Arabian Horses - A Symbol

Growing up in high school I’ve always pictured culture as the unique traditional dresses and meals every country has. It was an idea that we constructed through the ceremonies we use to do in school such as “International Day”, where each class chooses a country to represent, and dress up in their customs in the next morning. From that sense, culture as a subject of study did not interest me, because at the end of the day, you will always prefer your own culture to others. Yet, from what we learn so far in our sociology class, culture is not just about the beautiful ceremonies and traditions, its about how each society construct a way of life that they then make sense of. If I had to explain it to my little sister, I’ll tell her that culture is the glasses we wear, to see the world around us. I decided to look at my own environment first and analyze my own senses.

There are many objects and animals that as a young Qatari I refer to. Some of these may have a pan-social references, such as the Qatari flag, or the Arabic language, while others are more related to my family and friends. For example, one symbol of pride is the Arabian horse. It is a symbol that is popular in the Islamic and Arabian history, and for many people today still has a great value. Even though for the majority of horse breeders, keeping those animals is a bad business financially, it is still a hobby that I personally attach to, and so do many in the Qatari society. Even at the national level, the government invest hugly in equestrian sports. Al Shaqab for example is an equestrian club located in Education City. It bought and bred in the previous years top Arabian horses such as Udaid Al Shaqab (picture above), and has its own Academy the is open to public to help promote the sport.

Looking closely at the equestrian sport globally, there are many values and norms that surround it. One would be that it is a sport of the elite in society, such as royals and successful businessmen. Due to that, there are expectations to the way you dress and behave. This is especially true in Europe where I noticed emphasize on royalty sense in horse races in England and France. However, the social class attributes to the sport are less noticeable in Qatar, especially in terms of dresses people ware. This can be explained when you look at the dress code of the society. Traditional Qatari Thoub and Qutra are wore by royals and citizens alike, flattening any social hierarchy there is, at least in physical appearance.