What in the World: Lois McCrea

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WHAT IN THE WORLD

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LOIS McCREA – A LIFE WITH ARABIANS b y D e n is e He a rs t

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L

ois McCrea is a familiar face to Scottsdale showgoers, having been a member of the board of directors of the Arabian Horse Association of Arizona since 1985, and the founder of the Scottsdale show’s Exhibitors Services Office.

At the age of 100, Lois is still going strong. She chatted with us recently about the highlights of a century of loving Arabian horses.

Lois McCrea and the four-year-old mare LESZCZYNA (Comet x Lawenda by Doktryner), at Michalow Stud in 1967.

I grew up on a farm with horses, and I never stopped thinking about them. After we had our children, we bought a 150-acre farm in Alliance, Ohio. We decided we needed to concentrate on one breed of horse. So my oldest son and I went to a seminar about Arabian horses at Michigan State University in the 1950s. We concluded that Arabians were the breed for us because they sounded like gentle, intelligent horses that we, as amateurs, could handle.

My husband, the late Dr. William McCrea, was not really interested in horses, but he went along with anything that I did.

I bought my first Arabian in 1959 – a mare named Dzrea

(El Rin x Dzwon). Others followed soon after.

Nobody knew much about Arabian horses at that time. The veterinarians were concentrating on cattle in those days, so I did all the medications, worming and breeding. I had been a nurse and those skills came in handy.

In 1966 we went to the U.S. National show in Springfield Illinois, and there we bought the three-year-old colt Seahorse Duke Dorsaz (*Count Dorsaz x Twin Lakes Mermaid by Indraff). He went on to win three National Championships in Park, Formal Driving and Informal Combination. He was my favorite horse – he was a lover. I could handle him and breed with him and there was no problem at all.

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SHULER PHOTO

Jeffrey Wintersteen

// We put him in training with Bob Hart and we followed along, enjoying all the success he had. One of the most exciting things was when he beat *Aramus in formal driving and formal combination. We never dreamed that he would beat Wayne Newton’s horse!

Another exciting time: in 1967 we joined a trip to see Arabian horses in Egypt, Jordan, Austria, England and Poland. The trip was put together by Bill and Evelyn Larsen. The group included Lloyd and Evelyn Burton, and Gladys Brown Edwards and Lucile Shuler of Arabian Horse World. In Poland, I decided to buy the four-year-old mare *Leszczyna (Comet x Lawenda). When we got home I told the kids I bought a mare, and they said, “Why didn’t you buy more?” So I called back and bought *Kanossa (Czort x Canberra), too. *Kanossa was very easy to handle but *Leszczyna was a bit different. I had to learn a little Polish to work with her.

From then on I concentrated on the Polish Arabian. That turned out to be difficult, because at that time the registry required that the stallion and mare be on the same property. So I spent 30 years hauling my mares to Polish stallions. Sometimes I went by myself and sometimes I took my mother or my daughter, Janice, with me.

I was exposed to the Scottsdale show way back when it was down on Hayden in 1962. We came out and brought horses to the show in the 1970s and 80s. Then we moved here in 1985 and that’s when I became associated with the show as a Lois riding the 1975 mare LESAH (Princz [Natez x Chloette] x Moklessah [Ferzon x Kharradana]). member of the Board of Directors.

I started the exhibitors I’ve seen a lot of changes in services office because there the show. It used to be that the were so many people who amateurs would show with the had questions about the professionals. Now we have a horses. Just meeting so many class for everybody. The show wonderful people from all over has gotten so big. the world through the show We’ve tried to educate people was quite an experience. Over by letting them get up close to the years I have given a lot of the horses, sit on a horse and feel talks about the Arabian, and how gentle the Arabian really is.

I’ve taken lots of groups to the Every newcomer at the show is in Scottsdale show, too. awe of what the Arabian horse You have to be a certain type can do. of person to work with horses, I guess. It certainly worked out for my family. Both my son, Bruce, and Janice are very good with horses, and have been judging for many years.

Life without an Arabian horse would have been a lot different.

My friends can’t believe the things that I’ve done because of the horses. It’s been a wonderful life. I am most proud of the horses we bred – they’ve all been wonderful – so gentle The stallion DUKE DORSAZ (*Count and easy to work with.

Dorsaz x Twin Lakes Mermaid by Indraff), I experienced all phases of who the McCreas purchased shortly after the breed – I dreamed of, rode, his U.S. National Top Ten Park win as a cared for and bred the horses… three-year-old. He went on to win three for over 100 years. Isn’t that National Championships in Park, Formal something?

Driving and Formal Combination.

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