AHN Vol51/1

Buying a Saddle Horse – Key questions to ask 2017 Australian Arabian Championships – A pictorial review. Horse’s legs – What you need to know. World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) Conference and Crabbet Convention – Round-up Personality profiles – PLUS – A love story, desert bred Arabians, history, art, horse profiles, World Championships plus much more.

VOL AR ABIAN “THE VERSATILE BREED” AU$8.95 NZ$9.95

WAHO ���� COMING TO AUSTR ALIA

BREMERVALE GR ACE KELLY

KLASSICAL DEVOTION MI

KLASSICAL PRESENCE MI

KLASSICAL DREAM MI

2014 Australian National Champion Yearling Filly

2014 Australian National Champion Junior Mare

2014 Australian National Champion Senior Mare unanimous

KLASSICAL DEVOTION MI

KLASSICAL PRESENCE MI Klass x Parada

by Magnum Forty Four

Allegiance MI x Valentine MI

by DA Valentino

2016 Australian National Gold Champion Junior Mare

2016 Australian National Gold Champion Senior Mare unanimous

2016 Australian National Gold Champion Yearling Filly

Klass x Mulawa Kiara

by Magnum Psyche

Klass x Mulawa Kiara

by Magnum Psyche

Klass x Parada

by Magnum Forty Four

Klass x Mustang’s Magnum

by Magnum Forty Four

VENECIA MI

T H R EE T I M E S I S A LWA Y S A C H A R M . . .

Allegiance MI x Valentine MI

by DA Valentino

VENICE MI

Allegiance MI x Valentine MI

by DA Valentino

VENECIA MI

MI KLASSIC FANTASY

2017 Australian National Gold Champion Yearling Filly unanimous

2017 Australian National Gold Champion Junior Filly unanimous

2017 Australian National Gold Champion Senior Mare

Klass x Mustang’s Magnum

by Magnum Forty Four

Mulawa is incredibly proud to have bred & shown all three National Champion Purebred Females for the third time in four years. Thank you Cameron Bonney & Team Mulawa for continuing to raise the standard year after year.

Br eeding wor ld cl a ss A r a bi a 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

Al Sahrae Arabians is excited to announce...

Arrianna C S

JJ Bellagio x Duchess Of Marwan

MZ Magic Bride OFW Magic Wan x Bridal Brocade

Royal Eternal Versace Versace x Eternal Love T

the arrival of these mares late 2017

Quality is priceless...

Samantha Taylor

El Chall WR

(Imp US)

Magnum Chall HVP x Major Love Affair

LOOKING FORWARD TO EL CHALL WR'S FIRST FOAL CROP LATE 2017 AL SAHRAE ARABIANS | HELEN, ANDY, BRITTNEY AND EVAN HARDWICK WWW.ALSAHRAEARABIANS.COM.AU

Contents From The Editor | Roll of Merit ................................6 From the Chairman ....................................................8 National Youth Championships ...............................8 Annual Arabian Judges and Affiliate Conference ..........................................8 Office Bearers | Life Members of AHSA Ltd | Distinguished Service Awards................................10 Affiliates ....................................................................12 Barefoot Love Story ................................................14 Snippets .....................................................................18

Key Questions to Ask When Buying a Saddle Horse ............................................58 Together, We Are WAHO ........................................64 Youth in Focus ..........................................................74 Living History – Bahrain’s Desert Bred Arabians ..............................................76 A Tale of Two Arabians ............................................81 Legs – Building a Strong Foundation [Part 1] .....84

Spotlight on Arabian Derivative Mares ................20

Bucket List Destination The World Championships .....................................88

A Portrait of Carl-Heinz Doemken.........................24

Foundation Breeders’ Day Jobs ............................92

Arabian Personalities...............................................28

The Original Racehorse ...........................................96

Crabbets Shine at Convention ...............................33

Lavender Foal Syndrome ........................................98

Crabbet Arabian Studs ............................................40

Stud, Services and Trainers Directories .............................................. 100

Purchasing a Registered Arabian or Arabian Derivative Saddle Horse ...........................42 2017 Australian Arabian National Championships .........................................45

Photo Credits; Cover: Bahraini Desert Bred Arabian horse. Photo Sharon Meyers Contents: Rob Featonby riding Fairview Ethereal Dream. Photo Amy Gross 4 • April 2017

Australian Champion Stallion 2017 RHR Heir of Marwan ......................................56

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Ineligible Sires & Transactions Suspended.............................................................. 104 Advertisers Index .................................................. 104

18

64

24

33

56

74

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April 2017 • 5

From the

Editor

Welcome to the first issue of the magazine for 2017. You will have noticed the publication has been revamped and is now known as AHN. The format is larger and includes a selection of articles that will have universal appeal not only to our Arabian horse fraternity, but also to the broader equestrian world.

P

lease don’t forget that from now on, there will only be two issues of the magazine annually.

Besides attracting new readers from all sorts of “horsey” backgrounds, we want to spread the word about how incredible our Arabians and Arabian Derivatives are.

How they make great family and companion horses. How versatile they are. How reliable and tough they are. How kind their temperaments are. How intelligent they are.

How amazing their longevity is, with numerous horses competing successfully into their 20s. How willing they are to keep pleasing their owners day in and day out. And how they tug at your heartstrings and become the joy of your life!

How a young child can start with an Arabian Pony and as their equestrian expertise and interests grow – they can easily move through the ranks of our diverse registries and have a horse for all reasons – for their entire riding life.

No matter what age a rider is or what their goal is – we have the horse to help fulfill their dreams at any level of competition in any equestrian endeavour. And this is something we should never forget and should be shouting from the rooftops!

Promotion of the Arabian breed needs to be our catch cry and we need to work together at every opportunity to achieve this goal.

Happy trails!

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/AustralianVAH

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@meyers.id.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@meyers.id.au P: 0409 270 535 PO Box 8369, Woolloongabba QLD 4102 Production Team: Wendy Deng, Nicola Goodman, Chantelle King 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 Sharon at Burano, an island in Venice, Italy.

AUSTRALIAN ARABIAN

Roll of Merit

Top Fancy Carina F30186 | Supreme | owned by Erica, Alexander & Colin Stotter | awarded 6/12/2016 Braylea Centre Stage AF4011 | Halter Champion and Performance Merit | owned by Erica, Alexander & Colin Stotter | awarded 6/12/2016

6 • April 2017

AHN

Available for online subscription at http://arabianhorsenews.realviewdigital.com Office Address: 38–40 Fisher Street, East Brisbane QLD 4169 *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.

A Unique Opportunity Simeon Stud proudly presents for sale...

2016 Bay Colt by Immesmerize from Simeon Succot

Photos by Elsa Marchenay and Stuart Vesty.

2016 Grey Filly by Simeon Shifran from Simeon Sehora

2016 Filly

by Simeon Shifran from Simeon Saadia Half sisters in Vietnam and USA

2014 Filly by Simeon Shifran from Mussallah (DE)

From The Chairman ARABIAN HORSE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA

Welcome to our new look magazine. The AHSA and Interactivink (Vink Publishing) have been working together over the past 12 months investigating and trialling new formats and ideas with the view to reach a broader market and showcase the breed we love.

We are hoping to provide readers with informative articles, news and results from around Australia.

T

he New Year is a new beginning and a time to set goals and work towards achieving them.

Remember, “A dream written down with a timeframe becomes a goal – A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan – A plan backed by action makes your dream come true”. We would love to hear about your journeys. Never give up, as quitters never achieve and achievers never quit.

Those of us who have owned and loved Arabians know very well the versatility of these amazing animals and the companionship they provide. If you do not own an Arabian, you are missing out on a truly wonderful experience. Remember, we are always interested to hear about Arabians doing great things or providing those very special moments.

I hope you enjoy the magazine and most of all enjoy your Arabian and may you all achieve your goals.

Leonie Williamson

ARABIAN HORSE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA LTD. DATE CLAIMER NATIONAL YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS ANNUAL ARABIAN JUDGES AND AFFILIATE CONFERENCE

The Arabian Horse Society is seeking a team of conscientious and dedicated people to manage and run a National Championship event dedicated to competitors 21 years and under.

We are always looking for ways to foster and support our youth members, and believe that offering them their own prestigious, National Championship event will meet this objective. This will potentially grow as an annual event.

We envisage this event will occur over two days, in conjunction with school holidays, possibly in the last week of September, 2017.

We need to establish a management team who will take the event from its initial planning through to completion.

July 1st and 2nd 2017 Venue to be advised Information sharing Lectures and presentations Guest speakers Affiliate workshop Fun and informative

Any queries can be directed to Karen Fletcher-Grieve: Email: karenwoelms@hotmail.com Phone: 0435 340 137

If you would like to express your interest in becoming involved with this exciting new initiative, please email: secretary@ahsa.asn.au

8 • April 2017

AHN

For further information please contact Allan Preston email: nalla@iprimus.com.au

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 Membership & Arabian Roll of Merit 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

10 • April 2017

AHN

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@meyers.id.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. At the end of 1997 the Society’s membership was in excess of 4,800 and the Registry had recorded some 97,000 pure Arabian horses and Arabian derivatives. The Society’s first responsibility is to maintain accurate records for all registered Arabian horses and Arabian derivatives in Australia. It also seeks to promote the popularity of Arabian horses to non-members throughout Australia, and statewide, regional and local affiliate organisations.

B

BLUEDAWN

EGYPTIAN ARABIANS

Delicately blending the finest Straight Egyptian bloodlines from around the world to produce an Arabian of exquisite type, soundness, movement and trainability.

Bluedawn Egyptian Arabians is very pleased with the three foals born this year by Jadaan Al Shaqab (Qatar).

A colt out of Simeon Siliet (Imperial Madaar (US) x Simeon Sukari), a colt out of Chaswyck Nefarah (GR Nafees (DE) x Chaswyck on Gossemer Wings) and a filly out of Chaswyck on Gossemer Wings (Asfour (DE) x Simeon Sooka).

Bluedawn Haddarah (pend)

(Jadaan Al Shaqab (Qatar) x Chaswyck on Gossemer Wings)

Bluedawn Egyptian Arabians is founded on the tail female line of 27 lbn Galal-5 through the daughters and grand-daughters of Simeon Sukari, Simeon Sheba and Simeon Safanad.

Selectively breeding our mares with the finest stallions available to perpetuate true Southern Arabian type bred by the famous Egyptian Breeder Abbas Pasha I.

BLUEDAWN EGYPTIAN ARABIANS Gregory, Marysia and Kyal Keyes P: 07 5427 0182 E: bluedawnarabians@bigpond.com w w w. bluedaw n a ra b i a n s . c om

We have bred our mares to Ashquar HM (DE) and Seka Sadeek for 2017 foals.

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/- Jo-Anne Bailey, PO Box 3087, Freemans Reach NSW 2756 E: buckskinnsw@hotmail.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 12 • April 2017

AHN

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, Lot 2/110 Hermitage Rd, Kurrajong Hills NSW 2758 P: 02 4567 7450 E: kpapworth40@gmail.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: info@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: (08) 8525 4241 E: alingapark@westnet.com.au South Australian Friends and Equines Inc. c/- Jessie Preece, PO Box 247, Wasleys SA 5400 E: safriendsandequines@gmail.com

TASMANIA Tasmanian Arabian Action Club Inc. c/- Jo Hurd, 100 Old Forcett Rd, Forcett TAS 7173 P: 0417 557 277 E: joanne.hurd@dhhs.tas.gov.au Tasmanian Arabian Riders and Breeders Inc. c/- Maya Jaehne, 90 O’Keefes Rd, Winkleigh TAS 7275 P: 0458 608 214 E: bashiralodge@gmail.com Tasmanian Buckskins Inc. c/- Mel Reid, 995 Bishopsbourne Rd, Bishopsbourne TAS 7301 P: (03) 6397 3054 E: tasbuckskins@gmail.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/- Bridie White, 291 Gaffney Rd, Yabba North VIC 3646 P: 0412 254 088 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 Inc. c/- Marilyn Marr, 40 Dunhelen Lane YUROKE VIC 3063 P: (03) 9333 1277 devainc2016@gmail.com Goulburn Valley Arabian Horse Club Inc. c/- Sharon White, PO Box 842, Seymour VIC 3661 P: 0410 825 621 E: gvahclub@gmail.com www.gvahc.org National Buckskin Society Inc. c/- Michelle Gainger, 8 Stanhill Dr, Cranbourne South VIC 3977 P: (03) 9775 9958 E: michjeff@netspace.net.au www.nbs.org.au The Victorian Arabian Horse Association Inc. c/- Elisa Surinow, PO Box 408, Wallan VIC 3756 P: 0408 167 787 E: navada1@hotmail.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

Eagleridge Arabians Farm would like to Congratulate these breeders from around the world for selecting our beautiful Arabians

Al Jood Stud Qatar

Frank Holloman USA

Embryo (Spirite ERA x Eagleridge Tamara)

Breeding to Afrikah ERA

Al Jood Stud USA

Melcot Arabians AU

Breeding to Afrikah ERA

Mare Scyler ERA (Woolf ERA x Eagleridge Indianna) bred to Afrikah ERA

Al Jood Stud EU Breeding to Afrikah ERA

Diaa Kara-Ali AU 3 year old filly Paris ERA

Al Deem Stud KSA Embryo (Afrikah ERA x Pandora ERA) Lulula ERA (Woolf ERA x Eagleridge Rain Dancer) Breeding to Na’Vi ERA

(Woolf ERA x Eagleridge Tamara)

Stallions standing at stud

(Unique opportunity to purchase Embryos this coming season)

Afrikah

Na’Vi

ERA

Sanadik el Shaklan x Arabian Park Egyptian Echo

Aphrodite

ERA

Afrikah ERA x Eagleridge Isabeau

Ishtaar

ERA

Afrikah ERA x Eagleridge Tamara

ERA

Afrikah ERA x Om el Bishara Australian Champion

Eagleridge Arabians Farm For all enquiries contact ERA Horses - Paul & Jenni Ogden. Visitors always welcome by appointment.

22 Willowtree Rd Firefly NSW 2429 Australia T: 61 2 6559 1840 F: 61 2 6559 1847 M: 61 401 902 075 E: info@eagleridgearabians.com www.eagleridgearabians.com

14 • April 2017

AHN

Barefoot Love Story WORDS JEREMY FORD

Imaj Zamir has gravel-crunching hooves. He is living proof horses can travel far and fast barefoot. He has a career in endurance spanning 14 years; he has clocked up thousands of kilometres without any hoof protection. He was the first horse in Australia to run 100 miles without shoes. First in Australia to win a ride outright as a barefoot competitor. He is in the top ten highest kilometre horses in Tasmania.

T

he partnership between Jen Clingly and Imaj Zamir (Fairview Estamir x Dasallan Zadassah) epitomises the Australian endurance riders’ motto, “To complete is to win”.

He is the one thing standing between me and my wife. Funnily enough he is the head mascot of our hoof care and education business, Wild About Hooves.

Let me share a bit of history about them…

It wasn’t without a huge amount of trepidation that Jen decided to run her horses without shoes. She had bought this young Arabian gelding, Imaj Zamir as an endurance prospect. He had never been shod and would willingly tackle any terrain. She thought it would be a real shame to shoe him.

I was Jen’s farrier at this time. I thought it would be a real shame if she didn’t!

She was devouring books on natural hoof care, haunting experts for information

by email. She coordinated hoof workshops in Tasmania. She spent time with farriers learning to use tools. She was on a mission to learn as much as she could.

I thought she had gone mad and her horse was a ‘freak’. I gave her an old hoof knife and didn’t speak to her for two years.

She was the cheerleader for getting the rules changed in Australia to allow horses to compete in Endurance Riding barefoot. The year 2004 saw the rule change come into fruition and Zamir was off. Running bare!

Unfortunately Jen ran into much resistance and criticism from vets, farriers and fellow endurance riders. I watched Jen grow a rhino skin and duck feathers. To stand strong against this type of criticism she understands why barefoot is important and how it works. Then she can explain to them why it isn’t harmful and why it is the best way to go.

The funniest thing I ever heard was, “She will end up running that horse on his coronet bands”.

The role model and a model worthy of emulation for the barefoot endurance horse is the wild horse. Jen keeps this in the back of her mind every time she is thinking and talking hooves.

She knows the importance barefoot horses’ abilities play in convincing the skeptics that it is possible, and by having a hoof that looks a work of art at the same time gets them rocking back on their heels.

She knows her horse’s hooves intimately, obsessively. How they break over. How thick is

Opposite: Imaj Zamir, a free spirited mate Below left: First photo Jen printed after our wedding. Imaj Zamir eating her roses and wiping his nose on her gorgeous dress!

Below: Our wedding day.

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April 2017 • 15

the wall? Is it smooth and straight down from the hairline to the ground? What is the frog like? Can you imagine where the coffin bone is sitting? Does your horse have concavity? Sole callous? What about the heel buttresses? How low are the heels? What are the bars doing?

How does the trim impact on the horse? Is the mustang roll down pat – so that you don’t get splits, chips, flaring. When has growth exceeded wear? When has wear exceeded growth? When to use hoof boots? Is his white line tight or stretched?

This commitment and knowledge has ensured Zamir’s hooves are in optimum condition all the time.

Zamir has had his hooves x-rayed twice in his career. There is no degenerative change and his sole depth measures 15cm. He grows a whole hoof capsule every four to five months due to the amount of work he does.

When Jen went to collect Zamir from the breakers, she was mortified to watch the old horse trainer fall off during the demonstration and get dragged by the stirrup around the round yard. He was a man of few words but he said Zamir was ‘sensitive’! I was thinking crikey! How is she going to ride this thing! But to Jen’s credit and confidence she used the secret ingredient to make a good endurance horse by taking it nice and steady. A lot of wet saddle blankets and miles in the saddle, walking.

Zamir certainly saves himself for the arduous competition demands and we admire that about him – economically smart is probably a good word for him.

I am in absolute awe at the ability of this horse. At his consistently low heart rates, his quick recovery times, the traction, his wellbeing and soundness, his love of life and his love for Jen. He is a true endurance horse, he knows the score, he reads the arrows, he indulges in food and beverage whenever he needs to without any restriction on his head, he is fast, agile and maneuverable on any terrain. Sometimes I really wonder if Jen needs to go out with him, maybe a scarecrow dressed up like her would be sufficient.

If he is up the front he is always a strong contender for best conditioned and he looks a million dollars following a ride because he is not usually showing any tiredness, there is never any edema/swelling because he is not dealing with the concussion effects of metal shoes on his feet or an elevated heart from the stress of concussion and lack of circulation and shock absorption.

He celebrates the start of every ride with childish exuberance and keeps reminding me of why I love Arabians so much. He cannot contain his emotions well but she loves that about him.

She has had concussion twice from falling off in his excitement. Pre-ride, the two of them are jittery fools and their energy feeds off each other. But to 16 • April 2017

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Top: Tassie Tiger Trail group riding in the Tasmanian wilderness.

Photo Nikki White Bayne Above: Riders get a bird’s eye view of beautiful scenery.

Below: Exploring Tasmania! Photo Nikki White Bayne Opposite page: Imaj Zamir, breathing fire and brimstone at an endurance ride with his owner Jen Clingly. Photo Matt Bennet.

Photo Nikki White Bayne

travel this far together builds the highest level of partnership. One which I cannot compete with!

Here is a horse that should not be considered past his prime at 15 years of age.

With a sound barefoot horse it is highly likely his career will extend past the assumed expiry date.

Those two impressed me so much I travelled to the USA to study with the AANHCP, and to New Zealand. I learned more, I stored my anvil, shoes and hammers and wooed them – then I married Jen. The first photograph she printed after our wedding was of her and Zamir. He was eating her roses and wiping his nose on her gorgeous dress.

Our happy ever-after sees our lives revolving around horses and hoof care.

We run a hoof care practice in northern Tasmania, travel Australia teaching learn to trim workshops, teach the leading trade certificate course for hoof care professionals, training and supplying Arabians to Japan and campaigning our horses in Endurance Riding.

Our favourite work environment is working with our team of horses for our trail riding venture. The tour is called the Tassie Tiger Trail and aims to showcase the magical island of Tasmania from the back of our obliging Arabian horses.

The beauty of the trail riding business is the horses are legged up over long hours in the saddle, the results show with the incredible temperaments and an ability to cope with endurance competition. The horses really benefit from slow, long distance riding.

Four of the Gem Farm team hold Tom Quilty buckles.

The distinctive head shape and high head carriage of the Gem Farm team on the trail ensure it’s easy to recognise they are Arabian or Partbred Arabian horses. A far sight from the usual horses encountered on a tourist trail ride.

Coupled with that, they are ridden bit-less and barefoot which highlights the other extraordinary qualities of the Arabian bloodlines: great hooves for conditioning without shoes, super intelligent and easy to educate. Because of their eagerness to please, guests rave about the Gem Farm team who are ever alert, sensitive and spirited, making them great holiday partners to discover the beauty of the deserted beaches, mountains, forests and rivers of the Tasmanian wilderness.

There is no better way to start the day than to look out the window and see a paddock full of Arabian horses, it’s guaranteed to make you smile.

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Snippets COMPILED BY SHARON MEYERS

Below: Ray Hudson with QHF Kit Kate

Ray Hudson with QHF Kit Kat

Worth The Wait Wendy Keller, Eskdale Arabians reports: I have long admired the descendants of Desert Queen and when the opportunity arose to purchase a granddaughter I did not hesitate to bring her home to Eskdale Arabians in Queensland.

Jaytee Royal Princess was bred by Julie and Terry Canacott and is sired by Royal Gindi. She is the youngest daughter of Arabian Park Ruling Queen (Ansata El Hakim x Desert Queen). This makes her a half sibling to the Australian Champion performance mares Jaytee Giselle, Jaytee Coppelia and Jaytee Rakysa. Jaytee Royal Princess has lived a quiet life mostly in harsh drought conditions.

When we purchased her in December 2012 she had not bred for ten years and had only foaled colts. She has rewarded our patience with a colt born in 2015 named Eskdale Casino Royale and in 2016 at the age of 20 she foaled the long awaited filly! We have named her Eskdale Princess Royale in honour of her dam, as she perpetuates a wonderful line from Arabian Park Stud.

Age No Barrier Ally Hudson, Quartz Hill Arabians reports: As breeders of Arabian horses for over 30 years, part of the fun has always been showing them. My husband Ray’s showing journey began about 19 years ago, when he showed Quartz Hill Farm Luv in the Mist to win Reserve Champion Purebred Yearling Filly at East Coast in 1998. Classes were huge and this was such a terrific result for small breeders. I am sure this magic moment has kept him keen ever since.

Recently Ray decided he would like to venture into the halter world again, so at the age of 72 years he returned to the ring at the 2017 East Coast Championships to show our homebred buckskin filly, three-year-old QHF Kit Kat to a Top Five (see photos above). He also had the fun of showing our other derivative filly, yearling palomino Quartz Hill Farm Gidgee Gold, now owned by Judith Perkins and she was sashed Top Five too – both fillies actually being placed third. Ray loved these results and the smile on his face was gold!

We would just like to share this moment with other Arabian horse owners and say come on out and have fun! Show your own horses with pride – don’t be scared to make mistakes or to lose. There are so many people in the crowd who judge for themselves the horses in front of them, as we know the judges do not always get it right and this is obvious to spectators.

Ray’s East Coast results were, and always will be a thrill for him and prove you can show your own horse, no matter what age you are. There is nothing as rewarding as preparing and training your own horses. Ray hopes this will be inspirational to many others who have beautiful, functional Arabian horses in their paddocks, so that they too can live the Arabian horse dream. It can be done!

Breed Ambassador

Framed Forever Photos

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Jeanette Poede, Poede Arabians reports her 18-year-old purebred Arabian mare, Grelisa Park Zhamira (Pembac Zhamir x Evansley Breanna) has started barrel racing again after a few years’ break doing trail rides. At her first start doing barrels and pole bending she ran extremely well and the goal for this year is to qualify her for the Australian Barrel Horse Association finals at Tamworth. Good luck Jeanette!

Top: Eskdale Princess Royale Above: Jaytee Royal Princess Photos: Trace Digital

VOYAGER W

Introducing...

(Pending)

{Sir Charmed FF exp US x Amira Mulahn}

2016 Colt

ambers Photo: Trevor Bellch

we have a small selection of quality horses for sale Westacres Arabians Trevor & Jayne Bellchambers Yarragon, Victoria M: 0419 346 218 E: westacres@iprimus.com.au

Spotlight On Arabian Derivative Mares COMPILED BY KELSEY YOUNG

If you own an Arabian or Arabian Derivative horse it’s likely you’ve encountered statements like: “So you do endurance?” or, “I don’t like how they run them around in the show ring”, or maybe, “Arabians are too hot for me!” And heaven help you if your horse also happens to be a mare, right?

W

rong! The next time you are batting those comments away like pesky flies, you can use this article! Here we pay tribute to the versatility of our much-loved Arabian Derivative mares by highlighting the achievements of a few of them. Of course, we know there are countless examples around Australia but we just cannot fit them all into this one story!

