Deputy Minister of Agriculture for Animals, Fisheries and Poultry Affairs Mona Mehrez opened on Thursday the 21st International Arabian Horse Championship in which 270 horses are participating. The jury of the competition, which will run until 4 November, comprises 10 international referees. During the opening ceremony, Mehrez said that the national championship will be held during the two first days before the launch of the international competition. For the first time in years, El-Zahraa Stud will showcase its prestigious horses during the event, Mehrez added. Al-Zahraa is a stable for breeding purebred Arabian horses and was established in 1908 in Ain Shams district in Egypt. It is considered one of the world's oldest horse breeding stables and is a top exporter of pure Arabian horses. Mehrez was accompanied by the German minister of rural affairs, the Kuwaiti minister of state for youth affairs and president of the World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) Peter Pond. Also attending were a number of Arab and foreign ambassadors in addition to chairman of the Egyptian Agricultural Organisation (EAO) Khaled Tawfiq and head of the central department of El-Zahraa Stud Naglaa Radwan. The festival has received widespread media attention in Egypt and abroad. El-Zahraa Stud is one of the oldest bodies concerned with preserving the breeds of the original Arabian horses.