Arabian Horse World presents
wonderful Wome Wom omen OF World World Arabian Horse World’s annual tribute to some of the outstanding women who have made the Arabian horse part of their lives. It’s our pleasure to share these women’s stories of devotion to the Arabian horse — they are indeed, the “Wonderful Women of World.”
Shawn Crews SHAWN CREWS INTERNATIONAL, WACO, TEXAS
“The first Arabian horse that I saw was the straight Egyptian stallion *Ibn Moniet El Nefous. My father and Jarrell McCracken, then owner of Bentwood Farms, were close friends so I got to visit the McCrackens’ horses several times in my teens. Anyone who ever saw that stallion knows he was unforgettable. “As a child I felt drawn to horses. Not sure where it came from, I am not from a horse family. I wore out the pages on horses in the Encyclopedia Britannica and would beg my parents to stop the car if we drove by a horse in a pasture on the side of the road. “When I graduated from high school, I was not particularly interested in “continuing my education” – as in college – so my father pulled some strings and I was on my way from southern California to Waco, Texas. Shortly after I found myself sitting in the office of Bentwood Farms trainer and General Manager David Gardner. He was none too happy about being asked by the boss to hire a friend’s kid who did not know a thing about a horse. And he verbalized as
“As a child I felt drawn to horses. Not sure where it came from, I am not from a horse family. I wore out the pages on horses in the Encyclopedia Britannica and would beg my parents to stop the car if we drove by a horse in a pasture on the side of the road.” – SHAWN CREWS
much to me. I don’t know how I made it through those early years without getting fired, but it was there at Bentwood Farms that I came to love Egyptian
Shawn Crews and Safina RCA.
horses. I had no idea what a priceless education that time there under David Gardner, and working with some of the finest Egyptian horses, would be. There is no question I would not be doing what I do today had if it had not been for David and his wife Marion. The first and foremost important thing I learned from David is how to dig down deep within yourself, inspire your team to do the same, to bring forth efforts and results that we have not before achieved. The second is this: None of it works without the absolute highest quality horses, and people. Arabian horses have played a role in my life every day since. “Some of my most interesting conversations about Arabian horses have been with Jeff Wallace. If there is a horse that I have not seen in the flesh that I need to know about it, chances are Jeff can fill
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