The Plaister Charity News
The Plaister Charity
For Crabbet Arabians
Imperial Sovereign (Imperial Shadow x Luretta)
100% Old English
e are pleased to ofer these wonderful stallions for the 2025 breeding season
Dhay (Spearmint x Daleela)
100% Old English In hand Champion
We give thanks to Nick Brown for generously gifting Dhay to us after the sad passing of Melanie
Imperial Silver Phoenix
(Imperial Silver Star x Sefnah)
100% Crabbet
100% Old English Supreme Crabbet Champion
to the frst Plaister Charity Newsletter Welcome
We are pleased to launch our frst quarterly newsletter, designed to keep you informed about the activities, developments, and opportunities to get involved with the charity. With an exciting year ahead, we’re embarking on a range of signifcant new projects and we look forward to sharing our news with you and enlisting your help! In each issue, you’ll fnd:
• Regular Profles: Meet the horses and volunteers at the heart of our charity
• Special Highlights: Celebrating milestones and events
• Horse Updates: From promising youngsters to our cherished veterans
Our newsletter will be available free of charge in digital format via our website and social media platforms and each quarter we will be printing a limited number in full colour. If you would like to receive a printed copy each quarter, please complete a subscription form – available on the back page, or take a copy for your friends. There will be a small charge to cover our costs. We’re excited to share our journey with you through our newsletters, social media, and website and we’d love you to join us, support us, and be part of The Plaister Charity family. Everything we do is focused on the Crabbet Arabian horse, from assisting those in need and re-homing those we can, breeding top-quality horses for the future, to preserving the incredible history of Crabbet and all the studs that acquired and bred Crabbet horses around the world. We’re also passionate about encouraging and supporting the next generation of breeders and owners, so these special horses continue to thrive for years to come.
Please follow us on Facebook as we need to spread our message far and wide!
A Unique Charity – with a new name and logo!
The Plaister Charitable Foundation, oficially registered on 11 October 2017, has recently had a makeover. We’re now proudly known as The Plaister Charity (for Crabbet Arabian Horses) – a name that better refects who we are and what we do (we were never really a foundation – those typically fund other charities).
Alongside the name change, we’ve also unveiled a new logo and blue colour scheme designed to appeal to a younger audience and bring a modern touch to our mission. We hope you like it as much as we do! What hasn’t changed is our purpose. We believe we’re the only charity of its kind in the world, dedicated
to the care, preservation, and promotion of Crabbet Arabians. Our goal is to protect the extraordinary bloodlines brought from the deserts of Arabia to the Crabbet Stud founded in 1878, by Lady Anne and Wilfrid Blunt and their daughter, Lady Wentworth, and to ensure that these beautiful horses continue to be cherished for generations to come.
Since 2017, Peter Robinson, our Stud Manager, and Helen Haines - who worked with Geofrey on and of from the 1980s and has been with the charity for the past seven years - have overseen the welfare and care of an ever-increasing number of Arabian horses bred along Crabbet lines.
Geofrey Plaister’s remarkable legacy provided both the location, a forty acre farm near Swindon in Wiltshire, and a vital source of funding through a portfolio of rental properties in nearby Royal Wootton Bassett. His Imperial Stud produced some truly outstanding horses in its time, founded on the legendary Hanif, one of the last horses to leave the world-renowned Crabbet Stud. The charity continues to honour that legacy, striving to breed from Geofrey’s bloodlines wherever possible.
Now in its eighth year, the charity has taken in welfare horses not only from individuals in need but also from other welfare organisations, including the RSPCA and the Blue Cross. In parallel, we’ve launched a breeding programme with the aim of preserving precious Crabbet and Old English bloodlines. While success has been mixed, such are the trials of breeding, especially with older horses, we’re proud to have produced a small number of quality ofspring, both from horses based permanently at the farm and others kindly leased to the charity.
We will be bringing you stories of our horses via this newsletter and through all other media including our website and social media. Search for The Plaister Charity on Facebook and the new website coming soon at www.plaister-charity.com
Geofrey and Imperial Zanitah (Imperial Zar x Mur Es Sams) in 2017
Mares and foals admiring the stunning Imperial Silver Star 1997 (Shabash x Zaidah)
A Time of Change and New Beginnings
February 2025 marked signifcant changes for the charity; a new name, a new logo and three new trustees. The commitment to the cause of promoting and preserving the Crabbet Arabian, however, remains as steadfast as ever.