Sharon Barry is the proud owner of Jindalla Park All That Glitters (Whitsunday Akram x Bluegum Snowflake) aka Aimee, a stunning palomino Arabian cross Stock

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Horse and a registered Partbred Arabian. She does carries some of the more traditional accolades associated with Arabian horses – four time Australian champion in the show ring for example, but this just scratches the surface of Aimee’s stellar resume. She competes in Stockman challenges, skills at arms and parades through peak hour on the busy streets of Melbourne with the Lighthorse Brigade. In her spare time she gives pony rides to children and is Sharon’s go-to horse on the farm for mustering duties. Sharon says, “I love having the Arabian Derivative blood as the horse is

beautiful, functional and will go all day. Being functional and calm, Aimee ticks all the boxes for an amazing mustering horse.”

Aimee is now moving on to new adventures with her first foal by Australian Stock Horse, Chalani Tempo due in September. Sharon eagerly awaits the foal’s arrival, and is already planning for exciting things to come; “My hopes for this foal is to have a lovely laid-back nature like both parents, as well as the looks and personality to match. I’m hoping in time this little foal will become my main mustering horse alongside its mum, and that Aimee’s legacy will continue!”

Another shining example of equine versatility is Petra Marz’s Arabian Warmblood mare, Robinhill Mirage (Mirat Zarif x Trimb Amazing Grace), or Raz as she is known by her owner and their many students.

Raz had many successful years as a dressage horse, competing up to medium level. She was a show hunter, as well as side saddle and Arabian Derivative champion both locally (Canberra) and interstate, competing at Royal level. Now at the age of 22, she is the class favourite at Petra’s riding school located in the ACT, Ridge View Equestrian, where she teaches children and adults various styles of riding, including side saddle.

Petra said, “A good Side Saddle horse should be athletic, intelligent and most importantly have the best of temperaments.

Raz is all these and more. The Arabian Derivative horse provides owners with such a multitude of opportunities, whether in the show world or other equine disciplines.

Raz opened my eyes to this.”

For this reason, when Petra decided to breed her own horse a few years ago to take Raz’s place as she grew older, she chose another Arabian Warmblood to join the family.

Tania Edmonds of Daitan Equestrian in South Australia owns the pretty buckskin Partbred Arabian mare Chelleason Crown Dior

(Chelleason Crown Jewel x White Skye Blue) and she is trying several different equestrian activities with great relish. Another plus for owning a derivative is they come in a multitude of colours too!

Tania goes on to say, “Each day she gallops up to the gate to greet me, looking for her halter to dive her head into. My beautiful mare loves life and loves her job.

“At only four years of age, this brave, bold, sassy young lady is quite literally turning her hoof to every task I give her from beach rides to embarking on an eventing and dressage career.

“Recently, Buttons, as she is known at home, won the 4 Year Old Young Pony Class

Opposite page: Wesswood Sadat being ridden over a cross country course by Amber Willison. Waylib Photo Above: Jindalla Park All That Glitters is the workhorse of the property. Photo Ann James Left: Tania Edmonds with Chelleason Crown Dior. Photo David Edmonds

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at the Spring Dressage Festival on a score of 73%, earning herself a qualification for 2017 Dressage With The Stars. In the same month, she competed at her first ODE, winning the combined training and then went on to an agricultural show where she won all her Show Hunter Galloway classes.

“Now competing EA eventing in the Newcomer classes, Buttons has completed her first start at the SA State Eventing Championships, proving herself to be a cross country machine. Buttons is adored by many, being a previous Reserve Australian National Champion Partbred Mare/Filly All Ages in 2014 and SA State Dilute and Partbred Champion in-hand as a young filly.

This little queen of versatility is so much fun, she delights me every day and has a big performance future ahead of her.”

Over in Western Australia there is a lovely 20-year-old Anglo mare named Wesswood Sadat (Common Prayer x Emvee Rozena), aka Libby, who is a firm favourite with the Willison family for her laid-back temperament and ability to look after her riders. Amber Willison picks up her story, “My mother and I have had Libby since she was 15-years-old. We got her from a lovely lady who used her for shorter endurance rides and trails. She had two weeks with me before I took her out to a gymkhana where she won multiple ribbons in hacking and games. Over the past five years Libby has competed in ODEs, showjumping and crosscountry days, unofficial hacking, gymkhanas, endurance, dressage and breed shows and always comes home with ribbons and sashes and a happy rider. She’s a perfect all-rounder who gives anything a go and adapts to any rider. Libby is very special to our family as she has been a well-mannered beginner’s horse for my small cousins and friends, a perfect competitive show horse for myself and a safe and reliable mount for my mother, Tracey Willison, who is a capable but nervous rider that enjoys taking Libby out on trails and endurance rides alone and with company.”

And proving Arabian Derivatives are suitable for every member of the family, Kylie Weltman proudly writes about their Partbred Arabian mare Shazalee Park Bewitched (aka Twitch), who is the much-loved mount for her 15-year-old daughter Mackenzie Weltman.

“Mackenzie has been riding since she was five and eats, lives and breathes for her Partbred Arabian, Twitch. And I must mention Twitch is now 21 years old and stands at 12.3hh.

This inseparable pair currently enjoys going to pony club, doing beach and trail rides as well as competing at Arabian horse shows, dressage and eventing. Due to where we live, it’s very difficult getting equestrian lessons, so Mackenzie has taught herself a lot of 22 • April 2017

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Top: Mackenzie Weltman riding Shazalee Park Bewitched Above: Robinhill Mirage, the lesson horse

what she knows about horses from reading books and watching YouTube. She has a love for Arabians because of their nature and loyalty.”

There is no doubting that horses like Jindalla Park All That Glitters, Robinhill Mirage, Chelleason Crown Dior, Wesswood Sadat and Shazalee Park Bewitched are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to showcasing the adaptability of our beautiful and talented Arabian Derivatives. There

are many more out there building a solid reputation for the breed in many different areas of equestrian pursuits. Another plus for riders looking for a fabulous derivative is that they just keep on keeping on – three of the horses in this story are 20 years or over!

Those of us who are lucky enough to have an Arabian Derivative know this special mix of attitude and trainability equate to true versatility, a horse that will go the extra mile and look good doing it!

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A Portrait of Carl-Heinz Doemken WORDS JUDITH WICH-WENNING

Expressive, striking colours, dynamic pencil strokes and eye-catching subjects are the trademarks of Carl-Heinz Doemken’s art. His paintings immediately draw the attention of the viewer and change the atmosphere of a whole room.

Artwork by Carl-Heinz Doemken takes prime position in Arabian horse art collections around the world.

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oemken’s paintings of legendary horses, for example Nazeer, Alaa El Dine, Morafic, Ghazal are true treasures. But who was Carl-Heinz Doemken, the artist behind these great works?

Doemken possessed a large variety of talents. Arabian horse breeder, artist, journalist, author, sculptor – all this and more was CarlHeinz Doemken. In addition, people who had the chance to meet him in person, describe him as a very unusual man. Carl-Heinz Doemken

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was born on April 14, 1929 in Hannover, Germany. Already in his early childhood, CarlHeinz loved horses. Old photos show him as a two-year-old on a rocking horse and only a little later he started to ride real horses. When he was eight, Carl-Heinz saw for the first time paintings of Arabians. These works of art by the incomparable Adolph Schreyer (1828–1899) fascinated the little boy. While gazing at these paintings, Bedouins on their proud steeds almost seemed to come to life in front of him.

One year later, he read the popular books by the German author Karl May. These romantic adventure novels set in the Orient were another step to fall in love with Arabian horses.

Above: Acryl painting of the stallion Morafic. Owned by Judith Wich-Wenning Right: Ghazal was legendary and Carl-Heinz Doemken immortalised his beloved Nazeerson in several mesmerising paintings.

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After studying German, journalism and psychology in Hamburg, Carl-Heinz Doemken returned to his hometown, Hannover, and worked as assistant director at the stateowned theatre. Here he met Constanze, a ballerina and married her shortly after. This was the beginning of a marriage that was to extend over 59 years until Carl-Heinz Doemken’s passing. In the year 1960, at the age of 30, Doemken acquired his first Arabian stallion. Arabian horses were very rare at that time in Germany and it was difficult to buy them. Doemken discovered and purchased the stallion Nizar at a circus. The chestnut descending from Crabbet bloodlines turned into one of the foundation stallions of German Arabian horse breeding. A daughter of Nizar was Nishi (x Joschi), a lovely female he immortalised in one of his expressive paintings.

Carl-Heinz was always passionate about Arabian horses, but when he saw the stallion Ghazal (Nazeer x Bukra) for the first time, he was absolutely hooked. This was the horse of his dreams; Ghazal seemed to have stepped out of a fairy tale. Ghazal – a full brother to Ansata Bint Bukra – possessed enormous type and aura. No wonder he enchanted Doemken, who took upon enormous efforts to acquire this stallion. In 1967 Doemken’s biggest wish came true: Ghazal’s former owner, Fürst zu Innund Knyphausen, closed his breeding program and decided to part with Ghazal. Of course Carl-Heinz immediately seized the opportunity and acquired his dream horse. Now Carl-Heinz’s most wonderful and also most successful time as a breeder started. Ghazal graced his stud farm for the next five years. In 1972 Ghazal died much too early after an accident.

Already during his lifetime, Ghazal had turned into a legend. He produced extraordinary offspring, for example the breathtaking mare Ghazala (x Hanan) for her breeder Dr HansJoachim Nagel. Moreover, Ghazal sired the full sisters Moheba II and Malikah (both out of Malacha). They founded legendary families and their influence can still be felt now. The stallion Muqatamm (Mahomed x Ghazalah) was the pride of his breeders Constanze and Carl-Heinz Doemken. He was line bred to Ghazal. No wonder Muqatamm became champion at the first Asil Cup ever organised.

Today the names Doemken and Ghazal are connected inseparably. With the book “Ghazal – Der Fuerst der Pferde” (“Ghazal – The Prince of Horses”) Carl-Heinz Doemken immortalised his beloved stallion. This book – a mixture of photos, paintings and sensitive, sometimes, romantic and passionate texts – turned into a source of inspiration for innumerable Arabian horse enthusiasts. It attracted many new people to fall in love with this special breed. Carl-Heinz Doemken was the author of several other very successful books about Arabian horses. For example he wrote, “Mahomed – Ghazals Erbe” 26 • April 2017

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Charming watercolour of the filly Nishi.

Collection of Judith Wich-Wenning, Germany.

(“Mahomed – Ghazal’s Heir”), “Stammpferde der Araberzucht” (“Foundation Horses of Arabian Breeding”) etc. His drawings and illustrations graced the covers of numerous books including books by Carl Raswan published by Olms Press and novels by Karl May, and were printed in innumerable magazines and newspapers. His original paintings – mainly in watercolour or acryl – are much sought-after collector’s items.

Carl-Heinz Doemken was one of the founders of the Arabian Horse Registry in Germany. Moreover, in the year 1974, the Asil Club was founded by a circle of friends meeting at the Doemkens’ farm.

People, who had the pleasure to meet Doemken personally, describe him usually as a unique character. His sense of black humour was legendary, though not always easy.

Doemken was straight forward, a dazzling personality who enjoyed provoking. Carl-Heinz was not afraid of anything – or anybody. Farm visitors were usually deeply impressed. The house reminded many of a private museum.

Doemken possessed a huge collection of books, memorabilia and a small zoo. They even had an aviary with small monkeys!

Carl-Heinz enjoyed handling stallions; their power and self-assurance impressed him.

Doemken’s soft spot was a black stallion as he appeared in Karl May’s novel “My Rih”. He always kept a black stallion in his barn, even when he was sometimes not used for breeding.

Type, dryness and nobility were the ideals for Carl-Heinz Doemken. He always “followed his own drums”, never fashion or fugitive hypes.

The Doemkens had to move farms several times. During the last years of Carl-Heinz’s life, they continued their breeding program on a smaller scale. When they became older, they started to worry who will continue their lifework in later years. Luckily a friend of Carl-Heinz introduced them to his godchild Magda. She was a student from Poland and went to stay at the farm for some days. Everything developed very well and the Doemkens finally adopted Magda.

Unfortunately Carl-Heinz Doemken fell severely ill in 2012. After a short but grave illness, he passed away on December 12, 2012 at the age of 82. Carl-Heinz Doemken has touched the lives of many people.

He had enormous influence through his eye-catching artworks, sensitive books, drawings for newspapers and last but not least his breeding program. Carl-Heinz Doemken has secured himself a prominent place in Arabian horse history!

Set in the hills of the picturesque Mary Valley on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is STIRLING’S CROSSING EQUESTRIAN COMPLEX – Australia’s first purpose-built endurance facility.

This impressive complex combines state-of-the-art facilities with beautiful, diverse topography.

We invite you to join us to experience Stirling’s for yourself.

FACILITIES INCLUDE: •

A 60m x 40m fully lit, undercover area suitable for endurance vetting or a variety of equestrian-related events.

• • •

Large, level, well-maintained and grassed outdoor areas.

Direct access to some of Australia’s most desirable forestry trails.

Top-of-the-range horse treadmill to help condition horses at a range of speeds and gradients.

•

Elevated viewing platform and secretarial facility.

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•

Quality P.A. system.

Flexibility for all size groups with provisions for overnight camping, with individual campsite water access.

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Air-conditioned amenities block with toilets and showers.

Event support from an experienced promotions and management team.

UPCOMING EVENT HOSTED BY STIRLING’S CROSSING ENDURANCE CLUB

August 5-6 2017 EQUESTRIAN AUSTRALIA ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS: FEI 1*, 2* & 3* including the Bullio Arabians 2* Trans Tasman Challenge

www.stirlingscrossingendurance.asn.au Contact: Matthew Sample 0418 151 839

Arabian Personalities COMPILED BY SHARON MEYERS

Kylie Hogan with Tannamara Montesshah

Kylie Hogan

P

opular American country music singer Patsy Cline was an early influence on Kylie Hogan, who has been singing professionally for around 16 years. Not an easy profession when you are a single mother raising a child and the owner of a few horses. Couple this with working fulltime during the day and you have one busy lady!

A versatile and talented entertainer, Kylie has made two albums; Someone on Your Mind and Love and Lust and both had film clips played plus charted on the Country Music Channel in Australia and had airplay and chart success globally. Kylie made the Top Played Country Artist in the World Charts at around number 253 and at one stage had a Number 2 chart hit in the United Kingdom with a song off the first album.

She has also sung internationally, toured

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the USA and performed in New Zealand.

Highlights were receiving a Tamworth Songwriters Award for best-recorded song Out Getting Over You and being nominated for various Country Music awards.

Kylie enjoyed horse ownership as a teenager but then things shifted into high gear and life started to speed by, leaving no time for equines. Fortuitously they sped back into Kylie’s life nine years ago when her daughter Tara-Mae wanted to start riding. It was nigh on impossible finding an Arabian in the Narrabri (NSW) area where they lived at the time, so a Quarter Horse was initially purchased through Alan Wallen in Queensland for Tara-Mae. Eventually Kylie found an Arabian near Narrabri for herself.

Singing at gigs around the country and working fulltime means Kylie is away from home a great deal, not the ideal situation for the day-to-day care of horses. The simple solution: agist them with trustworthy people where she can visit them when time allows.

WHY ARABIAN HORSES? I think life is too short to ride an ugly horse! Seeing them running free spirited with tails in the air and heads held high in a paddock is a sight to behold. They are just beauty you can hold in your hand as well as your heart.

I love the expression on their faces – you can tell what they are thinking. I feel Arabians are like cats in this world. You do not own an Arabian. Your Arabian horse chooses you. It’s a relationship not an ownership.

I had other horses before obtaining my first Arabian but sadly I didn’t enjoy them and had no connection with them.

As a teenager I saw that a lady was advertising Arabian horses for sale around the corner from where I lived in Wynnum, Queensland and I went down to see them.

She was so pleasant and helpful and I fell in love with the horses there and then. I spent so much time at her house! She must have been a very patient person.

Kylie’s current show horse, Gamaal with Ada Spring

Eventually, just before my 15th birthday I acquired Silver Shara (Tarong Ramsar x Suntana), a purebred yearling and that was the start of my love affair with Arabians. I have never in my life had a quieter horse.

Basically as a two-year-old I just got on and rode her without breaking her in. I rode the streets of Wynnum for years with her and we also swam in the water out at the Port of Brisbane. Shara even had Santa Claus ride her while covered in tinsel, right into the Wynnum Plaza Shopping Centre where she was excitedly greeted by hundreds of cheering children!

I won't ever own another breed.

HAPPIEST MOMENTS WITH ARABIAN HORSES Diamond Road Identity aka Indi winning at the 2013 Aussies was pretty fantastic.

I was working in Port Hedland, Western Australia while Lehan Brittens prepared him for the championships and she certainly deserves the credit for his win. David Gillett, who bred Indi, rang to congratulate me as soon as the class finished – momentous moment for us both – the first Aussie championship for me and the first horse David had bred that went on to win an Australian title!

Show wins are amazing but my proudest moments are always when children ride Tannamara Montesshah (Tannamara

Shahtahn x Tannamara Vitesse), aka Monster. I purchased Monster as a six-yearold unhandled stallion. Everyone told me I would never get a child on him. Six months later, after he was gelded, a little girl at pony club had been bucked off her pony, so I went and got Monster out of his stable and gave him a quick ride. To see this little girl scramble up on a large Arabian horse and finish her pony club gymkhana that day was heartwarming. She could barely get him out of a walk in the barrel race – eventually he relented and did a small trot to the finish for her. Everyone was cheering “Go Monte! Go Monte!” – I cried.

My first win on him at an open gymkhana was for the quietest pony competition. I had a sly giggle at that too. I rode out into the arena with a tarp under my arm. In front of the judges, who by this stage were looking slightly alarmed, I unfurled it and we trotted around dragging it behind and over us. The blue was ours!

Same as the day Kate Dertell rang about the purebred gelding Gamaal (by A. Jakarta).

I had met his dam Gameelah KA a few years earlier at Future Farms and thought she was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen. I considered it a pipe dream to own one of her foals. I saw Gamaal as a foal, then as a yearling and was infatuated by him. I just cried when Kate told me I could purchase him. He is now being prepared

Gary Cunningham

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nother person who is away from the home fires a great deal is Gary Cunningham.

Married to Catherine (Cate), the Cunninghams founded the boutique stud, Khalid Arabians situated at Stockleigh in Queensland around five years ago. Gary is a pilot working with Pearl Aviation, a company responsible for air calibration.

This means they test all the approaches to airports around the world to ensure that aircraft track correctly to runways using the navigational aids.

Gary Cunningham in his aviation role

TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR AVIATION HISTORY. The passion of my life is flying and the best role in flying I have ever undertaken is as a pilot for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). This was where I met Cate.

We worked together when Cate was a flight

for the show ring by Racheal Spring in Queensland, where I now live. She adores him and so does her children.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH YOUR ARABIANS? Oh, just about everything I can including pony club, campdraft clinics, cutting clinics, horseball, team penning, mustering of stock on properties – through to the show ring.

FAVOURITE NON-HORSE ACTIVITY? Riding my motorbike, anywhere, as long as I am riding.

IN YOUR FREE TIME? I have just joined a Western Performance Club in Beaudesert and will be training and competing in these events on Gamaal and Tannamara Montesshah.

WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? I always wanted one of those pretty bronze “horsey” heads with Australian Champion on it. I have one now thanks to Diamond Road Identity. I would like a garland for winning a saddle class and I want to ride in the Tom Quilty Gold Cup. And how much fun would it be to ride an Arabian around the pyramids in Egypt!

nurse in Meekatharra, Western Australia.

We flew some pretty amazing missions together and saw so much. To do things like resuscitate trauma victims on a truck back in the middle of nowhere with emus and other wildlife watching was surreal. You certainly learn how to improvise. I am terrified of needles and not fond of the sight of blood but that fear was soon sorted. These roles were a privilege and to be able to support the people of the bush and tourists and take them to safety was so gratifying.

We spent many years spanning thousands of kilometres based in Meekatharra, Derby (WA), Mt Isa (QLD) and Sydney (NSW) where I worked for Air Ambulance and later RFDS, whilst Cate worked at NSW Emergency Transport Service for children and babies, many will know this as Child Flight. Even though many of those missions were by ambulance and helicopter, we often flew together on the longer haul missions, always interesting when we had to work together.

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Khalid Arabians’ 2016 Australian Champion Partbred Arabian Colt, Roseglen Crown Royale

HOW DID ARABIANS COME INTO YOUR LIFE? Cate bought me a Half Arabian palomino filly named Kharinyah’s Glimma N Gold (Animation KEI x Leechdale Golden Fantasy) as a birthday present five years ago. The fact she was a registered Half Arabian was incidental, I love palominos so that was the main criterion. We had only seen a few pictures of her before she arrived in Queensland. How lucky we were.

YOU OWN AN ARABIAN HORSE STUD? Yes, we have a small boutique stud named Khalid Arabians with 11 Arabian and Derivative Arabians. Bloodlines in the breeding program include Padron, El Shaklan, Bey Shah, Ali Jamaal, Marwan Al Shaqab and as a result our horses are certainly producing type, attitude and movement. The most important thing for us with the horses we breed is correctness and beauty but at the end of the day they need to be functional horses that can go on to saddle careers.

We are heavily involved in halter showing our youngsters and have been blessed with our show team going from strength to strength. Our horses are conditioned at home and we engage the services of professionals to showcase our beautiful horses at shows. We also actively seek advice about how to continually improve what we do. It is not all about winning but showcasing each horse to its full potential – if they can do that, the rest is a bonus.

We have recently competed in our most successful East Coast Championships to date. We took a show team of four, winning 2017 East Coast Champion Half Arabian Filly or Mare, East Coast Champion Junior Partbred Arabian Colt and Triple Crown Winner, East Coast Champion 3YO Purebred Gelding and East Coast Reserve Champion Yearling Purebred Filly.

We are extremely proud of our horses and thankful to the professionals who help us live our dream.

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WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE WITH THE STUD? There are many challenges as a small stud owner but our challenges are only minor compared to large studs. Our biggest challenge is stallion management. It poses so many risks and given that my wife and I both carry long-term injuries, we find it hard to coordinate this easily.

Another challenge, which is just simply heartbreaking, is when we lose stock. Last year we lost two super colts and a stallion.

The two losses were after the East Coast and Australian Championships, the shows we had amazing results in. We were brought back to earth with a gut-wrenching thud.

Our stud stallion died some time later, which was just devastating. We have his one and only foal on the ground now and it’s very hard not to wrap him in cotton wool.

Recently we dabbled in Arabian racing.

It’s lots of fun but difficult in the fact that racing authorities are yet to fully embrace this sport in Queensland and therefore it’s hard to commit the training and resources to horses when it is unclear whether a race will go ahead or not. The other major difficulty is lack of sponsorship and support in Queensland. Whether it is viable to continue – we will just have to wait and see.

CURRENTLY, BESIDES HALTER SHOWING, WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES DO YOUR HORSES DO? We have one competitive saddle horse, Kharinyah’s Glimma N Gold, and she has had extensive dressage training along with a fabulous halter and saddle career, including multiple East Coast and Australian championships.

FUTURE PLANS? The future for Khalid Arabians will be to remain small with a few foals being born each year. Quality is far more important than quantity. This way we can maintain a small show team and strive for the stars.

The exciting part is we are on track now for showcasing our own breeding program, which makes it even more personal.

FAVOURITE NON-HORSE ACTIVITY? I like to snow and water ski, however, since our addiction to the Arabian horse we have little time for anything else. We need to get the balance right one day.

WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? My bucket list is simple: get the farm fully set up, go to Scottsdale, Vegas, Poland and Paris and see the world Arabian horse platform.

1925 Br eeders of Ar abian Hors es since

Road, Woodstock Victor ia 3751 Vicki Joh nson | 1740 Don nybrook p. 03 9716 2393 | m. 0418 307 366 e. fen wickst ud1925@bigpond.com | www.fenwickstud.com.au

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Grand Champion Crabbet Related Exhibit Under Saddle, Chase KA (CraveFF x Vaya), owner M. & E. Lando. Photo Paula Markey

WORDS YVONNE DOWNES

A feast of beautiful Arabians were presented to a large appreciative audience in a relaxed and natural atmosphere at the Crabbet Convention held at Werribee, Victoria on the last weekend in October 2016.

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rabbet horses travelled from all the eastern states to be there and it was heart-warming to see most were shown by their loving owners.

Enthusiasts came from all over the world to attend this get together of like-minded people and to admire and appreciate the quality and beauty of the horses in Australia. Australia was well represented with large numbers from Victoria and New South Wales plus a contingent from Queensland as well as several Crabbet devotees from South Australia and

Western Australia. A shipload arrived from Tasmania!

Friday saw us at the Werribee Equestrian Complex where pure Crabbet and Crabbet related horses were assembling to show their socks off in the indoor arena on Saturday.

As I wandered around the stable complex, especially in the older brick stable block which, to me, is slightly reminiscent of what I recall of the stable buildings I saw at the first Crabbet Convention in England in 1985; I realised how lucky I was to be seeing these beautiful

Arabians with gorgeous heads, big soft eyes, strong, full bodies with a great depth of girth, solid hindquarters and good legs. They were just relaxing in their stables being naturally beautiful with no make-up and nothing artificial – as nature intended them to be.

On Saturday Virginia Dean (New Zealand) judged the Pure Crabbet ring while Gudrun Martini (Victoria) judged the High Percentage Crabbet (or Crabbet related) ring. The show ran smoothly and professionally with a busy Secretary’s desk in operation just inside the

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main door to the arena, close to the delightful selection of artist and photographers’ stands and with refreshments just outside the main door. It was refreshing to see such a strong roll up of lovely horses being shown comfortably by their owners. There were plenty of beautiful ‘‘typey’’ horses with powerful movement – true riding horses.

