What in the World

a r a b i a n

h o r s e

w o r l d

Publisher Denise P. Hearst

Editor and Sales Manager Lynn Anderson Editor Mary Jane Parkinson

Managing Editor Kirsten Mathieson Sales Associate Wendy Flynn

Art Director Melanie K. Davis

Art Production Louise Herndon,

Jamie Fend-Kirkland, Elizabeth Howard, John Johnson,

WHAT IN THE

WORLD Horses

Sannie Ricasata, Janet Van Hoorebeke Circulation/Accounting Manager Rhonda Hall

Computer Systems Douglas Tatelman

Staff Writers Steve Andersen, Betty Finke,

Joanne Fox, Nancy Ryan, Cindy Reich

From the window I saw the horses.

I was in Berlin, in winter. The light was without light, the sky skyless.

The air white like a moistened loaf.

Chairman and CEO Efrem Zimbalist III

President and COO Andrew W. Clurman

Sr. Vice President and CFO Brian Sellstrom

Sr. Vice President, Operations Patricia B. Fox

From my window, I could see a deserted arena, a circle bitten out by the teeth of winter.

All at once, led out by a single man, ten horses were stepping, stepping into the snow.

EQUINE NETWORK

General Manager Tom Winsor Associate Group Publishing Director Dave Andrick

Group Production Director Barb VanSickle

(303) 625-1624

bvansickle@aimmedia.com

Production Manager Hillary Evans

(303) 625-1611

hevans@aimmedia.com

Publishing Consultant Susan Harding Copyright ©2010 by Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproductions of contents, either whole or in part, not permitted without written consent of publisher.

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Printed in the USA

6 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b november 2010

P

ablo Neruda has been on my mind. He is Chile’s favorite poet, but the world found out last month that Chile is full of poets, as nearly every miner who stepped out of the San Jose mine was a poet too. In their expressions of gratitude, of rapture at being alive to begin anew, they spoke the poetry of their hearts and of that land. The tiny nation held the world’s attention, earning its respect for its flawless rescue operation and for the poignant and graceful words of President Sebastián Piñera, spoken after the 33rd miner was raised.

The Arabian horse, too, has been in the world’s spotlight the past month or so in a rare convergence of events, all of them broadcasting the inner and outer beauty of the Arabian breed. First, the Alltech FEI World Endurance Championship at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. One hundred horses, nearly all Arabians, racing 100 miles — this is a sport the Arabian owns. With over 500,000 spectators and hours of televised coverage, these horses answered the question everyone was asking: “Can a horse that pretty be that tough?” You bet.

While the international horse community was in Kentucky, spectators also enjoyed two Arabian

A

Au t u m n o f t h e A r a b i a n

Scarcely had they rippled into existence like flame, than they filled the whole world of my eyes, empty until now. Faultless, flaming, they stepped like ten gods on broad, clean hoofs, their manes recalling a dream of salt spray.

Their rumps were globes, were oranges.

b y

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And there, in the silence, at the midpoint of the day, in a dirty disgruntled winter, the horses’ intense presence was blood, was rhythm, was the beckoning light of all being.

I saw, I saw, and seeing, I came to life.

There was the unwitting fountain, the dance of gold, the sky, the fire that sprang to life in beautiful things.

Their colour was amber and honey, was on fire.

I have obliterated that gloomy Berlin winter.

Their necks were towers carved from the stone of pride, and in their furious eyes, sheer energy showed itself, a prisoner inside them.

I shall not forget the light from these horses.

– Pablo Neruda

exhibits at the Kentucky Horse Park – the “Gift From the Desert” (see March 2010 issue, page 152), and the “Al-Marah Galleries” (see August 2010 issue, page 10).

And Arabian Horse World was there with thousands of copies of our newsstand Special Edition. We are grateful to our advertisers who made this special promotion for our breed possible.

In Paris, on October 1-3, there were four Qatarsponsored Arabian stakes races, two at Saint-Cloud racecourse and two at Longchamp — one a $628,000 stake for Arabians on the same card as Europe’s richest Thoroughbred race — the Qatar Prix De l’Arc de Triomphe (worth a cool $5.6 million).

Above: Syrocco Harmony (Syrocco Troubador x Edgewood Schelite), with Meg Sleeper up, competing in the 100-mile FEI World Endurance Championship in Lexington, Kentucky.

Left: WEG opening ceremony at the Kentucky Horse Park.

hearst

photo

Of course, autumn is a lovely time of year to be in Paris (it was fashion week for one thing!), the chestnut trees were turning and that famous French light was all soft and muted. It was surreal to stand in the lovely tree-shaded paddock on race day at Longchamp, admiring the finest horses money can buy, along with their fascinating connections, many with discreet private security hovering nearby.

There, before tens of thousands of wildly cheering fans, 18 Arabians broke from the starting gate for the Qatar Arabian World Cup, with Umm Qarn’s mighty grey General (Amer x Al Hanoof by Manganate) galloping over that gorgeous turf course to win it for the second year in a row. (See our coverage of these races in this issue beginning on page 136).

And on Saturday, October 9, Arabians raced at Lexington’s

juhaim ph oto

Keeneland racecourse for the first time.

There was a certain poetic justice in seeing Arabians sharing the card with their descendants in this cradle of the American Thoroughbred. This historic event was enjoyed by nearly 25,000 spectators plus a television audience. With the Calvin Borel aboard TM Super Bird (Burning Sand x Heaven Kan Wait by *Virgule Al Maury), the Keeneland crowd was treated to a thrilling race as Bill Waldron’s grey stallion Grilla (Kong x Dixie Darlene by *Wiking) upset the favorites. (See story in this issue on page 132.)

Perhaps the newly released movie “Secretariat,” too, will remind horse lovers that “Big Red” owes his existence to all three of the Arabian foundation sires: the Byerley Turk, the Godolphin Arabian, and the Darley Arabian. And that, in fact, all Thoroughbreds carry the poetry of the Arabian in their great hearts.

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Above: Grilla (Kong x Dixie Darlene by *Wiking) winning the $53,250 President of the UAE Cup at Keeneland, Lexington, Kentucky, on October 9, 2010.

Top right: Longchamp, Paris.

Right: Umm Qarn’s grey stallion General (Amer x Al Hanoof by Manganate) edges ahead of Jalnar Al Khalid (Tiwaig x Jody de Syrah) to win the Qatar Arabian World Cup in Paris, on October 3, 2010.

juhaim photo

8 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b NOVEMBER 2010