A Tribute to Sigi Siller and Om El Arab

RE F L EC T I ONS ON T H E P A S T A N D A L O OK TO T H E FU T U R E W IT H

Janina Merz An interview

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Having been born into and grown up in a family of breeders, El Masri lines. I had very recently “wrecked” a sale of a horse was it always a foregone conclusion that you were going to be by crying uncontrollably and the interested party felt so badly involved in the stud when you grew up? Or was there a phase where they didn’t end up purchasing the horse, so when the Familie you wanted nothing to do with the horses?

Maiworm came to purchase Malik my mom didn’t tell me until I worked on the farm after school and on the weekends it was done. It is one of those moments in my life that I still throughout middle school and high school. But then I went recall like it was yesterday and it left a mark, one that gets raw to college and studied psychology, hoping for a more “normal” each time a special horse is sold: *El Shaklan, Om El Shaheen, life for myself. The summer before my senior year in college, Om El Extreem, Om El Bernadette and Om El Erodite to name I was helping some fellow breeders a few. I did get to ride Malik at his new prepare their horses for shows for a farm in their beautiful covered riding couple of months. I remember longing arena when we visited later. (I was a filly one morning when it hit me that probably only 7 or 8 at the time.)

I didn’t want to do anything else in We used to practice our vaulting my life but horses. I went home a few on two-time World Champion Stallion weeks later and told my mom. Saying Ibn Estopa (Shaker El Masri x *Estopa). that the news made her happy is a My friends and I vaulted on him. huge understatement! We both cried My mom would longe him, and one and hugged. It was beautiful. I finished by one we’d take our turn practicing my final two quarters at University our vaulting skills. He was incredibly and received a Bachelor’s degree in athletic and great with kids. psychology and then joined the farm full Estopa Son (*El Shaklan x *Estopa) The “gentle babysitter” *Estopa (Tabal x Uyaima by force and full-time. was my dressage horse. *Estopa Son was Barquillo), with Janina and Benni. a German National Champion Stallion.

Did you learn to ride as a child, and He was my riding horse as a teenager did you have the opportunity to ride any of the stud’s horses? If so, when I would visit the farm in Germany. I would get dressage what can you tell us about them? lessons on him all summer long. He was gentle and kind, and I learned to ride before I could walk. There is a wonderful also wonderful to ride on the beautiful trails surrounding the picture of *Estopa and my brother and me. She was the ultimate farm in the Black Forest.

Arabian — a gentle babysitter when she needed to be and a hot The first stallion I ever started under saddle as a teenager show horse when the time was right for that. was Estopasan (Rastano x *Estopa). He lived to be 31 years old, My favorite stallion to ride as a child was Malik. When he passing away just last year in 2016. Visitors from around the was sold, my heart broke for the first time. I remember going to world remember Estopasan for his sweet disposition. He had visit him and getting to ride him some time later. Malik was one the first stall in the stallion barn as people drove in, and there of the horses that I learned to ride on and my favorite stallion are countless pictures of him greeting people. He always hung at that time in my life. He was sold to Maiworm Arabergestuet his head out, and when I think of him now, I have that picture when my parents decided to focus on their *Estopa/Shaker perfectly in my mind.

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The 1985 stallion Estopasan (*Rastano x *Estopa).

Sigi Siller with Benni and Janina.

The 1998 stallion Om El Extreem (*Sanadik El Shaklan x Om El Bint Shaina).

Did you have a particular favorite among the horses when you were a child? If so, why?

My favorite horse of all time is Om El Shahmaan. I was not a child anymore when he was born, but he was definitely my soul mate stallion. I started him under saddle and showed him in Hunter Pleasure and was National Champion Amateur Stallion with him too. We trusted each other implicitly. I taught my niece Sophia to ride on Shahmaan when she was three. He was a very special horse.

When did you become actively involved in running the stud, and in which way?

I started managing the farm in 1998 right after finishing college. I went to Colorado State University’s reproduction course that winter and learned how to collect and ship stallion semen and inseminate mares. I was thrown right into the thick of it and managed *Sanadik El Shaklan, Estopasan and Sharem

El Sheikh’s breeding season that Spring. It was amazing that my Mom entrusted all that to me. But she never thought twice, and so neither did I. That was a common theme in our relationship; she’d just believe in me, and because of that, I just did it.

Whether it was shipping our stallions’ semen around the country, learning to freeze semen, ultrasounding, embryo transfers, starting horses under saddle, writing and managing our website, video editing, you name it, she believed it and I went for it!

The Om El Arab breeding program rests strongly on *Estopa and her family, its identity largely defined by the “Golden Cross” exemplified by *El Shaklan. Rather like Poland, you have a very consolidated, strong mare family that has been able to “absorb” new blood without losing its identity. Sigi was willing to take risks and try something completely new, like using *Carmargue, and history has proved her right. But were there any experiments that, looking back, did not work?

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In our experience breeding to stallions that are similar in type has worked best. When we’ve used a stallion that was different in type but had something we’ve wanted to add, we’ve found that we usually lose the good parts on both sides and end up with a very average horse. Finding an outcross stallion that is similar yet has what we want to add as well seems to be a better way for us.

