The kick-off of the 21st edition of the Hassan II Trophy of Tbourida, Morocco’s championship of traditional equestrian arts (June 27 – July 3), placed under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI, was given Monday in Dar Es Salam at Rabat.
The qualifiers for this prestigious competition will be held over four days with the participation of 18 Senior troops -over 17 years old- and 6 Junior troops -12 to 16 years old-, while the final phase will take place next Saturday and Sunday to determine the winning sorba.
The 18 sorbas in the running represent the regions of Casablanca-Settat (Settat 1, Sidi Bennour 2), Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (Rabat 1, Témara 2, Khémisset 1), Béni Mellal-Khénifra (Béni Mellal 1, Khouribga 1, Fkih Ben Saleh 1), Marrakech-Safi (Youssoufia 1, Safi 1), Guelmim-Oued Ennoun (Guelmim 2) and the Oriental (Taourirt 1, Oujda 1).
These sorbas qualified for this trophy at the end of the inter-regional playoffs organized during the months of March and May last in the various cities of the Kingdom, in partnership with the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Horses (SOREC). The traditional equestrian arts include the performances of the sorbas, which are made up of 14 riders and a “Mouqadem” whose main mission is to ensure the discipline of his troop and the motivation of the riders.
The riders line up in a straight line at the starting point and, after the signal of the “moqaddem”, embark on an exquisite race in which the knights will demonstrate the extent of their techniques in controlling their horses, the skilful handling of rifles and synchronization of shots.
Sorbas are scored according to criteria determined by the referees of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Equestrian Sports, which take into account the achievements of the riders in terms of kinetic expression, discipline and synchronization of movements.
The title of the 20th edition was won among seniors by the sorba of “Mouqadem” Maher El Bachir from the Casablanca-Settat region, prefecture of Settat.
La Tbourida was inscribed in December 2021 on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage in view of the importance of this national traditional heritage.
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