Cover Story: Anvil Arabians—A Family’s Passion by Theresa Cardamone

2021 U.S. National Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Aria Valiant (TS Khidam El Shawan x BH Beijings Velvet).

Sellman will be showing three strong contenders for Felix Cantu in Tulsa, including presenting Aria Valiant as he attempts to add to his 2021 success by annexing the 2022 United States National Champion Futurity Colt title. “We met Andy through Aria Valiant, and my wife and I are very happy having our horses with him at Orrion,” Felix enthuses. “He is an incredible handler and a very nice person. We have a lot of faith in Valiant and plan to breed two mares to him for next year.”

Joining Valiant in Tulsa is Tasheem PMA, the 2022 Region 2 ABS Champion Yearling Colt this summer who will vie for the ABS Yearling Colt national crown. Felix has big plans for the son of Taj Raheem and Chiara Luna. “In the long run, we think Tasheem could be our top stallion,” he predicts. “We think that Valiant and Tasheem will complement each other. We want to breed some of the mares via embryo transfers to both, and some of the mares to outside stallions to keep the lines open.”

Rounding out the trio for Rancho Las Potrancas in Tulsa will be 2021 Youth and Mid Summer Reserve National Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, Marajja EK (Marajj x Kindle VF, by TF Psymreekhe), who will compete for the 2022 U.S. National Champion Futurity Filly honors. “We have a lot of faith in Marajja,” says Felix. “We think she is a top, top mare. My wife and I went to the Scottsdale show this year, just to see what was going on. We saw her, fell in love with her, and decided to buy her right away. Now, we are starting to get embryos from her and looking forward to seeing her compete in Tulsa.”

With the anticipation of major victories this fall at the United States Arabian National Championships and with the Lusitano Bullfighting Horse of the Year voting in Europe, the scope of activity by the divisions of Rancho Las Potrancas is amplified. Felix Cantu intends to cultivate a more significant European presence for his Arabian horses as well, beginning with a visit to the World Championships in Paris in late November. It seems safe to say that it won’t be long before his horses will vie for the highest honors on the Arabian world’s biggest stage. In the meantime, there is no doubt that additional championships are on the horizon for Los Caballos de Rancho Las Potrancas. ■

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT...

Taj Raheem x Chiara Luna Proudly Owned by Rancho Las Potrancas Mexico City | Tepeji del Rio | Tampico | Ffarm4@icloud.com US Representative, Johnny Downing | Johnnyjoed@aol.com

By THERESA CARDAMONE

In a life-changing decision, Alejandro and Ana Vigil moved from their Mexican homeland to the United States in search of new opportunities for their family. The Vigils, along with their son Alejandro Jr. and daughter Marina, settled in San Diego, California. The family shares a passion for horses, having owned some that they could not bring with them to the U.S. Two years after their move, on a visit to Scottsdale, Arizona, the Vigils saw advertisements for the upcoming Arabian horse farm tours and decided to attend. After absorbing the beauty and spirit of Arabian horses at several facilities, they knew they were seeing horses of a higher quality than those from their past and knew they wanted to be part of it.

The Vigils made a final, late-night stop at Sahara Scottsdale, where they met and fell in love with the horse who is the catalyst for Anvil Arabians, Oula Aljassimya. According to Alejandro Vigil, the look in Oula’s eyes told him the feeling was mutual— she loved them right back. The mare was committed to the Marquise Auction weeks later, leaving the Vigils with nothing to do but nervously wait for the day of the sale to arrive. The wait was worth it. When the auctioneer’s gavel fell, Oula Aljassimya belonged to the ecstatic Vigil family. Anvil Arabians was a reality.

BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

Oula Aljassimya (Marwan Al Shaqab x El Sanadika IA, by Sanadik El Shaklan) is one of three foundation mares for the evolving Anvil Arabians breeding program. Beloved by the entire family, she formed a special connection with Alejandro Jr., who showed her to the titles of 2018 Youth National Champion Mare JTH and Youth National Reserve Champion Mare JOTH, among many other victories. Oula was also a 2019 U.S. National Top Ten Mare in open competition and has produced several outstanding foals for the Vigils, with one daughter, Kustina Anvil, by World Champion Equator, already exported to Pakistan, and others retained for the future.

Joining Oula in the elite triad of mares are the stars of Anvil’s current show string, the jet-black Najima Aria, and the ethereal Brazilian-bred Italya Meia Lua. Italya was recently crowned the 2022 Silver Supreme Champion Mare at the Arabian National

L-R: Oula Aljassimya with Alejandro Jr. and Marina Vigil, shortly after she was purchased in the Marquise Auction; Foundation mare, Italya Meia Lua, Silver Supreme Champion Mare at the 2022 Arabian National Breeder Finals Show; and Foundation Mare, Najima Aria.

Breeder Finals, shown by Andy Sellman. Najima Aria is already the 2020 Canadian National Champion Futurity Filly and 2018 U.S. National Top Ten ABS Yearling Filly. She and Andy will compete for the United States National Champion Junior Mare title this fall in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

These three mares exhibit the diversity of bloodlines that Alejandro Vigil is weaving into a magnificent tapestry at Anvil. Their pedigrees are rich in historically significant lineage that provide outcrosses to the often-repetitive bloodlines of contemporary Arabian show horses. For example, Italya Meia Lua is by the remarkable Brazilian National Champion Stallion El Jahez WH, who boasts a relatively rare tail male line to the immortal Bask through Negatraz, Monogramm, and the Polish-bred Debowiec. El Jahez, now the head stallion at Danubius Arabians in Romania, is renowned for his near-perfect conformation and the long, elegant neck and shoulder he passed on to Italya. Najima is by the Israeli-bred Baha AA and out of the lauded U.S. National Champion Mare MD Hibat Allah, who is also the dam of several national, regional, and Scottsdale winners.