Om El Arab is a well-established and highly influential breeding program with a unique identity. Keeping that in mind, what did Sigi look for, and what do you look for, in an outside stallion?

We look for a stallion that can add whatever we’re looking to add without taking away our “Om El Arab type.” The stallions that have worked best for us have been horses that already have a certain bit of the “Om El Arab” look. When we’ve

tried stallions that were a completely different type of horse, for example one with a long thin neck but straighter profile face, we’ve usually lost the parts we were wanting to gain and also the parts that were the strong points in each horse. Our philosophy has always been to breed like to like.

Of the sires that you have used that were not of your own breeding, which have proved the most valuable, and what have they brought to the breeding program? *Carmargue certainly added value when he gave us Om El Shaina. She has a huge, beautiful family on our farm and around the globe. Sharem El Sheikh was by *El Shaklan and out of the Egyptian/Polish Samanna. He was a huge broodmare contributor for us. His daughter Om El Beneera has the largest family on our farm. Al Lahab made another big contribution.

We have an incredible group of Al Lahab daughters and also his beautiful son Om El Al Azeem. WH Justice made his mark as well. We have several beautiful daughters and a group of special young sons. I think that each outcross stallion leaves a mark that is important. We line breed, but need to add layers of fresh blood constantly. So these stallions have played an extremely important role in the Om El Arab program.

Top left: The 2006 mare Om El Jinaah (*Al Lahab GASB x Om El Jimala).

Top right: The 2007 mare Om El Excella (*Al Lahab GASB x Omel Bint Shaina).

Bottom: The 2013 mare Om El Justadorable (WH Justice x Om El Shahmaandura).

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CURYL PHOTO

Janina riding one of her favorite stallions Om El Shahmaan (*Sanadik El Shaklan x Om El Shaina).

What — since type is clearly not an issue — motivated Sigi and/or you to use a fashionable sire like WH Justice? Was the fact that he is a great-grandson of *El Shaklan a factor?

We fell in love with WH Justice when he entered the ring in Aachen the year that he won. It was a goosebump, hair standing up, and tears streaming down our faces moment – and I’m talking literally! We looked at each other and said we wanted to breed to him. It was a few months later that Sheikh Jassim leased him from Equid Systems and gave us the honor of standing him for two wonderful years. We felt that he would work well with our bloodlines because he was related and also similar in type.

And he did! It was a phenomenal combination.

Until very recently, you did not use the blood of *Marwan Al Shaqab in your breeding program. What made you decide to use

EKS Alihandro, and, given the spectacular success of Om El Erodite, do you plan to continue in this direction?

To me Om El Excella, Om El Erodite’s dam is one of the most beautiful mares I’ve ever seen. The only place I would fault her is that she’s a little shy. When it came time to breed her in 2015 I thought, “What stallion would give her that extra vavavoom?” and EKS Alihandro immediately popped into my mind. I proposed the idea to my mom. Amazingly, she said the exact same thought had come to her that morning! That made it seem meant to be, and so we tried it. It worked … really, really well.

All but one of your breeding stallions and the vast majority of the Om El Arab broodmare band are from the *Estopa family, often

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Left: The 2006 stallion Om El Al Azeem (*Al Lahab GASB x Om El Beneera).

Facing page: The 2007 stallion Om El Bellissimo (Om El Shahmaan x Om El Benedict).

through both parents. Of the later foundation mares, only that of Niharra-Bint Jacio has survived as a second significant group. What is different, or special, about these horses?

My mother actually lost over 65 horses in her first divorce.

She had to begin again in 1986 with just three broodmares and they happened to be *Estopa, Bint Estopa, Bint Shaker and Bint Jacio. A few years later she was able to add Samanna as well. Our breeding program may have looked a little different had this not happened to her! *Estopa and Niharra were bought on the first horse trip to Spain so it is significant, special, and lucky that their blood remains on the farm in a very big way almost 50 years later.

How did you and your mother go about determining which mares to sell, and which to keep to continue their families?

It was always my mom’s goal to keep at least two daughters from each mare. Sometimes we were able to keep the ones we wanted to keep, and other times we had to let them “spread their wings” and represent the farm under new ownership. It was hard to let them go, but it was never a bad thing because they continued to represent Om El Arab beautifully in other respected breeding programs around the world.

Since Om El Arab moved to the U.S., only two mare families have been added that were not part of the original German foundation stock. Is it a coincidence that one of them, *Samanna, is from the same family and background as Dindara, the very first

Arabian mare purchased by Sigi’s father?

It is a coincidence — Samanna came to live with us together with her son, Sharem El Sheikh. We took care of them for their owners Dieter und Annelie Kraut, and where able to breed with her and Sharem El Sheikh.

More recently, you have added a mare from Janow Podlaski, a daughter of Om El Bellissimo out of a Polish dam. What do you hope or expect she will bring to your breeding program?

Alamina has already contributed to the farm by giving us two beautiful Om El Al Azeem daughters. Her 2016 filly, Om El Almira, is grey and looks very Om El Arab, whereas her 2017 filly, Om El Alametta, is a carbon copy of her beautiful dam.

