Crabbet Heritage Magazine - Summer 2024

• Celebrating the Past, Present and Future of Crabbet and Crabbet Related Arabians worldwide •

ShowingbucketlistfunwithMarcusandOdin!

MARCUS AURELIUS

Aurelian x Fiesta Magica

AVONBROOK ODIN

Marcus Aurelius x April

Royal Windsor Horse Show 2024 In the LIHS Rising Star Working Hunter qualifier at the BSHA Spring Show

When the Covid pandemic struck in 2020 the world came to a sudden halt. All our social events were cancelled, our lives turned inwards and I’m sure that those of us who had horses and dogs to share their time felt blessed and less isolated. Our lives were interrupted and

changed forever. It has taken a considerable time for life as we knew it to resume and in that time much has altered.

Happily, we feel that the time for Crabbet Heritage to revive and renew relationships globally has arrived too. The equine event calendar is full again, there is news to share and a passion for our beloved Crabbet horses to rejoice in. Just as this winter has been extremely long, wet and challenging in the UK, so has the time spent in rebuilding our lives post lockdown. In the UK we also received the sad news recently that after twenty years of Crabbet promotion the Crabbet Organisation has ceased to exist.

We have all had time to reflect on our futures since Covid. For some that has meant it is a time to stop breeding, whilst for others they have been able to plan and lay the foundations of a new stud.

We pay tribute to those breeders we have so sadly lost in the intervening time and celebrate the huge contributions that they have made to the Crabbet cause.

The pandemic imposed many changes, not least of these being the cost of air freight. So we have made an important decision to publish the Crabbet Heritage magazine digitally and make this first issue free of charge to all. Now the magazine will have an unlimited audience which can only be good for the Crabbet cause. We believe that Crabbet enthusiasts worldwide should have the opportunity to access news and information as freely as possible. We want to spread the Crabbet word, not limit it. We hope you like the new magazine. Please share it widely!

During the remainder of 2024, we will implement many of our long planned initiatives to help promote the Crabbet Arabian around the world and we discuss these on page six.

The Pure Crabbet Arabian in the UK and USA in particular, is in serious decline and we need to make real efforts to improve the situation if we want to see these horses in the future. We have several initiatives and discussions on this matter and will explore this more in the next issue. However, we are launching the ‘Crabbet Census’ to try and establish an accurate view on where we are with all Pure and high percentage Crabbets, and we hope that all owners and breeders around the world will take part in this initiative.

Finally, we are very grateful and honoured that our new Patrons from around the world have put their faith in us together with our advisory panel, members of which represent key areas of the Crabbet world. All of whom are helping with these initiatives as well as many other contributors behind the scenes.

Please remember that we are here to represent all owners of Crabbet and Crabbet Related Arabians and always welcome news of your Crabbet horses and what you are doing with them, so please send us your news and stories at any time.

Mark, Natalie and Tanya Crabbet Heritage Steering Group

Our Present... BELESEMO IBN TRAD

Sire of Multiple National Champions in Endurance, Main Ring and Sport Horse. Shown here at age 21 - 1997 to present

(Belesemo Trad x Velvet Dawn)

‘Belesemo Arabian Ranch’

NEXT ISSUE

Our Winter issue will once again be packed with fascinating articles.

We also discuss the small numbers of Pure Crabbet Arabians left in the UK and USA and consider what can be done to ensure remaining precious bloodlines are not lost.

THANK YOU!

We are very grateful to the many contributors and proof readers without whose help we wouldn’t have been able to produce this publication.

Crabbet Heritage has taken care to ensure that content in this publication is accurate on the date of publication. The views expressed in the articles reflect the author(s) opinions and are not necessarily the views of Crabbet Heritage. The published material, adverts, editorials and all other content is published in good faith. Crabbet Heritage cannot guarantee and accepts no liability for any loss or damage of any kind caused by this publication and errors and for the accuracy of claims made by the advertisers. No reproduction, copying, image scanning, storing or recording by any means in any form nor broadcasting or transmission through any medium is permitted without the express permission of Crabbet Heritage.

COVER PICTURE OF THIS ISSUE

Tarentella with Diana Whittome taken at Newbuidings in 1978 by Caroline Johnson. Read our tribute to Diana on page 12.

CRABBET HERITAGE FORGES AHEAD

TRIBUTE TO DIANA WHITTOME

RIKITEA

PRESERVING OUR CRABBET HISTORY

MILL PARK ARABIANS

THE MAKAHIWI CHALLENGE 2024

MOONLIGHT ARABIANS OPEN DAY

TODAY’S SPORT HORSE

PERTH ROYAL SHOW 2004

HARKING BACK

UK CRABBET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023

MARCUS AURELIUS

STALLIONS AT STUD

TRIBUTE TO RON MALES, HORSEMAN EXTRAORDINARE

RIDDEN ARABIAN OF THE YEAR 2023

THE HISTORIC EVOLUTION OF TYPE AND FEEDING IN CRABBET ARABIAN HORSES

AN OVERVIEW OF WHITE MARKINGS IN CRABBET ARABIANS

STUD ROUND UP

MEMORY OF...

BREMERVALE SILVER PRINCE

HAJ ARABA

MY LIFE WITH ARABIAN HORSES

US:

info@crabbet-heritage.com web: www.crabbet-heritage.com tel: 07595 893059

JOURNAL DESIGN: Tanya Betts, Tameda Design tanyabetts@yahoo.com • 07876 520662

FORGES AHEAD!

We launched the Crabbet Heritage website in 2017 whilst attending the WAHO conference in Bahrain. There, during the conference, we visited the Royal stud, and saw the most amazing Arabian horses, untouched by outside influence for nearly 200 years. It struck us that these beautiful horses, with fabulous limbs, beautiful heads with large eyes, no extreme dish, and movement to die for, were probably the nearest we would ever see to those horses that the Blunts saw in the deserts of Arabia. The best of those of

The following year we published a souvenir magazine in the summer of 2018, to coincide with the Centenary of the Arab Horse Society and to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Crabbet Arabian Stud. It proved popular so we continued with a twice yearly magazine. The pandemic unfortunately got in the way which meant that there has been a pause for the last few years. We discussed the new magazine and found that costs had risen greatly, postage in particular. We wanted to reach as wide an audience as possible, so have made the magazine digital and free to all, production costs being covered by advertising support. Our hope is that many readers will be able to read the magazine and feel inclined to contribute their stories. If we spark some interest in Crabbet Arabians from future owners it will be an excellent result!

So what is Crabbet Heritage?

Crabbet Heritage was established by a small group of enthusiasts, previously involved with the Crabbet Organisation in the UK. This year since the sad demise of that group, we have decided to forge ahead with the many plans that have been conceived over the past few years. The first of these was to form a wider International group representing key areas of the current day Crabbet breeding world. We also wanted to reinstate our magazine that had been in abeyance for a while.

We are pleased to say that our International group is progressing well and of course, you are reading the magazine, our biggest yet!

Our ethos has always been to promote the Crabbet Arabian in order to preserve the remaining precious bloodlines. This involves raising awareness of competitive achievements, promoting breeders and one horse owners alike whilst keeping the fascinating history of the horses and people alive through the magazine and website. A vitally important aspect of what we are working towards, is to try and bring Crabbet enthusiasts together around the world. Too often, we see groups in competition with each other or falling out for all the wrong reasons. For us it’s only about the Crabbet and Crabbet Related Arabian horse. We recognise the importance of all these horses and encourage those who own low percentage horses to progress to higher percentage Crabbet as they realise the value of the fantastic Crabbet temperament, athletic ability and bone. Indeed we see exactly that progression in the stories of the late Rosemary Archer and several of our Panel members.

Why are we doing it?

The decline of Crabbet blood has been talked about for many years, but in some parts of the world we are at right on the cusp of losing the last of our precious bloodlines altogether in pure (100%) Crabbet Arabians. These are essential for the gene pool, for without them all Crabbet lines will dilute down to nothing in no time at all. We are currently undergoing a census to try and find those we have left in the UK and the USA in particular where numbers are very low, as well as Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. Then we can see what can be done to actively encourage breeding of pure Crabbets. With enough good will and owners and breeders understanding the need and participating, we can make great strides in improving the situation. After all, Crabbet started with just six imported Arabians, and built up from there through a comprehensive breeding programme and adding a relatively small number of additional imports over a few years.

International

We are now a truly International group with Patrons representing the key areas of the Crabbet breeding world representing Australia and New Zealand, the United States, the

Meet the team!

STEERING GROUP:

Natalie and Mark Tindall and Tanya Betts

PATRONS:

Caroline Sussex, UK Coralie Gordon, Australia

Buzz Moore, USA

Betty Finke, Europe

ADVISORY PANEL:

CarolineJohnson(UK),KatherineBertram (UK), Rebecca Donovan (NZ), Virginia Dean (NZ), Wesley Hayes (SA), Chris Ros (AUS), Fiona Leng (UK), Pat Bobb (USA), Sharon Meyers (AUS), Dawn Jones Lowe (USA), Carolyn Hasbrook (USA), Gail Rooney (USA), Anne Brown (UK), Astra Temple (AUS), Alexia Ross (UK), Linda Cottle (NZ), Becky Ross (UK), Sean Johnson (AUS), John Illingworth (UK), Vicky Johnson (AUS)

Our steering group currently numbers twenty enthusiasts from around the world. You can get to know who they are by visiting the ‘About’ page on our website.

New colt foals with precious bloodlines at the Plaister Foundation

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. ”

United Kingdom and Europe. We have a growing advisory panel consisting of enthusiasts from around the world including such countries as South Africa, Germany and Canada. They have a great deal of expertise in many areas; their number includes judges, authors, photographers, writers, breeders. With vast experience in Crabbet breeding, Crabbet history, law, accountancy, business, curation, databases and websites, we have many areas covered which, combined with the will and drive to make a difference. We aim to do that and move the Crabbet world forward in a positive way for all. Finally, we have other contributors who are helping behind the scenes and we are grateful to them all.

What are we doing?

Fundamentally we aim to promote the Crabbet Arabian to the widest possible audience, with the intention of encouraging wider ownership and breeding to ensure they thrive into the future. To do this, we need to show the fascinating history of the stud and the horses, and what makes the Crabbet Arabian so special, (temperament, strength, versatility and beauty with solid bone.) Many of these qualities in the wider Arabian world have been bred out for the sake of fashion and when the tide turns and people come to realise that fashion objects are not actually the horses of the desert, they will need the Crabbet Arabian. We must educate the wider audience that a true Arabian horse is kind, dependable and intelligent, not the rampaging creature that is often seen in the modern show ring, which

does nothing but reinforce all the historic prejudices against the Arabian. We need to encourage all Crabbet breeders and owners, but in particular, the next generation who will be the ones to secure its future. These horses after all are a living history of the true desert Arabian horse and the only legacy of a now, largely lost way of life.

In summary, there are three facets to what we do. We aim to keep the history of Crabbet alive, ‘The Past’, to promote all owners and breeders and celebrate all their activities and achievements, ‘The Present’, and encourage the breeding of quality horses today so we have the horses for tomorrow, ‘The Future’.

Celebrating the Past

Keeping the fascinating history of Crabbet around the world, alive today

The Crabbet Arabian has a very important and rich history. The stories of all the people involved and the horses, particularly from the early years, are fascinating. The fact that when the Blunts travelled the deserts of Arabia in the late 1870’s, quality purebred Arabians were already considered to be in very short supply, yet they still exist today, is a testament to subsequent breeding programmes through the decades. The ‘great and the good’ who founded studs across the world, based on horses from Crabbet, all showed great foresight and appreciation of these horses and the value in crossing them to improve the quality in local native breeds. We want to give historic context to these beautiful Arabians of the desert and illustrate the importance of keeping their bloodlines alive. Throughout 2024 and beyond, we will add new features to our website to include archives, photo galleries and an online museum. The archives will include individual studs and collections, informative searchable magazine articles, and historic documents. The photo galleries will include many images of the great horses from the past and of today. The online museum will include artefacts, a gallery of Lady Wentworth pedigrees, a

The Crabbet Heritage office and library

bibliography of all relevant books through history, stud booklets, publications and more. We have access to a significant private library with many ‘treasures’ and plan to have a specific research area on the website that includes particularly rare items and documents that will be accessible by subscription. We also have a bookshop with many historic and rare publications always available and more being listed all the time. It is important to save all Crabbet and related ‘treasures’ from being lost with passing generations so we are happy to provide a home for any photographs, documents, booklets or any other ephemera, that may be otherwise lost. We will share many such treasures in our forthcoming online museum for the benefit and enjoyment of all.

Celebrating the Present

Sharing what owners and breeders are doing with their Crabbets and planning for the future

We promote achievements of present day owners through our magazine and website with individual stories, stud news and features. The Crabbet community needs to come together to have fun and show what their horses can do. The ‘virtual community’ needs to do the same. There are so many social media groups and a few websites and blogs around and we aim to help bring them together in a community that promotes all achievement and positive actions as well as history, which some groups already do really well. Regarding competition, we will launch a series of virtual horse shows allowing Crabbet owners to compete with each other around the world. Alongside these will be fun photo

competitions. We have plans to develop these into more sophisticated competition and have a performance initiative in the pipeline to celebrate achievement and enable a true Crabbet World Championship in the near future. We are also looking at other forms of ‘live competition’ that can be held in a professional and fun environment that owners will actually want to attend and compete on a ‘level playing field’. We want to create an event where visitors will want to come and see our beautiful Crabbet Arabians ‘in the flesh’! In the UK we held an open day at the Moonlight Arabian stud last year (see page 40) and even though we only decided to do it three weeks before, we had over 80 attendees who paid to come and see the horses! So the interest is there, we just have to harness it. We appreciate that countries such as Australia and the USA have a huge geographical area to cover but it would be

1938 Crabbet Stud Booklet annotated by Lady Wentworth with accompanying letter

good to trial an event and find a way that could work anywhere. After all, shows used to be very popular even when transportation wasn’t so easy so we need to try and find a formula that makes it worthwhile for people to attend nowadays. If we don’t try these things nothing will improve!

Celebrating the future

Ensuring that we have the horses and the enthusiasts, to keep the bloodlines going far into the future

Finally, we need to celebrate breeding success, after all, the foals are our Crabbets of the future! We will focus on new arrivals and their place in history with a regular feature starting in the winter issue of Crabbet Heritage magazine.

And we must concentrate on producing quality Crabbet Arabians for future generations. This means breeding the best quality and bloodlines suitable for the best outcomes. We

are developing a breeding Initiative that considers ways that we can help increase the breeding of quality Purebred (100%) Crabbet Arabians around the world. In the UK and USA in particular, there is a shortage of pure Crabbet mares and we need to try and improve this situation. The first stage of this is to carry out a census, to try and establish exactly what Crabbets remain today and where they are located. We would encourage all owners and breeders to take part by completing a simple form accessed via our website at www.crabbet-heritage.com/ census. We feel that this is a very important initiative and appeal to anyone who owns or breeds Crabbet Arabians or have friends who do, to take part. The more information we can collect, the better the picture we will have of what bloodlines remain.

We all love the beautiful Crabbet Arabians, the direct descendants of the original horses of the desert, and with the will and cooperation of enthusiasts around the world we can make a positive contribution to their continued success into the future. I’m sure Lady Anne and Wilfrid Blunt and their descendants would be more than happy that 146 years after they founded their world famous stud, here we all are, still focused on preserving those precious bloodlines they brought back from the deserts of Arabia. o

If you would like to contribute your knowledge or expertise to Crabbet Heritage projects, please get in touch via email at: info@crabbet-heritage.com

Left: Zobeyni Nefeurina (Imperial Silver Phoenix x Klinta Salma)

Above: Moonlight Estaura (pending) (Audace Encore x Llain Mirjana)

Photo: Alexia Ross

Caroline Sussex with Binley Silvern Isis

• Carrying out a census of Crabbet Arabians worldwide to ascertain how many horses exist today and build an accurate Crabbet database

• Building directories of Breeders and Stallions at stud so people know where they are and how to find them

• Developing a Cooperative Breeding Initiative to increase numbers of pure Crabbets worldwide

• Launching an International Virtual Show and Photo competition that provides worldwide competition and fun!

• Establishing a points based Performance Initiative that provides for competition across all disciplines

• Producing a regular online magazine - free of charge for all packed full of news and stories both past and present, from around the world

• Creating an online museum, archives and more on our website we are busy photographing and scanning artefacts, documents and articles for all to see

We can make this work if the community comes together

Please support our initiatives to promote breeders and owners, to celebrate new foals and new owners. We need feedback and help but most of all participation!

Let’s combine all our efforts before these horses disappear forever!

info@crabbet-heritage.com www.crabbet-heritage.com

To everyone who knew her well Diana was warm, welcoming and wise. Visitors to her Coedy-Foel stud would often enjoy homemade soup and friendly in depth discussion before venturing out to the green fields full of horses. They grazed peacefully in family groups but would welcome visitors with a gentle curiosity. The atmosphere was tranquil and reflected the calm confidence of its owner.

WORDS BY NATALIE TINDALL • PHOTOS BY CAROLINE JOHNSON UNLESS STATED

Diana was a woman of integrity and vision who bred horses to be beautiful and to perform. In her foundation mare, the 100% Crabbet Tarentella, she found a treasure; she proved to be a mare who produced seven fillies which would establish a dynasty and on whom the reputation of the Coed-y-Foel stud would be built. Descendants such as one grandson, the very correct chestnut stallion Militaire, sire of well -known ridden stallion Mareschal and grand-daughter Fiesta Magica who produced the versatile stallion Marcus Aurelius have also provided excellent foundation stock for other studs that flourish to this day. Diana also had an excellent eye for a horse

diana whittome

which was proven beyond doubt when she bought Imad as a youngster from the Al Waha stud. He was incomparable and proved equally at home as a ridden champion at HOYS or rounding up cattle on the Welsh hills. Most importantly of all he produced numerous offspring from a variety of mares who inherited his eye-catching looks and athletic ability. As a breeder of great insight and instinct Diana was not afraid to face controversy. She thought so much of his correct conformation, athletic ability and wonderful temperament that she dared to breed him back to his daughters. This even caused a division of thought amongst Diana’s family. But she remained convinced that it was the right thing to do and as a result she fixed the genes to continue his dynasty through Farfalla and Illuminate. And now everyone agrees that Diana’s vision has resulted in two distinct families that reflect Imad’s beauty and performance. When we were fortunate enough to visit

Diana took pride in showing her own horses at Ascot. Above with Shanfara (El Shaklan x Fanfara) in 1983 and left, Carillion (King Cotton Gold x Tarentella) in 1982

Diana some years ago at Coed y Foel it was very clear to see as we wandered through the paddocks that the breeding decisions across the decades had been inspired. I commented to Diana that this was very evident in the groups of horses before us as they had a distinct type. Always selfeffacing, Diana thanked me and replied, ‘Do you think so?’ As I replied in the affirmative I could see the delight and quiet pride in her expression as we admired her horses. It was this humble and heartwarming approach that so many people will remember Diana for, as well as for her beautiful horses. And on meeting other members of her family at the 2024 Arab Show where Diana’s mare Sarafinah fittingly won the Crabbet Championship it is clear that Diana’s influence will live on in the way she would have wished through her granddaughters and Imad descendants. A greater tribute I cannot imagine.

Diana’s foundation mare, the 100% Crabbet Tarentella (Indian King x Dancing Sunlight) at Ascot in 1982. Left is her stud listing - Diana preferred Tarantella although the horse was registered Tarentella by her breeders

Imadia was by Diana’s great stallion Imad, out of Danse De Feu

Rowena Bertram reflects on her memories of Diana

I met Diana when I decided to breed from Holly (Bint Zaehebi) when she was eight in 1996. I went with a friend, and we saw Rusleem on the way over and then Imad. She showed us Imad teasing a not quite ready mare and then we talked, elbows on his back, leaning across him. I suddenly realised that incredible and spectacular though Rusleem was we had never come close to touching him. Yet with Imad’s remarkable temperament he was happy to have us up close and personal. So Holly went to Coed y Foel and was very happy there. Diana could even catch her, which was not one of Holly’s greatest attributes! But she refused to come in season. So she came home not covered costing a very reasonable keep fee considering the exacting type of mare she was! She returned the following year and was similarly tricky. Imad managed to cover her once then as it was already late summer she came home, sadly not in foal. Diana refused to charge me a stud fee even though

Rowena Bertram

she would have been entitled to do so, just, once again, her reasonable keep fee. Holly returned to work, but I kept in contact with Diana and it was through her that I joined the Arab Horse Society and the Premium Performance Scheme and remained on that committee for many years.

In 2001 Diana phoned me to tell me that

she had a colt for me. It was a very difficult time for me as I was embarking on the first year of my McTimoney practitioner’s course as well as having two young children. So, I didn’t manage to visit her until the autumn of 2002. That was when I first met Marcus (Marcus Aurelius) and wrote her a cheque on the spot! Diana refused to bank it until vets

Diana with Canzonetta (Imad x Carillion) at the British National Championships

Marcus Aurelius at home enjoying family life

Photo:

had x-rayed his foot as he had had a very bad foot abscess (which led to him missing the 2002 Crabbet Convention) Once again her integrity meant that she wanted to be sure that the infection had not caused any damage to the pedal bone.

We had many, many discussions over the years and I always valued her advice and insight and was glad to be able to offer mine in areas where I had more knowledge. She was always so open in requesting and counselling my opinions as well as offering hers in the ways that they related to me. When Marcus was discovered to be an LFS carrier and Beatrice (Paine) found it so difficult to deal with it was Diana who was

the voice of absolute reason who helped me navigate through the difficult early years of the awareness of another lethal gene. It was Diana’s wisdom that gave me an insight into the way breeders from the past had once shown courage and integrity when they first encountered SCID, both before and once a test for it existed.

She immediately tested her entire herd for LFS as she had once done for SCID.

She always loved to hear of Marcus’s exploits across the disciplines, particularly with the girls at Pony Club and we enjoyed many occasions meeting at the Crabbet Show. When Imad died I offered to take Marcus to fill the stallion spot at the end of her Open

Day and we had a lovely time. I think he had enjoyed going ‘home’.

When Becky took Marcus to do the 80k at the Red Dragon Diana found time to come and visit him in the stables there; he was so delighted to see her that he forgot to put his customary grumpy face on!

My last Christmas card from Diana again expressed her delight at Marcus’ achievements at the VHS championships and asked me to thank Katherine for posting his great wins to her Coed y Foel stud page - we never did unless requested of course as it was her page not ours.

In the autumn of 2023, I learned of Diana’s cancer diagnosis and we had a last hug at HOYS.

I tried to phone her a few times after Christmas but failed to receive a reply and had a sad sense of foreboding before the news of her death broke. To this day, and for many to come I expect, I still have the urge to pick up the phone and sound her out over something. Diana was a true friend as well as a breeder of insight and integrity. o

Imad in the Welsh hills

Diana’s influence on the Arabian breed has been immeasurable and she will be forever remembered for her warmth, generosity and eye for a good horse

Photo:SweetPhotography

Photo: Anne Brown

Rikitea was sired by the Crabbet bred stallion Rissalix - one of the many inspired choices made by Lady Yule. Rissalix (Faris x Rissla) had a pedigree to impress! He brought ‘sparkle’ and Rissla’s fabulous movement. He sired Blue Domino and Count Dorsaz, for which Hanstead is so famous. The sons and daughters of Rissalix were to travel to all corners of the world, and become renowned for their performance abilities. Rikitea’s dam was the home bred Nurschida, who was by Nuri Sherif (Nureddin II x Sheeba). Nuri Sherif contained valuable lines to Azrek, Sherifa, Hagar and Kars. Lady Yule had used sires outside of the Crabbet Stud in the early days of breeding, but soon Lady Wentworth welcomed Lady Yule’s visiting mares. There was a mutual exchange of horses which was extremely beneficial for both studs. Nurschida’s dam was Razina (Rasim x Riyala), a superb foundation mare for Lady Yule, purchased from Crabbet in 1925. At that time she was in foal to a thoroughbred and as Lady Yule had expressed an interest in breeding Anglo Arabians, Razina was an obvious choice. Lady Yule must have been pretty astute and with a fine eye for a top class horse. She could hardly have chosen better! Razina was a daughter of the wonderful mare Riyala (Astraled x Ridaa) and by the magnificent stallion Rasim. Razina was to prove an outstanding broodmare of Purebred Arabians, including Raktha (purchased by Lady Wentworth), Riffal, Shamnar and Radi. Rikitea’s first foal was the grey filly Garance, foaled in 1946 by the Hanstead bred stallion Grey Owl (Raseem x Naxina). She favoured her sire in looks and was bought by Margaret Greely as a replacement for Quaker Girl (Riffal x Niseyra), who she had to sell following a serious accident whilst leading a horse in

RIKITEA

Words by Becky Ross • PHOTOS FROM CRABBET HERITAGE ARCHIVES •

Rikitea was the most beautiful chestnut mare, bred by Lady Yule of the famous Hanstead Stud. She was foaled in 1942 in the midst of World War II. Wartime meant breeding was restricted, with shortages of staff and feedstuff. Thankfully Lady Yule had a considerable personal fortune and her own farms, so breeding continued but at a much reduced level

Rikitea (top) was by Rissalix (below left) out of Nurschida (below right)

the show ring. Garance’s first foal was her best known - Greatheart, a stunning chestnut stallion by Irex (Naseem x Rissla) with a most beautiful head. He was very successful as a sire, standing at the Castlemans Stud, which was not very far from Miss Greely’s Well House Stud in Sussex. He sired forty eight foals and some of his most notable offspring were Bint Roxana (Roxana), Marania Gold (Dreaming Gold) and Yolande (Yamina). Rosetta (Rosella) was exported to Australia where she had eight foals, including Providence (Rikham), Melaleuca Mirus (Ralvon Pilgrim) and Tahjil (Count Manilla). Bint Roxana was a top class brood mare who has active lines breeding in the UK today. She had eight foals including the striking bay stallion Rustem Pasha by Indian King. He was shown successfully under saddle and also sired a number of show winners such as Bint Rushna (Dukhna) and Baiyad (Bona Blue). Rustem Pasha was exported to Germany where he sired a further seven foals including Caprice out of Constanze by Harwood Asif.

