Arabian Horse News (AHN) October 2017

Saddle Fitting – Getting it right Horse’s Legs Pt. 2 – What you need to know Growing Healthy Feet – No hoof, no horse Talking Point – Straight Egyptian sire lines Restoration of Napoleon’s Arabian – Le Vizir’s odyssey. PLUS ... preservation breeding, how the immune system affects fertility, personalities, history, art, securing sponsorship and much more.

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ARABIAN STRAINS ORIGINS , ME ANINGS , RELEVANCE

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Klassical Fame

MI

SEPTEMBER 2015 GREY FILLY (KLASS X FOREVER FAME

BY FAME MAKER R) Fifth-Generation Mulawa-Bred Female Member of the DZINA Family

Klassically Adored

MI

OCTOBER 2015 GREY FILLY

(KLASS X MULAWA ASPIRING BY MAGNUM FORTY FOUR) Fourth-Generation Mulawa-Bred Female Member of the JIAH ASPIRE Family

I N AU S T R A L I A & A ROU N D T H E WOR L D

Venice

MI

OCTOBER 2015

(ALLEGIANCE MI X VALENTINE MI BY DA VALENTINO) Fifth-Generation Mulawa-Bred National Champion Member of the VALENTINE MI Family 2017 Australian National Gold Champion Yearling Filly | unanimous Highest Scoring Horse of the Show | 2017 Australian National Championships Undefeated East Coast & National Stud Show Champion Proudly owned by Al Muawd Stud | Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

BR EEDING WOR LD CLASS A R A BIA NS www.mulawaarabians.com.au Greg, Julie & Jane Farrell 61-65 Bay Rd, Berrilee NSW 2159 P: (02) 9655 1000 M: 0412 517 188 E: julie.farrell@mulawa.com.au

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Photo Credits | Cover: Art by Marian Duncan www.maduncan.com Contents: The Bahrain stallion Tuwaisaan Al Jamur. Photo Sharon Meyers 4 • October 2017

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Contents From The Editor | Roll of Merit ..............................8

How The Immune System Affects Fertility ..........60

From The Chairman .................................................10

Restoration of Napoleon’s Arabian ......................62

Office Bearers | Life Members of AHSA Ltd | Distinguished Service Awards..............................12

Stallion Directory .....................................................69

Affiliates ....................................................................14

Growing Healthy Hooves ........................................74

Arabians Through The Generations ......................16

Preservation Breeding: Dead End or Vision With a Future?........................76

Australian Champion Mare 2017 MI Klassic Fantasy .....................................................20 The Lighthorse Arabian...........................................22 Youth Gallery ............................................................24

Legs – Building a Strong Foundation [Part 2] .....70

Logistics: Importing, Exporting And Showing Overseas .....82 News...........................................................................86

Arabians: A Beacon of Light ...................................26

Fine Art of Securing And Maintaining Sponsorship ................................88

Talking Point: Straight Egyptian Sire Lines ...................................30

Food for Thought: Saddle Fitting ..........................90

Egyptian Arabian Studs Map Listing .....................40 Royalty With A Price: The Story of Hamdan ........42 Personality: Alamdar Dastani .................................46 I Must be Crazy, I’ve Entered My First Show ........48 Arabian Strains: Origins, Meanings and Relevance Today .............52

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Personality: Jill Colwell ...........................................95 Jill Colwell’s Race Training Philosophy .................98 Stud, Services and Trainers Directories .............................................. 100 Ineligible Sires & Transactions Suspended.............................................................. 104 Advertisers Index .................................................. 104

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October 2017 • 5

From the

Editor

Since the beginning of my involvement with Arabian horses in 1978 there have been many changes and challenges affecting the breed and the equestrian world.

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hese challenges have been numerous and today we find ourselves at a crossroad and the path we decide to take will be imperative for the long-term future of the Arabian horse in Australia.

Take heart, as we are not standing alone at this point in time trying to decide what action to take to ensure the viability of our breed. Or how we can encourage volunteers to step up to the plate to help at events and join committees or how to improve entries for our shows, endurance rides, races and other competitions. Or even how to improve our marketplace and breed education. Be assured, the entire equestrian community is standing alongside us pondering these same complex issues for their particular breed, association and activities.

As we all know, part of the solution is to keep encouraging a new generation into the breed and help educate them in all manner of horsemanship, while mentoring those interested in serving on committees, judging, breeding Arabians and learning about their pedigrees and remarkable history. It’s also essential to continue supporting and nurturing the people already involved with Arabians and their derivatives.

We need to keep in mind there’s an enduring symbiotic relationship between all participants in the Arabian horse industry, that is, if one element fails or falters, then the flow on affects the whole of the industry – one element cannot survive without the other.

So it’s vital we respect and support each other at all times, no matter what our interest and involvement is with our magnificent and versatile horses. This respect should also be reflected on social media sites such as Facebook.

Please remember, we, the current generation, are the guardians of the breed and it is us who will help define the breed’s future.

Most of all, whatever equestrian endeavour you enjoy with your Arabians in the public realm, you and your horses are our marvellous and priceless ambassadors – please do us proud!

Happy Trails!

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/AustralianVAH To keep up-to-date visit www.arabianhorse.com.au Arabian Horse News (AHN) is published by interactivink for the Arabian Horse Society of Australia Ltd. The Society and the Board thereof and the publishers of the magazine are not responsible for any opinion or statement expressed in signed articles or paid advertisements. These opinions are not necessarily those of the Board or those responsible for the publication of the magazine. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement, booked or otherwise, on sighting of material.

interactivink | ABN 3107 478 5676 Publisher: Michael Vink P: (07) 3334 8000 E: michael@interactivink.com.au Editor: Sharon Meyers P: 0409 270 535 E: sharon@interactivink.com.au Advertising: Michael Vink P: (07) 3334 8000 E: michael@interactivink.com.au All ADVERTISING enquiries to: VINK Publishing PO Box 8369 Woolloongabba QLD 4102 P: (07) 3334 8000 E: michael@interactivink.com.au All EDITORIAL and ‘Letters to the Editor’: E: sharon@interactivink.com.au P: 0409 270 535 PO Box 8369, Woolloongabba QLD 4102 Production Team: Chantelle King, Wendy Deng, Richard Locke & Karen Belik SUBSCRIPTION Enquiries (for non-AHSA members): interactivink PO Box 8369, Woolloongabba QLD 4102 P: (07) 3334 8010 F: (07) 3391 5118 E: donna@interactivink.com.au www.interactivink.com.au

Sharon Meyers

Office Address: 38–40 Fisher Street, East Brisbane QLD 4169

AUSTRALIAN ARABIAN

Roll of Merit

Playing With Fire AG2938 owned by Shirley & Stephen Ellis | Champion Working | awarded 23/5/17

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*Recommended Retail Price. All material appearing in Arabian Horse News is subject to copyright laws. Reproduction of articles in part or thereof is not permitted without prior permission of the publishers. The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those held by the publishers or staff. Any written material may be submitted, but no responsibility will be accepted for the return of solicited or unsolicited material. Photographs must have a return name and address written on the flip side, and must be accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. Although every care is taken, no responsibility is accepted by the publisher nor the staff of Arabian Horse News, for loss or damage of any material submitted for publication.

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From The Chairman ARABIAN HORSE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA

Inspiration is a stimulating feeling that we seek to motivate us, to continue pressing forward through hardships and to find meaning amidst chaos.

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hat inspires us is sometimes found in the rarest of forms. Often, when we read social media posts that are nasty, often ill informed and sometimes slanderous we need to walk away and look at what inspires us.

For me it is seeing the love people have for their Arabians, seeing children at the youth group having fun with their horse and each other, seeing the joy on a rider’s face when they achieve what they have been working on, the friends I have made along the way, listening to people’s achievements and looking at what I have achieved.

To move forward we need to focus on the things that inspire us and eliminate the things that discourage us. I challenge everyone to focus on your inspiration and I am sure there is an article, a story or a photo in this edition that will do just that. I look forward to reading what inspires you.

Leonie Williamson

Nominations For Election To The Board Of Directors Nominations for the election to the Board of Directors of The Arabian Horse Society of Australia Ltd. for 2018 are now open.

PRELIMINARY NOTICE

2018 Annual General Meeting of AHSA Ltd Will be held in Adelaide, South Australia in April 2018.

Members can find the Nomination Form on The Arabian Horse Society Ltd’s website at

www.ahsa.asn.au

Further details will be announced later

Nominations for the Board will be required from the following States: New South Wales – two (2), Queensland – one (1), South Australia – one (1) and Victoria – one (1).

AHN is now published twice yearly and will be available May and October 2018 at newsagents around Australia.

Keep up-to-date with the Arabian Horse scene by visiting www.arabianhorse.com.au 10 • October 2017

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Arabian Horse Society of Australia Office Bearers Treasurer: Mrs Debra Watson P: 0408 656 776 Directors: Mr Clint Bilson Mrs Yvonne Downes Mrs Kristin Galea Ms Glenys Lilley Mr Richard Shipton Mr Graham Smith

Chairman: Mrs Leonie Williamson P: 0407 775 200 Senior Vice Chairman: Mr Allan Preston P: 0416 183 478 Junior Vice Chairman: Ms Karen Fletcher-Grieve P: 0435 340 137

P: 0407 934 194 P: (03) 6429 1353 P: 0418 327 127 P: 0413 273 349 P: 0408 508 726 P: 0418 627 101

Patron: Mrs Cecily Cornish Secretary/Registrar: Miss Helen Dohan P: (02) 4577 5366 Assistant Registrar: Mrs Teresa Edwards P: (02) 4577 5366 Auditors: William Buck (NSW) Pty Ltd Solicitors: Turner Freeman, Penrith NSW

Life Members of the Arabian Horse Society of Australia 1967: 1972: 1973: 1976: 1979:

1982: 1986: 1992:

1993:

Mrs A.D.D. Maclean Mrs E.E. Hirst Mr W.J.B. Murphy Mrs J. Luckock Mr G. Prince Mr J.A. Wyatt Mr L.A. Campbell Mr C.C. Readhead Mr P.S. James Mr G.M. Cockburn Mr J.H. Mathiske Dr F.R. Staunton Mrs L.W. Dowey

1995:

1998:

2000:

Mrs V. Males Mr R.P. Males Mr P.J. Pond Mr C.H.D. Nye Mrs E. Bligh Mrs C. Ros Mrs M. Sharman Mr T. Sharman Mrs H. Nichol Mrs P. Slater Mrs C. Gordon Mr K. Snell Mrs S.A. George

2001: 2002: 2004: 2005:

2007:

2008: 2009:

Mrs R.M. Sayer Mrs C. Cornish Mrs M. Bennett-Elliott Mr Terry Canacott Mr Peter Absell Mrs E. Staunton Mrs L. Bailey Mrs E. Williams Mrs G. Lanigan Mr R. Smith Mrs T. Hawley Mrs W. Carins Mr L. Nicolle

2010: 2011: 2013: 2014:

2016: 2017:

Bro. P. McIntosh Miss K. Luckock Mrs J. Marsh Mrs N. Kinnear Mrs L. Currie Mrs Sharon Meyers Ms Selina Ahel Mrs J. Bromley Ms Katherine McMahon Mr Allan Preston Mrs Marian Duncan

Distinguished Service Awards

2017 Karen Fletcher-Grieve Sandra Hale

2016

Kirsty Bayliss Marian Duncan Kay Edward Christine Haigh Sheila Jones NSW Arabian Horse Association

2015

Greg Farrell Julie Farrell Jane Farrell Richard Sharman

Maya Jaehne Kathy Saggers Graham Smith

2014

Donna Greene Rosemary Dumbleton Kaye Slattery Colleen Rutherford Marilynn Thomas Deborah Barrett

2013

Gail Iskra Janet Fritz Jean Muir Robert Browne Andrea Dobson

Arabian Horse Society of Australia Ltd. Enquiries The Secretary: Arabian Horse Society of Australia Ltd. OFFICE ADDRESS: Unit 12/40 Bowman St, Richmond NSW 2753 POSTAL ADDRESS: Post Office Box 415, Richmond NSW 2753

P: (02) 4577 5366 OFFICE HOURS: 8am – 4pm Monday to Friday (Public holidays in NSW excepted) Web: www.ahsa.asn.au Email: secretary@ahsa.asn.au | ABN 12 001 281 590

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2012 Nell Marshman Camille Alexander Alison Hudson Robert Burgess

2011

Margaret Potts Geoff Tucker Kevin Howard Mini Pankhurst Sue Warren Peter Toft Jill Vanstone Richard Walsh

2010

Narelle Kinnear

Gudrun Martini Mrs Joan Flynn Sue Gredley

2009

Katherine McMahon Ruth Liddel Carole Rose Virginia Dodson Sherry Fenton Penny Jenkins John Newton

2008

Jill Gregson Maureen Milburn Sue Crockett Lindsay Knight

Francesca Davies-Graham Sheila Weigall Marie Hutchison Dr and Mrs Arnheim

2007

Patricia (Rica) Ainge Leonie Williamson Marty and Charles (Chuck) Stephens Kaye Rogers Karen Bruce Ian and Dalveen Gregory Keith Stevens Yvonne and Rob Day Eileen Wolfe Larry Osborn

For enquiries about AHN (Arabian Horse News) please contact interactivink Advertising | P: (07) 3334 8000 Editorial | E: sharon@interactivink.com.au Arabian Horse Society of Australia The Arabian Horse Society of Australia had its origins in an advisory committee of Arabian breeders which was formed under the auspices of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW in 1950. The aim of the committee was to assist in the collection and maintenance of the records of Arabian horses in Australia. The Arabian Horse Society of Australasia, which later became the Arabian Horse Society of Australia Limited, was officially formed in 1957, with a membership of 47. In 2017 the Society’s membership is in excess of 2,500 and the Registry has recorded over 60,000 Pure Arabian Horses and almost 80,000 Arabian Derivative Horses. The Society’s first responsibility is to maintain accurate records for all registered Arabian horses and Arabian Derivative horses in Australia. It also seeks to promote the popularity of Arabian horses to non-members throughout Australia and state-wide, regional and local affiliate organisations.

Affiliates P: 02 4577 5366

ATTENTION CLUB SECRETARIES

E: general@ahsa.asn.au

Please contact the AHSA Ltd to advise of any changes to your club’s details.

AHSA JUDGES GROUP A.H.S.A. Judges Executive Committee PO Box 415, Richmond NSW 2753 P: (02) 4577 5366 NSW Arabian Judges Council c/- Allan Preston, PO Box 1, Luddenham NSW 2745 P: 0416 183 478 QLD Arabian Judges Committee c/- Deb Watson, PO Box 17, Marburg QLD 4346 P: 0408 656 776 Victorian Arabian Judges Group c/- Gudrun Martini, Unit 1/120 Cuthberts Rd, Alfredton VIC 3350 P: 0408 448 477 South Australian Arabian Judges Committee c/- Carolyn Potts, PO Box 365, Prospect SA 5082 P: (08) 8522 6482 Tasmanian Judges Group c/- Selina Ahel, 475 Kellevie Rd, Kellevie TAS 7176 P: 0417 536 473 West Australian Arabian Judges Group c/- Karen Fletcher-Grieve, 40 Paltara Way, Wanneroo WA 6056 P: 0435 340 137

AHSA YOUTH GROUPS The Victorian Arabian Horse Youth Group Co-ordinator: Bridie White P: 0412 254 088 Queensland Arabian Horse Youth Group Co-ordinator: Miranda Beasley P: 0438 176 575

NEW SOUTH WALES Buckskin Horse Association of NSW Inc. c/- Helen Dohan, PO Box 3087, Freemans Reach NSW 2756 P: 0418 484 592 (AH) E: woranora@hotmail.com www.buckskinnsw.com Hunter Valley Arabians Inc. c/- Karen Pryor, 78 Rose St, South Maitland NSW 2320 P: (02) 4934 2201 E: cardiffproduce@idl.net.au www.huntervalleyarabians.com 14 • October 2017

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NSW Arabian Horse Association Inc. c/- Jasmine Wiseman, PO Box 125, Richmond NSW 2753 P: 0408 232 162 E: secretary@nswarabian.org.au www.nswarabian.org.au NSW Crabbet Performance Association Inc. c/- Tanya Matheson, 18 Cemetry Rd, Dungog NSW 2420 P: (02) 4992 2131 E: nswcapa@outlook.com NSW Palomino Society Inc. c/- Liz Eurell, PO Box 330, Windsor NSW 2756 P: (02) 4777 4567 E: info@nswpalominosociety.asn.au www.nswpalominosociety.asn.au Roan Horse & Pony Society Of Australia Inc. c/- Kerrilyn Papworth, PO Box 158, Kurrajong Hills NSW 2758 P: 0402 811 216 E: kpapworth40@gmail.com www.roanhorsepony.com The Crabbet Arabian Group Of Australia Inc. c/- Jacki Dand, 502 Tizzana Rd, Ebenezer NSW 2756 P: (02) 4579 1037 E: mabrooka1@gmail.com The Pinto Association of NSW Inc. c/- Margaret Madden, 53 Kelvin Park Drive, Bringelly NSW 2556 P: 0408 628 965 E: margmadden2000@yahoo.com.au

QUEENSLAND Arabian Horse Association Qld Inc. c/- Hollie Webster, 68 Olive Grove Dr, Adare QLD 4343 P: 0459 055 300 E: president@ahaq.asn.au www.ahaq.asn.au Arabian Valley Horse Club Inc. c/- Kristian Dymond, PO Box 662, Jimboomba QLD 4280 P: 0422 677 998 E: callawayarabians@bigpond.com www.arabianvalley.com.au Downs Arabian Club Inc. c/- Ashleigh McClelland, 536 Marburg Rd, Glamorganvale QLD 4306 P: 0406 242 310 E: sierralodge@bigpond.com www.downsarabianclub.com

Mackay & District Arabian Horse Club Inc. c/- Mrs Wendy Saunders, 158 Bally Keel Rd, Hay Point QLD 4740 P: 0429 841 993 E: shanlewenarabians@hotmail.com

SOUTH AUSTRALIA South Australian Arabian Riders and Breeders Society Inc. c/- Carolyn Potts, PO Box 365, Prospect SA 5082 P: 0407 995 149 E: secretary@sa-arabs.org.au www.sa-arabs.org.au South Australian Buckskin Association Inc. c/- Leah Chapman, PO Box 197, Wasleys SA 5400 P: 0402 019 455 E: alingapark@westnet.com.au South Australian Friends and Equines Inc. c/- Jessie Preece, PO Box 279, Wasleys SA 5400 E: safriendsandequines@gmail.com www.safriendsandequines.weebly.com

TASMANIA Tasmanian Arabian Action Club Inc. c/- Jo Shackcloth, 100 Old Forcett Rd, Forcett TAS 7173 P: 0417 557 277 E: jo.shackcloth@outlook.com Tasmanian Arabian Riders and Breeders Inc. c/- Maya Jaehne, 90 O’Keefes Rd, Winkleigh TAS 7275 P: 0458 608 214 E: bashiralodge@gmail.com www.tasarabs.com Tasmanian Crabbet Arabian Group Inc. c/- Mel Batchelor, PO Box 111, Nubeena TAS 7184 P: (03) 6250 2001 E: mel.batchelor@yahoo.com.au www.tascrabbets.com.au Tasmanian Pinto Society Inc. c/- Melita Gard, 73 Maneys Rd, Bridgenorth TAS 7277 P: 0428 302 318 E: rivertonlodge1@yahoo.com.au www.freewebs.com/ taspintosociety/index.htm

VICTORIA Arabian Championships Victoria Inc. c/- Doreen Scott, PO Box 926, SWAN HILL VIC 3585 E: trincada@hotmail.com

Australian Crabbet Arabian Association Inc. c/- Lisa Mullen, 235 Buckley Rd South, Buckley VIC 3240 P: 0497 690 853 or (03) 5266 1338 E: auscrabbet@hotmail.com Central Arabian Riders And Breeders Inc. c/- Andrea Huntington, PO Box 259, Doreen VIC 3754 P: 0458 550 142 E: carabi@live.com.au www.carabivictoria.com Dilutes Enthusiasts of Victoria Association Inc. c/- Marilyn Marr, 40 Dunhelen Lane, Yuroke VIC 3063 P: (03) 9333 1277 E: duranbahstud@gmail.com Goulburn Valley Arabian Horse Club Inc. c/- Amy Blades, 924 Lowe Road, Ballendella VIC 3561 P: 0448 442 388 E: gvahclub@outlook.com National Buckskin Society Inc. c/- Lyn Gates, 3 The Knoll, Langwarrin VIC 3910 P: (03) 9775 8090 E: lynmgates@gmail.com www.nbs.org.au The Victorian Arabian Horse Association Inc. c/- Nadine Holland, PO Box 15, Newbridge VIC 3551 P: 0438 468 761 E: mylani@bigpond.com www.vahainc.com Western District Arabian Riders and Breeders Inc. c/- Lauren Jantzen, 4129 Western Highway, Beaufort VIC 3373 P: 0409 977 467 E: kayelle80@bigpond.com Yarra Valley Arabian Horse Action Club Inc. c/- Kim Pentreath, 69 Gray Rd, Huntly VIC 3551 P: 0438 434 529 E: kimpentreath2@bigpond.com

WESTERN AUSTRALIA West Australian Arabian Horse Association Inc. c/- Melanie Bray, Lot 7 Cranleigh St, West Swan WA 6055 P: 0405 643 389 E: lanarynarabians@bigpond.com www.waaha.com.au

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Arabians Through The Generations WORDS KELSEY YOUNG

Some say skills, traits and interests can be passed down through the generations – for mother and daughter Marian and Jade Duncan, a passion for horses and the Arabian breed has not skipped a generation; it runs deep in their veins.

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hile they support and influence each another, their passion manifests in different ways: Marian is an internationally renowned artist with her favourite subject being the Arabian horse and Jade has started her own stud where she champions the Derivative Arabian’s versatility, primarily in campdrafting.

Of course, no one starts out as an acclaimed artist – Marian acknowledges her

own mother’s support as crucial to her in nurturing and developing her artistic ability.

Growing up in Orange, New South Wales as one of nine children, Marian is forever grateful her mother always ensured they had art supplies aplenty, and she would spend endless hours camped under a tree painting her neighbour’s horses.

Since those first days of painting, Marian took a job as a show card and ticket writer where she was able to refine the techniques

of a very fine brush stroke, before moving on as a graphic artist for a television station.

She then met her husband, David, and together they raised three children.

Marian started out her art career as selftaught, but over the years has undertaken various courses to hone her artistic skills.

She found her stride when one of her canvases was published on the cover of the Australian Arabian Horse News magazine, which kick started her love of painting the

Far Left: Silver Mare Shining in the Desert Dust, oil painting by Marian Duncan.

Above: Another beautiful piece of artwork by Marian.

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October 2017 • 17

Arabian horse. Marian said, ‘The beauty and quality of the Arabian horse has no equal. The Arabian is all about their large dark intelligent eyes, beautiful sculptured faces, large fine nostrils, soft velvet muzzles, curved ears, smooth elegant necks, with fine silken manes, balanced bodies with floating movement; their beauty lifts your senses and takes your breath away.’ For Marian, there is no better way to capture this beauty than to paint it, she says art is a journey which changes and evolves all the time; life is a time of learning. She tries to paint something different and better than the last piece every time.

Marian has sold art across Australia and to the USA, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Italy and Jordan – just to name a few countries. This success has made it possible for her to purchase four beautiful purebred Arabian mares over the years; Aloha Minerva (Lindall Zeke x Aloha Ishtar) now deceased, Delraki Saakifa (Dandaloo Khaalid x Danjera Taanith), Danjera Shaania (Jubarrah Sohaan x Wagga Cassara) and Hideaway Farm Just Imagine (Jayay Just Do It x Primadonna). These horses inspire her to paint every day.

Marian’s passion for horses fuels her passion for creating art!

Marian’s daughter, Jade, has indeed inherited her mother’s love of Arabian horses. With Marian’s support and guidance, she started out riding Arabians at Molong Pony Club as a child where she tried her hand at all events that came her way. Jade remembers, ‘Mum took me everywhere as a kid, from leading me around town on foot when I was too small to ride on my own,

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Top left: Marian with Danjera Shaania. Photo Mark Jelley Top right: Jade Duncan. Photo M. Duncan Far right: Jade campdrafting with Shadygum Vogue. Photo M. Duncan Below: Jade riding the Arabian mare Danjera Shaania. Photo M. Duncan

to carting me around to pony club events all over the state. Lucky she was obsessive about horses, giving all her time to take me wherever she thought I’d like to go!’