The Werribee indoor arena provided an excellent backdrop for the event with its spacious arena easily accommodating two rings. The spectator gallery was well filled for the entire show and with two rings positioned side by side, eager onlookers were able to observe the action in both rings if they wished, or concentrate on one or the other.

The appreciation and applause was spontaneous and genuine. Observers warmly admired every horse that worked well, or was thought to be special. There was no obvious “rent- a-crowd” or “artificial approval” shown for any horses. Both judges commented on the positive reception each horse received from the crowd.

Later in the afternoon the parade of Crabbet families was held and it was a joy to see. These families all traced back to an original stallion or mare from the Crabbet Arabian Stud and generally tended to show a family resemblance and on the whole, carried similar characteristics. Some families only had one or two representatives, which

was unfortunate and meant family traits and qualities were difficult to see, but others had five or six horses which made looking for comparisons much easier.

At the end of the parade two special presentations were made. Kim and Mark Thomason (USA) generously donated two absolutely wonderful memorial trophies. They were large hand painted brass statues of their horse Magic Domino. Kim and Mark watched all events at the show including the parade.

Kim selected the Pure Crabbet winner while Mark chose the Crabbet Related. Snow’n’Fire (Sarafire x Santarabia Porfira), a well known and decorated flashy chestnut stallion, who famously featured on the cover of The Arabian Horse In Australia and New Zealand Vol VII, was a popular winner at the Crabbet show winning the Pure Crabbet Trophy. He was bred by Leon Bennett and Yvonne and Rob Day and is leased by Tanya Beacham, Nicole Emanuel and Aaron Thege and shown by Creswick Stud. The Crabbet Related trophy went to Tracy Nutting’s stallion Acaciavej Shadowy Prince (Arundel House Bey Rashan x Capleach Shadowy Lustre). He had previously been champion led and reserve champion ridden at the show and Tracy was overwhelmed to be chosen to win this special award. I was very proud to be able to tell the world he was a Tasmanian! Kim and Mark surely got it ‘‘right’’ as applause was deafening when these

two magnificent horses paraded with their beautiful awards.

There were many ‘‘stand out’’ horses at the convention. Portia Benay (Sarafire x Santarabia Porfira), a delightful chestnut mare and full sister to Snow’n’Fire, was very successful in both the halter and saddle classes. She proudly carried the flag at the beginning of the parade and gave an almost faultless exhibition in harness. Volcano (Bakos x Victorine) strutted his stuff and looked much younger than his 27 years while Binley Prince Iqbal (Prince Sadik x Ismala) imported from Great Britain caught everyone’s eye!

Saturday evening saw two costume classes, a demonstration of a Sporthorse class and a liberty event. The horses in the liberty class all seemed to return to their handlers right on cue. These events added to the variety and fun of the show.

On Sunday we met at the Werribee Racetrack and were treated like superstars in a wonderful venue. There we had a full day of well-respected and very interesting speakers.

First up was Caroline Sussex (GB) whose mother Mrs Rosemary Archer of Worth Stud was closely entwined with the Crabbet Arabian Stud. Caroline’s talk encompassed a lot of personal details into the day-to-day world of the Crabbet Stud and gave us all a much closer insight into the majority of the ancestors of some of our cherished horses today. It

Left: Champion Pure Crabbet Stallion 16 – 20 Years, Arfaja Starfire (Arfaja Robard x Arfaja Moonfire), owner R. Gladman. Photo Nicole Emanuel Right: Magic Domino Memorial Award Crabbet Bred, Acaciavej Shadowy Prince, owner Tracy Nutting. Photo Nicole Emanuel

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Pure Crabbet Stallions coming to Victoria for 2017! uel Nicole Eman

re Arfaja Starfi

Eliseo SPA

UK]

Kerry Harvey

Binley Prince Iqbal [imp

Jennifer Hawkins M: 0427 302 598 E: jh@shahwanparkarabians.com.au www.shahwanparkarabians.com.au Follow us on Facebook

Kelkette Park - Disperal Sale 55 YEARS OF BREEDING AMAZING ARABIANS HAS COME TO AN END A rare opportunity to purchase beautiful Arabians with proven performance bloodlines.

Nicole Emanuel

Nicole Emanuel

All stock, including foundation Mares and Stallions, will be offered for sale by tender Email rachel.bohm@bigpond.com for sale list.

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April 2017 • 35

Left: Grand Champion Junior Pure Crabbet Exhibit, Arfaja Baylian (Mill Park Blaidd x Pevensey Baybe), owner L. Stanford. Photo Nicole Emanuel Right: Grand Champion Senior Crabbet Related Exhibit, Cooroora Aheyme (Prince Rasheyd GB x Alzana), owner J. Richards. Photo Jane Sheppard

was accompanied by a large array of photos shown on a large screen, a variety of famous horses from the past. I told Caroline I was very envious of her growing up with legends of our breed on her doorstep.

Virginia Dean spoke on Crabbet horses in New Zealand. It was of great interest to follow some of the Australian horses which have gone ‘‘across the ditch’’. Virginia also showed a number of photos of horses, mostly imported from England but some from Australia and other countries and of course, some New Zealand bred.

Brenden Millburn spoke briefly on NARA (National Arabian Racehorse Association of Australia) and the success of Arabian racing in Australia and the exciting prospects for the future. Virginia Dodson spoke about the Crabbet horses shining in Arabian racing in Australia, both currently and in the recent past. Photos of horses racing and in the winners’ circle accompanied her talk. She pointed out some horses have come from successful show careers or from an Endurance Riding past and have proven to be very successful on the racetrack.

Sean Johnson showed us a glimpse of his encyclopaedic knowledge on Crabbet families and related them to those who had paraded the day before. Again, there were a selection of photos of famous horses on the screen and I, for one, was gobsmacked at the wealth of knowledge about bloodlines and the passion for Arabian horses in this young man.

Finally, there was a very informative talk by equine specialist vet, Christina Marth who spoke on genetics and genetic diseases, complete with a short video of a lavender foal. It was so sad – I hope I never have to see one in real life.

Mementos from the weekend include a truly beautiful Convention Catalogue with a lovely compilation of three paintings by Victorian artist Paula Markey on the front cover. It depicts three Crabbet Arabians 36 • April 2017

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Top: Grand Champion Senior Pure Crabbet Exhibit, Portia Benay (Sarafire x Santarabia Porfira), owner B. White. Photo Nicole Emanuel Above: Grand Champion Pure Crabbet Exhibit Under Saddle, Inshallah Mygirl (Inshallah Silver Guardian x Inshallah Golden Image), owner Judy Fry. Photo Paula Markey

wootton arabian stud Preservation breeder of pure crabbet arabians.

Sponsor of the 2016 Crabbet Convention.

Photo: Nicole Emanuel

Wootton Charismatic S26769 14.3hh Pure Crabbet SCID, LFS & CA Clear Pure crabbet progeny available.

Visitors are welcome to come and meet W.Charismatic and our herd of 17 pure crabbet arabians in the beautiful Great Lakes area of the mid north NSW coast. By appointment only.

Photo: Nicole Emanuel

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Grand Champion Intermediate Crabbet Related Exhibit, Razara Illumination (Avondale Eclipse x River Oak Affaire), owner Monica De Graaf. Photo Paula Markey

Grand Champion Intermediate Pure Crabbet Exhibit, Binley Prince Iqbal, owner J. Hawkins. Photo Jane Sheppard

influential to Australian breeding; the stallions Greylight and Sindh and the lovely mare Perfection. The catalogue is chock-a-block full of photos and fascinating information on Crabbet horses in Australia and their ancestors.

It includes a chapter written by Gudrun Martini entitled Photographic Reflections. This is well worth reading and gives readers a brief encounter of some of her personal experiences 38 • April 2017

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Magic Domino Memorial Award Pure Crabbet, Snow‘n’Fire, leased by T. Beacham, N. Emanuel & A. Thege. Photo Nicole Emanuel

Pure Crabbet Stallion Volcano 28 years, owner R. Pidoto. Photo Nicole Emanuel

of some of the most well-known and influential Crabbet horses in recent history in Australia.

There is also a wonderful story written by Mel Somerville on The Miraculous Melandah Twins and an interesting report by Chris Ros about Western Australia’s Crabbet Heritage.

The show catalogue is also a keepsake with a fabulous cover and information about the horses competing in events at the show as well

as some special advertisements, mostly from studs represented at the convention.

It was a brilliant weekend, full of wonderful memories, renewed friendships with new ones forged. It’s a huge undertaking to try to stage an event like this and I commend the very small group of ladies who pulled it all together on a shoestring and made it all happen.

(Prince Rasheyd* UK X Alzana) 89% Crabbet/Russian

Multi Supreme Champion at halter and under saddle. Consistently producing Champion progeny from a variety of mares. His pure Crabbet sire, coupled with his predominantly Crabbet dam whose Russian strand incorporates the blood of the tall and handsome grey stallion Naplyv* USSR. Standing 15.2hh - SCID, CA and LFS Clear Stud Fee: $1,000 LFG. Natural, AI (Frozen Semen available by arrangement)

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Geoff or Jackie Richards 451 Coles Creek Road, Cooran Qld 4569 P: 07 5485 1544 M: 0416 284 112 E: cooroorastables@skymesh.com.au

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April 2017 • 39

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VICTORIA

Kath Johnston 238 Umfrevilles Road Kaoota, Tas, 7150

M: 0427 302 598 E: jh@shahwanparkarabians.com.au W: www.shahwanparkarabians.com.au

ShahwanPark Arabians, established over 35 years ago, based on Fenwick, Arfaja and more recently Binley Stud and Worth Stud lines from the UK with the introduction of Binley

Prince Iqbal (imp. UK).

Breeding functional and beautiful Pure Crabbet performance Arabians. For the first time our stallions will be standing at stud in Victoria.

Photo: Kerry Harvey

40 • April 2017

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TASMANIA TASMA

Kasdell Arabians breeds Pure Crabbet Arabians suited to all disciplines with that splash of “Look at Me”.

Producing halter and performance champions for 44 years. Our youngsters are well handled, quiet and friendly. They are broken in gently and schooled slowly, smoothly and correctly.

Their success at halter and in performance reflect their select breeding, their temperament and the quality of their training.

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Kasdell Kane is commencing stud duties and we look forward to his contribution.

5 Breeders of Arabian Hors es since

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Fenwick Stud was founded in 1925 by Mrs ADD Maclean with the purchase of Rafina and her colt foal Raseel from the Crabbet Stud in the UK. Over 90 years later the stud continues to carry on these original bloodlines. Fenwick Stud has produced many outstanding Arabians and Arabian Derivatives over the years that have excelled in a great variety of equine pursuits. These days the stud continues to breed a small number of Arabians and Derivatives. We have 2 Pure Crabbet Stallions and 12 Pure Crabbet Mares. Visitors are always welcome by appointment. Visit our website for more information.

Vicki Johnson | 1740 Donnybrook Road, Woodstock Victoria 3751 e. fenwickstud1925@bigpond.com | p. 03 9716 2393 | m. 0418 307 366 www.fenwickstud.com.au

MillPark Arabians

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Crabbet Heritage Breeders Breeding top flight performance horses of Crabbet heritage since 1979 in partnership with my late husband Mick who was a fine horseman and a staunch supporter of the Arabian horse

Shirley Douglas-Greig & Don Greig MillPark are Breeders of Pure Crabbet Arabians and have been involved with Arabians since 1968.

33 Quinn Lane, Stuart Mill Victoria. Australia 3477 P: (03) 5499 9237 M: 0407 314 207 E: saffy1@outlook.com.au

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Mick Roon ey and Bo lshoi.

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Julie Curry The Oaks (approx. 1 hr SW Sydney) NSW Australia P: 0400 215 667

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Cooroora Aheyme

(Prince Rasheyd* UK x Alzana) 89% Crabbet/Russian

Multi Supreme Champion at halter and under saddle.

Consistently producing Champion progeny from a variety of mares. His pure Crabbet sire, coupled with his predominantly Crabbet dam whose Russian strand incorporates the blood of the tall and handsome grey stallion Naplyv* USSR.

Photo: Jane Sheppard

Standing 15.2hh SCID, CA and LFS Clear Stud Fee: $1,000 LFG Natural, AI (Frozen Semen available by arrangement)

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Situated an hour west of Brisbane, we breed Pure Crabbet Arabian horses for the show ring, performance, endurance, pony club and the family.

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We specialise in Pure Arabians of Crabbet/ColoniallinesandSectionA&B RidingPonyStudBookponies.Ourstud issetinbetweentheBarossaValleyand theGilbertValley, on75acresofgently undulating hills with good pastures.

Visits are by appointment, contact us to make a suitable time.

Beth Spurling & Kass Dalitz 208 McKenzie Rd, Hamley Bridge SA 5401 0401 628 149 (Beth) | 0409 673 224 (Kass) E: bethandterry1@bigpond.com www.samphirepark.com

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April 2017 • 41

Purchasing a Registered Arabian or Arabian Derivative Saddle Horse Points To Check

The lapse date is written on the top of the certificate.

registration and transfer and if any DNA tests need to be completed.

Is the horse actually registered?

If an Arabian Derivative stallion, be aware that he will need to have a DNA result on file before he can be used to serve mares.

Ensure the sire has a DNA on file and if the dam is a purebred Arabian that she has a DNA on file. Check with the AHSA if the parents do not have genetic results recorded, as it may affect eligibility to be registered.

Whose name is the horse registered in and who needs to sign any transfer?

Has the horse been suspended for any reason?

Is the horse currently on lease? The AHSA (Arabian Horse Society of Australia) will not terminate a lease because a horse is sold.

Does the horse match its registration details: colour, sex, age, markings?

Ensure the original certificate of registration and transfer is given to the purchaser or sent to the AHSA. If a colt, ensure that he has both testicles descended into the scrotum (unless a foal).

A vet check pre-purchase for this would be a good idea if you wish to keep him as a stallion.

If a colt/stallion, check that his foal recording papers have not lapsed. If so, extra fees will be required in order to adult register him.

If a purebred Arabian stallion or mare, be aware that he or she will require SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency disease), CA (equine cerebellar abiotrophy) and LFS (lavender foal syndrome) carrier test results to be on file with the AHSA in order for progeny to be registered or stallions approved for use at stud – if born before 1/8/2000 this is not required for mares and only required for stallions that are used to serve outside mares.

Carriers can still be used for breeding and progeny registered.

Purchasing A Horse Not Yet Registered Check with the AHSA and make sure the horse is eligible for registration and find out who needs to sign the application for

S.Meyers

Check if the sale horse is registered.

42 • April 2017

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Make sure the correctly completed registration application and transfer is available.

Ensure the service certificate (signed by the owner of the sire) is available.

Does the horse match its application for registration?

Find out the cost to register the horse and make sure you know who is paying this and any DNA testing costs when negotiating the purchase.

If the dam of the horse is registered with the AHSA, check with the AHSA that the breeder/ first owner is a financial member.

AHSA Ltd contacts: Ph: (02) 4577 5366 www.ahsa.asn.au

S.Meyers

Does the horse match his registration details?

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CH Arabian Senior Stallion RHR Heir of Marwan, owner D. Kara-Ali.

Australian Arabian National Championships WORDS GLENYS LILLEY PHOTOGRAPHY GLENYS LILLEY AND SAMANTHA TAYLOR

This year’s Australian Arabian National Championships was held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre 16–18 March 2017. The Championships featured condensed classes that trimmed the show down to three days. There were over 275 quality horses competing and competitors were excited to win an Australian championship or top ten against tough competition.

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verseas judges were Shannon Armstrong from the USA and Lorne Roberston from Canada and Australian judges included Sheila Jones, Liz Carlile, Jayne Bellchambers and Kylee Chandler.

The never-ending torrential rain caused a last minute rescheduling of classes, so they could all fit into the indoor arena. This was well received by competitors and spectators alike as they could watch the entire show in comfort, although the dressage horses on Saturday had to wade through outdoor flooded arenas and compete in heavy downpours!

This year the young horses made an impact with Partbred Arabian mare Crack a Lackin (Gold n Wings x Terrell Ellitte) and

Key to photos: Ch = Champion, BPH = Bridle Path Hack, API = Arabian Performance Index, NPTR = Non-Professional Division. Multiple champions were only attributed to one championship with one photo within this report. Please visit the official website for the show at www.arabianchampionships.com for full results.

Arabian gelding Allegiant MI (Allegiance MI x MI Angel) winning both their led, ridden and Silver Snaffle divisions, quite a feat for both horses in very tough classes. Allegiant MI winning the Silver Snaffle for the second year running. Mystica Abbas (LC Prince Magnum x Princess of Marwan) claimed Australian

Champion Ridden Purebred Stallion in his first season under saddle for South Serenity Arabians. Partbred Arabian mare, Gleniph Tiramisu (Craveff x Gleniph Bombe Alaska) won multiple Australian Championships in both the youth and open ridden sections for Gleniph Arabians. Shiranna Liqueur Memorial award sashes were hotly contested by some of the best Arabian ponies in Australia with Shiranna Braveheart (Kyabra Park Lemony Snicket x Shiranna Eyez on Myheart), Little G Pageboy (B’anembo Kool Colour x Crestwood Pageant) and Hollyford Park Gianna (Karanga Sea Eagle x Fantazja) taking the awards. The other memorial award was the inaugural Shatana Lady Gai’diva Memorial Garland donated by Garland Grove Arabians for the Australian National Champion Half Arabian

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April 2017 • 45

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Led exhibit, which was won by the yearling filly Illaroo Mariah (The Accolade x Illaroo Shu Fly), owned by Kylie DeWyse. One of the oldest horses competing was the purebred mare Jaytee Serenity (Arjai Summit x Arabian Park Reflection) owned by Laura Thompson, who at 24 won two Silver Australian Championships in Dressage and Bridle Path Hack.

There were a number of breeders who won both Gold and Silver championships in classes. Shiranna Arabians with Shiranna Braveheart and Shiranna Mademoiselle (Shiranna Valentino x Coleemyn Park Intrigue) in the Yearling Arabian Pony class and Foxwood Arabians with Foxwood Aztec Gold (Nalla La Scala x Coldstream Silver Cloud) and Foxwood Mystic Gold (Mystica Sagali x Coldstream Silver Cloud) in the Arabian Stockhorses.

RHR Heir of Marwan (Marwan Al Shaqab x LC Psychesheiress) triumphantly returned to the show ring for his second Australian Champion Led Purebred Stallion award for his new owner, Diaa Kara-Ali. RHR Heir of Marwan also had a daughter, Marwans Gold KA (from Shannonbrook Sheena Gold) bred by Gary and Catherine Cunningham take out Silver 46 • April 2017

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Champion Yearling Filly. Mulawa Arabians made a clean sweep of the purebred Arabian female section with Venice MI (Allegiance MI x Valentine MI) Gold Champion yearling, Venecia MI (Allegiance MI x Valentine MI) Gold Champion Junior Female and MI Klassic Fantasy (Klass x Mustang’s Magnum) Gold Champion Mare.

Mulawa Arabians also won the Junior Purebred Colt Gold Champion with Kavalier MI (Marwan Al Shaqab x Karess). The yearling Purebred Colt was Daitan Wanted Crown (Chelleason Crown Jewel x Philadelphia KEI), owned by Daitan Equestrian and MA Arabians.

The Mulawa Arabian geldings Bogart MI (Advise MI x LLC Briana), Parlance MI (Klass x Parada) and Allegiant MI (Allegiance MI x MI Angel) all gained Gold National Champions for excited owners: Katherine Hopkins, Brittany Jessup and Samantha Fallick.

The most entertaining class of the show was the Musical Variety Ridden Freestyle Performance Jackpot whose competitors had the crowd hysterical with laughter at some of the costumed riders’ antics, including the eventual Silver Champions – Team Fruit Salad Quadrille from Victoria that included four horses, two bunches of grapes and a raunchy

4

banana but the Gold Champion Myth Buster (Cedarwood Lodge Kumait x Myth Annie) and Kristin Galea outshone them all with the appropriate wet weather inspired outfit of bright yellow raincoat, glitter and sequined raindrops, riding one-handed with an open umbrella.

This year we were lucky to have musical entertainment on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights by the talented Kylie Hogan and Ash Williamson accompanied by BBQs and Pot Luck dinners for exhibitors and spectators.

The kindness and generosity of the Arabian horse community really came to the fore when one of the South Australian competitors, Jessie Rae Preece had her truck break down on the 1600km trip to the Championships in Sydney. A lift was found for one of her horses, a replacement vehicle was made available to tow the float, and a sulky was even found so her stallion could compete in harness and the three horses made it to Sydney to compete!

Editor’s Note: Unfortunately the official results from the championships were not available as we went to print. They will be accessible at the show’s official website at www.arabianchampionships.com

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“The show was fantastic and so well run. I can’t wait to take my horses back next year!”

Katherine Hopkins, Amarina Park, QLD.

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CH Arabian Senior Mare MI Klassic Fantasy, owner Mulawa Arabian Stud.

Ch Ridden Arabian Stallion Mystica Abbas, owner South Serenity Arabians.

Ch Senior Purebred Gelding Allegiant MI, owner G, S, P. Fallick.

Ch Junior Arabian Gelding Parlance MI, owner B. Jessup.

Ch Arabian Yearling Gelding Bogart MI, owner K. Hopkins.

Ch Arabian Junior Filly Venecia MI, owner G, J, J. Farrell.

Ch Junior Purebred Colt Kavalier MI, owner Mulawa Arabians.

Ch Arabian Yearling Filly Venice MI, owner G. & J. Farrell.

Ch Ridden Arabian Mare Lover GirlFF, owner M. Jackson. Photo Michael Vink

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“The organising committee’s decision to bring all the rings indoors due to inclement weather was a positive move.

Grandstands packed with spectators created a wonderful, friendly atmosphere, reminiscent of the boom years.”

Phill Ryan, Hideaway Farm Arabians, TAS.

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“Had an awesome time at my first Aussies with my own horse.”

Darian Wise, QLD.

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Ch Australian Pleasure C P Aleksia, owner P. Daykin.

Ch Led Arabian Stockhorse Foxwood Aztec Gold, owner K. Baker.

Ch Arabian Warmblood Breeding Exhibit Aloha Desert Elegance, owner Aloha Arabians.

Ch Youth Western Pleasure Arabesque Special Girl, owner A. Malouf.

Ch Junior Arabian Pony Little G Pageboy, owner P. Cowling.

Ch Partbred Arabian Gelding Expressions FF, owner S. & R. Oberg.

Ch Derivative Show Hunter NPTR Ashquar Riley, owner T. & K. Parrington.

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Ch Arabian Warmblood Junior Gelding Lawless, owner C. Edwards.

Ch Youth Show Hunter Jessica Dertell and Valerius Waltermeyer, owner D. & K. Dertell.

Lady Gai’diva Memorial Garland winner Illaroo Mariah, owner K. Dewyse.

Ch Novice Dressage Bremervale Bey Gabrielle and Ch Preliminary Dressage Psyched Up, owner Alexandrina Farm.

Ch Ridden Arabian Stockhorse Aloha Aquarius, owner B. Zaiter.

Ch Ridden Arabian Pony Crackerjack, owner S. & R. Oberg.

Ch Musical Variety Freestyle Myth Buster, owner K. & S. Galea.

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“My Aussies experience was truly amazing. To breed, prepare and show one of your own homebred horses and win unanimous Gold National Champion at the Aussies was the highlight of my showing career.”

Geoff Hawking, VIC.

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Ch Junior Arabian Riding Pony Girlfriend FF, owner S. & R. Oberg.

Ch Senior Arabian Riding Pony Karate Kid, owner J. Gregson.

Ch Yearling Partbred Arabian Filly Burberry, owner G. Hawking.

Ch Anglo Arabian Gelding Sqizzy Taylor, owner P. Arnold.

Ch Ridden Arabian Riding Pony Wymeanda Forgotten Desire, owner M. Jackson.

Ch Led Junior Partbred Arabian Rose Glen Crown Royale, owner Khalid Arabians.

Ch Arabian Led by a Youth Enchanting FF, owner D. & K. Dertell.

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Ch Arabian Yearling Colt Daitan Wanted Crown, owner T, D, L. Edmonds.

Ch Ridden Arabian Warmblood ESK Versace, owner G. Farragher.

Ch API Led Exhibit Don’t Be late, owner R. & T. Bignold.

Ch Derivative Silver Snaffle Crack a Lackin, owner A. Geleedst.

Ch Arabian Show Hunter Fames Phantom, owner T. Banks & C. Hellyer.

Ch Galloway & Pony Bridle Path Hack Cheval De Luxe, owner J. King & S. Price.

Ch Youth Costume Just My Jullyen, owner S. Field & T. Perry.

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“My first time at SIEC and my first time with my own home grown youngster, Amiraakel J-S. It was the best fun I have had at a show, bar none. The committee needs to be commended for adjusting the schedule to run indoors. It was so good to have both saddle and halter under one roof. Roll on 2018.”

Debbie Hage, Jaimon-Sharhi Arabians, QLD.

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“I loved the idea of combined classes as it meant so much more to me to win unanimous Gold Champion Jnr Arabian Pony in such a strong class.”

