Desert Mirage December 2013

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DECEMBER 2013

Dear Desert Mirage Readers...

The December issue of Desert Mirage features the amazing Arabian stallion Arnelle Acapulco owned by Christina de Kragh. Acapulco is a Champion dressage and In-Hand horse from France. Not only has Acapulco competed against other Arabian horses in dressage, he now competes against Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods. Acapulco is garnering dressage Championships in all breed shows--he is amazing indeed! I have personally spent time with this stallion who has the temperament more of a friend as opposed to a stallion. Arnelle Acapulco will be available for breeding in 2014. His foals are destined to be not only beautiful but extremely gifted athletes as well. It has been a pleasure working with Christina de Kragh of Guerlain Stables. Stay tuned for follow-up articles on this amazing Arabian stallion in upcoming 2014 issues of Desert Mirage!

Our sincere thanks and gratitude go out to Jean Paul Guerlain of France. A Champion Dressage rider himself, Jean Paul continues to contribute his bi-monthly column to Desert Mirage entitled ‘Riding in the Classical Way on Your Beautiful Arabian Horse’. Jean Paul is an extremely knowledgable horseman. He continues to share his vast knowledge of training the horse and rider with the readers of Desert Mirage.

Don’t miss our regular departments, Arabian Horsewear - Dressed for Success, Equine Business and Equine Law. These articles offer valuable insight into the Arabian horse industry as a whole. Thank you to Julie I. Fershtman, Attorney-At-Law, Bob Valentine, Ph.D. and Nancy Harm for providing this fresh up-to-date practical information to our readers.

Desert Mirage continues to grow globally. A special thank you is extended to all of the loyal subscribers and advertisers of this Arabian horse lifestyle publication.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please forward these items to: [email protected].

Desert Mirage wishes all of the owners and breeders at this year’s World Arabian Championship Show in Paris a very successful show!

Sincerely,

Laura J. BrodzikOwner/PublisherDesert MirageLJB Publications LLC001.248.866.8756

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Guerlain is a French perfume house, amongst the oldest in the world. The House of Guerlain was founded in 1828 when Pierre-Francois Pascal Guerlain opened his perfume store in Paris. Jean Paul Guerlain is fourth generation Geurlain and the last family master perfumer. Jean Paul currently works as a consultant for Guerlain and continues to travel the globe to develop new fragrances.

Desert Mirage is extremely pleased and honored to feature a regular bi-monthly column written by Jean Paul Guer-lain. In the past, in addition to his role as master perfum-er for the House of Guerlain, Jean Paul also accumulated World Championships in Dressage and Carriage Driving. Jean Paul will be sharing his extreme talent for training and his love of horses with the readers of Desert Mirage.

Following is Jean Paul Guerlain’s article VIII for the December 2013 issue of Desert Mirage:

Dear Readers,

I decided, as this would be the last article before the end of the year, to tell you about my life with the horses. It all started when I was a baby, a fat baby. My Irish nanny did not want to let me walk because she feared that I would not have straight legs if I learned to walk being fat. So I was put on a pony before I could walk. Here my love for horses started. I had regular lessons and became rather addicted at a young age. Unfortunately, I had to stop riding for a few years as I went blind and had to go to Ger-many for several eye operations (between the ages of 11 and 16, on and off). However, when my eyes were better, I got involved in the circus. I loved meeting the circus people. They had, what looked to me, such a free life whilst mine was already mapped out. Whilst studying, I was training, (longeing and jumping) and

riding horses for the circus that was based near Paris. Every Thursday I used to tell my grandfather that I had to go to the den-tist. After quite a few months, he could not believe my teeth were so bad and I had to tell him about the circus.

My career in perfume took off. I created Vetiver when I was 15, which was also when I got my first Thoroughbred horse and I re-ally started to compete. I was living in the countryside so I had the horses at home. I quickly became a member of the French dressage team and I became involved in breeding Welch ponies, a gorgeous breed also for carriage work. I was the only amateur on the French dressage team and was very busy working for the family company as well. Luckily, I got a hold of a couple of superb grooms from England, Dawn and John, who are now in their seventies. They have moved back to England, but we are keeping in touch.

I had a horse trailer, quite basic. It was painted blue so we called it Colgate, like the toothpaste. When we went to the World Cham-pionship in Copenhagen, the horses went by train but Colgate was packed with French food and red wine, as I liked cooking for my fellow riders in Copenhagen. Every day for a week I was com-peting and cooking. We missed the bronze medal by two points.

