The Sports Arena of Queen Elizabeth School in Ilorin was filled to capacity on Sunday, November 16, as the maiden edition of the Kwara Horse Show took centre stage amid pomp and pageantry.
From horse parade to female horse race, horse drop ball, and horse ball events, the Kwara Horse Show opened a new vista for equestrian activities, setting a benchmark for blending youth engagement with cultural heritage.
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While Asmau Ibrahim edged other contestants to win the female horse race event, Habeebat Abdulganiyu clinched the grand prize of a beautiful horse during the raffle draw.
The fiercely contested Horse Drop Ball event was won by Sulaiman Aminu, while the Ilorin Emirate Horse Royal Heritage Team defeated Kwara Stallion 4–3 to win the thrilling Horse Ball event, widely adjudged as the most exciting contest of the day. Winners of the raffle draw and outstanding Horse Riders were also presented with fantastic prizes.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, represented by the Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Sports Commission, Coach Bola Mogaji, commended the organisers for initiating the Kwara Horse Show.
“the event complement the efforts to sustain the rich cultural heritage of Ilorin, tracing the history of the Ilorin Emirate Durbar to 1930, when it was first staged to celebrate the conquest of the Old Oyo Empire”.
The event attracted several top dignitaries, including the Emir of Ilorin, represented by the Magaji Ngeri of Ilorin, Alhaji Adebayo Mogaji; Alhaji Dr. Saliu Woru Muhammed, the biological father of the Convener and representative Prof. Olaolu Ali who is the Patron of the Kwara Horse Show and the Kuliyan Ngeri of Ilorin Emirate.