Jade took a shine to campdrafting and together with her mother’s mare Danjera Shaania they learned the ropes, attending many campdraft schools and clinics to learn what it was all about. Jade said that there was a lot of training involved but Shaania was very smart and switched on to what she was expected to do, soon becoming quite ‘cowy’, always giving 110%. Jade continues, ‘Campdrafting is my passion. I love life on the

farm with horses and cattle, so campdrafting is a way of making it a sport. I love the speed and the excitement… although things are fast, the horse needs to keep a calm mind about it all in order to be at a top level too.’

The Arabian horse’s intelligence makes them a great candidate for this discipline and although it is generally a discipline dominated

by Stock Horses and Quarter Horses, Jade says, ‘Most people had respect for my old mare once she became good at it. She loved cutting out cattle and not many got past her!’

Since those early days, Jade has ridden some top horses in the field, learning from

excellent horse people along the way. When she looked at what she liked most in her performance horses, she decided to try a slightly different approach by crossing Australian Stock Horses with purebred Arabians, adding, ‘Both breeds have qualities I respect.’ In 2012 with the support of her mother, she established Shadygum Performance Horses near Molong, New South Wales where she breeds Stock Horses and Arabian Derivatives. Jade used the Arabian mares Danjera Shaania and Hideaway Farm Just Imagine as foundation dams. Crossing these mares with some highly sought after Stock Horse performance lines, Jade has bred some lovely progeny who mirror the impeccable temperaments and versatility of their Arabian dams, while combining the form and ability of their sires.

As an example, Jade’s first homebred fillies, Partbred Arabian Shadygum Hope (Hamish x Danjera Shaania) and Arabian Stock Horse Shadygum Vogue (Kayderoyale Voodoo x Hideaway Farm Just Imagine) have exhibited true versatility. Shadygum Vogue’s temperament and trainability has seen her succeed already; in just one weekend she attended a show on the first day, bringing home a neck full of ribbons, and then the next day turning her hoof to a Stock Horse Challenge, where she had to do a hack pattern, working stock horse pattern, time trial and a campdraft – she excelled! And

all the while she was a real head turner, attracting people’s attention with her exceptional presence. When at home Jade turns to Shadygum Vogue as her beginners’ mount because of her sweet, easy going nature. She will be brought on slowly, to be campaigned as a serious competitor across the field.

Meanwhile Shadygum Hope has found a new home in Scone where she is ridden by a ten-year-old boy, Paul, and sometimes by his younger sister – such is her fantastic temperament. On one of their first outings together, Paul and Hope participated in the Scone Horse Festival Town Parade, strutting confidently down the main road as one of the leaders of the pack. Nothing fazed Hope! Now they compete in showjumping and other pony club events.

Jade is looking forward to what the future holds, but understands the hard work and years of training that will go into bringing on her youngstock for competition. She states, ‘It takes years to train a campdrafter. They start with basic dressage, learn to work cattle, starting off slowly and then graduate to more pressure. The horse must remain calm through the whole process. It’s asking the impossible of a horse really, to be asked to go fast very quickly, then suddenly slow right back, and then fast again! They are truly wonderful animals!’ She is particularly excited to break-in her 2015 homebred Arabian Stock Horse

gelding, Shadygum Chase by Chansit Rune out of foundation mare, Danjera Shaania, as she expects him to make a top horse who will happily take everything in his stride.

In the meantime, Marian always the perfectionist continues to push the boundaries of her artwork. ‘I like to paint almost every day, I quickly get a few chores done, then spend the rest of the day immersed in my art. I love my job!’ In the coming months, she would like to take on some commission work, ride her mare, work with her young Arabian gelding sired by Echos of Marwan out of Gabriel HF and enjoy her grandchildren.

This year, in tribute for her countless contributions to the Arabian breed, Marian was awarded Life Member of the Arabian Horse Society of Australia. Always unassuming, Marian said, ‘I did not expect it or even feel I deserved it, there are many people who contribute to the Society, but in saying that, I feel grateful and honoured. It means a lot to me, now I need to earn it. I feel very passionate about Arabians, they are so special and unique, their attributes need to be looked after for future generations. I just like to contribute in my own way for them.’

The bond Marian and Jade share is indeed special; their mutual support of each other’s passions and talents are proof the grass grows where you water it and that the love for Arabians is frequently handed down through the generations .

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Australian Champion Mare 2017 MI Klassic Fantasy WORDS SCOTT BENJAMIN PHOTO STUART VESTY

In the six short years of her enchanted life, MI Klassic Fantasy has exceeded expectations on every level. As a show horse, she has been recognised by leading breed authorities as a high scoring entry and a Gold National Champion.

As a breeding horse, she has proven her superior prolificacy with two top-quality champion produce.

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sterling example of Mulawa’s ‘Golden Cross’, combining the homebred Klass with the daughters of Magnum Forty Four, MI Klassic Fantasy is the second in a collection of five Golden Cross produce for Mustang’s Magnum. Bred by Shane Edward Arabians, ‘Maggie’ was a yearling standard setter in the show ring that now enjoys leading Aristocrat Dam status in the Mulawa breeding program with seven champion produce to her credit, including Fantasy’s elder sister Klassical Dream MI, a four-time undefeated East Coast Champion, twice Australian National Champion as both a Junior and Senior Mare, and now an international champion on an impressive five continents.

A key member of the Mulawa show team after weaning, MI Klassic Fantasy followed in the footsteps of both her dam and elder sister by winning the prestigious title of East Coast Champion Yearling Filly. Competing with Mulawa-bred MI Harmony at the Australian National Championships later that same season, MI Klassic Fantasy finished very strongly just behind her reliably effervescent stable mate as National Reserve Champion Yearling Filly, completing her yearling season with an even more impressive record than elder sister Klassical Dream MI. As the Klass daughters are typically slow to grey out, the difficult decision was made to turn the charcoal-coloured MI Klassic Fantasy out at Alabama Stud as a late yearling to give her time to grow and mature 20 • October 2017

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at her own pace. As a result, MI Klassic Fantasy was the very first Klass daughter to join the Mulawa broodmare band, blessing the program with the inaugural secondgeneration Sahtarah Family descendant just prior to her fourth birthday in 2014. Sired by Mulawa-bred international champion Kavalle MI, this ultra-exotic filly was aptly named Fantasia MI. Admired as one of the best young fillies of generation next, Fantasia MI earned both her sire and her dam their very first champion progeny accolades the following September by winning the Junior Filly Championship on her one and only outing at the NSW State Titles.

Settling later in the season for her second foal, MI Klassic Fantasy delivered Engage MI, by Allegiance MI, just after the New Year in 2016. Granting his dam a perfect record of ‘two for two’ champion produce, the charming and superbly conformed Engage MI was named East Coast Champion Yearling Gelding at his first show in 2017. Having raised two champion foals in her first two seasons as a broodmare, MI Klassic Fantasy has proven the virtue of not only the Klass daughters as mares of exceptional merit, but the descendants of Mustang’s Magnum as breeding horses of incomparable renown.

Not only had MI Klassic Fantasy become whiter while fulfilling broodmare duties at Alabama as expected, she began to develop a richly flea-bitten coat with distinct bloody streaks through her forehand.

Drier, more refined and more exotically

beautiful as a senior mare, MI Klassic Fantasy returned to the Mulawa show team with more exuberance and confidence. Tall and imposing with the same unmistakable femininity and allure of elder sister Klassical Dream MI, MI Klassic Fantasy proved to be a more disciplined show horse, giving 150% in her training while creating an image of uncompromising harmony of proportion at the stand-up with her elegant upright forehand and superbly balanced structure.

With Cameron Bonney back at the lead for her return to the show ring, MI Klassic Fantasy achieved the ultimate continental accolade as Australian National Gold Champion Senior Mare and highest scoring senior exhibit under a distinguished international panel of judges and breeders in March 2017. In doing so, MI Klassic Fantasy and Klassical Dream MI became the first full sisters of the new millennium to be named Australian National Champion Senior Mares.

On the international stage, the story of achievement and success for MI Klassic Fantasy, although yet to be fully told, is one of great promise and abundant possibilities. For Mulawa and the Farrell family, no matter how spectacular the journey ahead, her enduring legacy will forever be a fantasy fulfilled.

Opposite: MI Klassic Fantasy.

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October 2017 • 21

The Lighthorse Arabian WORDS JAN BARRATT PHOTOS MISHKA GORA

During a visit to one of Australia’s grandest Georgian homesteads, the historic Clarendon House near Evandale, Tasmania, a chestnut Arabian gelding taking part in a Tasmanian Lighthorse display caught my eye.

B

eing an unashamed Arabian horse enthusiast, I sought out the gelding’s owner to learn more about this dazzling duo. The rider turned out to be Sam Downes and his Arabian gelding was Elphyn Jabez (Arfaja Silver Aura x Elphyn Shogression), fondly known as Bez. During our chat, I learned Sam commenced riding at seven on an Australian Riding Pony mare who was too much horse for a beginner.

Neither Sam nor his father were sure how to move forward with this little mare, so they undertook Natural Horsemanship training which revolutionised how they worked with horses.

At 11 years old Sam, with his Dad, met a lady who bred Arabians. She had a three-year-old stallion, Storm, whom she felt was ready to start under saddle. Her offer for them to take Storm on for a while was too good of an opportunity to miss. While working with Storm, Sam learned more about the Arabian breed, their history and endurance ability. The stallion had a beautiful temperament, was very gentle and turned out to be the catalyst for Sam’s love of Arabians.

After Storm returned to his owner and with Sam having outgrown his pony, the decision was made to look for his next horse. Sam’s two requirements were for a young horse but not just any horse – an Arabian horse.

Sam and his Dad were invited to view the young stock at Elphyn Arabians, where they were shown a paddock of two year olds with one yearling colt, Elphyn Jabez, trying to keep up with the older horses. It was love at first sight. Sam was fortunate to have the time and opportunity to do plenty of groundwork, walking out together in-hand and liberty training with this intelligent young Arabian. Initially Sam’s goal was to do Endurance Riding but in 2007 both he and his Dad discovered the Tasmanian

Above and Left: Sam Downes and Elphyn Jabez.

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Lighthorse, which combined their love of history and horses and where they now ride side-by-side.

Due to Bez’s comprehensive early training, when they attended their first Lighthorse event in the city at a venue next to a highway, Bez took everything in his stride – nothing fazed him, not even a rifle salute. Sam recalls Bez’s response being close to boredom. In fact, he seemed more interested in trying to chew his reins than reacting to what was happening around him.

Together, they had formal lessons and competed in show jumping and dressage. Sam feels it says a lot about the Arabian breed that they can undertake many different disciplines and be competitive. They brought home ribbons from every jumping event attended.

While Sam and Bez have never competed in Endurance Riding, they have many kilometres under their belt from time spent out on bush tracks. Sam says Bez has great balance and his downhill gallops are reminiscent of The Man From Snowy River. He describes riding Bez in the bush as “perfect freedom, it’s like we are one”. They even tried Roman Riding with a part Arabian joining their team.

The Tasmanian Lighthorse is where this impressive pair won the imagination and hearts of the public by flawlessly performing without a saddle or bridle. Onlookers are always astonished. Bez is a true showman and loves performing in front of a crowd. He has the knack of pulling out something special at each performance. Sam’s wife, Sarah, also rides Bez sidesaddle dressed as a nurse in Lighthorse displays. Sarah’s young Quarab will join the team when old enough.

The affinity between Sam and Bez is as amazing as it is beautiful. The pride and love shines through on this young man’s face whenever he is with his horse.

It’s heartwarming and very special.

Elphyn Jabez shows all who see him perform just how kind, gentle and versatile the Arabian breed is.

Youth Gallery

Top Left: Danielle Grace Gibbs shares a secret with the Arabian mare Desert Fox Scarlet Lady (23 years). Photo Amy Curran Top Right: Diesel Featonby riding his favourite Arabian mare Shimira (13 years). Photo Marieke Featonby Above: Tanisha McCuin praising her Arabian Riding Pony mare Harrington Park Pollyanna (15 years) after a successful show. Photo Samantha Taylor Centre: Arabian Pony mare Wyatt Park Angel Dust (11 years) with Jett Newman competing at an interschool competition. Photo Stephen Mowbray Right: The joy of sharing your Arabian mare with friends! Ripponhurst Jahliya (24 years) with Matilda Thege (front) and Sophie Ryan. Photo Nicole Emanuel

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October 2017 • 25

Above: Memories are kept alive while ‘living the moment’.

Arabians: A Beacon of Light WORDS AND PHOTOS ELLIE BETTERIDGE-GARVEY (UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE)

Horses give children wings while keeping their feet on the ground. No truer words can be said than when those horses are the ever gentle, family oriented breed that is the Arabian.

Eirinn’s Experiences

F

rom the tents of the Bedouins to our own pastures, the thousands of years of domestication that are so incredibly unique to the Arabian breed, has led to this ultimate companion animal.

Recently, Glen Eirinn Arabians, situated on the Sunshine Coast Queensland, sought to give others the opportunity to experience this unique human-horse connection and opened its doors to the public – for all ages including young children, adults and those with special needs. Having launched the extremely successful Eirinn’s Experiences, visitors to the stud are immersed into a unique partnership that is both life giving and enriching.

The Eirinn’s Experience was founded on the principles of love, compassion, understanding

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and the sharing of this wonderful gift – the Arabian horse, for which we are custodians.

Hosted by Ellie Garvey, who has a Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education as well as a double degree from Queensland University in Applied Science, majoring in Equine, the Eirinn’s Experiences were a natural extension from the work of her parents, who used horses as Therapy Animals for psychiatrically ill people, who were also homeless.

Recognising the key roles which horses play in providing therapeutic assistance and instigating sessions for those with special needs allows individuals and families to not only cope emotionally but also provides a beacon of light. Arabians, being highly sensitive, are to those with special needs like mirrors reflecting their innermost emotions.

Also, amazingly, understanding their human counterpart, Arabians respond with a kindness and softness that can only come from an

animal so highly attuned to our needs.

This incredible ability of the Arabian to respond with understanding and kindness allows their human companions to not only grow emotionally and strengthen their own inner core by gaining confidence, clarity in communication and awareness of their surroundings but also empowers them to reach out into other areas of their life. Those who are differently gifted often experience limitations in their relationships and encounters with other people. Through the Eirinn’s Experience, the one-on-one connection with the Arabian horse helps them to break through these limitations, providing them with the tools to engage positively and with empathy towards others as well as helping them to learn self-regulation in a way that doesn’t diminish their own beautiful uniquity.

The stud has also set up the Eirinn’s Education Centre where children and those

with special needs can partake not only in hands-on activities but also in processes which enable understanding and engagement in the theoretical aspect of working with horses, facilitating their understanding of handling, horse care and the characteristics of the Arabian breed. The centre provides space for children and those with special needs to show their artistic abilities through tailored activities, such as colouring competitions with accompanying prizes. Every individual who participates receives a prize as Glen Eirinn understands that sometimes the fear of failure holds individuals back from trying and shining; the life lesson being a person should: ‘never let the fear of striking out, keep (one) from playing the game’ (Babe Ruth) for it is through trying we become adept and accomplish our dreams.

The Eirinn’s Experience comprises three main components. Firstly, there is the theoretical ‘learning experience’, which provides the opportunity to learn the basics of horse handling and care. This encompasses aspects such as how to approach horses, how to use a halter, how to groom and lead a horse, how to interact with horses in ways which they understand, so both horse and human develop mutual respect and interconnectedness. The Learning Experience also utilises Natural Horsemanship methods, where each person is given the tools and direction to form a relationship with the beautiful Arabian horse.

These tools underpin the key principles of love, language and leadership, which help form a reflective mirror and subsequently shape this reflection into a masterpiece of connectivity and companionship between horse and human.

The second component is the Eirinn’s hands-on Grooming Experience. This experience recognises the intrinsic value to humans and horses in centring one’s inner self. When Winston Churchill stated: ‘There’s something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man’, he couldn’t have spoken more truthfully. The grooming experience provides an avenue for love and care to be expressed and who is more capable of providing such love than a child or individual who is differently gifted. Physically, the grooming experience is incredibly beneficial – being so close to an animal whose own heart rate responds to ours and who is so sensitive to the slightest touch, gives each person an understanding of how body language affects others in the world around us. The therapeutic aspect of grounding oneself cannot be overlooked for a tree does not grow tall if its roots do not run deep. Providing opportunities to strengthen children and those with special needs is fundamental to society and by extension to our Arabian community.

The third component the Eirinn’s Experience offers is photo shoots. Sometimes people just want to get up close and personal with 28 • October 2017

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Top: Colouring competitions are hands-on activities. Photo by D. Law Left: Children enjoy the unique human-horse connection.

Above: A single moment leads to a lifetime of understanding.

our Arabians and have a fun and freestyle experience. Whether it’s dressing up in a costume or simply having the opportunity to say to their friends: ‘I went there! And I did this!’, Glen Eirinn recognises that in today’s world of technology, people want real experiences that open up their sensory abilities and engage them on a different level of consciousness. The photo shoots give visitors an experience to share with their friends, enabling them to treasure that ‘living in the moment’ feeling, which in today’s fast-paced world is often lost and also enables them to share with their friends and family through social media platforms.

From every experience at Glen Eirinn, people can have their favourite photos printed on items such as mugs, T-shirts, mouse pads, tote bags, coasters, plaques, photo panels, kid’s backpacks, pencil cases and much more. This ensures the memory is kept alive in the years to come and

the connection developed between Arabian horses and their human counterparts is instilled within, bringing a flourishing of positivity and light into their lives.

One of the greatest rewards as an Arabian owner and breeder is bringing the inner light of an Arabian into another person’s life. It is through giving that we receive and when the recipe of love, understanding, education, enlightenment, opportunity and empathy are all blended together with the Arabian horse, it is then that we empower others to reach their full potential and so stamp the mark of the Arabian horse into contemporary history books. Glen Eirinn Stud’s philosophy is that anything done out of love will shape this world into a better place and the Arabian horse is the brush which we are given so we may play our role in painting the bigger picture. And, what a beautiful picture it is!

Talking Point:

Straight Egyptian Sire Lines WORDS DAVID WESLEY-WALL

Where are we heading as breeders of straight Egyptian Arabian horses here in Australia?

H

ow many modern breeders of the straight Egyptian horse can cite the number of stallions originally included in the nucleus of straight Egyptian stock pooled to found the EAO (Egyptian Agricultural Organization)?

Over the years lines can fail due to natural attrition, unnatural man-made selection, or plain bad luck. All can determine the course of horse breeding programs.

Of those original stallions at the EAO, many did not breed on into modern Egyptian lines and their contributions are lost. For this is a breed that is now in large part aesthetic rather than practical. Subjective decisions about the good, the bad and the ugly have over time resulted in an attempt to establish a very identifiable conformity of appearance breed wide. While the blood of many of the founding individuals may have represented the exclusive and valued purity sought – their type, or conformation, or style did not always match the more modern image many enthusiasts embraced. As a result, a narrowing of the selection of individuals and lines that reflected this perceived representation and goal has taken place. And in recent years Australia has significantly become a very pertinent example of this situation.

Historically Arabian horse breeders celebrated the matriarchal family base, both within the desert and amongst founding Western breeders. The mare line was considered the true root of the pure and protected lineage of the breed. Identity was handed down from the name of its dam by its strain/female line. However, the growth in purebred breeding of Arabian horses internationally in the latter half of the 20th century and the emerging commercial nature of that breeding, increasingly focussed

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attention on the patriarchy and sire line of the breed both as an influence and a revenue stream. Sires were promoted extensively and could produce more progeny and garner more financial return than a mare could. So, a subtle shift in the basic view of how to breed these wonderful horses stabilised in the pursuit of ‘the’ sire extraordinaire.

Since the preponderance or scarcity of a sire line is an indicator of the distribution of certain blood, it can be a strong indication of the genetic variation across the breed and the state of play for the breed going forward.

By its very nature the breeding of straight Egyptian Arabians in a closed stud book environment has become a preservationist pursuit – although many enthusiasts of the straight Egyptian (SE) are certainly not to be considered preservationist breeders. But in any preservation breeding program where it is essential to maintain as wide a genetic base as possible, it is a significant point to ensure that any one sire does not dominate the breeding group to the extent of half its genes. The more one narrows down the sire selection, the more diverse the mares must be kept in order to retain the original genetic variation.

Internationally today straight Egyptian breeding has distilled down to just four existing sire lines: • Zobeyni 1840 • Jamil El Kebir 1870 • Saklawi 1 1880 • El Deree 1920.

To date Australia has unfortunately only seen representatives from two of the four sire lines added into the local gene pool. Of these, almost all derive from the Saklawi I line via the noted EAO sire Nazeer, with only 12% of imported males being from the Jamil El Kebir line. Of those only two or three individuals – so that is about 3% – have actually produced

sons to continue that sire line. So, our base consists of just two sire lines, and of these, one line makes up about 97% of the base.

The earliest of the four sire lines is that of Zobeyni, born circa1840 – a grey stallion of the Saqlawi Jidran strain bred by Ibn Zubayni of the Fid’an tribe and acquired by Abbas Pasha in Egypt. This is the oldest existing Egyptian sire line. For many years it was the most popular via Mesaoud who was bred by Ali Pasha Sherif in Egypt. A very rare sire line outside of the EAO today, in straight Egyptian breeding.

The second oldest line is that of Jamil El Kebir. He was a chestnut stallion of the Saqlawi Jidran strain, born in the 1870s from Ibn Zubayni of the Mhayd section of the Fid’an Bedouin tribe. Ibn Rabdan was to become one of the most influential sons of this line and remained in Egypt siring a string of successful sons who have proved very influential across the breed. Henry Babson’s famed straight Babson Egyptian stud was based around one stallion of this line he imported to the USA. This was Fadl (Ibn Rabdan x Mahroussa) and he went on to establish a line producing excellent sons who bred on strongly as well. A quality son from this sire line came to Australia in the early days of the straight Egyptian importations. El Shareef iid GB was an attractive bay out of the significant broodmare Shareefa, imported by Herman and Judy Vink. His sire The Shah (Fabah x Bint Fada) was the 1978 British National Champion. This horse had an extensive stud career but unfortunately covered only a few straight Egyptian mares and left no sons to continue his line.

The significant sons of Ibn Rabdan (Rabdan El Azrak x Bint Gamila) included Ibn Fayda (ex Fayda), who went to the Inshass stud of King Fouad and there created a sire line that produced the great sire Sameh (El Moez

Available at stud to limited mares

Straight

Egyptian

Elegance

ANSATA HALIM SHAH (US) SALAA EL DINE (DE) HANAN (EG) THE SOURCE CC (US) MALIK (DE) MOUNA (IL) MALIKA 'S' (NL)

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El Deree at the RAS. Forbis Archive

Akhtal at age three in Egypt, main progenitor of the El Deree sire line. Photo Judith Forbis

Ibn Rabdan at the RAS. Forbis Archive

Rianda’s El Nasra. Photo Pat Slater

Note: Ibn Rabdan and Rianda’s El Nasra descend from the Jamil El Kebir line.

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ex Samira). The Sameh sons Ibn Hafiza (ex Hafiza) and Sultann (ex Lubna) both had male descendants arrive in Australia. Ibn Hafiza’s son Ansata el Masri imp US (ex Ansata Bint Misuna) while producing many successful offspring unfortunately sired only one straight Egyptian son in Rianda’s el Nasra (ex Rianda’s Raslina).

A bay with excellent action and classic type Rianda’s el Nasra had limited opportunities at stud and left only straight Egyptian daughters.

The Jamil El Kebir line via sons of the big chestnut horse Sultann (Sameh ex Lubna) may prove more prolific. Sultann’s son Makhsous sired Sakr, who in turn sired Nabiel – a muchadmired individual in the USA. Nabiel’s son Akid Geshan (ex Akid Hanalei) was a snowwhite eye-catching horse of great quality imported here for several seasons and used by many breeders. He has left only a very tenuous sire line via frozen semen based in New Zealand from his exported son Ali Geshan (ex Shagira).

The Sultann son Makhsous (ex Nabda) produced two significant sons for Kehilan Arabians (USA) in the individuals Marquis 1 (ex Antigua Dance) and Makhnificent (ex Star Bint Hafiza). Both of these important stallions have had sons imported into Australia. Marquis 1 was the sire of Raquis (ex Raquessa KA) who unfortunately only sired a few foals before his death, leaving only two daughters and no sons to breed his line forward.

The other Marquis 1 son to come to Australia is Sundance KA imp US (ex KA Namirah). He presents a doubling of the all-important Sameh sire line, since his dam KA Namirah, is a daughter of Nabiel. A top ten at halter at the Egyptian Event before his importation, Sundance KA is a stylish horse with a lovely front and excellent action with a long free stride. He is still breeding and has produced some quality sons to continue this line.

Makhnificent KA is proving to be a significant sire in the USA for the Ibn Rabdan line and is also proving to be an excellent cross for strongly Saklawi 1 bred pedigrees.