The new trustees are Mark Tindall, Tanya Betts and John Illingworth. Mark and Tanya are both known for their involvement with Crabbet Heritage which is a global operation promoting the Crabbet Arabian. John is an active endurance rider and a long-time enthusiast and committed advocate of Crabbet horses. All of them have signifcant experience of and success within the business world and these qualities, together with their vision and enthusiasm, put the Plaister Charity in excellent hands for the future.
The new team are determined to honour the charity’s original mission whilst also exploring new opportunities to engage with supporters, breeders and the wider equestrian community. Their aim is to build on the legacy of the past together with adapting to future needs. Whilst the charity’s horses are at the heart of every decision that is made, the new trustees are also focused on ensuring that the loyal staf who look after the horses day to day are equally well cared for. The new trustees bring signifcant experience yet fresh energy and enthusiasm to guide the charity into a new era. The new social media presence and website aim to give the charity as wide a reach as possible so that followers from around the world can feel in touch. Exciting plans depend on these supporters so that the future of the Crabbet Arabian is not only safeguarded but thrives. It is time for every Crabbet enthusiast to be active and become involved in promoting these unique horses of the desert.
Mark Tindall, Chair of Trustees
Tanya Betts, Trustee Secretary
John Illingworth, Trustee Treasurer
These new trustees bring fresh energy, signifcant experience, and a shared determination to guide the charity into a new era. And with your support, we can continue the vital work needed to help secure a brighter future for our horses and the charity.
Meet the Team
We are extremely fortunate to have Peter Robinson as our Stud Manager, a role he has carried out with huge commitment and care since the charity’s formation.
Peter joined Geofrey Plaister in 2015, originally as a handyman, but quickly became a live-in groom. Over time, he formed a close friendship with Geofrey, spending many hours talking with him about the horses and their future. Before Geofrey passed away, Peter made a heartfelt promise to always look after his horses — a promise he continues to honour every day.
Peter is also a Falklands War veteran, having served with 45 Commando. He is famously pictured in probably the most iconic image of the confict — ‘yomping’ towards Port Stanley with the Union Jack duct taped to an antenna, following the surrender of Argentine forces. His remarkable story adds a powerful personal layer to the charity’s journey.
You can read more about Peter’s path with Crabbet Arabians — in his own words — in Issue 7 of The Crabbet Heritage Magazine, available to read free online at: www.crabbet-heritage.com
Helen Haines is our regular part-time groom. A true veteran of the stud, Helen has worked on and of for Geofrey Plaister and the charity for over forty years. She now works part-time every day and has a special way with the stallions — particularly the occasionally naughty ones! Her considerable experience and quiet dedication are at the heart of what we do.
We’re certain Helen has many fascinating stories to tell from her decades working with Crabbet Arabians, and we hope to share more of her journey in the future.
Helen and Stud Manager Peter Robinson are supported by Isla and her sister Lauren, who had been generously volunteering over the past few months, but is now a full time member of the team.
Peter ensures that the youngsters start their education early! This is the young stallion Imperial Silver Phoenix
Peter in the Falklands
Helen with imperial Silver Phoenix (Imperial Silver Star x Sefnah)
We’re also pleased to introduce two key members of our volunteer team who bring decades of handson experience and a deep passion for Crabbet Arabians:
Natalie Tindall – Head of Equine and Welfare
Natalie bred her frst horse, Zara, thirty four years ago — sired by Zarastar, one of Geofrey Plaister’s stallions and a grandson of the legendary Hanif, one of the last stallions bred at Crabbet Park.
A dedicated competitor and breeder, Natalie owns Moonlight Arabians, which continues several lines from Geofrey’s Imperial Stud. She is also a certifed Tellington Touch (TTEAM) practitioner, bringing a mindful and progressive approach to horse management and training. In her role, Natalie oversees the internal management and training of the horses, leads on welfare-related decisions, and heads the group responsible for making breeding recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
Jan
Atkinson – Equine and Welfare Consultant
Jan, together with her late partner Dom, ran Seren Arabians in the Lake District, where they bred many horses from Geofrey’s lines and spent countless hours discussing breeding with him. With a wealth of experience, Jan ofers invaluable guidance on equine welfare and breeding. She’s particularly focused on promoting natural herd dynamics and thoughtful pasture management — including avoiding exclusively fat ground for grazing.
A notable example of Jan and Dom’s infuence: under their advice, Natalie successfully ran three stallions together, a practice that’s rarely attempted but was worked beautifully. Their expertise, insight, and lifelong dedication to Crabbet Arabians are helping to shape the care and training of the horses with us.
