A quick analysis of the Fauresmith 2008 results (top 10 in Heavy Weight, Standard Weight and Light Weight) saw eight purebred registered Arabian horses! Of them, two were 100% Crabbet/Blunt/Old English, namely Heimdahl Sorrento (5th SW) and Al Mu’Barak Rabdan (6th SW). Two had some Polish in them, one Spanish and six some Egyptian.

The average Crabbet was 73% and the Egyptian 23%. Nothing new came about, although some of the more modern Polish (Jozami Ability, 2nd SW) lines were present, but only the “older Egyptian” lines presented themselves! This was clear after reading the series of articles regarding the performance of certain bloodlines in endurance, spanning the period since the inception of Fauresmith to recent rides, only taking the top ten in certain weight categories and limiting the research to purebred Arabians.

This limited research had some short­comings, namely aspects such as training, feeding, shoeing (or not), rider style and a myriad of other unknown factors. The aim was to give a historical overview of what has happened and an analysis of bloodlines that did perform over the years.

It must be noted that certain bloodlines did prevail and even in a more modern approach, still appear in performers over the broader spectrum of distances. More modern bloodlines, such as Bey Shah, The Minstril and el Shaklan, are dark horses and do not have a strong history in performance (in South Africa). It must be said that in the broader global perspective, these bloodlines surely do have an impact – but not as distinguished as the older Crabbet and Old Egyptian lines.

A shift in focus?

In some cases, the focus of breeders had shifted towards “breeding for export”. As there is pressure from breeders (and trainers and riders) to have horses that perform well enough to catch the eye of scouts and agents looking for potential and performers, there is urgency in finding ways to ensure the production of these animals. The criteria, such as a bigger horse (15hh), is now factored into breeding. The search for a stallion “that breeds big” has become a common pursuit.

A good horse is a good horse, but a bigger horse is not (always) a good horse! The heart and guts of the horse are the important aspects! Size does not count (but sometimes helps). The legendary Frans de Jager on his stallion, Franelzi Ghazal (Franelzi Dazzel X Franelzi Sazena), is an example. Oom Frans completed the Hofmeyr 100-miler on this horse, Ghazal, carrying about 50% of his own weight!

The normal criteria of sound conformation are somehow disregarded. In the short term it might not have a negative effect, but as a veterinarian might point out, the long-term effects are not in the best interest of the horse. In this regard one could refer to an article titled “Balanced” by Dr Paul van Dam, as published in the Strydom Arabian Horse Magazine (Vol 3 No1, 2008).

As mentioned in this article, the most important qualities of top performers are: (1) Feet, (2) Legs and (3) Balance – balance referring to the concepts of the so-called thirds of the horse: The square of the body, the length of the vertebral column, and the depth of the chest and sprung of the ribs. These aspects surely indicate the conformation of the horse and the “perfect horse” should have all these features in balance.

Performance enhancement

The idea of using hybrid-vigour to enhance performance, is common knowledge and is the reason why a partbred or Anglo Arabian performs well. This could even be true with a purebred race horse (such as the Arabian) where the “pure” bloodlines, within the preservation groups, can be mixed to produce a performer.

The Golden Cross serves as an example (Spanish-Egyptian cross). In South Africa the cross between Crabbet and Egyptian (coined the Diamond Cross because of its hardiness and beauty) has become the norm. Therefore the preservation of these distinct groupings of bloodline is imperative!

The names of significant sires and dams that have been mentioned in the articles, do not mean that the other sires and dams did not perform or produce performers. The horses mentioned as examples are just that. To have a few (or all) of the mentioned horses in a pedigree, does not guarantee anything. It merely suggests possible performance.

It is a worrying fact that some of our best broodmares (in terms of pedigree) have found their way to the Middle East, campaigning for the new owner, and doing extremely well. They are now lost for the breed, as some of them are the last of a certain bloodline. Careful consideration must be given to the export of quality bloodstock!

So, what does the future hold, and where to now? Any answer will do – continue with the proven bloodlines or start with newer and more “modern” lines. Only time will tell whether the older lines were indeed the better ones, or whether the exotic pedigrees had the required staying power.

Any comments, suggestions on this series of articles will be greatly appreciated and your e-mails are most welcome.