This annual festival plays an important role in promoting Arabian horse racing on a global scale, celebrating and preserving the sport’s rich heritage and traditions. The event will showcase high-profile races and distinguished participants, including the Société Hippique Française (SHF), demonstrating their expertise and the exceptional excellence of the French equestrian sector.

Société Hippique Française – SHF : A Highlight of Tradition and Excellence
The Société Hippique Française, established in 1865 and accredited by the Ministry of Agriculture, is a pivotal association in the realm of sport and leisure horse and pony breeding. SHF plays a vital role in organizing events that unite stakeholders in the production, enhancement, and marketing of young horses and ponies. Their participation in the Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival further emphasizes the event’s prestige and highlights the significance of French equine expertise on an international stage.

Excellence of French Genetic Heritage
SHF is renowned for its superior equine genetic heritage, breeding distinguished breeds such as the French Saddle Horse, Anglo-Arab, Arabian, and French Riding Pony. At the festival, SHF will showcase these purebred horses, demonstrating French expertise in selection and care. French horses, known for their beauty and performance, are a testament to meticulous breeding traditions that combine carefully selected lineages and advanced breeding techniques, earning them an international reputation. This event provides SHF with an opportunity to display how their breeding meets the high standards demanded by Emirati and regional buyers.

With over 33,000 breeders and owners of mares in 2022, the equine sector is essential in France, generating 66,000 primary activity jobs nationwide. The French equine industry’s prowess was further demonstrated when the French team won the world championship title in 2023 with 100% French horses.

French Breeding Excellence and Endurance at SHF’s Grand Events
The Société Hippique Française organizes two major events that offer exceptional opportunities for breeders, owners, riders, and buyers to engage with the vibrant equine sector:

The Grand Week of Fontainebleau: From August 22 to September 1, this event features 1,850 horses (mainly French Saddle Horse “Selle Français”) aged 2 to 7 years competing in breeding, show jumping, and hunter style competitions. It is a cornerstone event that showcases the finest young horses and ponies, offering a unique platform for networking and collaboration. With the approach of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, this event gains additional significance, serving as a prelude to the equestrian events at the Olympics, highlighting France’s dedication to equine excellence on the world stage.

The Grand Endurance Week in Lignières-en-Berry: Held from October 11 to 13, this event gathers young arabian and anglo-arabian horses from the French Equestrian Society. It highlights the endurance and versatility of these horses, reflecting the meticulous breeding and training traditions upheld by SHF. This event also aligns with the upcoming Olympic spirit, showcasing the stamina and resilience required in competitive equestrian sports.

These events are very important moments in the equine calendar, fostering a vibrant community and offering unparalleled opportunities for engagement.

Unique Expertise for the Emirati Market
SHF highlights its expertise in breeding, training, and enhancement by engaging with the Emirati equine market, fostering stronger ties between the French equine sector and the UAE. The Gulf countries, particularly the UAE, play a significant role in this sector through the purchase of purebred French horses, renowned for their endurance, elegance, and performance. SHF’s long tradition and globally recognized expertise in selecting lineages and providing high-quality care are instrumental in meeting the needs of the Emirati market.

The HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival in France underscores the deep cultural exchange between the UAE and France, aiming to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance the global appeal of Arabian horse racing. SHF is honored to participate in the event, showcasing French expertise in equine breeding and highlighting the importance of international cooperation in the equestrian world.

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The event was established by Syndicat National des Antiquaires (SNA) in 1959. The show was held at the Grand Palais every year. The event offered an expansive selection of works ranging from antiquities and jewellery to art and textile works. But in recent years, after the event’s antique dealers were accused of forgery in 2016, the event has fallen out of favour.

The Paris Biennale was challenged by other events and fair such as Frieze and The European Fine Art Fair (Tefaf), which reduced its audience dramatically. The SNA’s decision to convert it into an annual event in 2016 failed to help. Its audience decreased from 90000 visitors in 2012 to 32000 in 2017.

Covid-19 has also had an impact, with the Biennale’s 2020 iteration cancelled because of the pandemic. The event’s online auction with Christie’s only brought in  €1.5m ($1.7m), which was very far from its estimated value of €7 million ($8.3m) to €10m ($11.9m).

A new event will replace the Paris Biennale in November, though details on what it will offer have yet to be announced. It is reported to include antique dealers, jewellers, watchmakers and other luxury craftsmen. The event will be held in a semi-permanent structure close to the Grand Palais as the historic site is undergoing reconstruction.

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Painted in the Spring of 1887 during Vincent van Gogh’s two-year sojourn in Paris, Scène de rue à Montmartre, is not only a major work by the artist but also from his very rare series of paintings depicting the legendary Moulin de la Galette in Montmartre. The exhibition will be held in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, and Paris ahead of the Impressionist & Modern Art auction on 25 March.

Scène de rue à Montmartre is a remarkable witness to a crucial moment in the oeuvre of one of the greatest masters of modern art. In 1887, Van Gogh was living with his brother Theo in Paris on the Rue Lepic and was fascinated by the peculiar pastoral yet urban atmosphere of Montmartre where the mills blended with cabarets. This work shows Vincent’s view about the new city which was the capital in the 19th century. The painting was different from his prior works as all the dark tones were replaced by the colors and was shown in its brilliance. The painting shows the artist first encounter with the Impressionists and other avant-garde painters in Paris which affected his works

In this work, the artist chooses to represent one of the most famous places in the heart of La Butte: the Pepper Mill, also known as the Moulin Debray. The painting captures the vivid description of the atmosphere in Montmarte at the end of the 19th century when the mills were not working anymore and  had become tourist attractions and places of leisure where Parisians came to mingle, drink, dance and relax. 

“Very few paintings from Van Gogh’s Montmartre period remain in private hands, with most of the series now held in prestigious museum collections around the world,” said Aurélie Vandevoorde and Etienne Hellman, senior directors of Sotheby’s Impressionist and modern art department in France.

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Its still hard to say when the Paris museum will reopen, after being closed on October 30 in line with the French government’s virus containment measures. Before the pandemic, the workers were complaining that they were not able to control the crowd. During the first lockdown, all the Louvre activities came to a halt but the situation were better during the second lockdown with 250 of the museum employees remain fully operational.

Some 250 museum employees are hard at work adding new security systems, cleaning sculptures, checking inventories, checking over artifacts, reorganizing entrances, and conducting other necessary restorations to areas like the Egyptian Wing and the Grande Galerie. This way, when the museum does finally reopen, it will be like a brand-new experience for visitors.

Before the pandemic, the construction and renovation in the museum can only be done on Tuesday, which was the only off day. But now the construction is going on with a full week schedule.

Since the early days of the pandemic, the museum has been hard at work curating a rotating collection of educational opportunities for children and adults alike, along with plenty of virtual tours, that will satisfy your want for travel, for now.

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