Talaria Type

Talaria Type

Botswana

(Thee Desperado x The Minuet by The Minstril)

73 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ AUGUST 2014

Curious Botswana daughters.

74 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ AUGUST 2014

A

t their gorgeous, green sanctuary in Newnan, Georgia, Allison Mehta and her husband Curt Westley breed Egyptian

and Egyptian-related Arabians. Straight Egyptian senior herd sire Botswana (Thee Desperado x The Minuet) is celebrated as the many times leading sire of winners at the Pyramid Society Egyptian Event, while stallion TF Royal Shahbaz (Falcon BHF x TH Maya Naufali), who brings in lines to Bey Shah and Thee Desperado, has established himself as a show horse and sire in his own right.

Allison and Curt’s mutual vision is expressed in every facet of the farm — from thoughtful stewardship of the land to their commitment to provide the best lives possible for the horses in their care.

We asked Allison and Curt to share their breeding philosophies with us — what follows is a glimpse of the passion and intelligence these two driven people contribute to “Talaria Type.”

“In architecture and design, critics often refer to the phrase, ‘Form follows function.’ There are two definitions: one that function dictates form, and the other that form is secondary to (following) function. Whichever is correct, this statement is an underlying tenet of our breeding program at Talaria,” says Allison.

“The very elements which constitute Arabian horse type (chiseled, dry, sculpted head, wide-set eyes, large nostrils, short back, flagged tails) all relate to the early function of this horse — to survive in harsh desert climes. And, for that reason alone, they must be preserved.

“The Arabian horse historically was not bred to stand in center ring on the end of a long lead and look like a bronze sculpture — they were bred as warhorses, carriage horses, racehorses, working ranch horses,” Allison continues.

“Thus, to carry our breed forward into the next generations, we as breeders cannot forget that we must breed, no matter how beautiful, functional horses.

“It is always heartwarming to me when Dana Jackson, our business manager, follows Curt and me around the barn as we assess foals, asking, ‘Do you think you’ll geld this one?’ with a hopeful tone to her voice. Why? Because she has a standing list of endurance and performance riders waiting for young Talaria geldings (some buyers have purchased three or four from us). So, even if they aren’t ‘center ring halter prospects,’ many of our foals have a future path ready for them before they are even weaned, and both Curt and I are proud of this fact.

75 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ AUGUST 2014

“But, in the end, form does follow function, and — just as racing cars, buildings, sailboats, and even furniture can be lovely to view — so are today’s best Arabians. Indeed, some are breathtaking in their almost ethereal beauty.

“And, for me, that is our constant challenge at Talaria — using the bloodstock we have collected to breed Arabians that are not only known for their beauty, but also as useful, functional horses. And, as the world is growing smaller, one really needs to breed an internationally desirable Arabian foal. Easy to say, but believe me, a huge challenge to accomplish.

“Over the winter months, Curt and I discuss our mares and decide which ones we’d like to cross with our own or other stallions, such as *Thamer Al Khaled (El Thay Khemal Pasha x RN Al Shahba), whom we leased for two seasons from Al Bawady Stud in Egypt. Plus, due to Curt’s influence, we have personally seen (with rare exceptions) every stallion bred to our mares. I started using some of my Botswana daughters with TF Royal Shahbaz, and this year, for the first time, I have a Shahbaz daughter, TF Royal Euphoria (x SH Heumoresque), old enough to breed to Botswana (really excited about this one). We have also incorporated the wonderful stallion Enzo into our program and purchased an Enzo daughter (Emma E, out of the Monogramm daughter Grazyna E). Plus, we own two beautiful *Jullyen El Jamaal daughters purchased from Sheila Varian, both of whom have been fabulous producers with Botswana and TF Royal Shahbaz.”

Good breeders need to possess two essential characteristics, Allison believes. “A keen eye for balance, symmetry, and quality — and the fortitude to catalog their horses’ faults. Everyone says, ‘there is no perfect horse.’ True. So as a breeder you must attempt, with every mating of stallion and mare, to correct the faults of each while maintaining the positive attributes. You need to understand what is wrong with your mare (or stallion), and then take a good look at the mate you’re considering (and not just in pictures or videos). Otherwise you can be so swept away by a gorgeous head or big trot that you’ll not notice a horse’s long back, short hip, or bad foot, which might double up on a similar fault in your own mare/stallion.

