The Open Days of the national studs, which are part of the implementation of the new national strategy for the Moroccan equine sector by 2022, aim to restore the horse to its place in the Kingdom, by making the sector a real lever for economic and social development.

In this context, the Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch, stressed the importance of organising such an event, which is part of the national strategy for the equine sector decided by his department in October 2011 and declared on the occasion of the holding of the fourth International Fair which is held annually in the city of El Jadida under the effective presidency of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

Already, he continued, similar open days have been held in the other national studs of the Kingdom (Meknès, Bouznika, Oujda and Marrakech). Through such an event, we aim, in a general way, to promote equine breeding and to improve the genetics of Moroccan horse breeds. This approach is implemented on the ground through four fundamental axes which are the encouragement of breeding for the improvement of the breeds of horses present in Morocco, thanks in particular to a constant and permanent communication of new modern techniques to owners, breeders and all partners in this field, to the realisation of new infrastructure and the development of those already existing, and to financial support for associations of horse owners and breeders through allocations and bonuses to breeders. For his part, Omar Skalli, the Director General of SOREC, drew up a table of the company's activities during the 2012 financial year as he gave an account of the other days that the other national studs had experienced. He subsequently explained his main missions consisting of supervising breeding and improving national horse breeds, developing horse racing and managing horse games in Morocco.

For his part, Dr Oussidhoum Mohammed, Director of the El Jadida National Stud, presented a broad presentation where he recounted all the activities of his service through the four provinces depending on his jurisdiction. He also noted that equine breeding was of crucial importance in the region, given its socio-economic role and its cultural scope.

Let us point out that during this 2nd edition, organised within the framework of the official launch of the 2013 breeding season, professors from the IAV (Hassan II Agronomic and Veterinary Institute) and animal health experts intervened to provide breeders and their partners with information on new equine breeding technologies.

With a herd of 300 stallions, the SOREC network covers the entire Moroccan territory thanks to 5 studs, 54 breeding stations and equine breeding promotion centres, as well as a National Artificial Insemination Centre in Bouznika. The studs themselves are responsible for the popularisation of modern breeding techniques, the management of services to breeders and support for their associations.

On the ground, they ensure the approval of private stallions as well as the provision of national stallions for public breeding.