GADEBROOK ARABIAN STUD -2016 resumé

The Crabbet heritage

I established Gadebrook Stud almost 50 years ago to breed pure Crabbet Arabian performance horses. They have been exported around the world and include the majestic grey dressage stallion Magic Domino (by Ludomino). He was a "Living Legend" and Leading Sports Horse Sire (over ALL breeds) in the USA, owned by Kim + Mark Thomason.

Hachim, his bay half-brother from the same Hanif daughter Hamsfah, and by Achim's Silver Magic, went on to international victory in endurance in the Middle East. He created the (then) world record of 160 kilometres in 7 hours and 2 minutes at the World Endurance Championship in Dubai. One of his daughters, Zaha, was twice in the top eight in the hard-fought UK Marathon. Another daughter, Magic Sheen, joined her sire in Abu Dhabi at the well-respected W'rsan Stables of HH Sheikh Sultan, and is breeding on.

My exceptional groom Jackie Pringle, bought another son of Achim's Silver Magic, named Magic Phantom, as a weanling and - although Jackie was a complete novice - she trained him herself for the race course. As a 4-year old, he notched up a win, two seconds and a third in just FOUR Arab races - not bad for a couple of newcomers!

One daughter, Mariska (2013), from my top race winner and leading racing sire Sambist (1987 - 2014), is now at Phase 11 Ranch in the USA; her full sister Kallista (2010) is racing successfully - and winning - in the colours of Paul Simmons of Zayin Arabians.

  

Magic Domino in 2005 Photo: Bob Tarr
     

I had built up quite an impressive Crabbet broodmare herd of my own, including Nishtar (by Jubilee Star) and Zaharina (by Ludomino) when Iona Bowring, a doyenne of Crabbet breeding, retired. In 1996, Iona gave me her four precious mares: Crystal Sheen and Silver Aura, both daughters of the multi-British National Champion Silver Sheen from the Silver Fire tail female line, and the two General Gold daughters: Getana and Silver Sylph.

At the same time, Jean Peck of influential Paslow Hall Arabians, emigrated to the USA and passed me her precious Old English stallion Silvern Sceptre, bred by the Duchess of Rutland from Silvern Idyll. He nicked exceptionally well with Iona's former mares. Many of the offspring such as Silvern Sheena are winning under saddle and in hand at national level.

At Gadebrook, Sceptre also sired Crystal Magic who is now an Arab Horse Society Premium stallion and senior sire at Spirit Arabians. He is the sire of my FEI 3-star-qualified endurance mare, Kalish.

     

Binley Prince Salim in 2015
   My current senior stallion, Binley Prince Salim, whom I reserved when he was just two weeks old in 2005, has been the recent star of Gadebrook. His success in endurance at FEI**level and his Advanced Dressage wins earned him the title of "Overall Performance Horse Awards Champion" in 2013 and "Reserve Champion" in 2015. In 2016, Salim won the first-ever AHS "Premium Progeny High Points Award" at the National Arab Championships for his ridden results, and the Pezare Trophy for Dressage.
     

I am delighted to have back the lovely dapple grey mare Azarina (2007) (right) by the multi-talented performance stallion Shaded Silver who stood at stud at Gadebrook for a number of years. Azarina is competing in endurance and moves up to Open level in 2017. She distinguished herself at the 2016 Crabbet Show at Equifest by winning the MarFemale Championship and the Reserve In-hand Championship.

Her field companion as a foal in 2007 was Remynisce by the top US show and long distance stallion, Remington Steele*++ (with frozen semen available in the UK through Gadebrook). Remynisce is now excelling in Endurance, ridden by Susan Hawes. The RemBeast's successes include Gold at the 2015 Golden Horseshoe Ride over Exmoor in the 120kms class, and a win over 172 kms at The Royalties in 2016. The means he starts 2017 at the top FEI*** level.

