2017 egyptian event europe The Noble Straight Egyptian Breeders’ Festival
Top: The 2014 mare DF Kabila (DF Siraj x DR Karimah), bred by Birkhof Stud. Middle left: The 2011 mare Kinda Al Sham (Rayyan Al Naif x Frasera Wahiba), bred by Sham Stables, Netherlands. Middle right: The 2012 mare Madeebah Al Ryah, (Farees Halim x Tameri Marana), bred by Al Ryah Arabians, Germany, and her colt Mounir Al Ryah by Nader Halim. Bottom right: The 2003 stallion El Thay Mahfouz (Ansata Selman x El Thay Mahfouza), bred by El Thayeba, Germany, with breeder and owner Cornelia Tauschke.
Above: The 2011 mare NK Habiba (NK Nadeer x Ansata Ken Ranya), bred by Nagel’s Katharinenhof Stud, Germany. Top right: The 2007 mare DF Yazmeena (DF Malik Jamil x AR Yashmak), owned by Birkhof Stud, Germany. Top left: The 2014 stallion NK Nizam (NK Hafid Jamil x NK Nadirah), bred by Nagel’s Katharinenhof Stud.
“It is the essence of something you will not find in the showring, but may well catch a glimpse of on occasions like this: the true spirit of the Arabian horse.”
Bottom right: The 2008 mare Al Ilaf Tifla (Emiratus B x Tamria Bint Thamam), bred by Al Ilaf Arabians, Germany.
On the day after the show, those who had decided to stay a day longer were in for a very special treat: the Noble Straight Egyptian Breeders’ Festival. The brainchild of a group of mostly German Egyptian breeders, it was an attempt to take the Egyptian Event back to its roots. The very first Egyptian Event Europe, held in 1985 (two years before the Pyramid Society Europe was founded) at Wiesbaden Castle in Germany, was a showcase for European Egyptian breeders where the horses were shown in breeding groups, in-hand or under saddle, without the pressure of competition. Back then in 1985, the horses shown there were a veritable “Who’s Who” of straight Egyptian breeding, and the spectators numbered thousands. This event was much smaller, with visitors asked to register via the website, but its purpose was much the same. In the words of Mahmoud Anzarouti, who generously provided the venue at his Sham Stables in Holland as well as the catering, it was to give breeders a chance to “present their breeding program and most beloved treasures to other breeders and enthusiasts in a relaxed atmosphere, without pressure, and without judging.” It was an idea whose time had come (again) and a huge success. Fifteen straight Egyptian breeding farms, mostly from Germany, took part and brought their horses, some over considerable distances. This included some of the most distinguished breeding farms in Egyptian breeding whose horses are rarely, if ever, seen at shows: Dr. Nagel’s Katharinenhof Stud, Cornelia Tauschke’s El Thayeba Stud, Ponnath Arabians, Birkhof Stud, Al Qusar Stud, and also some smaller breeders who hardly ever show their horses. The horses were arranged in groups by stud farms and shown separately, most of them turned loose. Stallions, mares with or without foals, youngsters — it was a true 1 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b OCTOBER 2017
festival of beauty, showing the Arabian horse at its very best, without being forced into artificial poses or indeed restrained at all. And although Al Qusar’s Robert Schlereth, who is a professional trainer, must have thoroughly exhausted himself showing horses all day long for nearly everyone, most of the owners took the chance to show at least one of their horses themselves, and everyone jumped in to help everyone else. All visitors were made very welcome with free drinks and snacks, and during the lunch break and after the presentations, there was time to visit the wonderful buffet and enjoy good food and a chat with like-minded people. It was a true highlight and an unforgettable occasion, right to the end when, as the guests wandered slowly toward the hospitality tent for a last round of desserts, a group of Sham Stables’ ethereal white mares floated around the arena in the evening sun. Perhaps we need more occasions such as these, away from the bustle and stress of the showring and its pressure to win, to remind us why we fell in love with these horses in the first place. To remind us that breeding Arabian horses should not just be about 2 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b OCTOBER 2017
winning prizes — pleasurable as that may be — but about preserving a priceless heritage: of beauty, certainly, but a beauty that is not defined by just a pretty face. There is so much more to cherish. It is the essence of something you will not find in the showring, but may well catch a glimpse of on occasions like this: the true spirit of the Arabian horse.