Natalie and Jan taking time out on the beach!
The ‘three amigo’s’, all 100% Crabbet stallions, being boys at Moonlight Arabians
Our horses
Currently we have thirty eight horses on site and we like them to live as natural life as possible and many love to be out in the herd, which often comprises sixteen horses or more roaming twenty acres across three large felds. We have a dedicated eight acre feld split into stallion paddocks, and most of the boys live out in each others company in these paddocks, whilst one or two are happy being next to some of the mares paddocks. We certainly don’t like to keep stallions shut up in stables 24/7 and even in the winter, where they do have to be kept in if the felds become waterlogged, they still go out on rotation for fresh air.
It’s a fact of life that we lose our beloved friends as they age and we are sad to report the recent passing of the beautiful stallion Imperial Zareef last November. Zareef was such a gentle soul with a lovely eye. Be prepared for Peters words later in the newsletter…
Sunrise at the stud on a frosty morning
Imperial Zareef (Shalkar x Imperial Zaree)
Horse Assessment
As a new team, we wanted to carry out a baseline assessment of all the charity’s horses. The intention was to have an independent view on the pool of breeding horses at the stud to determine which horses should continue in our programme, given our intention to only breed the very best horses we can for the future. Conscious also that a number of the stud’s population are now senior citizens, we also considered those that might be due for retirement.
The assessment was led by Crispin Mould, a highly respected AHS Panel Judge of thirty years. Crispin, Natalie and Mark looked at all the horses with Crispin ofering his valued views on conformation and movement to help determine the horses to remain in the group. This along with Peter’s intimate knowledge of each of the horses, proved a very useful and informative exercise. to determine the charity’s pool of breeding horses for this coming season.
The decision was made to retire Imperial Silver Star, the charity’s leading stallion. Silver Star has many progeny on the ground, and at twenty eight years old his fertility is now very low as one might expect.
This famboyant stallion will still remain as an ambassador for the Crabbet Breed and Geofrey Plaister’s breeding as he will be entered into the Veteran Stallion class at the National Crabbet Arabian Show in July. We will be featuring Imperial Silver Star in a future issue. Klinta Bashir, who arrived at the charity last year and had been running with mares, will also be retired, and will spend time in the felds with a retired mare. Crystal Romance, who is coming from the estate of the late Daphne Cocksedge will be assessed once he returns to us.
Of the mares, PS Silvern Silk, who was purchased by the charity six years ago, despite veterinary eforts, has never had a foal for us and now has been diagnosed with a Granulosa Cell Tumour on her left ovary. She will be retired from the breeding programme. Sefnah (Spirit of Silver x Imperial Nefnah) who has had two foals at the stud, will also be retired. Sefnah is the dam of Imperial Silver Phoenix, by Imperial
Imperial Silver Phoenix Dhay under the scrutiny of Crispin
Silver Star, the frst foal born after Geofrey’s passing, has nothing left to prove at the age of twenty three and having had nine foals, she will also be retired. An old hock injury showed up in the latter stages of her last pregnancy and we don’t want to put her in any discomfort with another pregnancy. This leaves us with nine mares in our breeding pool, three of which are 100% Crabbet, the other fve averaging 95% Crabbet. Three of them are in foal for this year, the full sisters Gayzella (Imperial Silver Star x Galatea) and Gypsy Silver are both in foal to Imperial Sovereign (Imperial Shadow x Luretta) and Golden Aura QA (Aurilla Gold x CAS Sholanda) is in foal to Dhay. We look forward to successful foalings and have our fngers crossed for fllies!
A further meeting took place after the assessment with Natalie, Jan and another supporter in attendance with huge experience in Crabbet breeding. They considered which mares to breed in 2025 and the best ‘pairings’ for those mares, based on conformation, movement, bloodlines and age. We’ll let you know what was decided in the next issue.
A tale of two Crabbets, Rosie and Delboy
Their story written by Peter
One of the key aims of our Charity is to support fellow Crabbet Arabian owners in times of need. Several years ago, a posting on social media featured a pair of Crabbet Arabians. Their owner, Des, who owned and looked after them for many years unfortunately, due to health reasons, was conscious that he could no longer give them the care and attention that they needed.
I came across his post and made the Trustees aware of the situation. The pair had been together all their lives and Des was hopeful that they could be re-homed together. After a brief discussion with the trustees, and much to the delight of Des, we were able to ofer them a home for life here at the Plaister Charity.
