Horse training and handling is a tough profes- sion either for a man or a woman. However, Italian handler Roberto Ciregia is undaun- ted. His love for horses is overwhelming to the extent of spending twenty-four hours with the most elegant animal in the world. Roberto lives in Versilia where he owns and runs the CR Training Centre. Hello Roberto. Just to set the scene with our readers, will you please give us some background to you, your family and education? Hello everyone! I am a professional handler and I have been passionate about the Arabian horse sin- ce 1994. I bought my first Arabian mare HK Starcita in 1998, with whom I participated in my first mor- phology contest. For some years now, I have owned a Training Center in my city, Massa, in the province of Massa Carrara, Tuscany. I work on the preparation of the Arabian horse for show purposes but, most recently, I have also been dealing with the saddled Arabian horse. How did the passion you have for Arabian horses begin? To what extent has the love you nurture for the Arabian horse affected your life? I have loved horses my whole life. When I was a kid, I used to spend entire days just watching and listening to my neighbours’ horses. Most probably, it is all due to my grandfather Armando: he too loved horses very much and owned some carthorses. I met the Arabian horse by chance, but it was love at first sight! One day, I went to the typical village fair where one can see horses. I was only a boy at the time. In that same year, big coincidence, they also organised a show-competition with beautiful Arabian horses, and if I am not mistaken, it was one of the first shows organized by Mr. Luciano Borzonasca. Later, this show became known to all as L’Arte del Cavallo that is traditionally held at Parco della Versiliana in Mari- na di Pietrasanta, Tuscany. From that moment on, I started dreaming about showing Arabian horses. I knew I had a hard road ahead, but my fate was somehow sealed. It took me years of hard-work and self-sacrifice to get where I am now, but it was worth it since in the end my dre- am came true. Roberto, have you developed a systematic program for handling Arabian horses. Can you describe this program? How have your handling techniques evol- ved over the years? Any self-respecting training centre must necessa- rily have a clear-cut training/handling program and if it was just me, it would not have been possible to materialise all that. Therefore, I surrounded myself with people of trust like my children and all the fel- low-friends who are involved in this project. It all starts with good horse feeding and a specific training preparation of each of the horses according to the particular needs of each of them. Farrier and Veterinarian are also major figures in my type of program. Never mind if I repeat myself, but there you need a three hundred and sixty degree training/handling program. Being a handler also means that you have to keep up to date with trends and be always informed of the new techniques that have developed in the light of the new findings on horse behaviour. My professional career has begun with Frank Boet- to with great development opportunities for me. To date Frank is still my mentor, and I always enjoy di- scussing with him about the Arabian horse and hea- ring to his words of advice. Is there a limit to what an Arabian horse can be tau- ght through handling? Studies on horse behaviour are evolving at a fast-pa- ce, therefore, also the handling techniques. When you are certain that you know the horses perfectly, then you might also argue that there is nothing else that a horse can be taught. What, in your opinion, really defines a good Hand- ler? What do you need to become a successful one? A good Handler has a great support team around him and puts a lot of passion into the work he does, though this is not enough to become a successful Handler. There you also need a bit of luck, that is to say, successful horses. Roberto, how do you feel about the showing environment? Do the most deserving horses in terms of today’s standards really win at shows? Arabian Horses shows are my passion, the endless love of my whole life shot on a dark February day during ‘San Biagio Fair’ when I could watch my first show. You ask me whether or not the horses that win at shows are the most deserving ones. Well, yes, most of the ti- mes... though in a compe- tition there can always be unpleasant surpri- ses for everyone. We must bear in mind and un- derstand that a morphology competition is a one where the judg- ment is expressed by an expert in the field, therefo- re, it is a subjective one. For this reason, a horse that looks ‘typey’ to a judge does not always look ‘typey’ to another judge. It is a competition in which the judgment is determined by the beauty of the horse and, fortunately or unfortunately, it depends on whi- ch angle you look at the animal, so the same horse is not always considered to be the best by all the judges. What are your favourite bloodlines? All the bloodlines of the Arabian horse are beautiful, but I can’t resist a flea-bitten grey Polish mare! Se- riously, the Polish bloodline is the one that fascinates me the most. Which show have you been to as a Handler most re- cently? Share with us most exciting moments... Last July, I participated in the Menton show 2020. At this edition, there have been so many exciting mo- ments, the competition was high as well as the will to win. Menton is a parterre with a particular charm whatever happens. How important are the Fairs of Arabian horses? They are crucial to me. As I have already said, I first met the Arabian horse at a village fair. In my opi- nion, the best way to introduce the Arabian horse to new people is to organize events during village fairs or horse fairs. How and where do you see yourself in ten years? I can’t really answer this question. My life has been a roller coaster ride so I could be anywhere. Roberto, will you please leave a final message for the readers of AHM? The Arabian horse is our common passion, so it is our duty to make the most of him. As we all are in a period of stalemate, we ought to come together and find new ideas to advertise this wonderful animal and make him known to the general public through new initiatives. It would be nice to find the Arabian horse in the fairs with ridden competitions besides shows, so to make the Arabian horse known for what really he is: a beautiful horse, extremely intelligent and ductile. Thank you so much Roberto. Your words have touched us deeply. May all your dreams come true!