The ArAbiAn AbroAd— europe And The Middle eAsT
Where better to start than early in the season, with the sunny elegance of the Cote d’Azur? It is technically the “Mediterranean and Arab Countries Arabian Horse Championship,” but to everyone who shows there, it is “Menton.” This year, the show celebrates its 20th anniversary, and is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, June 18 and 19.
Frank Spönle
Johanna Ullström
“The first exciting show in the year is probably Menton,” says Frank Spönle. “Most of the time, it is the first show where you see all the good horses coming together. Clients usually look forward to it, and most of the Middle East people like to come to Menton too, because Monte Carlo and Cannes are not far away. You can go to Monte Carlo at night.” Menton is located on the border between France and Italy and is home to about 30,000 people, including a longstanding English “colony.” With the glamorous casinos of Monte Carlo just six miles away and Cannes an hour’s drive, it also has a longstanding reputation as a favored tourist destination on the French Riviera. The horse show is held outdoors at the Palais de l’Europe in the heart of town. Beyond the ring, the cream, caramel and ochre-colored old buildings crowd up the hillside, catching the light as the evening sun fades from the sky. During the day, white tents shield spectators from the sun that Spönle reports is routine in June. An ocean breeze— Menton’s picturesque harbor is close by—completes the holiday feel.
Mickey Hegg
James Swaenepoel
Marieta Salas
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For all its idyllic charm, the Menton show is not a summer break for trainers. Like any headline event, it can be stressful. “It’s far to go, and it’s usually very hot and tiring for the horses,” Spönle notes. “It’s not relaxed for those of us who are showing. We go there to do business, to be successful, to compete.” On the other hand, he smiles, trainers who bring fewer horses can enjoy the best of both worlds. “For instance, if you come from America for a few days with two or three horses to show, and can spend some of your time in Monte Carlo, then it would be relaxing,” he says. “It is like for me in Las Vegas. There is the pressure of winning there, of course, and that things go well (that’s why we compete), but for me, Las Vegas is more like a week’s holiday. It’s that way in Menton for foreign trainers.”