A very funny story was once I had to compete at Goodwood house in south of England and my groom had left with the horse in the trailer so the horse could go earlier to England and be relaxed by the time I was arriving. I spoke to John the groom several times and he assured me everything was fine and to be calm (I always got nervous before competitions). However, I arrived in England at Goodwood to compete, my groom came over and said, “I must speak with you. Your horse has been in quarantine for one week with no exercise.” This was because my groom had straw from France in the trailer--at that time it was not allowed. So my horse was rather fresh!! And the following morning at seven we had to


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to compete. But I won so it was okay. At the prize giving, Prince Phillip, the husband of the Queen, arrived in a red helicopter to present the trophies. Most of the horses went mad, but mine stood still, he did not mind. So funny with horses, you never really know what will scare them.

I used to travel a lot to Egypt to buy Jasmine for the perfume and I was invited to an incredible stud farm in Giza near the Pyra-mids, the owner being Mrs. Barbary. She was also at this time an international judge for Arabian horses in halter classes. I have always admired the Arabian horse for its beauty, intelligence and stamina, but never really thought it could be possible in dressage. But of course, now seeing Arnelle Acapulco winning over the Thoroughbreds, it is really fantastic…he is so gifted. He always wants to please, a real gentleman.

Christina and I did not know anything about pedigrees, but I knew how to look for good conformation, movement, temperament and attitude. Acapulco has it all and more. Of course looking at his pedigree he has the right genes, DNA, but also we give him the

best life possible. Every day he comes into a two hector paddock. From the top he can see the mares and other friends. He has a huge box, 4 x 5 meters. He can look out and has his friend the cob next to him so he is not isolated. Christina rides him four times a week as well as once a week he is ridden by a German dressage rider. His food is the best, blacksmith, dentist, worming, etc. He is a very very happy horse and has blossomed since we bought him. Hopefully next year he will do a lot of breeding.

I hope dear readers that you have enjoyed the articles during the year. Please do read the article about Acapulco in this issue. I wish you all a wonderful end of the year. Please remember, be soft on your horse, take the time, don’t rush, and get a good in-structor that likes horses not just results. For as long as people love and are good and listen to horses, the gods will love people.

For information regarding Arnelle Acapulco breeding in 2014, please contact [email protected].

JPG

A Horse’s PrayerGive me to eat, give me to drink, and worry about me when the day’s work is done. Give me shelter, a clean bed and a wide box. Talk to me, often your voice substitutes for the reins. Be good to me and I will gladly serve you and love you. Do not jerk the reins and forego the whip. Do not hit me or kick me should I not understand you, give me time to understand. Do not think me disobedient should I not follow your orders, perhaps the harness and hooves are not in order. Examine my teeth should I not eat, perhaps I have a bad tooth. Do not tie me too short and do not braid my tail, it’s my only weapon against flies and mosquitos. And, at the end, when I’m no longer useful, don’t let me go hungry and cold and don’t sell me. Do not give me to a new master, but give me a quick and compassionate death and God will reward you in this life

and in the next.

ArnelleAcapulco

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JS Marrak x Platinum Fantasie1998 Grey Arabian Stallion

Proudly Owned by: Christina de Kragh

Guerlain Stables, France

For 2014 breeding information, please contact:

[email protected]

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The silvery white stallion with the plume tail trots into the ring and captures the hearts of all watching as he floats through his gaits, seeming to dance on air. His performance is as memorable as his beauty, and he wins the dressage class against Thorough-breds and warmbloods. He is Arnelle Acapulco, the French stal-lion who is the most successful ridden class and dressage stallion in France, owned by Christina de Kragh.

Arnelle Acapulco’s exceptional competition record includes many wins in Arabian halter classes in tough competition. Highlights include Pompadour Junior Champion Colt, U.K. International Top Ten, Breizh Silver Champion Stallion, and twice Vichy Reserve Champion Stallion. He has also placed second in his age class twice at the French National Championships. Arnelle Acapulco has also been champion in halter and in the Arabian ridden class in the same year at the Normandie Arabian Festival and in 2009 was the French National Ridden Champion. In 2013, he has been the ACAAEE (Association Du Cheval Arabe Alsace Grand List) Champion in Amateur Dressage and Stallion Ridden Class.

We asked Christina de Kragh to tell us how she came to own this remarkable horse. “I knew NOTHING about Arabians,“ she com-ments. “I saw an ad for Arnelle Acapulco in a magazine when he was five years old in 2003 and fell in love with him. My husband Jean Paul, who trains dressage horses to World Champion Level, strongly discouraged me from going to check him out-he said Ara-bians weren’t built for dressage and he felt he would not do well in competition, particularly against much larger warmbloods and Thoroughbreds in open classes.”

