2 0 1 6 D E C E M B E R
A R A B I A N
H O R S E
W O R L D
Arabi a n s L t d. by J e f f r e y Wi n t e r s t e e n
p hoto s by s u z a nn e s t u rgi ll
“T
he expression ‘falling in love’ comes from the fact that it is sudden and unexpected,” explains Mohamed Jaidah of Qatar. “You do not decide to fall in love, you do not take the time to fall in love. You just inexplicably have this strong and amazing feeling inside you that puts you on cloud nine. Like many people, I fell in love with the Arabian horse through the movie ‘The Black Stallion’ and when I decided to become a breeder, my first step in the Arabian horse world was with purebred Arabians. But it is really when I saw the Arabians Ltd. stallion Alixir that I truly fell in love. He took my breath away — his lines, his conformation, his movement, and mainly his attitude. Alixir represents to me the true spirit and beauty of the classic Arabian stallion.”
pictured above: ALIXIR (The Elixir x The Prevue), 1998 stallion.
Bell agio RCA ( a li x i r x r h a p s ody i n b l ac k ) 2 003 b l ac k s ta llio n
It was exactly this passion and love of the breed Mohamed articulates that led to Judy Sirbasku and her late husband Jim embarking on the journey of breeding Straight Egyptian Arabians thirty-eight years ago. Little did they realize when they established the farm in Waco, Texas, the significant global impact they would have on breeders like Mohamed and the entire international Arabian industry. Consider that Arabians Ltd.-bred horses have been exported to sixteen countries and to every continent except Antarctica. Horses from their bloodlines have won numerous National and World Championship titles. “It was a slow, but calculated evolution with some of the finest horses in the world that have been embraced by breeders of all Arabian horses, not just Egyptian breeders. I am particularly proud of that fact,” says Judy with a smile. “Often I find a horse somewhere in the world that really captivates me, only to find out it is Desperado-bred.” The late U.S. National Reserve Champion Stallion and Scottsdale Supreme Champion Stallion Thee Desperado (The Minstril x AK Amiri Asmarr) and Arabians Ltd. became synonymous, and together they influenced pedigrees everywhere the Arabian horse is revered. When they brought in outcross sire *Mishaal HP (Ansata Sinan x Mesoudah M) in 2004, this influence was only amplified. At the 2016 Egyptian Event, *Mishaal HP was the Leading Sire of Champions. A special thank-you to Dreamco for their commitment to campaigning the Mishaal daughter and Gold Champion Mare Makeda DB (x Jamiil Baarrah by Alixir). General Manager of the large Arabians Ltd. operation, Shawn Crews, describes how fast moving, and often just a little crazy, this has become. “A few weeks ago, I was in Scottsdale and we had a huge night at the Breeders Final in the Egyptian Mare Championship with Gold by Bellagio RCA, Silver by *Mishaal m i d d l e : A r a b i a n s Lt d . o w n e r Ju d y S i r b a s k u , r i g ht , w i t h G e n e r a l Ma n a g e r S h aw n C r e w s . b o t t o m : S h a h M i s h a a l R C A at t h e r e c e nt l y c o mp l e t e d U S DA ap p r o v e d q u a r a nt i n e f a c i l i t y at A r a b i a n s Lt d . , d e s i g n e d b y B r e e d i n g Ma n a g e r St e p h a n e R o b i l l a r d . 2 b ARABIANS LTD b WORLD
Shah Mi sh aal RCA
HP and Bronze by Thee Infidel,” she said. “The same Saturday night, we heard that the Medallion Stallion Auction was inducting Thee Desperado into the Stallion Hall of Fame. So as I was trying to see if our good friend Bobby Boggs could accept the award on our behalf, I was also trying to connect Judy with the live feed so she could see it. She was getting emotional as I was talking to her about what was going on in Minnesota and updating her on results in Scottsdale. Meanwhile I was getting texts from Tel Aviv that Ariela Arabians just won Silver Champion Mare at the Israeli Nationals and highest score of the show. Chen Kedar bought the Mishaal daughter Saniyyah RCA when she was a scruffy weanling and truth be told was almost lost a couple years ago, so just to show was a blessing. I told Judy, dear God, look how far you have come since you and Jim started out with The Minstril so long ago.” Global recognition