Paula Cowling, Tajara Park, TAS.

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Ch Ridden Arabian NPTR Impreza, owner T. Sagger.

2 Ch Open Arabian Costume Chelleason Magnums Gold, owner C. Edwards.

3 Ch Led Arabian NPTH Marwans Jewel in the Crown MPA, owner Al Sahrae Arabians.

4 Ch Quarab Led Exhibit Rose Glen Ooh La La, owner S. Riddle.

5 Ch Ridden Half Arabian Khandala, owner W. Lorincz.

6 Ch Arabian BPH NPTR Dream Fever, owner M. & B. Bilney.

7 Ch Arabian Riding Pony Gelding Royalwood Touch of Lyric, owner S. & R. Oberg.

8 Ch Arabian Pony Yearling Shiranna Braveheart, owner S. & S. Taylor.

9 Ch Anglo Arabian Breeding Exhibit Kestrel SW, owner M. Prentice.

10 Ch Arabian/Derivative BPH ridden by a Youth Gleniph Tiramisu, owner Gleniph Arabians.

11 Ch Arabian Derivative BPH NPTH Jaybee Allstar, owner P. & S. Cormack.

12 Ch Junior Arabian Derivative NPTH Burlesque SA, owner S. & S. Taylor.

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“The organisers were super accommodating and the show was well run. We had a successful show with our team from Stokes Sporthorses.”

Cheryl Ullrich, WA.

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Ch Arabian Derivative BPH Tathren Persuaded by Song, owner L. & V. Stubbs.

Ch Ridden Anglo Arabian Aloha King’s Realm, owner M. & M. Eather.

Ch Derivative Led by a Youth Arabec Zoltaire, owner J. Carrington.

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Ch Senior Arabian Pony Hollyford Park Gianna, owner T. Hosking.

Ch Arabian/Arabian Derivative/API Led Hack Karma Park Bellagio, owner N. & R. Brincau.

Ch Harness Horse Madison Park Knee-Hi, owner K. Pryor.

THE DREAM...

THAT FOUND REALITY

Mystica Abbas { LC Prince Magnum X Princess Of Marwan }

v Supreme Classic Champion v East Coast Champion v Gold Australian National Champion

Thank you to Elouise Lando for turning dreams into reality Eagerly await his first foal crop

South Serenity Arabians

M: 0401 916 435 (Belle) 0418 360 636 (PETER) E: belle@ssarabians.com.au l peter@ssarabians.com.au Victoria, Australia w w w . s s a r a b i a n s . c o m . a u

Australian Champion Stallion ���� RHR Heir of Marwan WORDS SHARON MEYERS PHOTOS FOXWOOD PHOTOGRAPHY

Bred in the USA in 2007 by the McMahon family, RHR Heir of Marwan arrived on our shores in November 2009.

Royally bred, his sire is Marwan Al Shaqab (Gazal Al Shaqab x Little Liza Fame) and his dam the Padrons Psyche daughter, LC Psychesheiress from Jamaara (by Ali Jamaal). A pedigree steeped in the finest Polish, Russian and Egyptian bloodlines.

H

e had a short but illustrious show career in America and here in Australia he won at several key shows including the East Coast Championships and was also awarded the prestigious NSW Triple Crown.

His crowning glory is winning the esteemed Australian National Champion Senior Stallion sash, not once, but twice – in 2014 and 2017. The only Arabian stallion

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in the entire history of the Australian Championships to do so!

Diaa Kara-Ali purchased the wellcredentialled RHR Heir of Marwan last year when founding Southern Chariot Stud in the picturesque Hawkesbury area of NSW, a melting pot for horse lovers.

Diaa arrived in Sydney’s western suburbs from Lebanon when he was seven and recounted, “The first horse I saw was when

I was three years old and he was a gorgeous chestnut Arabian stallion at a stable my father and I visited in Lebanon. This stallion made an unforgettable impression on me.

“Where I lived in Australia, not many children were taken by the beauty of Arabian horses as I was. And that made me a unique ‘dreamer’ because I continuously drew pictures of myself as a grown up, living amongst Arabian horses!” Diaa eventually

Australian Champion Stallion RHR Heir of Marwan.

became involved with Arabians during his visits back to Lebanon as a teenager, where he rode them in showjumping competitions.

Later in life Diaa attended university to study both engineering and philosophy, eventually obtaining a Master’s Degree with a thesis on political philosophy and religion.

Today his profession is a Chartered Structural Engineer.

Currently there are seven horses at the Southern Chariot Stud, Heir, plus six mares of various bloodlines. When asking about his preference for bloodlines, Diaa stated, “I do not have any preferences for particular bloodlines as I admire any lines that can contribute to my aim of combining extreme height, prettiness and energy in the one horse. The formula is much more complex than favouring particular bloodlines. I believe extracting the jewel of this pure breed lies in the widest possible mixture of certain trait holders. My goal for the stud is now to breed mares from the finest bloodlines in Australia to RHR Heir of Marwan. I aim to combine beauty with height and strength in the one line.

“The reason I selected Heir began with his unmatched record in Australia as a Triple Crown winner, plus his 2014 Australian Champion Senior Stallion award, and him being in my opinion, one of the best Arabian stallions in Australia today. It was love at first sight. Also with Heir it was a character ‘thing’ as well, his fiery and unbeatable show attitude in the arena – while also being soft and sweet during a one-on-one level filled my heart with love and admiration for him. This is not to understate the beautiful progeny he has produced.”

I asked Diaa what it meant to him when RHR Heir of Marwan won 2017 Australian Champion Senior Stallion? “It meant that Heir remains the unbeatable Australian Champion both in his prime as well as in his youth. He is now ready to take on the world in Paris this year. My firm belief that Heir is the most beautiful living stallion in the world has only strengthened further. He deserves Australia to stand behind him and support him in his venture to a world title as the reigning Australian Champion Stallion.”

Sharing a special moment together.

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Key Questions To Ask

When Buying A Saddle Horse

Buying a saddle horse is always an exciting, nerve wracking and at times, frustrating activity. Weeks or even months can slip by as you methodically search for the horse of your dreams. It’s joy of joys when you find a suitable candidate! You take all precautions to ensure the horse will do the job you have in mind. To help evaluate him, you watch the owner put the horse through his paces under saddle and ride him yourself. You even go through your carefully prepared checklist of questions to ask; but are you asking all the right questions? Emily McCabe Alger and Jenifer Nadeau, M.S., Ph.D. Department of Animal Science, University of Connecticut, USA have put together a few pertinent questions to help you in your quest.

Selecting A Horse to Meet Your Riding Goals and Needs When purchasing a horse you should always try to have a veterinarian do an exam or be with you, especially if you are a novice owner. The veterinarian will be working for you, not for the seller. Consider additional tests like x-rays to be performed by the veterinarian. Even if you trust and love the person selling you a horse, a pre-purchase veterinarian exam is still a smart idea. When purchasing, there are two types of considerations regarding the horse: behavioural traits and conformation.

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attitude of the horse while conformation concerns the way he is put together.

Behavioural Traits Look for signs of behavioural problems in the horse’s stable, such as chewing, cracked/broken walls, “tracks” worn in the floor, paint scraped off the bars, grain or half chewed hay in bedding, and/or diarrhoea.

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Does this horse have a cribbing or wind sucking problem? If so, how is it currently managed?

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Does this horse kick in the stall, and if so, when and why?

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Does this horse stall walk, paw or weave?

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Does this horse grind his teeth on the bars?

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Can the horse easily be haltered in the stall?

Consider the horse’s outdoor living space. Look for isolation while others are grouped, look for signs of chewing or pushing on fences if the horse is kept alone, look for discrepancies between equipment in or size of paddock. Ask the following questions: 1.

Why is this horse isolated from the herd? Is he aggressive or very passive?

2.

Does the horse like to chew or push on his fence?

3.

Why does this horse not have a hay feeder (for example) and all others do. Does this mean he climbs in it?

4.

Why is this horse in a really small paddock – does he jump out if given enough room to run?

Take in the horse’s general appearance.

Is he relaxed, does he stand square? Look for obvious disfigurements, check for balance and look for overdevelopment of one side.

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Above: Ask why is this mare isolated from the herd? Is she aggressive or very passive? Photo Sharon Meyers Left: Ensure the horse you purchase is suitable for the equestrian activities you want to do.

Photo Sharon Meyers

3.

4.

Does sudden movement or sound distract him? Look for a horse that is bright, alert and responsive. Ask the following questions: 1.

Why does this horse look so tense? Does he have any heath problems that are making him uncomfortable?

2.

Does this horse bite or kick? How is this horse around equine professionals like the vet or farrier? How is this horse around young children?

3.

Has this horse ever been injured and if so, what was his treatment plan? Was the plan followed? Was a veterinarian called and did he revisit? Has this injury resulted in any chronic problems?

4.

How “spooky” is this horse? Is there any sound or visual cue that really makes him scared? Has he been out on the trail? What do you know about his behaviour in “active” or new situations?

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Observe the horse’s movement and attitude under saddle. Watch the horse for attentiveness. Is he relaxed or tense?

Watch for head tossing which could indicate resistance or mouth problems. Look for signs of stiffness as mentioned earlier. At the lope or canter look for smooth rhythm and make certain he/she takes the correct lead in both directions easily. Refusal to take a lead could mean he/she is sore. After 5–10 minutes of cantering or loping, listen to breathing which should be relaxed, regular and in time with his striding. When he/she is stopped, notice recovery time, which should not be longer than time spent cantering.

1.

In general does the horse enjoy going to work? Does he willingly leave the barn/stable area?

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Do you feel this horse has a soft or hard mouth? What bit are you using right now? What bit is this horse shown in? What training aids are being used on this horse? Has this

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horse been trained with or shown in spurs? Do you use a crop or whip on this horse?

What lead does this animal favour and what do you do to assist him in taking and/or keeping his more difficult lead? Does he move with more collection and balance in one direction as compared to the other?

How often does this animal get worked and for what general duration? In what discipline(s) does this animal work? How quickly do you feel this horse recovers after vigorous work? Have you noticed any breathing difficulties?

Has this horse been worked out of the arena? Has he/she been worked up and down hills? Does he/she exhibit any weaknesses when being worked on difficult terrain?

Conformation Examine the horse’s head. Check eyes, slowly pass a hand by each eye and look for blinking response – don’t touch whiskers or create a breeze. Look for a bluish film covering the eye. Look at teeth, check for misalignment. Sniff the horse’s breath for foul odour, which could be an indication of infection or illness. Look at the tongue for signs of past damage. Check underside of jaws looking to see that glands on each side are not swollen or sensitive and check for strong and regular pulse.

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Does this horse have any blindness or cataract issues? How is his night vision? Does he have moon

Look for chewing and cracked/broken walls in the horse’s stable. Make sure the horse is bright, alert and responsive. Photo Sharon Meyers

blindness? Is there a discharge from his/her eye?

2.

Has the vet mentioned any problems with regard to this horse’s teeth?

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Does the horse have bit damage?

Do the upper and lower teeth meet squarely?

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Has this horse been checked for strangles – his glands seem swollen?

5.

Does the horse have a discharge from the nostrils?

Examine the horse’s neck. Move fingers down the neck feeling rings of trachea, they should feel evenly spaced. At mid-neck, press in on the jugular vein, obstructing blood flow for a moment, see if they fill equally on both sides. Ideally, the neck should be long and flow smoothly into the shoulder. The underside of the neck should not be more developed than the top line of the neck.

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If you feel that the rings are uneven, may this horse have had a kick or rope injury?

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Are you aware of any injury to this horse’s neck in general?

Examine the horse’s legs. Look for joints that do not point in the same direction. Feel for the digital pulse leading into the hoof, on both sides, and see that it is even. Look for any bony growth near a joint. Look for hard bumps or soft lumps, they may not be damaging, but you should inquire as to their origin.

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Does this horse have any trouble with lameness? How often have you seen this horse lame? How much work does it take to cause this horse discomfort?

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Has this horse been foundered? If so, when and what does your vet/ farrier say about the prognosis with regard to soundness?

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Has this horse been nerved, or do you know of any navicular problems with this animal.

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Are any of the bumps/lumps new?

What do you feel caused them? Has a veterinarian checked them?

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Does this horse have corrective

shoes and if so, why? How is this horse’s behaviour for the farrier?

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Does the horse have hooves that are different sizes or angles?

Does the horse have rings around the hoof wall? Are they irregular (indicative of a previous episode of founder or interruption in hoof growth)? Are they even (indicative of a high nutrition plane)?

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Does the horse have small scars on the inside of pastern immediately below the sesamoids (indicative of interference or other problems)?

Examine the horse’s topline. Starting at withers, run your hand firmly down the back all the way to the tail and feel for heat. Look for the horse to dip slightly from pressure. Look for sign of anger or discomfort like ear pinning, flinching or arching. Watch the horse breathe in and out, make certain breathing is regular. If it is irregular there may be an obstruction or chronic respiratory problem. It is desirable for the horse to have a short back, good coupling and long croup.

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Above: Is the horse suitable for your children to ride? Photo Sharon Meyers Top right: Feel for the digital pulse leading into the hoof, on both sides, and see that it is even. Photo Wild About Hooves Right: Does the horse enjoy work? Does he have a soft or hard mouth? Photo Sharon Meyers

1.

Does this horse have a sore back?

Does this happen often and what do you believe causes this?

2.

Does this horse have heaves or any other respiratory problem, allergies or bronchitis?

3.

Evaluate the angle of the shoulder (should be 45–50 degrees).

Observe the horse’s movement inhand. Watch the horse being led, watch for coordination and willingness. Incoordination may be a sign of neurological problem.

While walking the horse in a circle, push the horse’s hip outward. A normal horse should regain balance quickly. While at a walk, look at the foot-fall pattern. Check for paddling and winging, which can cause interference. Watch the horse at the jog (trot) on hard level ground moving both in a straight line and tight circle. Look for head nodding or hip dropping which can indicate pain. Listen to rhythm of the gait – it should be a 1–2 tempo at a trot. Next closely watch the head, look for signs of nodding or for the head being held very 62 • April 2017

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high throughout the stride. Next watch the hip, while jogging (trotting) if the hip pops up, one limb may not be supporting the horse properly. Sinking and rising of the hip could indicate a problem with ligaments, tendons and muscles, and in general, a rear quarter lameness. Next watch the feet and legs for equal striding in both distance and flight pattern and equal time on the ground. Be aware that horses which are sore in both feet may move equally, but with a short, stilty, trappy stride. If anything has made you wary, ask the handler to work the horse on uneven ground (including up and down hills) or soft grass, as some problems will become more evident under these conditions.

1.

How coordinated do you feel this horse is? How much in-hand training has this horse had? If it lacks coordination, has this horse been checked for EPM (equine protozoal myeloencephalitis) or any other neurological condition?

2.

Does this horse interfere, if so at what gait(s) is it most prevalent? Does this horse have trouble stepping on itself and pulling shoes off?

3.

Has this horse exhibited lameness? If so, in which leg, and what caused this condition? Request to be informed of any leg injuries this horse has received in the past few years.

Review Health Records. Review the horse’s deworming and vaccination records.

Ask if health records are kept on the horse and if yes, ask to see them.

1.

Has this horse ever had a reaction to a vaccination?

2.

When was this horse’s last dental exam? How old is this horse and does he have chronic dental issues?

By looking at your prospective horse objectively and asking these questions, you have a better chance of making the right decision in purchasing a horse. Be sure to ask as many questions as you can. It is best to enlist the aid of a trained professional if you do not have previous experience in purchasing horses.

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Together, We Are WAHO WORDS AND PHOTOS SHARON MEYERS

The Kingdom of Bahrain, an archipelago of 33 islands, is located in the Persian Gulf just off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. Arabian horse aficionados from around the world gathered at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in the capital, Manama, to attend the World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) Conference held under the patronage of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa during February 6-15, 2017.

T

he Conference was formally opened on February 9 by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince. The ceremony started with a fascinating film highlighting the history of Bahrain’s Arabian horses. Mrs. Jenny Lees gave an excellent talk about the Royal Studs’ unique group of horses. I think we all agreed with her when she said, “Throughout the centuries the Arabian has been a formidable warhorse. From the number of countries represented in this room today, it seems the Arabian horse is now a creator of lasting friendships and a universal peacemaker.”

WAHO’s President, Peter Pond, on behalf of all WAHO members, then formally thanked

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HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Patron of the Conference, and HH Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Host of the Conference, for so generously hosting WAHO’s 22nd General Assembly.

He also thanked HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa for attending the opening ceremony, as well as HH Sheikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa and the High Committee members at the Royal and Crown Prince Courts for their warm welcome.

He emphasised one of the main reasons we all love attending these unique events – to enjoy not only the Conference days with the many excellent guest speakers and diverse social events, but also to have the chance

to see and learn more about the horses and culture of the host country.

The main WAHO General Assembly business started with Peter Pond’s opening address, in which he spoke on several important subjects but I thought the following held great merit and is definitely food for thought for anyone involved with the breed.

“We live in a very fast-moving Internet age of social media, instant communication and sometimes unrealistic expectations of instant answers and instant results. Most of us cannot imagine modern life without these useful tools.

“But any involvement with horses requires time and patience, whether that is in the

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3 1. Australian contingent. Photo Anne Brown.

2. Police Band at Fort Riffa.

handling or training or riding of them, or in planning your breeding programs for the years ahead. Sometimes we need to take a breath, sit back and return to older values, to appreciate the importance of real face-to-face communication, of taking the time to listen to each other, of allowing something to hold our attention for longer than it takes to read a tweet or to send off a quick text.

“In some ways it is perhaps an anachronism for us all to fly half way round the world just to get together for a few days, but I hope that by socialising together, meeting new people from every corner of the globe who all share one common passion – the Arabian horse – you will leave here feeling enriched

3. Desert Bred horses at Fort Riffa.

4. The costumes were beautiful.

and invigorated by new friendships and with a greater understanding of what WAHO is all about.”

At every WAHO Conference, those members who have passed away since the last meeting are remembered with a minute’s silence. This year the memorial section included an emotional tribute and special film in honour of WAHO’s distinguished Executive Committee Member for over 30 years, Mrs. Izabella Pawelec-Zawadzka from Poland, who sadly passed away in 2015. She is clearly greatly missed.

Other agenda items included the acceptance of China, to warm applause, as an Applying Registering Authority Member of

WAHO. There are currently around 200 Arabian horses in China, many of them imported from Australia and USA. Their stated aim is to work closely with WAHO to have the first Chinese Arabian Studbook ready for acceptance at the 2019 WAHO Conference in Australia.

This was followed by the unanimous reelection of the WAHO Executive Committee, whose detailed resumes can be read on the WAHO website.

Further to the commitment made at the 2014 WAHO Conference to take a fresh look at how Consultants to the Executive Committee are elected, the WAHO Constitution had been amended and updated, requiring a formal vote to confirm its acceptance, which was unanimously

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passed. Peter Pond later stated, “We can now move forward with a stronger and better Constitution and also with what we hope will be seen as a more democratic way of finding new people to serve on the Executive Committee in the future. We look forward to the WAHO Conference in Australia in 2019, which will be the first time to enact the protocol for the nomination and election of new Consultants.”

Executive Committee Member Mr. Xavier Guibert reported on the proceedings of the WAHO World Registrars Meeting of which he is Chairman. Several issues of importance to the smooth running of the world’s Arabian studbooks had been discussed, and recommendations for updating some registration rules were made, to be brought forward to the next Conference in Australia.

As at every WAHO Conference, the delegates in turn presented their detailed annual reports with information about the Arabian horse affairs in their country. Some reported a marked increase in foal registrations, notably Saudi Arabia and Egypt, others remained at about the same level, and a few had seen a drop in numbers. It was good to note newer WAHO Members such as Croatia and Estonia were present, along with others who have not attended a Conference for some years, such as Algeria and Applying Member Cuba. Sitting and listening to all the delegates from all over the world, it brings home just how international and multi-cultural the WAHO family really is.

It was distressing to hear about the countries affected by war, such as Syria and Iraq, but encouraging to learn they are still

continuing their Arabian horse activities – something Peter Pond had highlighted in his earlier speech. “Unfortunately we live in an age of instability, political unrest and turmoil, and it is unfortunately clear that several of our Member countries have been very badly affected. This of course has not only caused much human suffering, but has also had a detrimental effect on the Arabian horses in those countries. Yet it is very apparent to me, looking around the room, how very highly our Delegates from some of those affected countries value their Arabian horses, so much so that they have taken the time and trouble to be here with us today.

For that strong commitment to WAHO and to their horses, I both thank them and applaud them.”

In his closing address, Peter Pond made a number of important points. Of particular note, he mentioned that the issue of equine welfare has become increasingly important to WAHO. Referring to the recent deaths of several horses competing in endurance he said, “It is increasingly clear that our Arabian horses are suffering and indeed dying in the name of sport… It is deeply shocking and it simply cannot be allowed to continue without our voices being raised in defence of these horses, who have no voice of their own and no choice but to go at the speeds dictated by their riders. Arabian horses have tremendous heart, tremendous courage, and tremendous bravery which is why they are the chosen breed for endurance. To stay silent and effectively abandon them to their fate

would be to go against our core values and objectives. I can now assure you the Executive Committee will be writing a strong letter to the FEI very soon to put pressure on them to find a solution, and quickly, to this serious situation.”

He concluded by reiterating that WAHO is a totally non-political organisation, and that every registry, regardless of size, regardless of country, is equal. “As Jay Stream often repeated – it is not the horses that bring their problems to WAHO, it is the people. We have always tried, and will always try in future, to resolve all these issues the best way we can as and when they arise, in the best interests of WAHO, of our members, and of the purebred Arabian horse.”

GUEST SPEAKERS We were treated to a wealth of Guest Speakers at this WAHO Conference. The first was Dr. Ali Hassan Follad PhD, Advisor to the Bahrain Tourism and Museums Authority whose subject was “A Brief History of Bahrain”. His talk covered the most important periods of the country’s extensive and rich history. Strategically situated between two continents, this maritime nation has been an important trading hub for over 4,000 years.

Blessed with natural freshwater springs, and formerly dependent on pearling, fishing and agriculture, it was once known as “the mother of a million palm trees”. Since 1932 when oil was discovered, the country’s economy has evolved rapidly, and today Bahrain is also a busy financial and business centre.

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Prior to the Conference, many of us had the opportunity to visit historic sites in Bahrain that brought to life the subjects Dr. Follad spoke about. At the height of its power, the intriguing Dilmun civilisation (2300 BC – 500 BC) controlled the Gulf trading routes. Ancient Sumerian legends told of the islands as a garden paradise, promising eternal life, so people even brought their dead from far away to be interred here, creating the thousands of ancient Dilmun burial mounds that dominate the landscape in parts of northern Bahrain. We saw many of them as we drove around and we also saw remarkable artefacts from this and other eras at the Bahrain National Museum.

A visit to the ancient harbour and Qal’at al Bahrain (Bahrain Fort), the former capital of Dilmun, was extremely interesting as the fort is an exceptional example of unbroken continuity of occupation over a period of almost 4,500 years.

Dr. Follad also recounted the history of the Al Khalifa dynasty, rulers of the country since 1783. Many of us had visited Sheikh Isa House, the home and centre of government of Bahrain’s longest reigning sovereign, Sheikh Isa Ibn Ali Al Khalifa (1869–1932), which offered a great insight into royal life in the 19th century. Sheikh Isa was born in the Riffa

Fort, an historic landmark we also enjoyed exploring, together with the nearby Military Museum with its huge, dramatic paintings depicting earlier battles the Al Khalifa Family fought while conquering Bahrain – mounted on their magnificent Arabian warhorses. All this was significant background information for us because the Al Khalifa Family have preserved and bred their Arabians for over 200 years, and we were looking forward to seeing these descendants of their warhorses at the Royal Studs.

The next guest speaker, renowned breed historian Edouard Al-Dahdah, gave two talks which due to some unexpected time constraints had to be combined: “Arabian Strains: Origins, Meanings And Relevance Today” and “The Golden Thread – Connecting Our Arabian Horse Heritage From The Past To The 21st Century”. He gave us much food for thought, explaining many aspects of strains and preservation breeding, with little-known documented facts about the origin of some strains, for example the Tuwaisah strain which is still present in Bahrain was mentioned by a French traveller in 1685. In Edouard’s opinion,

no strain is “better” than another: “They are all equally good, it is actually a matter of preference, of taste and of personal choice among individuals or among tribes… but that preference may not be shared by other tribes or in other areas, and they would have other preferred strains.” On the relationship between strains and type, Edouard said, “There is no single classic Arabian type, there are 200, 300 Arabian types not just one. In the west we have converged too fast towards one type of Arabian horse and so they all end up looking like each other, which is pretty much the show standard and everything that doesn’t look like

5. WAHO President Peter Pond with HH Sheikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa.

6. Jerzy Białobok and Anna Stojanowska lectured about Poland’s breeding history and Kuhailan Afas.

7. Emma Maxwell (left) with her mother Joanna.

8. Edouard Al-Dahah spoke about strains.

9. Dr. Samantha Brooks covered scientific subjects.

10. Dr. Ali Hassan Follad.

11. During the Pearl of Bahrain days we saw the stallion Obeyaan Shamet at the Royal Arabian Stud.

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12. Falcon at the Al Areen Falcon Hospital.