Christina was not deterred as she had a gut feeling about Arnelle Acapulco from the advertisement she had seen. So off they went to meet him on a freezing cold day in Neuchatel and Christina had to ride him in the snow to try him out. She realized he was the horse of a lifetime for her, and even Jean Paul had to concede

that Acapulco had superb conformation for a riding horse, with an especially strong hindquarter crucial to dressage success. His gaits were excellent, his disposition wonderful. Christina recalls: “He was the most intelligent and sensible horse I had ever ridden, anxious to please and totally cooperative with whatever I asked him to do.”

Arnelle Acapulco’s success in showing in hand and under saddle is no coincidence. He has a remarkable heritage that is predominant-ly Crabbet breeding with Polish, Russian and Egyptian elements, noted for their success in showing under saddle and in hand. Sig-nificantly, Arnelle Acapulco has sixteen crosses to Skowronek, the Polish born super sire of the Crabbet Stud, with seven of them coming through his son Naseem, who Arnelle Acapulco greatly resembles in type.

Arnelle Acapulco’s sire, JS Marrak, was the 1992 Belgian Nation-al Champion Stallion, a 1993 World Top Ten Stallion, and 1996 French National Champion Stallion. He is also the sire of 2001 French National Champion Stallion Kazrrak De Prejeurin and of 1998 Belgian National Champion Stallion and Dressage JS Farak.

JS Marrak is a son of twice World Champion Warandes Plakat, who won his titles as both a colt and as a mature stallion. Warandes Plakat is a National Champion sire and sire of National and Euro-pean Champion producers. He is a full brother to the famed World and European Champion Mare Saskia RJ, whose offspring include World Reserve Champion and World Champion sire AS Sinans Pasha and Nations Cup Champion and European Reserve Cham-pion and World Champion sire SA Misha Apal. European Cham-pion Mare and multiple National Champion in the Middle East Athenaa is a maternal granddaughter of Saskia RJ. 2010 World Champion Mare Bess Fa’Izah and 2013 Menton Gold Champion Mare FM Gloriaa (also a World Reserve Champion Filly) are both double Saskia RJ.

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ArnelleAcapulco

Warandes Plakat is by World, European and Nations Cup Cham-pion Stallion Plakat, who was bred in Russia. Plakat is by the Egyptian sire Aswan, sire of multiple National Champions, out of Pchelka, a paternal sister to 1975 British Supreme Champion Mare Nahodka and to Russian race record holder *Monogramma, dam of World and National Champion sire Monogramm.

Barwna, the dam of Warandes Plakat, is of predominantly Crab-bet lineage. Her sire Iridos also sired 1960 British Junior Cham-pion Colt Kami and 1968 British Reserve Junior Champion Filly and National Champion producer Nimet. Iridos daughters have produced 1974 British National Champion Colt Nasib, 1981 British Junior Champion Colt and Supreme Champion Male Da-weish, 1988 and 1989 British Reserve National Champion Stal-lion and 1994 British National Champion Ridden Stallion Hadeir, and 1981 British National Champion Senior Mare and Supreme Champion Female Najat. Barwna’s dam Baraka traces in sire line to twice British National Champion Stallion Silver Vanity, a sire of National Champions in England and the U.S.A. Her dam Biruta was bred in Poland and is a paternal sister to National Champion producers Cytrys and Tryncza and a maternal sister to National Champion sire Bilbao.

JS Marrak’s dam Nasoulah, like Barwna, is also of predominantly Crabbet lineage. She is by Ghibli, a paternal brother to 1970 Brit-ish National Champion Colt El Santo and to Ludomino, the only Arabian ever to win the Supreme Ridden Championship at the Royal Windsor Show in England, which is awarded to the overall champion at the show and must be won against all breeds in rid-den competition. Ghibli’s sire Ludo was named Supreme Riding Horse at the Royal International show and winner of the Winston Churchill Cup.

Ludo is the grandsire of 1986 British National Champion Mare Bint Ludoet, of 1976 British National Champion Colt and 1982 British National Ridden Champion Grand Duke, of twice British National Champion Stallion Haroun, of British National Cham-pion Gelding and multiple British National Ridden Champion Silencio (who is double Ludo), of the British National Ridden Champions Abu Dhabi and Naxeena, and of *Magic Domino AHS+++//, a multiple U.S. National winner in sport horse hal-ter and dressage and sire of National Champions in hunter hack, dressage, sport horse show hack, sport horse under saddle and sport horse halter.