for the breeding program is energizing, as it is the fruit of years of dedication. The true reward, however, is the heartfelt relationships grown out of mutual love for the Arabian horse. Judy has always felt a great responsibility, not only to her horses, staff, and clients, but also to ensure the future of the Egyptian Arabian horse. With that end goal in mind, there is nothing more important than encouraging young breeders. But it’s not just any young breeder, as she has seen many come and go. It is the kind that eats, sleeps, and breathes the Arabian horse! The ones that you know will carry the torch for the breed, and at the same time, ensure the care and happiness of their horses for a lifetime. It is such a breeder Judy will trust to protect and preserve a horse whose greatness
provides promise for the future. Arabians Ltd. extends heart-filled congratulations to Mohamed Jaidah on the recent purchase of his dream horse Alixir (The Elixir x The Prevue by The Minstril). The story of Alixir began with one of Arabians Ltd.’s most popular programs for new clients, the mare lease program. The farm leases high-end mares in foal with all the particulars such as stud fee and insurance included in one package price. “A lot of newcomers have started that way,” says Shawn. “As it happened, we leased the mare The Prevue, in foal to The Elixir, and she had an incredible colt. It didn’t go over very well with Judy when I told her we had to buy a colt out of her mare by her stallion,” says Shawn with a laugh. It may be surprising to note that Alixir has actually had more Egyptian Event Junior Champion Colts than even Thee Desperado. Despite the incredible success of his progeny, Alixir saw limited time in the showring due to other stallions in the barn. “We were winning like crazy at that time with some other sires, and we just won a lot with his sire Elixir, so it just never really seemed like the right time
a b o v e l e f t a n d r i g ht : S HA H M I S HA A L R C A ( * M i s h a a l H P x B i nt As i l a R C A ) , 2 0 1 2 s t a l l i o n , w a s 2 0 1 6 E g y p t i a n Ev e nt S i l v e r C h a mp i o n S e n i o r St a l l i o n , s h o w n b y r e s i d e nt t r a i n e r Lu i s Pa n i a g u a . 3 b ARABIANS LTD b WORLD
lef t :
I nf i ni t y RCA
( b ell agio rc a x k a m i l fa ) , 2 00 9 s ta llio n b el ow :
Th ee I nf i del
( t h ee de s p er a d o x b i n t m agi da a ) , 1 9 9 5 s ta llio n
to have Alixir in the showring,” explains Shawn. “Luis showed him one time to a Junior Championship, and then the foals started winning and we just never thought about showing him again.” The Alixir story has always been one of love and devotion, and it began when Mohamed entered his life. “Mohamed has had horses with us for years,” explains Shawn. “He has always loved Alixir. Everything he has done with us, whether an embryo right to an older mare to breed to Alixir, or an Alixir daughter to breed to his stallion, has focused on Alixir, Rhapsody In Black, or Alixir’s son Bellagio RCA. This summer Alixir was being presented at a casual showing. Someone said, ‘If you ever sell that horse, Mohamed should have him.’ It was a totally innocent comment, but struck a real chord with me, and would not go away — so much so that after several weeks, I brought the thought up to Judy. We have never offered Alixir or any of our senior stallions for sale. When I mentioned to Judy that something felt right about speaking to Mohamed about Alixir, she became quiet. Several weeks later, Judy expressed to me that this thought would not leave her mind either! So she gave me permission to discuss Alixir with Mohamed. If it was not right for him, nothing lost. From the first time Mohamed and I spoke, we both knew that the result would be adding Alixir to the Al Jood Qatar breeding program. “Mohamed has so much passion for the horse,” says Judy. “It just felt right in my heart, as I know how much he loves Alixir. I knew Mohamed would cherish him always and know how to use him.” “I am both humbled and honored to be a part of Alixir’s life,” concludes Mohamed. “He has been a pillar in my program over the years and this will cement him as such. I would like to thank Judy from the bottom of my heart for introducing him to me. It’s a dream come true.”