Alamina is in foal to Om El Sinon for 2018. It is a blessing to have added a gorgeous Polish mare to the program and interesting that she carries *Estopa in her pedigree five times!

We love that Alamina looks very much like her sire Om El Bellissimo, yet is unmistakably Polish when she moves. My mom fell in love with her when Alamina did a hesitation trot inhand in Poland, and that’s when she made the decision to bring her into our program. It was a good decision, not surprisingly.

Most of the prominent breeders today have not been involved with Arabians all that long, much less grown into this world the way you have. As a third generation Arabian breeder in a rapidly changing world, do you feel that you have a special responsibility?

I do feel I have a special responsibility: I feel that I need to

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Top left: The 2013 stallion Om El Sinon (WH Justice x Om El Shadiva).

Top right: The 2013 stallion Om El Benicio (WH Justice x Om El Benecia).

Bottom: The 2013 stallion Om El Beneditto (WH Justice x Om El Beneera).

performance and for the showring is drifting ever further apart, do you still aim to breed horses that are able to function equally well in either capacity?

Absolutely! I want to breed horses that are functional AND beautiful. I personally want to ride a beautiful horse. And I want my beautiful horse to have good bone structure, correct legs, good movement, intelligence and a willing personality.

We frequently ride in the hills and river beds on the farm; my sister, Shannon Constanti, is a noted endurance rider, and we have progeny who are competitive in all levels of performance divisions, and even some race track stars in Poland. The belief that beautiful Arabians should also be athletic performers is one of our core principles.

continue breeding Om El Arab horses so new breeders have a source of blood that they can use “modern” stallions on. I also feel a huge responsibility to continue educating breeders and newcomers. This is where seminars like “The Conformation Clinic” come in and we will continue with at least two educational events a year. The more we educate those in our industry, the healthier our industry will be. So, that is part of the responsibility I feel.

In the past, breeders have created their own breeding programs entirely with Om El Arab horses, some of them performance- and some show-oriented, with equal success. Now that breeding for

What do you regard as Om El Arab’s greatest achievement since *El Shaklan, and what do you see as your own greatest achievement so far?

I think Om El Arab’s greatest achievement lies in its timelessness. I think of our breeding program in terms of a fashion house sometimes, and timeless beauty never goes out of style. My mom bred horses that were her ideal and never wavered from this even as trends went one way or another. I think this is why she was able to keep her style of horse — the Om El Arab look — for nearly 50 years. She felt this way in all things whether it was horses, fashion, music, etc., she did it her way! I’m just as committed to this type of Arabian, and will see it continue — for her, for the program, and for myself as well.

One of my achievements is breeding Om El Erodite and

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A family portrait taken in November, 2015, with the mares Om El Jinaah (*Al Lahab GASB x Om El Jimala) and Om El Excella (*Al Lahab GASB x Om El Bint Shaina).

Pictured from left to right are Benni and Kim Merz, Sigi and her granddaughter Sophia, Janina Merz and her son Luca, and Bryon Bass.

facilitating her rise to super stardom — I love my little girl. But my greatest achievement so far is making it through the last year and half without my mom right by my side. I definitely feel her love and guidance daily, but it’s different not having her with me physically. That transition has torn me apart and rebuilt me all at once.

What are your long-term goals for the future of Om El Arab?

My goal is to continue in my mom’s footsteps, and in this way honor her each and every day. Breeding is ever evolving. My mom taught me to never look back and always look forward. I will continue to use “modern” stallions here and there like EKS Alihandro, which is a newer concept, yet will always keep the foundation intact. I have a feeling if she were still here we’d be doing the same thing. And that, in and of itself, has felt like the permission I wanted and needed from her to do some new things. She was always learning, always progressing. I intend to do the same.

You are still young yet, but do you hope that Luca will one day carry on the program into the next (human) generation? What are your thoughts and hopes for him and Om El? Luca is only three, and although he loves horses, his passions at the moment are dump trucks and trains! My niece Sophia is a passionate and talented young horsewoman, and

maybe she’ll follow in the footsteps of the breeders in her family. Her love is eventing and her dreams right now are to ride in the Olympics one day. I don’t see why she can’t be an Olympian and an Arabian Horse breeder! My mother never put any pressure on me to continue with the program, even as she said her goodbyes a year ago last May, so I won’t put that on Luca or Sophia either, but sometimes it’s in your blood and you can’t deny it!

But sometimes you can’t plan; you just have to believe.

This program has endured five decades, and has become a lighthouse of sorts for the Arabian breed. I believe in its future now, as much as my mother did in its first years of existence.

One thing I know for certain, however … I have never in my life been more motivated, inspired and ready to continue guiding this historic program than I am now. And I’m sure that is coming from Sigi.

What is the most valuable thing you have learned from your mother, both as a person and as a breeder?

I have learned the qualities of strength, perseverance and gratitude from my mom. She taught me to do everything I do with love, and to enjoy every moment of life, because we never know how much life we have left. And if I can pass those qualities down to Luca, and also to everyone I come in contact with, like she did, I will consider my life a success.

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