Bint Roxana’s daughter Gold Roseiries by Gold Rex, bred very successfully for Diana Whittome, where she crossed beautifully with Imad. Descendants include Imadia, Silent Storm and Stormlite Royal. Another Bint Roxana daughter Roxanya (Blue Grotto), had an amazing seventeen foals including Rezayeh (Mareschal), whose granddaughter Rizaari has been a great brood mare for Moonlight Arabians. Roxaana (Nashaal x Bint Roxana) produced endurance star Aurontes (Aurelian). Garance’s third foal was Perle D’or (1956) by Count Dorsaz, bringing in more Rissalix blood. Despite this, her grey colour was strongly linked to the ‘Grey Owl’ type. Perle D’or was an outstanding show mare and broodmare, and whilst many of Margaret Greely’s horses were exported to South Africa, Australia and USA, Perle D’or remained in the UK. She had eleven foals and her best known were Silver Pearl (Silver Vanity), Pearl Maiden (General Grant) and Ormonde (Achim). Pearl Maiden is remembered for producing a string of foals by Mikeno who were very successful in foal classes, including Champion Foal at the Arab Horse Society National Show. Silver Pearl was purchased by Frank Smathers and exported to the USA in 1961, where she had seven foals. Four of these were by Crabbet stallion Touch of Magic (Indian Magic x Indian Diamond). Ormonde was a lovely stallion but only sired six foals. Garance was exported to South Africa in 1951 where she bred a further five foals. Another article would be needed to cover the South African lines. Rikitea’s next foal was a colt Diamond Dust by Grey Owl but he left no offspring. He was followed by a filly, Chellala, in 1949, sired by Grey Owl’s son Sala (Hama). Chellala was exported to South Africa as a three year old, where there was a growing enthusiasm for Arabian horse breeding. Chellala only had three foals. Chez Nous Chezaz IIU (Count

Rikitea’s grandson Greatheart was a prolific sire with forty eight offspring

Rikitea’s first foal Garance by Grey Owl

Dorsaz) and Chez Nous Silver Owl (Chief Kasalo) did breed on. Interestingly, Chief Kasalo was a son of Rikitea.

Chief Kasalo (1950) was Rikitea’s 1950 son by General Grant. His sire was another great Hanstead bred stallion by Raktha out of Samsie. Chief Kasalo was one of General Grant’s best sons, exemplifying the classic cross of Raktha blood with Rissalix. Chief Kasalo won the Junior Male Championship at the Arab Horse Society National Show in 1953 and was then exported to South Africa the following year. He sired twenty five foals, principally for the Timarie Stud owned by Mrs T E M Murray. By the second generation, he had 135 descendants!

Rikitea’s 1951 foal was the chestnut filly Teresita by General Grant and she joined Miss Greely’s stud for a while. Clearly Margaret Greely loved the Rikitea bloodline. Teresita remained in the UK but four of her five foals were exported. No doubt the pressures of running a small stud resulted in the need to sell stock to make room for the next generation. It must have been difficult parting with such beautiful horses. Teresita was a very successful show mare, winning the Supreme Female Championship at the Arab Horse Show as a three year old. Of her foals, her 1958 son Bayard (Greatheart) went to the USA siring just one foal and daughter Dominita (Blue Domino) went to Australia, where she was a successful broodmare. Both had stunning looks.

Teresita’s daughter Esther II (Greatheart) foaled in 1960, was a pretty mare who did well in the show ring as well as being an outstanding broodmare. She was bought by top breeder Eileen Thomas. Esther II’s daughter Jambalaya (Blue Domino) was a big prize winner and broodmare for the Mundays, who crossed her successfully with Risslan (Oran x Rissalma). Full siblings Jonquil, Delilah, Indian Royal and Empress Josephine (Indian King x Esther II), were also very successful in the show ring and Delilah was outstanding. A completely different daughter was Starshine, a grey mare by Indian Magic, who took after her father. She was a big moving mare whose son Silver Flynt (Faro), did well under saddle.

Rikitea’s 1952 daughter was Rinessa, a chestnut mare by General Grant, so a full sister to Teresita and Chief Kasalo. Rinessa was exported to South Africa where she had fourteen foals for W P Du Toit with the Quimran prefix. The following year Rikitea foaled Taheki (Grey Owl). She was exported to the USA after her purchase by Bazy Tankersley. She has active Crabbet lines through her son Indian Silver ++ (Silver Vanity).

Last but not least, Rikitea foaled a bay colt Rikki (Rifaria), who was gelded and became a top class ridden show horse, successful at the highest level.

Rikitea’s descendants have proved successful in the UK and abroad. It would have been wonderful if more could have stayed in the UK but other countries have truly benefited from Rikitea’s quality, beauty and wonderful bloodlines. o

Esther II, Rikitea’s granddaughter by Greatheart

Rikitea’s son Chief Kasalo, Junior Male Champion at the Arab Horse Society National Show in 1953

As readers will be aware, Crabbet Heritage has been set up to encourage future generations of Crabbet owners by keeping the incredible history of these horses alive and telling stories from the past and the present. What follows illustrates how preserving historic treasures also preserves the story of Arabs being introduced to improve local breeds

Words and images by Mark Tindall

Preserving our Crabbet History

One of my particular areas of interest is in the history of the Crabbet stud and the people and horses through the ages that founded their own studs around the world using Crabbet stock. At Crabbet Heritage we are always keen to try and preserve and display ‘treasures’ from the past so they are not lost to us all. With the passing of each generation, many items that we treasure, particularly historic photographs, but also books and other items of ephemera are thrown away as the family doesn’t understand the historic value of these items. Occasionally we are approached by someone asking if we would provide a home for such items, which of course we are glad to do.

Late December last year I received an email out of the blue from Rick Mapham, a veterinary surgeon from South Africa.

He explained that his grandfather, R W Thornton, was appointed as Agricultural Advisor to the High Commissioner in 1934 for the High Commission Territories of Basutoland, Bechuanaland and Swaziland. He was also Director of Agriculture for Basutoland. Mr Thornton subsequently authored a booklet on the origins of the Basuto pony which included the use of Arabian blood lines.

When Rick qualified as a veterinarian, he was given a book, “The Arabian Horse His Country and People” which lived on his bookshelves without much receiving attention for many years. The book, by Major-General William Tweedie, published by William Blackwood and Sons 1894 is a valuable reference work in itself.

Rick advised that he had recently looked at

the book and found within its pages, some handwritten letters, pedigree descriptions and a Crabbet Arabian Stud booklet dated 1903. He said that the Tweedie book was in bad condition, apparently heavily used in days gone by, but thankfully he was reluctant to simply discard it when it may be of interest to others.

I knew the book was itself worth preserving, as I have a copy in my own collection that has a full page inscription and drawing by Homer Davenport, (which will be appearing in our online museum) but what really sparked my interest were the papers and the Crabbet Stud booklet! Whenever I am shown around private book collections, it’s the small booklets and papers I generally head for as you never know what you might find there which is of historic interest, and

The 1894 book The Arabian Horse His Country and People by MajorGeneral William Tweedie

they tend to be more scarce than most of the well known books.

Having expressed my interest to Rick he very kindly offered to send the items to me on the understanding that they were not to be sold, which of course I accepted. The papers comprised fifteen pages of letters, descriptions of Arab Stallions and a copy of the 1903 Crabbet Stud booklet. Rick went on to say that his grandfather had an interesting history and that he had authored a booklet on the Basuto Pony, the local ‘workhorse bred to deal with very difficult terrain’ in Basutoland and surrounding areas. Basutoland was territory that had been under British control starting in 1868 (and ruled by the Cape Colony from 1871), however, it was unpopular and unable to control the territory. As a result, Basutoland was brought under direct authority of Queen Victoria, via the High Commissioner, and run

I asked Rick to scan the papers before he sent them as I was intrigued at what they might contain, but also for fear they may be lost in transit, so at least there would be a record of them. After some delay the package duly arrived and the contents were just as Rick described. I love seeing handwritten letters from the past, the writing is generally so neat and stylish although not always that easy to read! I set about carefully scanning each page and then transcribing the letters. The story that appeared in those few documents is indeed very interesting and a great example of what the Crabbet stud was all about. Rick also sent me a pdf of a document compiled by his cousin, unfortunately no longer with us, that documented a lot of his grandfather’s work, including the content of the Basuto Pony booklet.

When Lady Anne and Wilfrid Blunt hatched their plan to bring back the best horses they

English thoroughbred racing stock. The quality of horses had been on the decline and since the founding stock of the thoroughbred was largely based on ‘Eastern’ horses, including, of course, the famous Godolphin and Darley Arabians and the Byerly Turk as well as several other lesser known Arabians, it seemed a good plan. In the years following the foundation of the Crabbet Stud, however, and after much resistance from the English racing fraternity, many others around the world saw the potential of the Arabian horse to improve their own local horse stock. And so it was that following the famous Crabbet Sales held every two years (a number of sale brochures will be added in our forthcoming museum), horses were purchased and transported around the world to many different countries and districts (over 50) for this very reason. Having transcribed the papers from Rick I found they told this very

The three page letter (unsigned) sent to the editor of the Farmers Advocate, describing the plan to import Arabian Stallions to improve

the Basuto Pony

‘Horses were first sent out to the Cape by the Dutch East India Company in 1652 but owing to bad weather, they were landed at St. Helena and only reached the Cape in 1655. They were Java horses of a strong Persian and Arab strain. In 1659, the Government agreed to Jan van Riebeeck’s request to send two horses from the East with every home-bound fleet. These were of the same stock as those previously imported in 1655.

In 1689 Simon van der Stel imported good stud horses, of which the farmers made good use, direct from Persia. By this date horse-breeding was firmly established and we may claim for the Cape Horse, an origin similar to that of the English Thoroughbred, viz. from the noblest strain of all warm blooded horses, “the Libyan of North Africa”, through its Arab, Barb and Persian types. The animals were small but hardy and had excellent constitutions and temperaments.’

Other regular importations occurred in the following decades, including good quality horses from Spain but most notably, English thoroughbreds with lengthy pedigrees going back to the ‘great oriental founders of the Thoroughbred’.

‘The colonists were so pleased with the Governor’s excellent scheme of using the Thoroughbred to ennoble the Cape country-bred, that the importation of good stallions continued and the decade 1820 -1830 saw many notable sires reach the shores of South Africa. Thus 1811 may be said to mark the beginning of the reign of the English Thoroughbred at the Cape, which lasted for half a century and during which period the Cape Horse reached its zenith.

It is necessary here to emphasize the fact that up to 1811-1812, the Cape stock was almost entirely of oriental origin and that the importations to the Cape from England prior to 1810, especially during 1770-1790, included many of the sons and daughters, descendants of the first three great English sires bred from three great oriental sires viz.:

1) Herod (1758), best descendant of Byerly Turk (1689).

2) Matcham (1748), best descendant of Godolphin Barb (1728).

3) Eclipse (1764), best descendant of Darley Arabian (1706).

The blood of these sires and mares made it possible for the Arab stock of the Cape to reach its zenith under the patronage of Lord Charles Somerset and the great Hantam breeders. From 1850-1860 the quality of Thoroughbreds imported

The Mapham papers include descriptions of all 13 stallions imported between 1889 and 1905

1903 Crabbet Arabian Stud booklet, believed to be annotated by Lady Anne

was not quite as good as that of the former importations. From about 1860 a period of calamitous decline set in’

And so it was that starting in 1889, a bay Arab desert bred Stallion named Caliph was purchased from the Hon. Miss Dillon, the first of a new group of Arab stallions to be imported with the intention of improving the ‘calamatous decline’ of the Basuto Pony.

A three page unsigned letter included in the package from Rick, addressed to ‘The Editor, Farmers Advocate’, outlines the story of a new attempt to improve the Basuto Pony by importing quality Arab stallions again. There is also mention of breeding from Welsh ponies but not much more is said about that. The author lists 13 imported stallions between 1889 and 1906 - Caliph, a desert bred purchased from the Hon. Miss Dillon, Kohat from General MacDonald, five from Bombay and six came from the Crabbet stud as listed below.

The quoted texts are Lady Anne’s notes from her personal Stud Book: Merzuk, Ch. f. 1887, a Kehilan Ajuz of the Jellabe strain, (Kehilan Jellabe)

Bred by Ali Pasha Sherif in Egypt.

“A strong chestnut with two white feet, off hind and near fore foot, and narrow crooked blaze. Very broad forehead and prominent eyes, short ears very pricked, strong back well ribbed up and remarkably good legs, especially hind hocks. Height 14.2 1/2”. “Merzuk was purchased from his breeder in 1889. Imported 1891”.

“Merzuk was sold during the summer of 1891 to Sir Henry Lock, governor of the Cape, for 120gns for exportation to Basutoland. A horse that would have been valuable to keep for the Crabbet Arabian Stud, but a promise to find a horse for the Cape had to be kept, and so he had to be sent out.” Merzuk was exported in 1891. “1893. Merzuk, after being the sire of about 40 foals fell a victim to African horse sickness”

The following horses were all bred at Crabbet Park:

Azim, Br. f. 1890 (Azrek x Jebel Druz), a Seglawi Jedran

Note: Azims dam, Jebel Druz was sold along with her foal by Rataplan, at the fourth sale in 1888 to a Mr Evelyn, for 275gs. He named the dark brown foal Hassan, (sadly

Rataplan was lost at sea in 1887 on his way to Egypt).

“Jebel Druz was repurchased from Mr Evelyn in the summer of 1893 for 170gs with her three colts, Hassan 1888 (by Rataplan), Azim 1890 (by Azrek) and Jebel Sheykh 1893 (by Mesaoud).”

Azim was listed in the sixth Crabbet sale catalogue of July 22, 1893 and was sold in August that year to “the colonial agent, for exportation to Basutoland, for 150gs.”

Farsang, B. f. 1898 (Mesaoud x Ferida) a Managhi Ibn Sbeyel

Farsang was born at 11pm on 28th January 1898. He was bay with white near hind heel and blaze. He stood 14. 23/4 h.h. at two years.

“Farsang was sold at the 15th sale held on 4th July 1903 to Mr C Boyes for 130gs for exportation to South Africa, Government of Basutoland.” He was exported in 1905.

Munir, B. f. 1900 (Mesaoud x Mabruka) a Seglawi Jedran of Ibn Derri’s strain Munir was born on 28th March 1900.

“near hind and off front feet white great blaze ending pink including nostrils, off nostril black inside; black spot under near nostril, black line on back, tail bone very short and twisted.”

“Munir sold at the fifteenth sale held on 4th July 1903 to Mr C Boyes for 105gs for exportation to South Africa, Government of Basutoland.” He was exported in 1905.

Muhajjer, B. f. 1902 (Rejeb x Mabruka) a Seglawi Jedran of Ibn Derri’s strain, “Three white feet, hind ones and off front one, a great blaze to off eye including near eyebrows and down over and under lip”.

“Muhajjer was sold in Jan: 1906 to the crown agent for the colonies for 110gs for exportation to Basutoland (with Durajj)”**

Durajj, Ch. f. 1902 (Rejeb x Bint Nura) a Dahman Nejib

“off hind leg white; blaze ending pink near nostril, dark and near eye human”. “A very beautiful foal. Durrajj was sold in Jan: 1906 to the Crown Agent for the Colonies for 120gs exportation to Basutoland (with Muhajjer).”**

Sadly, it seems that in the following few years whilst there was limited success, the venture was considered a failure and by 1910 only the Crabbet stallion Durrajj remained, the others having been sold. The final paragraph of the letter goes on to say,

“This is the opinion of the Government Veterinary Officer, Mr Verney, under whose advice the Government has latterly purchased some good thoroughbreds, and horses of the Polo Pony Type: it being held that the results of the Arab experiment had not justified the outlay.”

Brochure for the 15th Crabbet sale held in 1903 showing Horse No.6 Munir, sold for £105 and No. 13 Farsang, sold for £130

Although this ‘experiment’ didn’t work out, possibly because the local breeders didn’t make best use of the Arab stallions, they may not have bred to quality mares in the first instance and they didn’t really give the project much time, it is still a great illustration of what many around the world were doing – using Arabian horses to improve local stock horses.

It really has been fascinating to see this story being told through several documents of the time, and hand-written pedigrees showing the horses they purchased, well the Crabbet ones at least, they probably didn’t have pedigrees for the others! To me, any photograph, document, booklet, book

*Source Wikipedia

or items of ephemera are ‘treasures’, not in a monetary sense but an historical one and this story illustrates the importance of preserving everything we can.

And now, I’m pleased to say, we will be making whatever treasures we can, available in our online museum for the first time, so that everyone can see them.

The book and ‘Mapham papers’ received:

• The Arabian Horse His Country and People, Tweedie, 1894

• Pages 1 to 6 documents pinned together

– letter to “Foord” 12 Aug 1903, description of three stallions and notes from Assistant Commissioner with description of four

stallions dated 15 Aug 1903.

• Pages 7 to 9 – letter to the Editor of Farmers Advocate unsigned.

• Pages 10 to 11 – descriptions of stallions.

• Pages 12 to 15 letter to Barret dated 6 December 1902 contained in an envelope marked Resident Commissioners Office, Basutoland.

• 1903 Crabbet Arabian Stud booklet, believed to be annotated by Lady Anne

Our sincere thanks go to Rick Mapham who has saved a piece of history for us all. The documents sent to us will go on display in our online museum at: www.crabbet-heritage.co.uk o

** The letter to the Farmer Advocate indicates that Muhajjer and Durrajj were exported in 1905 whereas Lady Anne’s notes clearly state 1906

MILL PARK ARABIANS

WORDS BY JANE SHEPPARD

PHOTOS FROM MILL PARK ARABIANS ARCHIVES

In Queensland our core base of Crabbet bred horses were different to the ones in Victoria and were only seen in our Arabian Horse News books or RM Williams’ Hoofs n Horns magazine. I grew up with such greats as Royal Domino, Count Manilla, Crystal Fire, Zenith II and Sirocco to name but a few of the important horses here. My little stud is based on the qualities of Bright Shadow through my double Silver Minstrel stallion Bremervale Silver Prince (now deceased), who was bred by Sir Clarence Leggett of Oxford Stud, importer of Silver Minstrel from England. I love riding quality Arabians but with that bit of pizazz that makes them unique

In 2016 on a trip to Victoria, I was able to visit a stud that had been a bit of a dream for me and had everything that I love in an Arabian, I was in my element. The welcome we received and the stories of not so long ago of famous horses was just so wonderful. The fledging Mill Park Arabians started in 1969 when Shirley Douglas purchased the English/Crabbet bred colt Radson (Radames x Katerina) after falling under the Arabian spell whilst watching Sindh (imp) win Champion Arabian Stallion at the 1965 Melbourne Royal Show. This new colt, Radson, (born 1968 No.725 Volume 3 Australian Stud Book) was a Rossfennick grandson, his dam being a stunning chestnut Rossfennick daughter. Radson was used to breed Palomino and Anglo Arabians as Shirley was then a keen competitor of One Day Eventing.

Shortly afterwards, in the early 70’s, Shirley met Ronald Ryan and Wayne Pinder and was introduced by them to the famous Fenwick Stud, Australia’s mecca for the Crabbet Arabian. Visits to Fenwick ensured that Shirley became enamoured with the 100% Crabbet Arabian and that they would become a lifelong passion of hers.

This threesome would travel to Fenwick Stud every foaling season to view the new arrivals as well as visit the other prominent Crabbet Studs such as Wellworth, on a regular basis.

As Shirley researched the pedigrees and families of these horses she also happened upon the fascinating histories of the people that made up the essence of what we know as Crabbet Park, and she very quickly became an avid reader of anything that she could find in her quest to learn more about the Crabbet Stud, its people and horses. In this period, Lady Anne Blunt became someone whom Shirley came to admire and hold as an example to herself as a true breeder and someone to style oneself on and strive for the betterment of the Crabbet horse in today’s Arabian world. Time moves on and so do some marriages and Shirley relocated with her horses to a new address and her first Arabian, now a mature stallion, was sold on. Then in 1973 the pure Crabbet Colt Jedaan (Rasham x Sparkle), the chestnut full sibling to Rasham, came to reside at Mill Park .

Shirley was fortunate to visit a lot of studs that were of interest to her and formed

Arfaja Haluj came to Mill Park as a weanling and sired many offspring, leaving a great legacy at the stud

The much-celebrated Ruberto was purchased in the 90s at age 24, and left 19 pure Crabbets

changed in the 80’s and the Straight Egyptian came into vogue in Australia and saw the explosion of the super Crabbet/Straight Egyptian crosses make their presence felt across the show rings of the country. Many of these horses were superb individuals and they quickly became the flavour of the time. Shirley made the decision to keep to a 100% Crabbet breeding programme. This was not merely for the horses alone but for the pedigree and the genetic background of those years of research and selective breeding that Lady Anne Blunt, her family that followed and those afterwards had put into the formation of the selection of these horses and for the potential and the ability to breed more of this type of Arabian that had now become her passion.

Pure Arabian mares were in short supply and highly sought after and very expensive in the 70’s and a long way out of a working girl’s reach as Shirley recalled. Purchasing an Arabian filly in those years meant going on a waiting list of the particular stud that you wished to buy from and then waiting for a filly of your choice to be produced and if you were lucky, to be offered for sale and if you were luckier still, you would have the money to buy her! It would take some time to acquire her coveted Arabian mares!

The 80’s also saw the start of the Australian Crabbet Group in New South Wales and shortly after, the beginning of the Victorian Crabbet Arabian Horse Group in which Shirley and her husband Don and several other enthusiasts were instrumental in starting. One of the stallions Mill Park owned that came to Queensland for a time was the very exciting Arfaja Haluj (Rasham x Persareh), a showman through and through, everything done with an arched neck, big snort, huge movement and spirit. A super riding horse, always floating along with his true action and ground covering trot, he joined Mill Park as a weanling of four months old in 1984 the year of a horrific drought for Victoria. He was bred by Arfaja Stud and his dam was the most beautiful Fenwick bred mare Persareh (Sardonyx x Perfection). He became quite the magnificent stallion and he has progeny in various parts of Australia who are much loved and cherished. One to note is Sean Johnston’s exquisite grey mare Zamia, a

“Lady Anne Blunt became someone whom Shirley came to admire and hold as an example to herself as a true breeder and someone to style oneself on and strive for the betterment of the Crabbet horse in today’s Arabian world”

multi champion mare in her own right. There were purchases and leases until a small core group of mainly Crabbet based horses were chosen after much bloodline searching and trial and error. The aim was to breed on a small scale, useful, versatile horses as well as to preserve the classic Arabian grace and beauty associated with the breed. Horses were sourced over time with these features very much in mind. Toward the late 70’s early 80’s Mill Park progressed to breeding solely pure Crabbet Arabians.

Shirley and Don and their good friend Wayne Pinder joined together in the mid 80’s to form ‘The Crabbet Heritage Breeders’ to fully complement each other’s

at Mill Park

Ruberto was a celebrated horse in every sense of the word, he was a supreme show champion and the wonderful quality of his progeny spoke for themselves as to his worth as a breeding stallion

breeding programmes and to be able to utilise wonderful lines from both studs, expand the gene pool and to be able to use stallions to better suit each other’s mares. This was a wonderful plan and gave them a combined effort of 32 pure Crabbet females and the stallions owned, leased and used in this group at that time were: Sindel (Sindh*x Electria) - Nicolo (Fabulous x Nosegaye)Arfaja Haluj (Rasham x Persareh) - Ranaarb (Rasham x Liquid Amber) - Nicodemus (Indian Jewel x Riffalani ) as well as outside stallions such as Mutlak* (Indian Magic x Mifaria ), Wellworth Tangiers (Morocco x Sefra ) and Volcano ( Bakos x Victorine) leased from his breeder Dini Mercieca of Wyreema Stud.

Shirley and Wayne would make it their quest to travel extensively in Australia to track down Crabbet Arabians that had become ‘lost’ to the breed and managed to bring back into the fold some useful bloodlines. Together they searched and found some lovely old mares and stallions that would have been lost to the Crabbet breeding pool if not for their determination in finding them and many miles travelled along the way. Early in the 90’s Shirley and Wayne purchased the celebrated pure Crabbet stallion Ruberto from the renowned Santarabia Stud as its principles had gone into retirement and this fabulous horse was advertised for sale. He was a stallion that they had always admired but was one that was always on the unobtainable list until fate would deal them a winning hand. Ruberto was almost 24 years old but his family genetics was of known longevity so the chance to buy him was not to be missed. Ruberto was a celebrated horse in every sense of the word, he was a supreme show champion and the wonderful quality of his progeny spoke for themselves as to his worth as a breeding stallion. Ruberto was bred by Fenwick Stud and is by Sindh and out of the beautiful Riffal daughter Ringlet. I remember seeing his picture in magazines from the Santarabia Stud and to view him in home videos is something else.

Roberto’s arrival and commencement of stud duties for The Crabbet Heritage Breeders bought about an exciting time for Shirley and Wayne but sadly Wayne was already gravely ill and did not live to see the Ruberto foals in person. From his hospital bed by the means of a video that Shirley had

Two of Ruberto’s offspring for the stud were Mill Park Talieah (ex Amareece) born in 1995 and Mill Park Vespher (ex Mill Park Zarifa), a multi champion both in halter and ridden

taken down for him to view in the hospital in Melbourne, he did see the much waited for and anticipated dark bay filly Mill Park Pertrice. She is the only living pure Crabbet offspring for her dam Pernell (Fabulous x Perfection). Heartbreakingly Wayne died in Feb 1993 with Shirley and Don there with him, Shirley had told Wayne that Falene (Greylight x Falusuf) was about to foal. That same night and after Shirley and Don travelled home to be with Falene to foal her down, she had her Roberto colt that grew to be the very beautiful stallion Mill Park Falconer. Some of his outstanding daughters are still in the stud and are very special and valuable broodmares.

True to her word, Shirley kept the dream that she and Wayne shared alive to the best of her and her husband Don’s ability, but sadly some of the many horses that had now become their sole responsibility had to be sold and a smaller band of chosen bloodlines kept. These mares

went on to be the foundation for other Crabbet studs so their lines were not lost. Ruberto was used selectively over mares that complemented his lines and left a total of 19 pure Crabbets for Mill Park. Shirley was interested to see if she could produce the bays and browns from the Riffal* line mares in the stud and during this process she made an interesting observation. Although Ruberto sired chestnut and greys as well, there appeared to be a genetic colour link as the Ruberto bays and browns were particularly beautiful. One must contribute the connection with Ruheym who herself was born bay and her own offspring of dark bay’s when delving into her pedigree. Her dam Rualla was also bay, by the bay stallion Harir*, Rualla’s sire Raisuli was by the dark bay stallion Reif* whose own sire Sotomm provides the common link with Riffal *(Naufal x Razina). Sotomm sired Naufal whose influence has travelled through these pedigrees to make their presence felt at Mill Park.

Ruberto was put down in 1997 after suffering a stroke that incapacitated him and made movement other than a walk most difficult and distressing for him. He was laid to rest in his paddock. He was in his 29th year.