  

Azarina in 2016
     

Remynisce in 2016
  

I believe in using the widest possible gene pool of the best performance Crabbet horses, so during a visit to the World Crabbet Convention in Australia in 2005, I sourced some significant Crabbet mares to import to Gadebrook, all clear of SCID and LFS.

My "Boomerang Plan" brought back long-lost lines from Australia to expand the depleted pool in the UK, especially bays, which had just about disappeared in pure Crabbets.

The first filly Palma Benay, from Leon Bennett's Pevensey Stud, travelled over safely as a two-year old in 2007, despite being caught in quarantine by Australia's first equine 'flu outbreak! Since then, Palma's impact has been considerable. Her first foal, the bay colt Kaalif by Silver Zaanif from the proven Rissalix lines, was the Leading Futurity Endurance Two-Year Old at the BEF Youngstock Evaluations in 2012. Once under saddle in 2015, he won both the Novice Ridden Championship at the Crabbet Show at Equifest and the Sport Horse class at the Arab National Show, and is now competing in endurance. He will start Advanced level 2017. He is a licensed stallion and sired my energetic 2015 bay colt Shaarif, from another of my imported mares: Inshallah Signature.
     

Two more of Palma's athletic sons have gone into important Crabbet breeding programmes. The flamboyant bay Palermo by Erin Park Excel (2013) - a youngster imported by Llain Arabians in Wales at the same time as Palma - has joined Moonlight Arabians in Cornwall. They also have Palma's only filly to date, the charming grey Palmyra (2011) by Klinta Sultan.

The strutting bay Dandini (2014) by the dressage stallion and Crabbet Show champion, Marbon Masadi, is with Jan and Dom Atkinson at Seren Arabians in the Lake District.

Tragedy hit Gadebrook in 2016. After no losses in 40 years, my third imported Australian mare, the glorious Pevensey Zariffia, a Veridan Za'aria daughter by Ghazari, suffered a prolapsed colon with a three-week late foal and had to be put down. The loss is incalculable, but she has left an outstanding colt by Binley Prince Salim, called Hadiya - 'Gift' in Arabic. He was fostered by a shaggy Belgian draught mare, Blondie - a godsend!

 

  

Palmyra at 6 weeks with dam Palma Benay Photo: Jackie Pringle

Zariffia also produced a stylish pure Crabbet chestnut filly Mazaria by Marbon Masadi, in 2014. She has the kindest temperament and the longest stride, so the genes live on at Gadebrook.


Shiraaz with Anne, in 2016
  

In 2016, the third of the "Boomerang Gang", Inshallah Signature, had a smart bay son, Shiraaz (now gelded) by the British National Champion Aazari who sires phenomenal movers with lovely characters. Her 3-year son Bismillah by Australian stallion Monarch Lodge Ambition, is now gelded and with doting new owner Katherine McGilchrist.

The Boomerang Plan has not been just one way. My 75% Crabbet show and brood mare Rusleema by Rusleem went to Attilio Panizza in Western Australia as a 3-year old in 2007, and Binley Prince Salim's gracious grey daughter, Silver Sunbeam (2009), to OSO Arabians in 2016, in foal to Rosemary and Elizabeth Archer's veteran Indian Idyll.

Parallel to the Crabbet breeding programme, I have been privileged to benefit from the excellent Russian racing lines of Sambist, who joined Gadebrook in 2007 from the Umm Qarn stud of HH Sheikh Khalifa al Thani of Qatar. This added racing successes to the dressage and endurance achievements of the Gadebrook progeny. In fact, in 2016, Sambist posthumously received the "Arab Racing Sire of the Year" award for the 11th time, for the racing results of his progeny, an unbeatable record! I have retained his daughter Samska (2010) who produced a super-speedy pocket-rocket filly, Sameera in 2016 by the other great Russian race horse and sire, Vadeer.

Join me at the Crabbet Arabian Show at Equifest on Sunday 13 August 2017 at the East of England Showground, Peterborough