On Sunday 5th June, the Marsa race track will host the second edition of the Equestrian Festival, which will feature a number of horse-related activities for the whole family.

This will be a celebration of horses and of the different equestrian disciplines practised in Malta, with the programme including various attractions for both young and old, demonstrating the grace, agility and speed of the horse and the skill of the rider.

After the success of the recent pre-event at which over 1,000 school children enjoyed a varied programme including pony racing, gymkhana, a BMX display, a Zumba session, and the participation of Shooting Champion William Chetcuti, on Sunday 5th June, the Marsa race-track will be fully adorned and decorated to provide a beautiful setting for a whole day of horse-related activities.

The programme will commence at 7am with Pony Races, followed by a traditional Horse and Animal Blessing ceremony at 9am. This will be followed by different equestrian sports such as Dressage, Quadrille displays and the most anticipated Polo match of the season, with teams having the top 8 best available players playing for the Cawnpore cup.

A parade with riders and flags will also be held.

In the afternoon, the centre of attraction will consist of different types of races for ponies, trotters and thoroughbreds, with the festival coming to an end at around 5.45pm.

Whilst horse enthusiasts will appreciate the different disciplines on show, newcomers to the equestrian world will have the opportunity of following a variety of sports activities to which they may rarely have been exposed, to appreciate the horses’ and riders’ skill and training as well as the synergy existing between human beings and horses in these sports disciplines.

But apart from these sports activities, this festival is intended to offer an enjoyable and innovative day out for the whole family and the Marsa Racing Track will be equipped with excellent facilities for food and refreshments as well as an extremely children-friendly atmosphere.

Everyone is invited to join in this national initiative being organised by the Kunsill Malti għall-Isport, with the collaboration of the Malta Racing Club, the Malta Equestrian Federation and the Malta Polo Club. Dressage riders are all members of the Pegasus Riding Club while the Quadrille display will be performed by the Malta Nights Extravaganza.

One may attend for the whole day or at least follow some of the activities, appreciating the versatility of this gentle animal that becomes so agile, fast and talented in a sports environment.

Tickets are being offered at a special reduced price of Euro2.50 for the whole day. Buses to the race track include numbers 88, 89 and 91.