While an exciting son of his, Rajah KA (ex Rahimah KA), a substantial and high-quality individual, passed through Australia bound for the Rhodium Stud in New Zealand; his legacy includes only daughters and no sons.

The stallion El Mareekh (Aseel x Rawayeh), exported to the USA, was a Sameh grandson who tragically died young, leaving few progeny. He was a much-anticipated sire, a spectacular individual. The El Mareekh son Ibn El Mareekh (x Bint Deenaa) continues this sire line, and in recent years Australia has been fortunate that a quality son of the well-performed show and breeding stallion Bellagio RCA (Alixir ex Rhapsody In Black) from this sire line has been imported by Shaylen Park Arabians in Western Australia.

This youngster is the stylish black, Murano

SPI imp US (ex Lola Baraki) who, having already garnered some show ring success for owner Kerry Higginson, has commenced stud duties and is proving he will be a force to be reckoned with.

Hamdan was another notable Ibn Rabdan son, and he produced the influential sire Anter (x Obeya), who had multiple sons continuing his line at the EAO. While Ibn Antar (ex Bint Mona) came to Australian shores, he was used almost exclusively across domestic lines and his few straight Egyptian sons did not breed on. In Europe the dynamic and charismatic black son of Anter, Gharib (ex Souhair) established a significant male line – he was a handsome and brilliant moving horse. In recent years Australia saw the importation of a male from this sire line in Halibi (ex Halimas Tiara), however, he was exported to the Middle East leaving no entire sons.

Shahloul proved to be another significant son of Ibn Rabdan and for Australia has proven to be a useful progenitor via Ibn Safinaz. Shahloul sired Mashhour (ex Bint Rustem) whose son Seef (ex Elwya) became an important sire at the EAO, and is represented by the very significant sire Ibn Safinaz.

A US Top Ten Stallion, Ibn Safinaz was also

Right: Simeon Sefa iid DE. Photo Greg Egan Below: Arundel House Ramses.

Photo David Wesley-Wall

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Home of Simeon Solomon (dec) & Simeon Safrir I am preparing my retirement from breeding horses. Therefore I am offering these exceptional Straight Egyptians to good, caring, younger hands and homes – POA.

SIMEON SAFRIR 12-year-old grey stallion by Imperial Madaar x Simeon Shalal (double Asfour).

A kingly stallion yet gentle enough to be handled by an old lady!

SIMEON SHINUE

7-year-old maiden grey mare by Baarafic x Chaswyck On Gossemer Wings by Asfour.

Beauty, substance, movement. From one of the best producing female tail lines in the world.

VISITORS WELCOME – BY APPOINTMENT PLEASE Contact Ruth Newman, Kyneton, VIC 0427 559 470 or ruthnewman4@bigpond.com

W W W. SL I P S T R E A M A R A B I A N S .C O M

Photos Gabriel Grimison

12-year-old bloody shouldered mare

by MB Mayal x Simeon Sippora (Simeon Safanad daughter).

A splendid mare in every way – 2014 brown filly retained.

BLUEDAWN OMNEYAH

Above: Murano SPI.

a champion performance horse. A direct son of Ibn Safinaz produced via imported semen is the Bob Morris bred stallion Arundel House Ramses, who is from the imported mare Sars Image imp US sired by Sar Ibn Moniet.

Arundel House Ramses is a substantial grey/ white with size and substance and exceptional bone and depth of body. He also has an outstanding temperament and has been sadly under used to date.

More recently the importation of the horse Simeon Sefa iid DE (Safeen ex Mussallah) looks like he will provide an extremely useful addition to Australian breeding. He is an excellent type showing a lot of quality and exhibiting the good neck, strong body and top line and good proportions of his sire. Safeen is a halter champion and sire of halter champions, including Shy Gayfeen, perhaps the most winning straight Egyptian show horse past or present. While Sefa’s dam is strongly line bred to Nazeer through the sons Morafic and Hadban Enzahi – Shahloul appears multiple times in her pedigree as well, underpinning Sefa’s sire line, which bodes well for his future as a sire. Incorporated into the 36 • October 2017

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Myth Haven Stud of Greg Egan, he will have ample opportunity to prove his worth over the stud’s strongly Nazeer bred broodmares.

Without any doubt, the Saklawi I line is the most popular sire line within both straight Egyptian breeding here and internationally.

Saklawi I originated from the stud of Ali Pasha Sherif and of the Saqlawi Jidran strain and a single son Saklawi II (ex El Dahma) carried his male line forward. He was to be the grandsire of Mansour, sire of the much-acclaimed Nazeer who spread this sire line far and wide.

While many Nazeer sons continue this sire line internationally – for Australia’s straight Egyptian lines, the two significant sons Morafic and Ansata Ibn Halima between them have been the progenitors of the majority of male importations to date. From the 85 imported sires included in this review – 75% were from the direct sire lines stemming from these two influential stallions.

In the 1980s it was to become a common goal to attempt to produce stock with as many lines to the ‘fountainhead’ Nazeer as possible – his style and type were identified by many as the epitome of straight Egyptian

breeding. This is still a common objective today and steers the course of many programs – although for many younger breeders more modern sons of the line may replace Nazeer himself as the mainspring, with successful stallions such as Ansata Halim Shah perhaps taking that central role.

In recent years very significant horses such as Ansata Iemhotep and his sire Prince Fa Moniet, The Source CC and Jadaan Al Shaqab have reinforced the existing predominance of Nazeer source sire lines available to Australian breeders. These are quality animals producing a very recognisable type that appeals to many breeders of straight Egyptian lines.

Importations of sires from other lines descending from Nazeer brings the overall percentage of imported sire lines with a Nazeer origin to just shy of 85% of the total, although only two of these additional individuals have continued their male lines into today’s breeding. These being the prominent sire Asfour, who descends from the Hadban Enzahi line from Nazeer and who has produced a very large number of both sons and daughters and to a lesser extent Arabian Prk Faraz by Farazdac (ex Sabah el Kheir) descending via Alaa el Din, that significant sire of broodmares in Egypt.

Both of these horses have sons breeding their respective sire lines forward.

There is no denying that Nazeer bred sires have, and continue to produce some exceptional results. However, what we may not be able to ignore forever is that so often the mares forming the bottom line of those pedigrees were very representative of the non-Nazeer sire lines we are sadly now losing.

The fourth existing sire line is to El Deree, and is the most recent. A classic stallion of quality conformation, he was a very fast racer and a good sire. He was a 1920 grey stallion of the Saqlawi Shaifi strain acquired from Hussayn al-Dayri from the al-Jibur tribe and taken to Egypt and there became a founding sire for Inshass Stud before being gifted to the RAS (breeding section of the Royal Agricultural Society of Egypt) where he sired Sid Abouhom. Although sons from this line are evident in EAO sire lines today, there are to date no individuals representing this line available within Australian breeding.

So, the state of play for Australian breeders of straight Egyptian lines now is what? We are seeing quality animals being bred and there are a growing number of breeders of straight Egyptian lines. And we have seen over the last decades a variety of mares and stallions imported. But for the stallions at least, these are almost exclusively male lines originating from Saklawi 1. The implication is a continual compounding of this one line across the national base due to breeding progeny only to other sires that stem from the same origin. The question

Above: Sundance KA.

becomes, how long can breeders continue to use a single male line to perpetuate the genetic base without detrimental effect?

While genetic investigations show that a reduction in sire lines is less relevant when there is a broad base of female lines to work with, what happens over time when that base is again and again bred back into the same sire line? Eventually the ‘broad’ base of the female genetics are narrowed.

Significant research into the Arabian breed internationally undertaken in 2013 by geneticists working under the American Genetic Association, found that specific breed groups sampled – such as the USA based Davenport, Egyptian-Saudi mix, and USA Egyptian Arabians, all have very low genetic diversity. Conversely genetic diversity was shown to be very high in Middle Eastern populations from Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran, populations closer to the original source. In contrast, the Western/American based groups showed less variability, noticeably lower levels of diversity, which may adversely affect the ongoing health of these populations.

They determined the measurable number of alleles per locus, as an indicator of genetic diversity, in USA Egyptian Arabians was just 47 compared to 138 for the sample base from registered Syrian Arabian stock.

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also closely related to its heterozygosity – a measure of genetic diversity of a population’s fitness and overall health.

When there is a lack of genetic diversity, via inbreeding for example, common indications are a decrease in the reproductive fitness of a population because of a decrease in its heterozygosity. Inbreeding may lead to inbreeding depression when heterozygosity is minimised to the point where undesirable alleles that reduce health/fitness can become more prevalent. With very little genetic diversity within the species, healthy reproduction becomes increasingly difficult and vulnerability of a population to certain types of diseases can also increase. Inbreeding can be a useful technique to achieve desired gene fixation particularly of the phenotype, however it does at the same time lead to the loss of alleles from the population.

To maintain optimum allele levels across the breeding group the goal should be to minimise the average degree of inbreeding.

While breeders are knowledgeably and honestly assessing conformation, athletic form and function, desirable temperament and general health and fertility, they can cull stock that is produced from breeding programs that does not meet their desired ideals and standards. But is that enough?

Are we significantly changing the form/ function of the ‘source’? Are we aiding and

abetting the loss of genetic diversity within the straight Egyptian horse to the point where we will start seeing a decrease in disease resistance and increasing losses in fertility and fecundity?

Within numerous purebred dog breeds today, breeding bottlenecks resulting in reduced haplotypes/alleles within some breeds are causing an apparent reduced resistance to diseases. Disease and shorter lifespans are causing breeders to adopt not only genetic testing for testable diseases, but also to identify genetic diversity in individual breeding animals. This information is used to help plan future matings with an eye on maintaining genetic diversity and increasing the heterozygosity in the progeny.

So, is it perhaps time for straight Egyptian breeders in Australia to embrace genetic diversity testing as an integral part of our breeding decisions? Are we approaching a genetic bottleneck in this country due to available sire lines that means we need to take some action? Or is this something the next generation of breeders must embrace? How long can we continue to utilise a single sire line within the gene pool without restricting the available blood to an insurmountable bottleneck? Surely at this time the limited number of available sires from the Jamil El Kebir sire line are the obvious source of improvements in genetic diversity?

EGYPTIAN ARABIAN STUDS

NORTHERN TERRITORYNORTHERN TERRITORY

QUEENSLAND QUEENSLAN

WESTERN AUSTRALIA WESTERN AUSTRALIA

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Breeding World Class Straight Egyptian Arabians

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Myth Haven Arabian Farm

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Breeding Arabian horses is about so many things to us, the uniqueness of our Egyptian Horses, their personalities, ideal type, and their outstanding ability under saddle.

Equally important is the joy they bring to life, the relationships and the love we can only be grateful for.

Visitors always welcome by appointment.

Photo: RNZ Scorza Imp NZ Homozygous black Straight Egyptian stallion

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(Imperial Madaar x Simeon Sayver)

Breeders of world class black Straight Egyptian and Egyptian cross Arabians

1399 Macleay Valley Way Seven Oaks NSW 2440

Terry Hardcastle 328 John St Wallabadah NSW 2343 P: 02 6746 5476 M: 0457 177 111 E: macushla20@gmail.com

P: 02 6567 4379 | M: 0422 755 421 E: mythical@tsn.cc www.mythhavenarabians.com.au

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UNDENIABLY Arabian!

Breeders of high percentage Egyptian Arabians

49 Years of Dedicated Breeding

Est. 1988

Peter & Jenny Pond Breeders of Straight Egyptians and Arabian Show Horses 255 Yarramalong Rd, Wyong Creek NSW 2259 Australia E: foresthillstud@gmail.com www.foresthillarabians.com P: +61 2 4353 3555 M: +61 409 32 8687

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Denis and Dianne Hewat Upper Maffra West | Victoria M: 0419 546 736 E: byrnleapark@bigpond.com

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SEVEN OAKS

ARABIAN STUD

Breeders of Straight Egyptian & Crabbet-Related Arabians

NK Hamoudy (DE) Jamal el Dine x Helala

Available at stud to limited mares Photo: Sharon Meyers

Essex Park 501 Carlsruhe Station Road, Carlsruhe VIC 3444 P: +61 0(3) 9827 2813 M: +61 (0)418 328554 E: leighjamieson@sevenoaksarabians.com.au

THE ENAYAT PARTNERSHIP Megan Borowiak | 0439 314 693  Peita Brown | 0408 052 736  theenayatpartnership@gmail.com

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9 Home of Simeon Solomon (dec) & Simeon Safrir

Exceptional STRAIGHT EGYPTIANS available for sale Contact Ruth Newman, Kyneton, VIC 0427 559 470 or ruthnewman4@bigpond.com

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Bluedawn Egyptian Arabians delicately blends the finest Straight Egyptian bloodlines from around the world to produce an Arabian of exquisite type, soundness, movement and trainability.

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Simeon Siliet

(Imperial Madaar x Simeon Sukari)

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For over 30 years Talika has exclusively bred Straight Egyptian Arabians with world renowned bloodlines from some of the finest stallions available.

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Sharyn Ruskey-Fleming

Talika Fantaysia

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Straight Egyptian & Egyptian-related horses at stud and/or for sale, like the promising Straight Egyptian colt Zuhra Zhadaan (pictured)

73 Storey Road, Logan Village Qld 4207 Ph: (07) 5547 0011 Mob: 0428 320 051 E-mail: talikaarab@bigpond.com talikaarab1@bigpond.com

Photo: Ellie Garvey Phone: 0408 726 227 | International: +61 408 726 227 Email: liz@zuhra-arabians.com Website: www.zuhra-arabians.com

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October 2017 • 41

Royalty With A Price The Story of Hamdan WORDS JOE FERRISS

In 1932, Jack Humphrey was sent to Egypt to select some horses for famed American breeder W.R. Brown and he noticed something interesting when viewing horses at the RAS government stud in Egypt.

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he head sire at the time was the legendary Ibn Rabdan, a handsome dark chestnut stallion appearing almost black. Humphrey noted that Ibn Rabdan was of splendid build and a dominant sire, so much so that he dominated most mares he was bred to producing dark coloured horses and his type regardless of the mare – that is unless a mare proved more dominant than he. In the case of the celebrated Bint Radia, all of her children were exclusively her own. She was a grey and her progeny were also grey regardless of sire and resembled her. Ibn Rabdan crossed very well with her and the cross was repeated four times. All were excellent and all were grey like Bint Radia. Two famous ones included the magnificent RAS sire Shahloul known for his immortal daughter Moniet El Nefous and Shahloul’s full sister Samira who produced the prized mare Zaafarana, a dam line of world champions. The youngest and final cross of Ibn Rabdan and Bint Radia was the royal stallion Hamdan, a beautiful and well-conformed grey stallion, said to be nearly 16 hands tall and of excellent quality. Hamdan would seem a horse destined for greatness, but it would come at a price of challenges.

Hamdan was born in 1936 at the RAS (breeding section of the Royal Agricultural Society of Egypt), the year Egypt’s King Fouad died unexpectedly. Fouad was the first king of the new Egyptian Monarchy and he had firmly established the Royal Inshass Stud of Arabian Horses in 1922. Since it was very important to keep the monarchy in succession, King Fouad’s young son Farouk became king the year Hamdan was born.

The Royal Inshass Stud and the RAS government stud operated very independent

Right: Hamdan at Inshass. Judith Forbis archive

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of each other. Inshass got most of its stock from the previous princely relatives or from royal gifts such as those coming from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, there were some exchanges with the RAS. Inshass had gifted its foundation sire El Deree to the RAS government stud in 1935 and in return, several years later the RAS, in honour of the newly crowned King Farouk had provided several RAS-bred mares. A group of South African officials visited the RAS in 1939 and saw the magnificent young Hamdan and offered a huge sum for the stallion. When King Farouk heard of this, he insisted he should be the one to have Hamdan for Inshass,

and so it was that Hamdan arrived at Inshass in 1939 as a three year old.

Hamdan’s early years would be those of a pampered and admired royal stallion at Inshass and each year he became more magnificent and admired by visitors. Royal horses in Egypt had long attracted attention with Prince Mohammed Ali’s stallion Kafifan going to Count Potocki in Poland in 1924 and his brother Jasir going to the Weil stud in Germany in 1930. Likewise, Hamdan would attract admiring visitors during the war years up to 1945 as visiting dignitaries and officials of the Allied Powers were shown the magnificent Hamdan. After 1945, visitors to

Inshass were mainly heads of Arab states as plans were being discussed to establish a new united republic for Arab countries. Hamdan’s first foals would arrive at Inshass in 1942 and eventually he would sire about 30 foals at Inshass but that was only up to 1952 when Hamdan’s future would change drastically.

After World War II life in Egypt was becoming increasingly difficult for many of its citizens as unemployment increased, bankruptcies flourished, inflation increased, and food was becoming scarce – that is except for the Monarchy as King Farouk was increasingly becoming obsessed with the wealth and trappings of his high position, and losing touch with his people. These conditions resulted in the “bloodless” revolution of 1952 when the Free Army Officers took control of the country and King Farouk was forced to abdicate his throne. The mere word “Royalty” in the eyes of many Egyptians had become synonymous with corruption. All the royal possessions were seized and dispensed with over the next four or five years. Inshass Stud was taken charge by the military. Also multiple auctions were held to dispense with many of the horses as the maintaining of studs was considered an expensive luxury and not practical by the new socialist regime. It is said that Hamdan escaped the fate of the dispersal auctions because he had become very ill and was sent to the SPCA for care. In 1956 at age 20 Hamdan had become a thin shadow of his former glorious physique, and he too finally went on the auction block selling for a paltry sum. Who was the buyer and what would be his fate next?

Ahmed Hamza Pasha who was once Minister of Agriculture during the reign of King Farouk, and who had Arabians already for over a decade, bought Hamdan at the auction and brought him to his country estate in Tahnoub. Though not expected to live much longer, Hamdan was given the best of care and recovered looking magnificent for his age. So impressed was Hamza with the noble Hamdan that he renamed his stud farm “Hamdan Stables”.

Not many of Hamdan’s progeny born at the Royal Inshass Stud survived the liquidation with the exception of a few that would later be incorporated into the reorganised EAO (Egyptian Agricultural Organization). Hamdan’s legacy at Hamdan Stables would be his swan

Top: Shahloul at the RAS, the famous older brother to Hamdan. Judith Forbis archive Centre: Samira at the RAS, celebrated full sister to Hamdan. Judith Forbis archive Bottom: Anter, 1946 chestnut stallion (Hamdan x Obeya). Born at Inshass he became the most famous son of Hamdan. Photo Judith Forbis

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October 2017 • 43

song. At first he lived quietly and peacefully, well cared for and the Hamdan foals arrived impressing everyone. Hamdan would go on to produce 16 foals for Ahmed Hamza, yet even those would have an uncertain future. This was because increasing economic hardships in Egypt would lead the new socialist regime to confiscate wealth from prominent individuals and Ahmed Hamza was no exception. He was sequestered at his estate while many of his horses were seized and auctioned off in 1961.

Sequestration officers determined the fate of many wealthy people’s possessions. The government rationed the amounts allowed for feed and care at various stables. Nevertheless, Hamza struggled to continue. Ahmed Hamza

was later able to buy back and assemble the remnants of the stud. But the noble stallion Hamdan’s situation was now worsening. After the 1961 auction Hamdan was now 25 years old though still siring a few foals.

In early 1966, Hamdan, now nearly 30 years old and very thin, was ordered by the sequestration officer to be sent to the zoo and put down for zoo meat! At this point in the story, it was the American Sara Loken, owner of the famous stallion Fakher El Din (Nazeer x Moniet El Nefous) who stepped in to try and rescue Hamdan. She and her husband had been living in Egypt, though their work would soon take them elsewhere. In a series of complex negotiations with the government

she was able to purchase Hamdan and with the help of others, Hamdan managed to improve in condition at the zoo and then was released by the government so that he would walk the streets of Cairo still noble and prancing to the Loken’s stabling at the Gezira Club. He became again a much-admired celebrity as he amazed visitors. Sadly, it was discovered he had cancer and his days were limited. As the Lokens were soon moving, Sara had transferred ownership of Hamdan to Douglas Marshall who continued supporting his care with the goal that he should be returned to the EAO. Finally, in February 1967 Hamdan was stabled at the EAO as a grand old king. Unfortunately, a few months later the Six-Day War broke out and Hamdan did not make it through the long hot summer.

Nonetheless, this royal Arabian stallion touched many lives and though his reign was not without a price, he came full circle back to his birthplace and his legacy has immortalised him in the Arabian breed.

My special thanks to Sara Loken’s original story about Hamdan published by The Pyramid Society in 1977 for inspiring this feature and for her dedication to the Arabian breed which inspires us all.

Left: Hafiza, 1949 bay mare (Hamdan x Mahfouza

by Hamdan). Born at Inshass a few years before its dispersal, she is celebrated as the dam of El Araby and Ibn Hafiza. Photo Fernando Saenz Below Left: Ahmed Hamza with his beloved Hamdan, who is about age 26 in this photo.

Photo Judith Forbis Below: Bint Folla 1956 grey mare (Hamdan x Folla) renowned broodmare born at Hamdan Stables. She is an ancestor of World Champion Gelgelah Albadeia. Photo Judith Forbis

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Personality:

Alamdar Dastani INTERVIEW SHARON MEYERS

Alamdar Dastani, or Alam to his friends, began life in India. He was introduced to horses as an infant via his uncle Mustafa Tehrani, owner of a Thoroughbred stud and training facility.

While growing up, Alam attended a local riding school to enhance his knowledge of horses and in his teens joined the cadets and entered the world of showjumping, where he won national events.

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ast forward to 2004 when Alam visited Dubai on holiday. He was waiting in a car at one of the endurance stables where his uncle Mustafa Tehrani was doing some work, when a gentleman knocked on the window asking what he was doing there. A conversation was struck up and he asked Alam ‘do you ride horses?’ ‘Yes’.

Next morning Alam started work at one of the Sheikh’s endurance stables and was appointed foreman. Later, he was promoted to assistant trainer and that’s when Arabian horses

Above Alam with his wife, Jess.

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entered his life. Eventually this remarkable breed became Alam’s main source of income.

What did you do before working professionally with horses?

I used to do events, promotions and product launches as a student. Then worked as a fashion runway model until I started working with horses.

Where has the Arabian horse taken you?

Around the world! I held top positions

such as trainer for the National Endurance Team of Denmark, trainer for the Swedish Endurance Team, Chef d’Equipe for Sweden at the 2008 World Endurance Championships and represented India in the 2010 World Equestrian Games.

You eventually migrated to Australia.

How did this come about?

I always wanted to visit Australia, as the country had fascinated me since learning geography at school. At the 2008 World

Endurance Championships held in Malaysia I saw a girl dancing in torrential rain while everyone else rushed for shelter. I turned to my team and said she must be an Australian – they can be a bit quirky! That evening this same girl asked if I wanted to dance – ‘yes, of course’.

Jess and I talked daily and soon it was time to head home to our respective countries – me to Scandinavia and Jess to Australia. Then Jess asked if I could stay longer, so I cancelled my flights and stayed four days extra. It turned out to be a whirlwind romance!

During 2009 Jess and I met in India and a few months later I moved to Australia.

Australia was totally unlike any country I had experienced! I was only staying a year and settled in immediately. Eventually I asked Jess to marry me and the rest, as they say, is history. I worked for a couple of well known endurance studs until 2012 and then we started our own business – Al Jeda Arabians.

I had great support from many people and that, mixed with hard work, has been a recipe for success. In 2014 I proudly acquired Australian citizenship.

Please tell us more about your horses and what they do Jess and I run our business, Al Jeda Arabians where we breed and train endurance horses. Our main focus is training endurance horses for local and overseas clients. We have also started training Arabians for flat racing.

Our resident stallions are Wynlee Maraki (Prince Benay x Wynlee Karina) and Shahrak (Sarezin x Shakeelah). We leased Suncrest Sadaqa’s Pride (Chip Chase Sadaqa x Ghabra) and have retained two colts by him for our future breeding program. We also lease, when required, the proven endurance stallion Littlebanks Crystal Wings (Chip Chase Sadaqa x Hillbrook Flite) and Littlebanks Troubadour (Chip Chase Sadaqa x Hillbrook Desert Silver), who is the stud’s foundation stallion. Our Arabian broodmare bloodlines include Aethon, Milex, Asfour, Sarezin, Greylight and Sindh and Thoroughbred mares with bloodlines from Desert King, Kingston Rule and Racer’s Edge to name a few. Up to seven foals a year are bred at the stud.

Endurance Riding is a sport where Arabian and Arabian Derivatives excel and is all about teamwork requiring perfect harmony between rider, horse and their strapping crew.

I encourage everyone, especially people with Arabian horses and their derivatives to give Endurance Riding a go and help sustain and create diversity of this magnificent breed in the modern world.

I have always told people that Australian Arabians are the best in the world for endurance as the gene pool is extra special.