Arrangements were made to collect the pair, Rosie and Gazza - as he was then called. Not being a fan of football, Gazza was renamed Delboy! They arrived at the stud, I think in the winter of 2021, both wearing 450 gram rugs as they had been plucked of the Yorkshire moors and loaded straight into the lorry. Rosie and Delboy settled into their new home very quickly and they have become frm favourites here at the stud. We have never known two horses to be so attached to each other. In the winter months
Rosie and Delboy enjoying the sun
they share a large foaling box with no animosity. When they are out in the paddocks, they are always together. Even when they are out with a herd of ffteen plus you will always see them in the furthest part of the paddock, grazing side by side.
Rosie is twenty seven now and Delboy twenty four, we all dread the day that anything happens to one or other of them as they are so strongly attached to each other.
Des has never forgotten his two horses and every month without fail, he donates a sum of money that is put in the pot to help towards the upkeep of not only his horses but the others we have here. I keep in touch with him regularly, sending updates and photos so he can see how well they’re doing.
It’s a privilege to have given these two beautiful souls the retirement they deserve – and to honour Des’s unwavering love for them.
Remembering Imperial Zareef (Shalkar x Imperial Zaree)
Imperial Zareef was a lovely and most gentle stallion you could ever come across. We shouldn’t have our favourites, but he was everyone’s favourite. He was indeed the kindest of stallions and would always whicker when he saw you.
Several years ago, he went away on a breeding loan, it was then that it was discovered that he had a disability. It was diagnosed that he had Wobblers Syndrome. Being only seven years old at the time, the vet put his chances at reaching eight or more to be very slim. How wrong could that have been! For several years lived happily as a stallion at the stud and we constantly monitored his condition. I think in his latter years he knew he had a problem, but dare I say, he made us smile when he would zoom of up the paddock and, once he got his co-ordination sorted, he was truly impressive. It is such a shame that we were unable to breed from him, many ways were discussed but none proved positive.
We realised that over the last few months of 2024 he was becoming weaker on his rear end and that his co-ordination was also deteriorating.
His condition eventually got the better of him and on our early morning rounds we found him down in his feld shelter. Despite our best eforts and the vets, it was decided that he should be put to sleep. It was a sad day for the staf that had looked after him, but we all realised that with the attention we had given him, he was able to enjoy another seven years after his diagnosis. A funny story about Zareef. One winter when he was in his stable. I came out into the yard and saw that his door was in pieces on the foor. In a panic I raced around the whole yard, around to the hay barns all to no avail. He was nowhere to be found. On walking back to the stallions yards there he was, standing at the doorway. He had never left his stable but was hiding out of sight. I’m sure he had a mischievous grin on his face that day. A lovely stallion and one who is truly missed by all that knew him.
Peter’s update
Being the Stud Manager comes with all its trials, tribulations and on occasion sadness. The trustees have asked me as being the man on the ground with my team to contribute to this newsletter. So where to start?
The Team
Helen, who looks after the stallion’s yard, has been working here on and of since the 1980’s. She has a wealth of knowledge and especially in putting names to horses that were bred here and have long since passed on. She used to ride Imperial Silver Star, our Supreme National Champion. Helen has worked with a variety of horses in her time, including flm work. I am working on her doing a write up on her life here at the stud which will be, I’m sure, very interesting. # Sisters Isla and Lauren both started as volunteers or on work experience now work with us full time. Although shy to begin with, they have both come out of their shells and work well together both individually and as a team. No sisterly squabbles here. I was surprised when after only a few days they managed to grasp the names of just about every horse that we have here, a feat in itself. They both look after the mares, amongst other things.
Since January
It has indeed been a roller-coaster of events over the last three months. All the team are pleased to hear about the future projects that are in the pipeline and to see that the charity is galloping into the twenty frst century under the guidance of the new Trustees and others that have now become involved, not as Trustees but as sources of knowledge and expertise. Exciting times ahead.
Due to the conditions of the land, being clay based, although we do try to keep the horses out as long as possible, there comes a time when they must all come in.
We have here at this present time thirty eight horses, including seven stallions, two colts, two colt weanlings, two geldings, three mares in foal and the rest either fllies or mares. The setup here means that although we can house small groups in the available barns the majority have to
be stabled. A major task in putting the horses next to their buddies and groups who get on with each other. All in all, it ends up that we have to muck out twenty fve and prepare ffty haynets daily.
