El Gato Arabian Horse Photo Gallery & Biography

Sired by Ferseyn (*Raseyn x *Ferda)
Out of El Sikada (Sikin x El Aladon)
AHR #9075
04/20/1954 Dark Bay Arabian, Deceased 01/13/1977
Historical Stallion
Bred by Reggie Crawley of Mountain Center & Costa Mesa, California. He was owned by James F. Lewis Jr. of Lewisfield Arabians, then Marianne Hannah, Ribbonwood Ranch, and finally Ted or Annette Strangman.
100% Crabbet, 100% Kellogg, CMK
Tail Male: Ibrahim/Heijer - Tail Female: Dajania

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Markings

Star and small snip. Right hind pastern. Left hind sock.

🐎 Biography

Straight Crabbet breeding, a striking show horse in the arena, and a sire who hit it out of the ballpark more than once; the great El Gato was truly a stallion ahead of his time.

Foaled in 1954, this remarkable dark bay left an indelible mark on the Arabian breed, combining a royal pedigree with dynamic athletic performance and a lasting genetic legacy.

Royal Foundations & Unique Line-Breeding

Bred by the notable early California horseman Reggie Crawley, El Gato’s pedigree reads like a masterclass in foundational breeding. His heritage traces directly back to the visionary program of W.K. Kellogg, who bred El Gato’s legendary sire, Ferseyn (*Raseyn x *Ferda by Rustem).

Kellogg was also responsible for breeding both the sire, Sikin (*Nasik x *Farasin by Rasim), and the dam, El Adalon (Rossdin x *Incoronata by Skowronek), of Crawley's phenomenal mare El Sikada.

Physically, El Gato greatly resembled his dam’s sire, Sikin, mirroring his distinct color, classic type, and exceptional quality. His pedigree was highly unique, characterized by tight, masterful line-breeding:

The Ferda Connection: He was heavily line-bred to the prolific Kellogg import *Ferda (Rustem x Felluka by Mesaoud) through her sons Ferseyn and *Ferdin, as well as her daughter *Farasin.
The Skowronek Influence: As a potent genetic bonus, El Gato carried three up-close crosses to the legendary Skowronek via *Raseyn and the influential mares *Rossana (x Rose of Hind) and *Incoronata (x Nisreen).

From Coast to Coast: The Show Career

As a striking dark bay youngster, El Gato proved his quality early, finding immediate success in the halter ring. He was shown first by the Crawley family, then by Laurie Reed of Hollywood, and was owned for a time by Charles Doner. *This is the time frame that El Gato was part of a video of stallions shared here at Crabbet.com, he was also in a second bit of video taken at Lewisfield Arabians.

In 1963, at nine years old, the stallion was purchased by Jim Lewis and relocated to the famed Lewisfield Arabians in Virginia. It was at Lewisfield where El Gato truly came into his own as an elite performance horse. Shifting seamlessly between disciplines, he captured wins in Park, English Pleasure, Combination classes, and Halter.

His peak performance came at the age of 11 when, in a single brilliant show season, he dominated the arena; capturing 8 blues and 2 championships in Park, and securing a staggering 28 ribbons out of 30 highly competitive classes.

The Masterpiece: El Magato

Before El Gato ever left California for the East Coast, his very first foal crop in 1961 delivered his greatest contribution to the breed: his grey son, El Magato (x Marharetta by Ferseyn).

El Magato was a slightly superior, grey version of his sire, carrying a pedigree that bred on for the ages.

El Magato's dam line was pure royalty. His maternal granddam was the legendary Polish spoils-of-war mare *Iwonka III (Ibn Mahomet x Lysa by Hassizi); celebrated in Poland as the dam of Balalajka, and consequently the granddam of global icons *Bask++, Bandola, Arfa, and Sheila Varian’s foundational *Bachantka.

Standing at Heritage Hills, El Magato altered Arabian history forever. He sired legendary mares such as the National Champions Heritage Desiree and Tjs Georgie Girl, alongside Heritage Montoya, Heritage Aiglette, and Heritage Reverie.

