Şerafettin Plateau is a plateau with an altitude of 2,200 meters in the Solhan district and has become a popular destination for livestock breeders and horse racing enthusiasts with its wide plains. This year, preparations for the traditional horse races to be held as part of the festival organized by the Solhan Cultural Equestrian Sports Club are continuing at full speed.
Club members who will participate in horse races train their horses in Şerafettin Yaylası and take care of their horses carefully before the races. During this preparation process, athletes wash their horses in the stream on the yayla and clean them.
In the planned horse races, club members have determined the theme of the relay race as “Palestine” in order to draw attention to and support Israel’s attacks on Palestine. In training, athletes work with Turkish and Palestinian flags.
Solhan Cultural Equestrian Sports Club President Abdullah Kurtaran stated that the club’s aim is to create a bridge between the past and the future, and said, “In addition to keeping the Şerafettin Plateau and our horse racing tradition alive, supporting our Palestinian brothers is also an “important mission of ours.”
One of the club members, Mehmet Emin Bozyel, said that he would participate in the races with his own horse, “Barut”, and that he took great care of his horse. Bozyel said that they did their daily maintenance of the horses, did their training on the meanders in the plateau, and wanted to give a message of support to Palestine.
The youngest member, Ozan Çay, aged 18, said he participated in the races to continue the horse racing tradition in the region. Çay emphasized that their training sessions with the Turkish and Palestinian flags conveyed messages of unity and solidarity.