In the time that followed Roberto’s death a new path opened as Mill Park joined with Judy and Paul Ward of Bellmere Stud,

Mares by Arfaja Nassif also helped to shape the future of the stud, among them Mill Park Maeve who is resident at the stud today

The stud has some wonderful youngsters by the stallion Mill Park Blaidd (Arfaja Harlan x Millbanda Ballalina) for the future. Pictured above with Cameo Violetta (Hallelugah x Cameo Tosca) and right with Shirley. He now resides at Johroy Stud

Mill Park Artermis (and opposite page) is the new boy at the stud and has crossed exceptionally well with the mares at the stud

are a real reminder of why we all started to preserve these wonderful lines for the future breeders.

Queensland and Dini Mercieca of Wyreema Arabians, New South Wales, to share stallions and mares to widen their gene pool and again advertise under the banner of ‘Crabbet Heritage Breeders’. The stallion Volcano (Bakos x Victorine) joined Mill Park then as his owner breeder Dini Mercieca sent him to Shirley hoping to help soften the loss of Ruberto.

Even though showing was the least favourite pastime for Shirley, the stud had great success in the show ring with their horses and other studs’ horses. These early shows had such a wonderful camaraderie with likeminded studs of the day and some very large classes. At the 1992 Victorian Crabbet Show held at the Bendigo showground with the astute judge being the UK’s Rosemary Archer, Shirley and Wayne’s horses scooped the championship pool, winning all championships for pure Crabbet horses with the Champion Mare Mill Park Indiana (Mutlak* x Ria), Champion Stallion Ranaarb (Rasham x Liquid Amber) and Champion Veteran mare Liquid Amber (Mutlak x Electric Amber) with Ruberto Reserve Champion. Then in 1996 the upcoming yearling colt for Mill Park was Raamon (Rasham x Moroccan Moon) who won his class out of 70 entries in the futurity class at the prestigious Arabian Classic in Melbourne.

What a feast of wonderful English horses that would have been to see for myself, looking through books hopefully gives some idea. Thankfully Shirley has a great range of photos to view that are wonderful, so great to see horses you have only read about and her stories

Some horses of note for the stud were Arfaja Haluj whom Shirley shared with Bellmere Stud in Queensland, Ruberto, Ranaarb (who was bred by Shirley and was exported to New Zealand and left a great legacy there) and Bold as Blazes whom Shirley also shared with Bellmere Stud in Queensland. Mill Park Amastar who she shared with Pyrenees Stud in Victoria. Mill Park Vespher (Ruberto x Mill Park Zarifa) is a multiple supreme champion at halter at A and AA level and won the coveted Rami Sash for Champion Purebred filly at the 1999 Melbourne Summer Royal against open company. The Pure Crabbet mare Mill Park Vespher owned by Debbielee White, of Orabanda Arabians, Tasmania was also the winner of the purebred saddle futurity. Ridden and trained by Anthony Mountney, of Manorvale Stables, Kembla Grange NSW. She won best novice exhibit at the NSW Crabbet Breeders open A class show under saddle, and has had a very successful show career as well as being successful brood mare. Just goes to show there’s no reason why a good Crabbet shouldn’t hold their own in the best company!

Mares in the broodmare band back in those early days that helped to shape the stud, were by such greats as Nicodemus (Indian

“I never look at my horses without thinking if they would meet with approval from the past Crabbet Park owners. Would Lady Anne Blunt approve...”

Jewel x Riffalani), Mutlak imp. GB (Indian Magic x Mifaria), Greylight iid GB (Bright Shadow x Royal Radiance), Morocco (Risheem x Fickle), Silver Spot (Riffal* x Royal Radiance*) and Bronze Tone (Sindh* x Badiyan). Along with these are the mares by Mill Park Falconer, Volcano, Arfaja Haluj, Arfaja Harlan, Arfaja Nassif, Senussi, Mill Park Blaidd and the latest generation, stallion Mill Park Artemis who has settled into his breeding career with some outstanding babies at the stud. The pure Crabbet ‘Mira Monte’ prefix horses were bred at Mill Park too, as their dam Woodlyn Silver Spangle resided and lived her life with Shirley. She was bred with the Mira Monte prefix for her owners and friends Alison and Wayne Hyde in South Australia.

One of the things I loved about the horses at the stud was how uniform a group the mares are, some of different lines but with the same wonderful saddle horse qualities and style. Good legs and feet and that movement that gives you goosebumps that so many Arabians have lost, true easy floating action. All the horses have the super friendly temperament you expect and you can wander about with the mares and the stallions quite happily, which I love doing. It’s interesting to note that my favourites in the stud are the Arfaja Haluj daughters and grandchildren, they just have that super bit of pizazz and something extra you just can’t explain.

Exciting news for Queensland is the addition of Mill Park Blaidd to Johroy Stud in Maryborough on the Fraser Coast. Blaidd has sired wonderful correct progeny who are now starting to get out and about and have been very successful in the show ring and are showing much promise in the endurance field as well. An added bonus is his striking rich bay colour to go with his conformation and excellent movement. We first saw a couple of his youngsters at the Victorian Crabbet Convention in 2016 and they were wonderful to see strutting their stuff. Mill Park has bred some lovely youngsters by him for the future. Blaidd stands at stud via frozen semen and this year will see some exciting new babies for Theresa out of her

wonderful coloured Arabians and her pure Crabbet mares.

The new boy in the stud is the young and very beautiful stallion Mill Park Artemis, he is by the lovely Arfaja Nassif (Wellworth Tangiers x Persareh) and out of the Arfaja Haluj (Rasham x Persareh) daughter Mill Park Athena (Rasham x Mill Park Talieah by Ruberto). He is the product of close breeding through his sire’s dam and his grandsire’s dam being the stunning mare Persareh. He reminds me of footage of his grandfather Arfaja Haluj (Rasham x Persareh) with his floating effortless trot and his striking markings and his exuberance for life. He is built to be a fabulous saddle horse and very beautiful with a short dished head, tiny ears, big jowls and large eye. His foals are really exciting for the future and show how important this young stallion is as a sire. He has crossed exceptionally well over three different types of mares which is very promising for his future in the stud. Beckonlea Stud has a lovely young colt Bey Archer who will be one to keep an eye on as he grows. Artemis’s daughter Mill Park Zeinah (out of Mill Park Zahra) has been sashed the 2024 Australian National Reserve Champion Crabbet Mare which was held in Victoria this year. She looked amazing and handled her sassy self beautifully at only her second show. Shirley says that the thing that drives her is that fire in the belly that keeps the pure Crabbet breeder striving to produce a foal that is better than its sire or dam, not the dollars at the end when it is sold. It is hard to explain to the uninitiated person/ breeder that has not been totally swayed by the Crabbet bug, just what it means to breed pure Crabbet. It is more than a horse, it is a history passed down through the generations of people and horses to those alive today,

Shirley says “to me they are an honour and a challenge these horses that have so much heritage, history and romantic ideal. I never look at my horses without thinking if they would meet with approval from the past Crabbet Park owners. Would Lady Anne Blunt approve and yes if they were alive today perhaps they would have used other stallions/mares and stepped out of the mould that we follow, but they left us a legacy that we as pure Crabbet breeders do our best to maintain”. o

Five Generations at FFC!

AlcanadianBreezeB/MbyAMCanadianBeau++/ Dam ofFFC Rissla

Alowan SonataB/MbyFFCGeynius+/ Dam ofFFCBrigeyt++

FFC RisslaC/MbyRapporTee Dam of Alowan Sonata

FFCBrigeyt++G/MbyPHP Brilliance Dam ofFFC Miz Barbara&FFCAnnBonney

FFCAnnBonney+/G/MbyRSSeaRaider++/

The Makahiwi Challenge 2024

The Makahiwi Challenge is New Zealand’s only multi-day endurance ride, offering individual or team options to ride across a total distance of either 60km, 120km, or 240km over three successive days

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY JUANITA DUNCAN

Individuals can choose from four classes: 240km Enduro, 120km Enduro, 120km Ride to Time and 60km Ride To Time. Competitors ride the same horse across all three days, completing the entire distance.

Teams can ride one, two, or all three days and can be formed ahead of the competition by competitors or be matched with others by the organisers. The competition combines the three best scores/times out of four for the entire team over the weekend.

Makahiwi Arabians breed tough, sound endurance horses. Sired by Crabbet stallion Inshallah Colorado, they are suited for life

in the challenging terrain of King Country in New Zealand. The stud also hosts the annual endurance race - the Makahiwi Challenge. This is its story told by Juanita Duncan who runs the stud with her husband Struan. Many riders turn up for an endurance ride and have a fantastic time with their horses, which is great. What I would like to share is some insight on what it takes to run a ride, specifically our Makahiwi Challenge. The challenge consists of a variety of classes for individuals and teams run over three days. Rides are all about the landowners - without the land we have nowhere to ride. Because we have run this ride since 2018 we have

Sunset on Hikurangi

already built good relationships with our neighbours. Prior to that we had held other rides on ours and our neighbours’ properties, but now that we hold an annual ride the neighbours know what time of year to expect Struan’s call. Along with Makahiwi Land Co, there are six other landowners - Pamu, Te Uranga B2, Ngapuke Station, Purakau Farms, Otamakahi Trust, and Beck Farms, whose land the ride crosses. All these farms have various landowners, managers and workers that need to be in the know. Having, and being good neighbours is vital.

Weeks before the ride Struan goes around checking measurements and making sure all parts of the rides will be accessible. I lose count of how many times he goes over the track. This year in particular we had to make sure culverts were OK as we had heavy rains with a month to go.

Distance Riding New Zealand (DRNZ) have a trailer well equipped with supplies to mark

Mowing the track and mustering sheep off the track are all part of the preparations for the ride

the track and set up the base with strapping area, vet ring supplies and everything to run an endurance ride. They also have a trailer full of road markers. These need to get from one ride to the next. Robyn Peters, legendary NZ endurance rider, and I travelled 200kms each to go and pick these up.

Next the ride marking can begin. So from Saturday right through to start day, marking and discussions about marking are held between us, Robyn, Peter and Teresa Birkett - also experienced endurance competitors, - making sure we have the best, most accurately measured track . Marking our track takes approximately one hour per five kilometres. This is after measuring and remeasuring. Think about it - four loops, 50k, 40k, 30k and 20k loops. A lot of hours go into making sure everything is just right. You need to mark like you are riding the track yourself for the first time. We even did a bit of track mowing, just to make the route

perfect for our horses and riders. When it comes to the organisational side of things, months in advance we have to organise sponsors, prizes, vets, officials, and volunteers. Volunteers to look after catering, cleaning, first aid, registration, start/finish line, vet writing, even volunteers to find volunteers! Caterers for the vets and the prizegiving dinner. And accommodation for the vets who have to travel to officiate at rides. Without the organisers, volunteers and sponsors the ride could not happen. Thank you all so very much!

A few days before the ride our lovely neighbours and landowners move their stock. If they can, the landowners make sure to have as few gates shut as possible. We are very thankful not only for the land to ride on but also the extra work they do to make our ride possible.

Next it is time to set up the base, which requires a start/finish, a place for the vet

ring, strapping area and a place for people to camp with their horses. There needs to be water for people and horses, showers and toilets.

At last we were ready for the first ride day, the first day of 94 entries over the 2024 weekend.

On day two of the ride we got to ride in the 120km Ride to Time team event. Our team - ‘Mane Attraction’ - consisted of Cat Smith on a five year old gelding, Makawihi Nimitz (Inshallah Colorado x Makahiwi Odessa), Tania Bramley on Scotty, a station bred horse of unrecorded breeding, Struan

being the first time any of us had competed in this event, each of us riding 40ks. Great company, great team. Thanks girls. We really enjoyed our ride. Coming first in the team event was a surprise bonus.

With any outside event there is always one factor that cannot be controlled, whether

you are in the UK, NZ or the USA and this is the weather. Unfortunately before day three it started to rain. Knowing some spots in particular would become greasy with the rain, discussions were had about which loops could be changed for safety. We went out before riders to recheck that the main track that everyone would ride was safe, putting in markers that had fallen over. Riders need to take more caution in the wet weather and they did. We even found a photographer in the rain.

Prize giving is where the efforts of everyone over the weekend, the organisers, riders, and

Clockwise from left: Looking down on the ride base; Juanita on Makahiwi Lucilla and Cat Smith on Makahiwi Nimitz; Team ‘Mane Attraction’ out on the track, from L to R: Cat Smith, Juanita, Struan and Tania Bramley

their horses, the landowners, volunteers and the sponsors, all come together and recognise the weekend’s efforts. Congratulations to all who completed their rides. To those who didn’t make it through, well done for making the effort. This is always a social time and we have a lovely dinner together. Special congratulations to our Makahiwi Arabians for their results: second in the 120k Ride to Time individual Pilar Kruger on Makahiwi Titan, third in the 120k Ride to Time individual Dave Krugar on Makahiwi Maverick, first in the teams Ride to Time 120k Cat Smith on Makahiwi Nimitz, Tania Bramley on Scotty (not a Makahiwi Arabian but part of our team), Struan on Makahiwi Adelaide and me on Makahiwi Lucilla, a five year old mare. It was very special to do our first DRNZ ride on our farm. Also great to have our horses out doing what they are bred for. Everyone would have ridden past our new Makahiwi Arabian foal born that

weekend too.

Then it is time to pack up pick up and leave. On day three we picked up markers and closed gates between boundaries. Even our land owners Simon and Tanya Virtue from Purakau farms helped and picked up the markers from their property and dropped them off before dinner Sunday night. They’re the same neighbours who hung a gate on a boundary fence that they never use. Over the next week we would be normally picking up markers from all the properties. Fortunately it doesn’t take as long to pick them up as putting them in, but it still takes hours. At the ride base it’s pack up time, the vet ring, the start/finish line, the quarters, all that was set up needs to be packed away again for the next ride. Thank you everyone for coming and making it worth all the work and effort that everyone puts in.

The next ride is for Equestrian Sports New Zealand the following weekend. We change

a few loops but will still make it a most enjoyable ride.

Wow! What a crazy busy couple of weeks it has been with us hosting the DRNZ Makahiwi Challenge one weekend and then an ESNZ Waikato club ride the next. Although we had our ups and downs, having to mark a new 30k track and alter the 20k track, we got there in the end.

We hope everyone enjoyed seeing the mares and foals, Santana, Colorado with his mares, and the colts Cuba and Comet. I reckon it was a quiet weekend for them not seeing y’all riding past this weekend.

Thank you everyone who supported both rides. It makes it all worthwhile seeing the smiling faces, socialising and happy horses. All the best to those competing in the ESNZ Nationals and DRNZ Champs. With the end of the season in sight we look forward to hosting again in the new season. See you soon! o

Clockwise from left: Makahiwi Comet watching riders go by; riders going down into the bush; Hikurangi in the morning fog; Kerry Rowe waiting for riders to photograph

Breeding old Kellogg, Crabbet and American lines for 50 years!

Diablo Vista has been breeding Purebred Arabians for 50 years specializing in the old Kellogg bloodlines. I have the most varied lines to the Kellogg greats. My emphasis has been Aurab and Ben Rabba in many different lines. Plus, I have many lines to Abu Farwa, Ferseyn, *Raseyn, Farana, Zadir, *Raffles and *Serafix. I have traveled all over to get horses with conformation and pedigrees I admire. I am first and only a breeder, additionally I have CMK lines, three blacks, and two pure Crabbets.

KHROSS WINND (682274) by Khartoon Khlassic

Region 3 Championship Show 2023: Arabian Western Trail Jr Horse - Champion Arabian Ranch Horse Riding Jr Horse - Reserve Champion

Region 4 Championship 2023: Arabian Ranch Horse Riding Jr Horse-Champion

Region 3 Sport Horse Offsite Championship: 2023 Arabian Sport Horse Stallions In-Hand-Res

Champion Arabian Sport Horse Stallions InHand ATH - Champion

See the Arabian Horse DataSource for more info LFS – SCID – CA Clear W-15 Gene White

BEESTON HAKIM

Klinta Bashir x Hadila

14.3 hh chestnut Crabbet stallion

Multi National and International ridden and in hand champion

National Crabbet winner

HOYS gold medalist

Advert by Tanya Betts, Tameda Design

MOONLIGHT ARABIANS

Open day

In a whirlwind three weeks we organised our first Cornish Open Day at Moonlight Arabians. The idea had been tapping gently at the door but in response to a plea from Lorraine Barnfield of Equestrian Camps Southwest - adult ‘pony club style’ camps with an emphasis on confidence building and enjoyment, the idea was set in motion

Words by Natalie Tindall

Photos by Niamh Woods

TThe camps had lost their venue with the retirement of the owners, so Lorraine had embarked on a fundraising venture to try to acquire land so that the camps could have their own venue. She also plans for the land to be available to other community groups for outdoor activities. As I had been on two of the camps with Aurora and enjoyed the format of flat work, jumping and cross country together with good food, like-minded people and informal talks and quizzes, I was happy to help.

Woodlay Farm became a frenzy of grass cutting, signwriting and barn clearing - we wanted to be prepared for the unpredictable British weather - and it was lucky that we were! During the week beforehand we bathed the indoor horses and groomed the outdoor ones and put rain sheets on them in an attempt to keep the mud off! It became clear that the weather was not going to be kind, with at the very least gale force winds and the threat of heavy showers, so we planned an indoor itinerary. Although our indoor school is tiny it allowed everyone to see the horses in relative comfort out of the howling wind. Unfortunately it played havoc with the sound system so my husband Mark had to project his voice against the background noise when giving his historical talk and running commentary through the afternoon.

We were amazed at the number of people who arrived and counted nearly eighty crammed along one wall of our indoor school, which these days is quite a remarkable turnout for a local equestrian event.

Rosie De Courcy of Libris Sport Horses kindly opened the afternoon. Her young thoroughbred stallion Devil’s Cub is the sire of Moonlight Arabian’s first Anglo Arab foal - the very smart bay filly Moonlight Joy of Libris out of the 100% Crabbet mare Llain Jumanah.

First into the arena were the mares who paraded in traditional costume - Darees (Spearmint x Dallua) who at eighteen is still fit and well and competing in BD events, Silver Snowdrop (Lutfi Pasha x Seretta) who as an ex-endurance horse rather stole the show by posing for some stunning photographs, PS Aurora Silk (Marcus Aurelius x Imperial Silk) who was the 2023 Supreme Ridden Arab Champion at the Royal Cornwall Show and twenty one year old

Roze Aura (Marcus Aurelius x Rizaari) greeting the public

Several people concluded that Rizaari would be a worthy Princess Muna

Saddle of Honour winner

veteran Rizaari wearing a blue velvet Bahraini saddle. She was led in the parade by Lynda Beer who has her on loan to hack out and enjoy.

Next we saw Rizaari parade again with her two daughters by Marcus Aurelius - the six year old Roze Aura and four year old Aurwen and everyone agreed how alike they look, all being rich bays with very similar white markings.

Several people concurred that Rizaari would be a worthy Princess Muna Saddle of Honour winner.

The two young fillies, Maude (Audace Encore x Llain Murjanah) and Xena, (Crystal Red Drift x Saraphina Sunset) were shown straight from the field but were not fazed by being greeted by a host of people in a blustery building that they had scarcely been in before. Both had interesting stories to tell, Xena having been a rejected foal who was fostered by the marvellous Dominita, now foster mum three times in succession and Maude who was by the clinically infertile Audace Encore. She is proof, however, that it only takes one swimmer! Finally for the Purebred mares, Llain Jumanah came in with her Anglo filly Moonlight Joy of Libris by Devil’s Cub, who was shown loose. She exhibited the joy for which she is named as she showed off around the school, again not at all upset by facing a large audience.

The Part Breds came next - the rather large liver chestnut Zulu Spring (African Bey King x Zulu Maiden), who will be for sale as a

Darees with part of the large audience

Rizaari aged 21 with Bahrani saddle and bridle

Rosie de Courcy of Libris Sport Horses and Natalie Tindall

Moonlight Joy of Libris, the first Anglo Arab foal for Moonlight

potential eventer - she stands taller than both her parents so we think she has thrown very much to the event breeding in her dam line whilst inheriting her sire’s friendly and brave personality. Her younger full sister, the skewbald African Rainbow, is slightly smaller but with plenty of substance and has a delightful personality that means we think she will be a wonderful family horse.

In the in hand display, the stallions came last and we saw African Bey King first of these, if nothing else to marvel that such a compact Purebred stallion could produce two such sizeable daughters. In fact all his Purebred progeny have matured to exceed his height and so far he has only produced fillies. At fourteen he has never been shown but loves people and enjoyed his moment in the spotlight.

Seren Shadek (Winged Saint x Saira) came next and we briefly told the story of his miraculous recovery from terrible crush injuries in an accident sustained when he was trapped under a post and rail fence overnight, two years previously. Some scarring is still evident but his temperament remains as calm and friendly as it has always been and he really enjoyed meeting everyone. We hope to breed

Last to be introduced was the junior stallion Silvern Jaleel (Silvern Prince x Llain Jumanah) known at home as Rodney. At the Open Day though he grew into his show name and showed a few strides of his

After an interval for the much needed refreshments and an array of cakes, PS Aurora Silk and Natalie gave a short display of dressage

Silver Snowdrop, an endurance horse enjoying her transformation to show horse!

The excitement was all too much for some!

to music which by necessity had to be creative as the available space was about 18 x 20m! After that there was a demonstration of Tellington Touch work to show how we work with our young horses and it included a bridleless ridden display by Darees. To round the afternoon off Lucinda Walton, a local holistic therapist, demonstrated the use of tuning forks on Rodney (Silvern Jaleel) who had never encountered them before. He was not sure at first but soon relaxed into the vibrational therapy, exhibited large yawns and finished the session, head down and dozing despite the still howling gale outside the barn.

The weather was a challenge, but Moonlight Arabians rose to it and the horses behaved impeccably. Huge thanks to all the helpers behind the scenes before and during the day and the huge audience for braving the weather; some had come from as far afield as Worcester, Gloucester and Lands End. Together we raised over £1000 for Equestrian Camps Southwest and we hope that they find their new home very soon.

We aim to run an annual Open Day at Moonlight Arabians from now on - as one member of the audience remarked, ‘how lovely to have such an enjoyable day watching beautiful, well- behaved horses and socialising with like minded people.’ Surely enjoyment is what time spent with our horses should be all about? o

PS Aurora Silk and Natalie in their dressage to music display

Silvern Jaleel enjoying tuning fork therapy

Darees demonstrating bridleless riding

Wtemperament must feature highly

WORDS BY NATALIE TINDALL AND ROSIE DE COURCY

Amateur riders doubtless aim for the same but for them temperament perhaps ranks more highly as they must often juggle a fulltime job and/or childcare with any competitive aspirations and also see their horse as part of the family. Ultimately all riders want their horses to stay sound, which is more likely with good conformation and less costly in terms of money spent and the frustration of missed events whether that be a three day event or a 20km pleasure ride. There has long been debate over the ultimate riding or sport horse -is it the sleek Thoroughbred with its smooth raking stride and quick brain, the scopey Warmblood, all power and expressive ability or the Arab, floating stride, unending endurance and huge heart?

Everyone will have their favourites but in these days of instant influence like no other, social media has surely played a part in the modern Warmblood being undisputed king of many equestrian

activities. Breeding decisions are often informed by the fashionable lines of the moment, the enticing photographs and online coverage of equestrian events. But danger lies here. In the immediate and easily accessible, riders have perhaps lost touch with history and follow swiftly changing fashions with little regard for the horsemen and breeders of old who took time to study pedigrees, analyse form and discuss with each other the merits of certain lines of breeding and no doubt the pitfalls and failures of others. We have seen within the modern Arab breeding world the advent of the use of AI, a modern innovation that has led to a few lines being bred to the exclusion of many others. AI has its advantages of course, in preserving the Crabbet lines and keeping the gene pool as wide as possible, breeding to stallions in Australia has saved these lines in the UK from extinction so far. But caution should be exercised.

Silvern Jaleel at Moonlight Arabians, by Silvern Prince out of Llain Jumanah

When nature intervenes and a three-day cross-country course becomes heavy going there is no substitute for thoroughbred blood, clean wind and sheer heart

In today’s world of short format eventing and show jumping and dressage almost exclusively being held on purpose-built surfaces, the requirements of the modern sport horse are different from those of yesteryear. Perhaps the big moving extravagant jumping warmbloods are the answer for equestrian disciplines today. Maybe for elite competition they are, but at what cost? When nature intervenes and a three-day cross country course becomes heavy going there is no substitute for thoroughbred blood, clean wind and sheer heart. Marry this with the endurance and toughness of the original desert-bred Arabian and you have the ultimate in speed and elegance.

The almost routine medication of modern sport horses is alarming. Warmblood competition horses are heavier built and their joints are therefore under greater strain so the question of injecting corticosteroids intra-articularly becomes a question of when, rather than if.

The main requisites for a sport horse should be that it is first and foremost sound in wind, limb and mind.

Conformation, movement and temperament are at the heart of performance or sport horse breeding, no matter what the breed. So modern sport horses should reflect the best of all breeds combined to produce them.

The Crabbet Arabian descends from the imports made by Lady Anne and Wilfrid Blunt after extensive travels through the Middle East to acquire the best of the Bedouin bloodlines, bloodlines that had been prized, protected and preserved for centuries. After all these were horse who had proven themselves in battle, being strong, tough, fast, brave and with an incredible work ethic. When fighting for your way of life you need a horse who is firmly on your side. Yet when dust storms descended these horses were gentle enough to live with the Bedouin families in their tents amongst their children. This kind of versatility and adaptability linked with their close alliance to their humans are qualities that should not be ignored when aiming to breed a sport horse.

Llain Jumanah is an excellent example of these prized bloodlines. Her pedigree has a heavy influence of Blue Domino who, together with offspring such as Ludo, dominated the ridden ring of their day, together with the elegant Silver Blue who appears on both sides of her pedigree. Interestingly Jumanah’s tail female line traces back to Naseel, the grey stallion who stood at stud in Ireland. He influenced

Tamarillo, the perfect blend of Arab and Thoroughbred blood. He competed to the highest level in three day eventing

breeding there to such an extent that he sired over 30 champions at the Dublin Horse Show across classes ranging from hacks and hunters to riding ponies and cobs. Jumanah’s Purebred son, bred here at Moonlight is the now three-year-old Silvern Jaleel by Binley Arabian Stud’s multi ridden champion Silvern Prince, HOYS champion in 2010. Silvern Jaleel, or Rodney as he is known at home, is maturing to be a beautiful, scopey stallion prospect with exceptional movement and a gentle temperament. He has taken very well to groundwork lessons preparatory to ridden work and we believe that he should prove as successful under saddle as his illustrious ancestors.

Blending the speed and refinement of a carefully chosen thoroughbred with the surefooted endurance and heart of the Arab produces blood horses who are elegant, fast and have staying power.