In my personal experience I have noticed injuries incurred by Australian bred and born

Above: Jess and Alam at Merton Races in Victoria with Jupiter Samira (Silver Somerio x Tantawanglo Elleenanaleah) owned by Virginia Dodson. Photo Victoria Shaw

Arabians tend to heal much faster and they bounce back to their best quickly. I have made it my personal goal to stamp our Australian breed on other countries. To this avail we have exported frozen semen from select stallions to many countries in Europe.

Tell us more about your involvement with Endurance Riding I wanted to give back to this amazing sport, which has been my profession. In 2015 I put my name down for the post of committee member for the New South Wale Endurance Riders Association (NSWERA). I was elected and held the International Portfolio where I was required to liaise between NSWERA and other ride federations globally. In 2016 an opportunity opened on the committee and I was nominated for the Vice President position and accepted. In 2017 I was elected President of the NSWERA. With great support I managed to bag an exchange with the South Africa endurance organisation this year for NSWERA riders to represent Australia at the 200km South African Endurance Championships.

In 2015 Equestrian Australia (EA) put out a call for expression of interest for the post of team selectors for Endurance Riding. I sent an application and was selected for one of the four positions available. The team we selectors chose, saw the Aussies in fourth

position in the Teams Event at the 2016 World Endurance Championships held in Slovakia. We selected the team to represent Australia at the 2017 Young Riders World Championships held in Italy in September.

Editor’s note: this ride was held after we went to print so unfortunately we don’t have the results available for this issue.

In your free time?

I have learned in Australia free time is a luxury for people with farms and horses! I do spend time with our chooks, peacocks and germinating seeds. I also enjoy training bonsai plants.

Favourite non-horse activity?

Pistol target shooting. I have been shooting for over a year and I have two Olympians, Mr. Bruce Quick and Mrs. Dina Aspandiyarova, who have taken me under their wings to coach me. I concentrate on the challenging Olympic disciplines of 10 metre Air Pistol and 50 metre Pistol.

What’s on your bucket list?

I want to represent Australia in pistol shooting at the Olympics and being a selector for Equestrian Australia. I want to see an Australian individual and Australian team on the podium at the World Endurance Championships.

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October 2017 • 47

I Must Be Crazy I’ve Entered My First Show WORDS JANINE-HELEN DANIEL, D COACH PONY CLUB AUSTRALIA WESTERN AUSTRALIA (PCAWA)

An Article For Newbies By A Newbie.

There are lots of ways to finish the above heading. Maybe you are a parent whom has decided your five-year-old is ready for their first lead rein class. Or you are a teenager whom has finally worn your parents down enough to purchase you a horse and all associated gear and agree to take you to a show – whoopee! Or you are returning to riding after a period out of the saddle. Or you have never been interested in showing and just suddenly woke up one day and decided to do it, whatever, but the day is looming and there is a slight sense of ‘maybe I should get my GP to refer me for counselling’.

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on’t be afraid, what you are feeling is thoroughly normal amongst a small subset of ordinary Australians who are mildly potty about horses. I don’t intend to explore the psychology of what motivates an otherwise normal person to choose horses as a hobby, fascinating though that would be, because the conclusion is straight forward, we are crazy. My advice is just to embrace it! How do I feel qualified to say this? Well, despite having officiated and coached for years, I rode in my third ever show last weekend, so those feelings you are having are very fresh in my mind right now!

Please note: An important assumption when reading this story is that you can ride safely in the company of other riders and their horses.

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Why Show?

Let’s explore why people show and maybe why you are too. Like the pathways into owning a horse, the entry points of those out in the show ring are many and varied. It is often assumed ego drives many people to dress up in tight pants and prance around on a horse. I am not sure about anyone else, but it was not my ego that encouraged me to attend my first show – I know I do not look my best in cream jodhpurs. In fact, I am 100% certain no one believes they look amazing in show rig. There are those whose profession it is to ‘show’ horses. Others ‘show’ their horses to promote their breeding or training programs. Such people take their activities very seriously, as their living is derived from their success (i).

There are also vast ranks of amateurs who ride at shows as part of their hobby.

Although thinning, it is to these you probably identify most with. There are not many groups of people who will be able to truly empathise with you when you unload your horse and discover he or she has sought to help you out in the best presented class by embracing the recent return to fashion of curly hair by shaking out all those stitched-in plaits. Plaits your bleeding fingers created the night before! So why do we do it? At the back of everyone’s mind is the hope of coming first, but this is undoubtedly not the first or even

Image: A competitor warming up prior to their class. Photo Sharon Meyers

the twentieth reason for the amateur to pay to be out there. It is more likely the desire to challenge oneself, to receive feedback from an unbiased educated authority figure, and to simply spend time in the company of other like-minded people. It is that sense of belongingness and the support it provides that explains why riders return again and again to the show ring.

Which Show?

All right, so now we know why we woke up having made the decision to ride at a show. But which show? In days gone by, there were many shows within close proximity, in every area of our great land.

In reading about and talking to many of the legends of our breed, these were dearly loved sources of camaraderie and competition. The clear fact of the matter is those wishing to run shows and those wishing to compete in them have declined.

So that makes your choice as a new competitor more difficult and the need to plan your entry more important. However, on the plus side, you will be treasured by organisers and welcomed by competitors.

Many seasoned competitors advise choosing a small local show to attend as a first time participant. These are a bit scarce now. However, I have been personally involved with riders who have chosen for their first event a huge, formal championship show and not only survived, but done well. In my own case, my first show was a large mounted games affair at which I knew I would have a lot of fun, and to which a lot of riders I knew were going. I would always recommend as a first outing, a ‘Have a Go’ day or similar, because even if you are an extraordinarily talented rider with a sweetheart of an Arabian horse, there is nothing like a totally

Top: Make a list of what to pack and items to check.

Above: Clean your saddlery prior to the show.

Right: Horse gear ready to load into vehicle.

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strange atmosphere to cause chaos! Also, make sure you decide on something you can actually do at home, preferably with ease!

Another good idea to help you prepare is to volunteer at a show prior to attending one as a competitor. Organisers love additional assistance and this is an excellent way to experience horse shows without the stress of transporting all your kit, your horse and your nerves.

Finding out about when and where shows are being held can be tricky. There are a number of websites that list shows (ii) and many social media sites contain communities very willing to help you find local events. There is also the perceived issue of judges. You may have heard riders talking about ‘Judge X only places black horses’ or ‘Judge Y designs impossible show jumping courses’. Honour your horses, yourself and the entire horse fraternity by presuming that every official conducts themselves in an unbiased, ethical and authorised fashion. Judges are human and can and do make mistakes. It is our responsibility as competitors to learn to display true sportsmanship by accepting their decision as final. Should you notice an incorrect addition of scores or such, a quiet polite word to the organisers could sort it out rather than accessing the formal complaints process.

Preparing for the Show So you have chosen your show and are in a spin as to how to prepare. Well, my first tip is pay your entry fee. And maybe pre-order your lunch (iii). This will help you commit to what you are doing, and de-stress your arrival. It also provides security to the organisers, helping to ensure the event you

are psyching yourself up for is not cancelled due to low numbers. Second is to advise the organisers that this is your first event and you are a bit nervous. Generally, people are extraordinarily willing to help ‘newbies’.

Ask for and carefully read the rules of the competition. Pay attention to the dress and gear rules. Don’t rock up and expect to be welcomed to a show hack class wearing a pair of moleskins. Check your helmet meets the new safety rules.

Clean all your kit the day beforehand, and check for buttons that mysteriously fall off new show clothes on the way home from the shop or in the post. About clothes; lay them out, try them on, and never wear tight underpants as they look terrible under the aforementioned obligatory cream jodhpurs.

I’d love to say a few words to the original person who declared them de rigueur for the show ring! Have your horse as clean as possible. But do give yourself a break if your perfect snow-white fairy darling gets a punk green fluoro streak down the side of his or her face while you are giving your boots a last rub. Everyone has been there! Practise how you will present your horse on the day, including the unexpected likelihood of having a ribbon tied around their neck. Help avoiding shocks such as those caused by learning your new saddle makes your horse buck halfway through your first class, is good for humanity.

Check your car and float about a week beforehand and have any maintenance issues seen to. Check the spare tyre is in good condition and correctly inflated. A critical piece of advice – assess conservatively what your support needs will be and plan to address them. Plenty of notice will aid people whose help you need to organise to be with you. Draw up a time schedule and stick to it. Definitely allow extra time to catch and load the pony! Check out the address of the show, and plan a travel route. Include in your program five minutes to check the wheel nuts on the horse float. I speak from bitter experience after having a wheel part company with the equipage – just after being attended to by a tyre service establishment!

Make a list of all the gear you think you might need, including spares of critical pieces like a halter and lead rope, girths, mane bands, buckets etc. Remember snacks for you as well as your horse! Pack the car and float the night before. Wear old loose clothes on top of your show gear to keep yourself clean as you travel, saddle up etc. The night beforehand, visit your state’s main road website (iv) for any road closures or such that may add time to your journey. And consider the weather forecast.

Finally – smile. Remember you are doing something you love, spending time with your horse.

load your horse (you’d be amazed that this actually happens), and remember to check all float connections again as you leave. When you get home and have seen to your beloved equine, consider a long hot bath. You may feel extraordinarily dirty, and it really will help you move smoothly the next day.

Will you do it Again?

Above: A kind bystander took this photo of Janine-Helen Daniel and Hillain Musika.

At the Show When you arrive, if there is no designated float parking area, take the time to ask an official where to go. Before you unload, attend the office for conveniences (v), your number and to collect a program (if you have forgotten yours) or to check the draw. Take a photo with your mobile phone so you don’t have to cart round bits of paper. Remind the office people you are new to showing and ask if it is okay to tell your judge. As a judge, I always appreciated it when first timers made me aware of their lack of experience. I took care to check they knew the rules, and gave them more feedback, which I am sure most judges are very willing to do. And do try to enjoy the moment! Ask your helpers to take loads of photos of you riding, and if you have gone solo, most bystanders are very willing to oblige. Remember to thank the judge and congratulate your competitors.

Hopefully, you had a grand day and really enjoyed yourself. Regardless, carefully consider whether this is for you. As a hobby, this must be fun. Otherwise you will lose all your love of hanging out with horses. Be honest with yourself, and make the right choice for you.

I have a bit of a personal plea to end on. Our Arabians are, generally speaking, marvellous treasures. In many cases hidden treasures. Please consider competing in ‘open’ company (vi). I have been consistently amazed at the reaction of the riding community as a whole to my choice of breed. Almost always, I am the only ‘Arabian’ person at an open event.

Granted my experience has been largely gathered in country Western Australia. But we owe it to the horses we love to make sure they have the reputation they deserve amongst the general horse enthusiast population.

It is rare in Australia for horse riders to derive adequate income from show winnings. Rather, professionals generally use a combination of: training fees; coaching fees; handling fees; horse service fees such as chiropractic, massage etc; dealing fees; educating horses for sale; sponsorship; nonindustry related work.

i

Examples include www.nominate.com.au, www.equestrian.org.au/events/calendar, your state’s Pony Club website, Arabian Horse Society of Australia www.ahsa.asn.au/events.

ii

After the Show You did it! You might have fallen off, your horse may have slobbered on the judge or shied when they tried to tie a ribbon round his neck, and you might have misplaced your favourite water bucket – how do buckets grow legs? – but, you are still breathing! Now it is time to get yourself home again. Remember to drop back your number to the office, and thank the organisers. Tidy up the area where your horse was stationed, taking all rubbish and hay and manure to the appropriate place.

Some venues now request you take such things home with you. Do all you can to be a courteous grounds user. Don’t forget to

iii Consider taking along a prepacked healthy lunch from home. This not only saves you money but also maximises the amount of time you can spend with your horse at an event. iv Do a web search for ‘Main Roads’ in your state. v This saves you having to find someone to mind your horse for you, and will help settle your nerves. There is nothing nastier than dealing with an excited horse when you have a full bladder. vi Shows that are not breed specific. That is, horses do not have to be registered as purebred or derivative Arabians to compete.

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The Bahrain stallion Jellaby Faiz.

Arabian Strains:

Origins, Meanings and Relevance Today WORDS EDOUARD AL-DAHDAH PHOTOS SHARON MEYERS

Edouard Al-Dahdah is a renowned Arabian horse breed historian. He was born and raised in Lebanon but has been living on and off in the USA since 2000. He spent his childhood and teenage years photographing, documenting and researching desert bred Arabian horses at stud farms, encampments and racetracks in Lebanon and Syria. He is a regular speaker at Al Khamsa Conventions and spoke at the 2010 National Breeders Conference of the Pyramid Society in the USA. He was a guest speaker at the recent 2017 WAHO Conference held in Bahrain and this is an extract from his talk.

I

am going to state a number of facts about strains and then I will ask a number of questions about them and try to answer them. Just for the duration of this talk, simply forget everything you knew and try to look at it with a fresh mind.

Fact One: All Arabian Horses Actually Have Strains. There are strains you know Kuhaylan, Saqlawi, Ubayyan etc. So, what are strains? They are a collection of names that constitute the Bedouins’ way of identifying a

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horse and tracing its provenance. Very simply put, Arabian horse strains are the equivalent of family names in humans.

Fact Two: Strains Matter. Basically every pure Arabian horse has a strain (rasan in Arabic), if we don’t know it, then it means it was lost, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have one. A horse without a strain cannot be considered part of the Arabian horse community. Conversely, one can only speak of a strain within the realm of the Arabian horse.

That means this notion loses its meaning outside the domain of Arabian horses. For example, the breeding of a pure Saqlawiyah mare to an English Thoroughbred horse will not get you a Saqlawiyah, so once you cross outside Arabian horses you lose the strains.

For the Bedouins, strains were the horse’s ID, at a time when IDs and passports for horses and registration numbers did not exist, in a society where culture and information were transmitted orally. A system of family names, coupled with a reference to the owner

Top Left: Strains are only transmitted by the dam. Pictured is a Kehaileh Dajanieh mare with her filly in Syria.

Bottom Left: Stallions were rarely used for war. Stallion Sai’dan Toofaan, the Sai’dan strain is found only in Bahrain.

Above: The owner of the dam is the owner of the foal at birth. This Bahrain filly, Kuheila’t Aladiya, inherits her dam Kuheila’t Aladiyat Wasamah’s strain name.

Right: Saqlaawy Badraan, stallion of the Saqlawieh strain, Bahrain.

not keeping mares and stallions in the same proportion. It is not unnatural for a tribe to have one or two hundred broodmares and only two or three breeding stallions at a time, for a variety of reasons. One being stallions were rarely used for war, and another being the obvious biological fact that any stallion can have an unlimited number of offspring within the same time span a mare takes to produce one foal. Using sire lines in those cases would greatly limit the number of lines within a tribe and make the process of keeping track of the offspring much more complicated.

(the marbat), was the most convenient and efficient way for Bedouins to keep track of the Arabian horse populations in their tribes, just like at the level of a village, rulers used to keep track of people through family names.

Fact Three: Strains Are Transmitted By The Dam. In most human societies, including Bedouin Arabia, family names are patrilineal, meaning names are transmitted from father to son. In Arabian horses, family names are matrilineal, or transmitted from mother to daughter. Why? Three related reasons. In nomadic populations such as the Bedouins, the horses moved with the people, and consequently a foal’s sire was not necessarily 54 • October 2017

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in the same place at the time the foal was born. The foal’s origin would be ascertained by linking it to the parent by the side of which it was born.

Second, ownership laws stipulate the owner of the dam is the owner of the foal at birth. And it seems natural for the Bedouin owner to attach the generic family name, the strain: Kuhayla, Saqlawiyah etc, of the foal to that of its dam as opposed to that of a horse owned by another person. The fact the strains are transmitted through dam lines and not sire lines is by no means an indication the mare was considered more important than the stallion in terms of genetic influence.

A third reason has to do with Bedouins

Fact Four: Some Strains Are Derived From Others. Kuhaylan appears to have been the original strain and all strains trace back to it. Does that mean that all horses of the Kuhaylan strain trace to one mare? No, mitochondrial DNA tells you it doesn’t, and that there are many Arabian tail females in reality. The legend of all Arabian horses tracing to the Kuhaylah of an elderly woman (al-Ajuz means elderly in Arabic) is just that, a legend. And if they do not all trace to one mare, is it possible they trace to five mares, according to the myth of the Khamsa which says that just five of the Prophet’s mares, when very thirsty and turned out to drink, were the only ones who heeded his call to return? This too is only a legend, even if it is a nice one. At the time of the Prophet the strains were traced from father to son, not from mother to daughter so that story is a much later appropriation of this myth, made by people living in cities. Bedouins aligned this myth – that all mares traced to the five mares

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of the Prophet – with their own stories. Each tribe, and sometimes each person, included in the list whichever strains they wanted to include, their criteria often being personal preference or the presence of the strain within the tribe. Everyone agreed that among these five strains you had Kuhaylan, Saqlawi and Ubayyan, but then people would add two other strain combinations.

A more interesting and logical hypothesis about how strains derived from the original Kuhaylan strain was recounted to me in 2006

by Ibrahim Ibn Saadi, the Aarifa (a Bedouin tribal judge specialising in laws applied to horses) of the Shammar. He owns a particular strain called Kuhaylan al-Sharif – that is the ‘Kuhaylan of the Sharif’. He told me Kuhaylan al-Sharif is not a branch of Kuhaylan Ajuz as we would have expected it to be, but it was actually the opposite, that it was the wellspring of all Kuhaylan al-Ajuz strains.

He said that his strain was originally called Kuhaylan Al Sharif Al Ajuz, which means Kuhaylan of the elderly Sharif. He added that over time, the al-Sharif part was dropped from the Kuhaylan al-Sharif al-Ajuz and it became Kuhaylan al-Ajuz. Which elderly Sharif of Mecca would that have been? The best candidate is Sharif Muhammad ibn Barakat, who lived to be 78 years old, and ruled for about 55 years, from 1512 to 1566, the most of any. The different Kuhaylat al-Ajuz mares of this Sharif’s broodmare band then spread out to the tribes, so well known branches of Kuhaylan al-Ajuz like the Kuhaylan Rodan, Tamri, Mimrah, Haifi, Musinn, etc. with different mitochondrial DNA would trace back to an original pool of unrelated Kuhaylat mares at the stud of that elderly Sharif.

As horses changed ownership frequently among the Bedouins, new marabet or substrains were created and old marabet either survived or disappeared. That means strains and marabet/sub-strains constantly evolved, they were dynamic and they remained dynamic until the Bedouin nomadic way of life came to an end, at which point the strains and substrains stopped evolving and became fixed.

Some sub-strains/marabet are derived from each other. For example, the strain of Kuhaylan al-Wati in Syria and the strain of Kuhaylan Jellabi in Bahrain both go back to a single sub-strain or marbat, that of Kuhaylan Ibn Jarshan (or Jrayshi). A Bedouin man from

Top: A Syrian stallion of the famous Keheileh Al Wati strain.

Centre: The Jellabieh strain is famous in Bahrain. Pictured is the mare Jellabieh Ghabra.

Bottom: The Syrian mare Zulfa’s strain is Kehilet Ajuz.

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There Is No Single Classic Arabian Type As These Desert Bred Arabians From Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Syria Help To Demonstrate.

Al Dirieyah Al Thaniya, a mare of the Hamdanieh strain, Saudi Arabia.

Ghosoon Al Thanieh, a mare of the Keheilet Armousheh strain, a strain only found in Syria.

Krayaan Kuhraman, a stallion of the Kray strain, Bahrain.

Shawaf Baarah, a stallion of the Shawafa strain, Bahrain.

Ibn Haleem, a stallion of the Hamdani Simri strain, Saudi Arabia.

Musannaan Award, a stallion of the Musannah strain, Bahrain.

Jellaby Maroof, a stallion of the Jellabieh strain, Bahrain.

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Above: A French traveller mentioned the strain of Tuwaisan in circa 1685. Pictured is the Bahraini mare Tuwaisah Ajla.

Right: The strain Keheilan Haifi is popular in Syria. Pictured is the Syrian stallion Ma’roof of this strain.

the Ajman tribe who owned a mare of the strain of Kuhaylat Ibn Jarshan gave that mare to a man called Ibn Jallab. The mare stayed with Ibn Jallab for a number of years and then she was bought by a ruler of Bahrain of the house of Al Khalifa and with him she became known as the Jallabieh. Another Kuhaylat Ibn Jarshan mare made her way to the Anazeh tribe where the strain was first known as Kuhaylan Jrayshi and then Kuhaylan al-Wati after a man of that name from the tribe of Sbaa Anazeh. That means strains are dynamic, they evolve, that they branch out from each other and horses with different strains might actually be related to each other.

Fact Five. How Old Are The Current Strains? History may provide an answer: Transition by patrilineal lines is more of a feature of settled societies, and transmission by matrilineal lines, of nomadic societies.

After the Islamic conquests, the horses went out helping to conquer parts of the world.

During that time, central Arabia became closed back on itself. A few centuries later the country returned to the Bedouin way of life, a situation which I call ‘re-bedouinisation’ of Arabia, while at the same time, an increasingly settled way of life was taking place in the big cities such as Damascus, Baghdad, etc.

At about that time, around 1000 AD, strains switched to female names.

So, how old are current strains? There is some hard evidence. In about 1670 AD the Sharif of Mecca at the time offered six mares to 58 • October 2017

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the Governor of Egypt. Of these six mares, three are mentioned by strain: Al-Kuhaylah, Al-Hadba and Al-Bughaylah. Al-Bughaylah as a strain died out but Al-Kuhaylah and Al-Hadba remain.

A French traveller in about 1685 mentions the strain of Tuwaisan, which is very popular in Bahrain today. I have some fresh information on the Dahman strain, which is very much valued in Bahrain. This famous strain is known to go back to Shahwan, so everybody says Dahman Shahwan. A medieval manuscript, a chronicle of historical events in Yemen, tells that in 1279 AD, the Hadramaut area of Yemen was invaded by a force that was ‘... split in three armies and one of the three armies, ...was (led by) Sheikh Shahwan ibn Mansur al-Abidi and he had with him 200 horsemen of the Arab nomads....’ The Dahman Shahwan was indeed this Sheikh’s strain and was named after him, which means this strain is 850 years old.

Are Some Strains ‘Better’ Than Others?

This is the part where it is not about facts.

My personal answer is no. They are all equally good and it is actually a matter of preference and of taste and of personal choice among individuals or among tribes. Within a tribe, stallions are always chosen from a few homebred strains, the strains that have been around for a long time and they were well known to everyone in the tribe and they had made their marks in raids and tribal wars, but that preference may not be shared by other tribes or in other areas, and these would have

had other preferred strains. To cite just one example, Kuhaylan Jallabi is extremely popular in Bahrain but unknown in Syria, if you would show someone in Syria a stallion and tell him this is Kuhaylan Jallabi, he would not breed from him.

Conversely Kuhaylan Haifi is extremely popular amongst the Anazeh Bedouin, but it is not favoured in Bahrain. If a mare from that strain would appear in Bahrain, people would not know it and would not breed from it.

Are Some Strains Closer To The ‘Classic’ Arabian Type Than Others? My answer is no, because there is no single classic Arabian type, there are many Arabian types, there is not just one. In the west we have converged too fast towards one type of Arabian horse and so all horses ended up looking like each other, which is pretty much the show standard and everything that doesn’t look like that is considered ‘off type’. But I would like to say among Bedouins there is this notion that there are different types of horses and they are all equally valuable. Some are tall, some are long, some are powerful, some are feminine, some are masculine and so on, and there is not just one classic Arabian type. You will see some horses from certain strains such as Kray or Shawafan strains in Bahrain who are extremely coarse by western standards, yet they are some of the purest and oldest ones and they have been preserved for hundreds of years in Bahrain, and there is not a single doubt about them.

How The Immune System Affects Fertility WORDS DR CHRISTINA MARTH, VETERINARIAN, PHD*

Mares that develop fluid before or after breeding have a significantly decreased chance of becoming and remaining pregnant. Understanding the uterine immune response to the contamination during breeding helps us diagnose and treat these mares more effectively.

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hy it matters The uterus needs to fulfil a multitude of functions for reproduction to be successful. Between the first signs of a mare in heat and a foal being born, a lot is happening in this reproductive organ. During oestrus or ‘heat’ the cervix, the opening of the uterus to the vagina, is open letting semen but also environmental contaminants in. After ovulation, the uterus needs to convert to a sterile and nurturing environment in which an

embryo can thrive when it arrives about five days after ovulation. This means the cervix is closed, all foreign material has been removed and glands in the uterine wall produce a secretion that supports the growing offspring until a stable placental connection to the mare has been established.

