Georgia: The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth has initiated inspections of equestrian clubs across Georgia, a significant move towards supporting sports development.
In a show of personal responsibility, the Minister of Sports visited the horse club ‘Khareba’, founded by Father Jacob, which is actively contributing to the sports scene in Zugdidi municipality.
The Minister of Sport, together with the President of the National Equestrian Federation of Georgia, Alexander Vadachkoria, visited the exhibition of the club’s sajinibo and ethnographic-cultural samples and received information about the club’s infrastructural needs. The minister recognized the project prepared by the club, which involves arranging for the management to give athletes and horses a full training opportunity in any season.
The club’s founder, Father Yakob, expressed his desire to establish a regional equestrian school. This school would play an important role in restoring, preserving, and popularizing Georgian equestrian traditions in Samegrelo and contributing to the development of Olympic sport. The regional equestrian center would have both the function of teaching and conducting competitions.
The Equestrian Club “Khareba” was founded ten years ago on the initiative of Father Jacob (Ekhvaia) and has 20 horses so far. The club aims to revive and develop horse riding to preserve Georgian horse culture. To date, the club athletes have taken part in many competitions – both classical and folk- and have winners.
One of the last dogs in which the club participated and won was the traditional dog of Bakhmaro, in which horse riders from different regions participated.
Thea Tsulukiani shared her opinion with the clubs and local government representatives on how the procedure should be conducted to gain the ministry’s support and promote professional, amateur, and traditional Georgian horse riding development.