Nasoulah’s dam Naxindos is by Iridos, giving JS Marrak two lines to Iridos. Nasoulah is thus closely related to Nimet, dam of three British National Champions, who is by Iridos out of a Ludo daughter. Naxindos’ dam Naxindra is by the great broodmare sire Indian Gold, sire of the National Champion producers Silver Gilt (dam of multiple British National Champion Silver Vanity) and Serafina (dam of U.S. National Champion Park Oran Van Crab-bet).

Arnelle Acapulco’s dam Platinum Fantasie is a daughter of the predominantly Crabbet stallion Platinum Phantom, who comes from lines noted for their talent under saddle. He traces in tail female to Chrissilla, a full sister to National winner producer Sil-wa. Silwa is by National Champion sire Raktha out of the superb producer Silver Crystal, dam of 4 National winners including the first U.S. National Champion Stallion Mujahid++, noted for sir-ing National Champions under saddle.

Platinum Fantasie’s dam Ermine Shadow was named British Reserve National Champion Broodmare and is a full sister to

NASEEMSkowronek x Nasra

desert mirage - december 2013

Naseem in old age in Russia. Note his clean legs with excellent bone, a trait also of his descendant Arnelle Acapulco.

Arnelle Acapulco greatly resembles the Crabbet bred Naseem, to whom he has eight lines.

Naseem was exported from England to Russia in 1936. He left sig-nificant influence in both countries. In England his son Raktha sired National Champion Stallion Indian Magic and *Serafix, the all time leading Crabbet sire of champions. Naseem’s best known Russian

son is National Champion sire Negatiw, sire of National Champions in Europe and North America.

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*MAGIC DOMINO AHS+++//Ludomino x Hamsfah

ARNELLE ACAPULCOJS Marrak x Platinum Fantasie


Ridden by Arnoud Perrin

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The recently deceased *Magic Domino AHS+++// sired National Champions in hunter hack, dressage, sport horse show hack, sport horse under saddle and sport horse halter and top ten winners in hunt

pleasure and hunter over fences. This photo shows his excellent conformation which

enabled him to be a successful competitor and sire, conformation very similar to that

of Arnelle Acapulco!

This photo of *Magic Domino AHS+++// shows how much his markings and movement resemble that of Arnelle Acapulco-

they could be twins!Multiple U.S. Top Ten Sport Horse Stallion and Dressage *Magic Domino AHS+++// closely resembles Arnelle Aca-pulco and has many common pedigree elements, including

lines to Ludo, *Silver Vanity, Bright Shadow and Blue Domino, all sires of British National Champions.

Christina Pictured with herBeloved StallionArnelle Acapulco

Page 24desert mirage - december 2013 ArnelleAcapulco

World Champion Stallion and multiple National Champion sire *Carmargue. Ermine Shadow is a three quarter sister to White Lace (dam of 1984 British Senior Champion Mare Shahlie) and to Crystal Shadow (dam of 1991 British National Champion Stallion Mustaphah). Ermine Shadow’s sire White Lightning is considered pure Polish as his sire Burkan was used at stud in Po-land and sired a National Champion there and his dam Latawica was bred in Poland. Ermine Shadow’s dam Velvet Shadow is a daughter of Bey Shadow (by British National Champion Stallion and National Champion sire Bright Shadow). She traces in tail female to Nisan, whose parents Jellaby and Gayza were bred in the U.S.A. Jellaby being Straight Egyptian and Gayza straight Crabbet. Arnelle Acapulco’s heritage predicted his success in the show ring!

After purchasing Arnelle Acapulco, Christina was frustrated at the lack of ridden classes at Arabian shows in France so she campaigned for the shows to include them, and of course Arnelle Acapulco has been very successful in competing in them. The Arabian shows also offered Arabian dressage classes for some time, but due to scarcity of entries stopped doing so. It was time, Christina felt, to enter the world of open dressage with her won-derful boy and compete against all breeds--to prove a good Ara-bian can be successful.

In 2013, at age 15, Arnelle Acapulco began his campaign in all breed dressage competition. He won two of his 6 competitions, was second twice and third twice with a minimum of 22 in each class. He won the one ridden class entered with 88 points out of a possible 100. His worst placing thus far (as of October) has been third in a class of 26, and most recently he has placed second in a class where he was the only stallion exhibited. He is trained by Sara Kruch and is being ridden by Arnoud Perrin.

“He is super relaxed in the truck, just eating his hay, he gets in to the new stable at the competition and is a gentleman as usual, looks at his neighbors, then eats his hay, while we humans are stressing around,” says Christina. “But when he has to perform, he is on 200%!!! He has a wonderful temperament, always good. He has his own paddock of 2 hectares and is out a minimum of 4 hours a day, where he can see the girls, etc. He might be in the corner far away, but when I call his name, he always calls back and he gallops down to see me at once...I have not found a fault in this horse yet. Perfect!! I love him...and he knows it!” she explains.