The expression of immune genes in this changing environment is of particular interest, because the immune system is responsible for the dramatic change required for the transformation of the uterus from open portal

to the outside world to a closed and sterile safe haven for the embryo. Most importantly, however, it needs to respond to the material introduced during breeding in a timely and appropriate manner.

How the immune system functions in healthy horses All mares develop a reactive inflammation to the deposition of semen, cell particles and bacteria in the uterus during natural breeding or artificial insemination. Regardless of the

Above: A mare’s uterine immune system plays a crucial role during the healthy response to breeding. Photo Sharon Meyers

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breeding technique, semen is deposited directly into the uterus, which facilitates bacterial contamination. Most mares are able to clear this inflammation within a few hours after breeding. They do this by an almost instant sharp increase in inflammatory cells and products. Receptors in the uterine wall detect pathogens and initiate an immune response which is measurable within 30 minutes of insemination in healthy mares.

Other genes contain the code for small proteins that directly fight against bacteria, for example by disrupting the bacterial cell wall, which causes them to leak out and die.

These antimicrobial peptides are produced by both the cells lining the uterus and also immune cells residing inside the uterine wall.

Together these, and a variety of other genes of the finely regulated, complex immune system, respond swiftly and efficiently allowing the uterus to return to a non-inflamed state within several hours. This means that the embryo can arrive in a safe environment when it comes down from the uterine tube, where it is fertilised.

When things go wrong A prolonged inflammatory response to breeding results in more cells and proteins inside the uterine lumen. These drag fluid in with them, which can be detected and characterised using ultrasound. As many of you will know, ‘she has fluid’ is the dreaded diagnosis received either before or within the first couple of days after breeding when fluid is found inside the uterus on routine breeding scans. The inflammatory products in the fluid are harmful to both sperm cells and the embryo and need to be removed prior to breeding.

Often, fluid is only produced in response to breeding, when the inflammatory response to the semen, cell debris and contamination is prolonged and excessive.

This is referred to as persistent matinginduced endometritis (PMIE) in contrast to the transient inflammation (endometritis) in healthy mares. Mares with PMIE have to be managed more intensely by the breeder and often require medical treatment by the consulting veterinarian. Only one in five mares with PMIE will become pregnant on their first cycle compared to average pregnancy rates of 50 to 65% per cycle overall. In other words, mares with fluid after breeding will often need several cycles and sperm doses or natural covers before successfully becoming and remaining pregnant. This results in significantly greater expenses and foals born later in the season.

Many factors influence fluid after breeding, including age of the mare, the seal of the vulva, the angle of the uterus and the physical ability for effective muscle

contractions to push the fluid out. However, one of the main reasons for the decrease in pregnancy rates can likely be found in the harmful effect inflammatory products have on the embryo. In horses, fertilisation occurs in the uterine tube, connecting the ovary to the uterus. After the sperm and the egg cell merge, the embryo travels into the uterus, where it arrives about five to six days later.

In recent years, several studies have analysed the differences in the uterine immune system between fertile mares and mares susceptible to fluid after breeding.

Pro-inflammatory immune genes are expressed at higher levels during heat in susceptible mares and their anti-inflammatory counterparts at lower levels six and 24 hours after breeding. Chemokines are responsible for attracting further immune cells to an inflamed area. We have shown that their genes are expressed at higher levels in mares susceptible to fluid after breeding. In addition, we found that the genes for some of the small antibacterial proteins were also expressed at higher levels in susceptible mares. There are also more immune cells found in the uterus of these mares during heat.

Together these studies suggest that the uterus of a mare prone to develop fluid after breeding already shows signs of inflammation prior to breeding. In the initial hours after breeding, however, these mares are slower at establishing an appropriate immune response to the introduced contaminants, which results in similar levels between mares that do and do not develop a persistent inflammation.

Importantly, genes responsible for containing the inflammatory response to an appropriate length of time are expressed at higher levels in the initial hours after breeding in healthy mares.

In other words, in healthy horses the uterine immune response acts like a racehorse bolting out of the starting gate and galloping at full speed until the finish line of a ‘clean uterus’ is reached within several hours. In contrast, the immune system of mares affected by fluid after breeding is more like a draft horse that has already been trotting for days, starts a slow canter in response to breeding and falls back into a trot after several hours, only reaching the set goal after multiple days.

to diagnose mares earlier and therefore intervene early leading to more successful pregnancies and less frustrations.

Many of the treatment and management recommendations for mares susceptible to PMIE are also based on the manipulation of the uterine immune response.

Flushing the uterus after breeding combined with the use of the contractioninducing drug oxytocin has been linked to a reduction in inflammatory cells in the uterus of affected mares.

In addition, anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to increase pregnancy rates, while a converse approach uses proinflammatory drugs to cause a more intense (racehorse-like) response after breeding.

Reducing the amount of contamination during breeding in affected mares includes only breeding these mares once per cycle as far prior to ovulation as possible dependent on the semen preparation used. This allows for additional treatment time while the cervix is still open. For that same reason, the use of frozen semen is typically not recommended in these mares due to its short survival time in the mare’s uterus.

These recommendations demonstrate that no treatment has yet replaced good management techniques in mares susceptible to fluid after breeding, but also that manipulation of the uterine immune system might be more efficient than more traditional approaches such as antibiotics.

In summary, it becomes clear that the uterine immune system plays a crucial role during the healthy response to breeding, but also the prolonged response leading to fluid after breeding. It is a complex system of factors linked to each other, which makes it difficult to pinpoint one individual change leading to persistent inflammation. Instead it seems as if several small changes to the balance amount to a prolonged response to the introduced contaminants. Nevertheless, individual factors show potential to be used as diagnostic markers with which we are able to identify susceptible mares prior to breeding, which will allow for a proactive management of affected mares.

The benefits of understanding the immune system for treatment and diagnosis A genuine understanding of the differences in the immune response can be used for both the diagnosis and the treatment of affected mares.

Testing 21 healthy mares and 19 mares affected by fluid after breeding, we have found a test that predicted the correct outcome for nine out of every ten tested mares when tested during heat before breeding. If these results prove to be true in a larger sample size, it might allow us

*Dr Christina Marth graduated from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover, Germany in 2012. She then moved to Australia to undertake a PhD at the Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Melbourne, which she completed in 2016. During her PhD, she investigated immune factors influencing mares with fluid after breeding and subsequently reduced pregnancy rates. Through this work she developed a patented test that can detect mares with reduced fertility. She has a strong interest in all aspects of horse reproduction.

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Above: Le Vizir.

Restoration of Napoleon’s Arabian WORDS CLAIRE NALIN PHOTOS COPYRIGHT PARIS, MUSÉE DE L’ARMÉE/PASCAL SEGRETTE

Walking down the corridor of the Musée de l’Armée (Army Museum) in Paris, in the section dedicated to Napoleon I, we discover one of the treasures of the museum which is not arms, costumes or paintings but a stuffed horse, Le Vizir. Napoleon’s horse was restored in June 2016, a project supervised by Gregory Spourdos, responsible for documentary studies at the museum. He shares with us the epic life of the horse.

I

n 1802, the Sultan of Turkey Selim III offered the horse to the man who was then First Consul. This 1.35m tall, grey Arabian horse has a flamboyant story, whether alive or dead. He was a nine-year-old when he arrived in France and quickly became one of Napoleon’s favourite mounts. He rode him during the battle of Jena-Auerstedt in 1806 against the Prussians in Saxony (modern Germany) and in Eylau (modern Bagrationovsk, Russia) against the Russians in 1807. Le Vizir became a favourite model for famous artists like Horace Vernet or Baron Gros. ‘Napoleon rode about 130 horses,’ Gregory Spourdos told us. ‘Out of these 130 horses, about ten of them – the most beautiful – were his

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favourites. Le Vizir was one of them. He was often used as a model by painters who even represented him in battles where Napoleon didn’t ride him.’ This is no coincidence: an Arabian horse with a grey-white coat, he was an example of the symbolism used by Napoleon.

‘Napoleon took great care of his image, he was a skilful communicator. He used all the means he could to glorify himself in the purpose of propaganda: he was the only one to use a special hat, and to keep a link with his soldiers he wore dull coloured uniforms like theirs, which contrasted with the uniforms and outfits of the officers of his suite. But according to the representations, his horses were especially beautiful and with a very white coat. So you

could immediately identify Napoleon thanks to his hat and his horse whose coat contrasted with that of his officers’ mounts.’ Thus Le Vizir became famous by participating in the communication plan devised by Napoleon and even more than can be imagined as he was at the centre of controversy. Some historical sources say that a Vizir was staying in Saint Helena island and for some time we wondered if he went into exile with Napoleon and if the horse exhibited at the Army Museum was the real Vizir. Gregory Spourdos is very clear about this: ‘There was another Vizir who lived in Saint Helena with Napoleon; today we are certain that no horses could go to the island with him as 75 days at sea were required to get there.

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Such a sea crossing was impossible at the time for a horse.’ So we can guess that Napoleon gave the name of Vizir to the horse he was riding in Saint Helena in remembrance of the horse he used to ride. As a consequence, in all the pictures about him on Saint Helena it’s the real Vizir who was portrayed.’

By keeping at his side until his death a horse named Vizir, Napoleon expresses strongly his long-lasting love for the Arabian horse.

‘Napoleon set off on campaign in Egypt in 1797 and, obviously, he fell in love with this breed.’

There were few Arabian horses in France at the time, so the Arab horse and Vizir symbolise a renaissance which Napoleon wanted to embody too. He became a keen advocate of the Arabian breed of whom he encouraged the breeding of them in his country. ‘He loved these lively, intuitive, fast horses, qualities that fit his temper too – he was a man always on the move, with a lot of energy, so I think that man and horse shared the same temper.’

From then on he sought Arabian horses for his exclusive use as they were not representative of the mounts in the Napoleonic cavalry. ‘They came from far away and then establishing their breeding took some time… That was always a problem, horse breeding at the time of Napoleon, as thousands of horses were killed during battle, they always lacked horses.’ The fame of the rider reflected on Le Vizir whose death was related by the press and Le Pandore especially. In the political context of the time which didn’t lead to Napoleonic celebration, it tells a lot about the reputation of the horse. Le Vizir joined Napoleon at his political peak with the hundred other Arabian horses.

‘When the Emperor abdicated,’ Gregory Spourdos explained, ‘Mr de Chaulaire, equerry at the Imperial Stables, took the horse with him. He looked after him for 11 years. He kept him until the horse died in 1826: so Vizir lived until he was 33 years old which is quite exceptional taking into account that he took part in battles, travelled all over Europe, saw cannonballs explode around him and maybe was wounded in combat.’ After his death another adventure started. ‘Because Mr de Chaulaire was both a horse enthusiast and a staunch supporter of Napoleon he decided to keep his hide. But being a Bonapartist after the return of royalists to power in 1814, he had to hide it as it was branded with the N for Napoleon (everything related to Napoleon was destroyed then). So he hid the hide in a bark (Editor’s note: a boat) and fraudulently sent it to England. That’s the incredible part of the story, Napoleon’s enemies saved his horse.’ A Mr D.W. Clarke had bought the hide from Mr de Chaulaire. In 1843 Manchester’s Society of Natural History obtained it. Then the horse was stuffed and exhibited. For 25 years it became one of the main attractions of the Society: ‘It seems that people were filled with curiosity 64 • October 2017

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for Napoleon’s horse. He was a trophy for the English people: they had vanquished Napoleon and got something belonging to him.’

So it was as a taxidermied horse that Vizir came back to France in 1868. His arrival was more official than his departure as he was offered to Napoleon III by the British government. ‘For the English people it was a way to get closer to the power in France.

At that time the relationships between Queen Victoria and Emperor Napoleon III were rather warm, taking into account the past history, although they are no allies. For Napoleon III it was also another way to assert his Napoleonic heritage. To reclaim Napoleon’s horse was symbolically meaningful and he wanted to present it in the Musée des Souverains (Monarchs Museum) he intended to create at Le Louvre.’ But time ran against him and he couldn’t achieve this project. ‘The year was 1868 and Napoleon III would abdicate in 1870. Then it would be the beginning of the Third Republique who considered Napoleon I and Napoleon III as hostile to the republican regime, so everything related to Napoleon was sealed in crates.’ Vizir was forgotten in an attic in Le Louvre where he was discovered by some employees from the museum in 1904.

Notified that he was in Le Louvre, the Army Museum claimed him and Vizir entered their collections. ‘It is an exceptional piece because he is Napoleon’s horse. Slowly Napoleon’s reputation changed. He was quite regarded by the army and during WWI many people would refer to him (General Foch admired him). So the Army Museum used this great opportunity.’

Le Vizir’s odyssey ended at Hôtel des Invalides where he started a new adventure in May 2016. Dusty, dehydrated, the hide ripped in different places, he needed to be refreshed.

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But it was a costly restoration explains Gregory Spourdos. ‘It cost 80,000€ : 60,000€ to create the showcase (to regulate air conditioning) and 20,000€ for the restoration.’ So the museum launched a crowd funding campaign on the internet. ‘We wished people to participate to this operation as many of them are deeply attached to Napoleon and to horses. It was something new for the museum and it was a success. Within 20 days we collected 20,000€ while we had planned that 30 would be necessary!’ Vizir’s restoration could start with Jacques Tinet and Yvelines Huguet – two restorers specialised in taxidermy – at the commands. It lasted all June and associated the public who could witness the work: ‘We wanted to share this experience with the public, so he was restored in one of the museum rooms closed with plexiglas windows. On a logistic point of view it was easier to keep him in the museum rather than to send him to a reserve room. It could have been risky as he could have cracked even more while being transported.’

The horse had probably been restored in the 1960s by the friends of Museum of Natural History but the Army Museum has only two photos to prove it. ‘In addition to dedusting, the restorers first had to get rid of all the old fillers,’ explains Gregory Spourdos. They worked on the hide of the horse, stabilising the cracks with cotton canvas placed inside the hide to stop new cracks if temperatures varied. Then they worked with acrylic paint and watercolour on the nose and around the eyes of the horse. ‘The inner structure of the horse has not been altered, however, we did some X-rays: we asked a veterinarian, a horse specialist, to come.

It was quite amazing! Something quite unique!’

Thanks to this restoration work we have

a better understanding of the history of Vizir’s taxidermy and we could confirm the hypothesis stating the horse was stuffed in England as the square-shaped bolts which were found were only used in Great Britain at the time. It also led to funny discoveries too. ‘The view from the inside,’ tells Gregory Spourdos, ‘is a little like contemplating Frankenstein’s creature.

The frame is made of wood with metallic pieces at the joints. In the XIXth century, to mark the iliac crest they added various items including hooves: in fact he is a six-hooves-horse! And more, we are not sure that the mane and tail were his, maybe they were added. The only thing we are sure of is the hide.’

When you see the final results we can’t help but admire the very discreet work made on an animal which was badly damaged. It was decided not ‘to recreate a Vizir but to start from the piece and restore it so that it could be as close as possible to the original and highlight it. Today’s Le Vizir is not Le Vizir from 1802. He is from 2016 and the 2016 Vizir had a life: the colour of his skin, for example, was altered and we couldn’t make him white again.’

This horse who travelled through time is back in his showcase regulated by 50 lux lighting and 23°C temperature. It is ideally situated in terms of conservation and is visible by everyone: ‘The choice of its location is technical as it’s close to water sources and we need water to feed the climate regulation device.

However its location is also strategical as it can be seen from the entrance of the corridor: when you follow the tour you have to pass by and so everyone can see it. It’s really a piece of our collection that you can’t miss.’

So this remarkable horse defies time like his famous master embodying his most ‘human’ and private memory.

For Sale A R A B I A N

H O R S E

W E B

Purebred Arabian Colt rising two years $3300

Arabian Warmblood Colt (Sobek x Sandro Hit) Rubinstein, Weltmeyer Mare Mature around 16.2HH

Keep up-to-date with all things Arabian visit www.arabianhorse.com.au

Park Rothbury Arabians

Dianna De-Silva 1451 Upper Colo Road, Upper Colo, NSW, 2756 P: 00 61 2 4565 9277 M: 0412 078 910 E: rothburypark@optusnet.com.au W: www.rothburypark.com.au

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Stallion Directory

Eskdale Razeem Profi le: Eskdale Razeem is a handsome young stallion carrying Australia’s finest bloodlines.

A Hamdani Simri in strain, Eskdale Razeem is a son of unanimous Australian Champion Stallion Baranski and the only son of Rose of Sarangani in Australia.

Standing 15.1hh, he is consistently passing on his huge eyes, good conformation, refinement and movement to his foals.

We invite you to visit Eskdale Razeem to meet him and his foals in person.

Live cover or high quality chilled semen available.

Baranski Eskdale Razeem

Rose of Sarangani

Barabas Dancing Silver Rave VF Wild Rose

Stud fee: $1000 SCID/CA/LFS Clear Contact: Wendy Keller Stud name: Eskdale Arabians, Lockyer Valley QLD P: 0409 891 945 E: wendy@eskdalearabians.com

Roseglen Crown Royale Profi le: Roseglen Crown Royale is an outstanding Multi Australian Champion Palomino Stallion.

Sired by Australian Champion Chelleason Crown Jewel out of Roseglen Shaakira.

Standing just shy of 14.3 hands this young stallion still has room to grow.

For the past two years he has been the highest scoring Arabian Derivative at the Australian Championships in halter and recently the prestigious Triple Crown Recipient.

This is his first year at stud, we invite you to come and meet Roseglen Crown Royale.

Roseglen Crown Royale

Roseglen Shaakira

Gai El Jullyen (US) Sophia WV (US) Barbaree Felix Merrivale Serenity

Stud fee: $1200 for purebred mares; coloured mares by negotiation SCID/CA/LFS clear Contact: Cate Cunningham Stud name: Khalid Arabian Stud and Equine Centre P: 0474 726 855 E: catherinecunningham@iinet.net.au

Dunwingeri El Shaareef Profi le: Dunwingeri El Shaareef, the only straight Egyptian son of Imperial Maakir at stud. 15 hands of authentic desert Arabian type, excellent bone, structure and stamina, coupled with that classic desert beauty and fineness of skin.

Consistently siring foals that succeed in all disciplines, and providing a strong background of genes that niche well with any breeding program.

Chelleason Crown Jewel

Dunwingeri El Shaareef

Imperial Maakir (US)

Imperial Madheen (DE)

Dunwingeri Samiha (AU)

Al Karim Sirhalima (US)

Imperial Na-Fatia (US)

Shareefa (DE)

Stud fee: $1500 Contact: Lisa Whitehead Stud name: Lavender Park Arabians P: 0402 291 548 E: lavenderparkarabians@hotmail.com www.lavenderparkarabs.wixsite.com/blessed

Xanaphon Profi le: An exciting young stallion bred in the purple! Sired by Ajman Moniscione from Nemesis Spa (Padrons Psyche).

Handsomely marked chestnut with four white legs and blaze, short exotic head, great bone density, good structure and amazing hindquarter.

A beautifully correct stallion with a wonderful temperament to match his good looks.

Reserve Champion at the 2015 Qld Gala Event and just started under saddle.

Xanaphon

Ajman Moniscione (IT) Nemesis Spa

WH Justice Anthea Moniscione Barbaree Felix Padrons Psyche

Stud fee: Purebreds $1200 | Derivatives $800 LFG. AI, Chilled or Frozen only.

SCID/CA/LFS Clear Contact: Veronica Mortimer Stud name: Viva Arabians, Greenbank QLD P: 0412 343 729 E: vronicka@hotmail.com

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Legs – Building a Strong Foundation: Part 2 WORDS CINDY REICH

Cindy Reich continues her educational article about limb anatomy.

Part 1 featured front legs and appeared in the last issue of AHN Volume 51/1.

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he hind feet and legs are not to be dismissed just because they don’t carry as much weight at the front feet and legs. Faults are still important and have a profound impact on how the horse moves. Do not forget the “engine” of the horse is the hind end and if a horse has significant faults in the hind feet and legs, it will certainly impact the ability of the horse to move in front as well, even if the front legs are straight.

buttocks down to the ground, it should follow the back of the cannon bone all the way to the ground through the heel of the foot. If the hind leg falls neither ahead or behind this line, it is a straight hind leg. This said, you need to look at the horse’s hind leg in a natural stance, with the leg directly underneath the horse.

The “halter stance” with one leg stretched behind is not the position in which to correctly evaluate the hind legs.

Viewing From The Profile

Sickle Hock

It is probably best to look at the hind legs first from the profile (drawing 1 and photo 1). If you drop a line from the point of the

D1

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When a hind leg falls in front of this line dropped from the point of the buttock to the ground, it is called a “sickle hock” (Stands Under) (drawing 2 and photo 5). Usually the line from the point of the buttock to

D2

the hock will be straight, then there will be a sharp deviation at the hock, going to the ground. The name comes from the angle made by looking at the front of the hind leg.

The sweeping curve of the leg from the hock to the ground in front of the cannon bone resembles a sickle. Because the hind leg is angled under the horse already, many reining horse and cutting horse people prefer this sort of conformation. But it comes with a price. This extreme angulation predisposes the horse to curbs and bone spavins.

Camped Out Behind Looking at the hind legs from the profile, there is one conformational fault that has the hind leg out behind the line dropped

D3

from the point of the buttock to the ground (drawing 3 and photo 2). This fault is called “camped out” behind and is common in Arabians with very flat croups – especially croups that tilt uphill slightly. The tilt of the pelvis gives the horse a level croup, which is desirable. If the tilt is too extreme, the hind legs will be set too far to the rear.

These horses are always playing “catch up” behind, with the hind legs consistently trailing out behind them. These horses are conformationally incapable of engaging behind, and trainers who try to force them will only become frustrated.

Post Legged Another conformation fault that causes the horse’s leg to be in front of the straight line, is a leg that is too straight, or “post legged” (drawing 4 and photo 3). In this case, the horse does not have enough angle to the hock to flex properly. In fact, it could be comparable to “calf knees” in front, as the stifle joint is too straight, and is nearly going against the direction in which it is supposed to bend, concentrating the forces at the stifle. Additionally, as the force comes down the leg, it concentrates at the fetlock

D4

joint. Often, a horse with a post leg will have soft, or too angulated pasterns, due to repeated stress on the ligaments.

D7

D7a

Coon Feet These soft pasterns are often referred to as “coon feet” as they resemble the feet of raccoons who have no angulation to their paws, walking basically on their heels (photo 3). The forces coming down the leg put much stress on the fetlock joint, sesamoid bones and ligaments of the pastern and fetlock.

Viewing From Behind Straight While most horses stand like the horse in drawing 5, drawing 6 is represented as the horse’s hind legs being straight when viewed from behind. However, since most horses have to stand slightly toed out, drawing 5 is more correct. Horses have to stand slightly toed out behind so that their stifles can clear their barrel when they are galloping.

D5

D6

Bowlegged The bowlegged horse from the rear has its cannon bones set to the outside of the hocks, similar to the front legs (drawings 7 and 7a). In these horses, the forces are concentrated to the inside of the hocks and outside of the fetlocks. Bog spavins and thoroughpins of the hock are common in this type of conformation. Furthermore with the hocks to the outside of the main column (leg), the hocks can become wobbly and rotate when moving.

Base Narrow As with the front legs, a horse that is base narrow has the support structure (feet) inside the columns supporting the structure (body) (drawings 8 and 8a).

D8a

D8

Note: See text for explanations of the drawings.

D1. Leg should be straight when viewed from the side.

D2. Sickle hocked.

D3. Camped out.

D4. Post legged – hind leg too straight.

D5. Most horses stand like this.

D6. Represents the horse’s hind legs as being straight when viewed from behind.

D7. Bowlegged.

D7a. In a bowlegged horse the force is concentrated to the outside of the hocks.

D8. Base Narrow.

D8a. This horse would be susceptible to bog spavins .

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As the force comes down the column (leg) it is concentrated to the outside of the hocks. This horse would be susceptible to bog spavins. As the force travels down the leg, it is also concentrated at the outside of the fetlock and pastern joints. As the horse moves, it has a tendency to move too close at the pasterns and fetlocks, with the increased chance of interference.

Base Wide This is again similar to the conformation of the front legs (drawings 9 and 9a). The column (leg) is set to the outside of the structure (body) and the support (feet) is outside the columns. Therefore, as the force comes through the column, it is concentrated on the inside of the hocks.

This horse could be susceptible to bone spavins. When a horse like this moves it is less problematic than the base narrow horse, as there is not an increased risk of interference. However, a base wide horse often toes out as well, increasing the torque on the pasterns and hocks.

D9

Cow Hocked It used to be that cow hocks were the worst leg fault an Arabian ever had (drawings 10 and 10a). However much has changed since those days. In the cow hocked horse, the hocks point at each other and the horse toes out at the ground. The support system (feet) is to the outside of the columns (legs) supporting the structure (body). The forces are increased to the outside of the hock, making the horse susceptible to bog spavin or thoroughpin and the forces are also increased to the inside of the fetlock and pastern.

