Moments in Time
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found in many modern Aachen is famous today The first article I ever wrote for AHW was a report on pedigrees through his for the All Nations Cup, the European Championships at Aachen in 1980. I was daughters. but the show goes back Numizmat was longer than that, to a time just a student back then, and I only did it because I had owned (and shown) by when international showing Jozef Peeters, who was was only just beginning. In been very disappointed by the lack of coverage of the 1979 one of the first Arabian 1980, it was officially the show. How times have changed! breeders in Belgium and biggest Arabian horse show founder of the Belgian ever held in Germany, with stud book. He also owned 160 exhibitors, some 500 the senior champion mare, Katun, yet another Tersk import. horses, and thousands of spectators. No European show can This exquisitely beautiful and feminine grey mare was one of equal this today, not even the ANC. the most prolific show champions of her day; with her extreme One striking aspect about the 1980 show was the number refinement, you might say that she was the Pianissima of the and the success of the Russian Arabians bred at Tersk Stud, and early 1980s. Her breeding was given as Aswan x Kapella, but their offspring. There had been imports from Tersk in Europe thereby hangs a tale which, sadly, has no happy end. Blood for over a decade at this point, mostly in Holland, but also in testing eventually revealed that the beautiful Katun was not who Germany. In 1980, these horses appeared in force and took her papers claimed she was. It was one of several cases where the most of the major prizes. All senior champions and reserves (no papers of Arabians from Russia had somehow become confused. golds, silvers and bronzes then, just champions and reserves) But, while in other cases it turned out to be a simple switch and were straight Russian, plus the reserve junior female champion, the horses could be matched to their proper papers, Katun’s true as well as many additional class winners. This trend would identity was never established. As a result, she and her produce continue over the following years. Just one year earlier, the were unceremoniously evicted from the Arabian stud book and U.S. registry had finally lifted its ban on Russian Arabians and demoted to Half-Arabian status. It’s a pity, because there could American breeders had begun to import them in large numbers. hardly be any doubt that Katun was a purebred Arabian; but One of those imports was the 1980 senior champion that was the end of it. stallion *Muslin (*Salon x *Magnolia), who won the title for Her reserve champion had no such problems. The fabulous Robbie den Hartog’s Kossack Stud and blew everyone away with Neschi (Kilimandscharo x Nevada) was a double Aswan his spectacular movements. *Muslin was imported by Howard granddaughter bred and owned by Silvia Garde-Ehlert, and her Kale Jr. and later syndicated, and many of his Dutch-bred get very dished head would be considered “exotic” even by today’s were also imported to the U.S. The reserve senior champion, standards. Neschi followed her star turn in the showring with Numizmat (Aswan x Nemezida), somehow escaped the exodus an equally stellar performance as a broodmare. She produced to the New World and remained in Belgium. He was a regular winner and an influential sire, more so than *Muslin, and is the European and ANC champion stallion Nadir I and the 92 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b AUGUST 2017
Elite mare *Nascha, whose granddaughter Essteema was the first female to win the Triple Crown. They all had Neschi’s extreme head, and their descendants are still winning today. Neschi’s younger full sister Neschima was Reserve Junior Female Champion at the same show, but while she was every bit as beautiful as her sister, Neschi proved the better broodmare. It was this show that generated the first objections in Europe against the American style of showing. Heavy criticism was leveled against oiled faces and even more against stretched posing, pointing out that it is not possible to judge a horse’s conformation like this. Which, among other things, tells us that back then, horses were actually judged on honest-togoodness conformation and movement, not on style and presentation. Small wonder those Russian horses did so well. So what’s different now, thirty-seven years later? Both horses and showing have changed and developed dramatically, but I would hesitate to speak of progress. From today’s perspective, the “excesses” of 1980 appear very moderate. Everything is more professional now, whether it’s styling and conditioning or training and handling, and far more glamorous. But are the horses any better? I doubt it, if only because there wasn’t much that could be improved. Those champions from 1980 still look pretty good today. With the benefits of modern professional conditioning and handling, I am sure they would still be winning — with higher leg scores, too. 93 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b AUGUST 2017
top left: 1980 European Champion Stallion *Muslin (*Salon x *Magnolia) top right:
1980 European Reserve Champion Stallion Numizmat (Aswan x Nemezida)
Middle: 1980 European Champion Mare Katun, whose true identity was never established. bottoM:
1980 European Reserve Champion Mare Neschi (Kilimandscharo x Nevada)