Because of his busy show schedule Arnelle Acapulco has just four get at this time, one of whom is owned by the Guerlains’. Christina would like to see him sire many more and is planning to promote him more extensively at stud, particularly for Anglo-Arabians and riding ponies. “Acapulco is the reason I now have five Arabians and I love my involvement with the breed so much,” she enthuses. “Acapulco loves showing so much, he literally runs into the truck to be hauled to shows as he knows he will have fun. He always gives his best, he is always a joy to be around. He sulks if I am away for any length of time-he’s truly a mama’s boy.” Future plans for him include Christina’s dream goal of win-ning in dressage at Aachen at the Nations Cup show. In 2013, dressage classes were not offered at the show as they have been in the past due to construction at the facility, or Arnelle Acapulco would have shown this year. “We feel the older he is, the stronger his performances have become, and he is at the height of his tal-ent now, so it’s on to Aachen in 2014!” says Christina.

For Arnelle Acapulco breeding information, please contact Christina de Kragh at [email protected].

ArnelleAcapulco


Ridden by ownerChristina de Kragh

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Photo Myriam Dat

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Ruben Bustillo is a professional artist from Ar-gentina. He has been a graphic artist and designer and an art teacher for most of his life.

For the past ten years, Ruben has been painting Ara-bian horses full-time; they are a great inspiration. And, thanks to Gigi Grasso, his work has been displayed and shared around the world, printed in several magazines and sold throughout Europe.

Ruben is now very busy painting in the Middle East where his artwork is greatly appreciated. Ruben states, “I enjoy the history and the beautiful horses, the desert scenes, the colors and the details.”

As Ruben’s work is very detailed and time-consuming, he can accept only a limited number of commissions; however, he is open to any inquiries from Desert Mi-rage readers. He will reply to all inquiries. Following is what Ruben says regarding his spectacular Arabian horse artwork displayed on the following pages, “I hope you enjoy seeing my paintings”.

Ruben Bustillo’s artwork may be seen on his webpage at http://www.facebook.com/l/BAQHYFbacAQH-kLFuhb3W6OW__VjCi9GY0zX6auGpRSyxD0g/www.rubenbustillo.com.ar or please contact Ruben via email at [email protected] for futher inquires.



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Fiona Campbell and her pure Crabbet mare Ludarah gained this year for the fourth consecutive time the French Ridden Mares and Geldings Championship. Fiona and her husband moved to France almost 10 years ago having had great success with her mare Aureda (Aurelian by BEN RABBA ex Estrella and out of RInging Darida by Elshind out of Ringing Rinarida). Aureda was British Junior Ridden Mare Champion, and Champion Rid-den Arabian at the Royal Highland Show, to name a couple of very important British Shows. She also had In-Hand wins to her credit, always with her owner, Fiona Campbell.

Fiona purchased Ludarah as an unbroken young mare from Car-ol Carpenter, Nomad Arabians of France. She is by the wonder-ful Champion Ridden Stallion Silver Blue Ludo (Silver Blue ex Golden Ludo) and out of the Nomad Arabians’ excellent produc-ing mare Lusarah (Ludomino ex Masarah). Lusarah produced four foals by Ludo, and Ludarah’s brother Lutfi Pasha is produc-ing excellent stock for his owners in the United Kingdom. An-

other brother was sold to Denmark, and her last foal, Lusabella is also in the United Kingdom.

Fiona has worked exceptionally hard with Ludarah to achieve their successes--all due to Fiona’s own effort. She has travelled many kilometers to the few Arabian horse shows in France in order that Ludarah became accustomed to the atmosphere that is the show world; a far cry from the rural peaceful home that they come from.

The pair are always turned out to perfection --British style, both horse and rider are immaculate. Fiona and her mare Ludarah continue to uphold the Crabbet bloodlines as well as providing an example of what wonderful riding horses they are.

In the future, Fiona hopes to breed Ludarah. The resulting foal will follow in her father, grand-father and great-grandfather’s hoof prints…championing the RIDDEN ARABIAN HORSE!


Decorate your home with fabulous equestrian pillows like this one called “Bedoin” from Donna Bernstein at theartistdonnab.com

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It’s that time of year again where many gather ‘round the fire’

with the family and listen to the favorite Holiday tunes, sip on hot cocoa and enjoy the smell of sweet cinnamon and nutmeg. Although eating seems to be top priority in many households, the best part is really dressing up, going for the silver and gold sparkle , and rememniscing with the family next to the fire. I’d love to share some of my favorite things this Holiday season and the memories that I will never forget.