D10

D10a

D9a

As in the front legs, pasterns that are short and straight do not have shockabsorbing capacity (photo 4). The force coming down the column (leg) concentrates in joints, making them susceptible to injury from stress, strain and concussion. Horses with this construction usually move with short choppy movements and do not have fluidity of movement. This is a major fault.

Note: See text for explanations of the drawings.

D9. Basewide.

D9a. This horse would be susceptible to bone spavins.

D10. Cow hocked.

D10a. Cow hocked horses are susceptible to bog spavin or thoroughpin.

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Thoroughpin: caused by inflammation of the synovial sheath surrounding the deep digital flexor tendon and accumulation of synovial fluid just below the point of the hock. One way to distinguish a thoroughpin from a bog spavin is the thoroughpin is higher on the hock (just below the point) and can be pushed “through� to either side.

Capped hock: there is a small bursa (sack) around the point of the hock, similar to your elbow. If this bursa becomes chronically inflamed from injury, stress or trauma, fluid accumulates inside the bursa, creating a visible swelling (cap) on the point of the hock.

If the swelling is severe, it could interfere with the movement of the hock joint.

Bog spavin: this is a distension of the large upper joint of the hock (tibiotarsal joint) caused by increased production of synovial fluid. It is generally not associated with lameness. It is located below the point of the hock and below where a thoroughpin is located. It may result from chronic strain on the joint capsule. This chronic strain is usually a result of less than desirable conformation of the hind leg.

Short Straight Pasterns

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Hind Leg Blemishes Caused By Faulty Conformation

Osselets (photo 6): This is an inflammation of the joint capsule of the fetlock due to erosion and damage to the cartilage on the front edges of the cannon bone and the first phalanx or long cannon bone. As a response to the inflammation, more synovial fluid is produced, causing swelling. If this swelling becomes permanent, the area becomes thickened with scar tissue.

It is presumed the undue stress put on the front of the cannon bone and first phalanx is due to incorrect structural conformation. This is a major fault.

Correct conformation is more than a beauty contest. It is ensuring that the horse is functional enough to do its task (riding, driving, pulling, etc.) without causing harm or losing function due to poor construction.

Photos of Various Types of Leg Faults

1. Normal straight leg.

2. “Camped out” leg.

3. Post legged – “coon footed”.

4. Short straight pasterns.

5. Sickle hocked legs.

6. Osselets with an additional small soft swelling to the medial cannon bone just above the fetlock.

Written and adapted by Cindy Reich. Copyright 2017 courtesy of Arabian Horse World Magazine and reprinted by permission.

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Growing Healthy Hooves WORDS CAROL LAYTON B.SC M.ED*

No hoof, no horse is an often repeated maxim. If your horse’s hooves are not handling the workload or appear to be practically ‘falling apart’, you may need to reconsider your approach from the ground up.

T

here are many factors that influence how great your horse’s hooves will be including genetics, early development and whether there has been an injury or illness in the past that will continue to make a mark. Putting those factors aside, there are three main aspects to having healthy, strong resilient hooves rather than weakened, cracked or shelly hooves. All matter: Nutrition – Hoof Care – Movement

Nutrition A more apt title would be ‘how to best feed your horse’, as feeding for hoof health is the same as feeding a diet with sufficient nutrients for the coat, mane, tail, immune system – the whole body. The aim should be to provide a mineral balanced intake with no nutrient deficiencies and optimised mineral ratios.

The horse requires a range of nutrients; proteins including essential amino acids that must come from the diet, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals and a very small amount of fatty acids. The most important source of vitamins, minerals, calories and protein is from the fermentation of soluble fibre by the gut microbial populations.

For that reason an intake as high in fibre as possible is ideal. At the same time, the ‘gut fill’ weighing down the length of the intestine with a high fibre intake will have broad reaching benefits from a calmer temperament and far lower probability of gut disturbances such as colic.

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and tail, hooves and teeth. Keratin is made up of a chain of amino acids with unique properties depending on the sequence; it can be inflexible and hard like hooves or soft as is the case with skin, depending on the levels of the various amino acids.

Many of the amino acids needed for keratin are never deficient; horses can manufacture them from other amino acids.

One that has to come from the diet is methionine, as it cannot be manufactured from other amino acids. Methionine has a sulfur bond, which has confused some people into incorrectly thinking yellow sulfur should be supplemented in the diet.

There is no requirement for inorganic yellow sulfur. Feeding sulfur doesn’t create more methionine; fortunately methionine is in grass and hay and is less likely to be deficient unless the horse is on a high grain diet with little forage.

Minerals A diet with all the mineral requirements covered is essential for all processes in the horse’s body, not just what is happening in the hooves. Copper and zinc are particularly important for the functioning of enzymes needed to produce keratin.

Vitamins Vitamins important for hooves and especially keratin production include the B vitamins: folic acid and pyridoxine. These are less likely to be deficient if the intake contains plenty of grass or hay and they are manufactured by microbes in the gut. Many hoof supplements contain biotin as many people see it as the ‘magic bullet’, it’s true the role it plays with hoof quality and growth

but the question is whether it’s deficient in the intake in the first place. Some studies found biotin supplementation did improve hoof quality but in others there was no improvement.

Fats The periople consists of dense keratin and fatty acids. Many people can recognise the periople at the top of the hoof wall at the coronet band at the transition between soft skin and the hoof but it actually extends all the way around the hoof wall providing a protective outer layer. The periople seals moisture in the deeper parts of the hoof and keeps water out.

Fat is never deficient in the diet if grass is the predominant forage, there is no necessity to supplement more fat. A horse’s natural diet is grass/plant material, which is less than 6% fat and contains the anti-inflammatory omega-3 and pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids – both have very important roles to play in the immune system. However, if a horse was on hay rather than grass then a small amount of fat supplementation is necessary as the curing process largely destroys the omega-3 fatty acids. In grass the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 is around 4:1 and can be as high as 20:1. If we wish to have a similar ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids to plant material/ grass, then consider linseed or chia seed supplementation and avoid vegetable oils like rice bran oil or canola oil and oil seeds like black sunflower seeds.

Hoof Care Quality hoof care is all about optimal balance allowing the hoof to grow stronger

Above: These two photos show a healthy hoof belonging to a successful endurance horse.

Photos Cynthia Cooper

Above: Horse just prior to a trim showing mineral supplementation. Note the new smoother growth at the top of the hoof.

Photo Maja Stocker

and to function properly. If the hoof wall is too long, it will magnify leverage forces on the laminae, stretching and weakening the laminae, allowing pathogens in. These pathogens can eat away the laminae,

preventing the transfer of nutrients to the outside wall, drying out the connective tissue between the tubules. With the drying and weakening of the hoof wall, mechanical forces can cause the more obvious large cracks or breaks in this hoof.

Ensure the hooves are correctly balanced with regular trims. Hooves left too long between trims can become unbalanced and distorted. Long toes, underrun heels, contracted heels and flaring all require rehabilitation that can take some time and at its worst can lead to long term body issues.

A connection between uneven feet and pain avoidance as well as postural and loading preferences when standing has been supported by research. In one study of elite performance horses, researchers found horses with uneven feet typically retired earlier than those with even feet.

Movement It’s not surprising to endurance riders of barefoot horses that after a long distance ride the hooves will need trimming again.

Movement is the trigger for the production of new hoof material. In order for the epidermis to produce quality keratin, it needs movement to stimulate the process of keratinisation. Movement also increases blood flow and the movement of nutrients into cells.

Training regimes, saddle fit and body work are all very important but on their own, none are going to fix fundamental issues around poor hoof quality if hoof care and nutrition are ignored. A horse may be on the best nutrition possible and have a talented hoof care practitioner but if only kept in a relatively small space with little reason or opportunity to move, the hooves can’t reach their potential.

*Carol Layton B.Sc M.Ed – Balanced Equine www.balancedequine.com.au Independent feeding advice and optimised, mineral balanced diets for horses.

Left: Movement is the trigger for the production of new hoof material. Photo Ellen Keidge

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Preservation Breeding: Dead End or Vision with a Future?

WORDS GUDRUN WAIDITSCHKA

Preservation Breeding as exemplified by the Weil-Marbach Arabian breeding programme In 1817, King Wilhelm I. of Württemberg founded his Royal Stud of Weil and Scharnhausen. Therefore, the Weil-Marbach Arabian breeding programme celebrates its 200-year anniversary this year.

Reason enough to be concerned about the continued existence of this subpopulation within the Arabian horse breed.

T

he King’s ideologies were oriental horses that were taller than the desert Arabians but otherwise retain all their characteristics such as toughness, rideability, stamina and beauty. It appeared with better food, different environment and better care the horses reached a suitable height for a riding horse, and within 47 years of his own breeding he consolidated a type of Arabian horse that remained virtually untouched by fashions and fads until today.

After his death, the stud was inherited to his son, then his nephew and then the latter’s daughter, and later was donated by her to the state of Württemberg, where at the Marbach State Stud they found a new home. (Note: The Kingdom of Württemberg was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg.)

Today, Marbach State Stud in the southwest of Germany is the custodian of the oldest dam and sire lines in Arabian horse breeding, i.e. those of Murana I and Bairaktar (aka Bairactar), which originated in the Syrian desert and were imported by King Wilhelm in 1816 and 1817. From then on, these lines were bred on until today, and therefore these horses constitute 200 years of uninterrupted breeding within the same lines. This is quite unique in horse breeding and makes this nucleus of “Weil-Marbach Arabians” a living cultural heritage that needs to be preserved.

Generally speaking, preservation breeding means breeding of endangered animal species and livestock breeds with the aim to preserve them from extinction. The aim is also to preserve biodiversity, i.e. to counteract the narrowing of the genepool. A variety of horse breeds with specific characteristics were developed through selective breeding which were optimally adapted to climate, feed, landscape conditions

Above: Bairaktar was the most important foundation sire at Weil. Artist Albrecht Adam Far left: Said, chief sire at Marbach, tails back to the Bairaktar sireline and Murana I damline.

Photo Oliver Seitz

and usage requirements of people. Examples of preservation breeding in Marbach State Stud are the breeds of Old Württemberg horses as well as the Black Forest Draft Horse.

In purebred Arabian breeding, one cannot speak of an endangered species – even as a race the Arabian horse is not threatened but due to historical and geographical origins, Arab breeders differentiate several subpopulations within the breed. Therefore, to preserve certain subpopulations is also referred to as “preservation breeding”. The reasons why such subpopulations are important to certain breeders are their cultural/historical origin or special features.

In Arab horse preservation breeding, three questions need to be answered:

WHY do we wish to preserve this subpopulation?

WHAT is it that we wish to preserve (the phenotype, genotype or certain characteristics)?

HOW can we preserve this subpopulation?

Why do we wish to preserve this subpopulation?

The Weil-Marbach purebred Arabian represents a living heritage. They are “today’s representative of the history of Württemberg

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and its horse breeding tradition” and have had a huge influence in the past on State horse breeding in general. They represent a unique 200-year-old breeding tradition with uninterrupted genealogy of the sire and damlines, which belong to the oldest documented Arabian horse breeding programmes worldwide.

Among the special characteristics that are worthy to be maintained are character (people oriented, quiet), good rideability, good workability and performance potential.

Stallions such as Dschehim and Said have given proof of that. However, these characteristics are not unique to this subpopulation, others have them too.

More or less unmistakable subpopulations of the Arab breed existed, e.g., in Spain, Russia, Poland and Egypt. Reasons for that were geographical and political isolation with accompanying (moderate) inbreeding and

consolidation, different uses (riding, racing) or quite simply the taste of the breeders. These subpopulations were usually carefully bred and consistent in their heredity.

Then came the era of specialisation and globalisation. Specialised racing and showing lines emerged from within the Arabian breed.

The use of frozen semen has been advanced by globalisation. Successful horses were everywhere – at any time and even beyond death available to an almost unlimited extent.

Today, we observe a never before seen mixup of these subpopulations and at the same time a reduction of the genepool in these specialised fields. This brings along the danger of losing the heterosis effect, which can be seen when crossing two individuals from two different linebred populations: The offspring are far better than the parent generation.

We have seen this effect with the so-called “Golden Cross”, the crossbreeding of Spanish

and Egyptian lines (El Shaklan is the most prominent example) as well as in the influence of the Egyptian stallion Aswan being used on the mares at Tersk Stud in Russia which were carefully bred, but rather lacking type. In both cases, breeding experienced a quantum leap forward, the way it hadn’t been seen before.

These carefully bred subpopulations do have their meaning as long as they are large enough and don’t suffer too much from inbreeding. To preserve these subpopulations in their authenticity, interest groups of breeders have formed to preserve the Egyptian, Spanish, Polish, Russian, etc. subpopulations. They all have one thing in common: they try to preserve the type of Arabian horse, as it was before the specialisation, because the Arabian horse is an all-rounder after all.

What do we wish to preserve?

Let us start with the specific characteristics – and to do so, we should have a look at what the founder of Weil Stud, King Wilhelm I. wanted to breed. When founding his stud, his plan was not to breed “purebred Arabians” or “original Arabians”; this can be proven by his importation of Persian horses (Karabagh) and Nubian horses (Dongola).

Top left: The stallion Amurath I 1829 (Bairaktar db x Sady III 1821) appears in Australian pedigrees. Artist Sperling Top right: Sahmet (Hadban Enzahi x Jatta) descends from Murana I. Sahmet is the dam of Sindbad (by Hadban Enzahi) imported from Germany and grand dam to Amir El Shaklan.

Archive Scheub Left: The stallion Tajar IV 1851 was born at Weil. Artist Friedrich Voltz

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The idea of “pure breeding” was actually only in its beginnings. King Wilhelm I. did not regard his Arabian breeding programme as an end in itself, he actually wanted to breed an Oriental horse that was better suited for riding in European conditions, that was bigger and stronger than the desert Arabians of the time and he wanted to breed a horse that due to its size, willingness, toughness and its simple needs, would be an improver for horses owned by small breeders and farmers as well as the larger government studs.

The preservation of the specific phenotype of the Weil-bred horses is defined by characteristic riding horse points. The genotype of Weil-bred horses are defined as all horses that have been registered in the Weil Studbook by 1932 and can be traced to these horses without any gaps to these horses. In 1932, Princess zu Wied, the last owner of the Royal Stud, transferred the horses to the country of Württemberg. The problem is that there is not a single horse that would fit these criteria.

So we need to define the scope a bit further, and include the Marbach era as well (1932 to today). Therefore the Weil-Marbach purebred Arabians are those horses that trace to the Weil horses as well as the horses that are registered in the Marbach Studbook. In practice, all WeilMarbach-bred horses are tailing to the damline of Murana I, all other damlines have been extinct already when the breeding programme was taken over by Marbach.

The sire and damlines shall be further regarded as one of the aspects of the genotype: We have the fortunate circumstances that the sireline of Bairaktar as well as the damline of Murana survived 200 years of breeding history.

That is not self-evident, because Bairaktar and his sons were to a great extent mare producers, and Murana’s “survival” was more like a coincidence, as King Wilhelm I. valued the mares imported by Count Rzewuski from Arabia far more.

The Significance of the Mares For the Bedouins, the damlines were of great importance, as the mare was the carrier of the strain and the strain name. Considering genetics, all descendants of the Murana I damline have at least the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Murana I. As the mtDNA is only transmitted from the dam to its offspring, all offspring of the same mare have the same mtDNA. The mitochondria are the “energy supplier” of a cell. And even if there are no specific research results, it is rather likely that this is also an explanation of the performance damlines that we find e.g. in Polish (Sabellina) or Russian breeding (Sapine).

Top: The stallion Amurath born 1881 (Tajar VI 1873 born at Weil x Koheil III born at Weil 1876) has descendants in Australia.

Above: Amurath Sahib (35 Amurath II x Sahiba), a grandson of Amurath 1881, and some of his descendants came to Australia.

In this context, we should not underestimate the performance ability of horses of the Murana I damline, just to name a few examples: • Sevinc, three times German National Champion in Endurance (160km; the last title achieved in July 2016) and also winner of international CEI***.

• •

Dschehim and Said in dressage demonstrations.

The full-brothers Mythos, Mefisto and Impact, racehorses with a handicap of 99kg, 85kg and 80kg, tailing to the D-line of Weil through Darsi – Winarsad – Doris.

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These are only very few examples – presumably more of these horses are capable of performing really well, but as long as the performance is not claimed, it will not be detected.

As for the sireline, we have a similar situation, but here it is the Y chromosome which also determines the sex and which is always transmitted by the sire (grandsire, great-grandsire). We can stipulate with certainty that the Y chromosome of the male offspring of the Bairaktar sireline indeed comes from Bairaktar, even though there is (to my knowledge) no scientific research as to which genes are actually located on these chromosomes in horses.

How can we preserve this subpopulation?

Looking at it from a genetic point of view, we have missed the boat already. There are no pure Weil-bred horses anymore and even in the Weil-Marbach-bred horses, with their enlarged genepool, the Weil blood gets more and more in the background.

Analysing the amount of Weil blood in the present day Weil-Marbach horses of the stud, we have a range of 1.56% (Sarafine) to 22.12% (Shadi) of Weil blood in these horses.

So, if we only stare at the percentage of Weil blood, we are in a dead end road. To preserve a minimum amount of Weil blood, the stallions should come from “old German” lines, but they are becoming more and more rare, and the percentage of Weil blood is shrinking with the use of “fashion stallions” ever more. By using Egyptian stallions, as it was commonly done in the past, the Weil blood also gets more and more in the background and in some cases only exists in the very bottom line of the pedigree.

Maybe we have to be content to preserve the Murana I damline and the Bairaktar sireline, while at the same time respecting the vision of the founder, to breed first and foremost riding horses that can also be used as an improver for other breeds. Perhaps this also opens up the possibility to use on a small scale other Arab horse bloodlines which meet those criteria, as it was done by the use of Polish stallions.

Private breeders usually have to breed horses for which the market demands, therefore the concentration on fashionable lines, which are causing the narrowing of the genepool.

In the future, subpopulations such as the Weil-Marbach horses, the pure Polish, pure Russian, pure Spanish, etc., may become a genepool which is free of modern show or 80 • October 2017

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racing lines. A State Stud, such as Marbach, can provide stallions which do not follow the fashion – and especially Dschehim has proven this in the past over and over again. Although he does not come from showlines, and does not have the typical conformation of a show horse, he has regularly thrilled the people when he performed under saddle. And he was used for the improvement of other breeds, which unfortunately has become a rarity.

As long as there are horses in Marbach that belong to the Murana I damline and/or the Bairaktar sireline that have above average riding points, good character and willingness to perform and therefore are usable for the improvement of other breeds, a contribution to the conservation of a cultural heritage is being made. Thus a genepool is maintained that can be used by future generations of breeders. Additionally, stallions are provided that can be an alternative to the English Thoroughbred, due to their character and willingness.

And for those who say that with these characteristics you cannot sell any horses – have a look at the Straight Egyptians (or Asil Arabians) who managed with good marketing to make them the most successful subpopulation within the Arab breed.

Gudrun Waiditschka lives in Germany and has been an editor, journalist and photographer for Arabian and general horse magazines for the past 24 years.

At present, she has her own magazine Arabian Horses IN THE FOCUS, print and online (www.in-the-focus.com).

The article above is an adaptation from a talk about preservation breeding held at Marbach State Stud. Gudrun also did extensive historical research of the history of the Royal Stud of Weil of King Wilhelm I. and the origin and stories of the horses he imported.

Top: Mares and foals at Marbach. Photo G. Waiditschka Above: The dressage horse Dschehim (Pamir I x Dschihan) descends from Murana I damline and the Bairaktar sireline. Photo G. Waiditschka

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Logistics Importing, Exporting And Showing Overseas INTERVIEW SHARON MEYERS

Globalisation of the Arabian horse world has seen entrepreneurial Australians importing and exporting horses for breeding, showing and marketing purposes. I recently interviewed two studs to find out what motivated them to move horses from country to country and what this actually entails.

K

ate and Doyle Dertell own and operate Future Farms Arabians in the beautiful Macedon Ranges in Victoria with their children Kody and Jessica. Future Farms breed between 20-25 Arabian and Arabian Derivative foals per year and compete in Arabian showing, open hacking, dressage, endurance riding and Arabian racing.

Kate and Doyle have shown horses in the USA for the past six years, with major successes with horses they have bred, including Sir Charmed FF, Reserve Scottsdale Champion Stallion and Bronze World Cup Supreme Champion Senior

Stallion owned at the time in partnership with Helen and Andy Hardwick; and Clarissa FF, Bronze World Cup Supreme Champion Junior Filly ATH and now owned in partnership with Kristi Hopp. They have also assisted various other Australian clients with their horses to show overseas or to purchase horses internationally to show.

Michelle Thomas founded Chelleason Arabians in Queensland around 25 years ago.

Initially the breeding stock was sourced from domestic Arabians. In time, after travelling to all corners of the globe to observe the world’s

leading sires and breeding programs, the original horses were sold to allow a new phase of bloodstock to be imported. An influential import was Sophia WV sired by US National Champion Falcon BHF. She is the cornerstone for the success of the current Chelleason breeding program. Michelle was instrumental in the importation of many horses, including Willowvale Picasso, RHR Heir of Marwan, Gai El Jullyen and Saudi El Perseus. She has exported numerous horses to the USA, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East from Australia and the USA. In 2012, Michelle with her partner Peter Hepburn-Brown established a small and select international breeding program (Chelleason Arabians International) based in the USA to allow easier access to leading global sires and the world markets.

Chelleason Silk Road, from their USA base, won her class from 54 fillies, highest scoring 2-year-old and Bronze Champion at the UAE Fujairah Show earlier this year. NW Heritage Jullyen was purchased and managed for an Australian client and he was awarded Canadian National Champion Stallion and US National Top Ten Stallion.

Due to the interconnection of the horse world through the Internet, live streaming and instant result services, do you still feel it’s necessary to ship horses overseas to effectively market them to a new audience?

Above: The Future Farms Australian-bred Sir Charmed FF in the USA.

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Future Farms: The world is a small place these days with all the online services you can use to keep up to date with what is happening. However, Australia is a long way from anywhere. Unless people are invited and flown here, or are here to judge, not many Arabian horse enthusiasts come to Australia looking for horses. If you go to a show like

Left: Chelleason Arlington, a colt bred in the USA

by Chelleason Arabians International.

representation of not only your breeding farm, but also for your country, you want to send the best horses you can. If a horse has been exhibited at the big shows in Australia and travelled well and handled being away from home; transporting, flying internationally and competing there isn’t hugely different.

Chelleason Arabians International: Yes, changing hemispheres can be quite stressful on the horse, particularly if they are not used to travelling and all the associated changes.

However, horses that are experienced show horses usually make the trip quite well.

Can you provide an overview of your level of satisfaction when dealing with international transport companies and highlight any key issues for prospective owners contemplating shipping horses overseas?

Scottsdale or the Arabian Breeders World Cup in the USA, a huge portion of the people there are from all corners of the world looking to buy or breed their next superstar. We still sell many horses overseas from Australia; however, it is one thing to say your horse can compete and win overseas and another thing to actually do so.

Chelleason Arabians International: We chose the longer and more challenging route of maintaining a breeding nucleus in the USA, rather than ship Australian horses to the USA. Our horses are somewhat spread over the USA as we like the broodmares and young stock out in pastures. We have situated the show horses in Scottsdale for ease of showing and marketing over the winter. We have been rewarded with some nice show results and sales in both the USA and Middle Eastern show rings for our Chelleason Arabians

International-bred horses and this has been very gratifying. The USA has been a great base for the stronger global markets. We commute between the hemispheres to view horses in both programs, although the Australian side has been downsized in response to the depressed market and show scene there.

Not all horses cope with the pressure of overseas travel including jet lag, change in diet and climate on arrival. How much importance do you place on the temperament and constitution of the horse before making a decision whether to travel him or her overseas or not?

Future Farms: Like all show horses, they should always be of sound body and mind to be able to compete even in Australia, and this is more important when sending them internationally. Any horse you export is a

Future Farms: Any transport company is only as good as its employees and that goes for people in the office taking the calls, right through to the people cleaning the stalls.

For us, flying horses into the USA has been easy as there is only some basic vet work to be done at home by a licensed veterinarian for the quarantine station, and then we can drive them to the airport and load them into the container and onto the plane – nice and simple with no quarantine. So long as you plan well in advance for where you want your horse to go and ensure you know what vaccinations and passport information and such for your horse, it is easy. We have used IRT and another company multiple times and they have been great. It is more difficult getting a horse back to Australia than sending one overseas.

Chelleason Arabians International: I have used a number of different agents and to date I have always been happy with the results. I feel the most important thing is to develop a clear communication path with an experienced and credential agent.

Much has been written about precautions to be taken when transporting horses over long distances and for long periods of time, are there any specific precautions you might take?

