Photo: Detail of Arabian Horse Saddlery and Clothes

This is a closer photo of the saddle and robe of the woman displaying the Arabian Horse at the recent Scottsdale Polo Championships.  A lot of care is obviously taken in selecting the clothing to compete in the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show.

This week we are showing photos of the wildlife of the Serengeti Plain of Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show

Here is a closer view of the Arabian horse promoting the 58th Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show Feb. 14-24, 2013.

Arabian horses have a distinctively long face, as is certainly apparent in this camera angle.

This week we are showing photos of the wildlife of the Serengeti Plain of Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Arabian Horses Promoting the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show

The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show is coming up next month, Feb. 14 - 24, and it is a premier annual event.  As a promotion for it, during the polo matches a couple of months ago they had several of the Arabians out on the polo field during the halftime intermission for spectators to mingle with the horses, as you see in this photo.

This week we are showing photos of the wildlife of the Serengeti Plain of Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Red and Black Arabian Costume

Look at the details in this photo of this red and black Arabian costume.

This costume for horse and rider was worn during the Arabian Mounted Native Costume event at the 55th Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse show.

The Arabian Horse Show runs from February 11 through February 22.

Check out travel photos of Santa Fe, New Mexico at Viva la Voyage! .

Arabian Horse and Costume

At the 55th Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, one of the events is a Native Arabian Costume Event.

Look at the photo of this beautiful and proud Arabian.

The Arabian Mounted Native Costume event is one of my favorite events at the show.

Check out travel photos of Santa Fe, New Mexico at Viva la Voyage! .

A Trainer and Arabian Horse

Look at the photo of this trainer and his Arabian Horse getting ready to compete in the ring.

The Arabian horse is alert and watching the trainer for cues.

The Arabian is a beautiful color and competed very well in the ring at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show.

The Show ends on February 22, 2010.

Check out travel photos of Santa Fe, New Mexico at Viva la Voyage! .

A Gorgeous Black Arabian Horse

Look at the photo of this proud, sleek, radiant black Arabian horse.

The 55th Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse show starts on February 11.

The Scottsdale event is one of the top events in the Arabian horse show world.

Check out romantic travel photos of Santa Fe, New Mexico at Viva la Voyage! .

The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show

The 55th Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show started on February 11 at West World.

There will be more than 2,300 horses from around the World coming to Scottsdale.

This week, the photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site features the Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The Tents of Cavalia

Cavalia came to Scottsdale to open their performances during the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show.  I took this photo of the top of the main tent on a beautiful sunny day.  I think the clouds add magic to the tents that are erected in the desert in a rather busy area.  

Cavalia is quite the magical, surreal, romantic, and dramatic production involving acrobats, aerialists, dancers, musicians, riders, and gorgeous white horses.   Sadly, no photos were allowed of the event.

Actually there were over 45 colorful horses in the show, consisting of 10 stallions and 5 geldings.  Rather amazing for a tented performance and they were running at full gallop in and out of the performance area.  The riders would do tricks riding upside on the horses, standing on the horses, jumping horses over beams, and even standing on two horses at the same time.  Can you imagine traveling with 45 horses on planes, trains, and automobiles?

The show was created  by Normand Latourelle, the co-founder of Cirque Du Soleil, and he obviously loves horses and creative, adventuresome people.  For more information about Cavalia and performances near you, click here for magical horses.  

Muscular Arabian Bronze Horse Statue

WestWorld of Scottsdale is where the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show is held.  Also, the Parada Del Sol Rodeo and annual Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction are held at this equestrian center and convention complex.  

The magnificent bronze horse statue greets you at the entrance to the complex.  These horses are life-size and show splendid movement and speed.   I unfortunately could not determine the identity of the artist who created these excellent bronze horse statues. 

The second photo shows the entrance area and the WestWorld signage, along with cactus and blue sky. This statue is right next to a major freeway and busy road so it is not that easy to get photos while dodging cars.

Arabian Horses, Suits and the Arena

The 54th Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show had over 300 events and lasted 11 days.  There were over 2,300 horses competing in the events, and about 250,000 people attended.

I watched this particular event and called it "Arabian Horse and Suits."  That is not the real name though. The real name of this event is called Arabian Breeding/Halter two-year-old Fillies.
As you can see in the first photo, the horses are young, spirited, and spooked. Before these horses ran into the arena with their trainer who wore a suit, the horse waited outside the arena.

Next, there are two guys who have big plastic garbage bags blown up with air and they start waving them at the young horse and hitting the bag loudly to spook the horse. The idea is that the horse will look more alive with fury in its eyes as it enters the arena if it is spooked.

Look at the gorgeous color of the mane on the horse in the second photo. This horse mane could be an ad for shampoo.

You can see in the third photo, a trainer wearing a suit showing off the horse and having the horse be judged by many. This event allows people to get a good look at new horses and decide whether to buy them. A big part of the Arabian Horse shows is selling stud fees, which generally range from $4,000 to $30,000.