There are no certainties in breeding but choosing to breed carefully within a small gene pool affords a great opportunity to be as sure as possible of ‘fixing’ certain characteristics as we do with Crabbet bloodlines. To breed a Crabbet mare to a classy Thoroughbred with proven credentials is to revisit the origins of the Thoroughbred itself and is a chance to reintroduce the best qualities of both breeds to each other. But as with all breeding decisions it is not enough to take two horses of a breed and hope for the best. Rigorous research is required to eliminate any lines of unsoundness in wind or limb before considering personal preferences such as temperament or size.

Rosie de Courcy, of Libris Stud, breeding high quality sport horses and owner of Devil’s Cub, a young TB stallion graded by SHBGB, explains her decision-making process when breeding sport horses, “The great Dutch vet, Jan Greve, founder of De Watermolen Stud, once said, ‘A good sport horse always carries thoroughbred blood in his veins. Without it, it does not work.’ And he also went on to say, ‘The use of a thoroughbred stallion does require long term vision.’

with William Fox-Pitt

A good sport horse always carries thoroughbred blood in his veins.

Without it, it does not work.... ‘The use of a thoroughbred stallion does require long term vision

Just as English and Irish breeders were becoming fixated on huge moving and jumping warmbloods from Europe, the Germans, Dutch and French were moving in the opposite direction. Many of our most influential middle-distance thoroughbreds, with their precious staying lines, were quietly exported to Europe and became the foundation sires of sport horse and pony breeding. Short-sightedly, we had abandoned the Hunter Improvement Society, itself set up at the end of the 19th Century to counteract the influx of foreign warmbloods. We feel the effects of this bad decision to this day. My own interest in thoroughbreds for eventing began with our first broodmare, Royal Twist, my Irish hunter and team chaser, who also went to 4* long format with Jonty Evans and was long listed for the Irish Olympic eventing team in Athens. She was supposed to be by the King of Diamonds son, King’s Servant, out of TB Pallas Breeze. Certainly this is what Michael Connors of Pallas Stud in Wexford insisted to me. However, DNA established that she was out of no mare ever recorded at that stud, nor by any stallion they had ever used.

In breeding from her, it therefore seemed essential not to mix things up too much, but to put her back to thoroughbred. If we had a criticism of this brilliant mare, it was that she lacked turn of foot.

After she completed Saumur 4* long format, Jonty Evans said, ‘She never ran out of jump, but she sometimes ran out of puff.’

All the great thoroughbred eventing sires such as Shaab, Primitive Rising, Kuwait Beach and Miner’s Lamp, seemed to have two things in common. They were middle distance horses on the flat and they were good ground specialists. As I delved into eventing pedigrees, I even found a horse that had come second in the French Derby but flopped in our King George, for my father-in-law. Twig Moss, a son of Luthier, had made his way to Australia, where he had become an influential eventing sire. And then – to show that we shall never know everything – there were Master Imp in Ireland and Ben Faerie in the UK. Neither of these horses was ever under saddle. Ben Faerie was bought cheaply out of a sale to cover Diana Scott’s good hunter mare. I once asked the great Dot Willis if she and Heather Holgate had ever worried about the breeding when buying horses for Ginny to event. ‘Only if it was by Ben Faerie,’ she said – sire of Priceless and Nightcap.

However, all these great horses were dead by the time I came to breed from Royal Twist and I struggled to find a thoroughbred stallion to match them. Weld, Kadastrof, Native Ruler and Esteban, none of them seemed to enhance or even help reproduce Royal

Thoroughbred stallion Devil’s Cub owned by Libris Stud who are breeding high quality Sport Horses

Twist’s natural brilliance. This showed me how difficult it is to breed successfully from a mare when you don’t know what stands behind her.

I therefore began to think about reversing the formula. What if I invested in some good TB mares and put them to show jumping stallions? I remained convinced that pure blood was essential. The best bascule in the world is no use if you are too tired to get out of bed on the third day of Badminton. People kept talking about horses being ‘a blood type’. But to me this was nonsense. It was blood – as in TB – or it was not.

I bought a Presenting x Supreme Leader mare who has produced lovely offspring by Ramiro B, Royal Concorde and Le Prince des Bois. But even more interesting was Witches’ Broom. The most highly graded mare in the history of SHBGB when she was presented in 2009, she wasn’t by a middle distance stallion at all, but the very fast 5f horse, Cadeau Genereux. By Cevin Z and Ramiro B, she has produced outstanding young event horses. So should we perhaps be looking to include some sprinting lines in the sport horse recipe? Certainly this is what we now have in our young thoroughbred stallion, Devil’s Cub. By the very fast Coventry winner, Hellvelyn, he is out of an Aga Khan bred mare who is closely related on the bottom line to Derby winning Harzand and herself won over two miles plus on the Flat. Devil’s Cub, her son, has won three times over a mile for us and proved to have a lovely attitude to and aptitude for jumping, both in the show ring and across country. From both parents, but

especially from Hellvelyn, he has inherited a cheerful and enthusiastic can-do outlook on life. His temperament is marvellous.

2023 saw his first foals from a wide variety of mares, of which Moonlight Arabians’ beautiful Crabbet mare, Jumanah is possibly the most interesting of all. Two cob mares, a Connemara, a TIH mare and a Master Imp full sister to a 4* event horse, all these had lovely foals which should have all-round ability. But Jumanah brings to the party brain, heart, legendary toughness and soundness – and an illustrious pedigree, stretching back into the mists and deserts of time. We lose these essential qualities at our peril. As the man said, ‘Without them, sport horses do not work.’ “

The Anglo Arab is not as numerous as it once was, the elegant hacks of yesteryear who graced the show ring are fewer for example, but despite its lack of numbers amongst the sport horses of today it cannot and should not be ignored. Besides undeniable beauty the Anglo Arab is a supreme athlete. William Fox Pitt’s ride, the Badminton and Burghley winner Tamarillo, was an Anglo Arab, so too is five-star ride of US team rider Lauren Nicholson, Vermiculus. He even shares common ancestors with Jumanah, so we can but dream!

In all reality our horses are most likely to find homes with amateur riders in which case good, trainable temperaments are most likely to guarantee them good homes, or that holy grail for horses, a good home for life. And as breeders what more could we wish for our beloved progeny? o

Left: Moonlight Arabians first Anglo foal, Joy of Libris with her dam Llain Jumanah

Below: Zulu Maiden with filly African Rainbow by African Bey

AN ARABIAN CENTENARY

at the Perth Royal Show

The year 2004 was a milestone in the history of Arabian horses in Western Australia as it was one hundred years ago that the first class specifically for Arab horses was held at the Perth Royal Show. Numbers were not very big as only two horses were exhibited in a class for “Arabs - Stallion any age”

Words and images by Chris Ros

The Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia held its first Fair and Cattle Show at Guildford on 7th November 1834. The fair included equestrian events, sheep dog trials, wood chopping and prizes for cattle and sheep. The show was moved to the Claremont Showgrounds in 1905.

Classes for “Colonial sires for export”, “Imported Blood entires”, “Roadster, imported or Colonial” or “Thoroughbred stallion - Open” were the first classes for breeding horses. Some of these classes had entries by some of Western Australia’s very early Arab imported sires.

In 1896, Mr Vincent Dowling imported from India the Champion Polo Pony ‘Snow’ to his property in New South Wales. At the 1899 Metropolitan Show (later Sydney Royal Easter Show) he won his class. Snow was described thus “He was really as pretty as a picture; pure white - white as snow.” It is reported that Snow was 14½ hh tall. Before his importation, in the shows held about Bombay and Calcutta, Snow took several prizes, being placed in the front as best lady’s hack and best polo pony; also as a weight-carrier and over jumps, he could also gallop with no fewer than 33 wins scored over distances from three furlongs to three miles. After his sale to Mr Ralli in South Australia, Snow was thought to have died but he had actually been shipped to Western Australia where in 1903 he won the class for “Thoroughbred Stallion - Open”.

1904 was the first time that a class specifically for Arab stallions was held. The above mentioned Snow won this class and was awarded the sash for “Best Thoroughbred Arab Stallion”.

In 1905 Jedaan, (Rafyk imp x Rose of Jericho imp), bred by JP Boucaut was first and Champion Stallion beating a colt called Black Grainger who was later was found to be a trotting stallion. From 1909 till 1932 there were either no entries or no classes for Arab stallions. Wallad (Raseel imp x Kufara) won in 1933 and then again in several other years including 1934 which was the year a class for mares was included, this was won by Rasheedi (Raseel imp x Rafina imp) bred by Mrs ADD McLean and brought to WA by Mr A Toll. No shows were held during the war years.

In 1971 Chrysolyte (Crystal Fire imp x Shaqra) became the first mare of any breed to be awarded a Supreme Championship at this show.

No Arab judges were used until 1972 which made this supreme championship win by a mare all that much more special. Arab stallions came second and third in the first ever ridden stallion class held here at the Royal, it was open to all breeds.

Over the years numbers have fluctuated. In 1979 total number of Purebred horses entered had risen to 109 (excluding progeny classes). 2003 saw only 28 purebred entered, this included six

geldings! Numbers in 2004 were better with 42 Purebreds (including 14 geldings) and 44 Derivatives (including 19 geldings) entered.

The Royal Agricultural Society made Arabians the feature breed in 2004, judging being held in pride of place in front of the grandstand, with much being made over the public address system of the Arabians role in the horse world.

To celebrate this special occasion, the Arabian Horse Society of Australia donated special sashes to the Purebred and Derivative In Hand Supreme Champions as well as to the two ridden champions. The WA Arabian Horse Association gave specially struck commemorative medallions to all of those who entered the Arab classes at the Royal that year.

Wallad won the senior stallion class several times from 1933

Ridden Purebred Champion and Reserve In Hand Gelding Champion Brynderlee Legend

PhotocourtesyofMaryRhodes

Shangrala Ibn Sidu (by Tanderra Kadu – a former Royal Supreme Champion - from Gay Silver) was Sheryl Ackerly’s choice as Supreme Champion Purebred. The silver stallion had not been shown for some time but bounced back with a vengeance, winning the ridden stallion class as well. Junior Champion filly was Trueantallan Katrina with her full brother Trueantallan Krusader winning his colt class later on. These two are from the mare Balaling Kascade, bred by R Wiese, who first started showing Arabs back in 1956. Their great-

Shangrala Ibn Sidu, Supreme Champion Purebred and also winner of the ridden stallion class

grandsire, Shermoon, was Champion stallion in 1958. Junior Champion colt was Armageddon (Boca Rio Bay x Rothlynne Cinnamon).

Ridden Purebred Champion was Brynderlee Legend (Crenel x Inshallah Finesse), this gelding was also judged Reserve Champion gelding. Jamahr Kristi Lee (Nassi x Waianga Alia) was Senior Champion mare as well as winning her ridden mare event.

The Derivatives were judged on the same day with the Supreme Champion going to Royalwood Image; this mare was another to compete under saddle getting a second place in the ridden mare event. Champion colt went to the yearling Anglo Arab - Pembrooke Park Princeton (by Cranston Park Khan). Nadalla Park Sinatra, an Arabian Riding Pony (from the Purebred mare Hillain Kahra) was Champion Gelding Champion Ridden Derivative went to the Arabian Pony mare Hazelmere Yasmin, with the Arabian Warmblood gelding Alfenbeau getting the Reserve Sash.

It was hoped that numbers would keep up to this level, or hopefully continue to grow in the future, but numbers kept on fluctuating. o

HARKING BACK

During 2004 I became curious when I heard about an Arabian stallion being used to deliver mail in the quaint village of Torrington in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. I eventually found out the stallion was Sarangani Kibbs Renaud de Rakiba and he was owned by Pierre and Glenice Armand of Beauval Stud

Words and images by Sharon Meyers

Shortly after I had the great pleasure of visiting them both at their picturesque 2,700-acre property where they bred Arabian horses, Merino sheep and beef cattle. At the time Pierre and Glenice also operated Australia’s only mounted postal service. Four times a week they sorted Torrington’s mail at the community hall and then saddled-up to make their 8km mail run through the village. Pierre rode their high percentage Crabbet stallion Sarangani Kibbs Renaud de Rakiba (aka Kibbs) and Glenice usually rode one of the stud’s young endurance prospects.

A six-year-old at the time of my visit, Kibbs had already won in the show ring under saddle prior to beginning endurance riding. I found him to be a thorough gentleman and a pleasure to handle and he certainly relished his work on the property when mustering sheep and cattle. Sarangani Kibbs Renaud de Rakiba was bred by Jill Bembrick of Sarangani Arabians, and his sire was Crenel, a Crabbet stallion sired by Baz (Rakib imp GB x Barada II). Crenel’s dam was the beautiful mare Chiffon (Sindh imp GB x Carlina) and she had 18 foals. Crenel sired some top-flight saddle horses including Australian National champions.

Kibbs’ dam Sarangani Rabika Rose was a beautiful bay look-alike daughter of Wild Rose imp UK (Argos x Rosamunde by Iridos), although she was taller than her pretty dam. Wild Rose’s daughter Rose of Sarangani (sired by Rave VF imp US) was the dam of Rahere (by Desperado), a stallion exported to the USA where he won at halter at the prestigious Scottsdale show as colt and stallion and was awarded United States National Top Ten Western Pleasure Open and is a notable sire there.

Sarangani Rabika Rose’s sire was Tafadin (Ramadan iid GB x Tafileh), the only son of Ramadan iid GB (Naseel x Rose Du Sable). Tafadin certainly made his mark on our Arabian bloodlines and a memorable son was the great moving stallion Tristram Manbalou.

Sarangani Kibbs Renaud de Rakiba certainly had a long line of illustrious ancestors, and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Pierre and Glenice, who were so kind to let me photograph him. o

UK Crabbet National Championships 2023

Held once again at the David Broome Centre, the Crabbet Show held in conjunction with the National Arab Show was fortunate with the weather. The day before had seen exhibitors and horses enduring torrential rain throughout the day.

On a personal note as my arm was in plaster I wrapped it firmly in multiple layers of clingfilm so it would survive the day!

Words by Natalie Tindall • Photos by Sweet Photography

The show began with the ridden classes as these horses were contesting other classes, including the HOYS Ridden Mare class run by the National show on the same day. The entries were small but of high quality and were a testament to the now veteran stallion Marcus Aurelius owned by Rowena Bertram and exhibited by her daughter Katherine. His son Ibn Aurelius (Marcus Aurelius x PS Silvern Silk) owned by Fran Brown, won the Novice Ridden class to go forward to the Championship. In the Open Class Marcus

Aurelius himself was up against his daughter PS Aurora Silk and they were very evenly matched during the initial go round. But that all changed during the individual show! Aurora knew she had to put her best foot forward and performed a beautiful canter serpentine with simple changes as well as including a gallop and rein back. Unfortunately for Marcus as he trotted out of the line to perform his individual show the class next door had just received their rosettes and were cantering their lap of honour to loud applause. Marcus of course thought the accolades were for him and performed his best passage with much snorting and high tail carriage in a large circle before his highly amused rider Katherine Bertram could carry on with the planned part of his show. The judge, Heather Brown, was also highly entertained by his performance but the class was won by Aurora who went on to take the overall Ridden Championship with Marcus in Reserve as he had completely recovered his composure by then and was foot perfect.

Supreme Crabbet Champion Imperial Silver Phoenix

It was a shame that there were not more ridden entries -the Crabbet is the ultimate versatile Arabian and this should be a show case for them.

The in hand classes had a greater number of entries, particularly in the youngstock class which was won by the well-balanced Imperial Silver Hamame (Imperial Silver Star x Seren Hanita) of the Plaister Charitable Foundation from Silver Aluna (Lutfi Pasha x Seretta), owned by Mrs V Tobin and Mrs H Crowle. Golden Jawarah (Lutfi Pasha x Secret Gem) and Imperial Silver Samaira (Imperial Silver Star x Golden Aura QA) were third and fourth. Sadly not all the entries for the mare class were forward but the versatile PS Aurora Silk (Marcus Aurelius x Imperial Silk), owned and exhibited by Natalie Tindall, won the class and the lovely Zarafah trophy for Best Mare when she took the Female Championship. Three geldings were forward in their class which was won by the novice ridden winner, Ibn Aurelius from Brave Bedouin owned by Kay Allen and Marbon Mastarcraftsman, owned by Karen Madden. Marbon Mastarcraftsman is also the 2023 winner of the WAHO Trophy for his consistent success in open jumping competitions and during the lunchtime interval we were treated to a brief display of his considerable talent. His owner/rider is completely devoted to him and their bond is wonderful to witness.

Crabbet related Part Breds and Anglos were represented by the sole entry the chestnut Anglo Monclare Dark Romance owned by Jeanette Mackenzie. A veteran herself, this mare’s Crabbet breeding goes back in just three generations to Oran - the lovely chestnut stallion bred by Lady Yule of Hanstead Stud.

Finn Guiness and Elizabeth Archer judged the Family Legacy class and took much time deliberating, as they found it very hard to split the two top entries. In the end Imperial Silver Phoenix together with Imperial Silver Hamame, Imperial Silver Samaira and Imperial Silver Zafinah of the Plaister Charitable Foundation headed the line up with the previous year’s champions, the Marcus Aurelius group consisting of Marcus Aurelius, PS Aurora Silk and Ibn Aurelius in reserve. Third place went to the youngsters Golden Jawahra and Silver Aluna, bred and exhibited by V Tobin And H Crowle.

Reserve Supreme Crabbet Champion and Ridden Champion

PS Aurora Silk

Imperial Silver Phoenix receiving his prizes with (L to R) judge Heather Brown, Margaret Bower and Peter Robinson of the Plaister Charitable Foundation and Anne Brown with the Gadebrook Shield

Imperial Silver Phoenix (Imperial Silver Star x Sefinah) of the Plaister Charitable Foundation was the impressive winner of the stallion class, with the smaller, but good moving Ledarb Phoenix (Phidias x Ledarb Sharacz ) and the bay Palermo (Erin Park Excel x Palma Benay) in second and third. Imperial Silver Phoenix is a worthy son of previous champion Imperial Silver Star as he followed in his hoofprints to take the Overall Supreme In Hand Championship with the mare PS Aurora Silk in reserve. Credit to the breeders of these two lovely horses, the Plaister Charitable Foundation and Constance Newbould respectively. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant throughout the day and as always attracted many spectators who appreciated watching horses presented in the traditional manner showing themselves off to their best advantage, standing still for the judge and trotting happily all the way around the sizeable arena with their owners.

Once again the Crabbet Organisation put on a show to be proud of which was fitting in Alexia Ross’s last year as figure-head of the organisation. With a well organised team behind her it really was a day to enjoy. o

marcus AURELIUS

The Crabbet Champion Against All Breeds

Marcus Aurelius (Aurelian x Fiesta Magica) was bred by the late Diana Whittome of CoedY-Foel and is proudly owned by my mother Rowena Bertram and he has always been something of a family pony. Despite being a covering stallion, sometimes serving his mares in the morning and competing in the afternoon, he has never wavered from his calm manner and gentle nature. Now twenty three years old, he has earned his reputation as a performance horse - ‘The Jumping Arab’ - and he has a multidisciplined talent

Words by Katherine Bertram

Photos by SBM Photography

Truth be told, most of this happened by accident. Marcus is our family pony; from escorting my sister to victory in her first FEI 1* endurance race, to taking me to three different British Riding Club Championships in three different disciplines, and prancing through the streets of London with mum for the New Years Day parade, Marcus has turned his hoof to anything, and I mean anything, that we have asked of him. He has eagerly participated in every fad I’ve subjected him to, from polo practice to mounted games, and has only recently taken more of a backseat role to his offspring, who have proved him to be a performance sire as well as a performance horse through their many combined championships and achievements.

It was therefore with great excitement that I loaded up my little 3.5 tonne lorry with an abundance of hay, shavings, food (both horse and human), and anything else I could possibly need for a three day trip to Arena UK with Marcus for the Veteran Horse Society National Championships. This show had not been on my radar, much less my calendar, until we picked up a golden ticket in the ridden Crabbet class at the AHS National Championships. Anyone watching may remember the hair, nostrils, and general tomfoolery that saw him stand second to his (thankfully) much younger daughter PS Aurora Silk (ex. Imperial Silk,

“If there are three certainties in life, they are: death, change, and Marcus making himself laugh”

bred by Constance Newbold, and owned and ridden by Natalie Tindall). Having won the ticket, it would have felt rude to not join the Society and go to the Championships, so we did and scanned the schedule for other classes to enter. We settled on the Working Hunter, Style and Performance and Foreign Ridden Breeds as well as our championship class on the final day. Mum joined me for the adventure and Marcus quickly settled in to his stable to chat to the hundreds of other veterans who had made the annual pilgrimage.

If there are three certainties in life, they are: death, change, and Marcus making himself laugh. I was painfully aware of this as I warmed up for his Style and Performance class, the last class of the day where the fences were at the highest the show offered, and Marcus was overjumping, bucking, and snorting after each jump. It didn’t feel very stylish, but it certainly garnered him the attention he was seeking. It was therefore

with the biggest gritted teeth smile that I trotted into the arena to exchange pleasantries with the judge and commence our round. Style and Performance is a mixture between a traditional working hunter class, where the horse is marked for overall style and faults over a course of rustic fences before giving an individual show to another judge in another arena, and the Style Jumping classes that Marcus excels at, where each jump is marked out of ten for style. Here, each jump was separately marked for style, then you gave a show to another judge in another arena. With Marcus’ curly little ears pricked cheekily, I silently prayed he wasn’t about to throw me off or steal the judge’s flowery hat, or break wind over every fence to entertain the gathering crowd. I needn’t have worried. He pinged over every fence, leaving them all in place, and looking very pretty as he did so. He then gave a smooth show to the other judge, including a three loop canter serpentine with a simple change

through walk in a very small arena. Despite not putting a foot wrong, I was surprised to be called first. I don’t win at showing. Especially not on an Arab in an open class full of more traditional hunter types. But the judges were so complimentary, and they made absolutely certain that I knew to come back the following evening for the championship to be held as part of the indoor evening performance. Absolutely beaming (I rarely get into evening performances) we left Marcus to socialise with his stable mates overnight and swap naughty old man stories around the proverbial campfire. The next morning, I was slightly suspicious of how well behaved Marcus was being. Usually, he would have done a head waggle in front of the judge or claimed to spook at a banner by now for some entertainment but I had to admit to myself that, for the first time in a long time, he was actually enjoying showing. For a horse that placed fourth at his first and only HOYS appearance and who

then went on to escort me around my first ever adult HOYS qualifiers against professionals, he has spent most of his showing career waiting to be shown the jumps. I think he was delighted, and maybe slightly annoyed to discover that there were showing classes with jumps this whole time. On reflection, perhaps I shouldn’t have entered him in the foreign breeds class which contained exactly zero jumps and was full of Hackneys, Morgans, Haflingers, Lusitanos and other foreign breeds. The jolly old stallion finally got his cheekiness on and ponced around the arena, snorting and head twirling like a fool, and I worked very hard on not getting us sent out for galloping (prohibited in VHS veteran classes) when he felt the need to show the unimpressed judge all his paces. He gave a very sweet individual show but the damage was done and he did not make the final lineup. I was unsurprised and

“To be sat on the back of the horse that has founded your empire, realised your dreams and sired the horses that have realised your other dreams. Marcus is the reason I have what I have and the reason I am who I am”

laughing as we left the arena, I still had a working hunter class between us and the evening performance. Marcus duly won his working hunter class with another exceptional clear round against much more traditional hunter types, and this meant I had two championships in the main ring back to back. I only started to get nervous when I was getting myself changed and Marcus tacked up by torchlight. There was a slight nip in the late September air and the threat of rain so I finally felt like a proper ‘showing kid’ hacking over to the main arena with a rug over his rear, a rug over his neck, and a big puffy coat over my jacket. I was in showing heaven. I didn’t think things could get better than they already were, so when the time came, I waited for my number to be called and I picked up trot and let him dance his way into and around the arena in front of the judges and the crowd. To save on time, you trot once around the arena and line up, the reserve and champion are called, adorned

with sashes, the backline leaves, and then the lap of honour commences. I have spent my whole life being obsessed with showing so I knew the ins and outs of what to expect, and yet I was starstruck enough at the Welsh legend of commentary Carey Knox who was conducting the evening. We were in a large and talented lineup of each classes winners - a complete mix of horses from traditional working hunter types, to Mountain and Moorlands, and one Arab stallion the colour of a new penny and the name of Carey’s favourite character in the film ‘Gladiator’. She told the crowd this as she called out his name, then my name, as the Style and Performance Champions… I’m not sure there are words to describe how it felt to be crowned a champion. To be sat on the back of the horse that has founded your empire, realised your dreams and sired the horses that have realised your other dreams. Marcus is the reason I have what I have and the reason I am who I am, and to have someone who doesn’t know you, doesn’t know him, tell you that he is the best Arab they’ve seen in years, he’s a testament to us, and tell you that they love him too? It was overwhelming in the best possible way. I had spent years at the other end of the line, dreaming of sashes, being beaten and broken by the sport I so desperately wanted to be good at, that to be told ‘we don’t even know who you are and we are placing your horse champion’ felt like a decade of weight being lifted from my shoulders. It was my proudest moment in the show ring and I hope the memory of cantering past the live stream camera knowing my friends were watching and rooting for me from home will live with me forever.

With no time to get more emotional than I did in the arena – where I threw my arms around his neck and hugged my tears into his mane – mum took the rosettes and sash so I could do it all again for the Working Hunter championship. Marcus glided around the arena again, stood in another impressive line up, and didn’t have to wait around to receive any more sashes as the title went the way of a much more traditional working hunter pony. I didn’t mind one bit; my dream had come true and we still had the Champion of Champions at the end of the night. This was a behemoth of a championship and involved all the champions from the evening. We all had a lap of trot, then the judge watched

“he was supple, obedient, and probably winked or grinned at the judge for an extra mark knowing him”

us walk out of line and trot back - the usual expectation for a large championship with a fresh judge who hadn’t seen any of the classes. Marcus retained his foot perfect streak although didn’t place in the final three, although the second reserve was the working hunter champion which spoke to the quality of the lineup. We let Marcus carry his sash back to his stable, and I cried a bit more at him while feeding him pack after pack of polos. He had a good day.