13. Colourful doorway in the Old Capital of Bahrain.

14. An Arabian Leopard at Al Areen Wild Life Park.

They are now critically endangered.

15. Bahrain’s Skyline from the Bahrain Fort.

16. Famous Tree of Life planted circa 1583 AD. 17. Bahrain was a trading hub for over 4,000 years. Painting at the Bahrain National Museum.

18. We visited historic sites such as the Bahrain Fort.

19. Winner of the WAHO Cup, Tuwaisah Muneera third from the left with the National Monument Museum in the background.

20. Ahmed Riyadh and Zaizoom Al Uraiq winning the Jay W. Stream Traditional Arabian Horse Cup. 21. Racehorses were Bahraini Desert Breds.

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that is ‘off type’, but I would like to say that 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, so there is not just one classic Arabian type.”

His final message was, “Find the strains of your horses. Find the ancestral mare, try to find as much as possible about her, what she was and how many generations are between her and your current horses today, try to read about what their history is, try to associate yourself with that history and take pride in what you own. These horses have been transmitted to us generation after generation by people who have fought for them, battled for them, risked their lives for them. So there is something about the relationship between Arabian horses and humans that goes beyond just owning a horse, goes beyond the price or the value of a horse, even the sentimental value. It’s about a relationship between an animal and a man that goes over generations – and this is what preservation is about.”

Deirdre Hyde, a highly respected international judge, published author and acknowledged pedigree expert based in the

UAE gave us an enthralling “Short Gallop through the Story of Arabian Racing”. Her lavishly illustrated talk covered racing in many countries from the distant past right through to modern times. Deirdre began with, “The racing of Arab horses of recognisable type and beauty has been an integral part of the breed which reaches back over hundreds of years, to a time long before any Arab Breed Societies were thought of and very few exclusively Arab horse studbooks were kept, and even those were generally only kept by rulers or leaders.

Pedigree was a matter of tribal pride. …

The importance of the horse and racing as a vital part of Arab culture cannot be underestimated… Testing the athletic ability is such an important part of Arab horse tradition, it is to be hoped it will never be lost.”

Deirdre concluded her talk with, “Mankind, by selective breeding, can completely change the appearance of an animal in a very few generations, as has happened with the look of the modern show horse or the speed of the modern racehorse. If we care about preserving not only the genetic breadth of the breed but also the whole unique identity of the classic Arab horse as has

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been described by many experts over the past centuries, the racing of all our horses should be encouraged not just for speed or winning but for the joy of seeing beauty that can perform.”

Dr. Samantha Brooks PhD, a leading specialist in Equine Genetics from the University of Florida Genetics Institute was the next speaker. Her first talk, “How Science is Helping us to Help our Horses” covered the latest findings on laminitis susceptibility and Equine Metabolic Syndrome in Arabian horses.

Something that caught my attention was when Dr. Brooks said that laminitis has been known for some 2,000 years and the ancient remedy of cooling the feet by standing the horse in running water has in fact been found, by recent controlled research studies, to be very effective as a first aid measure to prevent further damage to the hoof. She explained that applying ice to the feet and lower legs for periods varying from 4–6 hours and 24–48 hours has shown remarkable effectiveness, in fact some equine hospitals in America are beginning to use this therapy for horses at risk of laminitis due to colic or colitis. The section of the talk on equine metabolic syndrome also highlighted the latest research. It is thought the Arabian may be more susceptible to this condition because, as Dr. Brooks explained

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“…for a desert horse the ability to quickly lay on fat and to save those nutritional resources for lean times was an enormous advantage for survival.” A little-studied gene has been identified, with some very promising results which hopefully will save many horses in future from these extremely distressing conditions.

Her second talk was titled “Genomics – the Door to the Future: Analysing the Population Structure and Ancestry of the Arabian Horse.”

Dr. Brooks’ easy way of delivery with excellent graphics made this complex topic easy to understand. She explained how interpreting a horse’s pedigree on paper compared to knowing what genes that horse has actually inherited can be very different in reality, and how this knowledge and the latest genetic tools can help breeders. Dr. Brooks also emphasised the dangers of too much inbreeding, saying “…in general all animals are healthier if their inbreeding numbers are lower, they have stronger immune systems, they tend to grow better and they tend to have better conformation when their inbreeding is kept a bit lower… I encourage you to think a bit more in the long term in that by maintaining genetic diversity today you are putting an investment in the bank so that future generations have more alleles on which to draw and are likely to be sustainable going into the future.”

The next speakers were the distinguished Polish experts Anna Stojanowska and Jerzy Białobok, for so long associated with the famous State Studs of Poland. First, Anna told us a bit about the long history of Polish Arabian horse breeding, then Jerzy expanded on the great influence one stallion from Bahrain has exerted around the world. Bred by HH Sheikh Hamad bin Eissa Al Khalifa, Kuhailan Afas was purchased in 1931 by Bogdan Zietarski as a yearling for the Gumniska Stud of Prince Roman Sanguszko. Regrettably he was lost in 1939 and only one of his sons, Bad Afas, survived World War II. He in turn left two excellent sons – Arcus and Abu Afas. It was mainly through Abu Afas’ son Comet, and Comet’s grandson Probat, that the Kuhailan Afas sireline achieved worldwide renown and is still cherished by breeders today. Among other notable descendants of Kuhailan Afas one must not forget those on the distaff side of the pedigrees, such as Naganka by Bad Afas – exported to USA where she was to produce the famous stallion, Bay El Bey (sire of Bey Shah) and the important broodmare Sabellina by Abu Afas, found in so many racing pedigrees to this day. This strain returned to Poland in 2014 thanks to the generous gift from the Royal Studs of Bahraini of the stallion Kuhailaan Aafas Maidaan, who hails from exactly the same female line and strain as the “original” Kuheilan Afas. Who knows, maybe one of his descendants will prove to be the “Comet of the 21st Century”.

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Emma Maxwell, the eminent British writer, international judge and photographer took as her theme “Precious Pearls: The Importance of Bahraini Foundation Horses in Breeding Programmes Worldwide”. Her well-researched talk, richly illustrated, gave us a unique insight into the extraordinary worldwide influence of three mares who left Bahrain prior to 1940, as well as underlining how the breed has evolved in different countries over the generations. The first mare Emma discussed was Jellabiet Feysul, of the Kehaileh Jellabieh strain, bred by the Emir of Bahrain and acquired circa 1846 by Abbas Pasha I, Viceroy of Egypt. Her female line was continued by Ali Pasha Sherif, and later by Lady Anne Blunt before spreading worldwide. As Emma explained, “… the family has been selected by a century’s worth of some of the world’s most significant breeders.” Modern descendants include such famous horses as World Champions Abha Qatar and Fadi Al Shaqab.

The second mare referenced was the bay Bint El Bahreyn, born in 1898 of the Dahmah strain, presented by Sheikh Isa bin

Ali Al Khalifa to the Khedive Abbas Pasha II in 1903, and acquired by Lady Anne Blunt in 1907 along with no less than seven members of her family. Among her direct descendants are such notable horses as the influential broodmare Bint Maisa El Saghira and the outstanding racehorse ZT Ali Baba, and her line is treasured in particular at the famous Albadeia Stud in Egypt. In fact she appears somewhere – often multiple times – in just about every straight Egyptian pedigree.

The third mare Emma talked about was the little bay Nuhra, of the rare strain Kehailet Al Wadhnieh Khursanieh, gifted by her breeder Sheikh Hamad bin Eissa Al Khalifa (who also bred Kuhailan Afas) to the Earl of Athlone who imported her to the UK as a two-year-old in 1938. Among her widespread and famous descendants are foundation broodmares such as Kazra, World Champions such as Maleik El Kheil and countless successful performance horses. Emma also briefly mentioned Thorayyah, a bay mare of the Tuwaisah strain who was exported to America in 1950, whose most notable descendant was the great racehorse Meteor, and Sawannah, a chestnut

22. There were fabulous WAHO signs everywhere!

23. The stallion Taj Al Anood (Adnan Al Shaqab x LTF Elka) was paraded at the Welcome Dinner.

24. We were entertained by a troupe of traditional musicians at the Gala Dinner.

25. Razan Al Shakhoura (Naif Al Rayyan x Falha Al Rayyan), a beautiful mare exhibited at the Sofitel Dinner.

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mare of the Dahmah strain who was exported to the USA in 1954, whose rare line has recently returned to Bahrain via Germany.

Pauline Du Plessis from South Africa was the last of WAHO’s guest speakers, talking about “The History of the Tuwaisan Sire Line in South Africa”. She told the story of how Dr. Valerie Noli-Marais, a medical doctor who ran a small Arabian Stud near Capetown, had become interested in the origin of the Arabian horse. On a visit to Bahrain in 1968, searching for the qualities of vitality, presence, and great toughness which she thought were being lost in the western-bred Arabians, she found them in the 13-year-old dark bay stallion Tuwaisan, bred by the Royal Amiri Stud, who had won over 50 races in ten seasons of racing. On her return home, to her surprise and joy a telegram arrived, stating she would receive Tuwaisan as a gift from his breeder, HH Emir Sheikh Eissa bin Salman Al Khalifa. Tuwaisan is another example of the Bahraini Arabians’ impact worldwide as he too, spread their influence by leaving an important legacy in South Africa, most specifically with top class endurance horses.

At the closing of the Conference, Mrs. Deb Watson, a Director on the Board for our Society, stepped up to the lectern to advise the gathering that Australia will proudly host the next WAHO Conference in 2019, and invited everyone to attend. An inspirational short film about our country and Arabian horses followed and was extremely well received.

SOCIAL EVENTS AND PEARLS OF BAHRAIN DAYS Included in the exciting four Pearls of Bahrain Days were visits to the Royal Arabian Studs, which are covered elsewhere within the magazine under the title “Living History – Bahrain’s Desert Bred Horses”.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the many splendid events held at spectacular venues, especially the dinners where Arabian horses owned by some of Bahrain’s many private breeders were paraded for us while we dined. Sincere thanks go to our gracious hosts The Royal Court; Crown Prince Court; Royal Arabian Studs of Bahrain; Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation; Rashid

Equestrian & Horseracing Club; H.E. Sheikha Mai bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities; and Al Rashediah Stud. Special thanks also go to Dr. Khalid Hassan, Jehangir Rustomjee and the teams from the Royal Stables, Etiquette and Howar Seasons who all worked so hard to ensure such a successful event.

We spent an exciting afternoon watching racing at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club, a picturesque racecourse with both sand and grass 2,400 metre tracks and the longest straight I have ever seen. The featured race was the 1,400 metres WAHO Cup with seven runners. The attractive mare Tuwaisah Muneera (2011, Obeyaan Barakat x Tuwaisah Newaadir) just caught the front running stallion Jellaby Sareeh (2006, Hamdaany Wadhah x Jellabieh Agdaam) in a photo finish, with the mare Hamdanieh Huboob (2011, Kuheilan Umm Zorayr Mabrouk Al Bahrain x Hamdanieh Raawa’h) a close third. The special race for the Jay W. Stream Traditional Arabian Horse Cup was a fun finale to a great afternoon, with both riders and horses in traditional attire. A jubilant Ahmed Riyadh riding Zaizoom Al Uraiq romped across the finish first, standing in his stirrups and waving to the crowd!

Afterwards we visited the impressive modern National Monument Museum, the vision of a King and the story of a nation.

The 57 individual interactive displays and 65 video monitors made it a fun and educational experience for us.

A sensational moonlit evening then unfolded for us at Riffa Fort, originally built in 1812, where we were greeted by the Police Band playing rousing bagpipe music. We were spellbound as we had our second glimpse of the day of Bahraini Arabians, which are also used by the mounted police and for ceremonial purposes, as a group of riders emerged from the illuminated fort’s gates. We were then entertained by a charming rendition of an ancient ceremony, once used by the Bedouins before setting off on ghazus (raids), as the young boy, Sheikh Khalid

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Bin Ahmed Bin Saqr Al Khalifa, stood proudly reciting the names of all the strains of the horses in a gloriously rhythmic poem. What an astonishing and delightful evening!

Another truly memorable evening was Al Rashediah Stud’s horse presentation and dinner, most generously hosted by the owner Mr. Rashid A. Rahman Al Jasmi. We were welcomed with traditional coffee and sweets, falcons to stroke or hold and salukis to pat, while entertained by traditional musicians. We were all mesmerised by the exquisite blue-lit avenue of horse-head fountains, created by the American sculptor Karen Kasper, lining a pathway to the impressive show barn. We were treated to a floodlit display of ethereally beautiful mares, many accompanied by their foals, as well as several homebred youngsters highlighting Mr. Al Jasmi’s already successful breeding program.

As commentator Klaus Beste explained, this stud, founded in 2009, breeds straight Egyptians based mainly on Katharinenhof, Ansata and Imperial bloodlines. The last horses presented were the internationally renowned stallions Jamil Al Rayyan (2005, Ansata Hejazi x Dana Al Rayyan), and ZT Faa’iq (1997, Anaza El Farid x ZT Jamdusah) looking wonderful for his age.

We were then invited into a spectacular tent decorated with thousands of twinkling lights, where we enjoyed a delectable meal while watching an enthralling new film about Bahrain and its horses.

Our last equestrian event was The Late HH Shaikh Faisal bin Hamad Al Khalifa – First International Arabian Horse Show organised by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation. Showing is already very popular with the private breeders in the country, their ECAHOaffiliated National Show has been held annually for many years. This first international show

was equally well supported, with 135 entries forward for judging, the whole event broadcast live on Bahraini television and live-streamed on the internet. Unfortunately, the weather was not kind, being unseasonably cold and rainy, but despite the conditions we admired the excellent horses, which came from a most interesting cross section of international bloodlines. The Junior Colt Champion, owned and bred by Mr. Abdulrahman Al Jasmi from Al Rashediah Stud, was the impressive three-year-old grey Hermes (EKS Alihandro x Sanadina). Mr. Saeed Jaffar Almaheshi’s Champion Mare, H Perdita (2012, Kunar T x Exotic Pearl) was imported from the UK, and all the other Champions came from the UAE. Yearling Filly Champion D Mastura Al Aqeed (Wadee Al Shaqab x DF Yasirah), owner Hamad Al Hajri; Yearling Colt Champion Saadoun Al Zobair (SMA Magic One x Najdiya Al Zobair), owner Mr. Fadhel Abbas Al Jamri; Junior Filly Champion Alia Al-Ameer (2015, AJ Portofino x Ava), owner Mr. Alaa Abduljabbar Hammad, and Senior Stallion Champion D Jad (2013, Frasera Mashar x Muranas Je Taime), owner Mr. Khalil Ebrahim Mukhtar.

What a great pleasure it was to attend the WAHO Conference and experience the exciting activities associated with it. I found visiting Bahrain to be a magical experience full of surprises, captivating history, friendly people and amazing Arabian horses! I can hardly wait until Australia hosts the next WAHO Conference in 2019. Anyone with an interest in the Arabian horse is welcome to attend and I hope to see many of you there!

For further information about the World Arabian Horse Organization please visit their website at www.waho.org

26. ZT Faa’iq at Al Rashediah Stud.

27. Gold Champion Colt, Hermes, owned by Al Rashediah Stud.

28. Gold Champion Yearling Filly, D Mastura Al Aqeed.

29. Gold Champion Stallion, D Jad, owner Mr. Khalil Ebrahim Mukhtar.

30. Al Rashediah Stud’s marvellous fountains.

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February 2019 Australia Welcomes the WAHO Conference

FOR SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT SCOTT BENJAMIN SCOTT@BENJAMINEQUINE.COM

Youth in Focus The saying “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” is a great mantra for everyone and something that Charlotte Phillips tries to live by.

Charlotte competing with Rose Gum Goldrush. Photo OZ Shotz

Charlotte Phillips

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harlotte loves a challenge, and if given an easy path or a harder way to get there – she will take the hard way! According to Charlotte, it’s what breeds character. So far, I think her parents agree with her. Charlotte was thrilled to be awarded the Arabian Horse Society of Australia’s inaugural Junior Development Grant in 2015, and encourages all other youth

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riders on Arabians or Arabian Derivatives to just get out there and give everything a go.

Unlike many other successful younger riders, Charlotte does not come from family who have a background in any sort of equine activity – she simply picked up the love of horses when she was nine, and managed to convince her nonhorsey family to purchase her one. This is where her love of horses started and it doesn’t look like it is going to end anytime soon. Charlotte and her family would never consider themselves at all wealthy and therefore have always had a

very strict budget for Charlotte and any horse purchases. They have always hoped the talent and desire that Charlotte has to compete on her horses will overrun the fact there will never be a horse in the stables that costs more than the family car! Of course, this may limit Charlotte’s competitive edge one day, but for now, Charlotte is enjoying her hobby, thoroughly enjoys riding and training her horses and thrives on competition. A pretty good blend really!

After purchasing her first little pony and entering local pony club competitions Charlotte soon outgrew him and moved on to a purebred Arabian mare. Charaway Tarnikka (Aivu x Ejay Ngaio) was purchased sight-unseen from Queensland and this is where her love of Arabians started. Charlotte and Tarnikka competed in pony club, local agricultural shows and smaller level Arabian showing for two years, until Charlotte outgrew her little galloway.

After quite a bit of a search, she ended up purchasing the lovely purebred Arabian gelding, Rose Gum Goldrush (River Oak Imprint x River Oak Illusive Girl). He had been for sale in Horse Deals for many months with absolutely no interest. Charlotte seems to think the universe was just waiting for her to meet him. To cut a long story short, the rapport between the two of them was instant and they went out and won quite a few coveted East Coast Arabian Championship titles together, including the Champion of Champions Amateur Ridden. Quite a feat, as they had only been together four months and Charlotte was 12 years old. To say the family was impressed with this lovely gelding was an understatement.

Charlotte’s parents could see this love affair with horses was not going to end anytime soon.

They decided to purchase their own little piece of paradise and found a little hobby farm on the South Coast of NSW, near Berry, to house the collection of horses that Charlotte and her sister, Madeleine, were amassing. After having horses on agistment for many years, it was fabulous to be able to look out of the window and see them munching away in their paddock. It may have been a property that hadn’t seen a paintbrush or a mower for a decade, but it was theirs!

As Rose Gum Goldrush (aka Snickers) was introduced to life with a young child rider, he was exposed to pony club, trail riding, local riding club competitions, agricultural shows, and low-level dressage. After a few years of doing high-level showing, Charlotte realised Snickers needed a new challenge, and thus they started their dressage career in March 2015 on a competitive level. In 18 months they have accomplished so much in dressage including champion – winning titles at the NSW Young Rider Champs, NSW State Interschools and the Australian National Interschools as well as winning Horse and Rider of the Year for her local dressage club, Young Rider of the Year and Novice Dressage Horse of the Year. Not a bad start to their dressage career.

Now Snickers has begun learning his Medium dressage movements, competing Elementary and still loves dancing in the sand with his best friend, Charlotte. As well as keeping busy with Snickers, Charlotte has a new challenge ahead: Teaching her young Arabian Warmblood, Aloha Gladiator (aka Russell) the lower levels of dressage and to bring this talented young horse through the ranks, something she is extremely proud of thus far. Aloha Gladiator (Aloha Majestic King x Aloha Embrace) has competed in Official Dressage over the last few months, and is consistently bringing home 70%+ scores in Preliminary dressage along with a couple of good Novice scores as well. The future looks extremely bright for young Russell as well. He has had quite a few challenges in the past but is growing into such an amazing young dressage competitor. Charlotte said she just couldn’t be more proud of him.

Charlotte leads an extremely busy lifestyle, as the rest of the family do, but thrives on it. Her mother, Rachel works full-time as an Executive Assistant to a CEO and her father, Ben, is a Captain of a ship in the Merchant Navy.

Add this on to Charlotte being in Year Ten with the associated homework, working part time at McDonalds and volunteering at the local riding school during school holidays and some weekends, it’s a busy lifestyle. To fit in the work her horses need during the week, sometimes she will have to ride at 5.30am in the morning or 7.30pm at night with all the lights on in the

house to ensure she can actually see where she is going! It’s consistently hard work but as her parents said at the beginning, hard work will override talent if talent doesn’t work hard.

As a family, the Phillips are extremely supportive towards their daughter and her riding, however, any wins that Charlotte has obtained would be impossible if she was not extremely motivated and if she didn’t have a desire to learn, as well as a desire to win.

Charlotte feels many youth and adult riders out there need to believe in themselves and their horses a little more and is always telling others to just go out and do what they want to do and don’t worry about what others think or say.

Rachel remembers Charlotte saying when she was 12 that she would “rather be a small fish in a big pond, than a big fish in a small pond”. Give her a class of 50 horses where she may or may not obtain a ribbon or a class with two horses where she’s guaranteed a win and she’ll choose the larger class.

Charlotte works extremely hard to be the rider and horsewoman she is becoming. Snickers and Russell are treated as normal everyday child’s mounts. The horses are not stabled and Charlotte doesn’t even have an arena to ride in at home – just big-grassy paddocks. She feels it’s not what you have; it’s how you work with what you have! Riding along the beach is as good as riding in an arena and Charlotte’s horses are certainly happier for it. She mixes the training schedule up for the horses and may spend twice a week doing

lessons at a friend’s indoor arena, a day at pony club, a day trail riding and a day riding around in the back paddock. Both Snickers and Russell enjoy the change of pace and the results show.

Charlotte knows just how important lessons are for her and the horses. She is fortunate to have had the same instructor since she was ten, Tibby Barbour, who is a dressage coach. Tibby has seen Charlotte grow up and become the girl she now is, and has enough faith in her that Charlotte occasionally competes on one of Tibby’s horses at Medium dressage level. Doing this means Charlotte learns the more advanced movements, and can then try to teach her horses. Charlotte is also fortunate enough to have regular lessons with Roger Fitzhardinge and has an extremely supportive local Dressage Club (Shoalhaven Dressage), which has many A-level dressage instructors on-hand for a bit of advice if required.

The next 12 months for Charlotte and her horses are going to be busy and Charlotte has a plan. Snickers will certainly start his Official Elementary competitions in January, Russell will continue in Preliminary until mid-year and then move on to Novice. Charlotte doesn’t see why both horses will not be extremely competitive at every dressage competition she enters, whether this is at East Coast Arabian Championships, the Australian National Arabian Champs, the NSW State Interschool Championships or the NSW Young Rider Dressage Championships. She’s got her yearly planner mapped out on her bedroom wall – and she’s sticking to it!

Youth Photo Gallery

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1. Mecedes Kallo riding Pevensey Flamingo with Matilde Thege in background.

Photo Nicole Emanuel 2. Lara McNair riding Jiah Eicyng.

Photo Glenys Lilley 3. Morgan Berry riding Splitters Creek Watch The Tempo and her dad, Vern, on Bellarine Bebe. Sarah Sullivan Photography 4. Partbred Arabian Stallion Stacey-Le Amir’s Shadow with Jolene Gorman.

Photo Amy Curran

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This painting at the Bahrain Military Museum commemorates the 1816 Sitra battle won by the Al Khalifa warriors riding Arabians.

Living History –

Bahrain’s Desert Bred Arabians WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY SHARON MEYERS

An exciting part of the recent 2017 WAHO Conference was the Pearls of Bahrain Special Days, where we had the opportunity to see the noble Bahraini Desert Bred Arabian horses at the Royal Studs.

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hese Arabians are living history, as many of them are descendants of the warhorses ridden by the Al Khalifa Royal Family during their conquest of Bahrain over 230 years ago. The Al Khalifa family descends from the famous Anaza tribe and their ancestral home was AlHaddar, south Najd in central Arabia, until they migrated to the east coast and gulf region.

The superb Al Khalifa desert bred war mares were famous for their fire and stamina during battle. Some strains such as the Obeyah, Mlolesh, Ma’anagieh, Kray, Kuheilah Afas and Shuwaimeh have been with the family since time immemorial and can still be found within the Royal Studs, while other strains have been introduced over the centuries as gifts from rulers and kings. Traditionally, only the finest horses were ever gifted.

Today, this unique collection of Desert Bred Arabians are carefully protected and bred by the Al Khalifa Royal Family for the purity of their strains. As Jenny Lees from Pearl Island Arabians in the UK, who has a long association

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with the Bahrain Royal Family and their horses, recounted, “HH Sheikh Isa bin Salman Bin Hamad explained the preservation program to me in this way, he said, ‘Throughout the centuries the warhorse was needed for our family’s very survival, now they need us for their survival. They took care of us and now it is our turn to take care of them.’”

The mares are greatly treasured and are bred for conformation, temperament, soundness, speed and comfort – which stemmed from the days when they were ridden bareback into battle. Each foal takes his or her dam’s strain name, regardless of the sire’s strain. For example, take the strain name Mlolesh, if the mare has a filly, she will be named Mlolesh and a given name is added, such as Mlolesh Samra. The same applies for colts – their strain name would be the masculine version, Mlolshaan, and a colt would be registered with his given name too – Mlolshaan Wesam.

The first stud we visited was His Majesty, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s Royal Arabian

Stud of Bahrain at Al Roudha on Sunday 12th February. As we stepped off the buses, we were directed to an attractive pavilion overlooking a desert backdrop surrounded by a semi-circle of small hills. We took our seats at large round tables where we each found a beautifully illustrated catalogue of the horses we were going to see – we were also given an equally beautiful catalogue at the HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa Stud the following day. It rained en-route to the stud but luckily stopped prior to the parade, although the wind turned blustery and occasionally whipped up the sand around the horses, making for an authentic desert experience.