Alixir’s blood continues to play an important part at Arabians Ltd., mostly through his black son Bellagio RCA (out of Rhapsody In Black) and his daughters and sons. “They are creating a lot of excitement; people are just fascinated by him,” says Judy. “While Bellagio has his sire’s and dam’s blood, he is truly a unique individual. Very much like Thee Desperado, in that every horse in his genetic makeup blended together to create a truly unique individual. It just doesn’t really happen very often. He has the longest neck in the Egyptian world; even outdoes Thee Desperado.” And what of the Thee Desperado legacy, the legacy stallion Arabians Ltd. lost in 2013. The legacy is in safe hands, carried forward by the Thee Desperado sons Egyptian Event Supreme Champion Stallion Pimlico RCA (out of Bint Bint Jamil) and Thee Infidel (out of Bint Magidaa). That said, the expectations are greatest for appropriately named The Sequel RCA, out of a full sister to Thee Desperado, La Marsala. “We purchased Sequel when he was four years old,” says Judy. “It was one of those gut feelings for the day when Desperado couldn’t breed or we lost him. Sequel, genetically, would ensure that we would never lose the Desperado look. He was really our insurance policy. Believe it or not, even with three Desperado sons, they all have
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Pim lico RCA
( t h e e de s p e r a d o x b i n t b i n t j a m i l ) 1 9 9 7 s ta llio n
different female lines and sire differently. The Sequel, however, is so unique and his foals all have that stamp of Desperado, regardless of their dams.” “Desperado had a beautiful handsome head, but it wasn’t like it was ‘oh my god’ exotic,” continues Shawn. “Desperado’s full sister, and Sequel’s dam, is La Marsala who had a very dishy head and huge black luminous eyes. The Sequel RCA has the same eyes; they are remarkable, and you can’t stop looking at them. They are huge, liquid black, and well set with good width between them. We are getting lots of foals with those huge eyes, the gift passed down from Sequel’s dam. This is something we have lost a little bit as breeders as we are breeding for extreme dished faces and long necks, but this horse really gives exceptional eyes.” While Judy made a pragmatic contingency plan for not having Thee Desperado, she did not have time to do the same for the imported European sire *Mishaal HP. Brought in as needed outcross blood, he was tragically lost the same year as Thee Desperado. “We lost Mishaal unexpectedly, he was just gone in a heartbeat,” says Judy. “Thank God we had a huge group of colts from him ranging in age from foals to two-year-olds. We just put them away and after we picked ourselves up from his loss, we started going through them.” “Judy would come down on Saturday mornings and we would do a little horse show and start evaluating them,” says Shawn. “We ended up with three
that we think are outstanding. We chose Shah Mishaal RCA, who was one of the youngest.” As a quirk of fate, the grey 2012 stallion Shah Mishaal RCA is out of The Sequel RCA’s daughter Bint Asila RCA. “We have 50 percent outcross blood in Shah Mishaal through Mishaal, and his dam is out of a Thee Asil daughter. Thee Asil had blow, snort, straight tail carriage, and an incredible neck. So we have those traits in Shah Mishaal, plus the big eyes from Sequel,” explains Shawn. “What also really attracted us to Shah Mishaal was a bloodline that we had always loved, the stallion *Jamilll,” says Judy. “Shah Mishaal’s dam line traces to Imperial Mistilll, one of *Jamilll’s best daughters; we have wanted to add that blood for a long time.” Having been chosen as the replacement for his sire, comparisons are only natural. “There have been some casual pictures taken at the seminars and at first glance it is eerie how much he looks like his sire,” Judy says. “They are very much alike mentally and physically. That said, Mishaal came to us when he was seven years old, so I never saw Mishaal at a younger age. My guess, however, is that Shah Mishaal is even more extreme at this age than Mishaal was.” Shah Mishaal has been shown sparingly, but has captured Champion TwoYear-Old Colt at the Egyptian Event and was Silver Champion Senior Stallion at
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2 0 1 6 c olt
( t h e s e qu el x a li a g a l a l rc a by a li x i r )
the Egyptian Event with the farm’s trainer Luis Paniagua. Shah Mishaal’s first foals were born this year, and they are extremely promising. “We are very excited about that and very appreciative of our clients who gave their best mares to him; he had a beautiful first book,” says Shawn. Another outcross sire that has resided at Arabians Ltd. for a number of years on lease from A & D Arabians is Kamal Ibn Adeed (*Al Adeed Al Shaqab x NF Bint Sajha). “Every time we are supposed to send Kamal home from his lease, I call Judy to ask if we can keep him a little bit longer,” says Shawn with a laugh. “We do have Kamal here through late spring in order to breed a few more mares. He is the
total outcross horse for us. He is a wonderful horse and his owner couldn’t be more enjoyable to work with.” While Arabians Ltd. continues to look for more outcross blood, Judy is content with where the program is currently. “Mishaal gave us 10 years,” explains Judy, “because his sons and daughters can mix with anything we want as they are 50 percent outcross blood. While we are always looking for the next outcross, it doesn’t feel urgent.” Another contributing factor to a lack of urgency is Judy’s constant search for new blood, and not just from stallions. “Judy doesn’t just sell horses,” explains Shawn, “she buys them. In addition to stallions, she brings in other mare lines when she sees something that really complements the genetic make-up of the herd. Judy is able to see the entire picture, not only of her horses, but of her client’s horses, too.” This broad foundation that Judy has worked so hard to build continues to bear fruit in the most extraordinary and poetic ways. Just as Thee Desperado’s and *Mishaal HP’s legacies endure despite their passing, so will Alixir continue to be intrinsically woven into the fabric of Arabians Ltd. and play a part in this bright future. “A weanling colt that we kind of bet the farm on is out of an Alixir daughter. I don’t ever want to jinx anything, but I think he may be the next big one, at least that is what we think now,” says Judy with a soft smile. The bay colt is by The Sequel RCA and out of Alia Galal RCA by Alixir. Judy extends a heartfelt thank-you to Mike Cimino for raising this colt and recognizing his potential.