Bundle Up.

“Girls, be sure you have your scarves and gloves on!” I would hear mom shouting from the kitchen to my younger sister and I

as we would be rushing out the door to go play with the ponies. Watching the horses gallop in the snow of Steamboat Springs, Colorado with their fuzzy faces and “whinny breath”, as my mother would call it, was my favorite sight as a little girl. The steam from their warm breath would be floating around their nose as they would stomp through the snow to come eat some treats. I loved every minute of it. Even though these snowy horses had thick winter fur coats, I still remember asking mom, “can I give him my scarf to stay warm?”

Well needless to say, I developed a deep love for scarves. Now, I love going to vintage and thrift stores to find the most unique printed scarves. Many times you can find beautiful handmade scarves that have only been worn once, plus the fun part is taking a piece of history home with you. Of course my favorite scarves are those with a printed equestrian theme: usually with stirrup

Holiday & Horses

Vintage Scarf for the Holidays.


Sparkle Plenty

Every girl loves a little sparkle during the months of December and January. The more sparkle on New Years, the better, right? The best part about accessorizing is not only dressing up our outfit, but it can make a statement for your overall look. Slip on a simple lace shift dress and deck it out with a sparkling vintage equestrian chunky necklace.

If you are playing it more casual in jeans, break out the boots and a simple silver or gold top. A metallic horsebit bracelet will bling up the look in no time!

Add some sparkle in the home with a hand painted horse pillow. Switching up the living room sofa pillows during the holiday season will bring smiles to your guests when you show them that little extra “horse” piece in the mix.

Featuring Mars And Valentine/Echo of the dreamer necklace from caracolsilver.com.

Holiday & Horses

The Platinum Palomino Bracelet by Rebecca Ray is an American bench-made horsebit bracelet of fine bridle leather

and supple platinum leather. Not only is it gorgeous, but it also gives $10 from each purchase to benefit CANTER USA, a

preeminent charity for retired racehorses.


Be Foxy.The fox trend is here to stay folks, yet not to worry “what did the fox say?” from the most revent viral online vid-eo. If you haven’t seen it, be prepared for a little laugh. Whether it’s sly like a fox, or plain just plain “foxy”, new trends are out such as printed fox blouses, 18k gold fox studded earrings, and even printed leather ipad cases like below. Be bold this season, and don’t be afraid of being foxy!

Remember To Reminisce.When I reminisce about spending Christmas in Colorado

each year, I remember the cold snowy evenings that kept us inside next to the fire quite well. These are the moments I will never forget: the trotting around the living room in onesie pajamas as a kid, the s’mores marshmellows stuck to my sister’s cheek after roasting, and the late night sto-ries and “Santa-tracking” on Christmas eve.

As Nat King Cole is singing “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” this season, remember to cherish the family memories that will last a lifetime. Oh, and of course, re-member to spoil your favorite equines too…the pepper-mint candy canes sure don’t last long in our barn!

Ashley Cline grew up riding and competing at the national level on the East Coast “AA” Hunter/Jumper show circuit. While attending Florida State University for her B.S. degree in Fashion Merchandising, she also competing on the Intercollegiate riding team. Ashley worked in several retail establishments such as Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, and Lillt Pulitzer from management to visual merchandising. While work-ing at Lilly Pulitzer, Ashley completed her M.B.A. in entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University. Upon completing school in 2011, she founded EquestrianStylist.com to accomplish her goals in promot-ing equestrian style in mainstream fashion and the horse industry.

Fox printed leather iPad case by Tucker Tweed-tuckertweed.com.

Holiday & Horses

EquestrianStylist.com



The majority of horse business people think their financial transactions are financial records they only need for filing their taxes, and occasion-ally satisfying their banker. While financial transactions are a starting point, and in some cases all you need for your taxes, they are not suf-ficient when your tax authority or banker requests supporting documen-tation. And don’t get caught in the ‘receipts are documentation’ trap! Receipts are only a small part of the supporting documentation a tax authority will want to see. Your tax authority will want you to prove that your financial transactions are legitimate and your business is vi-able if you are reporting a loss. Your banker will want to know if you have managerial control of your business and its financials and deserve a line of credit or loan that can be repaid when it is due. If you stop and think about what you should require to manage your business, you will quickly realize it is much more than what they require and much more than accounting software alone can provide you.