Most notably, he sired Heritage Memory, who went on to sire the National Champion Stallion and definitive breed game-changer, Ali Jamaal. Had El Gato sired only El Magato, his place in history would be secure; fortunately, he gave the breed so much more.

The Lewisfield Years & The Journey Home

While El Gato’s talent was undeniable, his breeding career at Lewisfield faced unique logistical hurdles. He spent his time in Virginia competing for mares against two of Lewis's powerhouse resident stallions: the great Lewisfield Sun God (Aaraf x Aarafa by *Raffles) and the legendary *Nizzam (Rissam x Nezma by Rafeef).

Because *Nizzam was getting up in years and Sun God had foundered, the farm prioritized those stallions, meaning they "got the girls."

To add to the statistical anomaly, El Gato faced a serious "colt situation" in Virginia; out of his 11 Lewisfield-bred foals, 9 of them turned out to be colts. Thankfully, this skewed ratio didn't last his entire career.

In the summer of 1966, the prominent California breeder Marianne Hannah arrived at Lewisfield to go horse shopping. Recognizing his immense value, she purchased El Gato, bringing him (alongside the mares Lewisfield Spring Rain and Golden Fantasy) back to Southern California, just miles from where he had been foaled. *Fun note, Annette Weber of Phara Farms used 'Golden' to name many of her horses but could not use the name Golden Fantasy - which is why her mare, a Lewisfield Sun God granddaughter, was named Golden Fantaci.

The Ribbonwood Era & Final Years

At Marianne Hannah’s Ribbonwood Ranch, El Gato finally received the book of mares he deserved, crossing beautifully with both Ribbonwood's elite residents and quality outside mares. He sired 30 foals during his tenure there, contributing to his lifetime total of 109 purebred foals (and notably, zero half-Arabians).

His time at Ribbonwood produced a spectacular roster of top-tier progeny:

Exceptional Sons

Gato Gordo (x Raslaan by Baraan) – Bred by Marianne Hannah.
El Fergah (x Lewisfield Spring Rain by Aalzar) – Bred by Marianne Hannah.
El Gato Montes++/ (x Marzall by Azraff) – Bred by Marianne Hannah.
El Gatoson++ (x Valkyrie by Abu Farwa) – Bred by Don McKenna.
Imagato++ (x Imarada by Radamason++) – Bred by the Sheas during his time at Lewisfield.
Lewisfield Falcon (x Winsome Lass by Tsali).

Beautiful & Line-Bred Daughters

Marianna Del Gato (x Raffadja by Ibn Fadjur) – A stunning grey mare bred by the noted Scottsdale collector Mary Lou Walbergh; she became the dam of several exceptional Fire Wind and Raffon++ daughters.
La-Gata (x Mary Jean by Aarief) – Out of a full sister to Ferzon.
Gatita Angelica (x Angelica Mia by The Real Mc Coy).
Madame (x Sikada Awad) – Bred by Reggie Crawley and beautifully line-bred to her granddam, El Sikada.

Elite Show Geldings

Ribbonwood Ranch also produced three full brothers who became dominant force-of-nature show horses: Que Gato++, Gato Sabio++, and Gato Zape++ (x Pattie Gazi by Ga'zi for the first two; x Mary Jean for Zape).

*Notable offspring info shared by Jim Robbins of We Love Arabian Horses here in his FB post.

An Enduring Impression

Following the passing of Marianne Hannah and the subsequent dispersal of Ribbonwood, El Gato moved to his final home with the Strangman family in beautiful Santa Ynez. He remained a consistent, quality-producing sire until his final foal crop arrived in 1977.

El Gato was a royally bred individual who stamped his best qualities - substance, smooth functional conformation, striking type, and steady temperament - onto his offspring.

His lineage remains vibrant and deeply relevant in the extended pedigrees of modern show and performance horses today. If you ever spot the name El Gato hidden in an Arabian horse pedigree, take a closer look: you're looking at quality, through and through.