as "the world capital of the Arabian horse," is home to several of the breed's best stables.
A few weeks ago, I saw that ArabHorse.com was hosting an Arabian Farm Tour Event. Thirteen local Arabian stables would hold open houses, free to the public, December 26th through January 3rd. It seemed like a perfect precursor to the Arabian Horse Show, and I hoped it would allow us to get even closer to the horses and learn more about them. Unfortunately, we didn't get to pet any of them, but it was still worth the hour-long drive from Queen Creek to see these incredibly beautiful animals.
I procrastinated and waited until yesterday, the last day, to go. That left the girls and I with three possible open houses to attend. We chose Terry Holmes Arabians because it was the first one to open its doors that day. I was a little disappointed that the horses were all tied in their stalls, just out of reach. We settled for walking through the open air stable until someone affiliated with the program rushed by to encourage us to have a snack (sandwiches, champagne and other drinks) and gather around the arena. Within minutes, the show began. One by one, Terry Holmes led his horses into the arena and turned them loose to run. Most, if not all, were for sale at prices I knew I could never afford. Still, it was fun to watch and pretend that maybe some day I could buy one of the yearlings or broodmares I saw.
The Arabian Farm Tour Event is not the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. If you have to chose between one or the other, pony (so to speak) up and buy tickets for the horse show. But, if you can't get enough or if you're on a budget, the Arabian Farm Tour Event is a good option.
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