Risslina (Rafeef x Rissla) 1926 chestnut mare. Photo from the Crabbet Arabians by Cecil Covey.

Margaret Murray and the Painswick Lodge Stud: Part 1, 1932-1967

By Emma Bennett. Perhaps the inspiration to own and breed Arabs came from Margaret Murray seeing her mother drive a pair of South African Arabs in a phaeton, for in 1932 she bought a grey two-year-old colt from Mr. T.C. Armitage’s stud at Taunton in Somerset. This colt was Sahban, by *Aldebar 1864 (bred by the Prince of Wales) out of the Crabbet mare, Seriya (Skowronek x Somra). Sahban was the start of a long friendship between Margaret Murray and Tom Armitage who was president of the Arab Horse Society three times. Sabhan was used mainly on pony and Thoroughbred mares and only sired a few purebred foals as at that time Arabs were used mainly to improve other types of horses.

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Phara Farm: Golden Horses of the Sun

By Faye Ahneman-Rudsenske. Their eyes met across the crowded space, his dark and liquid hot. He was young with a serene, regal air that hinted at royalty. The sunlight illuminated his golden hair and outlined the sculptured, aristocratic features of his face. His sleek, smooth body was not quite fully mature, but handsome, nevertheless, with a promise of impressive maturity.

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Gaffi

By Arlene Magid. GAFFI represents the best of the breeding program of master breeder Dan Gainey, who carefully linebred to Skowronek through his sons *Raseyn (with the inbred Ferseyn son Ferzon) and *Raffles. Her dynastic influence on the breed is remarkable, and extends to virtually all disciplines in which Arabians compete, including halter, working western and sport horse in the show ring and endurance ride winners. Her influence can be seen in breeding programs worldwide, from North America to South Africa, from Europe to Australia!

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Three Great Crabbet Sires: *Serafix, *Silver Vanity and *Raffles

By Georgia Cheer. Have you ever wondered what is so special about the Crabbet Arabian? Could it be their wonderful dispositions, their tractable minds or tremendous athletic ability, their prepotence for passing these characteristics through several generations, or that they excel in everything they are put to? Well, you could say that about nearly all Arabians, but here in the United States, Crabbet Arabians were some of the earliest and largest imports to our country, going back to 1893 when the bay stallion *Bedr 239 (Azrek x Bozra) was imported by W.H. Forbes. Altogether, about 145 Crabbet Arabians were brought to the U.S. from the years 1893 to 1976. So, what was the origination of the Crabbet Arabian?

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Roh Beta Gulastra 10216

By Karen Paulo. The great Gulastra 521 died before his last batch of foals arrived in 1955. Left among his legacy was a chestnut colt foaled on June 7, out of Al-Marah Aasaba 5352, “one of our best Indraff 1575 daughters,” states breeder Bazy Tankersley in some old correspondence regarding the mare. The colt was originally named Al-Marah Anmar, which is Arabic for ‘patriarch.’ The name was later changed to Roh Beta Gulastra, after his purchase in the 1956 Al-Marah Auction by Dr. Roger Baker, who was “Jack Armstrong – The All American Boy” of radio fame.

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