Silver Sheen Archives

Silver Aura from Anne Brown of Gadebrook Stud

Two Pages of Anecdotes from Ben Rabba Fans Near and Far

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019 AngelaLeave a Comment

I ended up with a beautiful bay colt with just enough chrome. When Ed came up to see him, his biggest concern was that I not give him a ‘wimpy’ name. When asked for suggestions, he came up with Bayrabba. It worked for me. Bayrabba is now 13 years old and has sired a dozen or so babies. He and his foals have that typical Ben Rabba look with a twinkle in their eyes. They’re consistently very kind and people-loving, but they all have enough mischief in them to keep from ever being boring. This is all in addition to being very correct, beautiful and athletic. While it is sad that Ed and Ben are gone, it is made less sad for me when I look out over the pastures and see what I have because of the both of them.

Ben Rabba: An Exceptional Influence on the British Arabian

September 15, 2019September 15, 2019 Angela2 Comments

By Alexia Ross. Ben Rabba’s visible debt to the Nasik son Rifnas appealed to many of the breeders of Crabbet lines at the time. It reintroduced a factor for extreme shoulder and front structure that was hard to find within the surviving Crabbet gene pool in the UK. Less obvious to the English eye was his debt to other early American influences, notably the Davenport importation. It is to this influence that Ben Rabba owed his good hindquarter and exceptionally well muscled loin, the latter a trait often overlooked by Arabian breeders for the show ring but essential to genuine athleticism in any horse of any breed.

Painswick Lodge Stud – Part II

August 25, 2019August 25, 2019 AngelaLeave a Comment

By Emma Bennett. One of the nicest aspects of the Painswick Lodge Stud is that after the death of Margaret Murray in 1967, several members of her family continued to breed from her bloodlines: her daughter, Iona Bowring, from the families of Gleaming Gold and Farette; her son and daughter-in-law, Pat and Caroline Murray, through Fari II and Gleaming Gold; and her niece, the Countess Lewenhaupt, through Rifari in Sweden.

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

August 25, 2019 Angela1 Comment

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.

Oran by Arlene Magid

April 30, 2019May 2, 2019 Angela1 Comment

By Arlene Magid. The worldwide influence of Oran cannot be overestimated. Champions and national winners trace to him in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. He was noted for his strong back, size, outstanding presence, and for siring foals with extremely elegant forehands and excellent motion. For Crabbet breeders worldwide (as he did for Lady Wentworth), Oran represents an outcross line for Skowronek breeding.

Imperial Arabians, Wiltshire – UK Summer 2000 Stud Tour

April 6, 2019April 7, 2019 AngelaLeave a Comment

By Georgia Cheer. My experience as a guest of Barbara and Geoffrey Plaister was wonderful. Their hospitality and sincere love of their animals shows in every square foot in their home and in our discussions. I found myself wandering into the mare fields on my own just as one might find themselves sneaking another helping of a favorite dessert – the pleasure of these Crabbet mares was just that appetizing. When you have a chance to visit England you must schedule Imperial Arabian Stud as a must see.

Pilgrimage to Crabbet Park – 2002 Crabbet Convention

March 24, 2019March 24, 2019 AngelaLeave a Comment

By Tiffani McCarthy. Like a modern-day Canterbury Tales, the devoted pilgrims flowed to Crabbet Park in Sussex for the opening of the Crabbet Convention. The only problem was that Crabbet Park is now less Canterbury Cathedral and more Bodiam Castle, just a shell of its former glory and purpose. This did not deter the delegates, however. This was the ancestral home of their beloved horses. For a few moments all of the memories from countless books and film clips and for a lucky few actual time spent at the stud came together through the magic grout of the imagination.

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