Both mares and stallions are proven on the racetrack prior to being used for breeding at the stud. They are usually sent to the racing stables at Sakir at around three years of age, where they are broken-in, prepared and conditioned. They typically race as four-yearolds. Once they complete their racing careers, they return to the farm at Al Roudha. The racing season usually lasts from October to

Photographs of Desert Bred Arabians at the Royal Studs.

Stallion Kuheilaan Aladiyat Dami at Al Roudha.

Stallion Radaan Sultan at Um Jeddar.

Stallion Shuwaimaan Saary at Um Jeddar.

Kuheila’t Umm Zorayr Alia and colt at Al Roudha.

Stallion Musannaan Award at Um Jeddar.

Mare Jellabieh Ghabra at Al Roudha.

Mare Ma’anaghieh Shagrah at Um Jeddar.

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The well-respected Obeyah family came to Bahrain with the Al Khalifa Family. The 1997 mare Obeyah Karaeb (Jellaby Nejib x Obeyah Danaanir) at Al Roudha is the dam of the adult horses below and grand dam to the colt.

Obeyah Karaeb.

2004 stallion Obeyaan Shamet (by Kuheilaan Aafas Falaah).

2007 mare Obeyah Kiyara (by Shawaf Al Betaar).

2016 Obeyaan colt.

The Kuheilan Sai’da family is found only in Bahrain. The Sitra Battle was fought on Bahraini shores in 1816 and when the victorious Al Khalifa horsemen returned to their camp, a mare gave birth to a filly. To commemorate the battle, this filly was named Sai’da. Top left below is Sai’da Rajwa, dam of two pictured horses at Um Jeddar.

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2001 mare Sai’da Rajwa (Jellaby Alyatim x Sai’da Fajer).

2008 mare Sai’da Wedad (Jellaby Mansoor x Sai’da Rajwa).

2002 stallion Sai’dan Toofaan (Jellaby Alyatim x Sai’da Fajer)

2012 stallion Sai’dan Rajwaan (Shuwaimaan Edid x Sai’da Rajwa)

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April and this season the stud had 50 Arabians in training with 38 racing. The horses are also used for pleasure riding.

The Arabians are kept in stables and paddocks. The mares are turned out in small herds in appropriate groupings – mares with foals, fillies, broodmares and retired broodmares. All paddocks have ad lib hay, water and shade. Each horse has a stable and is brought in for feeding or if the weather is inclement.

There were 23 foals born for the 2016/17 breeding season, with one still due as I wrote this report. Foals are weaned at six months and when they turn nine months old, the colts and fillies are separated and they are moved to five kilometre paddocks out in the desert.

The stallions have access to paddocks and are ridden daily. Apparently it’s not unusual to see a group of ten or more of them being exercised together.

The second stud visited was HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa Stud at Um Jeddar on Monday 13th February. Established

by His Majesty the King’s late uncle, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa, the stud’s foundation stock is from the same source as the Royal Stud. According to the catalogue

supplied, “When Prince Mohammed was a young man he asked his father the Amir, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, if he could choose some mares, his delighted father was so pleased by this request he gave his youngest son the mares of his choice to establish his own stud and preservation breeding programme.

The stud is now in the hands of Prince Mohammed’s sons.”

In recent years under the management of the new generation, the stud has grown significantly. Currently there are 547 horses resident with 18 breeding stallions plus nearly 250 more broken-in for riding. The stud breeds their horses throughout the year and 69 foals were born in 2016.

Interestingly, the traditional Bedouin way of keeping stallions is used at Um Jeddar. They are tethered via a front foot and by teaching them to stand tethered it means they can live side-by-side, rather than live in isolation like many stallions in the west. Jenny Lees told me she has never witnessed any horses crib biting, wind sucking or weaving. Of course the stallions also have a stable of their own with an open outlook where they can see and touch each other. Horses at the stud are used for pleasure riding and their stallions are also

ridden in groups. Great testimony to their excellent temperaments!

At both studs the Arabian horses were shown to us in their family strain groups. This was extraordinarily interesting as in the larger groups you could easily see a family’s traits.

Two traits that shone through time and time again was their superb tail carriage and great lift at the trot. Their harmonious proportions, natural free and proud carriage, calm and kind temperaments, dense bone, rock hard and wellshaped feet impressed us. They had strength and beauty and were true drinkers of the wind.

In fact, you could imagine galloping into battle riding one of them!

We were both privileged and delighted to see Bahrain’s noble Desert Bred Arabian horses and they certainly left their hoof prints across our hearts!

2002 stallion Hamdaany Ra’an (Jellaby Hataan x Hamdanieh Khaznah) at Al Roudha.

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The Ma’anagieh have a long history with the Al Khalifa Family. Old poetry recites that Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed was “… invincible when mounted on his beautiful Ma’anagieh with the soundest hoofs found on any horse”. Pictured top left below at Al Roudha is Ma’anaghieh Tabasheer [1997] (Musannaan Dinaar x Ma’anaghieh Shalfa) and she is the dam of the below females.

Ma’anaghieh Tabasheer with filly by Mlolshaan Wesam.

2013 mare Ma’anaghieh Ghada by Dhahmaan Hoobeishi.

2011 mare Ma’anaghieh Maysa by Obeyaan Al Muheeb.

2014 Ma’anaghieh filly.

Mlolesh is an ancient, rare strain in Bahrain. The name is believed to derive from the word, ‘Mlolash’, the trilling high-pitched sound Arab women make at weddings and happy or exciting occasions. These below pictured horses at Um Jeddar were sired by a variety of stallions from Mlolesh strain mares.

2008 mare Mlolesh Dowlah with Mlolesh filly.

2009 stallion Mlolshaan Enaad.

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2011 stallion Mlolshaan Adbas.

2010 mare Mlolesh Sehaam.

A Tale of Two Arabians COMPILED BY SHARON MEYERS

Two flashy, extravagant moving chestnuts with hearts of gold and bucketloads of talent are Snow’n’Fire and Portia Benay. Recognisable a mile away, these full siblings were bred by Rob and Yvonne Day and Leon Bennett and now reside in Victoria with different families. This dazzling duo were sired by the handsome Sarafire (Samiri x Devotion), who won over 113 championships in-hand, under saddle and in harness during the heydays of horse competition and their dam was the treasured broodmare Santarabia Porfira (Ruberto x Peridot).

In this issue Bridie White, the owner of Portia Benay, and Nicole Emanuel, who along with Tanya Beacham and Aaron Thege leases Snow’n’Fire, talk about their beautiful and versatile Arabians.

T

hese two chestnuts with wild white not only look very similar, but also have equally incredible temperaments that I believe has led to their versatility, continues Bridie White. Both have beautiful large dark eyes, great substance, excellent feet and powerful movement. The temperament of Portia Benay and Snow’n’Fire has obviously come from carefully selected bloodlines and knowledgeable breeding.

Their trainability and kind nature has enabled them to be incredibly versatile and wonderful ambassadors for the Arabian horse in Australia.

I was fortunate enough to purchase one of the siblings, Portia Benay, in 2011 when she was 15 years young.

I had farm-sat several times for one of her breeders, Leon Bennett, and instantly fell in love with Portia, who was at the farm at the time. Her flamboyant movement was a standout amongst Leon’s herd of beautiful broodmares. I knew I had to bring her home!

Neither of us has looked back since. Portia has been elevated from the bottom of the pecking order to queen of the property and is extremely spoilt.

Prior to purchasing Portia she was a proven broodmare foaling five progeny to a wide range of stallions – three fillies and two colts (one was gelded) and these horses have ended up performing various equestrian pursuits in all corners of the country. The 2017/18 breeding season will hopefully see her return to broodmare duties with a cover to our resident pure Crabbet Stallion, Saraad (Snow Leopard x Arfaja Evangeline).

A once in a lifetime horse and best friend, Portia and I quickly formed a strong rapport.

Aaron Thege with Snow’n’Fire.

Photo Nicole Emanuel

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Her kind nature, unfailing willingness to please and trust in me has enabled us to take on many equestrian activities together – totally hassle free. We have competed together at agricultural and Arabian shows; however, my ongoing ill health meant she has only been campaigned lightly. Portia has been an incredible companion horse providing hippotherapy when I was wheelchair bound.

A perfect example of Portia’s kind nature and willingness was when she was broken in to harness at 19 years old. To celebrate her sixth time in harness we attended a clinic with the Victorian Tradesman and Delivery Group. Her exemplary behaviour and temperament drew countless comments about how well behaved and beautiful she was. This did wonders for the Arabian breeds’ reputation in open company!

At Victoria Arabian Youth Group rallies Portia has been given a number of opportunities to try various disciplines including games, jumping and polocrosse. Her efforts in polocrosse were commendable, taking to the racquet, ball and fast-paced contact nature of the game within minutes. I also recall she never flinched when we threw a costume on her for the first time – she just took it in her stride – “old-hat”. At her second time in costume she was paraded in the Rushworth Easter Heritage Parade amongst other costumed Arabians, heavy harness horses, vintage vehicles, tractors with large crowds lining the streets – she lapped it all up.

Just like her brother, Portia is a gun at mustering and really loves it. Our neighbours often ask if we are free to muster their sheep in – the old fashioned way proving much more effective than motorbikes and there is no shortage of enthusiasm from Portia. One day I decided to introduce her to my work mates in our local town. Not only did she cope with the busy atmosphere there, she also attracted quite a crowd of children and people in the streets. They just loved crowding around to feed her the carrots I supplied.

Due to my health issues, Portia was only ridden twice in the 12 months prior to the 2016 Crabbet Convention held in Victoria, where our most rewarding achievement thus far happened when she was named Supreme Champion Pure Crabbet. I was incredibly proud of Portia – she had put her heart and soul into every event for the whole show – gaining many admirers and proving her versatility. Only her third time in costume, she competed very kindly and we also proudly carried the British flag for the opening ceremony, needless to say she was nonplussed about the large flag flapping around her.

She also competed in the harness class, only her thirteenth time in harness and first time in competition – she wowed the crowd when driven in a viceroy by my mother, Elizabeth Fawns.

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Top: Bridie White riding Portia Benay. Photo Paula Markey Above: Nothing fazes Snow’n’Fire. Photo Nicole Emanuel

Winning Supreme at the Convention was extremely special for me because my mother won this very same award with her mare Bundarra Park Monria at the 2000 Crabbet Convention. Following in her footsteps with my own special mare was an emotional experience. My mum nurtured my interest in Arabians and in particular pure Crabbet horses.

High quality horses have always been part of my life since birth and I even owned a few

along the way, but none as exceptional as my beautiful Portia Benay.

Mum and I hope to pursue Portia’s harness career further this season before she retires.

Turning 21 this year, she has never looked better and thoroughly enjoys her work.

If I had been fortunate enough to get Portia at an earlier age and had not been hindered by my health, I have no doubt she could have excelled to an extremely high standard in even

Portia Benay in harness with Elizabeth Fawns. Photo Jane Sheppard

more equestrian pursuits. She is a horse that can and would do it all – a mare for all reasons.

I am so lucky to own this wonderful Arabian horse. To me, she’s certainly worth her weight in gold.

Nicole Emanuel talks about Snow’n’Fire: Snowy as he is affectionately known, was special from day one with his curious nature and affection for humans. Turning 20 this year, he has had a decorated and versatile career under saddle. Started by Jack Dowell in Gundagai NSW, he came back into work a few years later under renowned trainer and horseman Geoff Willis. Geoff used Snowy for feedlot work until he realised the ability he had with cattle. Geoff was amazed at his trainability and cow sense and commenced training Snowy in cutting, reining and team penning. He competed in open company at events such as the Gundagai Giddyup, a stockmen’s challenge event where Snowy made the top ten!

At the 2005 Crabbet Convention in Toowoomba QLD, Snowy performed a memorable Man From Snowy River style horsemanship display with Geoff Willis. It was this video that stirred an interest in the stallion, and led to us going to meet him in the flesh.

We soon found ourselves driving to Wagga Wagga to catch up with dear friends Rob and Yvonne Day. As is the usual when visiting horsey connections, we were soon out in the paddocks inspecting the horses. Aaron Thege and I were both so impressed by the flashy chestnut that is Snow’n’Fire, legs of iron with big round feet and huge kind eyes. All stallion with presence and attitude, yet when being handled as quiet as an old gelding!

After only 20 minutes Aaron was cantering around bareback and bridleless. He was so impressed by Snowy’s willing attitude and impeccable manners.

Over dinner that night Rob and Yvonne generously offered him to us on lease and a few weeks later this amazing stallion soon arrived home to Grand Ridge Stud at Seaview, VIC, a large beef cattle property with steep hills and valleys dotted with rainforests and waterfalls. This was to be Snowy’s home for the next four years. He was never intended to just be a breeding stallion and soon became the ultimate workhorse. He was the first choice for mustering cattle on the steep terraced hillsides, he was surefooted and worked tirelessly and didn’t mind the stockwhip either! He went out numerous times checking cattle, fixing fences and spraying weeds and he was so trustworthy that anyone could ride him, including my four-year-old daughter. As a sire he bred only a few foals each year, but all have been superb types. They all inherit his big dark eyes, people

loving nature, great bone and straight legs with beautiful big feet. Some of his notable foals include the spectacular flaxen sabino mare Fire’n’Ice (from Jirrima Ultra Minx), exquisite bay mare Samirrah (from F’Ahsan Tiffani) and the outstanding bay colt Grand Ridge Royal Fire (from Cameo Carillion).

Snowy competed in many seasonal campdrafts with Aaron often scoring over 20 for cut outs and an incredible 82 at his second draft. Geoff Willis and Aaron Thege both acknowledge Snowy is very ‘cowy’ and in his prime would rival some of the best working Stock Horses and Quarter Horses! Aaron has an affinity with Snowy and comments: “Most campdrafts he would stand alongside mares or other stallions and people couldn’t believe he was a stallion. I was always getting compliments that he was so well mannered for a stallion.”

At the Man From Snowy River Stockmans Challenge in Corryong, Snowy proved himself by competing against 50 other predominantly experienced challenge horses. Competitors’ horses were saturated with working Stock Horse or Quarter Horse blood and most were seasoned professionals. The event is made up of three days of gruelling horsemanship challenges, and it’s the last place you would expect to see a purebred Arabian – let alone a stallion! So the little red Arab made quite an impression in the 2km cross country course as most of the other horses were well over 15hh, many over 16hh! This was Snowy’s toughest challenge, and tackled at a flat gallop with 20 jumps all over one metre in height! Yet in true Snowy style he tried his heart out for Aaron.

The dreaded coffin-jump near the end was one where many riders came unstuck, horses misjudging or baulking but Snowy sailed over with ease, completing the course. He scored in the top ten for stock handling, and the

bareback course and campdrafting – resulting in many surprised faces from those who doubted an Arabian could do it! Aaron was once again so impressed, “He is such a quick learner, and he tries so hard to please.”

Snowy was called upon at the following year’s Equitana in Melbourne to perform a stockmanship display, demonstrating his ability with jumping, whip crack, roll-back, bowing, laying flat on the ground and stepping up on a log. That night Bedouin horsemaster Ali Al Ameri rode Snowy at the Equitana finale in front of a crowd of thousands!

Tanya Beacham, a renowned show and endurance rider from central Victoria was on the lookout for a stallion. She had always admired Snowy. She came over for a visit and had a ride and subsequently fell in love with him! Rob and Yvonne kindly granted permission for Tanya to co-lease Snowy and the following season he moved to Creswick Arabians, where with Arfaja Stud being nearby, he has had the opportunity to breed a few quality pure Crabbet foals. Tanya took Snowy out to the Western District Arabian Show where he competed in all the Crabbet classes: he won ridden stallion, led stallion, awarded Champion Pure Crabbet male and Grand Champion led Pure Crabbet and Crabbet related exhibit! She also brought Snowy to the recent Crabbet Convention in Victoria. A legend in his own right, even in-hand his commanding presence wowed the crowd! He was awarded a very special memorable trophy donated by Mark and Kim Thomason as the Champion Pure Crabbet Exhibit.

At this stage Tanya, Aaron and myself hope to be able to continue to lease this amazing stallion and share in his care and wellbeing. He will reside at either Creswick Arabians or Grand Ridge Stud where we hope in future to breed a few more special “Snowy” foals.

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Legs – Building a Strong Foundation: Part 1 WORDS CINDY REICH

I recently had a prominent halter trainer come up to me and say, “I don’t really know why you judges put so much emphasis on feet and legs. I’ve been showing halter horses for decades and I’ve never had one with crooked legs ever have a problem. Why all this attention to feet and legs?”

W

hy, indeed. Obviously this was a halter trainer who did not ride. Any horse with crooked legs that doesn’t have to do more than trot for a minute or two in a halter arena probably won’t have any problems if it has crooked legs.

However, if you have seen, as I have, the horse with calf knees (back at the knees) who then popped a chip in the knee, or the horse with offset cannons that had bilateral splints just below both knees, or the horse with badly turned out fetlocks that fractured a fetlock when in training for the Olympics, the trainer might have a different opinion.

What is the purpose of the Arabian horse? Why did it evolve? What is its function? Originally, it grew out of the desert as a hardy horse that could travel vast distances very efficiently. It was a mode of transportation in the desert for the Bedouin and his family and goods. It was also a war horse, carrying tribesmen fast and far and back again. A horse that couldn’t move quickly and far – couldn’t do its job – was left behind. It was a liability. Therefore, the Arabian also evolved as a very sound horse.

Its use dictated its soundness.

Fast forward to the present day and things have changed radically. Many Arabians are still used in endurance to travel distance quickly and efficiently. Those horses probably have pretty good feet and legs. Working Arabians that are routinely subjected to stress, strain and concussion to their legs either have pretty good feet and 84 • April 2017

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legs, or things start breaking down and they leave the work force. Knowing why horses need to have straight legs is the first and most important step in evaluating a horse.

First of all, it is important to understand that faults and deviations in the front feet and legs are more serious than the hind feet and legs. Why? Because two thirds of the weight of the horse are carried by the front end. This puts more stress and strain on the front feet and legs.

Think of the leg as a pole. A straight pole. Now, take that pole and strike it on something hard, like a cement floor. Pick it up and strike the floor again. If the pole is straight, the forces acting on it go straight through the middle of the pole.

Now, take that same pole and create a small bend halfway down the pole. Strike it hard against the cement. Chances are if it is lightweight, on the first strike, it may break exactly where it was bent. This is because the force going through the pole had to change direction were it was bent, increasing the forces at the bend. And if the force is great enough, it will break the pole where it changed direction. On a broad scale, that is exactly what happens to bones and joints when they are subjected to stress, strain and concussion – oh, and also supporting 1100lbs (499kg) of horse!

So let’s start with the leg as a column. In drawing 1, if you drop a line from the point of the shoulder through the centre of the hoof, the forces acting on the column (leg) are directly up and down. Now let’s look at what happens when you have a horse

like drawing 2. In this drawing the horse’s cannon bones are offset to the outside of the knees (bench kneed). The lines in drawing 3 show how the force comes down the centre from the shoulder and then have to change direction through the column.

In drawing 4, the arrows show where the forces are concentrated where the column has changed direction. It is very common to see horses with this type of conformation with splints on one or both cannons near the knee. That is an indication that the splints are a result of the conformation, not just a random knock to the cannon. Furthermore, splints on or just below the knee are penalised in my opinion, as opposed to a single splint in the middle of the cannon, because they (just below the knee) can interfere with the function of the knee joint.

Looking at drawing 5, you have a horse where the knees are set to the outside of the cannon bones. In drawing 6, you see where the force has to change direction and in drawing 7, where that force will be expressed when the leg is subjected to stress, strain and concussion. Horses with this type of conformation tend to develop knee chips to the outside of the knee.

In drawing 8, we have two conformation problems in both cases. In each case, the horse is standing what we call “base narrow”. The horse is narrow through the chest, and therefore the front legs are set too close together. On the left diagram, the horse is base narrow and toes out. On the right, the horse is base narrow and toes in. Which do you think is more serious?

Drawings of Various Types of Leg Faults

D1

D5

D2

D6

D9

Note: See text for explanations of the drawings

D3

D4

D7

D10 D1. Straight front legs D2, 3, 4. Cannons offset to the outside D5, 6, 7. Cannons offset to the inside D8. Left: Base narrow and toes out.

Right: Base narrow and toes in

D8

D11

D12

D9. Normal foot axis D10. Club foot axis D11. Far left: Normal.

2nd Left to Right: Buck knee, calf knee, short upright pastern D12. Tied-in tendon

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Straight legs with cannons directly under the knee. Fetlocks offset slightly

The horse that toes out will be at greater risk of interfering when travelling – as the leg swings in, it is apt to hit the fetlock of the other leg, which is poor function at best and injurious at worst. The horse that is toed in, while it looks worse at first glance, actually will cause the leg to move in an outward arc when travelling, thus not interfering with the other leg. Therefore, the toed out horse has a more serious fault than the toed in horse. When subjected to stress, strain and concussion you would expect the toed out horse to have windpuffs and other problems to the inside of the fetlock, while the toed in horse will have problems with the outside of the fetlock joint.

In drawing 9, the diagram shows the normal axis of the pastern foot angle. The angle of the pastern should follow through the hoof to the ground. In drawing 10, we have a “broken axis”, or what is commonly termed “club foot”. When you have an interruption of the normal axis of the pastern/ hoof angle, it is going to cause problems both in movement and in how the forces act on the fetlock, pastern and hoof. When you think of all the force that is exerted when a horse is galloping, and for one stride, has all of its weight suspended over one front leg, you can appreciate how a major deviation in that column could cause the column to fail.

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Offset cannons (bench knees). Cannons are offset to the outside of the knees. Fetlocks, pasterns and feet are straight

exceptionally low heel and an elongated toe.

These horses are subject to having heel, sole and toe problems under stress, strain and concussion.

In drawing 11, we are looking at the column from the profile. Again, the straighter the column, the more equal the force travelling through it. The diagram to the far left shows a horse with a straight front leg.

Notice that the force is travelling through the centre of the cannon bone, with the major tendon and ligament to the rear of that line. The column is the bone itself. The next diagram is a horse that is over at the knees or commonly termed “buck kneed”. While this looks dramatic, and you will even see horses that tremble slightly on their knees, it is far more functional than the next diagram, which is “back at the knee” or “calf-kneed”.

Why? Because in the horse that is over at the knees, the joint is bending in the direction it was intended. In the calf-kneed horse, the joint is bending against the direction it is intended. These horses are very prone to chips in the front of the knee when subjected to stress, strain and concussion. I consider it to be the most severe of all leg faults as it is so non-functional. The final diagram shows a horse that is upright in the pastern. While it is a fault, the forces are still going through the column equally. Where it becomes a problem is in the fact that the “shock absorber”

Broken axis, club foot and soft pastern

function of the pastern is diminished due to the upright stance. The forces are increased, due to the lack of pastern function, but the forces are still acting in a straight line.

Drawing 12 shows a leg commonly seen in the Arabian halter division. That is a horse that is “tied in below the knee”. The cannon bone is actually the same diameter as a normal leg. The problem is that the tendon/ligament attachment below the knee is narrower and weaker than a horse with “wide, flat tendons”. You will hear people talk about “wide, flat bone”. Which is a good thing! But it isn’t the bone that is wide and flat. The cannon bones are all the same diameter. It is the tendon and ligament attachment that is either narrow/ weak or wide/strong.

A horse is at its simplest – a great deal of weight, often carrying a great deal of weight – that is suspended on four columns. Any deviation in those columns increases force where the deviation occurs.

That is why straight legs are important.

And for people who ride their horses or use them heavily, they learn quite quickly how important that is. I will add, however, that there are always exceptions to the rule.

I have seen some extraordinary equine athletes with crooked legs. But they are the exception, not the rule.

Cannons offset from the knee. Base wide.

Toes in left front pastern and foot

Left high heel club foot with low heel right foot

Short, upright pasterns and tied in below the knee

Calf knees

Forearms angle into the knee, cannons set outside of knee (offset) – gives appearance of slight knock-knees. Fetlock, pasterns and feet deviate out (toes out)

Over at the knees (buck knees)

Left front foot. Broken axis, club foot

Horse “winging’’ out at the gallop

The other front foot to photo above – this is a normal foot

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

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Bucket List Destination The World Championships WORDS GRAHAM SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY MARILYN SWEET WWW.SWEETPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Paris and the World Arabian Championships is the must see show on any Arabian enthusiast’s bucket list, either as a spectator, competitor or official. In my case I was very lucky to be selected as a judge.

I

can still vividly remember finding out about my appointment. I had just flown into Tel Aviv airport to judge a show in Palestine. I was excited enough about judging at the Palestinian show and the expectation around seeing some lovely horses and historical sites in that region. While walking through the airport to clear security and customs I found a WIFI service and turned on my phone – it lit up like a Christmas tree with over 60 messages of congratulations. It took me some time to digest the news. I was excited, but mainly in disbelief. I just wanted to shed a tear or scream out in excitement but the armed guards with their machine guns may not have appreciated that!

The drive to my hotel took me past Jerusalem and Bethlehem. I was mesmerised at seeing centuries old buildings on such a

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clear and balmy evening. I looked to the sky and saw a most beautiful and bright orange moon – I just thought how lucky I was to be given these opportunities to judge, travel the world and see so many amazing places.

