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November 2007 - by Linda Warburton
Arabian Stud
A Warhorse in Woodmancote
An Arabian horse is generally accepted as the purest and oldest of all horse breeds. Its
origins are in the Middle Eastern deserts where the Bedouin tribesmen used it as a warhorse, abandoning any animal
which could not carry him at speed across miles of open desert with little food or water, he favoured the mare
because, unlike the stallion, he could trust her to keep quiet!
Today, almost every breed and type of horse has traces of Arab blood and all English Thoroughbreds are descended in
the male line from the Byerley Turk, the Darley Arabian and the Godolphin Arabian which were all imported into
Britain in the early 1700s. The resurgence of Pure Bred Arabians in Britain started when Wilfred and Lady Anne
Blunt travelled extensively throughout Arabia, befriended tribesmen and selected the best bloodlines to import 29
desert-bred mares and stallions in 1881.
The Arabian horse averages 15 hands in height. The stallion has great presence whilst the mare gives an impression
of elegant gentleness. They have a distinct outline and are of perfect proportion. The coat has an iridescent
sheen. The head is slightly dished, tapering to a fine muzzle; the eyes are large and low placed while the throat
is fine, with a well shaped arched neck. The back is short and the loins strong and muscular, the croup is level
and the tail carried high. To these must be added dense flat bone and hard feet, acute eyesight and hearing, purity
and prepotency coupled with a gentle temperament and ability to survive. These are the hallmarks of the Arab.
They are the most comfortable riding horses, with great stamina, their paces are light and free with an elevated
trot capable of great extension. They can carry disproportionate weights whether jumping, racing or, in particular,
over endurance distances where Pure and Part Bred Arabs excel against other breeds. The Anglo Arab (any percentage
of Arab and Thoroughbred blood) is an excellent hack and competition horse, combining the size and scope of the
Thoroughbred with the courage and intelligence of the Arab. When crossed with other breeds and those of unknown
breeding, they produce very good riding and performance stock and they are eligible for entry in the Arabian Part
Bred Register.
For this introduction NagMag would like to give thanks to the Arab Horse Society of Great Britain of which Adam
Reeves is the company secretary.
Although involved with Arabian horses for most of her life, Caroline Reeves has for the past nine years been based
at AV Arabians, tucked away in the South Downs, just north of Brighton. People know Caroline through her bubbly
personality and her compassionate way of showing, but in the past Caroline, a self confessed Arabitis sufferer
raced Arabs prior to breeding and showing.
The breeding programme at AV Arabians is based on Russian bloodlines which Caroline has successfully crossed with
Egyptian/Spanish lines. Their first purchase was made in Holland with Russian mare Magdalina (Gwizd*xMoskwa), who
became famous worldwide in the show ring. As Caroline says “Magdalina is one of those rare horses that put a smile
on your face, which then remains there for as long as you watch her.” Magdalina is the alpha mare at the stud and
so endearing that we shall be including a separate article on her in a future issue of NagMag.
As well as buying further Russian mares, it was the purchase of DA Sandala and Om El Bahreyn from the famous Om El
Arab Stud which helped to progress AV Arabians. Om El Bahreyn at rising eight has an aura about him which sets him
apart from others. He plays with Caroline in the school and followers her to the fields and around the yard without
the need of a headcollar. He has a smooth topline, good head, neck and legs, all the attributes of a top stallion.
“Bahreyn just has the most incredible nature,” enthuses Caroline. “We didn’t realise just how amazing he is until
one day when the colt foal AV Krakatoa went into Bahreyn’s stable when it was raining. He just went in as we were
shutting the door and we panicked!
“To our complete astonishment Bahreyn let Krakatoa rub himself dry against him before the foal lay down in the
corner of the stable and went to sleep. The vet just happened to be visiting and she couldn’t; believe it, saying
that in all her years practising, she had never seen anything like that before.
Already a multi champion in the UK, next year Bahreyn will be shown around Europe, culminating in the World
Championships in Paris. Bahreyn really is a fantastic paradox of a sensitive stallion with all the pizzazz that you
could wish for in a show horse. Currently he has been allowed five mares a year and so far produced two fillies for
every colt, many of whom have gone on to achieve show status.
In 2006 four of their homebred horses AV Amore, AV Montoya, AV Scahrlet and AV Vodkah all took top honours at
British Shows.
Caroline with her abundant energy and bubbly personality is born to show her horses. Maybe it’s her enthusiasm
which shines through constantly placing her and her foals at the top of their game. Caroline explains “Although
only a small stud, breeding four or five foals a year, we do very well with our homebreds. I still can’t believe it
and every year just keeps getting better and better. We have some lovely homebred youngstock who will be appearing
in the show-ring and I can’t wait to show Magdalina’s first foal for us, a grey colt out of Narim which was born
this year.”
At her very relaxed yard Caroline has achieved, through a good foundation of broodmares and a stallion with the
exceptional personality and attribute to stamp his foals with the right qualities, a haven for foals through to the
grand old dams.
Caroline and her Stud Manager Kath Holmes, keep their horses happy, healthy and respectful so that each horse knows
its own place and feels relaxed enough to go gently about its own business.
Caroline on Training
Our show horses get worked in the sand school and the mature horses are worked quite hard with interval training.
The youngsters get a shorter amount of “playtime” so as not to put too much strain on their soft joints. Training
lessons are kept very short and must always end on a good note. Great emphasis is placed on the horse being
absolutely clear of what is wanted from it and the commands given must be consistent. There is no point in trying
to take a short cut in training; the horse MUST understand what you want at each stage before moving on to the next
and it must be rewarded immediately it gives you what you are asking for.
Courtesy of Arab Horse Society of Great Britain
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