On the final day, amongst packing the lorry back up, we had the class that we actually came all that way to compete in. It was the Ridden Veteran (20-24 years old) you had to qualify for to compete in. There were twenty six horses forward in the class which meant they split it into two sections. Even still, the go round was fairly manic and I focused on staying in a nice space in a nice rhythm. Marcus was dancing as usual, perhaps tiring a little, but with his ears still pricked and his eyes still bright. I knew the set show like the back of my hand and, when it was our turn, Marcus rose to the occasion. Not as active or awe inspiring as he can be but he was supple,

obedient, and probably winked or grinned at the judge for an extra mark knowing him. He and the conformation judge seemed to share an opinion of each other as Marcus stood for him looking as unenthused as an endurance horse on a re-present. Grimacing a little, I had hopes for a top ten finish, so relaxed a little as they went past sixth place with no mention of my number. I was almost more surprised to be called fourth in this class than I was to be called Style Performance Champion but I wasn’t about to ask questions so I stood in line and waited to see if I was sent away again. Marcus looked exceptionally smug, he placed well but didn’t have to wait until the evening for another championship so after the ride judge’s heart-warming comments about traditional Arab types and “not seeing them like that anymore”, we enjoyed a rousing lap of honour and went home with our heads high and the cab of the lorry filled with rosettes, plaques, sashes and trophies! Marcus Aurelius, I owe you everything while you owe me nothing and yet you continue to perform. You are so loved. o

PURE CRABBET STALLION

MILL PARK BLAIDD

(Arfaja Harlan x Millbanda Bellalina)

Bay 15hh Pure Crabbet Stallion

Clear SCID, CA and LFS

Available AI for UK, European Union, USA, NZ and Australian Domestic

Arfaja Harlan

Rasham

Wellworth Leilani

MILL PARK BLAIDD

Millbanda Bellalina

FV KISSME RABBA

(Ohadi Ben Rabba x Kissme Pico) 2009

FV Kissme Rabba, aka ‘Kiss’ is a fifteen year old Purebred Arabian stallion and is 56% Crabbet and 100% CMK

Kiss stands 15 hands and adds height to his foals and he also passes on his lovable personality to them. Kiss has eleven foals on the ground

You can see additional pictures on his Facebook page and YouTube page: FV Kissme Rabba

Available by AI, fresh and frozen, LFG

Mill Park Falconer

Dandaloo Baylina

THERESA JOHNSON - JOHROY STUD

Maryborough, Queensland, Australia

Email. johroy1@bigpond.com

Tel. 0488 737673

Facebook: Johroy Stud

100% OLD ENGLISH AND CRABBET SILVER ZENIF

(Lutfi Pasha x Imperial Silver Lace)

Silver Zenif is an advanced endurance horse competing over one and two day 80km events. He is a Futurity Graduate achieving Higher First Premium with British Breeders. Homebred daughter Silver Harmony achieved three Gold awards and is aimed at an endurance career. Silver Zenif has also competed successfully at inhand championships, dressage and show jumping. Silver Zenif has several foals across the UK including Part Bred Master Zen II who is destined for eventing and two full siblings in Australia for endurance.

SCID/CA/LFS negative

Available by AI within Europe and Southern Hemisphere

Silver Blue Ludo

SILVER ZENIF

Lutfi Pasha

Imperial Silver Lace

FV KISSME RABBA

Ohadi Ben Rabba

Kissme Pico

Ben Rabba

Ohadi Miss Aurab

Ben Rabba

Kishtee Pri Moun

MICHAEL F LEHNERTZ SHADOW MOUNTAIN STUD, LLC

Peyton, CO, United States, Colorado

Email: mlehnertz@icloud.com

Telephone 719 761 4475

>75% CRABBET STALLION AUDAH

(Marlak

Fantastic temperament, homebred and runs with his mares

PREMIUM SCHEME STALLION marcus aurelius

(Aurelian x Fiesta Magica)

15hh CMK (86.99% Crabbet)

Performance tested AHS Premium stallion. Wins in multiple disciplines including Affiliated Showing, Endurance, Showjumping, unaffiliated Dressage and unaffiliated Eventing. Overall winner 2014 AHS Performance Horse Awards. Pure, Anglo and Part Bred progeny in UK, Europe and Australia. His older progeny are showing talent in all disciplines including Affiliated Showjumping, winner AHS/BD Novice Dressage Championships, Affiliated Ridden Showing including HOYS qualifiers, Open affiliated Endurance, winners Unaffiliated Eventing and Arena Eventing SCID clear, CA clear, OAAM clear, LFS carrier

Aurelian

MARCUS AURELIUS

Fiesta Magica

Ben Rabba Estrella

Dargee Star

Fanfara

Rowena Bertram - AVONBROOK STUD

Email: info@avonbrookstud.co.uk

Tel. +44(0) 1386 860574 www.avonbrookstud.co.uk

APPROX 92% CRABBET STALLION INSOUCIANT

(Sorrento x Illuminate)

14.3hh,

Approx 92% Crabbet, a lot of Imad. Lovely temperament, could run with mares

Marlak Magic Aura

AUDAH

Lusarah Shabash

Mur El Sams

RACHAEL FARLEY-CLARIDGE

Email: rjclaridge@yahoo.co.uk

Tel. +44(0) 7789 641014 / +44(0) 1208 821328

www.phoenixfieldarabians.co.uk

Aurela Ben Marlak

Imad

Rose Aura

Aurabba

Elvenia

ASTRA arabians

Judy Oliver Camesworth Farm and Stud, Oxbridge Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3TZ Tel. 07860 448549

Email. judyodt6@icloud.com

INSOUCIANT

Sorrento Illuminate

Sarafina Imad

Illaria

ASTRA arabians

Judy Oliver Camesworth Farm and Stud, Oxbridge Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3TZ Tel. 07860 448549

Email. judyodt6@icloud.com

Photo:JaneSheppard

15hh chestnut, Audah has 25% Ben Rabba

Magic Aura x Aurela)

grey, bred by Diana Whittome

98% CRABBET STALLION AFRICAN BEY KING

(African Emir x Zahlina’s Glimmer)

Although small in stature himself African Bey King has produced Pure and Part Bred foals - all fillies who have all matured to be between 15 hands to 16.1 and with substance.

He also produces horses with correct limbs and feet and with excellent, trainable temperaments. All are destined for performance or family horse careers.

Clear of SCID LFS and CA

African Gold

AFRICAN BEY KING

African Emir

Zahlina’s Glimmer

Meshel

Silvern Glimmer

Zahlina

moonlight arabians

Woodlay Farm Liskeard, Cornwall, UK Email: naaggiss@hotmail.com

98.6% CRABBET 100% OLD ENGLISH STALLION GRand ridge royal fire

(Snow’N’Fire x Cameo Carillion)

Ten years old, 14.2hh, ‘Sparky’ is a rare entire son of the legendary ‘Snow’n’Fire’. He is very correct with superb legs and feet, short canons, powerful movement and an exceptional temperament.

All progeny so far from various mares inherit his quality legs and feet, laid back nature, and big kind eye and they all exceed 15hh.

Standing at Grand Ridge Stud for live cover or WIWO

SCIDS Carrier - LFS and CA Clear

GRAND RIDGE

Snow’N’Fire Sarafire

Santarabia Porfira

100% CRABBET STALLION SEREN SHADEK

(Winged Saint x Sa’ira)

Shadek has extremely good legs and feet and a wonderful temperament

Clear of SCID LFS and CA

SEREN SHADEK

Winged Saint Sa’ira

El Santo Silver Blue Wings Indian Idyll

Salilah

moonlight arabians

Woodlay Farm Liskeard, Cornwall, UK Email: naaggiss@hotmail.com

100% CRABBET STALLION inshallah imperial bay

(Monarch Lodge Ambition x Inshallah Impression)

100% CRABBET STALLION SILVERN JALEEL

(Silvern Prince x Llain Jumainah)

Jaleel has excellent movement and presence

Clear of SCID LFS and CA

Prince Sadik

SILVERN JALEEL

Silvern Prince

Llain

Jumainah

Silvern Image

Naresh

Pearl Silva

moonlight arabians

Woodlay Farm Liskeard, Cornwall, UK

Email: naaggiss@hotmail.com

94% CRABBET STALLION GR VIVACE

(Grand Ridge Royal Fire x Solitairey Dancer)

Photo:SharonMeyers

Five years old, 14.3hh, being double Banderol, ‘Tommy’ has exceptional proven endurance bloodlines. He has very correct legs and feet, is super sweet natured and has excelled at his first show season winning two Champion Crabbet at ‘A Class’ shows. He will commence his saddle career this season. Proudly owned by Grand Ridge Stud and Stirling Endurance Arabians, he stands at Stirling Endurance, Imbil, Queensland, Australia.

LFS Carrier-SCIDS and CA Clear

Tommie

Four years old, 15.2hh, cannon circ. 22cm

Exceptional young stallion who oozes quality, beautiful conformation, short cannons, big round hooves and spectacular movement. Half brother RHYTHMIC was sold to Shea Stables USA in 2020, and dam SOLITAIREY DANCER sold to Landon Equestrian USA in 2023. Destined for greatness like his siblings and dam. He is going kindly under saddle and has an impeccable gentle nature.

Standing at Kerewong Endurance Arabians, NSW Australia

SCIDS Carrier-LFS and CA Clear

Snow’N’Fire

Grand Ridge Royal Fire

STALLIONS at stud

ROYAL FIRE

Talquah Jai

Cameo Carillion

Cameo Wishing Wind

nicole emanuel - grand ridge stud

8 Hogans Road, Upper Lansdowne, NSW 2430, AUSTRALIA

Phone: 61419 226 644

Email: grandridgestud@gmail.com

INSHALLAH IMPERIAL BAY

Monarch Lodge Ambition

Inshallah Impression

Pevensey Raida

Tommie

Inshallah Impulse

nicole emanuel - grand ridge stud

8 Hogans Road, Upper Lansdowne, NSW 2430, AUSTRALIA

Phone: 61419 226 644

Email: grandridgestud@gmail.com

GR VIVACE

Cameo Carillion

Lord Charles of Seven Oaks

Solitairey Dancer

Inshallah Bay Solitaire

nicole emanuel - grand ridge stud

8 Hogans Road, Upper Lansdowne, NSW 2430, AUSTRALIA

Phone: 61419 226 644

Email: grandridgestud@gmail.com

Ron Males

...a horseman extraordinaire

1931-2024

Ifirst met Ron (and Val of course) in 1966 when my family and I travelled from SA to NSW for the very first Quilty. This couple, who had never met us before, welcomed us with open arms and allowed us to stay (with two cars and a big caravan, horse float, our one horse and a sheep dog) at their Ralvon Arab Stud both before and after the Quilty. Over the years this friendship deepened and we stayed with them at those first three Quilties. One year, we all travelled to Queensland for a stud tour along with Betty and Jack Serpell. All three families bought Arab horses.

Some weeks after this trip a rail truck load of those seven Arab youngsters arrived at Ralvon, at that time it was the biggest shipment of Arabs to arrive all at once from Qld. These horses were looking rather sorry for themselves when they arrived but it didn’t take them long to pick up under the care of Ron and Val. Ron gave freely of his vast store of knowledge about handling and showing horses to this young and very green Arab horse and endurance enthusiast. To be allowed into the stables with Rikham (imp) and the other resident stallions at Ralvon was a delight. When it came time to prepare or first Arab filly for the show ring, instead of using a leather headstall when washing her, I was shown how to use a soft cotton sisal cattle halter to save damaging the leather headstall. An easy to tie knot was put in these halters so that they couldn’t pull tight if the horse put pressure on it. These halters saved damaging a good leather headstall on the horse and also stopped the stain which sometimes happens when a leather

headstall gets wet.

Velvet soap and a small scrubbing brush worked wonders on white stockings which were very dirty. Manes were preferred to be on the off-side of the neck and if the mane fell naturally on the near side, it was wetted down then carefully, loosely plaited and left to dry on the off-side. After several times of doing this the mane would mostly stay on the off-side. Of course we had to make sure that all the kinks were smoothed out of the mane as kinky manes or tails were considered a fault.

Words and photos (unless stated) by Chris Ros

The sisal cattle halter on Mahrani

“When Ron took a horse into the show ring, they just seemed to magically stand in a fashion which showed off their conformation”

When Ron took a horse into the show ring, they just seemed to magically stand in a fashion which showed off their conformation without the exaggerated, head in the air with hollow backs, legs stretched out behind them which is the norm in these modern times. Ron demonstrated to me many times but even though I tried I could never achieve the result he did. My first experience in the show ring was at the National Stud Horse and Pony show held at the Sydney Royal showgrounds, at the time this was a huge All Breeds show. I felt it was a great honour to be allowed to present their filly - Ralvon Heyfi in the ring and the best part was that Heyfi won her class. One of my biggest memories of being at Ralvon was when I was allowed to ride both Shareym and Carthage. This was when they were both at the National Stud Horse and Pony Show. This was not in the ring of course as I not a show rider.

When my mare which I had entered for the 1967 Quilty went lame, Ron said he knew where there was an Anglo Arab stallion which might do the job. Off we went to inspect this horse which hadn’t been ridden because of running in the paddock with mares for quite a long time. I was a bit unsure but Ron said things would be OK. I can’t remember how we got this unregistered stallion by Star Diamond (imp) back to Ralvon but I am pretty sure that Ron rode him before I was game to try. With only three weeks of work, and the gradual introduction to hard feed, ‘Big

Red’ as I called him for want of something better at the time, passed the vet check, I got a start. My inexperience at endurance riding was at fault for not getting this stallion through this ride for my very much desired Quilty buckle. We got to about the eighty mile mark and I could feel that Red was tired, as was I. If I had been more experienced I would have been able to walk Red the rest of the way as I had plenty of time up my sleeve but I called for the float. Ron’s judgement of this horse was spoiled by me. Big Red (later gelded and registered as Darribee Mudami) was given to Ron and Val. The two Arab studs here in Western Australia which were mine were Erong (up in the North West Gascoyne station country) and Ros Arab Stud (with my husband) down here close to Perth, both

Ron Males and Ralvon Morning Star in 1993

Left to right: Sam Sawyer, Leklo Vale Cuchucha, Terry Wood and Ron Males at the Mornington Mill Quilty WA in 1989

Photo:AnneSawyer

Ron completed twenty one Quilties out of twenty two starts in an endurance career which started in 1966 and finished in 2018 with a total of 9432 completed kilometers plus another 665 in other types of rides. What a record

had horses of Ralvon breeding as their foundation horses. After judging at one Royal show both Ron and Val stayed with us up at Erong and I then delivered them down to El Caballo Blanco to stay with Ray Williams (importer of the first Andalusians into Australia). That trip down was an adventure in itself. The road from Erong to Cue was just a station road, (red gravel and sand) no asphalt and lots of sheep, cattle and wildlife to keep an eye out for. This usually was an approx trip of five hours. I was driving and was not quick enough to miss hitting a sheep. Disaster as the front of the car was badly damaged. We crept into Cue, the nearest town and luckily we found a mechanic who could fix the damage. With still over a six hour drive to go, neither Ron nor Val were upset although they knew we would be late getting to El Caballo Blanco at Wooroloo. Ray Williams himself was very understanding when we finally got there.

During the years when I was a board member of the Arab Horse Society of Australia, Ron and Val would pick me up from Windsor to stay with them before I flew home to Western Australia. Many happy hours I spent with them either at the historic Prestonville or at the

beautiful property at Colo. Ron always had time to answer questions or to demonstrate standing horses up for the show ring, mouthing a youngster or posing the horses up for me to take photos. One time I went with Ron to a local endurance ride and he asked me to take notice of the horses in the yards before they rode out. I wasn’t sure what he meant but soon he was pointing out leg faults and saying how the horses were still able to compete successfully even with those leg or conformation faults. Ron’s comments were not said in a nasty or derogatory way but to just help me understand the function of the animal.

When the Quilty was held here in Western Australia 1989 Ron didn’t ride but came as a strapper for Tracee Males who was competing on Chip Chase Sadaqa. Ron had asked me if I had a sleeping bag which he could borrow. I said yes as I had won one as a trophy at the All Arab Show that year. I hadn’t used it and had no idea how big it was. Even though Ron wasn’t very tall, the sleeping bag proved too small for him. I am not sure how he kept warm over that weekend.

Ron rode for the first time here in WA at the Toodyay Quilty in 1995,

Ron Males and Ralvon Grace. at the 1995 Toodyay Quilty

followed again in 2001 at the Bibbulman ride and the Tumbulgum Quilty in which he completed his twentieth Quilty without a vet out. The number 20 bib was presented to him as a memento.

Ron completed twenty one Quilties out of twenty two starts in an endurance career which started in 1966 and finished in 2018 with a total of 9432 completed kilometers plus another 665 in other types of rides. What a record!

In 1990 both Ron and Val had judging commitments here in WA and afterwards they spoke and demonstrated at a seminar held at Murdoch, which was put on by the WA Arabian Horse Assoc. One stallion used in the demo was quite a handful but in Ron’s hands he became a different horse although he reverted back to his willful ways when handed back to his owner. Another filly (Ros Skybird) was used in the demonstration on preparing a horse for the show ring. Ron used a Welsh pony to demonstrate how a lovely thick tail could hide cow hocks or legs which were close behind.

While I was still at Erong one of our brood mares died foaling. This was a disaster in itself but the thought of losing the precious filly which Chrysolyte gave us was just too much to think about. Naturally the first person who came to mind for advice on how to look after this baby was Ron. In those days mobile phones were not even thought of so we had to rely on telegrams sent via the Royal Flying Doctor Radio network. As much colostrum as possible was milked from the dying mare. With the advice we were given, the filly was hand fed, in a bowl not a bottle every hour. No water was given to the foal. We had a ninety mile trip to a neighbouring station to borrow several bags of calf replacement milk powder to feed the filly. One of our other mares foaled the day after so once again on advice we

tried to see if this mare would feed the orphan as well as her own. Sunny Dancer was quite happy to do this but we still gave Fern her bowl of milk and later on a creep feed was set up so that neither foal missed out on getting a good start in life. Erong Fern later became Champion Mare at the All Arab show. Setting up creep feeds was more advice we used over the years.

I used this same advice later on when I was working the midnight til dawn shift, foaling mares down on Robert Holmes a’Court’s Heytesbury stud. One of my jobs was feeding any orphan foal which

The Welsh pony used to demonstrate how the thick tail could hide leg faults

Erong Fern drinking from a bowl

Photo:JBright

L to R: Val and Ron Males presenting the Newbridge Stud trophy at the 2014 Wagin Quilty

came along during those dark hours. Because Heytesbury had up to ninety Thoroughbred mares foaling each year, it was inevitable that some mares would die leaving valuable foals behind. Sometimes the occasional orphan would come from another stud to be reared, all this because Ron gave me some advice on how to look after them.

One time one of our mares had to have a caesarean operation to remove her foal which the veterinarian proclaimed as dead on his first examination. The vet wasn’t sure about doing this operation on a mare as his only experience of caesarean operations were on cows. We gave him the go ahead otherwise we would have lost the mare as well. When the foal was extracted it was found to be still alive. Both were saved but the mare did have to have a blood transfusion. The closest horse was one of our stallions but that meant we couldn’t use him over her in the future. Anyway after several months I was in touch with Ron to see if we would ever be able to breed from this mare again and Ron said yes, if we didn’t try now she probably would never get in foal again. So we tried but with one of our other stallions and lo and behold Ron’s advice worked. The mare went on to produce several more foals before we disbanded the stud.

Much has been written about how Ralvon Pilgrim was taken to England and shown by Ron for his Supreme Championship win so I won’t go into that. My husband and I were very fortunate to be

PhotocourtesyofValMales

able to send one of our mares, Ros Starfire +S, to Ralvon to be bred to Ralvon Herald and Ros Jewel +S, but Ron and Val suggested we use Pilgrim instead. The very versatile Ros Flame, a chestnut filly was born from this union at Ralvon. Starfire came home to us in foal to Ralvon Job resulting in another filly, Ros Jewel +S, who also went on to be a successful endurance horse, as well as a very good saddle and in hand horse for her owner Dr Odette Williams. Around this time both Bill and I decided that we were unable to look after the horses in our stud due to health reasons so Flame was sold to Pippa Glynn who turned Flame into a very successful saddle and in hand horse.

Ron even had a small part to play in the Australian TV show ‘The Wild Boys’. The series was set in and around the fictional town of Hopetoun and principally filmed in Wilberforce on the Hawkesbury. If one was quick enough and knew what to look for one could see a back view of Ron driving a horse drawn vehicle down the street. One of Ron’s interests after he and Val shifted to Richmond was gardening. Ron said he took over looking after the flower beds at the front of the units where they now lived just because it seemed that no one else was bothering about it.

Ron was never too busy to answer questions (either by letter or telegram while I was still up on the station - no phone coverage in those days, just the Royal Flying Doctor radio) or by phone in later years. Now that he has gone, I will miss those conversations even though I had no horses of my own any longer.

I am sure that I was not the only one who Ron (and Val as really they were a pair) gave his time so freely to over the years.

This man will be greatly missed in not just the Arabian horse world but in the endurance world as well. o

Ron Males in costume for his part in ‘The Wild Boys’ TV show

Ron dropping the starting flag at the 2014 Wagin WA Quilty

TRIBUTE TO RON MALES

BY NATALIE TINDALL

What do you write about a man who was a legend in his own lifetime?

The first horse Ron bought was an Anglo-Arab and he always aimed to breed Arabians ‘because they had something special about them.’ He met Val when she was a teenager, also with a passion for the Arabian horse. She had always wanted to breed Arabs ever since watching the stallion class at Sydney Royal Show. They married when Val was just 18 and soon after that the Ralvon Stud was born, a combination of their names and passions. It is impossible to think of one without the other.

The story of their stallion Ralvon Pilgrim, born on Ron’s birthday, is also legendary, that he should travel across the globe with Ron

and Val and win the Supreme Championship at the AHS International Show against the strongest competition from 18 countries. But he could not have done that without Ron’s horsemanship.

The equestrian story of Ron Males is full and varied; he was in at the start of competitive endurance riding when the first Tom Quilty 160km ride was run and he went on to win an unsurpassed 21 Quilty buckles that now lie together in a simple wooden drawer. There were so many achievements in his career, both in the show ring and on the endurance tracks but Ron was far sighted too. Long before many people thought of such things, he was involved with research into what made successful horses, studying heart size at Sydney University.

This photo was taken on our trip to visit Ron and Val at their home where we were made so welcome and where we were lucky enough to see Ron, the consummate horseman, at work

Above: Natalie with Val and Ron, sorting through the Ralvon Stud archives Left: Mounting the family pony from a wheelchair

SILVER RIPPLE nshallah I

Val and Ron at the WAHO Conference in 2019

But his achievements and Val’s were not restricted to horses; they shaped the lives of many young people who attended their horse camps and families who they welcomed to the stud. The story I

INSHALLAH SILVER RIPPLE was imported to South Africa and acquired by Olford Stud in 2013.

Olford Stud has bred 100% Crabbet Arabian horses since 1948

We believe in the keeping the Crabbet blood free of any other influence which will not dilute the pre-potent Crabbet attributes so lacking in the modern Arabian Horse.

Olford comprises of 36 mares of which one was imported from Binley Stud in 2018 and over 20 stallions of which two stallions are imported namely Binley Indian Prince and Inshallah Silver Ripple.

Youngstock are always available for sale.

olford arabians

WESLEY HAYES E. wesley@wrhlaw.co.za Ph and Whatsapp. 0827325200 Facebook. Olford Arabians

remember was of a young family who came to learn to ride. Sadly, the husband was in a wheelchair after an accident and one day as his wife and daughters went off to ride he confided to Ron that he would like to learn to ride secretly to surprise them and to be able to share in something that they could all do. Ron didn’t hesitate. He began to train the stud’s family pony and constructed a ramp for the wheelchair out of old doors. The look on the family’s face the day that the husband rode around the corner on the old grey pony must have been incredulous. And Ron made that happen. But as always, he was very unassuming about it.

Ron believed that horses should be both functional and beautiful to live a full life of the greatest worth. And, despite his successes, the trophies and buckles he won meant less to him than the memories of the horses who achieved them. It was a privilege to meet and spend time with him during and after the WAHO conference in Australia and talk horses. As he told me the story of the night Pilgrim died tears ran down his face and mine as he recalled his last moments with the horse that had taken them all so far in life - as Val had once predicted the moment he was born. That was his great loss. Now they are together again.

For us to lose Ron is ours, a true champion of the horse world and a gentleman through and through. I shall treasure those memories of our time talking horses forever.

Rest in peace Ron -truly a life of great worth well lived. With all our love and prayers to Val, his family and friends. o

The Simon Constable Equine Vets and Binley Arabian Stud Caroline Sussex Ridden Arab of the Year at HOYS 2023 was hotly contested with a full complement of eighteen horses forward. Of course, the competition just to win one of those rare places is fierce throughout the season at the biggest shows country wide. The show is billed as the arena of dreams, which for the riders is understandable but some horses find the hothouse atmosphere of the Top Spec Arena hard to handle. The electricity of expectation cannot be replicated anywhere else but despite this, the majority of seasoned competitors and first timers alike acquitted themselves well this year. There was an almost ethereal quality as all the horses paraded together before being split into two halves for the conformation and ridden judging. Fairytale greys dominated with a smattering of bright chestnut and gleaming dark bays to complete the picture. Emma Maxwell, renowned international judge, writer, lecturer and photographer, judged the conformation and when interviewed replied, “I’ll be looking for a harmonious horse who fits together well.” She also emphasised that she does not have a favourite bloodline. Penny Hollings, a vastly experienced judge who sits on many judging panels as well as the AHS, evaluated the ride and performance of each horse, stating that she would be looking for softness, lightness, fluency and grace. Her ethos is very much that the horse should be happy and comfortable, and it was heartening to see her demonstrate this as she rode. Most of the horses relaxed very quickly after she mounted to give her their best rides. The Champion, and winner of the Elustarius trophy for highest placed gelding, Cipriana, (Mascot des Alpes x FS Cinderella) looked stunning, his chestnut coat a blaze of colour under the lights and he performed consistently well for his owner rider, Jade Hately, and for the judge. Described by his rider as giving you the feeling of ‘sitting on air’ he certainly gave that impression from

ridden arab of the year 2023

Horse of the Year Show

the ringside during the go round and on his judge’s ride. Last year he was Reserve Champion but this year was his and he looked every inch a victorious warhorse as, decorated with red white and blue garland, he gathered himself to produce ultimate impulsion and flamboyant paces on his victory lap to loud applause from the packed audience.

Only one mark separated the eventual Champion, Cipriana, and the Reserve Champion Rafeekah, both horses being experienced HOYS competitors so it was no disgrace for Rafeekah (Designed x Kaamelia) bred by Helen Cawley and ridden for his owner Kerry Bates by her daughter Kimberley, to stand Reserve on this occasion. He has been Champion at HOYS twice and

WORDS BY NATALIE TINDALL • PHOTOS BY DIANA VOLPE

Ridden Arab of the Year Cipriana ridden by Jade Hateley

may well yet gain the elusive hat-trick as he is just ten years old and is described by his owner as a real showman who loves an occasion. A vision in pure white he must have enchanted many in the audience as he appeared to float effortlessly around the arena.