Future Farms: Horses must always be in the best of health and fit to travel. When horses are flying they have a groom with them, so are given food/hay and water and are cared for very well. We have been lucky to be given the groom’s mobile number on a

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Above: Australian-bred Gameelah KA in the USA with Kate (red jacket), Doyle Dertell (handler) and Olivia Cleary (next to Doyle).

few occasions. They messaged us before the plane took off, and when they landed, letting us know how everything was going. This takes a lot of the stress out of it.

Chelleason Arabians International: A healthy, well-handled horse with a good agent will usually go smoothly. On arrival it’s always good to watch for any temperature spikes, nasal discharge and UTIs (urinary tract infection) from long flights.

Campaigning your horse overseas needs to be well planned and thought through, what advice would you give an Australian breeder trying to win or break into an overseas show environment?

Future Farms: It takes a lot of planning to travel a horse internationally to show. The horse must be at the top of its game here before you would consider taking it overseas.

Australia has some fantastic Arabian horses, which is being proven time and time again.

Put together a budget and then double it!

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marketing and then getting to the shows. It costs a lot of money!

Prior to sending a horse internationally, organise good photos and videos of him or her and send them to the trainers who you admire and see who contacts you back and wants your horse. We would suggest going overseas and meeting possible trainers and seeing their facilities before sending your horse. Look at locations where you want to show and factor in distances your horse will need to travel to the events.

You need a trainer whom is upfront and keeps in contact with you to supply regular updates about what your horse is doing. You require a good rapport with a trainer before sending a horse to them. Politics also play a huge part in international showing, and the cost of some trainers’ show fees can vary by thousands of dollars.

Chelleason Arabians International: Showing overseas is fun and expensive.

It’s a total different ball game and level of competition to what you see in Australia.

Different countries require different styles of show horses due to more emphasis put on different features: the Middle East and

European show scene requires a deep dish and a very flamboyant horse. I feel people would be surprised at the high quality and excellence it takes to win at prestigious shows on a global level. If considering sending a horse to campaign overseas, I would suggest travelling and familiarising yourself with the show scene and building a relationship with your selected trainer first.

Selection of a trainer is difficult. There are lots of factors to take into consideration such as a trainer’s location and facilities and the level of showing you want to do. The trainer’s connections and prior commitments need to be taken into consideration. A trainer who communicates well is a must!

Photographs and live stream unfortunately are just not the same as being there to gauge the levels of competition, nor is it as much fun! We have loved our experience of showing overseas.

Can you give a ballpark figure of what it costs to transport a horse overseas?

Future Farms: This is like saying how long is a piece of string. To ship a horse from Australia to the USA costs approximately

$20,000 and this includes the pre-vet work and quarantine check in the USA when they arrive – they can be held up to 72 hours there while blood work and such is performed.

You then have to pay freight to the airport in Australia if you aren’t able to take them yourself. Plus freight on the other side to your new trainer. Your trainer will be where your costs will differ greatly. Most trainers are relatively similar to Australian training prices – they vary from around $1200 to $1400 per month. This is the cheap part; the marketing and promotion and showing fees are much more expensive. You can pay anywhere from $2,500 to $15,000 for your horse to compete in a class at the big shows, not including transport. You generally have patron and set up fees with your trainer and these can vary from a few hundred dollars per show to quite a few thousand per show. Most training barns make it compulsory for you to be part of their sponsorship amounts (patron fees) for the show. This helps cover drinks and hospitality while at the show, plus sometimes includes seating. It is costly to compete a horse! Marketing will depend upon what you

are wanting – e-blasts, banners, stallion cards, magazine advertising etc., the list is endless.

Chelleason Arabians International: Costs vary depending upon country of departure and arrival plus the horse’s individual needs. Show costs again vary but most trainers demand at least 90 days’ training with them prior to having the horse in the appropriate condition and level of schooling to be competitive. The monthly training fees are not so bad at about $1,000 per month but the show fee can be from $3000 to $8000 per show not including hauling and clipping and such. You need to budget for a lot of add-ons, as everything that happens to your horse will be invoiced.

Showing is expensive, however, the rewards can be greater.

Quarantine provisions can be onerous bringing horses back into Australia. Can you talk about your experiences?

Future Farms: Bringing horses back to Australia is much more difficult than sending them overseas. Australia has the toughest

quarantine laws in the world. You are generally looking at six to seven weeks’ quarantine plus flights to get a horse to Australia.

Freight companies generally handle most of the paperwork, chase up pre-quarantine vaccinations and be in regular contact not only with yourself as the owner but also with the training stable your horse is at. We have had good and bad experiences with horses coming to Australia. Some arriving terribly thin and not having coped well, one who foundered badly and was unsound for a long time while others travelled well and you could put them in the show ring the next day.

Once again, you are putting your horse’s welfare in the hands of others and you hope they are looked after as well as you would expect for the price you pay. As a result of the length of the quarantine, costs to bring horses back to Australia are substantially higher than flying them overseas – around $30,000 to bring a horse to Australia.

Chelleason Arabians International: Quarantine to Australia is the longest and the most arduous. After living in the USA and having to vaccinate for a myriad of different diseases, needing current Coggins and vaccination certificates to cross State lines or go to shows, I am thankful for Australia’s strict importing protocol and disease free status.

Exporting to and from other countries is much more streamlined and easier to facilitate and less expensive.

After your experience, would you recommend more Australians consider campaigning horses overseas?

Future Farms: We have had an amazing time campaigning horses internationally and have no hesitation in recommending people to consider doing so. You will meet many new like-minded people who love Arabian horses and the shows are fantastic! Just make sure you plan well in advance and over-budget everything. Remember, things will not always go to plan and you are a long way from your horse to make changes as may be required.

Research everything thoroughly before your horse leaves our shores. You will find it a very different level of competition and different ways of doing things – take all on board and enjoy the ride!

Chelleason Arabians International: Maintaining a breeding program and showing on the other side of the world is expensive, it can be frustrating and fraught with many pitfalls but it can also be fun, exciting and very rewarding as well.

Left: Michelle Thomas in the USA. Photo Paul Clark

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News Historical Display WORDS YVONNE DOWNES

W

hen I was asked to organise a display for the 2017 Australian Arabian National Championships, I thought about archival and historical items and remembered it was 1977 when Ron and Val Males took Ralvon Pilgrim to England for the very first International Championship and came home with the supreme award.

This was 40 years ago! It was the first time an Australian-bred Arabian horse had travelled overseas to compete and was an incredible trip.

I emailed Val and asked if they had the movie they made of the whole trip put on to video. They hadn't, but it stirred them into action. Val rang me a few days before we left home and left a message to say it didn't look like the DVD would be ready in time. I asked them if they could put some of

their memorabilia together for the display anyway and we picked it up and took it to the championships. I also borrowed a few older championship ribbons and trophies from a friend, the green and gold ones, because I forgot to grab some of our own before we left home. Br. Peter McIntosh very kindly lent some very colourful and interesting items, which added to the display.

The display was well received by passersby, even though it wasn’t in the mainstream visitor area. The Ralvon Pilgrim memorabilia was very popular. Also of extreme interest was the authentic Arabian saddle from Syria, the beautiful Arabian costume blankets, bridles and other bits and pieces.

There were old books and magazines, information and other items of interest.

Also very popular were the various volumes of the Arabian Horse in Australia and New Zealand and old copies of Australian Arabian Horse News magazines which were giveaways. The few white polo shirts with the old green and gold championships logo sold quickly.

People were amazed it was really 40 years since the international Arabian horse world sat up and took notice of Australian Arabians when Ralvon Pilgrim won the stallion class, the championship and then brought home the supreme champion award. Many people felt privileged to be able to pick up the brass coffee pot that was the prize for the world championship at the time. They were impressed with the photo of Ron receiving the commemorative sword which was the trophy for the supreme award, and which Ron and Val were only allowed to bring home on the condition they returned it the following year when they went back to judge the same show.

Val rang me on the Friday of the championships to say the video had arrived and they would bring it in to the show after moving horses to higher ground due to flooding in their area. As soon as they arrived and were settled, we put the video on and started watching it on my small computer screen. It was just amazing that people started gathering around and before long there was a small crowd with us watching this video in our little stand – people were just stopping to look and staying. Val was quite excited about seeing and reliving it and they both were talking us through the whole thing. They became quite emotional as Pilgrim was strutting his stuff – as we all were!

I am deeply indebted to Ron and Val for entrusting me with their precious memorabilia and for allowing me to show the video. I would like to thank Br. Peter McIntosh for providing so many interesting items. I greatly appreciated Br. Peter and John Newton for assisting in setting up the display and helping to man it for the three days.

It was a wonderful opportunity for Society members to meet other members in an informal setting and for them to appreciate some of the history of our Australian Arabian journey.

Left: The legendary Ralvon Pilgrim.

Photo Sparagowski

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Judges and Affiliates Congress WORDS ALLAN PRESTON

T

he exciting Sydney waterside precinct of Darling Harbour was the location for the Arabian Horse Society of Australia’s inaugural Judges and Affiliates congress.

This self-funding, informative and fun weekend was established by the AHSA Board to become an annual social and educational event. This congress, as with those from here on in, will be held over the first weekend in July each year, with the intention for it to be hosted in a different state every year.

Sydney Harbour offered a wonderful backdrop to launch this promising new concept. It was well supported, with around 40 judges, as well as some society members attending, participants travelling from almost every state of Australia.

Day one of the congress was a value packed seminar day with several very knowledgeable presenters who covered a diverse range of topics. Congress participants were encouraged to engage with the presenters in each of the topics, and at times they were brought up out of their seats for some real hands on instruction that had everyone laughing, communicating and involved.

As the sun set and the lights of the city started to light up the harbour, everyone dressed up to head out for dinner. The hosting congress hotel was literally a one-minute walk to some of Sydney's finest water-view restaurants. Leonie Williamson coordinated the land-lovers dinner where the participants enjoyed a lovely evening of fine food and stimulating conversation on the harbourside.

Meanwhile, 20 of the more adventurous partygoers embarked on a splendid threehour dinner cruise that took in the wonderful sights of the harbour by night. Canapes and drinks on the upper deck kicked off a splendid dinner cruise, and everyone had a wonderful evening capped off perfectly with an amazing fireworks display in the middle of the harbour.

Day two of the congress got down to some real business with a workshop to brainstorm ideas and solutions for the Arabian horse industry in Australia. This was an extremely beneficial and productive workshop, giving the Society feedback and ideas for growing our

industry. The afternoon lead into the affiliates meeting, giving affiliate groups the opportunity to ask questions and put ideas and suggestions forward. All in all, there were some very positive and progressive ideas that came from the day.

The same afternoon, Scott Benjamin took a group to the Sydney Art Gallery for a cultural experience we titled ‘Horse in Art’. All who attended enjoyed taking about the horse art and discovering the diverse ways artists interpret and express the equine image. This thought provoking and inspiring stroll around the gallery was a lovely social way to cap off a truly fantastic weekend. A special thanks must go out to all the attendees who not only helped to make the weekend possible, they all helped to make it successful.

Desert Riding WORDS JANINE-HELEN DANIEL

T

hroughout my life, I have been privileged to live with the knowledge the Arabian is the ultimate horse, improver of all breeds and the original all-round equine companion.

Purebred Arabians were a rarity in the remote rural area I grew up in, and still are today. When I purchased my mare in 2003, she was only the second purebred to have

ever resided in my shire, a total now trebled to six. Interestingly, the first Arabian in our area was a son of Mustafa imp DE and my mare is a granddaughter and great, great granddaughter of the renowned Mustafa.

I've always wanted to meet Arabians descended in all lines from desertbred horses in their homelands after receiving as a gift my treasured copy of the Bahraini stud book. To be able to ‘throw a leg over’ and feel the paces of an authentic Royal Bahraini desertbred stallion was a joy. I am still smiling from the experience! I was so thrilled to have this augmented by riding out into the arid lands, to the Tree of Life, through desert flowers which had bloomed only the day before from the rain that heralded the 2017 WAHO Conference in Bahrain.

Twesan Wasem Al Bahraini, a 16hh chestnut stallion, winner of flat races before moving into endurance riding, was surefooted and keen to follow any trail I picked to traverse. His paces were comfortable and easy to sit to, he was willing and eager to answer my aids, and above all he felt so safe to be around. My deep thanks must go to both Mohammed Al Noami and Jehangir Rustomjee for enabling this experience. I hope 2019 WAHO participants who wish to, will be able to experience the joy of riding Australian-bred Arabians on Australian soil.

Right: Janine-Helen Daniel riding a desertbred Arabian in Bahrain.

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Fine Art of Securing And Maintaining Sponsorship WORDS ERIC THOMAS

Is it sponsorship you are seeking or are you looking to form a lasting partnership?

H

orse ownership in Australia is not immune to ever-increasing costs of caring and maintaining a horse.

The staging of equestrian events is becoming more and more expensive.

Across Australia, valued and generous sponsors allow hard working committees to host a wide range of events to suit an even wider and expanding range of equine disciplines. These sponsors generally include trusted feed suppliers and saddlers. Every event organiser appears to approach the same sponsors. With these demands it must be increasingly difficult for these potential sponsors to direct their limited sponsorship funds across the entire equestrian world.

Arabian horse shows and endurance riding events are susceptible to the diminishing sponsorship dollar while competing with other equine disciplines.

Seeking Sponsorship You can form your own sponsored endurance team or seek sponsorship of your endurance event or Arabian horse show if you follow seven simple steps.

Provided you think outside the square and don’t approach the same potential sponsors/partners unless you can offer something different!

You have to market yourself and display how a return or a tangible value may be achieved for your sponsor/partner.

1.

Know who/what you are and what you can offer your sponsor/partner.

2. Don’t over-sell yourself so that you make promises you can’t deliver.

3. Know what you need and be flexible to what may be offered to you.

4. Don’t seek a donation but display a commitment to a working partnership.

5. Highlight a synchronised ideology to a wider audience; eg. endurance, power, strength, commitment, longevity.

6. Know your partner, learn about their products and how to market these products or services for mutual benefit.

7. Most of all… ‘It is reward for effort’.

W. Wyhoon.

At the end of the day what value can you really offer your partner?

Example Of A Successful Partnership

Above from left: Sheryl Symes riding Harrison F-Trucks Gumderkan, Kerry Alderton on Madgrical Park Larbonetta and Jasmine Venezia with Forest Dale Look No Further formed a successful sponsorship agreement with Harrison Motoring Group Pty Ltd.

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In Victoria, two identities have come together to create an endurance team to compete on a national stage and showcase similar synchronised ideals and beliefs to a wider audience for mutual benefit. There is always a back-story to any sponsorship and two elements of a successful partnership.

Victorian endurance rider Kerry Alderton, a Kiwi ex-pat, has been a professional horsewoman her entire working life.

Although still considered relatively new to the demanding sport of endurance riding, Kerry

has carved an enviable portfolio of success in challenging equine disciplines of eventing and Thoroughbred racing.

Dedication to her craft has produced proven results as an eventer, which secured national recognition with both individual and team gold medals is the Trans-Tasman Cup. The door opened into the world of professional eventing, and actually being paid to ride other people’s horses allowed Kerry to completely submerse herself into her equestrian world and with self-belief manufactured her dreams to become a reality.

This success permitted Kerry to establish her own property with significant land holdings in New Zealand but the lure of Thoroughbred racing proved to be a natural progression in Kerry’s equine career.

Growing up as a Kiwi dairy farmer’s daughter, Kerry had a childhood introduction to the racing industry as Charlie, Kerry’s dad, had some success as a racehorse trainer. Kerry soon archived the necessary requirements to gain a public trainers licence. Success quickly followed with wins at the famous Te Rapa course and tracks throughout other courses in New Zealand.

Before relocating to Australia to coordinate and oversee training for some of the most noted racing trainers in Melbourne and operating her own training facility at Cranbourne, Victoria, Kerry had an opportunity to pass on some of her skills and expertise while spending time at the world renowned Shadai Farm, Japan.

With a self-emplaced hiatus from the equestrian world, Kerry was introduced to the commanding discipline of endurance riding.

With a refined eye for fitness and attention to detail, Kerry soon gained a reputation as a serious competitor with one of Australia’s most revered endurance families from Queensland seeking co-operation while competing at the Tom Quilty 2014 at Wagin, Western Australia. Kerry was not successful at this TQ with a vet out after the final leg.

This was Kerry’s first attempt at a Tom Quilty.

While respecting every rider’s option to complete the 160kms in only 24 hours, the competitive nature of Kerry’s DNA dictated she was not about to collect buckles. The endurance bug had bitten hard.

The team has expanded to include the equine talents of Jasmine Venezia, also a highly gifted eventer, and Sheryl Symes.

Jasmine juggles her time between university commitments and Sheryl, who has attention to detail, an elegant Brit ex-pat who is a professional educator at one of Melbourne’s highly regarded private secondary colleges.

Enter the Harrison Motoring Group Pty. Ltd., a local family operated business founded

by CEO Keith Harrison in the 1970s. Dedicated to supporting the local community, you will

Above from left: Kerry Alderton, Jasmine Venezia and Sheryl Symes with their horses and the Harrison F-Trucks’ travelling billboard.

see signboards throughout sporting arenas promoting the Harrison Motoring Group multifranchise dealerships, including everybody’s favourite equine hauler the Ford F-Series vehicle.

Born in the late 1940s the F-Series vehicles have carved an international reputation for ruggedness and reliability and almost every equestrian across Australia has a favourite F-Series story to tell. F-Series vehicles can be seen parked at any event or towing our trusted and loved companions to rodeos, shows, three day events, races, polo, dressage, show jumping, camp drafting and cutting, just to name a few.

Harrison F-Trucks has an unparalleled commitment to supplying and servicing vehicles to all fields of the equine industry however Harrison F-Trucks is often seen supporting numerous and diverse sporting events but more importantly seen at the forefront of community events such as the Good Friday Appeal and supporting the CFA. Together as the Harrison F-Trucks Endurance Team we have supported the South Australian ride at Kirkcaldy Park and we are extremely proud to have secured the naming rights for the Harrison F-Trucks Endurance Team VERA State Championships 2017 at Dergholm in November.

So there you have it, two unique, highly motivated identities and successful in their own right. How did these two come together to form the Harrison F-Trucks Endurance Team? From a chance meeting, two positive like-minded individuals representing these extremely driven identities agreed to have an informal discussion regarding the formation of an endurance team and what it might look like? From this dialogue an accord was reached and the formation of the Harrison F-Trucks Endurance Team was born.

‘If a successful agreement is secured you are now an ambassador for your sponsor/ partner so you must conduct yourself accordingly at all times. You may never know who is watching or who you are actually talking too.’

We are able to supply a large vehicle in the form of an F-Series truck towing a large gooseneck. This has enabled our partners’ brand to be plastered all over where suitable to form a ‘Living, Breathing, Walking, Talking and Travelling’ billboard that is seen nationally.

Our travelling billboard welcomes people from all walks of life that see us on the highway or at trucks stops and parked up at an endurance ride base. You just never know who may walk up to your vehicle or stop in at your ride base. Opportunities present themselves at the seemingly strangest of occasions.

Victoria is fortunate to have secure relationships with key stakeholders in the equine feed supply industry and major saddlers. These significant supporters of endurance rides are paramount to the future of our sport.

Many other states enjoy valuable support from some of the larger endurance training stables. Victoria is fortuitous to have Martin Mizzi (Kalimnah Farm), Jen Green (The Flying Circus), Paul and Bek (Parero Park), Kate and Doyle (Future Farms Arabians) and Sioux Reid (Moyston Endurance) just to name a few.

These benefactors provide time, knowledge and substantial funds to ensure there are opportunities for riders and organisers to remain sustainable.

The success of any team relies primarily on each and every element of the partnership coming together to create something special.

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Food for Thought

Saddle Fitting WORDS PAULA JEFFERY*

To be a champion in any sport you have to pay attention to the details, but with horses it’s not just about making him a champion, it’s about caring for his welfare and happiness along the way. After all, he’s the one doing most of the hard work! Getting your saddle fitting correctly helps make his job as easy as possible.

I

f you consider a saddle is basically a hard, inflexible structure we put on our horse’s soft moving back and then we expect him to lift and swing with ease, you can start to see how critical it is to get the two as well matched as possible.

Add to the mix the considerable weight of a rider sitting on top, sometimes unbalanced, pressing this rigid structure down into his back, you can understand how difficult a job it can be for a horse to move underneath us comfortably as a happy partner.

Here are some essential points to improving the saddle fit and performance of your horse.

Understanding How Muscles Work In all mammals, one of the roles muscles have is to move bones, joints or limbs, so we can bend, straighten and move our arms, legs, back etc.

Here’s a little exercise for you; with your arm outstretched, make a fist. Now take your other hand and put it on your bicep – the big muscle on the top of your arm. Flex your arm up like you want to show someone how strong your muscles are. Can you feel how your muscle gets bigger and shorter in size? Now relax your arm back down. The muscle gets longer and thinner right?

Right: The Trapezius muscle is underneath the major hard structures of the front of your saddle.

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Okay, so your bicep’s job is to bend your elbow and bring your forearm up. Helpful if you want to be able to eat food for instance!

So here is the big test. Do the same thing but this time I want you to squeeze your hand over your bicep hard. Hold onto it. Try and bend your elbow up. Harder? Does it make your muscle ache? If you had to do this for the next 40 minutes it would get quite sore and tired.

Now you understand what happens to a muscle under pressure. It has to change shape – gets bigger and smaller when it contracts and relaxes to move bones. It gets fatigued under pressure. For instance, like a horse’s muscle under the pressure of your saddle and your weight.

Let me introduce you to which muscles are affected by pressure from your saddle and how it affects the way your horse can move.

Important Muscles And One Big Pressure Point The Trapezius This poor muscle is right underneath the major hard structures of the front of your saddle – your metal gullet plate, your first girth strap attachment and your stirrup bar.

It is the place where we see major saddle damage when the saddle is not fitting correctly. This big muscle moves your horse’s shoulder backwards and forwards as he takes a stride or jumps and pain in this area tends to make a horse want to lift his head, shorten his stride and gives him girth pain – a ‘girthy’ horse.

Above: Major muscles affected by saddle fit.

Right: Incorrect seat balance: increased rearward pressure on the lower back under the cantle results in reduced flexibility.

The Longissimus This is the major muscle you sit on. What most people don’t realise, it runs all the way along to join onto the lower neck vertebrae, and so problems in the back, especially when on one side, can also create problems with tension in the neck on the same side. Think of problems with bending, flexing and stiffness in one direction.

Incorrect pressure and too much weight at the cantle end of this muscle causes a horse to stiffen and drop his lower back, flatten his croup, have problems with canter transitions and with bringing his hind legs under him to track up.

Important Tips To Improve Your Saddle Fit Your saddle’s job is to spread the rider’s weight over the greatest surface of the horse’s back as evenly as possible, from behind his shoulder to his last rib, making you an easy partner to carry.

Get Your Balance Right – Find The You’ve Got a Nerve! Flattest Part Cranial Nerve 11 Of Your Seat This nerve unfortunately is also affected by incorrect saddle fit and saddle placement.

It runs over the shoulder blade and into the trapezius region under the front of the saddle. When there is too much pressure here it causes an involuntary reflex that triggers the horse to lift his head, stopping the shoulder movement, dropping the back and tilting the pelvis forward. The complete opposite of what we are usually trying to achieve when riding the horse with its back lifted and on the bit!

Long-term pressure in this area causes the trapezius muscle to become atrophied, so we get ‘dips’ in front of and behind the wither/shoulders, and the saddle drops down in front, making the pressure even worse.

The strongest part of your horse’s back is between the back of his shoulder and the middle of his back. His spine is relatively inflexible here, so it is the strongest place for a horse to carry the rider’s weight.

His lower back is where he gets his spinal flexion for bends, corners, collection, jumping etc.

To enable him to use his back most effectively, we ideally want to place the majority of the rider’s weight over the strongest point – typically at the base of his withers.

If your saddle balance tips backwards and places you too much to the cantle, he loses power and flexibility. Conversely if the saddle balance is tipped too far forward, he cannot use his shoulders easily and

will raise his head, finding it hard to stay on the bit. The flattest part of your seat needs to be as close to the base of his wither as possible.

Pick The Correct Tree Did you know the tree inside your saddle comes in all sorts of different shapes, in the same way that horses’ back shapes or top line profiles vary greatly? Put a curvy shaped tree on a flatter backed horse and it will rock like a banana and can lift at the back. Put a flatter tree on a horse with a taller wither and more curve in its back and it will cause a bridge, putting extreme pressure at the front and back and nothing in the middle.

Hoop Verses Standard Trees – What’s It All About?

