Two Pages of Anecdotes from Ben Rabba Fans Near and Far

By Various Authors

** Originally published in the January 1999 Stallion Issue of The Crabbet Influence in Arabians Today magazine.

Silver Aura – From Anne Brown of Gadebrook Stud, England
I feel very privileged to own his gracious and elegant Ben Rabba daughter SILVER AURA (pictured at the top of page as the article/header photo), out of five time British National Champion Mare, Silver Sheen. Aura, now 17, has the loveliest kind temperament, straight movement and correct conformation. She adores her foals and does them brilliantly – but ends up looking like a rake each October!

Aura has been British National Champion broodmare, and her offspring look to follow her. Typey SILVERN AURAB (by Silvern Sceptre by Silvern Idyll x Silver Circlet) was gelded and is winning widely in junior classes.

His full sister, Aura’s extremely refined yearling daughter, SILVER ARIA, won at County level this year and qualified for the UK International Show. The third full brother, BRIGHT SCEPTRE, is a stunning chestnut foal with Ben Rabba’s glow and presence. He is already very tall with a lovely arch of neck and will be kept on here at Gadebrook Stud as a show colt. Later we hope to stand him at stud beside Silvern Sceptre and Hachim.

A fourth full sibling to these is due to Aura and Sceptre in May, 1999. AS you can see, we are doing our bit to promote the exceptional qualities which Ben Rabba imparted to his stock. They are increasingly being appreciated by British breeders, justifying Beatrice Paine’s commitment to importing Ben Rabba from the States to Britain nearly 20 years ago.

Bayrabba – From Sonna Hodges in Grass Valley, CA

In November, 1980, a friend and I rode the Gold Coast Endurance ride in Morgan Hill, California. We got to talking with an acquaintance of hers, a fun and interesting man who I remembered particularly because he was missing half of one finger. This man, of course, was Ed Hubbert.

Two years later I purchased a very nice Zadir daughter (out of a Saneyn daughter). I wanted to breed her CMK but couldn’t afford much of a stud fee. I wrote to six stallion owners offering to lease the mare on an every-other-foal basis. Five of the letters were generic and one was more personal, the one to Ed. I reminded him of our meeting at the ride and that I was the big tall blonde who rode the endurance ride with a cast on her leg. He remembered.

To make a long story shorter, he leased my mare. When I delivered her to Carmel, I was treated to a sample of his stallion handling philosophy. He just followed along behind Ben at the end of a lariat, quite a long one, no stud chain or anything, and let Ben make the circuit of mares to be teased. Ed just kind of trotted along behind. He and Ben really had quite a relationship. When that was done, Ed saddled Ben up for me and I got to ride through the hills around Carmel on Ben Rabba with Ed as my guide. It was wonderful!

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.

Zzari – From Nicole Brackett of Ash Fork, AZ

To say that my Ben Rabba gelding, Zzari (Ben Rabba x Ariezed), has been a gift in my life would be an understatement. In the nine-plus years I’ve been owned by this horse, he’s been with me through college, boyfriends, graduate school, major moves and now marriage to my Journeyman Farrier husband (whom I never would have met if it hadn’t been for Zzari).

I purchased him as a three-year-old in Watsonville, CA, from breeder Jill Collet, who cried when she delivered him to me. From the start, Zzari was the most gentle, generous, thinking horse I’d ever met. And, as my first Arabian, he immediately cemented my love for the breed. He’s been my parade horse, my fifty-mile endurance horse in three states, my third level dressage horse, my cross country jumper, my Class ‘A’ Show Hack, my Scottsdale Hunter Pleasure mount, and most recently, a therapeutic riding horse.

In 1991, a horse-loving friend recovering from severe head and neck injuries asked me if she could sit on Zzari bareback and be led around. At first I was hesitant, knowing that doctors had sternly warned her against any jarring movement. But when my friend climbed up onto his back, I immediately saw a softening of his entire demeanor. When I saw my friend leaning forward to hug my gelding around the neck, weeping tears of joy, I knew Zzari had something to offer beyond what even I had expected.

In 1997, at the ripe old age of eleven, Zzari became the official star of Medicine Horse and Adventures in Awareness, two Flagstaff-based equine therapy programs for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities. The transformation in riders who previously were unable to find flexibility or coordination because of multiple sclerosis, or who could not tolerate physical stimulation because of autism, is truly amazing to watch. More than one parent has told me what a miracle Zzari has been in the lives of their children, so I know it’s not a simple barn blindness that leads me to think he is a particularly amazing horse. When asked if he is for sale, I just smile and say, “Get in line, and expect a long wait.” (Apparently, this is a common answer among us Ben Rabba fans, who wouldn’t trade our once-in-a-lifetime horses for the world.) I hope to share my life with Zzari for years to come, and I thank God every day for blessing me with such a treasure.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to share him with even more people!

Last Updated: September 16th, 2019

** All of the articles included in the re-launched Crabbet.com site from the original website, Georgia Cheer, Silver Monarch publishing, and The Crabbet Influence magazine are shared here with permission of Georgia Cheer given May 16, 2012. **

**All of the articles included in the re-launched Crabbet.com site from the original website, Georgia Cheer, Silver Monarch Publishing and The Crabbet Influence magazine are shared here with permission of Georgia Cheer given May 16, 2012.**