The last photo shows the Wendell Arena at WestWorld. You can see how the horses are brought into the arena for this event and they walk or trot around the arena so people attending can look at the horse and evaluate it. This is the world's largest Arabian horse show and people drive and fly in from all over and they bring their horses by planes, trains, and automobiles.

Tomorrow I will show the magnificent bronze Arabian horse statues at the entrance to WestWorld, then I am moving on to blue skies, cactus, more Chihuly Glass art, and a photo series on Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West. The Arabian Horse photo series will ride off into the desert sunset. I hope you have enjoyed the photos of this world-class event.

Power and Fury

One of the things I loved about the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show was the power exhibited by the horses. The horses have so much energy and cannot hold still.  They long to run and cannot wait to get in the practice arena to run around as fast as they can before competitions.

These horses are majestic to watch. Their eyes project that untamed wild look.  Arabian horses clearly are majestic, strong, and full of power and spirit. 

Elegant Arabian Costume and Horse

The passion of the entire Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show can be felt in the Equidome at Westworld when the Arabian Mounted Native Costume event occurs.  

Just look at the elegance of this horse and rider.  The connection between the rider and horse is present, the beauty of the colors and costume with veil are excellent, and the white horse with the flowing white mane is stunning.  This horse could hardly hold still.  

Click here to learn more about the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show

Native Arabian Red, Black and Gold Costume

Here is a close-up of the magnificent native Arabian costumes worn during this competition at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse show at Westworld.

This particular horse and rider won the Arabian Mounted Native costume competition. They were the most spirited pair in the arena. They never stopped galloping, just like they would have been doing across the sands in Arabia, which is the point of this particular competition.

Native Arabic Costume and Arabian Horse

The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show at Westworld has a competition called the Arabian Mounted Native Costume.  When this event was founded 54 years ago, the event started with competitions of native Arabic costumes and Arabian horses.

This particular competition was a highlight.  The Arabian horses were spirited and energetic, there was hooting and hollering from the riders, the costumes were stunning, and the entire scene changed dramatically when these riders entered the Equidome.  

It was truly spectacular to see this particular competition.  I will show you  a few more photos of native costumes and Arabian horses in the days to come as they were very different, exciting and unique.

Thank you to Pak from Chorzow, Poland for the Kreativ Blogger award as it is fun and much appreciated recognition for my Scottsdale Daily Photo Web site. I am enjoying taking photos and sharing them with others and meeting so many interesting people around the world who share a love of photography and travel. Pak's website has great photos of winter and shows life in a place very different from the desert in Scottsdale. Click here to see Chorzow Daily Photo

The White Mystical Arabian Horse

This white horse with its long flowing white mane looks magical.  It looks like to came right out of a storybook.  

This horse is competing in the Arabian Hunter Pleasure Championship at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show at Westworld.  This horse did not win, but it was pretty to look at as it reminded me of a unicorn.

I have tickets to see the Cavalia show at the end of this week and I am very excited to see it.  The show was created by the cofounder of Cirque du Soleil whose name is Normand Latourelle, and is set up in very large white circus tents.  I imagine it will have many of these white mystical Arabian horses with acrobatics and spectacular visual effects.  I will hopefully be able to post photos from Cavalia next week.    

The Winner is . . .

Look at the horse and rider who won the Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian Western Pleasure Championship.   The rider is very excited after receiving her ribbon. 

Notice the Championship belt buckle that she is wearing in the photo.  She has been in the winner's circle before.  You can also see the details of her fancy Western wear and the happy expression in her face.

 

The second photo shows the beautiful lines and golden-brown coloring of another magnificent horse. Look at the reddish-brown color of the mane, the alert eyes, and the muscular structure and lines of this horse.

The rider and horse had to execute various skills throughout the competition. The judges walked around the middle of the arena at the Equidome and made their notes and observations.

The third photo shows the winner's circle where ribbons were presented. You can see the pride of the owners of the horse and the smile of the rider. Ribbons for everyone! The horse, the rider, and the owners.

Arabian Hunter Pleasure Championship

Look at this beautiful Arabian Horse. The horse and rider are competing in the Arabian Hunter Pleasure Championship at the 2009 Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show at Westworld.

Notice the delicately braided horse mane and the wonderful coloring. The horse exudes a regal look.

Also, this horse has the Nike "Just Do It" swoosh as the light in its eyes when you blow up the photo.  

Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show

Welcome to the 2009 Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show at Westworld. This photo is taken at the Equidome during the competition of the Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian Western Pleasure Championship.  

The horses are magnificent.  They are quite spirited, sleek, and muscular. The fancy Western costume wear was brilliant and dazzling to the eye.  

Over the next few days I will share some of the photos from this event, which had quite a diversity of different types of competitions, including a native costume event, and by Native, I mean Arabian.  The Arabian Horse Show runs through February 22.