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The S equ el RCA ( t h ee de s p er a d o x l a m a r s a l a ) 2 00 1 s ta llio n
There is little doubt that the future of Arabians Ltd. is on firm footing, and the future has never been brighter. “It has been a record year for us,” says Judy, “and it has been without all the social media buzz of Facebook posts and e-blasts. Many of our clients are just after the horse itself; a lot of them don’t even care whether they show. In this respect it has been a private and personal experience for our clients and for us. Many horses went to breeding programs that are being developed in a very thoughtful manner. There is little doubt of the continued demand for Desperado and Mishaal blood, whether as foundations for new programs or to reinforce existing programs. And to me, that is the greatest reward.”
Judy makes it clear it takes a village to preserve, protect, and perfect Egyptian horses. She notes the same for the success of Arabians Ltd., and insists this program belongs to and should be attributed to the Arabians Ltd. extended global horse family: the staff, the owners, and the American-based, as well as overseas, clients. Judy makes special note of Arabians Ltd’s. affiliate farms: Mike Cimino in Louisiana, Mark and Deb Burke in Virginia. and Greg Knowles in Arizona. “This is an amazing, diverse group of like-minded people,” explains Judy. “‘Together we achieve more’ is our motto, and I could not be more proud or more grateful for each and every one of you who make our horse family one of a kind.”
K amal Ibn Adeed
( * A l A de ed A l S h aqa b x NF B i n t S a j h a ) 2 0 0 9 s ta llio n , o n le a s e f rom A & D A r a b i a n s .
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S h aw n C r e w s a n d t h e A r a b i a n s Lt d. s how t e a m , p ic t u r ed w i t h Bint Lady Shaikh (thee desperado x HF lady shaikh by shaikh al badi).
J u dy S i rb a s k u , Ow ner S h aw n C re w s , G e nera l M a nager Wac o, T X · 2 5 4.7 14. 1 8 03 · i nfo @ a ra bi a n s lt d. c om AFFILIATE FARM: COLTHILL CRESCENT ARABIANS 985.264.3250 · WWW.COLTHILLCRESCENT.COM AFFILIATE FARM: AMETHYST ACRES EQUINE CENTER, INC. 540.254.1017 · WWW.AMETHYSTACRES.COM ARABIANS, LTD · SCOTTSDALE DIVISION AT ARABIAN EXPRESSIONS GREG KNOWLES · 602.363.0003 · GREG@ARABIANEXPRESSIONS.COM STEPHANE & MELLISA ROBILLARD BREEDING/FARM MANAGER AND STUD BOOK MANAGER
TARA MAUS CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER JENNA JOHNSON VET TECH LUIS PANIAGUA HEAD TRAINER
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DEB & MARK BURKE
MIKE CIMINO
GREG KNOWLES & JUDY SIRBASKU
AFFILIATE FARM AMETHYST ACRES EQUINE CENTER, INC. 540.254.1017 DEB@AMETHYSTACRES.COM WWW.AMETHYSTACRES.COM
AFFILIATE FARM COLTHILL CRESCENT ARABIANS 985.264.3250 COLTHILL@MSN.COM WWW.COLTHILLCRESCENT.COM
ARABIANS, LTD. SCOTTSDALE DIVISION AT ARABIAN EXPRESSIONS GREG KNOWLES · 602.363.0003 GREG@ARABIANEXPRESSIONS.COM WWW.ARABIANEXPRESSIONS.COM
J u dy S i rb a s k u , Ow ner S h aw n C re w s , G e nera l M a nager Wac o, T X · 2 5 4.7 14. 1 8 03 · i nfo @ a ra bi a n s lt d. c om
STEPHANE & MELLISA ROBILLARD BREEDING/FARM MANAGER AND STUD BO OK MANAGER TA R A M AU S · C L I E N T S E RV I C E S M A NAG E R JENNA JOHNSON · VET TECH LU I S PA N IA G UA · H E A D T R A I N E R D esig ne d and pro duc e d by Ar abi an Hors e World · 12/16 D es i g n eleme nt s by G ett y D esi g n R epr inte d f rom t he D e c emb er 2016 Ar abi an Hors e World c over stor y