Unfortunately, the majority of horse businesses are managed by only measuring their ‘bottom line’. Don’t get me wrong, your ‘bottom line’ is important and had better be positive more often than not, or you won’t be in business long. Management by ‘bottom line’ is generally linked with ‘checkbook management’, which is the result of using accounting software as your only management system. ‘Checkbook management’ doesn’t afford you the opportunity to truly manage your business be-cause ‘checkbook management’ doesn’t connect your financials so you are subjected to the ‘checkbook management’ trap. Running your busi-ness out of your checkbook is a path to going out of business – unless of course, you have an infinite source of money. You might have checks, but just having checks doesn’t tell you if you have the cash to meet your next payroll, and/or make your next horse trailer payment, and or purchase the feed you will need in two weeks.

Have you ever thought about the ‘waterfall’ consequence a financial

transaction has on your business, and how an understanding affords you the opportunity to make better business decisions? I am not propos-ing that a horse business owner become a CPA or financial analysis. I am also not advocating spending more time on your business’s finan-cials than you do on your horse related activities that are the basis for your business income. But, what I am proposing is that a horse business owner should use a management system that minimizes the time they spend getting the information they need to manage their business, thus enabling them to make better business decisions. Managing your horse business with horse recordkeeping and accounting software is not busi-ness management. It is just recording information that adds no manage-ment value. The true cost of using a recordkeeping system is not in its purchase price, it is its cost of ownership.

Believe it or not, your horse business management system has a lot do with your business’s degree of success or failure. Selecting a good horse business management system can assist you in making good business decisions. It does this by providing you with up-to-date infor-mation that is based on the connection and the interaction between your many financial transactions, business activities, income and expense. It tracks, manages and reports the ‘waterfall’ consequences of your finan-cial transactions.

‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it’, isn’t just a nice cliché, it is a fact! The right horse business management system will enable you to set up your business so that it can be measured, thus allowing you to manage your finances, horse care, business operations and customers and their interactions without purchasing additional software or having to enter your information more than once. You will have the informa-tion you need in intelligent reports that will assist you in making good business decisions. Getting organized is easy. Managing your business and understanding the ‘waterfall’ consequence of a financial transac-tion requires a management system.

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Financial Transaction ‘Waterfall’ Illustration

Desert Mirage - december 2013

There are two ways to have a positive ‘bottom line’ in a business, you either have more revenue than expenses or you reduce your expenses to be less than your revenue. In other words, ‘you either earn it, or you save it’. This is particularly true for many horse businesses where the revenue is unpredictable, but its expenses are well known and predict-able. No matter what revenue is coming into your business an under-standing of the ‘waterfall’ consequence your expense related financial transactions have on your business is a requisite requirement and the root to good business decisions.

Before an expense financial transaction is made you should ask your-self three simple questions; (1) is the expense a ‘Must Have’, (2) is the expense a ‘Nice To Have’, or (3) is the expense ‘Silly’. You will be surprised how many times you make the right business decision and how quickly the three questions become part of your management phi-losophy. The following example illustrates the ‘waterfall’ consequence of the simple act of purchasing hay and why a management system is far superior to a recordkeeping system that is disconnected from your accounting system.

Hay Purchase – Financial Transaction ‘Waterfall’ Illustration

Entering your Income financial transactions is the enjoyable part of maintaining your business management system. A good management system will provide the opportunity to account for your income by the services and or products or different departments within your business. This provides you to opportunity to track and measure how and where your business makes or loses you money. Before your enter your in-formation you need to ask yourself a few questions; (1) what income account or accounts apply, (3) is the income the result of a customer

invoice and if it is what line items are being paid, (3) what business account do you want to deposit the income into, and (4) do you want to distribute the income between more than one account. The following example illustrates the ‘waterfall’ consequence of income as it flows through your management system and the additional information it provides that cannot be obtained from a recordkeeping system that is disconnected from your accounting system.


Receive Money – Financial Transaction ‘Waterfall’ Illustration

Your business’s financial transactions have an influence on every busi-ness decision you will make. Your understanding of your financial transactions ‘waterfall’ consequences can help you with the following business decisions in your horse business:

• Setting the pricing of your services or products• Making your business more competitive• Determining the market segments in which you will compete• When to have business promotions and at what cost• Are there services or products you should eliminate• How fast and at what speed you should grow your business• When you can afford to add additional capacity• How does your breakeven change when you add additional services or products• Where you can reduce expenses without reducing your customer care• What services or products make your business the most profit

This lists just a few examples. I am sure you can think of many more that are relevant to your horse business. The take away is every busi-ness starts with some kind of financial transaction and if you under-stand the ‘waterfall’ consequence of a financial transaction your will be far ahead of the majority of your peers.