Another HOYS veteran who has been Reserve Champion twice, CBeebies (Monther al Nasser x FS Cinderella) was a mere three marks behind these two to be a close third for owner/rider Amanda Miller with another consistent performance for both his rider and the judge. He is also a half brother to the Champion as they share the same dam – all credit to the breeders Joanne and Chris Lowe for these two successful show horses.

Winner of the Berugia Perpetual trophy for the highest placed mare was Xquisite Dream (Psy Dream x Xquisite Design) bred by Sarah Chettle, owned by Diane Atkin and ridden for her by Lucy Amy. This was a great achievement as it was the mare’s first appearance at HOYS and expertly piloted, she clearly enjoyed the experience so much that she was the judge’s favourite ride with the highest ride mark of the day. She was also one of no fewer than four horses qualified by Kirsty and Tash Nelson’s Meads Show team, which is a considerable achievement. Sadly Kirsty was suffering from a back injury so was unable to ride but it is testament to their team’s organisation and preparation that all four horses performed so well.

Another first timer, the Crabbet mare, Bellflower (Psalm x Wentworth Estates Bellissima) bred by Diana and Miss ER Whittome was superbly shown for owner Georgina Rees by Darren Crowe to stand

Reserve Ridden Arab of the Year Rafeekah with Kimberley Bates

Third placed CBeebies and Amanda Miller Fourth placed Xquisite Dream with Maria Pook

Crabbet mare Bellflower was placed fifth. She was bred by the late Diana Whittome and Miss ER Whittome and owned by Georgina Rees

fifth. Darren has had repeated success in several classes at HOYS and has ring craft second to none. On the move, Bellflower looked a picture and once allowed to inspect the crowd as she stood in the line awaiting the judge’s ride, she decided that they had all come to see her, so she had better put on a good show!

Sixth was the top stallion and winner of the Cantsfield Perpetual trophy for best stallion was Waliandro (EKS Alihandro x Walena) who brought an international flavour to the ring as he was bred in Denmark by Husted Arabians. At just seven years old and on his first appearance at HOYS the grey kept his composure well throughout the class and went particularly well to make his owners Daniel Botwright and Anne Bevan proud.

Seventh was another first timer, the relatively inexperienced Noor Al Nefous (Muhaned al Raayan x Om el Sariyah) a lovely mare bred by Jane Fraser Brown, beautifully produced by the Meads Show team and ridden by Maria Pook for the owner Linda Bensley. At

eight years old it seems likely that she will be back in the winning HOYS lineup again.

Eighth place went to the chestnut stallion Zebauri, (KZ Ibreez x Araura) also a first timer at the age of fifteen who showed calmly and with fluency. He was shown as a novice but had had many years away from the showring, so it is testament to his team that he rose to the challenge so well. Hazel Lefevre is the owner/breeder of Zebauri and he was ridden for her by Harriet Podd.

Ninth place went to another chestnut stallion, the very handsome Alonzo (Abha Qatar x Casablanca bint Djammal) owned and bred

by Hugh and Michelle Segre and beautifully ridden by Stephanie Zebedee. Again much credit must go to his team for overcoming a last minute crisis, getting to HOYS and achieving a top ten place.

It is a cliché but true nonetheless that to win a place to compete at HOYS is to win regardless of the result once there. With such fine mark margins this year this was never truer and all competitors have reason to be justifiably proud of their ridden Arabs. Congratulations again to the 2023 Champion Cipriana and all his connections and here’s to 2024 in the arena of dreams! o

The Historic Evolution of Type and Feeding in Crabbet Arabian Horses

Hello! I’m Carol, the founder of EquiNatural Ltd, and I’m thrilled to have been asked to contribute an article for the Crabbet Heritage magazine.

WORDS BY CAROL MORTON

So why EquiNatural? In 2006, my horse world went horribly wrong when my beautiful herd of horses collectively became very sick. Neither I nor my vet knew why, so I had to figure it out myself by researching everything I could find on equine health. What I discovered was profound. Both horses and humans have an innate intelligence to fight anything foreign, but when overwhelmed with toxins, the body’s cells become damaged, leading to chronic inflammation. This means the immune system and detox organs struggle to function optimally, leading to disease. This spurred my ongoing quest for knowledge and the creation of EquiNatural. Nearly two decades on, EquiNatural is trusted and recommended by many vets, equine practitioners, training establishments, and charities. Our stringent organic practices ensure the highest quality, contaminant-free, nutritionally regenerative supplements, harnessing the optimum health benefits for the horse.

Introduction

Different horse breeds and genetic types mean different microbiomes/metabolisms, and if we take a closer look, understanding this can shed a whole new light on the gut function of the horse we have in front

of us, especially with an imported horse. These days, it’s not only fascinating, but also import to know what their dominant genetic ‘type’ is, so we can manage their potential metabolism and microbiome to achieve optimal health.

As we know, the Arabian horse is a remarkable breed with a rich history and lineage. These horses are celebrated not just for their elegance and endurance, but also for their unique metabolic and microbiome adaptations, deeply rooted in their Arabian desert ancestry. Understanding the evolution of these traits provides invaluable insights into how we care for, and feed, the modern day Arabian horse.

Origins and Genetic Ancestry

Arabian desert horses evolved in harsh, arid environments, shaping their physiology to efficiently utilise sparse and coarse forage. Their desert diet mainly consisted of tough grasses and thorny plants, rich in fibres but low in sugars and starches. This type of feeding promoted the development of a robust hindgut microbiome capable of efficient fibre fermentation.

The Crabbet Arabian Stud played a significant role in refining and preserving these traits. Lady Anne and Wilfrid Blunt meticulously selected horses that embodied the Arabian ideal: strong, resilient, and able to thrive in challenging conditions. Their

dedication to maintaining pure bloodlines and emphasis on natural feeding and management practices helped preserve the Arabian horse’s unique characteristics.

Feeding Patterns and Microbiome Adaptations

Desert conditions necessitated the ability to travel long distances with minimal food and water. As a result, Arabian horses developed a high tolerance for sugar and starch, with their metabolism primarily laying down fat as an energy reserve for times of scarcity – this is a breed that in their natural environment don’t experience the harsh winter ‘hunger gap. This metabolic adaptation is important to appreciate, as it influences their dietary needs and health management.

The adaptation of the Arabian horse’s digestive system to its native environment is a fascinating example of evolutionary biology. In their native desert environment, the scarcity of lush forage led to the development of a gut microbiome that could extract maximum nutrients from minimal, fibrous food sources. This underscores the importance of providing a diet that supports this unique digestive system today.

A horse, irrespective of breed, is essentially a hindgut grass-forage fibre fermenter, specifically cellulose/hemi-cellulose fibre for the resident worker colonies of hindgut fibre fermenting bacteria. It’s this species

appropriate fibre that is essential for producing the vital metabolites such as B-vitamins, amino acids, and the volatile fatty acids that provide the energy source for the body’s cells.

Conversely, if we feed our horses inappropriately, i.e. with haylage and ultraprocessed feedbags containing multiple bulk fillers, this invites unfriendly lactic acid bacteria into the hindgut. These bacteria create an acidic low pH environment when it should always remain neutral, which can then trigger the hindgut acidosis, dysbiosis (SIBO), leaky gut, and faecal water syndrome, which can result in significant metabolic disorders.

Modern Feeding Considerations

Modern day Arabian horses, as with all breeds, while bred and kept in very different environments from their original desert ancestors, still retain the exact same gut system and metabolic traits. This means we need to adopt a feeding regime that mirrors their evolutionary diet to maintain optimal health.

Key considerations:

1. A fibre rich diet: Providing a diet high in cellulose fibre from stemmy hay supports the natural fermentation processes of the hindgut. This mimics the rough, fibrous plants they would have eaten in the desert.

2. Low starch and sugar: Limiting intake of high starch and high sugar feeds prevents the overgrowth of lactic acid bacteria and maintains a neutral pH in the GI tract. This is crucial for preventing metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and laminitis.

3. Avoiding haylage: Haylage can harbour lactic acid bacteria due to its wrapped fermentation process, making it less suitable for any horse. Instead, quality ad lib meadow hay should always be available to maintain a stable hindgut environment.

4. Our UK grass and hay are deficient in vital nutrients: Would you believe that just 50+ years ago, carrots had 75% more magnesium than today - just one example of how our soil nutrient levels have significantly depleted over the years due to industrial agriculture. So we have to put back what’s missing, with a UK forage balanced mineral solution. By supplementing our horse’s forage intake with a carefully formulated ‘balancer’, this replenishes the essential elements that our modern world has depleted, ensuring our horses receive the comprehensive nutrition they require for peak performance and vitality.

As well as these dietary considerations, it’s important to recognise the role of environmental factors in maintaining the health of the Arabian horse. Access to diverse forage sources, like natural barks, roots, and leaves, adds valuable natural prebiotic roughage that promotes a healthy hindgut biome. This adds valuable natural prebiotic roughage diversity into their diet, which feeds and promotes the hindgut biome colonies, while mimicking their natural grazing patterns.

Distinguishing Fat from Lymph

A crucial aspect of managing Arabian horses is differentiating between fat storage and lymph retention, as they are prone to

different types of weight gain. Fat storage is typically seen in the neck crest and above the tail, while lymph retention occurs in the connective tissues, leading to swelling in areas such as the saddle region.

To accurately assess your horse’s condition, consider these indicators:

• Fat storage: Look for a thick, hard crest on the neck and fat pads around the tailhead. These areas are where fat is most commonly deposited in horses that are consuming too many calories relative to their activity level.

• Lymph retention: Check for soft, swelling areas in the lower body, particularly around the girth and behind the shoulders and saddle. This type of swelling is often a sign of lymphatic fluid buildup rather than fat deposits.

Understanding these differences is important to readdress your horse’s diet and exercise regime. For example, a horse with lymph retention needs a diet low in toxins and rich in detoxifying agents, while a horse with fat deposits requires a controlled diet with increased exercise to burn off excess calories.

Conclusion

The historical evolution of the Arabian horse’s type and feeding patterns provides a blueprint for their care today. By understanding their unique metabolic and microbiome needs, we can tailor their diets to mimic their ancestral feeding habits, promoting health and longevity. This approach not only honours their heritage and legacy but ensures that these magnificent horses continue to thrive in our modern-day world. o

AN OVERVIEW OF WHITE MARKINGS IN CRABBET ARABIANS

Words by Moira Walker

What are white spotting patterns?

White spotting, also known as dominant white (although many researchers no longer use this term), are mutations in the genetics that code for color pigmentation and their expressions. In this case, a mutation simply means an alteration in the sequence in which the DNA pattern is presented. The most common location for mutations related to white patterning is the KIT locus - a particularly unstable segment of DNA that is prone to mutations. The KIT locus is currently home to 30 named W (White Spotting) patterns, along with Sabino1 and several roan mutations.

Desert source of white spotting in Crabbets

There are two foundation horses that are very easy to point toward as being sources of white spotting.

The first is Rodania, born ca. 1869, the queen mother of the Crabbet breeding program.

One look at that wide blaze of hers and a cursory rummage through her female line reveals an extremely prepotent hereditary white spotting.

The second is Mesaoud, born ca. 1887, the great sire of the Crabbet breeding program. No Crabbet Arabian exists today that does not go back to Mesaoud. He was known for having sabino-like markings, white ticking throughout his body, and small white spots on his body. He came from desert bred stock that Abbas Pasha brought to Egypt in the mid-1800s - over 170 years ago. Here, it is noteworthy that the Abbas Pasha manuscript mentions horses with white markings and the infamous “parti-colored” descriptor.

There were others with white spotting, particularly: Ashgar, Queen of Sheba, Mahruss II, Dajania, and Hadban. Others

had muted white e.g. Kars and Pharoah, or virtually no white such as Hagar, and others were grey which hid their markings.

Testable white spotting patterns

Most of the white spotting patterns that we see and can test for today are relatively recent developments - less than 200 years old, many of which are less than 100 years old at this time. There are also patterns that researchers have not yet identified, some of which may predate modern breeding. Currently, there are four testable white spotting patterns and one testable white spotting booster found in Arabian bloodlines. All of these mutations have occurred on the KIT locus, and four are bloodline specific. They are not found in 100% Crabbet horses today, but may occur in high percentage Crabbet horses. They are:

1. W3) Associated with the American stallion R Khasper. Expresses with a mostly

Kath Johnston’s Pure Crabbet stallion Kasdell Kane (Mill Park Peregrine x Kasdell Lukah)

Photo: Kath Johnston

white phenotype; the remaining colored areas have a roany appearance.

2. W15) Associated with the American stallion Khartoon Khlassic. Causes varying amounts of leg, face, and belly white.

3. W19) Associated with the American mare Fantasia VU. Causes a decent amount of white traveling up the legs onto the belly and barrel of the horse along with varying amounts of face white and roany areas on the body.

4. W23) Associated with the Australian Crabbet stallion Boomori Simply Stunning. Causes mostly-to-completely white phenotypes. Thought to no longer be in the gene pool.

The testable white booster gene that can be found in Arabians is W20. Its presence does not actually cause white markings, but instead it amplifies the expression of white patterning mutations, making them ‘louder’, e.g. socks become stockings and strips become blazes.

Sabino Who? And other white patterns

Sabino is a little complicated. There is a gene for classical Sabino, Sb1, and in the strictest sense Sabino refers to horses with this gene. Arabians do not carry the Sabino1 gene. There are a loose confederation of phenotypes that mimic Sabino1 and which have historically been called Sabino, but which do not follow the inheritance patterns of Sb1. Sabino-Not-Sabino in Arabians used to be considered a sign of impure breeding and in the past had led to horses with extensive white being culled from breeding programs, but our better understanding of genetics reveals that spontaneous mutations can and do happen in any breed, including Arabians. With that said, a cursory look into the foundation horses of our Arabians quickly reveals that there have long been Sabino-like Arabians, including those that came from the desert, and it’s presumed that there is an old, asyet unidentified white patterning mutation that is endemic to Arabians.

One phrase you will see in marketing horses with loud expressions of white is ‘Maxiumum Sabino’ or ‘Maximum White’. Maximum white is not a gene or color as geneticists understand it, but a phenotypic expression. Nor is this expression tied to the presence of Sb1 - which in Arabians

is impossible in any case. Any combination of gene mutations along the KIT locus, MITF gene, or PAX3, as well as any as yet unidentified white patterning mutations, can cause this expression to occur, and

W23 was an example of a KIT mutation that caused a maximum white phenotype. It is important to note that maximum white is not the same as albinism, which to date has not been confirmed in horses. Nor is it

Binley Sabah (Dandini x Sa’ira)

Kasdell Pekae (Kasdell Kane x Pieta Benay)

Photo: Kath Johnston

Photo: Caroline Sussex

the same as Lethal White Overo (LWO) / homozygous frame overo, which is a lethal gene expression that invariably results in a dead foal.

Another recognisable white patterning is rabicano, a roan-like expression. This patterning ranges in expression from muted horses with small amounts of white ticking in their coats, to the presence of ‘skunk tails’

or ‘coon tails’ (white tail heads, sometimes present with white barring), and then to more extreme expressions that are seen first along the flank and then other parts of the body radiating out from the flank, where the white hairs will be most pronounced. Rabicano is related to roaning, hence sometimes being known as rabicano roan, but it is not the traditional RN mutation and the gene that

An example of white going through the eye and which could cause blue eyes in Fire’N’Ice (Snow’n’Fire x Jirrima Ultra Minx). High percentage Crabbet and Old English with original Blunt imports, Skowronek, *Mirage, Dwarka, Mootrub, El Emir, Ishtar, Kesia I and Kesia II, Maidan, Nejdmieh, and Outlaw, as well as lines to the Australian imports Mahboub and Magistrate

causes rabicano has yet to be identified.

Glass eyes - a sign of impurity?

Blue eyes - with or without white facial markings touching the eye - are commonly associated with Splashed White Overo. Mentioning Splash might lead you to wonder if your blue-eyed horse contains lines to non-Arabians, but Splash is not a

Pinto or Arabian? An as yet untestable white spotting mutation seen in Fenwick Orion (Renasar x Ennerdale Galaxy)

Kasdell Eliah (Arfaja Harlan x Elise)

Photo: Kath Johnston

Photo: Nicole Emanuel

Photo: Nicole Emmanuel

Another example of recoloring in the blaze:

Cantata)

single mutation, rather, it is a collection of mutations that occur on either the MITF gene or the PAX3 gene. Splashed White 1, or SW1, is one of the oldest mutations on record, being hundreds of years old. As a result, much like Sb1, it is one of the most widespread mutations and is not linked to any single breed or bloodline. Like the KIT locus, the MITF and PAX3 locations are prone to mutations, and researchers currently speculate that Arabians contain a hitherto unidentified Splash mutation, as both locations are involved in producing pigment in the organs as well as on the skin, which in turn are responsible for the pigmentation of eyes. Splash is a tricky gene as its expression ranges from very loud to very muted, and in its muted, minimally marked form it can hide, sometimes for generations before producing a horse with unexpected white patterning.

Blue eyes themselves are essentially a ‘blip’ in the development of the horse while inutero. They are the result of the final eye structure lacking pigment. During fetal development, all tissues of the foal are unpigmented until the melanocytes (cells that produce melanin, which produces the pigment we see as color) migrate from the neural crest. It is during this migration that

the ‘blip’ will sometimes occur. It is helpful to think of blue eyes as essentially a white marking themselves, which is one of the reasons that blue eyes do not ‘breed true’. You cannot guarantee that a white marking will appear in the same location as the sire/ dams’ markings, be it blue eyes, a knee spot, or a belly spot.

And how do we know that this existed in desert bred genetics, and isn’t a surefire indicator of impurity? Jeroboam, an early first-generation product of Crabbet breeding whose parents Pharaoh and Jerboa were both desert breds, had a blue eye!

Skewing? It’s not skewbald!

Nefisa (Hadban x Dajania) is an excellent indicator of another phenomenon we see in Crabbet white spotting - the skewing of markings. In particular, if you look at her facial markings, you can see a very large star that attaches to a narrow blaze and offcenter snip covers the left nostril. It can be helpful to think of white markings as having ‘points of origin’ from which they spread, which should follow a pattern of spread, e.g. stockings with high white trailing up the front of the gaskins, or belly spots on the center that go up the barrel. Skewing occurs when something interrupts the development of the white pattern and causes its expression to ‘slip’ from the point of origin. Thus, a horse might have a crooked blaze, or partially white legs with a solid inside, which can cause a pattern to be incomplete.

Get a little white, lose a little white...

It is also theorised that there are factors that mask white patterns, although to date none of these genes have been mapped. The concept of white masking is not new and a growing body of evidence suggests that other factors come into play to actively resist or suppress the development of white markings. One example is how chestnut horses will often have much more pronounced markings than black, or often even bay horses, with the same pattern. The KIT gene locus is linked to the MCR1 gene that codes for wild-type (which you will see in color tests as E) and for the mutation responsible for the red extension (which you will see in color tests as e, and the homozygous state of which allows for the chestnut phenotype.)

MCR1 mutations are believed to inherently create ‘weaker’ melanocytes prone to ‘blips’ during migration, which may explain the louder expressions of white patterning on chestnut horses versus on black or bay horses. However, researchers don’t know exactly why KIT mutations express higher on the red base coat color or why there is a tendency for MITF mutations to express higher on the black base coat color. One theorised form of white suppression is a ‘cryptic gene’ found in some breeds, which serves to narrow the range of expression for white. A study on ‘Crypto-tobiano horses in Hucul breed’ conducted in 2015 found that there were horses which tested positive for Tobiano (To) and which could and did display

Magic Chantress (Klinta Nader x

Photo: Alexia Ross

Nefisa (Hadban x Dajania)

Photo: Kath Johnston

extremely minimal white markings. While this specific white suppression gene may not apply across all markings or breeds, it is clear that there exists a framework for the suppression of white markings that allows them to pass undetected across generations until the right genetic recombination allows otherwise, similar to ‘crop-out’ Pintos in American Quarter horses.

Skewing, which causes slips of patterns, and suppression, which resists white, are two ways that the visual expression of white might be limited. A third, unrelated phenomenon that produces visually similar outputs of masked white is ‘recoloring’, which is exactly what it sounds like: rather than resisting the depigmentation, areas of white are recolored with pigment, which

colloquially can be referred to as ‘occluding spots.’ In this category are belton spotting, leg patches, colored socks, and badger faces.

An example is Queen of Sheba, who likely had a white suppression gene. She had four white legs - the front socks stopped short of the fetlock joint, whereas the hind socks stopped slightly above the fetlock joint. When crossed with Mesaoud she produced *Astraled, who had very minimal white markings: a snip and a right coronet. This follows through *Astraled’s daughter Rim (ex Ridaa) to her son by Hazzam. Hazzam was a bay stallion with a blaze and four socks, but crossed with Rim produced Rimal, who had a small star, a snip, and muted white legs - strongly reminiscent of his great grand-dam, Queen of Sheba. *Astraled’s line can also be traced to other populations (such as the Straight Babson Egyptian) which to this day have very little white.

The exact mechanics of all of these genes are still under investigation, and it’s unclear at this time exactly how they all interact with each other or which foundation horses they came from, but it is clear, unequivocally, that white spotting is nothing new to Arabians.o

VIRTUAL SHOWS

Fenwick Brilliance with her foal Fenwick

Just Brilliant

Photo: Vicki Johnson

Stud Round Up

Anazeh’s Touch of Silver

Having been wakened every other hour throughout the night with the hammering of my alarm clock, I finally jerked awake at daylight. My beloved mare, Dell Adorina, was due to foal any time and as I peeped through the hedge I could see her down and two little hooves apparent! I quickly ran back for my camera and sensing the movement, the ever-secretive Adorina struggled to her feet and wandered away, pretending that she was not about to foal at all. However, within moments she was back down and began foaling in earnest.

Ever the perfect mother, producing strong and healthy foals, both were on their feet soon after and the foal was nursing on long white legs. I was surprised to find it was a colt, with Adorina having previously produced five fillies in a row. This was very exciting mating, with the colt being 92.8% Crabbet lines, as for some time here in New Zealand, Crabbet blood was becoming harder to find and I had always been a proponent of these wonderful saddle horses with their sensible temperaments and fabulous movement. Luck had been on my side, being able to purchase his sire, Touch of Maan, although Touch of Silver was sadly the only foal he left me. I was always on the lookout for horses with older Crabbet lines and had been thrilled to obtain him in later life. He was a fun ride and I enjoyed riding Maan for miles locally, down to the river or beach or lake. Likewise, Adorina was a fantastic saddle horse, a multi show champion, and she had the nicest nature you could ever wish for. So, this new born colt had all the makings of a great saddle horse, - a great pedigree, temperament and movement. As Touch of Silver grew, he developed into a lovely colt, and I would spend a fair amount of time leaning on the gate, watching his beautiful movement as he played around, the ever-suffering Adorina, putting up with all his antics – up to a point!

Words by Virginia Dean, New Zealand

A lovely young woman, Petra Luzumova, contacted me about six months later, as she was looking to buy a colt. I made the difficult decision to let Silver go, as having two stallions on my five acre property was not really a viable option, and, he was too closely related to all his half-sisters here to breed with them. So, as a weanling, Silver boldly walked on to the horse transporter and made the long journey to the south of the South Island. Petra and I became friends through this purchase and we kept in touch, she sending me regular updates of his show winnings and later, his ridden career. Her photos showed him losing his chestnut coat and greying out as I knew he would. As a yearling, Anazeh’s Touch of Silver won Champion Arabian

Exhibit at the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Show and later on in the season, Petra travelled him up to the South Island Arabian Championships where he was awarded South Island Junior Champion Colt. I loved this photograph of him with his wide ribbon, made me a very proud breeder!

Silver made the transition to being a saddle horse with ease, and Petra readied him for endurance riding which proved to be his forte. He won three endurance rides around the South Island, eating up the miles with his easy stride and low resting heart rates. He attended ridden clinics and always behaved himself, being able to be worked around mares and geldings alike.

Petra bred a lovely purebred chestnut filly from one of her mares by Silver and he also sired some quality derivative progeny from her Standardbred mares. This is a popular cross in New Zealand,

Top: Silver with his dam Dell Adorina

Above: Silver was awarded South Island Junior Champion Colt

Touch of Maan

Anazeh’s Touch of Silver

Dell Adorina

Touch of Magic

Naatina

Iliad

Forina

producing tough endurance horses with a little more height. In 2018 I approached Petra to see if I could lease Silver back for a season to breed with a mare I had recently obtained, - RR Indira (Sorella Sarum x Anazeh’s Indian Silver). I had owned Sorella Sarum for a short while but he did not leave me any foals, so I had been thrilled to be able to purchase a daughter, especially from one of my favourite mares that I had bred myself. This was to be a mating I had long wanted to do, crossing Dell Adorina’s dam line with Anazeh’s Indian Silver’s dam line. Dreams do come true!

Risheem

Sefra

Naaddel

Elotina

Othello

Silver Dawn

Silver Sparkle

Ezrina

Irex x Rishka

Rossfenick x Fickle

Moon Fashion x Naadirah

Jabal x Sparina

Babylon x Calliope

Silver Moonlight x Contessa

Oran x Silver Fire

Ezra x Sadik

While Silver was in my care, I asked Petra if I could show him at the New Zealand Arabian Nationals, to be held in the South Island that year. I was very thrilled when he came away with the Reserve NZ National Champion Purebred Arabian Senior Stallion sash. In due course Indira foaled a filly, Anazeh’s Indorina, Silver’s first progeny for me Indy is delightful, and everything I planned from that mating. Petra continued riding Silver and when they moved up to South Canterbury, she would ride him down the hill to the retirement village where the old folk would come out to greet them. Silver took all the petting and fussing in his stride as befits a well-behaved stallion!

As I was so pleased with the filly Silver had left me, I again asked Petra last year if I could lease him for another season. She readily agreed but a few days later, called to ask if I would like to buy him back. Petra is now heavily involved with racing her Standardbreds and as she was not really using Silver, she felt it would be good for him to come back to me. I thought long and hard for two seconds and said yes!

It was so exciting to see him return home on the transporter late 2023! He has developed into a beautiful horse and I am so pleased to have him home again. I am looking forward to breeding him over my mares this coming spring (sadly the one old mare he bred on arrival had to be put to sleep recently, a double loss). I am hoping to show him at the Nationals again in 2025 when they return to the South Island and meantime, I am planning to get him out and about so people can see just what a Crabbet Arabian stallion looks like!

Anazeh’s Touch of Silver (and right)

Anazeh’s Indorina by Anazeh’s Touch of Silver

Mill Park Zeniah

Australian Reserve Champion Crabbet Mare 2024

After a long absence, the Australian Arabian National Championships 2024 came back to Werribee in Victoria. Part of the show feature this year were the Crabbet and Straight Egyptian classes. It was so great to see people get behind these classes either with horses entered or spectating and cheering their favourite horses on. It was so great to see so many owners and non-professionals showing the horses, giving it such a fun, relaxed atmosphere.

