The inaugural Asia Horse Week that concluded in Hong Kong on February 10th concluded on a high note with an impressive panel of esteemed dignitaries from the international equestrian world celebrating the historic occasion and looking back on the knowledge that had been shared during the summit, the first of its kind in the region
"We want to create an annual rendezvous for the international equestrian players to bridge the knowledge, interests and know how between Asia and the rest of the world; an event where ultimately the entire equestrian culture and all horse-related professions and sports are represented," explained Mr Christophe Ameeuw, CEO of EEM, Owner, Founder and Organiser of the Asia Horse Week and the Longines Masters Series Paris - Hong Kong - New York.
The Asia Horse Week, which received strong backing in the region through its Founding Partner the Hong Kong Jockey Club and was held alongside the Longines Masters of Hong Kong, was supported by nearly 200 hundred equestrian experts
The Asia Horse Week came to a close with FEI President Ingmar De Vos taking the stage alongside Mr. Michael Lee, President of HKEF as well as the Chairman of Asia Horse Week Mr. Raphael Le Masne de Chermont and the CEO of EEM and Founder of the Asia Horse Week, Mr. Christophe Ameeuw.
The FEI President expounded on triumphs of the industry in Asia and explained that the infrastructure is flourishing along with the level of expertise and enthusiasm and everyone has a duty to preserve and maintain this momentum.
"Foreign established professionals are turning their attention to this region and the commitment to build the foundation is clearly present in the equestrian community here," he said, adding that China is an impressive example of this development.
"Few realise that this is the second-largest horse population in the world. There are currently 400 thousand active equestrians in China. The economic impact of equestrian sports in China is USD$1.5 billion" He ended by saying the future of the sport is bright in Asia.
"The level of expertise and the calibre of the participants attending this first Asia Horse Week shows there is a real enthusiasm for all things equestrian in the APEC region - this is because there is huge potential and Asia is the new equestrian frontier," he concluded.
Christophe Ameeuw concluded "This is a dream come true. The result of today's competitions with a Chinese rider making it to the podium here in Hong Kong alongside the best riders in the world confirms the current trend highlighted over the past days. And it is only the beginning of the story".
The Asia Horse Week is set to come back to Hong Kong on 14-17 February 2019.