Reality, and panic set in when I arrived at the hotel and realised that the World Championships was commencing in three weeks’ time and I had at least one week in Palestine before returning to Australia to then try and book a flight more or less directly back to Paris!

I eventually arrived in Paris and gave myself two days to recover from any jetlag from the flight in order to make sure I was feeling 100% for my judging assignment.

I was so glad I allowed the extra time as what I didn’t count on was my baggage being left in Dubai by baggage handlers

and the stress of wondering if it would turn up in time – eventually it arrived at the hotel the following day. My stress levels subsided with its arrival!

The World Championships show is held at the Parc des Expositions, Villepinte, which is a large convention centre opened in 1982 and is the second largest in France.

The centre occupies some 115 hectares and has 246,000m2 of convention space with eight large halls. The Parc des Expositions is located on the rail line to Paris, which is only 18 kilometres or 30 minutes away and is the first stop from Charles De Gaulle airport, some five minutes away. The station is conveniently located only a few hundred metres from the entrance to the convention centre.

The Salon De Cheval horse expo is the largest single equestrian event in France

and attracts over 150,000 visitors. It has in excess of 450 trade exhibitors with some 2,300 horses regularly competing over the period of the show. Entry fees start at eight euro for children and 18 euro for an adult – considering the number of horse events you can watch during the course of the day including the Arabian World Championships, the tickets are reasonably priced.

The Salon De Cheval is also embraced

by Parisians in that there is a traditional parade through the streets of Paris with a variety of horse breeds and horse drawn vehicles leading up to the official opening.

The parade passes many iconic monuments including the Eiffel Tower. The show is also a great place to secure an end of season bargain with the many saddlery and horse shops drastically reducing their prices for this expo and in the lead up to Christmas.

You do, however, need to be mindful of the exchange rate and any excess baggage costs for the return flight home!

The Arabian World Championships show attracts a substantial worldwide audience including those watching via live stream but to be at the show in person is a great opportunity to socialise with old and new friends and provides lots of opportunities for networking. The warm up arena and main show arena are large enough to ensure that as a spectator you can get very close to the horses and observe them relatively uninterrupted.

Judging at the Championships is obviously a huge honour and as a representative of Australia and the Arabian Horse Society of Australia (AHSA Ltd.) the importance of the occasion was not lost on me. I was also thrilled to be asked by the organising committee to recite the judge’s oath on behalf of all judges and then to officially open the 36th Arabian World Championships show – this is an honour I won’t forget in a long time.

All judges at the show mentioned to me the sense of occasion and the honour they also had in being asked to judge. Similarly, we all felt the sense of excitement, anticipation and pressure leading up to the judging of our first classes.

The show is programmed with the yearling, junior and senior classes for females on the Friday with the same breakup of classes on the Saturday for the males. Sunday is Championships day where the ten highest qualified from their respective heats go forward to an open championship. An open championship means that in theory, the tenth placed horse can win the title of World Champion if that horse performs well enough and receives enough points from the judges.

Scoring during the heats is based on the ECAHO European system with marks up to

Opposite: Yearling Filly Champion, D Ajayeb.

Top: Junior Female Champion, Mai Aljassimya.

Above: Senior Female Champion, Donna Molta Bella SRA.

20 provided on Type, Head and Neck, Body and Topline, Legs and Movement. Scoring for the championships classes requires a judge to nominate only their respective first, second and third placegetters from the top ten horses.

Reflecting on the show I do have an immense sense of pride and relief! I was extremely happy that all my first choice horses from the yearling, junior and senior classes went on to become World Champions.

The quality in each heat was extremely high, every horse that had entered the show had won or been placed in their country’s respective National Championships or won or placed at an ECAHO approved Title or ‘A’ class show or equivalent. As a judge you always like to be challenged by having strong classes with depth of quality, however, at this show every horse had the potential to win

their heat because of their quality and the high qualification regime.

After some understandable nerves in judging my first horse of the day I quickly settled into my judging routine and soon relaxed into my work. The show and the way it was run during the three days was as you would expect – first class, with all the officials and behind the scenes support staff making our job as judges easier by keeping us well informed of any issues or developments surrounding the running and programming of the show.

However, even at a World Championship show, you need to be prepared to trust your judgement, training and experience to make considered decisions, such as I did with my fellow judges in excusing an exhibitor from their class whose horse was in pain through soreness, or warning some handlers for excessive shanking.

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Following the Championships I remember the few horses whom captured my heart through their sheer beauty or gave me goose bumps because of their movement or look at me attitude. My notes from the show assisted me in writing a précis of the six horses I selected that ultimately achieved the titles of World Champions.

My choice for Yearling Filly Champion was D Ajayeb (RFI Farid x Ladi Veronika), for me she was an exquisite yearling filly who exuded type and to my eye had extremely good movement. In addition, for a yearling filly I thought she was very well balanced and in proportion. She showed equally as well in the final as she did in her class two days earlier, and for a yearling she was very comfortable in the high pressure environment of the Paris show. She won what I felt was one of the strongest finals class at the show in that all ten finalists were quality horses who had scored highly on all judges’ cards – it was a final of depth in quality.

The Junior Female Champion saw me choose Mai Aljassimya (FA EL Rasheem x RP Miss Surprise). She was the first horse into the ring for the championships class and set the bar for all other competitors.

She was the highest scoring filly in the heats and trotted into the arena with poise, grace and cadence – she owned the ring. I certainly liked her balanced, symmetrical movement but I also equally liked her depth of girth and body. She was feminine, with a very good head and neck.

This class was also very strong with the Silver, Mozn Albidayer (SMA Magic One x Mattaharii) and Bronze, Bint Hazy Al Khalediah (EL Palacio VO x Hazy Al Khaladiah), two beautiful, sound and functional horses in their own right deservingly gaining places.

The Senior Female Champion was Donna Molta Bella SRA (DA Valentino x RD Fabreanna). The class was full of feminine, well-bodied, ground-covering mares and was a real pleasure to judge. It was also the one championship class that caused me most deliberation. On one hand I had Donna Molta Bella SRA, a four-year-old mare who was athletic, well-muscled and conditioned.

To my eye she was extremely well-bodied, had powerful movement with plenty of engagement from the hindquarters and was slightly thicker set than some other mares – she did however retain all those important feminine qualities you look for in a mare.

My second horse was Tehama Ballalina (Tehama NA Sidaqa x JJ Shai Majestic Queen), she was 14, white grey and ethereal – she was a delight to watch. She was lighter on her feet but did not cover the ground as well as Donna Molta Bella SRA in the finals, 90 • April 2017

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Top: Yearling Colt Champion, D Seraj Above: Junior Male Champion, Gallardo J

in my opinion. They were different in age and type but were exceptional horses. Very little separated these two horses in my final selection for this class, they were two worthy contenders for the title of World Champion.

The commencement of the male classes started with much anticipation from the now vocal audience who had been warmed up and excited by the female championship classes. The Yearling Colt Champion and my selection D Seraj (FA Rasheem x Ladi Veronika) was also a unanimous choice of all judges and most of the audience!

D Seraj easily won his class and stood out in the final amongst the remaining yearling colts, he displays exceptional type and for a young horse has presence when he enters the ring. He showed very well during the championship and was not intimidated by

the finals environment. He has type and quality stamped all over him and it will be interesting to see how he matures and progresses over the coming years as a show horse.

My choice for Junior Male Champion went to Gallardo J (Emerald J x Gomera J) in what proved to be a strong class with little between my first two selections.

Gallardo J is an impressive young colt, he is a good-bodied and well-balanced horse overall. He personifies type and for me had the better movement on the finals day. He was very much a young masculine colt, but still maintained refinement. My Silver champion was Luigi (Kanz Albidayer x Lolita), a horse that gives the impression he really loves to be a show horse! He too is a horse of quality and one that is hard to take your eye off when he enters the ring.

Top left: Tehama Ballalina Top right: Senior Male Champion EKS Alihandro Left: Trophies Below left: Judges and officials.

Graham Smith is sixth from the right

On any other day I could have had him as champion.

The Senior Male Championship was full of theatre, drama and expectation.

The audience were wildly appreciative and vocal for each stallion as they entered the arena and trotted around trying to stake their claim as World Champion. My selection was EKS Alihandro (Marwan Al Shaqab x OFW Psylhouette), a horse that I can say did give me goose bumps! This horse displayed charisma and attitude that stood out amongst his rivals. He dominated the ring with his sheer presence and masculinity.

EKS Alihandro was a unanimous selection amongst all judges for World Championship honours. He is a big imposing horse but lacks nothing in type and elegance. He is also extremely well-bodied and has eyecatching movement. I understand that since

the World Championship show the six-yearold stallion has now been officially retired after remaining undefeated and attaining two World Championships, the previous as Junior Colt in 2013.

The Silver horse, Sultan Al Zobara (Gazal Al Shaqab x Inra Al Shaqab) is an exceptional horse, in particular he has a classic head and neck set and is simply beautiful – he catches your eye at every turn. The Bronze horse, IM Bayard Cathare (Padrons Immage x Shamilah Bagheerra) was a strongly built and powerful moving horse, I particularly liked the structure of his legs and feet and he too was a real show horse that enjoyed the sense of occasion of the Championships.

Flying back to Australia I had plenty of time to think about how I reacted and coped with the pressure of the World Championships show and indeed some of

the other shows I have been privileged to judge in 2016 such as the World Cup in Las Vegas and the UKIAHS British Championships.

The point that I kept coming back to was that the AHSA Ltd. has much to be proud of in the way they have developed, nurtured and supported Australian judges over many years.

I drew on 30 years of judging experience in Australia to cope with the pressures of international judging. I am thankful that when I first commenced judging I had the ongoing support of a number of mentors and Judges Executive Committee representatives who I had often used as a sounding board.

The AHSA has in the past provided regular educational and training days and forums for all levels of judges and trainees in order for them to either maintain or further develop their judging skills and knowledge. In this regard the AHSA has recently signalled its intentions to move toward a new judging model for use by Australian judges based on the European scorecard system and to provide the necessary training, advice and support for judges to make the transition to this new system a reality.

I am very supportive of this approach, as it will align our judging systems with those now used in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. I believe it will ultimately help our Australian judges gain more opportunities to judge internationally. We do have a strong base of experienced and well-credentialled Australian judges that can and should represent us more frequently on a world stage.

As I mentioned in my opening comments: Paris and the Arabian World Championships should be on your bucket list. You have a chance to visit one of the most beautiful cities in the world and at the same time see some of the best Arabian horses compete. I would encourage you to visit, you won’t be disappointed!

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Foundation Breeders’ Day Jobs WORDS JOE FERRISS

The Arabian horse is a universal interest to so many people from so many walks of life that we sometimes forget not all of us were born into the Arab horse experience.

1. A political cartoonist, Homer Davenport sketched the desert bred Arabians he saw on his 1906 expedition. Craver archive 2. Homer Davenport portrait, early 1912.

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t would be easy to say that Judith Blunt, known more famously as Lady Wentworth was born into the legacy of her renowned parents Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt. For her, the Arabian horse was a certainty and it was her central life’s work to breed Arabian horses from the tradition commenced by her famous parents.

Similarly, there were the various princes and royalty in Poland and Egypt who were born into the breed.

However, there are many other stories of famous foundation breeders of Arabian horses, whose breeding work graces so many of today’s international champions, yet they were not born into the breed.

They were engaged in some other vocation and then later came into the world of the Arabian breed. For this short article, I am only covering a few from North America who now have a significant international impact on the Arabian breed.

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Homer Davenport One of the more endearing early foundation Arabian horse breeders in America is Homer Davenport. He was probably the least likely person to become influential on the Arabian breed.

Homer Davenport was a natural born talent as an artist and became famous as a political cartoonist. He did not study as an artist in a formal way but would work his way up to becoming the highest paid political cartoonist

in America. In his early career, he worked for William Randolph Hearst’s renowned newspaper The San Francisco Examiner.

He then worked for the Chicago Daily Herald during the time of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. At this famous world fair, there was an exhibition of Arabian horses brought to the US by the Hamidie Society and this was Homer’s first exposure to the original Arabian horses of the desert. In his reporting for the Chicago paper, he illustrated some of these horses and was captivated by their magnificence. A subsequent tragic fire led to the auctioning off of these imports, some of which went to Peter Bradley while Homer Davenport continued his career as a cartoonist. But he never forgot the impression that those horses made on him.

In Davenport’s rise to fame, he produced some political cartoons that helped the campaign of Theodore Roosevelt to become president. A convergence of interesting events took place that would bring Homer back into the world of Arabian horses. Upon visiting Peter Bradley, Homer purchased an Arabian from him that began a business relationship with Mr. Bradley. By 1906, Mr. Bradley and Homer formed a business partnership in Arabian horses. With the assistance of President Theodore Roosevelt,

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Bradley financed the now famous trip that Homer Davenport made to the Arabian Desert obtaining a large group of 27 Arabians directly from the Bedouin tribes. This large historic importation was at a time when there were few Arabian horses in North America. It would have a lasting impact well beyond Homer Davenport’s lifetime.

Unfortunately, Homer Davenport died unexpectedly in 1912 and the subsequent later dispersal of these horses would seem to have risked ending up in obscurity but that was not the case.

Remarkably, in 1946, 40 years after the Davenport importation, Dr. Ameen Zaher of Egypt conducted a study of American Arabian breeding and he had determined an interesting fact. The 1906 Davenport imported stallion Hamrah (D.B. x Urfah) had a genetic relationship to the breed in America of 7% in 1946, which is more than the equivalent to being the great, great grandparent of every Arabian in America!

If that were not amazing enough, 110 years now since Hamrah’s importation, this year’s Paris World Champion Mare, Donna Molta Bella SRA carries an astonishing 89 crosses to Hamrah!

While Homer Davenport became renowned as the world’s highest paid political cartoonist

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in his time, we are still the beneficiaries of his unexpected journey into the world of the Arabian horse.

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W.R. Brown Arabian horses in the early 20th century in America were indeed a rarity and some came to own them for personal pleasure but few expected to be impacted by them and W.R. Brown was one of those.

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After graduation from college, W.R. Brown went to work for the family business, the Berlin Mills Company, where he oversaw the company’s logging operations, and interestingly he became an early proponent of sustainable forest management. While Mr. Brown was also an admirer of horses, from his brother H.J. Brown, he purchased his first Arabian horses, some of which were acquired from the estate of Homer Davenport.

3. W.R. Brown’s famous sire Gulastra (Astraled x Gulnare). Photo courtesy of Michael Bowling 4. The Davenport import Hamrah, one of the most influential early sires in America.

Craver archive 5. The “fabulous Fadjur” for many years the leading sire in the breed and son of Mr. Babson’s Fadheilan. Ferriss archive 6. Famous sire Ali Jamaal, whose dam is saturated with Kellogg breeding. Ferriss archive 7. Fay-El-Dine, famous Egyptian sire at Babson’s. He is in Marwan Al Shaqab’s pedigree. Ferriss archive 8. W.R. Brown. Wikipedia

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W.R. Brown was so impressed with the quality and endurance of the Arabian horse that he became an enthusiastic promoter of the Arabian as a Cavalry horse for the U.S. forces. In addition, he also became actively involved in early endurance riding competitions, and taken together these activities and interests, W.R. Brown would become one of the largest breeders of Arabians in America, even becoming the president of the Arabian registry.

He established his herd beginning about 1912 with horses acquired from Spencer Borden, J.A.P. Ramsdell, Randolph Huntington and Homer Davenport. Of the different acquisitions of W.R. Brown, he seemed to like his Crabbet bred horses the best and the first among those was the magnificent stallion Abu Zeyd (Mesaoud x Rose Diamond), known as Lali-Abdar in England. Interestingly Abu Zeyd was actually imported by Homer Davenport in 1910, and was considered one of the best Mesaoud sons known. Another Mesaoud son W.R. Brown acquired in old age was the grand patriarch, Astraled (Mesaoud x Queen of Sheba), imported earlier from England. In Astraled’s final foal crop was the famous chestnut stallion Gulastra (x Gulnare) one of the early influential sires in America who is now found in thousands of pedigrees internationally. Born in 1924 Gulastra became a popular and important sire producing an incredible 117 foals, a big number for a sire of his era. Gulastra sired beautiful horses that were also doing horses under saddle and his influence is strong among endurance competitors.

W.R. Brown returned to Crabbet several times beginning just after the passing of Lady Anne Blunt and imported a large number of Crabbet bred horses.

In early 1932, W.R. Brown made his last importation, a now famous group of horses imported from Egypt, all bred

by Prince Mohammed Ali. Sadly by 1933, the economic pressures of the Great Depression caused W.R. Brown to disperse all of his horses in an effort to continue his ‘day job’, the managing of the mill operations. His business interests still went into receivership but he did manage to recover his business for a while.

However, he was no longer a breeder of Arabian horses.

We are fortunate today though for his passion for the Arabian and its performance qualities. Looking back through so many of today’s international champions, the lines to horses owned and bred by W.R. Brown is almost incalculable.

Even Marwan Al Shaqab carries 47 crosses to horses bred by W.R. Brown.

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W.K. Kellogg Another very influential foundation Arabian horse breeder in America was W.K. Kellogg who was not born into Arabian horses. His name is internationally famous as an early founder of the prepared breakfast food industry, creating many popular breakfast cereals with operations in North America, Europe and Australia. He was one of the wealthiest men in America

and became a great philanthropist.

As a young boy, Kellogg was fond of an old horse named Spot that he and his siblings would ride occasionally but his life went on to other things. Then in 1925 age 65, Kellogg decided to return to his boyhood dream of having horses but by this time, he was well positioned to develop one of the premier showplace horse farms in the country, the Kellogg Arabian Horse Ranch in Pomona, California.

The farm was frequently visited by movie stars and celebrities but he also loved the Arabian horse and wanted to share it with the public.

He held Sunday exhibitions demonstrating the beauty, intelligence and athletic ability of the Arabian. His herd was a blend of stock established by Homer Davenport, W.R. Brown and other early American breeders but he also imported a large number of horses from Crabbet Stud in England. The Kellogg legacy is a strong foundation in so many Arabians internationally today. In fact, Vona SherRenea, the dam of globally famous sire WH Justice, has a pedigree saturated with numerous lines to horses of Kellogg breeding, not to mention other famous sires such as Ali Jamaal, whose dam has many Kellogg bred horses in her lineage.

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Henry Babson Another famous foundation Arabian breeder who started his Arabian horse stud late in life is Henry Babson. He began the famous Babson Arabian Horse Farm when he was already 57 years old. However, before that he was involved in many different pursuits including selling Victor

phonograph machines in China as well as managing the Victor Talking Machine Company.

He became acquainted with famous inventor Thomas Edison. In his business interests, Babson became a world traveller, coming to respect a variety of cultures. Babson was also involved in surveying, mining and farming which, with his brothers, led to the Babson Brothers Company, a well known manufacturer of dairy milking equipment. In all that time Babson never forgot the impression made on him as a young man when on a cattle drive he was amazed at how some part-Arab horses remained fresh all day while other breeds needed to be often replaced.

Finally, in 1932 Babson began his own stud farm of Arabian horses importing six horses from Egypt, for which he is most famous. While these Babson bred Egyptian horses are now globally ancestors in many straight Egyptian horses, Babson also imported some fine mares from Poland and one of these Egyptian and Polish crosses bred by Babson was the handsome bay stallion Fadheilan (Fadl x Kasztelanka).

Fadheilan’s son ‘the Fabulous Fadjur’ would spread Babson breeding throughout

North American and then Europe, South America and Australia. In turn, Fadjur is close up in his grandson, Khemosabi (with two crosses to Fadheilan) who for many decades was the most heavily used Arabian sire in the entire breed, well before frozen semen was in practice. Khemosabi can be found as an ancestor in many of today’s international champions including 2016 Paris Gold Senior Champion Stallion EKS Alihandro. (Editor’s note: See EKS Alihandro’s photo in this issue within the article entitled, Bucket List Destinations – The World Championships) Taken together, horses bred by Homer Davenport, W.R. Brown, W.K. Kellogg and Henry Babson are the foundation of many of today’s international champions in halter and performance more times than can be counted in this article. Even today, many decades after these four men decided to seek something more exciting than their ‘day jobs’ and become involved with Arabians, their legacy can still be found throughout modern champions such as 2016 Australian Gold Champion Mare, Venecia MI. There are others in other countries as well whose avocation became their vocation and, though they were not born that way, we are grateful for their passion for the Arabian horse.

9. W.K. Kellogg. Wikipedia 10. Sire of many international champions, Marwan Al Shaqab, who traces to stock bred by Homer Davenport, W.R. Brown, W.K. Kellogg and Henry Babson. Gigi Grasso photo 11. Henry Babson at age 84. Judith Forbis photo 12. Paris World Champion Mare 2016, Donna Molta Bella SRA, carries an astonishing 89 crosses to Hamrah. Photo www.sweetphotography.com 13. Their legacy can be found throughout modern champions such as 2016 Australian Gold Champion Mare, Venecia MI. Photo Stuart Vesty

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The Original Racehorse WORDS VIRGINIA DODSON OF NARA PHOTOGRAPHY GLENYS LILLEY

Arabian horses have raced in Australia since the early days of the colony. A perusal of the first few volumes of the Australian Thoroughbred Studbook reveal numerous entries of purebred Arabian horses who subsequently appear in a surprising number of pedigrees of Australia’s early racehorses.

Galloping up the straight!

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n 1804 the Arabian stallions Shark and White William arrived in Australia. Both these stallions did much to improve the standard of horseflesh in the colony, but it was as progenitors of the early racehorses that they distinguished themselves. Junius, a grandson of Shark, was to become the premier racehorse prior to 1830 and White William produced the notable sire Derwent.

The early volumes of the Australian Thoroughbred Studbook are peppered with pedigrees that contain Arabian bloodlines and indeed list many purebred Arabian sires.

Despite the exploits of such horses as Hector and Glaucus who actually won the All Arab Cup, eminent judges of the day refused to believe these stallions were Arabians. Such was the prejudice against the breed that any who won races were claimed to be Thoroughbreds!

In the early 1800s Arabians raced against Thoroughbreds and one who stood out was the remarkable Dagworth, a part Arabian who descended from Glaucus. He was a versatile athlete who won over distances from 4800 metres to 2000 metres, including the 3200 metre 1872 Metropolitan Handicap.

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Another notable Arabian stallion was Pegasus, sire of the gelding Saladin who won the 1871 Australian Cup over 3600 metres and the 1200 metre Hotham Handicap. He ran third in the Melbourne Cup but despite the fact that he was seen to be in front of the other horse, was not credited with a place and therefore does not appear in the records.

The three dominant Thoroughbred sire lines in Australia in the 1990s were Star Kingdom, Northern Dancer and Sir Tristram – all trace in direct male line to the Darley Arabian.

It is interesting to note the long distances over which these horses raced. Many races were longer than the Melbourne Cup and often had heats beforehand. A far cry from the sprinting two-year-old races of today!

By the early 1900s the Arabian breed as a racehorse was becoming absorbed into the Thoroughbred Stud Book and its identity was lost. It was to be many decades before Arabians again appeared on a racetrack.

Amateur Arabian racing started up again in the 1980s but as the Thoroughbred industry had the support of Government legislation

and the prejudice towards Arabians lingered on, the attempt at establishing the sport again failed. However by the late 1990s the Victorian Arabian Jockey Club and subsequently the National Arabian Racehorse Association (NARA) were formed and a concerted effort, involving many meetings with racing authorities and State Governments, saw Arabians, the original racehorses, return to Australian tracks once more.

Over the last few years, with the assistance of our generous UAE sponsors, HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, NARA has achieved a higher profile for Arabian racing with races being conducted on such prestigious racetracks as Moonee Valley, Sandown, Caulfield, Morphettville and the Gold Coast. NARA is committed to the promotion and administration of Arabian racing in Australia, thereby providing the opportunity for Australian bloodlines to once again prove their soundness and stamina on the racetrack.

Two athletic racehorses, the Arabian Reid River R-Mani (No. 1) and Thoroughbred, Dreams Alive.

Recently NARA staged an Exhibition Gallop during the East Coast Arabian Championships.

Anthony Mountney kindly brought along the four-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Dreams Alive by the renowned sire Sebring out of the well performed Chance Bye, to have a training gallop with the Arabian gelding Reid River R-Mani (The Accolade x Reid River First Impresshines). R-Mani is proudly owned by Queensland’s Cassie Saunders. He was bred by Keith and Melissa Reid of Reid River Arabians, a stud notable for breeding top show horses and the well-performed endurance horse, Reid River Reflectshine. Anthony has this imposing chestnut gelding in top form as evidenced by his fourth straight win in the HARC Open Sprint at Merton on the 11 February, 2017.

A good crowd listened attentively to Anthony’s talk on training the racehorse where he pointed out the differences and similarities between the two geldings.

A snippet of this and their training gallop can be viewed on the NARA Facebook page.

I asked Anthony about training and selecting the Arabian racehorse.

What physical attributes do you look for in an Arabian racing prospect?

Look for a race prospect which is a balanced, structurally correct individual.

Look for a good length of rein and a sloping shoulder flowing into a well-defined wither. Strong loins and well-defined stifles and gaskin will give you your engine. The hindquarters are where your propulsion comes from to get out of the starting gates efficiently, so they need good depth and muscling power. It goes without saying that straight legs and good sound feet are essential. When the horse walks it should give the impression of an easy moving athlete rather than a showy Arabian.

