Million-dollar Arabian and English racehorses are being raised in Şanlıurfa.

English and Arabian racehorses raised in more than 80 farms in the Suruç district of Şanlıurfa and showcased at hippodromes bring significant profits to their owners. Carefully raised racehorses in farms in the Suruç district of Şanlıurfa provide important income to their owners with their achievements at hippodromes. The success story from farm to hippodrome involves breeding English and Thoroughbred Arabian stallions in farms, inseminating them, and preparing the resulting foals for their racing careers in the field with specific programs until they reach the age of two or three. Thus, the aim is to provide the horses with their initial training and exercises in environments they are familiar with and prepare them for their future racing lives healthily and under control in these settings. Seeing that those who started breeding racehorses in the 1990s in the district eventually made money, breeders turned Suruç into a racehorse center with the farms they established. Racehorses raised in more than 80 farms in the district became one of the region’s most important sources of income for the local people. While horses compete in hippodromes across Turkey, earning their owners significant amounts of money, they are also sold to enthusiasts at high prices. The racehorse named ‘Dragon Flame,’ raised on farms, became the champion of the 2024 Gazi Race, earning its owner 18 million 290 thousand TL. Similarly, the racehorse ‘Turbo’ won 27 out of 31 races between 2008 and 2010, earning its owner 3 million 497 thousand liras, and ‘Ateş Topu’ also won 15 races between 2006 and 2008, earning its owner 1 million 693 thousand liras. ‘Ayabakan’ and ‘Şimşek Zaferi’ are also among the most important racehorses in Suruç. Mehmet Salih Apaydın, who raises horses in the rural Yazıköy Neighborhood of Suruç in Şanlıurfa, stated, ‘I am 57 years old. I have been doing this job for 14 years. I do this job with love. When a person does a job with love, they succeed. We raise the foals here and send them to races in Izmir. Thanks to God, we make a living. We take care of them, and they take care of us. Truly, everyone does this job for money, but on race day, money doesn’t come to mind. We just want our horse to win the race. Money doesn’t cross our minds at that moment. The importance of money disappears at that second. If a person loves what they do, they will succeed. If they do not love what they do, their efforts will be in vain.’ Horse breeder İbrahim Halil Apaydın pointed out that horses get to know people through their hearts, saying, ‘If we don’t derive any pleasure, enthusiasm, or excitement from racehorses, we wouldn’t do this job. This job cannot be done in any other way. I have been doing this job with my father for 10 years. We love our job, we are happy. When someone rides a racehorse, their feet are close to the horse’s heart. The horse feels the rider’s emotions. They feel the rider’s fears and excitement. They are very sensitive animals. They may not have a language, but they cannot speak.’ Veterinarian Ahmet Özgür Yahlizade emphasized the significant position of Şanlıurfa in horse breeding, stating, ‘70% of Turkey’s horse owners are in Şanlıurfa in terms of equestrianism. In addition, the Suruç district is known as the land of horses. Nearly 50% of the people in Suruç are involved in horsemanship. Especially, they breed English and Arabian racehorses. We provide preventive veterinary medicine in the fields. We work for the recovery of sick horses. The biggest problem we face is injuries. Especially, collisions between horses and hitting themselves on metal bars are important injuries. We try to educate horse breeders on these issues. We provide guidance to breeders on the treatment of horse diseases and their feeding.’