We are fortunate to have an arena, so in the mornings the stallions will be rotated out for exercise and in the afternoon it’s the mares turn. It works well and gives them all a stretch of their legs.
We currently have three mares in foal which are all due within the frst two weeks of May. Judging by the size of one that may be earlier, but then she does carry big foals!
We have both Gypsy Silver and Gayzella in foal to frst time father, Imperial Sovereign. Everyone is so excited about his frst progeny as he is now seventeen and has never been bred from before. We also have Golden Aura QA in foal to Dhay, both chestnut so we are all looking forward to having a chestnut baby this year rather than a grey. I feel a few nights out in the caravan on foal watch coming soon!
Earlier in the year we said goodbye to Palma Benay, an important 100% mare from Australia, who was here on breeding loan from Anne Brown. Whilst she was with us she gave us a colt, Imperial Fire Dancer. Silver Zajeerah, another 100% mare, on loan from Hazel Crowle produced another colt for us, Imperial Blue Flame. Both are by our 2023 Supreme Grand Champion Imperial Silver Phoenix. They were weaned of earlier in the year and now have grandparents to look after them. Imperial Zanitah and Fonze, a gelding who was rehomed from the Blue Cross, absolutely adores looking after the youngsters. Finally last week with a change in the weather and feld conditions, we were able to put all the horses back out into the paddocks. So now begins the cleaning out of the stables and instead of mucking out, we start poo picking the felds!
We are now looking forward to the show season and in particular the inaugural National Crabbet Arabian Show presented by Crabbet Heritage on 19th July this year where I hope to have a strong showing of 100% Crabbet stallions and fllies.
Peter Stud Manager
Exciting Plans for the Future
It’s still early days, but our new team has number of exciting plans in the pipeline, many already in progress, and we’re eager to share them as they unfold. With strong momentum, we are now able to action long-held ideas while also shaping new initiatives. Amongst other things, we are revisiting an important vision: creating a dedicated Heritage Centre for the Crabbet Arabian. Plans are already underway and the centre will showcase a collection of treasures, memorabilia, and historical artefacts — preserved and presented to inspire future generations. As an invaluable educational resource, it will hopefully create interest amongst younger audiences to help grow demand for our special horses with such an important history. It will also provide access to ‘many
treasures’ unseen by many Crabbet enthusiasts and we will also hold special exhibitions and showcase private exhibits.
With a Heritage Centre at the same location as the largest group of Crabbet Arabians in the country, we are sure that this will encourage many visitors and inspire future generations to continue the legacy of the Crabbet Arabian. Our ambition is to share the beauty and signifcance of the Crabbet Arabian with a wide audience helping to ensure their legacy endures well into the future. Achieving this vision will require dedication and, undoubtedly, some challenging decisions. As we move forward with this mission, we will be calling on the support of our community every step of the way. Together, we can honour the past and build a lasting future for the Crabbet Arabian.
Partnership with Crabbet Heritage
One of our initiatives is to spread news of the charity, its work and provide education in the importance of the Crabbet Arabian. This newsletter is part of our communication plan, as is the forthcoming website and of course a developing social media presence. But to take it a step further we are pleased to announce that we will be working closely with Crabbet Heritage to help promote the Crabbet Arabian horse and spread the word about the Charity’s work. We will have a regular section in the Crabbet Heritage magazine to keep everyone around the world updated on our work and latest news. We will also be the major sponsor at the newly announced National Crabbet Arabian Show in July this year. This provides us an ideal opportunity to talk directly to the many visitors we hope to attract to the show to see beautiful Crabbet Arabian horses, and encourage a wider following, all set against the background of ‘Old School’ competition and a bit of fun along the way. We do hope you will come along and join in the experience.
We have achieved a lot in just a couple of months whilst at the same time getting to grips with all the behind the scenes charity admin, but we will have much more to tell in the coming months, hopefully at the National Crabbet Arabian Show. So please support us in whatever way you can and spread the word about this unique charity for the horses you love. We are determined that they should not be lost and together we can create a bright future for the Crabbet Arabian.
Our digital newsletter will be available free of charge online, at www.plaister-charity.com simply by providing your email address. We are aware that many don’t have access to computers or just prefer printed media, so we are making the newsletter available in print. There will be a nominal charge of £20 a year for four issues just to cover the costs of print and postage. If you know anyone who would like to subscribe to the printed Plaister Charity News, please print this page and pass on to them.
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