“I’m very proud to be an American breeder,” Allison continues. “Breeding programs that germinated in this country (Gleannloch, Ansata, Al-Marah, Varian, Babson, Imperial, Kellogg, and many others), have provided the entire world with some incredible Arabian breeding stock. If you look at the pedigrees starting about four generations back you will see that American breeders used many prepotent and varied bloodlines to create the horses of their individual dreams: Russian, Polish, Crabbet, Straight Egyptian, Spanish — all happily woven into the texture of many ‘domestic’ Arabian horses. Just look at Khemosabi, for instance. American breeders still have these bloodlines available to us, in plenitude.

“We must value our roots as we move forward and not lose those qualities which made the Arabian horse what it is today. I personally think too many really wonderful stallions are being underused — and too many ‘popular’ stallions are being overused due to the powerful marketing resources of a few owners in conjunction with the Internet. We are going to lose some valuable bloodlines if we’re not careful.”

When asked to name favorite horses bred by Talaria, Allison notes, “I really love almost all the horses we’ve bred, but a few must stand out: TF Afrikhan Shah (now in Belgium); TF Shahraaz (owned by GT Arabians, Sweden); TF Exotikah (owned by the Al Thumama Stud, Qatar); TF Fezzan (owned by the Gerzanne Stud, New Zealand); TF Tsanzibar (our first homebred regional Top Five in performance and my 76 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ AUGUST 2014

“For us, the most memorable horse show has to be the 2009 U.S. Egyptian Event,” says Allison, “where Talaria won Supreme Champion Mare (Ramses Minx, owned by Liezl Els), left; Supreme Champion Stallion (Botswana), far right; Grand Champion Gelding (TF Afrikhan Gold), center; Champion Western Pleasure (TF Afrikhan Magik), not pictured; and Champion Hunter Pleasure (TF Afrikhan Gold), plus quite a few class championships for our clients.

This kind of show only comes once in a lifetime I think, and was quite overwhelming (in a good way, of course).”

TF Sweet Vidalia (Botswana x Sweet Stella V), 2014 Egyptian Event Champion Egyptian Breeders Challenge Filly ATH with Kentley Dean.

Botswana

(Thee Desperado x The Minuet by The Minstril) “Botswana is in love with his breeding mount,” says Allison, “to the point that we had to build a separate one, some distance from the breeding shed, for the other stallions to use, as Botswana was becoming despondent over the fact that other guys had been molesting his ‘girlfriend.’ When he finishes on his dummy, the staff knows to wait while he kisses it all over, drools on it, and happily thanks it for a good time!”

Right: TF Neerapture (Botswana x Neera SA by Shahir), a threeyear-old straight Egytian filly who will be bred to Enzo next year.

77 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ AUGUST 2014

personal gelding); and, of course, the ‘man himself,’ TF Royal Shahbaz.”

There’s no question that the economic situation of the past five or six years has been particularly tough on the horse business. We asked Curt and Allison for their unvarnished thoughts on the challenges facing the Arabian breed in particular. We’ll start with Allison. “I recently attended, with about a dozen other people representing various parts of the industry, a ‘legends luncheon’ hosted by Sheila Varian,” she says. “This question was discussed several times during the weekend, but, upon reflection, I think we need to concentrate first on what’s right: our product. We are all involved with a very special horse, which is extremely beautiful, very intelligent, incredibly versatile, has an ancient and fascinating history, and is found in glamorous venues around the world.

“But if our product is so great, why are our numbers down? Everyone wants to blame breed organizations, but among several reasons, I believe two are paramount: technology and negative ‘reverse marketing.’

“Before e-mails, YouTube, Facebook, etc., — and prior to cooled and frozen semen — breeders and Arabian horse enthusiasts actually traveled to different farms to see — and put their hands on — living horses. But now, increasingly, we sit hunched over our computers, smartphones and iPads, making breeding decisions and buying horses based on images off the Web. However, the actual horse may surprise you. I’ll give you a personal example. For several months Sheila has been advertising, via e-mail blasts, a young stallion she really likes named Major Mac V. I opened one blast, looked at it and thought, ‘nice, but perhaps not for my program.’ But, during the weekend I spent at her ranch, she presented him one afternoon — and

78 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ AUGUST 2014

Above: Sweet Stella V (*Jullyen El Jamaal x Sweet Siesta V), bred

by Sheila Varian and dam of TF Sweet Vidalia. “Allison Mehta and Curt Westley are two of my favorite people,” says Sheila Varian. “They are good, thoughtful, honest breeders doing a great job, always moving forward with their program. They have two *Jullyen El Jamaal daughters that have crossed extremely well with Botswana. And I have a beautiful Botswana colt out of Misti Morn V — one of my best Audacious PS daughters. Besides being serious breeders of fine Arabian horses, Allison and Curt are fun, vibrant, questioning, and thoughtful people. I love them.”

