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Riding horses in Morocco has got roots that date back to the 15th century. The practice also known as the «Powder Game» includes also guns as it is widely inspired by the historical wartime attacks of the fiercely brave cavalrymen of Morocco during the Middle Ages when Morocco was targeted by external invading powers. Now Tbourida is linked to festivals, events and holidays such as the one organized every year in Mansouria, a town in Ben Slimane province, near Casablanca.
In a reportage issued by Associated Press on the 1st of September, Tbourida is being in the spotlight, and most precisely Mansouria's. «Ninteen horse troupes came from different parts of the Kingdom to celebrate a three-day event that blends courage, skill and tradition», states AP. Indeed, the performance consists of a group of horse riders, who charge along a straight path at the same speed forming a firm line, and then at the end fire into the sky using old muskets or muzzle-loading rifles. The whole scene is some sort of martial art that pushes the horse riders to synchronize their brains and muscle movements.
Tbourida was made famous, according to the same source, by Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix, a French painter who was notorious for travelling to North Africa. Based on historical records, Delacroix, went in 1832 to Morocco on a diplomatic mission where he was introduced to Tbourida. Thanks to Delacroix everyone nowadays is calling it Fantasia, a name that he gave to the Moroccan horse riding sport during his visit.
An ancient sport for Moroccans
Speaking to Al-Mahdi Hayzoun, a 23-year-old rider who could not participate to the festival because of an injury, AP explains that every group of riders, AKA Sourba, is evaluated based on its synchronicity. «There is the poor and the rich, people of different backgrounds», Kayzoun said. «But once we’re all on the field, next to each other, we’re all equal, with the same goal».
Tbourida is a lot of fun also because of the unified costumes. Riders and their horses are all dressed in traditional robes that are skillfully decorated and studded. Tbourida riders are there to compete for the best record and position.
According to AP, Tbourida is both a dangerous and expensive sport. It argues that «Arabian or Berber horses of the highest stock can cost as much as 300,000 Dirhams ($30,000)», adding that «inexperienced riders frequently fall from their horses, and troupes run the risk of hitting a barrier at the end of the track if they are unable to stop their horses in time».
Despite the abovementioned obstacles, the sport is there to stay. In 2008, the Royal Complex for the Equestrian Arts and Tbourida was created to follow and accompany the development of the sport and organize professional competitions for riders who inherited the tradition and were raised to carry it on.
