HRB Arabians

*from the Spring 1984 Crabbet Newsletter Double R Arabian

"Striving to produce a better horse..." - This challenge has led many Arabian horse owners to establishing their own breeding programs. One such owner has realized the fulfillment of selective breeding: Dr. Robert Baker of Tucson, AZ, owner of HRB Arabians.

Through his many years of breeding, raising, training and showing purebred Arabians, Bob Baker has developed a strong interest in maintaining a carefully planned breeding program.

Bob's interest in Arabian horses goes back many years to when his father, Howard Baker, took him to the Kellogg exhibition shows. In 1961, father and son made a precious purchase, their first purebred Arabian, a chestnut yearling filly named Coletta.

She carried the qualities and pedigree (granddaughter to *Raseyn and *Rissletta), to serve as a solid broodmare. So protective of their new purchase, they had the youngest son Fred ride in the trailer with the filly the full distance across the desert from Los Angeles to Tucson!

The second purchase was a grey stallion, Afage, (who is by Skorage, linebred to Skowronek and *Mirage). Through the years Afage has proven his versatility time and again by winning numerous Hunter Jumper, Saddle Seat Equitation, Western Pleasure and Stock Seat classes.

The next major influence in Bob Baker's breeding program was *Bask. Seen immediately after he was imported and before he was shown in the U.S., Bob was very drawn to the athletic horse. He bred Coletta to *Bask and produced multiple-championship park horse, Ibn Bask.

In order to expand his farm, Bob leased three brood mares from Bazy Tankersley: AM Lady Fame, AM Ajijira and AM Alexandretta. AM Lady Fame arrived in foal to *Faraon.

Her stud colt, King O' The Road, was the 1981 National Champion Arabian Jumper. AM Count Rafla and Shalimar Gidason were also leased from Al-Marah and added their quality bloodlines to the stock.

Currently, HRB Arabians boasts an outstanding colt by Ibn Dorsaz out of HRB Amber Moon (Shalimar Gidason x Coletta). The colt, HRB Amber Count, now owned by Al-Marah Arabians, is showing the qualities of his Double R breeding bloodlines.

Still highly impressed with *Bask, HRB Arabians is directing its breeding program along the lines of Bask Flame and has two impressive yearlings by this stud.

As a conclusion of his experience and extensive knowledge of Arabians, Bob Baker feels that such Crabbet-Polish crosses satisfy his personal taste by producing a horse of excellent disposition and type in combination with maximum athletic ability.

Asked what keeps his interest in breeding, Bob replied simply,

I love Arabian horses...being around them, working with them and looking at them."

The pure, simple challenge of breeding - producing better horses - will keep Bob Baker, and many like him, enthusiastic and supportive of selective breeding programs. What could be sweeter than when the fruits of one's labor are the result of such a love?