Is there a difference in speed and stamina between a Thoroughbred and an Arabian?

An Arabian is approximately one second slower than a Thoroughbred over a furlong (200 metres). An average Thoroughbred would do around 1:10 over 1200 metres against an average Arabian’s time of around 1:20/1:23. However, faster times have certainly been recorded.

The stamina and endurance capabilities of the Arabian are well known and over some of the longer distance races of 4000 metres would probably be faster than a Thoroughbred.

Is there any difference between the breeds as far as attitude to training and racing is concerned?

Arabians tend to be cleaner in the wind with a greater utilisation of oxygen than the Thoroughbred leading to a more rapid recovery after work. The Arabian doesn’t tend to go off its feed as some Thoroughbreds do. Young Thoroughbreds tend to be a bit wayward whereas the Arabians can take more pressure in training. They are the thinking person’s horse, however in Australia they haven’t been specifically bred for racing so don’t have that innate will to win and need to be taught how to gallop.

Does a jockey need to be aware of these differences?

Yes, they tend to be chasers rather than front runners and are often ‘one paced’. You will get this with endurance horses switching to racing and they have to be trained to develop a ‘turn of foot’.

Do the NARA Rules of Racing differ from the TB rules?

The NARA Rules of Racing mirror those of the Thoroughbred industry with a few modifications such as the age of horses permitted to race and the use of the whip rule. These can be viewed on the NARA website. It is recognised that the Arabian matures later than the Thoroughbred horse.

On that subject I feel no real pressure should be put upon horses up until six years of age.

Is there any difference between feeding either breed and what sort of costs are you looking at?

I feed both breeds pretty much the same ration, adjusting it for the individual. Plenty of hay and a basic natural diet. I do feed a lot of grain but I find the Arabians are less tolerant of cracked corn, which can cause a bit of muscle soreness.

Is there prize money for Arabian racing?

Yes, NARA is paying out modest but regular prize money, which makes it viable to keep a horse in work and we have feature races every year that carry higher prize money.

Does NARA have a race calendar?

Yes, there is a race approximately every four to six weeks. Check the NARA website for details.

In closing, Anthony said that unlike most of the other Arabian racing countries, we haven’t been breeding for racing in Australia so it remains to be seen which bloodlines will come to the fore in the years ahead. There will be interesting times ahead.

For more information please go to www.naraaustralia.com

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Lavender Foal Syndrome WORDS DR CHRISTINA MARTH, VETERINARIAN, PhD*

Lavender Foal Syndrome (LFS), also sometimes referred to as Coat Colour Dilution Lethal (CCDL), is an inherited disease specific to Arabian horses. It is caused by a genetic mutation, which is estimated to be present in about 10% of Egyptian Arabians, but has also been reported in other lines of Arabians. [1]

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ffected foals are unable to stand at birth, often have seizures and do not improve over time.

There is no treatment available, which means they need to be euthanised within the first few days of life to prevent excessive suffering.[2, 3] The good news is that the underlying genetic mutation has been identified and commercial testing is available in Australia. Both mares and stallions can be tested prior to breeding to avoid combinations likely to lead to foals born with LFS.

CLINICAL SIGNS The name of the condition refers to a unique coat colouring of affected foals that has been described as pale chestnut, pinkish, iridescent silver, pale slate grey or lavender hue.[2] While Arabian foals can be born with a roan coat, this can be differentiated from LFS by looking at the individual hair. In roans, pigmented and white hairs are both present, whereas in foals affected by LFS all hairs have the same pale, dilute colour.

In the LFS cases described in the scientific literature, no abnormalities were noted during

Testing for genetic disorders helps produce healthy foals.

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the pregnancy and foals were born after normal pregnancy durations. While some foalings required intervention, other foals were delivered without assistance.[2, 3] Once born, foals with LFS exhibit neurological signs such as an overarched rigid neck, seizures, rigid legs, uncontrolled paddling movements with their legs and an inability to stand or even turn into an upright position. Their suck reflex may be weakened or normal and some foals show rapid involuntary eye movement. Touching the foals can trigger seizures/cramps. Affected foals do not have a fever, but may have elevated heart

and breathing rates. Blood tests usually show no abnormalities other than, in some cases, slightly reduced protein and glucose levels.

Post mortem examinations after euthanasia do not show consistent abnormalities.

So called “dummy foals”, which experience a lack of oxygen during foaling may also have seizures, but usually lose their suck reflex and typically start out healthy directly after birth.

Most importantly, 80% of “dummy foals” recover within three days after being born, while foals with LFS show no improvement in this time frame.[4] Foals affected by septicaemia (blood poisoning through bacteria) are usually not affected directly after birth. They will show inflammation on their blood profiles and likely also bacteria cultured from their blood. While they may be unable to stand up and shiver, they do not typically show seizures.[4] Another disorder seen in Arabian foals is occipitoatlantoaxial malformation (OAAM), in which skull and spine deformities lead to neurological signs. Finally, hydrocephalus (fluid accumulation in the head), trauma and metabolic problems can also cause similar symptoms.

CAUSES OF THE DISEASE In 2010, researchers in the US found a mutation in myosin 5a to be responsible for the symptoms displayed by foals with LFS. It is a transport molecule that is present in cells responsible for pigmentation of the skin and in nerve cells.

To understand how the mutation is inherited, it needs to be understood that each parent has two copies (alleles) of every gene, but only passes one of these copies on to their foal. Since LFS is recessive, only foals that inherit two defect copies of the gene will develop LFS. If they inherit one defect and one healthy copy, they will be carriers of the disease without showing any symptoms. However, if a mare is a carrier and gets bred to a stallion who is also a carrier, they each give one of their copies (which one is pure chance) to the foal, so the foal can end up being clear (25%), being a healthy carrier (50%) or developing LFS (25%; refer to Figure 1).

On a practical example, if Arabella, a sixyear-old mare, who has one healthy and one defect copy of the myosin gene (clear/LFS) gets bred to stallion Bartolomeo, also a carrier (clear/LFS), they have a one in four chance of producing a foal that gets Arabella’s defect copy (LFS) and also Bartolomeo’s defect copy (LFS), making its genotype (LFS/LFS) leading to the clinical symptoms of LFS. However, if Arabella (clear/LFS) is bred to stallion Cartago who is not a carrier (clear/clear), the foal again gets one of Arabella’s copies (either clear OR LFS) and one of Cartago’s copies (clear either way).

This means it has a 50% chance of being a

Figure 1. Blue refers to the copy received from the stallion, red from the mare. Each foal randomly receives one blue and one red copy. The combination of the two copies determines whether the foal is clear from the mutation, a carrier or affected.

carrier (clear/LFS) and a 50% chance of being completely free of the disease (clear/clear).

Most importantly, the foal has a 0% chance of developing LFS. This means if you breed Arabella, knowing that she is a carrier, it is very important to check that the stallion is not. If you breed a mare that has two clear copies, it is less relevant which stallion she is bred to.

Similarly, if you breed a mare to a carrier stallion like Bartolomeo (clear/LFS), it is important to know her status, whereas if you want a foal from a clear stallion like Cartago (clear/clear), it is less important. To improve the genetic health of all Arabian horses, the long-term goal should be the complete elimination of the gene for LFS by only breeding from clear horses.

DIAGNOSTICS The easiest way to test both mares and stallions is by DNA test. The form for this test is available from the Arabian Horse Society of Australia (www.ahsa.asn.au/genetic-disorders) and only requires mane or tail hair with attached hair follicles. The cost currently amounts to $45 per horse, which is infinitely less than the financial and emotional costs of a dead foal. Combination packs with testing for other genetic diseases, such as Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disorder (SCID) and Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA) are available and listed on the website.

REFERENCES 1. Brooks, S.A., et al., Whole-Genome SNP Association in the Horse: Identification of a Deletion in Myosin Va Responsible for Lavender Foal Syndrome. PLOS Genetics, 2010. 6(4): p. e1000909.

2. Fanelli, H., Coat colour dilution lethal (‘lavender foal a’): syndrome tetany syndrome of Arabian foals. Equine Veterinary Education, 2005. 17(5): p. 260-263.

3. Page, P., et al., Clinical, clinicopathologic, postmortem examination findings and familial history of 3 Arabians with lavender foal syndrome. Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 2006. 20(6): p. 1491-1494.

4. Wilkins, P.A., Disorders of Foals in Equine Internal Medicine S.M. Reed, W.M. Bayly, and D.C. Sellon, Editors. 2004, W.B. Saunders: Saint Louis. p. 1381-1440. * 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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April 2017 • 99

Stud Directory

B

BLUEDAWN

Breeders of quality Straight Egyptian Arabians.

Gregory, Marysia and Kyal Keyes VERNOR Qld

Q UEENSLAND

for ARABIANS WITH THAT ELUSIVE QUALITY Straight Egyptian Bloodlines STEVE & TRISHA MARRIOTT Cnr Mt Glorious-Samford & Hulcombe Roads, Highvale Q 4520 Ph: +61 7 3289 7153 Mob: 0411 227 569 Email: sabtaharabianstud@bigpond.com

P: 07 5427 0182 E: bluedawnarabians@bigpond.com w w w. blu edaw n a ra b i a n s . c o m

7 Kentville Rd Kentville Q 4342

Razeem

(Baranski X Rose Of Sarangani)

[Pictured]

Enquiries Welcome

07 5465 8445 0418 772 084

Wendy & Tracey Keller, Thallon Road Regency Downs QLD 4341 P (07) 5465 6626 M 0409 891 945 E wendy@eskdalearabians.com

comanchelodge@bigpond.com www.comanchelodge.com.au

www.eskdalearabians.com

Nicole Emanuel

MO ON

★

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S

A BI AR A

RR DA

A

ARA

BI A

N

★

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W ALES

W a l e s 100 • April 2017

S O U T H

s O u T H

Cheri Blackman P: (02) 4938 8118 E: cheri@cheroxarabians.com.au www.cheroxarabians.com.au

A

ND

AR

RA

A BI AR A

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Moondarra Code Red With Kellie Watson riding

Your next champion is just a phone call away!

Ian and Deb Watson 16 Humphreys Road Tallegalla Qld 4340 P: (07) 5426 8294 or 0408 656 776 E: moondarra2@bigpond.com www.moondarraarabians.com

Sue Crockett

NE W

n e W

SHOW ENDURANCE, PERFORMANCE AND EXQUISITE TRUE BLACK ARABIANS

AR R

M“Quality Shines Brightest”S OONDARRA ARABIAN

S

464 Riverside Drive, Pine Mountain QLD 4306 Phone: (07) 5464 3917 Email: melcot@bigpond.com www.melcotarabians.com

CHEROX ARABIANS

N

O MO

Iskah bred and owned

by Melcot Arabians and ridden by Erin Krahnen.

BI A

Q u e e n s l a n d

Q u e e n s l a n d

Lee Edwards & John Walker

ARA

★

O MO

ND

Arabians

Show • Endurance • Pleasure

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MELCOT

RR DA

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Michael O’Connor

Home of Eskdale

MO ON

Bruce, Janice and

PUREBRED SHOW AND PERFORMANCE BRED STOCK AVAILABLE

Q u e e n s l a n d

Q u e e n s l a n d

Breeders of Pure Crabbet Arabian Horses

ESKDALE ARABIANS Breeding Champions For You Since 1979

tracedigital

Comanche Lodge

★

Q u e e n s l a n d

EGYPTIAN ARABIANS

Espirit Arabians

S T A L L I O N

A T

S T U D

Maraj El Dakar imp USA (Dakar El Jamaal x Majalis)

Double Ali Jamaal grandson, sire of National Champion at halter & successful endurance horses

Annette Vickery

344 Hilldale Rd, Hilldale NSW 2420 Ph (02) 4995 6169 or 0418 251 580 espirit@bmr.net.au

Stud Directory

N E W

N E W

GLENIPH ARABIANS

S O U T H

S O U T H

W A L E S

W A L E S

Breeders of Australian National & East Coast Champion Purebred, Anglo and Palomino Part Arabians Est. 1982 Kerry & Richard Chapman “Dellyvale”, 193 Moorbys Lane, via Yass NSW 2582 Ph: (02) 6227 2820 Email: gleniph@bigpond.com

At Stud: RIVER OAK FAME S15962 DOB 16/11/1992

S O U T H

Arjai Summitt (dec) x Dynasty Lamech (dec)

SCID, CA and LFS Clear; Bay, 15.1hh, Multi Supreme Champion in hand and under saddle.

2017 Stud Fees: $880 purebreds

$660 all others

Grace Bryant

Breeders of quality purebred, palomino and pinto Arabians

W A L E S

W A L E S

John and Sue Bell, "Taringa", 1296 Retreat Road, Uralla NSW 2358 Phone: (02) 6778 7005 Email: humecreek@gmail.com www.humecreek.webs.com

Krystal Creek Arabians

S O U T H

N E W

Breeding for Performance and Temperament

Hume Creek Arabians

N E W

ARABIANS & PONIES HOME OF

Youngstock for sale.

Visitors welcome.

$290 FOR 4 ISSUES FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES PLEASE CALL Michael Vink Phone: (07) 3334 8000

Email: michael@interactivink.com.au interactivink, PO Box 8369, Woolloongabba Q 4102

VISITORS MOST WELCOME Amanda & Andrew Kettlewell P: (02) 6020 3286 M: 0428 739 625 E: admin@osoarabians.com.au www.osoarabians.com.au Sharon Meyers

“EL’GOLE’A ARABIANS” Est. 1980 ...Where Quality Speaks For Itself

NADIR SHAH”

At Stud the Super Show Stallion “ V I C T O R I A

ADVERTISEHERE

OSO Arabians offers for sale a selection of qualified endurance horses, youngstock, breeding and show horses.

W A L E S

W A L E S

JOHN & PAM ROBINS Newbury Park, Abercrombie Rd, Black Springs via Oberon NSW P: (02) 6335 8212 M: 0404 258 385 E: Pamrobins21@gmail.com www.newburyparkarabians.com

Breeding for conformation, stamina, temperament and versatility

S O U T H

S O U T H

Cherox Najiib S26931 Simeon Segel S24706 Newbury Touchdown APS2048

Colin and Kerry James 2333 Pacific Hwy, Cowper NSW 2460 P 0438 226 246 E krystalcreekarabians@gmail.com www.krystalcreekarabians.com.au

N E W

Newbury Park

We offer at stud Cherox Zalam (S17682), Newbury Pilgrim’s Impact (S25913) and Hamdallah Amir Zalam (S26637) Stock for sale, proven bloodlines of Show and Endurance winners with Wonderful Temperament.

Contact Brooke Stapley (H) 02 6336 0693 (M) 0419 015 485 brooke@hamdallahstud.com www.hamdallahstud.com

N E W

HUME CREEK ARABIANS

Hamdallah Arabian and Pony Stud

15.3hh Liver Chestnut Sire: SK Shakla Khan imp USA Dam: Fairview Amira Bint Sashgar Supreme Champion in NSW, VIC & TAS Top 5 at East Coast Championships A selection of exquisite mares and fillies by “SHAH” plus a classic “ALKHAZAR” filly. All sensibly priced - make an offer.

Carole A. Doran “Tongdean Lodge” 825 Princes Highway, Mount Moriac VIC 3240 Ph: (03) 5266 1520

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April 2017 • 101

Stud Directory

T H E D R E A M C O N T I N U E S...

FENWICK STUD BREEDERS OF ARABIAN HORSES SINCE 1925

HOME OF

Fenwick Orion S22574 • Fenwick Silver Spur S23020 • Jamahl S26758 V I C T O R I A

V I C T O R I A

0499 896 386

DARNUM, VICTORIA tanyahawley@mac.com www.hawley-arabians.com

Vicki Johnson 1740 Donnybrook Road, Whittlesea VIC 3757 p: 03 9716 2393/0418 307 366 e: fenwickstud1925@bigpond.com www.fenwickstud.com.au

HAWLEYARABIANS Kelkette Park Arabian Stud

Jesris & Kharine Arabians

Quality Purebred Arabians

n

Breeding, Endurance, Showing

STOCK FOR SALE

Stallion at stud (Eastwinds Ovation x Eastwinds Bohemian Rhapsody) Young stock occasionally available for sale.

Inspection welcome by appointment.

Training services available by request.

V I C T O R I A

V I C T O R I A

Eastwinds Standing Ovation

Silvio & Kristin Galea Lancefield, Victoria. P (03) 5429 2321 E info@jandkarabians.com www.jandkarabians.com

Yackandandah - North East Victoria P: 0408 203 211 E: kelkettepark@bigpond.com www.kelkettepark.com.au

Established 1954

Fenwick Silver Star (pictured)

AT STUD

Nurelee Zadran

(Monteego Bay (imp) x Latifa Bint Naazirah)

Visitors most welcome to view our standing stallions, broodmares with foals and available young stock.

Predominantly Straight Egyptian and Egyptian related bloodlines.

V I C T O R I A

V I C T O R I A

Nurelee El Jedaan

(Mahabi el Shaklan-Latifa Bint Naazirah)

Pure Crabbet Stallion (Fenwick Phantom ex Fenwick Silver Spangle) Home of Pure Crabbet Stallions: Silver Radain (Silver Somerio ex Sarachet) Paywit Raining Diamonds (Fenwick Rasindh ex T.P. Silver Raine) Paywit Silver Comet (Fenwick Silver Star ex M.V. Royal Rose) Meadow View Saladin (Aboud ex Meadow View Sara) Paywit Star Shadow (Renasar ex Fenwick Starstruck)

Enquiries: Gabrielle Johnstone 50 Stony Creek Road, Red Hill Vic 3937 Ph: (03) 5989 3112 Fax: (03) 5989 3085

Binley Prince imp UK

Nicole Emanuel

Pure Crabbet

The Byrnes Family | Trafalgar, Victoria | Email: dorothybyrnes@yahoo.com

Iqbal

Jennifer Hawkins Everton Upper, Victoria Mobile: 0427 302 598 Email: jh@shahwanparkarabians.com.au Web: www.shahwanparkarabians.com.au

Photo by Kerry Harvey

At stud by private treaty

V I C T O R I A

V I C T O R I A

Prince Sadik x Ismala

Home of Simeon Solomon dec. & Simeon Safrir

Kyneton Victoria 3444 Ph: +61 427 559 470 www.slipstreamarabians.com

102 • April 2017

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Stud Directory | Services Directory | Trainers Directory

Swiftwood Arabian Stud

ACACIAVEJ ARABIANS

STANDING

V I C T O R I A

Arabian Pony Grey (13.1hh) AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION

MUSTANG LODGE SEA EL PASO

Show horses for sale, halter & saddle

Breeding high % Crabbet Arabians for your pleasure

F.A. Sutton & F. Osborne 195 McDonalds Drain Rd, Koo Wee Rup VIC 3981 0409 938 192 Email: swiftwoodarabians@bigpond.com www.swiftwoodarabians.homestead.com

Sharon Meyers

Pinto 75% Arabian (15hh) AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION

Striving for Classic

T A S M A N I A

WILDON IMPRESSIVE

Adam, Tracy & Kiana Nutting 274 Dawson Siding Road, Latrobe P: + 61 (0) 3 6426 2360 M: + 61 (0) 427 677 665 E: acaciavejarabians@hotmail.com W: acaciavejarabians.weebly.com

Contact The NARA Team for more information on the exciting sport of Arabian Racing

P: 0354 296 985 E: naraaustralia@hotkey.net.au PO Box 177, Romsey Victoria 3434 www.naraaustralia.com

Richard Sharman The Travelling Horseman Arrange for The Travelling Horseman (Richard Sharman) to visit your farm – both you and your horse will benefit from his expertise!

Richard’s ‘On-Site Visit’ covers every aspect of horse handling including halter training, breaking in (saddle and harness), farrier services, clipping, branding, etc. And with championship wins at every level of Arabian competition, Richard is also the perfect choice to show your horse to its full potential – contact Richard today for his competitive rates/show charges.

270 Boland Rd, Ramsay, via Cambooya QLD 4350 M: 0408 668 326 E: travelling.horseman@bigpond.com www.jangharmarabians.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY SHARON MEYERS

SPECIALISING IN HORSE SHOOTS P: 0409 270 535 E: sharon@meyers.id.au

ADVERTISEHERE $290 FOR 4 ISSUES FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES PLEASE CALL Michael Vink Phone: (07) 3334 8000

Email: michael@interactivink.com.au interactivink, PO Box 8369, Woolloongabba Q 4102

AHN

April 2017 • 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.

Avondale Peter Pan (PS12331) Badia Dirty Dancer (PS19782) Bessona Zardom (S15786) Corfu Park Baron (S11792)

Crystal Brook Ban-Lee (S10783) El Johara (S14661) Jarl (S1518) Joda Desert Storm (C1793)

Kargina Regent (S7105) Kevisan Park Bishara (S8215) Marja Shakhir (S14164) Moravian Shalim (S14266)

Rondeburn Yanos (S3322) Sabtah Hadi (S10782) Sarangani Limelight (S12594) Sea Breeze Wildfire (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) Trincada New Campaign (APS741)

Arabian Park Hakima (F3195) Benalta Saski (F11741) Bennelong Nile Queen (F13150) Bennelong Starlet (F13171) Castlereagh Spiritual (F16329) El Aflame (AF3216) Heathdale Kumare (F5988) Kama Aulani Hilal Kamar (APF760) Lawes Wodella (F5637) Myrimbah Libertie (APF733) Ramalea Captain Starlight (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) Tarcel Standing Ovation (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) Woongabeena Yoorana (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 Castlereagh Siren (F16505) – this mare has been de-registered. Robinet (F742) [Sire: Sindh (imp UK) S180] Sanroblee Asmarin (F7535) – Sire is Cool Hand Luke (imp UK) (S2062) and not Simaran (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.

ADVERTISERS INDEX Al Sahrae Arabians .....................2-3 Arabian Horse Society of Australia ................................... 73 Bluedawn Egyptian Arabians ..... 11 Bremervale Arabians .................. BC Comanche Lodge ......................... 39 Cooroora Stables ......................... 39 Danjera Arabians ......................... 31 Eagleridge Arabians Farm .......... 13 Ennovyar Arabians ....................... 37 Fenwick Stud ................................ 32 FoalGuard ..................................... 63 Foxwood Photography ................ 63 IRT .................................................. 44 Kelkette Park Arabian Stud ........ 35 Mackay & District Arabian Horse Club Inc ............... 59 MillPark Arabians......................... 32 Mulawa Arabians ................... IFC–1 NSW Endurance State Championships .................. 43 Reid River Arabians ....................... 9 ShahwanPark Arabians ............... 35 Shiranna Arabians ........................ 23 Simeon Stud ................................... 7 South Serenity Arabians ............. 55 Stirling’s Crossing Equestrian Complex ........................................ 27 Toft Endurance........................... IBC Victoria Tower Stud ..................... 23 Westacres Arabians ..................... 19 Wootton Arabian Stud ................ 37 104 • April 2017

AHN

STUD DIRECTORY Acaciavej Arabians ..................... 103 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 Jesris & Kharine Arabians ......... 102 Kelkette Park Arabian Stud ...... 102 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 Paywit Arabian Stud ................. 102 Sabtah Arabians ......................... 100 ShahwanPark Arabians ............. 102 Slipstream Arabians .................. 102 Swiftwood Arabian Stud ........... 103

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

Br eeding , M a rk e t i ng & C o m petin g Aro und t he Wo r l d Introducing to the 2017 Breeding Season

F rench Man

(2015)

Photo taken at 14 months of age

Combining the best of French Endurance and Racing bloodlines Persik (Endurance) and Tidjani (Endurance & Racing) ENQUIRIES TO:

Toft Endurance Pty Ltd

PO Box 56, Marburg 4346, Queensland, Australia Mob 0419 780 841 or 0417 626 188 Email toftendurance@bigpond.com

v Endurance and Equestrian Supplies v Saddlery importers and exporters v Everyday discounted prices v Zilco, KER, Polar, TRM, Garmin and Kerrits products

Penny Toft M: 0417 626 188 E: pennytoft@gmail.com W: www.bitsnpiecessaddlery.com.au

Stallions 2017

OPEN French Man – $2,500 inc (Chilled and Frozen ) All That Jazz te – $1,1 00 inc (Chilled only) RESTRICTED Wallaby Jones te – $4 ,400 inc (Chilled and Frozen) Sadapers (Fr) – POA (Fr ozen only) Contact Penny Toft on 0417 626 188 for breeding conditi ons and enquiries.

CONGR ATUL ATIONS Diaa Kara-Ali for your purchase of the beautiful Grace Kelly.

We wish you well for the future.

Contact Warwick Toft to arrange your visit to Bremervale Arabians to view our stallions

THE “VERSATILE” HORSE

Sharon Meyers

BREMERVALE

B A

GR ACE KELLY

B r e m e r va l e A r a b i a n s “Birthpl ace of Ch a mpions” est 19 62

Warwick & Jill Toft “Oxford” 81 E. Summerville Rd, Fernvale QLD 4306 For information on our stallions and sale horses contact: Warwick Toft 0400 546 407 or (07) 5464 3704 or David 0412 629 930 or Georgia Toft 0404 607 634 or Maddie Toft 0414 711 809 Email: bremervale@bigpond.com Website: www.bremervalearabians.com.au Follow us on facebook