São Paulo – Arabian horse breeder Marcelo Greca, from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, wants to boost his sales to the Arab world. Presently, he exports approximately 15 animals each year to the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay, but believes that the volume may grow. “They had stopped investing in horses, but resumed it in the last few years. Especially the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar,” says the breeder. To boost his sales, he is betting on Expointer, a traditional animal fair due August 27th to September 4th in Porto Alegre.
In order to attract buyers from the Middle East and North Africa, he will invest in marketing and set up a booth featuring Arab architecture and decoration. “We want to explore their culture, which is very broad,” he says. He does not possess the funds to invest yet, and estimates that it will take 20,000 reals (US$ ) to decorate a 100-metre booth. “We are going to attempt a partnership with an Arab embassy,” he says.
Greca has submitted the proposal for his booth to the embassy of the United Arab Emirates, in the Brazilian capital Brasília, and will seek other Arab diplomatic representations in the city in the next few weeks. “One month before the event everything must be ready. We can also use the booth to promote the country, tourism. If the embassy so wants,” he says.
Although it emerged in the Arabian Peninsula approximately 5,000 years ago, this race of horse is no longer an “Arabian pure blood.” The country that invests and exports these animals the most is Poland. According to the breeder, Arabs had ceased to breed horses, but are now going back to investing in the animals, especially for competition purposes.
The Arabian horse is used in horse enduro races, which are competitions ranging from 80 to 240 kilometres and lasting up to three days. “They are the best animals for this type of race,” says Greca. The minimum bid for Arabian horses in auctions is 5,000 reals (US$ 3,100), but some may sell for up to 300,000 reals (US$ 187,100), in particular females. “There are details that make the difference between cheaper and more expensive animals. The place where it is bred is a factor,” he claims. The Arab buyers are precisely looking for these “details.” According to Greca, some prefer Arabian horses over British thoroughbreds.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