Pure Crabbet mare Mill Park Zeinah and Amy Francis went along to support the Crabbet classes to show people how wonderful the Crabbet horses are as show and family horses, flying the flag for Mill Park Arabians and it’s wonderful long established pure Crabbet breeding program. Amy and Zee had so much fun along the way and were such a crowd favourite. Described as ‘A powerful entrance into the arena, captivating the judge with her beauty and presence’ in our ‘Arabian Lifestyle Magazine’. Not bad for only her second show and prepared living out in the paddock, bit of elbow grease from Amy and her team of Zee supporters/helpers.

Mill Park Zeinah - Pure Crabbet Mare

Sire: Mill Park Artemis (Arfaja Nassif x Mill Park Athena)

Dam: Mill Park Zahra (Mill Park Falconer x Mill Park Zarifa)

Bred by Shirley Douglas Griegg - Mill Park Arabians

Owned by Shirley Douglas Griegg - Mill Park Arabians, Amy Francis - Ekala Arabians and Jane Sheppard - Iionnah Arabians. This mare has such a wonderful future ahead for her – the next adventure will be to get her started under saddle and learning lots of new things and just enjoying what life has to offer. She is a special one for the future of Crabbet breeding.

KWS Arabians

In summer 2022 KWS Arabians diversified by acquiring the 100% Crabbet stallion Crystal Red Drift (Crystal Romance x Crystal Stardrift) for our mares EAS Jasmine (Vivegas x Isabella Versace) and Baharah Bint Emir (Emir Ibn Nahaman x Andorra) to add substance and temperament known from the Crabbet breeding. Sadly Baharah passed away with colic before we could put her in foal. Jasmine has unfortunately remained barren through no fault of Red Drift. We added a straight Spanish mare Briery Atea (Madrid Ibn Maximo x Belissa) who very quickly was scanned in foal and has produced a beautiful colt KWS Valdelagrana. Crossing Crabbet with Spanish is unheard of in modern days and has proven to be an excellent cross. We are still looking to add a Crabbet mare to our programme. Red Drift has one visiting mare of high percentage Crabbet breeding this year.

Crystal Red Drift (Crystal Romance x Crystal Stardrift)

Words by Jane Sheppard, Australia

Mill Park Zeniah at the Australian Arabian Championships this year, shown by Amy Francis

Words by Kyle Birchnall Skipper, UK

Danjera Arabians

There hasn’t been a lot happening here on the breeding front since I had the fires at the front gate four years ago. It was such a traumatic time and I am forever thankful that myself and my beloved fur and feathered family came through unscathed. I then lost my young stallion Melandah Colonel with a twisted bowel two months after he arrived home from lease. He leaves a legacy of three foals. His eldest is a lovely bay colt who is here now thanks to the generosity of Marillyn and Larry O’Dea of Inshallah Arabians. Young ‘Major’ loves people and has a very pleasant personality.

I have taken the odd visiting mare to keep my main man Pevensey Safari happy. It’s hard to believe he will be celebrating his 27th Birthday in August but he retains his zest in life and is still extremely fertile settling his mares in short order. Some exciting news is he will have a foal born in New Zealand next season. Pevensey Magic Aria came to visit in January this year after being repurchased by her breeder Leon Bennett. Aria is now settled across the ditch. A lovely big mare and was a pleasure to have here. It gave me a kickstart because I covered two of my own mares for Autumn foals and have recovered some of my passion.

Pevensey Arabians

In New Zealand, 2024 saw the arrival of Pevensey Magic Aria (Magic Prophecy x Veridan Za’aria), after having been bred and sold in Australia, Magic Aria was then re-purchased and bred to Pevensey

Words by Gail Rooney, Australia

Pure Crabbet colt by Pevensey Safari ex Inshallah Mygirl, bred and owned by Kelly McKay

Pevensey Magic Aria

Pevensey Naiad and her 2023 filly Pevensey Nereid

Pevensey Safari (Sarafire x Dandaloo Baylanie)

Words by Leon Bennett, New Zealand

True Blue Arabians

Words by Bill Noonan, USA

High percentage Crabbet related horses with a high concentration of Skowronek blood flourishing in North America

At True Blue Arabians we breed high percentage Crabbet Arabians based on bloodlines from the Crabbet Stud including Skowronek which made a huge impact on North American breeding well over a half century ago. I am pleased to say this was not a fad. These horses are still being bred and cherished today.

True Blue Arabians in Oxford, Pennsylvania, USA is proud to announce that we have added two high percentage Crabbet stallions with a heavy concentration of Skowronek blood to our program, Mesmorized (Mesmorise x Amazingly Incredible) and Radar Gaizada (Lea Gai Azada x Rahar Giboraraffa). We started out over 53 years ago with our first stallion who was a Raffles grandson and we have worked very hard to keep this base while attempting to produce better stock by gathering and using horses of very high quality with this Crabbet and Skowronek combination in their pedigrees. These two stallions are high percentage Crabbet blood with a concentration of Skowronek blood through three of the best Skowronek sons imported to the United States and Russia: Raseyn, Raffles and Naseem. Some people might consider them Azraff/Ferzon horses but what they really are is two strong Crabbet/Skowronek stallions with an Azraff/Ferzon influence. Of course, Azraff and Ferzon were also fine examples of the Crabbet and Skowronek bloodlines.

Mesmorized

The best part of these new additions to True Blue Arabians is that these two stallions were bred by two of our friends who are both ECAHS Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Francie Schermerhorn and Pete McNeil. They have both passed within the last couple of years which is a huge loss to the North American Crabbet Arabian community. This loss has made it even more important to us that we continue their legacy through these two stallions.

Danni Boy

La Dee Da

Mesmorized

West Coast Bred

Mesmorized was bred in California by Pete McNeil. Pete was the most fantastic person I think I ever met. Crabbet Arabians bought us together and pushed our relationship forward at a very fast pace. My only regret is that I did not get to spend much more time with him. His foundation mare was Trity (Hamdan x Afara), a Raffles mare, that he purchased from Alice Payne. He purchased a top-quality stallion from Daniel Gainey named Gai Danizon (Gai Parada x Ferzona). He was off to the races so to speak. He had the eye of an artist and developed a very beautiful type of Arabian. At the same time, they retained very athletic builds.

Mesmorized goes primarily back to Alice Payne and Daniel Gainey breeding with the injection of other McCoy horses and a touch of the famous Gaizon (Ferzon x Gajala) and the outstanding SHF Southern

Gai Danizon

Eloquent

Rhythmic

Dani Lori

Danni Boy

Gai Danichele

SHF Southern Whiz Incredible

Gai Parada x Ferzona

Rasffius x Michele

Humoresque x Gai Danichele

Gai Danizon x Gai Rachele

Gai Danizon x Eloquent

Gai Danizon x Rachele

Gazesel x HV Baroness

Danni Boy x Danijeanne

Lea Gai Azada

Radar Gaizada

Rahar Giboraraffa

Gai Parada

Lea Rougeyma

Giborr

Comar Azona Raffa

Whiz ( Gazesel x HV Baroness) . These horses and people will be less recognizable to people outside of America although Southern Whiz sired SHF Pearlie Mae who will be familiar to British readers as she became World Champion in 1996 for Shirley Watts Halsdon Stud. These breeders and their horses, along with Garth Buchanan, are primarily responsible for the famous Azraff/ Ferzon cross. These lines are known for their intelligence, fine dispositions and beauty. We acquired Mesmorized quite by chance. He was listed on Facebook as being at a rescue where he would be gelded within a couple of days. When we realised he was Pete McNeil’s breeding I said, “I want that horse!” instantly the horse trailer was on its way to Kentucky to collect him, how fortunate we all were! Mesmorized is a great example produced by blending and concentrating many fine individuals. His first foals show great promise.

Radar Gaizada: East Coast and Midwest breeding

Ferzon Azleta

Gay Rouge

Lea Geymama

PHP Brilliance

Reverie Gida

Comar Rafeymazon

Comar Azona

Ferneyn x Fersara

Azraff x Phleta

Azraff x Gay-Rose

Geym x Comar Rafeymazzama

PHP Azeezy x PHP Beguile

Wasl Raffles x Rafgida

Ferzon x Comar Rafeyma

Comar Arazon x Comar Azraferzona

Radar Gaizada is our East coast example of a continuation of very similar blood lines originating in the Midwest. He has more influence from Roger Selby importations and his daughter Lois Selby Perry’s program. His pedigree is also significantly impacted by the great Garth Buchanan and Dick and Joan Ellis breeding programs. He was bred by Francie Schermerhorn in New York State. She was able to lease Lea Gai Azada from another dear friend, Madio (Rocky) Rossini and his wife Patty. Azada was bred by the Ellis’s. She crossed Azada with her great Raffles and Azraff bred mares to produce Rahar Gaizada and many other fine individuals.

My wife Sharon and I owned a wonderful Lea Gai Azada son years ago. He was my wife’s favorite that we bred and he justifiably earned his barn name Sweetie. Randy Stoneback of RSA Arabians suggested that I visit Rahar Arabians and see the results of Francie breeding her great mares to Lea Gai Azada. After several visits with Francie, our friendship grew and I became particularly impressed with Rahar Gaizada and his dam, Rahar Giboraffa.

Randy and I leased these two individuals and several other mares from Francie. True Blue has retained a fantastic four year old mare,

True Blue Lady Rahar, who is competing very successfully in sport horse classes. Her trainer describes her as ‘a genius who learns so quickly and is just as sweet as can be!’ Lady is a half-sister to Rahar Gaizada, being out of the same dam, Rahar Giborraraffa, and by Randy’s superb stallion Amyr Garity.

Several years later, Francie passed at a relatively young age. Francie’s daughter, Koren Schermerhorn, gave Sharon and I the fantastic opportunity to own Rahar Gaizada. I will always be grateful to her for this honor.

Radar as we call him, is a fantastic individual. He has a super disposition, like our beloved Sweetie, and we are thrilled with his foals. He has covered 8 or 9 mares so far this year, so we have a lot to look forward to next Spring and early Summer. In the future, we plan to breed our Gaizada mares to Mezmorized and vice versa. Pete from California and Francie from New York State were two very special people and outstanding Crabbet breeders and special friends of ours. It is so nice to go out our door each day and feel that we still have a connection to them through these two special stallions. The dreams and adventures continue at True Blue Arabians.

Rahar Gaizada

Zobeyni Arabians

As breeders we are caught up in the cycle of life. At Zobeyni I have seen that cycle again this year. As spring unfurled its first buds, I had to bid goodbye to my beautiful lady Narishka who had ruled as queen for thirty years. She was my first homebred foal, a 100% Crabbet dream made real from the Naxina branch of the N line who lived up to her grandiose ancestors every day of her life. Her son Zobeyni Nurani has taken over the job of setting off the morning greetings. His two daughters include the exceptionally sweet Zobeyni Aziza aka”Bambi”, a 100% Old English mare from the rare Queen of Sheba female line. She also represents precious connections to ridden show star Bright Cavalier, his ever-versatile daughter Dancers Miracle who managed to combine a few foals with being ridden and driven in harness and international champion

Words by Alexia Ross, UK

Ghibli who left far too few foals in the UK. The other Nurani daughter is the very stylish Munirah from big moving Moza by Klinta Bashir from the Beeston Hall Arabian Stud. Munirah is only two years old but I am already plotting how to continue her important 100% Crabbet inheritance.

New Arrival!

My big news is the arrival in May of a strong chestnut filly by Imperial Silver Phoenix from Klinta Salma, another Klinta Bashir daughter but bred by Bashir’s breeder Gunilla Hamer in Ireland. ‘Sally’ is on loan from Pauline Atkinson of Whitton Park Stud just down the road from me in Shropshire. I have realised that she is the first foal I have bred in thirty years that is not related to Narishka! ‘Nina’ is to be registered as Zobeyni Nefeurina to reflect her inheritance

Narishka and Alexia

of two lines to the showy Naseel grandson Nefeuret. Nefeuret was also a full brother in blood to my foundation mare Nafranta, dam of Narishka.

I am nothing if not consistent in my bloodline and trait choices! Nina brings that Naxina female line back to Zobeyni as the wonderful Narishka never had a daughter. Narishka’s female line went to Naxina via the double Naxina mare Nafisa while Nina’s dam Sally descends via the great Indian Gold mare Naxindra. Both go on back to the Blunts’ Bedouin mare Dajania who was Kehaileh Dajanieh by strain. Breeding is a little like chess and does require planning several moves ahead and female lines are so important to the long term diversity of our precious Arabians.

Zobeyni Nefeurina

Zobeyni Nurani

Binley Arabian Stud

Words

by Caroline Sussex, UK

Binley Arabian Stud has been breeding now for 31 years and the latest foals could very well be the last. It is a family thing!

AHS Premium Mare, Sa’ira (Indian Idyll x Sa’ira) was bred to the bay stallion, Dandini in 2018 whilst he was at Seren Arabians. The resultant colt foal (Binley Sabah) covered in white markings has an interesting pedigree with classic Crabbet lines from the UK and the addition of Crabbet bay lines from Australia through the mare Palma Benay imported by Anne Brown. I always wanted to include the bay desert like stallion of Pevensey Safari in my breeding programme and now at last I have it!

Binley Sabah was the last foal of Sa’ira who she had at 22 and he has come out with the look of Indian Flame II of which he has four crosses. He was bred last year to Binley Silvern Sapphire and Binley Golden Reverie so adding more crosses to Indian Flame II. These two boys, Binley Silvern Salam and Binley Salib are two fun and strong boys who are going to be very tall.

Both of them are for sale and it would be very good for Crabbet breeding if they could stay entire. Binley Sabah now needs to do something and although he is smaller than his sons, he has a huge stride and loves going out walking on the roads. He is available only as a stallion at the current time and is for sale or lease.

This family of three generations can be seen at Binley Arabian Stud in Hampshire.

The younger mares, Binley Silvern Tahlia who is taking a year out

Rainbow Arabians

Establishing a new stud is always an exciting time full of unforeseen challenges. At Rainbow Arabians we planned to put two mares in foal for our first breeding season, both by AI, but as luck would have it, despite expert veterinary care at the Royal Veterinary College, only Moonlight Pearl (Crystal Red Drift x Llain Murjanah) came home in foal to Marbon Mastarpiece.

So, the first challenges were partly overcome and a long winter of waiting ensued. And what a winter it was! So much rain, relentless mud – so many moves of fencing to preserve the ground and much praying when hay arrived that the delivery would be possible. Thank goodness for the flood alleviation improvements, extra grazing and a new barn with two more stables that were all made available since the first winter here!

Any spare time was spent reading up on foaling and making sure that the local vets were aware of likely foaling dates. As Moonlight Pearl was a maiden mare nothing was certain and there was no prior knowledge of her foaling patterns. In the end all was fine and civilised as a beautiful big bay colt was born on June 7th and Pearl took to motherhood straight away. She has proved to be an exemplary mother throughout and accepting of any human intervention. As a 100% Crabbet colt RBA Moonstone Red Arrow is a valuable addition to the Crabbet gene pool and will be retained by the stud as junior stallion.

from the show scene and Binley Silver Sunset are both being ridden and are still the best of friends despite spending time apart. We still have the old mares and of course Multi Ridden Champion, Silvern Prince at the stud who is now 25. Do come and see the horses - Tel: 07775 916051 - Caroline Sussex.

Words by Claire Seaward, UK

Another exciting addition to Rainbow during that year was Moonlight Domino, (Klinta Sultan x Dominita)100% Crabbet stallion, from Moonlight Arabians. As he was our first stallion, we wondered how we would all settle down together, but he has proved to be an

Binley Sabah (Dandini x Sa’ira)

Moonight Domino and Moonlight Pearl

PS Arabian Stud

Nestled in the foot of the Pentland Hills just south of Edinburgh, PS Arabian Stud has seen its fair share of high percentage Crabbet Arabian horses born in its grounds. Owner Mrs Constance Newbould, began breeding in the early 2000s. The humble desire to produce a Crabbet Arab horse of her own led to the purchase of a Crabbet broodmare from the Imperial Arabian Stud. The grey mare Imperial Silk (Shabash x Imperial Rietta) soon made the journey up from Wiltshire to her new Scottish home. But of course, it is difficult to stop after just one foal… and Silk would go on to become PS Arabians’ grand matriarch! Silk successfully produced seven foals, the majority being sired by well known Crabbet stallions. Silk’s first foal, PS Silvern Silk, by PHA Silvern Risalm (Silvern Sceptre x Rislina) became a successful broodmare in her own right. Of the three Crabbets she produced, her daughter PS Sylvan Silk (Rashah x PS Silvern Silk) still resides at the stud and continued Silk’s line with a foal of her own born last year. PS Sylvan Silk also recently competed in the ridden Crabbet class at the 2024 Scottish Regional Group of Arab Horse Supporters, placing second to her sire, Rashah, and making for a sweet little family reunion! Subsequent pairings of Silk with other notable stallions such as Silvern Prince (Prince Sadik x Silvern Image) and Silva Dollar (Dorian x Silvaflare) produced some lovely horses in the mare PS Silvern Rose and gelding PS Silva Sharif respectively. When crossed with Marcus Aurelius, she produced PS Aurora Silk who has won three British Dressage Associated Championship titles.

adaptable and chilled chap who loves his food. He has revisited his early education under saddle successfully, has competed in horse agility and has been to his first show in hand where he won two first prizes. His latest exciting news is that now Arrow is weaned Pearl is sharing his paddock and we hope for a first fully home-bred foal in 2025. Silvern Mayday (Crystal Red Drift x Saraphina Sunset) now four, continues to grow up beautifully and plans for her first foal are afoot.

In the meantime, Crystal Carlotta (Crystal Romance x Christabella) has been backed and has enjoyed her first steps under saddle thanks to expert help from Nancy Spencer -Jones, local trainer, who works with kindness and positive rewards. Part Crabbet gelding Khruga (SA Forbidden Spirit) retains top riding horse status of course and has recently been to cross country after a long break, proving that he has forgotten nothing. He also amazed Claire by coming third out of 35 in the Summer E-riders Dressage Championship. He continues to be very happy with his companion, WHW Nellie.

2024 also saw Rainbow Arabians welcome Blue Cross Sausage, a lovely two-year-old coloured gelding, as a weaning companion for Arrow which has worked beautifully.

And finally, perhaps the most exciting news just as we go to press, is that on a visit to Beeston Hall Arabians last year Claire fell in love with two fillies. Whilst Alexia Ross was visiting for a few days Claire planned a road trip to bring home Malikka (Beeston Akhbar x Mohtarma) but somehow Atifa (Klinta Bashir x Ayaan) also found her way onto the lorry! So, Rainbow Arabians is flourishing and the year ahead is full of exciting possibilities.

Words by Constance Newbould, UK

PS Sallilah Silk, Silk’s fourth foal, by Dhruv (El Shaklan x Despina), has lived at the stud since she was born in 2011. A lovely powerhouse of a grey mare, she has won numerous trophies and Gold Awards with the Scottish Endurance Riding Club over distances up to 80km. The stud was delighted when she was also selected as a member of the Scottish Endurance Riding Team.

Towards the end of Silk’s breeding career, she would produce two accomplished Crabbets sired by Marcus Aurelius (Aurelian x Fiesta Magica), PS Aurora Silk in 2012 and her last foal, PS Julius Magic in 2016. PS Aurora Silk continues to do well in competition, often placing in the ridden Arab classes at shows around the UK. PS Julius Magic has been holding his own on the Scottish Endurance circuit, having successfully completed his BTF over 50km recently and looking forward to more challenging rides in the future. Leaving a legacy of excellent Crabbet Arabs in her wake, Silk went on to enjoy many peaceful years of retirement at the stud before she passed in 2023.

In recent developments with much excitement and pride, the stud is pleased to soon welcome two mares from the great Imad (Golden Cavalier x Ivory Wings). His daughter, Illuminate (Imad x Illaria), and granddaughter, Illiana (Psalm x Illuminate), are currently away being put in foal but they will soon be out enjoying the pastures of their new home. Their arrival injects some fresh Crabbet blood into the stud and brings anticipation of a wonderful sound we all love - the pitter-patter of tiny hooves cantering over grass. o

Moonlight Pearl with RBA Moonstone Red Arrow

BREMERVALE SILVER PRINCE

It is with much sadness we advise the passing of Bremervale Silver Prince (35 ½ years old). 100% English, 99.98% Crabbet

WORDS BY JANE SHEPPARD

We were lucky to have such an amazing horse who was just an absolute pleasure to have in our lives. We met many amazing people and horses because of him and made lifelong friends. He was a joy to be around and we were lucky as he was a horse that was uncomplicated and hale and hearty throughout his very long life.

Bought at three weeks of age by his first owner Ken Davidson of Shontel Arabians, he had a very busy show career and a successful one. His second owner Yvonne Mears bred some lovely babies by P and enjoyed jumping him and endurance riding. At the age of 15 he came to live with us at Iionnah Arabians for which we will be forever grateful. He has been much loved by all of his owners and was one of the lucky ones.

Bremervale Silver Prince’s breeding is both illustrious and closely connected to famous horses of yesteryear. Sir Clarence Leggett of the Oxford Stud in Queensland, Australia, imported his grandfather Silver Minstrel. Silver Minstrel is by Sunlight’s Allegro (Indian King x Dancing Sunlight) and is out of the mare Silver Sheen (Bright Shadow x Silver Grey), incorporating both beauty and performance

Bremmervale Silver Prince (Oxford Prince x Oxford Cinderella) as a 31 year old with his mate Gilbert

Bremmervale Silver Prince at 34 with his first owner Ken Davidson

Photo: Lecia Rigg

Photo: J Sheppard

genes of the highest quality. Prince has a double of Silver Minstrel as his grandfather - his father Oxford Prince and his mother Oxford Cinderella were half siblings.

One of Prince’s grandmothers is the imported mare Indian Dream who is by Indian Magic (Raktha x Indian Crown) and she is out of the mare Sunset (Bright Shadow x Silver Gilt). Prince’s other Grandmother, Contessa, who was bred in Australia is also of English bloodlines as she is by Count Manilla (Count Dorsaz x Namilla) and out of the mare Electric Ray (Electric Silver x Nasifa).

Bred by Sir Clarence Leggett of Oxford Stud, he was named by Bremervale Arabians who helped Clarry keep breeding into his later years. Prince is a full brother to Oxford Royal Admiral and Oxford Jimi and had many half brothers and sisters. With such a pedigree it is no surprise that Prince has been an incredible saddle horse (retired at the grand age of 27) and show horse over the years. With his wonderful temperament he has taught people to ride and gain back lost confidence as well as be the regular mustering horse on the farm.

He was a late starter in the breeding barn but he has been a great producer of Purebreds and Part Breds used in all areas of performance from mustering cattle, showing, cross country jumping, dressage and pleasure riding. His lines continue today with each grandbaby born.

He is a beautiful horse to look at with his lovely conformation, deep jowl, small ears and big eyes. He has glorious movement and was a fantastic horse to ride or just watch for the pleasure of it. We look forward to watching his grandkids grow up and take on the world bringing joy to more people in their hopefully long lives. o

Bremmervale Silver Prince on the day of his 34th birthday Top: At age 30

Photo: S Storey

HAJ ARABA

Words and photos by

Robin Phillips

Haj was born in 1998 near Culpeper, Virginia. He had beautiful conformation and great breeding with several lines to *Raffles, and he was kept on the breeder’s farm as a stallion until age six. I believe he was intended to be one of the foundation stallions for Misty Ridge Farm, but for reasons unknown to me, the breeder went in a different direction, and Haj was sold as a gelding at the age of six.

Haj’s first owner was Phyllis Johnson, who bought him in 2004. During the time she owned him, Haj became certified as a search and rescue horse. Phyllis often rode the trails of Northern Virginia with her neighbour, Wilma Kime, who owned an Anglo Arab and an Appendix (a first generation Thoroughbred/Quarter horse cross).

In 2008, due to a work related move, Phyllis reluctantly sold Haj to Wilma. Haj did not have to move far - Wilma’s pastures shared a fence with Haj’s boarding barn, so Haj

moved right next door and still associated with his old friends, two off the track thoroughbred’s, over the fenceline.

As members of the Clifton Horse Society, Wilma and her granddaughter Elle Kime were able to participate in the Proteus competition, and this gave Haj a wealth of new experiences. The competition is so named because Proteus, god of the sea, takes many forms, and the goal is for the horse and rider team to participate in as many different experiences as possible between January 1st and December 31st. At the end of the year, the rider will submit a binder full of photos and signed certificates affirming their participation in these various events. Trail clearing, charity rides, dressage, western pleasure, driving, horse camping, going swimming with your horse - so long as the experience is something new and different, it counts as a point toward the goal. The horse and rider team with the most

points wins the competition. Wilma and Elle were out nearly every weekend seeking out new experiences, and Haj was part of the team for several years. During these years, Haj seemingly did it all and logged many miles on the trails, becoming quite an experienced horse. Elle and Haj were well matched, as both of them loved to canter through the woods together with boundless energy.

Elle’s mom, Nicole Kime, says, “What an amazing horse he was! So beautiful, he was extremely well bred… actual horse royalty! But I think the reason Haj was so exceptional was because of the dedicated riders and Haj supporters who made him shine and brought out his true potential. I loved that little pony.”

Robin Phillips began riding Haj at Wilma’s invitation around 2011. Robin had been riding the trails on Wilma’s older Anglo Arab for several years, but Haj was quite a

bit more agile and quick, which made him a challenge. Robin was thus inspired to take lessons on Haj to improve her position and balance. Robin credits Haj for being a fabulous teacher.

In 2015, Wilma had to sit out from riding due to an injury. She contacted Robin, who by then was living on the Virginia Peninsula, and asked if she could take Haj just for a few months and keep him busy. “Arabians need a job,” she said. The stars aligned, a boarding space became available at a friend’s barn, and Haj moved south for the winter. Robin was able to take him out on the trails and to some schooling shows, thinking that the arrangement was temporary.

When spring came, Wilma made the decision to allow Haj to stay permanently with Robin, and there he remained for the rest of his life. Although Robin was his only rider, Haj quickly became a favourite with the barn owner’s family, especially the young grandchildren, thanks to his sweet and inquisitive nature. Of course Haj’s previous family and friends wanted to know all about Haj’s ongoing activities, and Robin’s social media feed was filled with more Haj photos than anything else. “Haj has more friends than I do,” says Robin. “My Facebook page is

Robin and Haj

so bright and alert, he could sometimes be spooky; but his family loved him and became better riders for it.

When Haj passed aged twenty six in 2024, Robin posted the news on Facebook, knowing that Haj had many friends who eagerly followed his adventures. The outpouring was huge, with many comments such as:

“I loved hearing about the Haj stories…. Particularly the ones that involved mud or dirt.”

really a Haj page.”

