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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Bill Munson (left) with Jimmie Dean at the 1983 Crabbet Symposium Denver, Colorado. Carolyn Hasbrook photo.

Bill Munson – An Interview by Jim Robbins

By Jim Robbins. Ask Bill Munson how he breeds horses at his Shalimar Ranch in Harrison, Nebraska, and the answer is one word: “Raffles.” The pedigrees on Bill’s horses read ‘*Raffles on *Raffles on *Raffles on *Raffles.’ He has been line-breeding horses with *Raffles blood at Shalimar since 1942. As a breeder, veterinarian, and the longest recorded Big ‘R’ judge in history, he is eminently qualified to begin the Historic Breeders series in the Crabbet Influence.

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