Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) has lent two of the most prized possessions excavated in the emirate to the Kentucky Horse Park’s International Museum of the Horse.

The pieces are a golden bridle and a silver horse figure, which are normally on permanent display at the Sharjah Archaeology Museum.

The exhibition, A Gift from the Desert: the Art, History, and Culture of the Arabian Horse is being held in the USA until October 15 and eatures more than 400 pieces from over 15 countries and 27 museums and lenders.

Coinciding with the World Equestrian Games, it provides visitors the opportunity to experience the story of one of history’s most influential breeds.

The golden bridle and trappings were excavated by the Directorate of Antiquities from “Mleiha” in Sharjah and date back to the 150 BC – 200 AD period. It consists of 14 pieces made of iron, gold and copper alloy.

The wealth of some of the inhabitants of Mleiha is demonstrated in these magnificent gold horse trappings. The circular discs decorated the bridle on the horse’s head and would have been attached with bronze rings to leather straps, which have since decayed.

The silver horse figure is spout-shape and was also found in Mleiha during the same period. It is made of copper alloy and plated with silver and gold.

The exhibition plays special emphasis on the first horse breed, the Arabian horse. The exhibition is a fascinating journey from the arrival of the first domesticated horses in the Near East to the renaissance of purebred Arabian horse breeding in the Near East today.