Posted - January 17, 2007

SICAB 2006 - The National Breed Championships of the Pure Spanish Horse
Kimberly Van Kampen Boyer
Hampton Green Farm

The last week in November is SICAB time again and Hampton Green Farm and friends made our annual trip to Andalusia for this most exceptional horse show. The National Breed Championships of the Pure Spanish Horse are held every year at the same venue, the Palacio Congressos in Sevilla, for a show featuring the best young breeding stock of the country as well as a number of functionality championships, including Dressage, Doma Vacquera, and Alta Escuela. This year, the event, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from Spain and Europe, felt like it had more of everything--more flash, more big corporate sponsorship, more VIPs, more gorgeous horses, etc.

ANCCE, the official breed organization for the PRE horse (Pura Raza Espanola or Pure Spanish Horse) is also a major marketing organization that has made some important changes in 2006. They elected a new President, took over the official studbook formerly controlled by a department of the Spanish Military, and joined the European Union of breed organizations. This year, ANCCE took a number of steps to better accommodate the crowds and make the activities more accessible. There were more tron screens and more warm-up arenas (though more are needed), and overall better organization in the scheduling of the many morphology and functionality tests.

There was a much more international flavor to the entire show this year, from foreign sponsorship and equestrian products in the booths to a greater number of foreign attendees. Problems that remain continue to be related to the immense popularity of the show. Certain classes continued to be overcrowded, and some events were oversold so that not all ticket holders were allowed entrance, but generally the show is manageable from a visitor’s point of view.