Robin took Haj on many trail rides, hunter pace events, a few schooling shows or obstacle play days, and even tried foxhunting with him. Haj was always bright and eager for new adventures - he would tolerate the arena, but he really shone when he was out exploring. He was easy going and got along with every horse he met; he helped many less experienced horses find their confidence on the trail, and through Haj, Robin made many new friends in the equestrian community.

“Riding is partly a social activity for me. It’s not good to ride alone,” says Robin. In 2018, Robin took Haj, then aged twenty, to the Eastern Crabbet Arabian Horse Society show in Wakefield, Virginia. Haj took home

awards as Most Classic Arabian, the Aged Gelding Award, and amazingly, he came in second in the Liberty class - where he was the only gelding in a field of stallions who were at least six years younger than he was. Elle remarks, “He was always very majestic with that mane of his.” And he was all natural for the show - ECAHS discouraged the use of shaving or greasing the horses’ faces, and Robin never so much as trimmed his whiskers. He was stunning in all his natural glory, and Robin says, “I think he knew it. He never met a mirror that he didn’t like!”

Haj was a kind horse with excellent ground manners and not a mean bone in his body, but he was not the easiest horse to ride. He could be quick, and because he was

“I enjoyed following you two through your adventures. “

“Haj was a great leader and such a joy to be around.”

“I’ve loved reading about your adventures and your journey with Haj.”

“I have enjoyed seeing Haj in all the videos you have posted. He was a beautiful horse.”

“I so enjoyed hearing about Haj”s escapades and adventures. He will be missed.”

“He was a beautiful horse and we all enjoyed your posts. “

“A truly sad day for us all. He was loved by many and will be missed. Any time we saw Haj’s pictures on FB we all enjoyed his antics. He was like no other.”

“Thank you for sharing your stunning unicorn with us. He will be greatly missed.” o

Robin and Haj enjoying a Christmas day ride in 2019

Pevensey Petrov

WORDS BY CARMEL SCHROEN

I first met Pevensey Petrov (Pevensey Safari x Petra Benay) at the Pevensey Stud Victoria Australia when looking for a Crabbet stallion, he was just twelve months old. Having owned many horses over the years I can say Petrov had the kindest nature, the easiest stallion with which to work. While I loved him dearly I never forgot he was a stallion and respected him as such and expected same in return.

I had Pevensey in the paddock next to my old stallion and they would often have standoffs on the fence. They became good friends. When Petrov got a little coltish, I just popped him in with the old stallion. They got along fine and Petrov learnt to respect other horses. When my old stallion died, I am sure

Petrov grieved, he would never go in the shelter they shared, not even to eat.

Petrov was kind, reliable and unflappable such was his beautiful nature. Not only his mind but his conformation was excellent. Not a mean bone in his beautiful body. My daughter Elissea showed Petrov in hand with success, then later Elissea rode Petrov at the Crabbet Convention in Werribee, Australia. The first time shown under saddle, he was not one bit concerned about the activities around him. My daughter also started her own daughter on the horse riding path, a wee girl and a stallion. Elissea had such faith and good rapport with Petrov she thought it appropriate for her little one to ride him. Everyone who handled Petrov

also said the same…farrier, vets, dentists ‘mighty fine horse you have there is he really an Arabian?’.

Sadly time marches on and my health was not good, so I thought that in Petrov’s best interests I would sell him where he would be used to further his line in Australia. Sadly he was only gone approximately six months when he met a tragic death. Hindsight is good, if in cases sad - he would have been better here, just eating and snoozing in his paddock. Petrov and I had almost eleven years together, he knew my voice and even sign language from my arms. I still miss him very much. He has left two pure Crabbet offspring - a 75% son and a filly, so I hope his blood will continue. o

Narishka 1994-2024

THE LIFE OF A CRABBET QUEEN

Some horses define an era in one’s life. Narishka was my first homebred foal and was with me for thirty years so she leaves a gap that is not easily filled. I miss her call in the morning, letting the others know they could call too; the world was strangely silent for a while as her son and grandchildren were uncertain whether to greet me without her

Words by Alexia Ross

Imiss her soft whicker as she sidled up to mutual groom with me, always knowing to use only lips on her fragile human friend. Whether she thought I was a strange little horse or that she was human remains one of life’s mysteries.

Narishka was the result of a naive new breeder’s project. It involved tracking down the stallion Ranadi, a little known son of Sengoran with a reputation in Wales for siring kids’ jumping ponies. He was also a dark bay with two lines to the Crabbet stallion Naufal. He inherited the dry, breedy quality and gentle nature for which so many of the Queen of Sheba line were known, including the lovely Abla who remained Wilfrid Blunt’s favourite riding mare after his daughter Lady Wentworth claimed the Crabbet Stud.

My first mare Nafranta went off to run out with Ranadi at nineteen years old after a sheltered previous life producing foals at the Hedley’s stud. She lived with him for the summer and called forlornly for him when she came home. The following year she duly delivered my dream bay filly albeit with bright white spectacles; destined to be grey. Narishka had arrived. Within a few days, this enchanting filly was calling out greetings to humans and leaving her Mum trailing behind to come and be sociable. She remained a bold and affectionate character all her life. Unfortunately, a field accident did damage to a shoulder so that her ridden career

Photo: Emma Ross

was cut short. It was a shame as she was an enthusiastic and forward ride who loved to do anything asked of her.

In the end she will be remembered as a broodmare. A bad first foaling nearly finished that phase of her life too but persistence pays off and eventually she produced a Ranadi lookalike son in Zobeyni Nurani by Grecian Idyll. It is Nurani who eases my grief.

Narishka will never be completely gone from my life. Her son Nurani aka “Echo”, named as his “Mum’s little echo” by my daughter, has taken over leading the greetings in the morning. He inherits her bold, sweet personality along with great breadth between the eyes, fabulous chest and feet and a quality that goes all the way back to Naufal, Naseel and Queen of Sheba. That crazy project to turn out a mare with a little-known stallion in Wales is still continuing.

“I miss her soft whicker as she sidled up to mutual groom with me, always knowing to use only lips on her fragile human friend. Whether she thought I was a strange little horse or that she was human remains one of life’s mysteries”

“Echo” is passing the torch to the next generation. He has two daughters and a son in my paddocks with further generations to look forward to yet. They look a family, gazing at me with Narishka’s eyes, whickering with her voice, standing on her feet and taking on the world with her enthusiasm. When I miss her, I can cuddle up to her son or her grandchildren and feel a bit better. Youngest granddaughter Munirah even has the knack of grooming me with her lips.

Rest in peace Narishka after thirty glorious years. o

Clockwise from opposite page: Alexia with Zobeyni Aziza (Zobeyni Nurani x AA Ray of Hope); Narishka as a yearling and foal; Narishka with one day old Echo

Amour Etoile 2003-2024

WORDS BY NATALIE TINDALL

Amour Etoile (Star of the Seasons x Zaphelia) was bred by Gillian Lancaster and came to us in later life after her successful in hand career; she had been Champion Mare at the Crabbet Championships on several occasions, and she was also produced under saddle for a season doing well at the Northern Arab Show

We bought her to breed from as we liked her Aurelian line as well as having size, substance, beautiful movement, and style. She had had a foal before so we had no concerns that she would not get in foal. Sadly, after several attempts and careful vet intervention, she failed to get in foal. She had a uterine biopsy taken which revealed that she had developed severe endometriosis and was unlikely to get in foal or carry a foal to full term. So, she became a treasured field ornament, gracing our paddocks and being a useful experienced wife to run with our young stallion Crystal Red Drift. We hoped for a miracle,

but it didn’t happen. She spent the rest of her time with us nannying youngsters and was very good at instructing yearlings and twoyear-olds in manners and hierarchy. An unfortunate field accident left her with arthritis and although the prognosis at the time was poor, she recovered enough to enjoy another few years’ retirement with us. But arthritis really caught up with her during this long, wet winter so one afternoon we had her quietly put to sleep. We will always remember her big personality and flamboyant movement, RIP Amour. o

SARAPHINA SUNSET 2004-2024

WORDS BY NATALIE TINDALL

Saraphina Sunset, (Grecian Idyll x Siala) known at home as Millie, joined Moonlight Arabians in 2018 as a valuable 100% Crabbet addition to our breeding programme. She was an easy mare and soon made best friends out in the fields with Amour Etoile. Happily she was soon in foal to Crystal Red Drift so we eagerly awaited a 100% Crabbet foal. Millie foaled with no trouble at all, but it soon became clear that we had a real problem as she was violently opposed to having anything to do with her foal. As this all occurred during lockdown it made things more complicated as we had to get drugs (Domperidone) to bring Dominita, our marvellous foster mare, into milk. Fortunately Silvern Mayday (born on May 1st) proved to be a determined young lady and thrived from day one. She is now part of the new Rainbow Arabians stud. The following year we decided to breed from Millie again -she got in

foal easily - again to Crystal Red Drift and changed our management of her. Again she again foaled easily but sadly rejected the filly foal most determinedly. Once again it was Dominita to the rescue. Despite this Millie was a lovely friend to Amour and it was interesting to see how both her fillies have inherited the leg waving at the bucket at meal times manoeuvre even though they never spent any time with her.

Sadly once we lost Amour earlier this year Millie lost condition and clearly missed her friend. On veterinary advice it became clear that there was probably an underlying cause as she continued to lose ground. She was quietly put to sleep the same day that we had to lose our beloved 11.2hh pony, Sparkle; a sombre day at Moonlight Arabians. We are sad that Millie is no longer here but thankful that she left two lovely 100% Crabbet fillies behind, RIP Millie. o

with the Crabbet Arabian MY LIFE

We have introduced this series as there are still many long-established Crabbet breeders and experts who have spent a lifetime with Crabbet horses, the ‘living history’ descended from the original horses of the Crabbet Stud founded in 1878. Many of their stories disappear, never to be told, and remain only in the memories of friends and loved ones or in posthumous tributes. We wanted to capture their fascinating stories and, to echo those immortal words of Lady Anne Blunt, we thought it would be ‘an interesting and useful thing to do and we would much like to try it!’ These often-well-known figures have a huge amount of knowledge and expertise so we wanted to find out more about who they are, which horses influenced them and how they became involved with Crabbet Arabians.

We begin ‘My life with the Crabbet Arabian’ with one of the longest established breeders in the UK, the charismatic Anne Brown. Anne really needs no introduction as she is known world-wide and founded her Gadebrook Stud back in 1969 so here we present the first part of her story.

Well, this is a welcome excuse to take a long trip down memory lane to my first encounter with Arabians! My e-mail message sign off is www. gadebrookstud.com – established in 1969 to breed world-class Arabian performance horses. It was a dream 55 years ago, now it is a reality – and most of the stud’s success is due to Crabbet horses.

As I missed those two most influential Crabbet Arabian ladies, may I shamelessly drop the names of some of the gifted, committed Crabbet breeders whom I HAVE met. So many have kindly given me their time and encouragement over the years – and even their horses, as in the case of Iona Bowring and Jean and David Peck.

Iona (the daughter of Mrs Pam Murray, founder of the Foxbury Stud, and so sister-in-law of Caroline Murray), keenly promoted Crabbet bloodlines and created HABBA, Heritage Association of British-Bred Arabians of which I was privileged to be a founder member. Since those early days, Gadebrook has bred or owned some outstanding Arabian horses.

But I’ll start with the original ‘one that got away’. On a 1967 visit to the Blunt Stud at Newbuildings Place, Lady Anne Lytton offered me an Indian Magic colt out of the classic Oran daughter Mifaria. However, he looked too feisty for me, so Majal passed to other hands and became successful for Penny Pace at Heritage Stud.

Unexpectedly, my husband gave me a chestnut TB mare, Istorya, for my birthday that year.

As my work commitments didn’t allow enough time to ride her, I put her in foal to Ayton Royal (Grand Royal x Zehraa) and registered her Anglo Arab filly Gadebrook Royal in 1968.

On my initial visit to Barton Lodge Stud, Sir Henry and Lady May Abel Smith had asked their stud groom George White to bring out the other stallions, mighty Rajmek and moody Darjeel. I would have preferred to have used one of them, but maybe because my mare was not an Arab, they would only allow covering by Ayton Royal.

Later in 1967 a chance meeting with actress Sarah Miles gave me the opportunity to use her impressive 16hh Palomino stallion Roundhills Golden Cavalier on Istorya. Sarah was off to film ‘Ryan’s Daughter’ in Ireland for David Lean and asked us to look after her horses and her home at Byfleet Mill while she was away on location. So we moved lock, stock and in-foal mare to sunny Surrey while Sarah and her screen-writer husband Robert Bolt and the crew suffered one of the wettest summers on record in the west of Ireland.

Anne pictured with Star Gem aged 33. Gem first alerted Anne to CID

Istorya produced a lovely tall palomino colt, Gadebrook Saraband while we were still at Sarah’s the following year. He proved to be extremely fertile and sired many Palomino foals for other mare owners before we sold him to concentrate on pure Arabs. My first Arab mare, Salonica, (Blue Sun x Safia) came from Dick and Margaret Johnson’s Rishmars Stud where they stood Carrick Crystif whom I had originally seen at his breeder Mrs Wolf Perry’s Carrick Stud in the 1970s. As my work as a Fleet Street travel editor took me abroad much of the time, I kept Salonica at livery with Angela and David Angold (later AHS President) at nearby Pinnerwood Stud. They stood the versatile Crabbet stallion, Blue Ludo – coincidentally, full brother to Salonica’s sire, Blue Sun. The two stallions loathed each

Silver Aura (Ben Rabba x Silver Sheen) with breeder Iona Bowring and owner Anne Brown at Gadebrook’s 35th anniversary in 2004

other – nevertheless they managed to win the Ridden Pairs one year at Ascot! Salonica made a terrific ridden horse and an efficient brood mare. One daughter, Japonica by St John, has only recently died, aged over 30. In the late-1960s, Eileen Jones’ rich red Radfan with a wide white blaze and four gleaming stockings (Dancing King x Bint Yasimet) impressed me. Years later, Eileen kindly lent me Crystal Lazuli (Crystal Magician x Bint Ludoet). I bred her to my Silvern Sceptre and she produced the boisterous Crystal Magic who has bred many successful endurance horses and Futurity progeny and

Above: Anne with Magic Domino at Arabian Dream Farm, USA

Left: ‘Queen Anne’ on Magic Domino in the Fancy Dress class at the Crabbet Show in Virginia, 2005

has achieved AHS Premium stallion status. He came back to Gadebrook to cover my HOYS champion ridden mare Kumasha. The result was the highly successful FEI endurance mare Kalish, ridden by Susan Hawes and featured in ‘Horse & Hound’. Beatrice Paine and her Bowdell Stud in Kent were another huge influence and benefit to Crabbets from the 1970s, particularly with her initiative to loan Ben Rabba from the USA. I was honoured to own his gentle daughter Silver Aura (from British National Champion Silver Sheen), until her death in 2001. Aura herself was British National Champion Brood Mare at Ascot in 1984. She gave me a string of delightful foals by Silvern Sceptre including Bright Sceptre (‘Chester’) who turned his hoof to most disciplines.

Left: Silver Aura and son Bright Sceptre by Silvern Sceptre with Anne at Gadebrook Below: Remynisce and rider Susan Hawes after the Golden Horseshoe 120kms in 2015 when they won a Gold Award and the Farhanoush Trophy

Ben Rabba was originally due to stay in England for just one season (1979) but Foot and Mouth Disease prevented any movement of stock off farms, and so blocked his return to his devoted, but elderly, owner Ed Hubbert. However, a note from Beatrice to the US President - and former cowboy film star – Ronald Reagan -at the White House secured Ben Rabba’s release, via the US Embassy. On Beatrice’s behalf, I was able to pick up the ‘Overseas Breeder’s Award’ at the ECAHS (Eastern Crabbet Arabian Horse Society) Convention and show in Virginia in 2005, on my way back from supporting the Gadebrook bred Crabbet stallion Magic Domino at his ‘Living Legend’ presentation in Denver after he won the US National Sports Horse Sire title over all breeds.

Another breeder to whom I am eternally grateful was Monica Calvert at Harwood Stud, the breeder of my Jazmyn by Kasadi, herself a successful show jumper for Kit Rolfe, and an AHS Premium mare. She produced Endurance champion Remynisce by the American WAHO trophy winner Remington Steele (his first UK progeny from frozen semen which I still represent) and then so many lovely foals by the Russian bred stallion Sambist for Gadebrook. When I first met Jane Pointer at her Cranham Stud, she was caring for an elderly Bright

Advert for Gadebrook Saraband ‘at stud’ from ‘Palomino’ magazine, 1972

Shadow soon after the dissolution of Crabbet Park Stud. Jane’s stallion barn boasted Indian Star (by Indian Magic) and his four sons from Dalika: Dargee Star, Diamond Star, Indigo Star and Jubilee Star. Many years later, a friend drove the elderly and ailing Jane over to Gadebrook where she met my Nishtar by Jubilee Star and her filly Brightstar by Bright Cavalier. With her new owner Ros Jones, Brightstar went on to endurance success. Both she and her half-sister Bright Dawn (from Zaharina) finished near the front in the unique Man v Horse race in Wales. By the 1990s, I had collected a herd of Crabbet mares: Hamsfah by Hanif x Marufah from Geoffrey Plaister, Zarah by Orion x Zulka from the Hedleys at Briery Close, two Silver Sheen daughters Crystal Sheen by Crystal Magician and Silver Aura by Ben Rabba, plus Getana

Anne reserved Pure Crabbet Binley Prince Salim when he was just two weeks and he stood at stud at Gadebrook. Pictured above at the end of FEI 2-star 120kms Royal Windsor Endurance Race in 2014

Left: Influential Crabbet sire Shaded Silver with son Blue Shadow

(General Gold x Gemanta) and Silver Sylph (General Gold x Silver Starlet) all from Iona Bowring; Someone Special (The Shah x Clear Blue) from Barbara Campbell, the bay Rosaria ( Fari II x Mameena) and Silver Indrette (Indian King x Indira) from Cherry Brogden at Beacon Stud, based largely on Silver Fire lines.

Carol Carpenter was the obvious choice of

livery as she stood six Crabbet stallions, so my mares were spoilt for choice: Ludomino, Silver Scimitar, Silver Domino, Jubilee Star, Ring of Fire, St John and Iona Bowring’s Ben Rabba son, Aurelian. Nowadays we can only dream of such valuable bloodlines being available at one stud!

The Carpenters leased the facilities at Michael Pitt-Rivers’ former Tollard Park Stud so my mares graced those paddocks and produced some wonderful foals, including Magic Domino, Zaharina and Rozina in 1988, all by Ludomino.

Along with success came tragedy and my first encounter with the condition then known as CID (now SCID – Severe Combined ImmunoDeficiency). Daphne Gilbert at Star Arabians had kindly lent me maiden Star Gem and I sent her to Silver Domino, in the days before testing. Unknown to anyone, both Gem and Silver Domino were CID carriers. Gem’s ultra-refined filly Mist looked too delicate from the outset.

Despite never having experienced a CID foal, I just knew something was wrong. Indeed – at three months, as immunity from her dam ended, the filly’s system crashed, and her poor little body disintegrated before my eyes. As Mist was put to sleep, and I learnt of research in the USA identifying the mutant gene responsible, I vowed to campaign for testing and to stress the importance of never mating carrier to carrier.

Within a couple of years, American researchers had made a test available to the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket and I was over there like a shot with a swab from Hachim. A letter soon came back from the AHT confirming his CID-clear status. While thanking them profusely, I pointed out that this information was of such value to a stallion owner that a certificate would be appropriate, especially as they had royal patronage with an ornate, gold-embossed coat of arms. They duly obliged and I have certificate Number One for Hachim.

Now that more lethal genes have been identified, breeders can avoid mating carrier to carrier, and the heartbreak of a doomed foal.

The AHS Premium Performance Scheme on which I serve, now stipulates that acceptance as a Premium stallion is dependent on him being tested for SCID, LFS and CA. The results are held confidentially at the AHS, but the owner knows if the stallion is a carrier of

Above: Breeder Anne Brown with Hachim, the day after his WEC win in Abu Dhabi in 2005

Left: Sheikh Hazza and Hachim winning WEC in 2005

Hachim produced endurance mare Zaha (ex Zaharina by Ludomino)

any mutant gene. They are obliged to tell any client of his status before accepting a mare to be covered.

By the mid-1990s, I needed my own place. So with a slight change from travel editor to magazine editor, I was able to buy Tansor Lodge Farm near Oundle where I built my own house, (not a task for the faint hearted!) and work partly from home, surrounded by my horses. My first pure Crabbet stallion was Achim’s Silver Magic, (Silver Fahd x Soumana of Fairfield ) a very rare bay bred by Iona at her Chedglow Stud. Hamsfah (Hanif x Marufah) produced her second international superstar by him, Hachim in 1994, who went on to win the World Endurance Championship and other international 100-mile races.

Hachim was an exceptionally strong foal, bold and bossy from the outset, and passed his stallion licensing with flying colours at two. That spring, he covered Someone Special (The Shah x Clear Blue) and Zaharina (Ludomino x Zarah) producing fillies Hadith and Zaha in 1997, then covered Crystal Sheen (Crystal Magician x Silver Sheen) and Nishtar (Jubilee Star x Bint Nishida) for two more fillies, Magic Sheen and Magic Fire, born in 1998. He’d proved himself in the breeding barn, so we decided to get him backed to enter the tough two-day NaStA stallion performance test to gain AHS Premium Performance Stallion status. In the skilful hands of show-jumper Paul Nunn, Hachim emerged from the bucking bronco stage to an accomplished oneday-event all-rounder in record time. Just as well, as the organisers pulled the test date forward by two-weeks. Also, he had matured to just over 15hh – meaning he had to jump the higher course. With 26 entrants that year (1998), including four other pure Arabs, including Oberlix and Sisyrinchium, the pressure was on, but he passed with flying colours, with the highest marks of all the Arabs!

Hachim had one other phenomenal ability. You will have heard of medical detection dogs who can sniff out diseases like cancer and diabetes - Hachim predicted epilepsy! Two yearling fillies, Silvern Sheena (Silvern Sceptre x Crystal Sheen) and Silvern Aurena (Silvern Sceptre x Silver Aura) were in their stables one morning as I was grooming Hachim in the yard outside. As usual, he fidgeted constantly, twisting this way and that until he suddenly stopped, stood stock

Anne has travelled extensively with her involvement in Arabian horses. Pictured above at Palmyra, Syria in 2005 with WAHO delegates and below at the 2005 Australian Crabbet Convention with Magic Prophecy and owner Kevin Beaumont

still and looked intently towards Sheena’s stable. A minute later, she dropped into the straw and suffered what I later learnt was an Equine Juvenile Epileptic fit. She came to no harm, and I never saw it happen again, but Hachim had sensed it well in advance. We also stood the pure Crabbet stallions Klinta Sultan, (Shabakka x Star Solitaire) Binley Prince Salim (Prince Sadik x Silvern Image) who was reserved by Gadebrook when he was just 2 weeks old and half Australian-bred Kaalif ( Silver Zaanif x Palma Benay) and raised Sceptre’s son PHA Silvern Risalm (Silvern Sceptre x Rislina) who later became Britain’s very first WAHO trophy winner.

An eventful life followed at Tansor Lodge Farm. A 35th reunion party in 2004 for all the horses I had bred featured a treasure hunt, hog roast, art exhibition and tea/carrot party. The AHS show committee used Gadebrook for a judges’ course. Participants included our current Chair of Council, Caroline Sussex. I presented them all with a red Gadebrook rosette. Another early influence upon me were the paintings of Arabians in their oriental homeland by Peter Upton. Much later, I was able to invite him to stay at Tansor Lodge Farm to capture Summertime Blues and her filly Rose of Summer (by Shaded Silver) on canvas. Rose is now with Libby Whittome in Scotland producing foals, and ‘Summer’ is enjoying retirement at Binley Arabians.

The Arab Horse Society soon pulled me on board to organise the annual Performance Horse Awards for many years, to serve on Council and to join the committee of the

Above: Anne and Azarina (Shaded Silver x Zaharina) in 2017

Left: Judge Peter Upton makes the Duchess of Rutland’s Silvern Surprise 2012 Crabbet Champion.

Pictured here with Anne presenting him with the Gadebrook Shield

Premium Performance Scheme of which I am now chairman.

I breed for endurance and not in-hand showing, but I thought that Crabbet horses deserved better exposure. So, I initiated the three-ring Crabbet Show at Equifest from 2012 for six years with in-hand, ridden and dressage classes and a grand championship, watched by supporters of all breeds and disciplines. Magic Domino’s owners, Kim and Mark Thomason, kindly sent over a handsome trophy from the USA for our inaugural year, won by Marbon Masadi (now competing in dressage in Germany). The Sports Horse class always attracted the most entries, judged by a visiting ‘celebrity’. Renowned Australian breeder Astra Temple was a popular choice who gave valuable analysis for each individual horse in 2015. Sponsors were very generous, Mark and Natalie Tindall of Moonlight Arabians provided a large cash sum for prizes one year, and each champion’s owner providing a trophy for the following year’s winner. Embarrassingly, my own Kaalif (Silver Zaanif x Palma Benay) won the Ridden class (beating future National Champions Beeston Hakim and Bey Daayan), the Sports Horse Class and the Overall Championship, ridden by Stephanie Turner in 2015, to take home the Binley Rose Bowl.

At Gadebrook over the years we also hosted numerous film crews – one from Al Jazeera dubbed my commentary into Arabic which made me look very strange. A stream of guests, equine researchers, art groups, photographers and overseas breeders kept the house full, especially around Burghley each September for the three-day event. Over 150 volunteers from WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) came to help from overseas, each staying for a month or so, a really rewarding experience, hopefully for all parties. As a former English language teacher, I was able to help them with their language skills. In return, they revived the languages I was losing as I no longer travelled, except to WAHO Conferences in Syria and other Middle Eastern countries. At the Crabbet Convention in Australia in 2005, I met inspiring breeders like Leon Bennett at Pevensey Stud, Roxanne Pidoto, the O’Deas at Inshallah and Ron Ryan at Arfaja. So very soon, the Boomerang Plan was hatched to bring back lost genes to our depleted pool in Britain, with Palma Benay in the vanguard. But that’s a story for next time... o

Never one to stand still, Anne made sure Gadebrook was always a busy place - below with a film crew for Al Jazeera and above with Inshallah Signature who was brought to the UK from Australia as part of her ‘Boomerang Plan’

Crabbet Arabians are at an all time low in many parts of the world. We want to locate as many as possible so we can get an accurate picture of how many are left and where they are so we can put plans in place to ensure they don’t disappear altogether