Above right: Lalique El Shahbaz E (TF Royal Shahbaz x Cristal El Pershahn), whose dam is a maternal sister to Enzo. Lalique was 2013 Scottsdale Signature Stallion Top Ten Yearling Filly (3rd) in a class of over 65 fillies, and will be heading to Scottsdale in 2015. She is co-owned by Enzo Worldwide LLC and Talaria Farms.

“We are excited to incorporate Botswana and TF Royal Shahbaz with Enzo for the next step in our breeding program,” says Philip DelPozzo. “but more importantly, we met two special people and truly great breeders, Curt and Allison. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your friendship. We look forward to a bright future together.”

the living colt is something else! Wonderful suspended movement, beautiful conformation, legs, and feet — and he stopped in the midst of the presentation, looked up at the golden California hills and blew a snort at them. A defining moment for me. You see, Arabian horses will sell themselves — particularly if you can get living horses in front of the public in a casual, non-pressured atmosphere.

TF Royal Shahbaz

(Falcon BHF x TH Maya Naufali by Thee Desperado)

79 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ AUGUST 2014

“By *Thamer al Khaled (*Tamer al Khalideyah), the 2014 weanling grey colt, Shareek LA, co-owned with Leizl Els, combines wonderful older bloodlines not commonly found in the U.S. (like Cornelia Tauschke’s two foundation mares, Kamla II and El Thay Maheera), plus Sayad Marei’s Malekat el Gamal, and Halim Shah, and Hanan,” says Allison. “Shareek’s dam, Melaka Majiida, offers *Ansata Ibn Halima and Al Metrabbi just two generations back, plus Magidaa and two Babson lines through Mahroussa.

We are excited about Shareek’s future as a breeding stallion since, not only is he pretty, but he offers wonderful outcross bloodlines. You know my new motto: ‘Perserve the past to perfect the future!’”

“We have learned that TF Royal Shahbaz, above, is a complete ham for the public,” says Allison. “Two years ago we sent him down, with Ted Carson, to be presented at Region 12’s Spotlight Auction. Dire warnings: this guy can be a badmash, kicking the stalls, making a ruckus when other stallions walk by, and so forth. Ted’s crew diligently draped the stall, and prepared for the bad actor to appear.

When Curt and I arrived two days later, we were led back to Shahbaz’s stall, where he was happily taking a nap. No problems at all — he was getting tons of attention, lots of visitors, and totally enjoying himself. And he put on a BIG show for the auction crowd and was the high bid Spotlight stallion. Shahbaz loves being displayed and exclaimed over when out in public … but spends lots of noisy time at home establishing his position in the barn.”

80 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ AUGUST 2014

And we’ve forgotten that the social aspect is very important in bringing new people into the breed.

“The second negative aspect revolves around what I refer to as ‘reverse marketing’ — where a breeder or agent will disparage another’s horses or program in order to promote their own. This unfortunate situation has been rife in Straight Egyptian circles since around the mid eighties, and many farms and programs have failed due to pedigree bashing by several influential breeders, both in the U.S. and abroad. Murmured defamations over cocktails or tea … and a sale is lost, a program besmirched.

The basic problem revolves around whether certain bloodlines are ‘pure’ — or certainly ‘Straight Egyptian.’ What many people don’t realize is that Lady Anne Blunt (who actually saw in the flesh many of the foundation Straight Egyptian horses in Egypt) made quite derogatory remarks about the origins of a stallion found in Nazeer’s pedigree — and thus, in the pedigree of most straight Egyptian horses today! But nobody mentions this, of course, as they continue to assassinate quite legitimate contemporary pedigrees. Plus, recent well-documented strain research has shown that certain Straight Egyptian horses long attributed to one ancestor don’t actually trace back to that horse. To me, the truth lies buried in a very ancient past, when Bedouin breeders kept no written records, and the word of the seller was all you had. If a horse is today registered as a purebred Arabian and recognized as Straight Egyptian by the Pyramid Society, then that should be enough. We need to get past all these old wives’ tales and use all bloodlines — before we paint ourselves into a corner, filled with genetic problems caused by too much inbreeding of the ‘anointed’ bloodlines.”

