MISSION


PURPOSES

The Mediterranean Horseracing Union has the purpose to celebrate the historical and cultural community of the Mediterranean area countries, by encouraging the development of friendly relationships among the Member Countries, developing their co-operation in the horseracing field, exploiting thoroughbreds, trotters and Arab horses breeds and promoting horseracing in the Mediterranean area countries, as well as its integrity, culture, traditions and prestige in the world. The Association works to harmonize and enforce the rules governing the international events and to promote the flow of information among its Members about the development of racecourses, training and betting facilities; health and security for horseracing professionals; regulations enforcement about security, regularity, sport justice, equine health and anti-doping.


CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Mediterranean Horseracing Union organizes the Mediterranean Championship, a series for Jockeys and Drivers that touches cities and ports of the whole area in an ideal journey around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea that is an  example of what south and east Europe is able to do, by activating dialogue and co-operation between people different for language and citizenship, but joined by history, traditions and a millenary civilization. An example of how it is possible to change the Mediterranean Sea, from a sea of borders into a sea of contacts and co-operation between the countries through sport and culture exchanges.
With this Championships MHU succeeded in creating something that in our multicultural society is missing: a neutral meeting place, not belonging to anyone in particular but built together through the common passion for horses and horseracing. A space for the dialogue between people different for nationality, culture and history that construct and share an event in the maximum mutual respect. The Championships, besides the sport results, permits also to perpetuate an authentic kind of hospitality. Not the paternalistic act towards somebody that needs help like hospitality is sometimes intended today. In our Championship hospitality is a mutual exchange among equals, in which who is hosting today, will be hosted tomorrow, something really useful for improving dialogue among people and cultures.

 
 

AGGREGATION

The Association joins along the common passion for horses not only countries that are very different for development livel, kind of economics and political organisation, but also nations that have been in war even in recent times. Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia, that organised together three legs of the Mediterranean Championship, bringing their level of co-operation back as it was before the Balkan War. The action of the Mediterranean Horseracing Union wishes to create aggregation also outside from the horseracing world, by creating relationships also involving the communities and their institutions. The Mediterranean Championship racing days are opportunities to open the racecourses to the people, starting from the horseracing world in order to reach also culture, tourism and economics fields.

 

CULTURE

The Association started the process for preparing a multinational dossier for the inscription of the relationship between men and horses in the Unesco world human intangible heritage. This action is, based on a collective reasearch work about the cultural role of the horse in history, art, traditions and daily life of the member countries performed by their national horseracing authorities and cultural institutions. It includes activities that involve the local communities whose culture and traditions are linked to the horse. The Mediterranean Horseracing Union also encourages the drawing of trans-border co-operation projects among its members for the protection of the horse cultural heritage in the Euro-Mediterranean area.