Broader, flatter backs like many Arabians and native breeds, need broader, flatter ‘hoop’ trees while more ‘A-Frame’ shaped Thoroughbred types need more triangular, standard shaped trees. A hoop tree is generally wider through the pommel arch, the waist of the saddle and the angles of the rails are flatter. A standard tree is more triangular in shape, with a higher, narrower pommel arch; narrower through the waist or ‘twist’ and the

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distance between the stirrup bars is closer together than in a hoop tree.

Often people mistakenly think they can just widen the gullet angle out for widebacked horses to make it fit, but that won’t actually fix a narrow, triangular shaped tree.

In fact, it often makes it curvy on the horse’s back and it rocks like a banana on a table top!

What back shape is your horse? Does your saddle rock or bridge on movement?

Increase Your Panel Contact And Spread Your Load Once you have the correct tree shape, the next equally important job is for your panels to spread your weight as evenly as possible over as great an area of his back muscles as possible. That makes you easy to carry and reduces painful pressure points under the saddle. This means the panels have to sit flush and level with his back under the whole length of the tree, especially when he moves. If his back is broad and flat, are the panels broad and flat? The saddle panels must not be too long and extend past his last rib.

Climb up behind your horse and have a look: does the panel shape match his back shape?

Get The Gullet Angle Right This is a super important point but not the only answer to correcting saddle fit as we

have been led to believe! The gullet plate is a steel plate that lives inside the front of your saddle. It sits a couple of inches behind your horse’s shoulder blade. Some are adjustable and some are not. In a well-muscled horse, the gullet plate should run parallel to the back muscles behind the shoulders. Too narrow and you have problems with ongoing muscle atrophy; the tree point can dig into the base of the wither pockets behind the shoulders, restricting blood flow to the muscle and damaging nerve endings. The saddle may also tip backwards. Too wide and risk damage to the spine with the saddle sitting too low, and the top of the panel digging into the sides of the withers as well. The saddle may also tip forwards and bounce at the back. The gullet must run parallel to his wither pockets.

Free Up His Spine Channel width – how wide is the horse’s spine, how many fingers wide? Is it wide enough all the way from the front to the back of the saddle or does it get narrower?

Not only does the channel in your saddle need to allow room for his spine but also the ligament that runs on either side of it.

Otherwise your panels are pushing right into the sides of his vertebrae, a very sensitive area! Different breeds have different vertebral widths, with many Arabians, native breeds, ponies and Warmbloods being especially broad. They can be really wide at the base of the wither where the back flattens out. Make sure your saddle is not pinching the sides of his spine, especially at the base of the wither.

Allow Freedom Of Movement For His Shoulders

Check Your Saddle’s Packing

Saddle placement – where do we put it?

The horse has big shoulder blades that rotate backwards on movement when he takes a stride.

If a saddle is too far forward, the tree point can interfere with shoulder rotation and limit the lift of his front legs, especially in jumping. This is even more of an issue if the horse is in a close contact jumping saddle with foam panels and has either big shoulders or muscle wastage behind them; there is now no support for the saddle except on top of his shoulder blade. This causes pressure and restriction of his shoulder and makes him want to lift his head. The saddle must be placed behind his shoulder.

Flocking – often your saddle can be fitting perfectly well, only to be let down by the flocking. Your panels and the flocking inside them provide the only source of shock absorbency between the hard tree with your weight on top of it and your horse’s soft moving back muscles. It has got to be soft and even! Are both panels even in height? There should be a soft springiness to it. If you have foam or Cair, is it still functioning correctly? Run your hands firmly down both panels – is it hard, lumpy, have soft spots, big dips in it? Is one bigger than the other?

Above: Showing the difference between hoop and triangular shaped trees.

Below: Showing the difference between triangular and hoop shaped saddles.

Left: Correct parallel gullet angle.

Centre: Increased pressure and muscle expansion when moving.

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Top Left: A flat, broad backed horse needs flatter hoop trees.

Top Right: Older saddles will usually need fresh, new packing to keep them comfortable for your horse.

Above: Example of a rider sitting off centre.

Are You Rocking And Rolling?

happy and perform to their best and you end up with one very unwilling horse. If you are going sideways, forward or backwards – get a professional’s help.

Does your saddle sit straight or is it sliding forwards over his shoulders? Does it slip off to the side? You can imagine that if it slips sideways, one of the panels will push into or even sit on, his spine and cause bruising to his delicate nerves and bone in that area, causing soreness. The rider won’t be able to sit straight, often loses one stirrup, and the horse can’t travel straight due to the pressure on one side of his back. If the saddle slips forward, he can’t use his shoulders, the saddle balance tips towards the back and everyone is uncomfortable! Girthing up as tight as you can is not the answer! This problem is best addressed by a highly trained professional.

It might be the wrong tree shape, the girth points can be too rearward, the horse might have different or asymmetric muscle development, or it could also be the rider.

Either way, neither horse nor rider can be

Buy The Best You Can Afford After the horse, the saddle is your next biggest investment and it should be carefully considered. It is the one piece of equipment that if you get it wrong, can cause your happy, willing, athletic horse to turn into a sore, grumpy, lame and often dangerous partner.

We spend money on vets, body workers, lessons, competition fees and much more – all this can be wasted just because your saddle has been causing your horse pain and not letting him do the job you want him to do. On the other hand, get it right and it will maximise his performance and effort, and you have the happy, superstar horse of your dreams

*Paula Jeffery is the founder of Performance Saddlefits Australia, a team of seven highly trained saddlefitters located throughout Australia. She is a Society of Master Saddlers Qualified fitter, as well as an FEI dressage rider, trainer, EA Level 1 General Coach and saddle designer. Alongside training and mentoring other saddlefitters, Paula conducts Saddlefit Seminars for groups and clubs to help raise the standard of saddlefitting education of equine professionals and horse owners around Australia. For further information visit www.performancesaddlefits.com.au

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Personality:

Jill Colwell

INTERVIEW VIRGINIA DODSON OF NARA PHOTOS ROSS STEVENSON

Jill’s Only Barriers Are The Starting Gates Jill Colwell has had a varied and brilliant career. She’s a doctor, has been a long-distance runner, an endurance rider, jockey and also holds a NARA jockey/owner/trainers licence.

Tell us a bit about yourself Jill. How did you come to embrace all these disciplines?

I first started riding track work in the 60s at the Walgett racetrack, NSW. Winning a Commonwealth scholarship and entry to Sydney University Medical School in 1970 culminated in my medical degree. I supported myself during university by riding track work and despite the prejudice against women, became in demand to ride both the good and the difficult horses. I was the only female amongst 200 male riders at the Canterbury track. I couldn’t afford a car so I used to jog three kilometres there and back to the train every morning.

Did you ride in any Thoroughbred (TB) races?

Women were not permitted to have pro jockey licences until 1979 but by the mid 70s I was starting to get race rides at the picnics and in ladies races. After I graduated with honours, I

applied for my internship at the Prince of Wales Hospital so I would be close to Royal Randwick Racecourse. I still found time to ride track work for TJ Smith and Theo Green who was to become a great mentor to me, teaching me about balance, position and pacing and staying safe both on the horses and in life.

When did you get your TB jockeys licence?

In 1980, which was the year I became the first female to ride at the Birdsville races. I continued to ride track work intermittently until 1993 in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, New Zealand and Newmarket in England.

Tell us about your experience as a marathon runner.

In 1980 I started work as a general practitioner (GP) on the Gold Coast and didn’t have time for race riding, so to keep my

fitness up I starting running with a group of like-minded people. In 1982 I won a trip to the Big M in Melbourne, which was known as the Melbourne Cup of marathons.

It was a 42.2km road run from Frankston to Melbourne. My male running partners decided to give me a race plan that consisted of three minutes 45 seconds for each kilometre which I had written on a handkerchief. There were thousands of spectators cheering us on and when I passed the finish line in two hours 39 minutes, I was amazed when an excited Rob De Castella came up and told me I had done a fantastic run. I had to leave early Monday morning to catch the train and plane back to work in Queensland. I was reading the Courier Mail and turned to the sports page to see the headline ‘Jill Colwell breaks Australian record for the Marathon’. I thought, ‘How embarrassing, they got that wrong!’

But it was true.

Above: Jill Colwell in the barriers.

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What do you look for in a performance horse?

The horse should look like an athlete, be well-balanced and move well. I look for reasonable height and good hindquarters as that is the engine. They need a sound mind that will handle racing. I would avoid hot, nervy horses. At my age those types are not good for me and don’t do anything for the reputation of Arabian racing. The clerk and barrier attendants who are used to the Thoroughbreds once asked all the jockeys in the barriers if we were ready for the start as they thought we had all gone to sleep! I would choose a sensible horse who isn’t worried by noise and such and would pick a forward going horse but one who is quiet. I trail ride my mares bitless with other horses, generally at the back of the pack.

Above: Jill riding Aloha Desert Jewel.

How incredible Jill! So what happened to the men in the race and were there many women competing?

There were hundreds of women in the race but I hardly saw any of them after the halfway mark and most of the fellows finished behind me. I found the race ridiculously easy and just kept pace with the metronome in my head and the times on my hanky. I was subsequently lucky enough to represent Australia in the Marathon Road Run at the World Athletic Championships in Helsinki in 1983.

What rekindled your interest in horses?

The Tom Quilty came to Queensland in 2000 and I approached Peter and Penny Toft to learn about endurance and spent many hours training and competing on their fabulous horses. In 2005 I started to look for my own special Arabian for endurance.

Eventually, in a large paddock at Lake Cargellico, I, and Aloha Desert Opal (Arabian Park Desert Dashar x Aloha Artic Opal), a timid, unbroken three-year-old Arabian filly, found each other. I started her myself, which was very challenging until I realised she could read my thoughts. She went on to become a good endurance horse, always competing barefoot and bitless and is now semi-retired.

When did you buy the other three Arabian mares?

I bought Aloha Desert Jewel (Arabian Park Desert Dashar x Aloha Meseta) and Aloha Natalis (Aloha Rostrum x Aloha Natal) in 2010 for endurance. I had done 160km rides on Dick Collyer’s horses but got too busy to train much so I only did 40km training rides on the mares.

Aloha Illusional (Aloha Telesmon x Aloha Desert Fantasy) was an unhandled three-year-old and 96 • October 2017

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was picked out for racing by Mary Triggs after I asked her to find me a fast one.

What drew you to Arabians?

Because I wanted to do endurance riding, it became crystal clear they were the horse for the job. Their natural stamina and attitude were attributes essential for that discipline.

Was there anything in particular you liked about their breeding?

I know a lot about Thoroughbred breeding but I’m not an expert on Arabian bloodlines, however, the Royal Domino/ Crabbet bloodlines seemed to feature in a lot of endurance pedigrees. The main thing for me was the environment in which they grew up. All the three-year-old horses in south east Queensland seemed to have been sold, so when I saw an advertisement for a reduction sale at Aloha Stud when they were still at Lake Cargellico, I went to have a look. I thought if these horses had grown up on 15,000 acres they were going to be tough. They had led a normal herd life and impressed me as good working horses. I purchased Aloha Desert Jewel and Aloha Natalis and decided this would be my shop.

Are you planning to breed from your mares in the future?

I don’t want to collect too many horses. I like to give each of my horses individual and special attention. I live on 40 acres that’s not overstocked, however, I’ll probably breed from Jewel one day, as she is a nice type with correct conformation. She has raced for four seasons and remained sound. I may put Aloha Desert Opal in foal and will keep racing Natalis and Illusional.

Your two mares seem very competitive with each other and there was not much separating them when they ran in the HARC (Heritage Arabian Racing Club) race at Horsley Park recently. In one photo they were matching stride for stride.

Yes, there’s not much between them. Often I ride one and lead the other. Then I let Jewel go and wait until she’s eating grass and gallop off on Natalis, at which point Jewel takes off, passes Natalis, skids to a stop at the gum tree and then pig roots! As a result I was pretty sure they would compete with each other.

I notice your mares race barefoot.

I haven’t shod a horse for about 15 years and have competed in a lot of sports including campdrafting. You can feel the jarring in a shod horse. My mares have good, tough Arabian hooves. In Queensland in 2016, there were 12 Arabian races, 40% of horses raced barefoot and they won 70% of races. I trim my own horses regularly.

Have you done any training rides with your mares?

Yes, but they got bored after 20kms. They gave a big sigh when they saw another hill.

You could tell they loved racing. Jewel thinks she’s Black Caviar and gets big ideas during a race. That’s how she beat the well-performed stallion Djehlbi. She thought it was a good idea to leave him flat-footed at the halfway and as she kept asking – I let her go!

How do you cope physically with race riding at the age of 65?

Very well I think. I would be the first person to hang up my saddle if I thought I wasn’t capable. I’m blessed with good genetics and no health issues. I had my bone density checked before I started race riding, went to the gym three to four days a week and rode my bike up and down hills. I was thrilled when

NARA gave me my licence and it was great to be race riding again. It was a battle in 1970 to even be allowed to ride track work as females were only meant to muck out stables.

What do you feed your horses?

They mostly eat pasture, predominantly rhodes, couch and native grasses. They mow the lawn as a treat or if it’s dry. I avoid grain.

Jewel gets a kilo of pellets, the others less.

After having my pasture analysed, I use a mineral mix formulated by animal nutritionist Carol Layton. I have changed from rice based endurance feeds to a biscuit of grassy hay and copra to mix the minerals.

Do you use physical therapy such as massage for your horses?

Yes, my TB Equine Therapist (who calls me Gai!) checks the mares before they race and if there’s any issues they don’t run. I also use red light and stretching.

Would you train outside horses or are you happy doing your own thing?

I’m happy doing my own thing – I’m time

poor. Three horses are enough. It’s enjoyable and manageable with the help of my friend and strapper Donna Renaud. My horses run because they like it and they’ve had 22 starts and nine wins between them and have never been hit with the whip. Jewel had a lot of help at the start of her career from Cassie Saunders who trained her and I rode her in track work.

She was lazy to start with and would get near the front and start to chuck her head around. We realised she always pricks her ears (because she’s a princess) and doesn’t like the wind noise if she’s going faster than a trot!

She now wears earmuffs, is a different horse and now gallops straight and true.

I’d like to make special mention of my friend and strapper of 15 years, Donna Renaud. Without her capable and cheerful assistance and moral support I simply couldn’t manage all my various racing roles (owner, trainer, jockey, trimmer, driver, honorary club medical officer). Donna has saddled my horses at every race since 2014 and looks after them when I have to stay in the jockey’s room prerace and has navigated for me on many a long road trip.

Why do you prefer mares?

I find them far easier to get on with and they bond quickly and like to work with you. Geldings can be arrogant or pushovers. With mares you have to work with their minds.

What would you say to anyone considering racing?

It’s exciting, lots of fun and the horses enjoy it. If you can ride, then you can do a lot of the training yourself. It’s not overly expensive and you have the chance to win some money.

Can you describe the feeling of winning on your own mare?

Oh, unbelievable! For a few moments it’s just you and your horse and you feel completely at one. There is so much adrenaline after the race that I can’t speak and desperately need a drink of water. It’s so good to share the moment with friends and family.

They’ve been through it all with me.

It has been a wonderful ride!

Above: Aloha Natalis and Jill at the Gold Coast Turf Club.

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Jill Colwell’s Race Training Philosophy WORDS JILL COLWELL

As I work full time as a doctor, I am time poor. I really enjoy spending my leisure time having fun with my own three mares. When people ask me to train their horse, I encourage them to try training their own horse, which will be so much more satisfying for them. Hopefully they will find it interesting and fun.

I

am assisted by my background as a former pro Thoroughbred jockey, former elite athlete and my scientific/ medical knowledge as a practising GP doctor. However, maybe the most important factor is my 65 years spent being truly present with horses.

I advise novice trainers to listen to their horse, keep asking questions, attend seminars and read the good information on the racing websites. Thoroughbred (TB) racehorse trainers and Arabian trainers such as myself are usually only too happy to mentor newcomers. If one is receiving feeding advice from a TB trainer, just remember the Arabian needs much less high energy /grain feed than a TB. As we are trying to entice more people to race Arabians, one message would be that most of the training could be done by any owner who is a competent rider. There is a relatively small time commitment involved.

They just need a track or a safe trail where they can build their horse’s fitness and speed.

I mainly use boundary tracks I keep mowed around my back paddock. I do not have access to a walker or treadmill or swim facility or stables. My horses are paddocked together in five to ten acre paddocks, they are never shod, rarely rugged and they move around a lot, day and night.

Weather and time permitting, I work the horse three to four days per week, about seven kilometres on each occasion, initially mainly at a slow trot with some uphill walking, building over the weeks to a fast trot and an increasingly faster canter. After about two months of this legging up, once or twice a fortnight I will float my horses to a small private 1200 metre

Right: Jill Colwell and Aloha Natalis (grey) jumping out of the barriers.

Photo Ross Stevenson.

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racetrack for some interval work. Once the horse is fit and ready, we gallop the straights and ease back to a hand canter around the bends (to protect their legs). This easy training regime has certainly worked for my three Aloha mares, who in the last year have raced 12 times for six wins, four seconds and two thirds. They love to race. They do it for me and there is no need to use the whip.

I closely monitor each horse eg. their attitude, their weight, breathing and sweating during workouts, recovery heart rates, muscle tone or tightness, hoof quality, teeth etc.

Their feed, workload and work increments are adjusted accordingly. I do my own barefoot trimming and I utilise a very good horse muscle ligament therapist. The horses have dental check-ups every six to eight months and are wormed and vaccinated regularly, including for Hendra.

I don’t think we should be encouraging novices to try to become race jockeys overnight. In my opinion, race riding is best left to those who have ridden hundreds of hours in the jockey pad, riding Thoroughbreds in track work. Balancing in short stirrups over the withers of a galloping horse takes a very different skill and fitness level to other equestrian disciplines, as does the ability to jump from the barriers wearing slippery race silks, pace the horse in the race and stay out of trouble in a field of galloping horses.

Most of the jockeys currently approved to ride in registered Arabian races are current or former pro jockeys or current track-work rider licensees.

For further information about Arabian Racing please visit the NARA website at www.naraaustralia.com

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Advertisers Index | Ineligible Sires & Transactions Suspended Al Sahrae Arabians ......................... 2-3 Almazaan Stud ................................6-7 Alphalea Arabians ........................... 13 Arabian Horse Society of Australia................................27 | 59 Arabian Valley Horse Club ............. 53 Australian National Arabian Championships ................................ 27 Balanced Equine Nutrition ............ 25 Barinya Arabians ............................. 15 Bremervale Arabians ......................BC caballo árabe ................................... 81 Caramea Stud .................................. 81 Forest Hill Arabian Stud ................. 29 Foxwood Photography ................... 68 IRT ...................................................... 23 Mulawa Arabians ........................IFC–1 Myth Haven Arabian Farm ............. 33 Performance Saddlefits ................. 94 Rich Meadows .................................. 67 Rothbury Park Arabians ................. 67 Salah Arabian Stud.......................... 45 Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show ... 11 Seven Oaks Arabian Stud............... 39 SGA Arabians ................................... 45 Slipstream Arabians........................ 35 Simeon Stud ....................................... 9 Talika Arabian Stud ......................... 37 Tarleen Park Arabians .................... 63 The Enayat Partnership.................. 31 Toft Endurance .............................. IBC Victoria Tower Stud ........................ 25 WAHO 2019 ...................................... 59 Windella Arabians ........................... 63 Wintec Saddles ................................ 49

STALLION DIRECTORY Dunwingeri El Shaareef ................. 69 Eskdale Razeem ............................... 69 Roseglen Crown Royale ................. 69 Xanaphon ......................................... 69

STUD DIRECTORY Acaciavej Arabians ........................ 102 Bluedawn Egyptian Arabians ...... 100 Cherox Arabians ............................ 100 Comanche Lodge ........................... 100 El’Gole’a Arabians ......................... 101 Eskdale Arabians ........................... 100 Espirit Arabians ............................. 100 Fenwick Stud .................................. 102 Gleniph Arabians ........................... 101 Hamdallah Arabian and Pony Stud ................................ 101 Hawley Arabians ............................ 102 Hume Creek Arabians ................... 101 Krystal Creek Arabians ................ 101

Melcot Arabians ............................ 100 Moondarra Arabians ..................... 100 Newbury Park Arabians and Ponies ...................................... 101 Nurelee Stud .................................. 102 OSO Arabians & Murray Grey Cattle ....................... 101 Rothlynne Arabians ..................... 102 Sabtah Arabians ............................ 100 ShahwanPark Arabians ................. 102 Slipstream Arabians...................... 102 Swiftwood Arabian Stud .............. 102

SERVICES DIRECTORY Arabians Australia ......................... 103 Marian Duncan Equine Artist ...... 103 NARA Australia .............................. 103 Sharon Meyers Photography....... 103

TRAINERS DIRECTORY The Travelling Horseman – Richard Sharman ........................... 103

If you own Arabians or intend buying one, read the following for your own protection.

If you intend a transaction involving a listed horse, contact the AHSA Ltd on the matter.

Ineligible Sires

The progeny of the stallions listed below will not be registered until matters pertaining to these horses have been resolved. This list is by no means exhaustive. Breeders unsure of the stallion’s status or contemplating using these stallions are advised to contact the Registrar prior to service.

AvondalePeterPan(PS12331) BadiaDirtyDancer(PS19782) Bessona Zardom (S15786) Corfu Park Baron (S11792)

CrystalBrookBan-Lee(S10783) El Johara (S14661) Jarl (S1518) Joda Desert Storm (C1793)

Kargina Regent (S7105) KevisanParkBishara(S8215) Marja Shakhir (S14164) Moravian Shalim (S14266)

Rondeburn Yanos (S3322) Sabtah Hadi (S10782) SaranganiLimelight(S12594) SeaBreezeWildfire(PS10566)

Shahdan Jewel (PS18838) Soryan (AS2045) Spring Lodge Moonshine (S19653)

Talika Sahnid (S11321) The Harlequin (PS20246) Wagga Dekota (S8186)

When considering using imported Arabian/Arabian Derivative semen please contact the Society for the correct agent.

Transactions Suspended

As the owners or lessees’ Society memberships have been terminated, all transactions pertaining to the following horses have been suspended:

Arabian Park Emress (F5343) Belbowrie Stephanotis (F1931) Bennelong Nafila (F12148) Bennelong Silverlight (S7117) Bint Safire (F11005) Cote Liberty Valance (PG11266) Heathdale Kai (F8098) Kama Aulani Cherub (APF948) Kasims Jewel (APF677) Myrimbah Emma (APF597) Rakthena (F4050) Talisman Kinzette (G3884) TrincadaNewCampaign(APS741)

Arabian Park Hakima (F3195) Benalta Saski (F11741) Bennelong Nile Queen (F13150) Bennelong Starlet (F13171) Castlereagh Spiritual (F16329) El Aflame (AF3216) Heathdale Kumare (F5988) KamaAulaniHilalKamar(APF760) Lawes Wodella (F5637) Myrimbah Libertie (APF733) RamaleaCaptainStarlight(PG23115) Talisman Pallas Athene (F3349) Warrawee Jamila (F5533)

Badia Gha Zal (F14204) Bennelong Beau (G8450) Bennelong Ranee (PF19196) Bennelong Starlight (G8503) Cherokee Desert Ray (F1108) El Barak Zuleika (F4653) Heathdale Majid (S8098) Kama Om (APS786) Moondbray Mimosa (F9877) Namif (F2093) Reyna (F770) TarcelStandingOvation(APS1515) Woongabeena Wanoa (F12294)

Barclitre Giselle (APF1049) Bennelong El Naseri (S7115) Bennelong Razeena (F9053) Bennelong Sundowner (S8451) Damanda Kaaluha (PG22803) Gay Countess (F1745) Indian Crystal (G1161) Kama Spring Song (F10028) Moondbray Shalina (F7063) Oxford Jeanne (F13098) Sahih Hijmi (APF823) The Amir Al Omrah (S10762) WoongabeenaYoorana (F13627)

Bedweena Hakimi (F13288) Bennelong Jewel (F12147) Bennelong Silver King (S10440) Bint Astro (APF824) Dove Cote Ibn Rizsala (G6763) Glint of Silver (F296) Inshallah Souvenir (C1774) Kamija (F11004) Moonique (F4655) Pimpala Madeira (F2797) Santarabia Nyella (F3176) Touch of Hope (APF1034) Zamila (F5827)

Cancelled and Amended Registrations CastlereaghSiren(F16505)–thismarehasbeende-registered.Robinet(F742)[Sire:Sindh(impUK)S180]SanrobleeAsmarin(F7535)–SireisCoolHandLuke(impUK)(S2062)andnotSimaran(S150).

This list is correct at the time of going to print. Deadlines for the printer are such that some of these horses may in fact have had their suspension lifted by the time the magazine is delivered.

It is always advisable to check any concerns you may have with a horse with the Registrar before committing yourself.

104 • October 2017

AHN