Curt, too, offers his opinion on the challenges facing the Arabian industry and the Egyptian Arabian realm in particular.

“I think it boils down to the simple fact that you really have to love the horses. The new frugality eliminates many of the speculators and reduces the number of horses that many breeders risk breeding. To an extent, it is a natural attrition after the inflated glory days of decades past.

Talaria grey mares — daughters of TF Royal Shahbaz, Botswana, and Falcon BHF.

“In the Egyptian world, until very recently, the numbers were still quite good, holding their own while other segments had been suffering for quite some time. Now, even the Egyptian Event is trying to maintain a semblance of its former glory. Next year it will be reduced to four days of competition and it appears as though much of its former diversification and inclusive features will have been severely cut back or eliminated. These include performance, amateur, and Egyptian-sired classes. Starting this year, Egyptian-sired class winners are no longer eligible to compete against the Straight Egyptians on Saturday night in the show championships.

“In a day and age when we are trying to increase numbers, sending this severe message of exclusivity seems hardly the proper direction. It runs hand in hand with the redlining of certain Egyptian pedigrees that too many good breeders are afraid to discuss openly. Once I was told by a well-known trainer that Egyptian breeders eat their young. I should have known there were roots to that weedy comment.

“Nevertheless, Allison and I have always marched to our own drummer and we still believe strongly in furthering our breeding program, which includes Straights, Egyptian-sired, Egyptian-related, and purebred Arabians. In fact, my TF Kestrelia (full sister to Royal Shahbaz) produced a pretty special filly by Enzo a few months ago, and I am plenty excited about her. I just want and hope to breed high-quality Arabians that are a product of strong healthy pedigrees crossed with same.”

“It’s so complicated to explain what the Arabian horse means to me, as they have given me great joy, and, on more than one occasion, extreme heartbreak,” says Allison.

“On the one hand, I am continually inspired and often energized by the vision and enthusiasm of our special clients and breeding partners. Moreover, breeding Arabian horses, promoting our program, even making halters for them, gives me the opportunity for creativity that my business career (as an interior contractor) does not. I was educated in the arts and love the creative process — and breeding these beautiful horses fills that void in my life. In addition, Curt and I have made such special friends over the years — and enjoyed some incredible travel experiences — all due to our life with Arabian horses. Now I cannot imagine a life without them — and am grateful that, when I am long gone, I will have a little bit of immortality when some future breeder traces a pedigree back to a Talaria horse and reads ‘bred by Allison Mehta.’”

81 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ AUGUST 2014

Talaria’s Pledge

W E

P ROMIS E

TO

…

Take a leadership role in supporting humane treatment of Arabian horses worldwide.

Provide our clients with access to the finest Arabian horses available for breeding or pleasure.

Assure our clients of an earth-friendly safe environment in which to keep and enjoy their horses.

Provide prompt, friendly, and courteous service by a knowledgeable and highly trained staff.

Demonstrate respect for all human differences and Arabian horse strains and bloodlines.

Promote and market fine Arabian horses with enthusiasm, sincerity, and honesty.

Never knowingly post a conformationally adjusted photograph to our website or to any of our promotional material.

Introduce newcomers to Arabian horses through experiences that will encourage them to become involved with the breed.

Provide continuing high-quality client services such as educational seminars, clinics, and fun social activities.

Always remember that both clients and horses deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.

82 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ AUGUST 2014

Above: Talaria’s great staff back row: Jose Palomera, Alejandro Desantos, Adan Palomera.

Front row: Angelica Palomera, Dana Jackson.

In Memorium ...

SH HEUMORESQUE

April 1994-July 2014 An exceptional Arabian mare, shown here with her 2010 filly TF Royal Euphoria (by Royal Shahbaz).

Talaria Farms’ 100 percent organic weed control, with Lisa, their vigilant guardian, from the Georgia Great Pyrenees Rescue.

Middle left: Talaria’s Border Collie Claire is diligent in her job of goose control.

www.TalariaFarms.com

83 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ AUGUST 2014