Uunderlying the success of any horse business and the management system you chose is your commitment to keep your system current and use the information it provides to assist you in making good business decisions. Believe me; you need a horse business management system! But, purchasing one if you do not have the ‘business discipline’ to keep it current and use it is a bad business decision, and probably not the management system’s fault!


To be successful in a horse business does not require a finance edu-cation, but it does require business discipline and an understanding of what your financials are telling you. This understanding will en-able you to make better business decisions. A good Horse Business Management System will do the calculations for you and analyze and report the results with comments or suggestions. A good Horse

Business Management System will save you valuable time you can then use to improve your business. I encourage you to investigate how equineGenie not only helps you manage and care for your horses and manage your business operations and support your customers, but helps you be financially successful.

Bob Valentine, Ph.D.PresidentGenieCo, Inc.Box 271924Ft. Collins, CO 805271.888.678.4364 or [email protected]

Dr. Valentine taught Equine Business Management to graduat-ing seniors in the Equine Science Department at Colorado State University. He has been involved in the horse business for too long. If you have any questions, you can reach Bob at [email protected], or call him at 1.888.678.4364 or 970.231.1455 (mobile).

Antara SobekKenz Noor x Antara Shalima

Owned by Jerry and Nancy GatesAntara Egyptians

Wearing a Custom Blanket & Heirloom Halter Set


Nancy Gates established Heirloom Halters in 2009...it has been an exciting four years for Nancy designing halters for client horses all over the world.

One of Nancy’s highlights this year was working with world fa-mous photographer Jenni Ogden. This is an opportunity and expe-rience Nancy says she will never forget.

Nancy’s goal this year is to inspire owners to promote their trea-sured mares. For many years, the emphasis in custom Arabian horse tack has been on the stallions and Nancy states she would like to see that changed. She thus created the new Heirloom de-sign and called it the “Mare Collection.” This new design is a huge success due to the assistance of the fantastic photographer Nancy Pierce. Photos of Nancy’s own mare Antara Shalima are included in this article featuring the new “Mare Collection.”

Heirloom Halters is also proud to announce they have now made nine magazine cover photos. Nancy says, “I feel so blessed and honored to be a part of these gorgeous Arabians.” She continues,

One of the greatest compliments an artist can have is for other artists to be inspired by your designs.” Featured in this article are the works of Paola Marinangeli and Blair Clemons Dworkin who have both featured Heirloom Arabian Halters in their artwork.

Nancy also shared with us that Heirloom would like to announce the new collaboration with Scottsdale artist Wendy Morris Tank. This collaboration will include Heirloom pieces adorning Wen-dy’s beautiful artwork. Please visit the booths at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show in February 2014.

The new goal for Heirloom Halters this upcoming year is to in-spire more people to dress their horses up and have them photo-graphed. After having lost one of her beloved mares this year, Nancy states, “A beautiful photo may be comforting to gaze upon after the loss of one of your beautiful Arabians.”

Heirloom Halters would be glad to assist you in creating your own unique custom designs. Please contact Nancy at [email protected] or visit the website at heirloomhalters.com.

Antara Shalima Ansata Hejazi x Sha Latif

Antara Egyptians Jerry and Nancy Gates

Wearing a custom jeweled halter by Heirloom Halters


Antara SobekKenz Noor x Antara Shalima

Owned by Jerry and Nancy GatesAntara Egyptians

Wearing a custom Heirloom Feather Design


REA EL KAREAM +Owned by David L. Myers

Renaissance ArabiansEgyptian Event 2013 Reserve Supreme Champion Stallion


Mishaali RCAOwned by Dana Al Meslemani

Al Thumama Stud


Simeon SadranOwned by Dana Al Meslemani

Al Thumama Stud

GC PashminaSeraphina SMG

Owned by Dana Al MeslemaniAl Thumama Stud


ARTWORK BYPaola Marinangeli

(Gatsby CC)

artist Blair Clemons Dworkin with Brown Eyed Filly

ceramic art of Antara Shalima in the Mare Collection Set


Gatsby CCOwned by Dr. Mike and Karen Pallone

On Lease to Eagleridge Arabians (Australia) Paul and Jenni Ogden

Heirloom Arabian [email protected]

heirloomhalters.com

Page 63 Desert Mirage - december 2013

Desert Mirage - August 2012 Page 33Desert Mirage - February 2013 Page 24Desert Mirage - October 2013 Page 52

When people buy and sell horses, disputes – and sometimes law-suits – can follow. These conflicts are often avoidable. As a lawyer who drafts contracts and has tried equine contract lawsuits in two states, I write to discuss some problems that can occur in equine sale transactions and suggestions for avoiding them.

Problem: Buying and Selling Horses on a Handshake

Oddly, people in the horse industry still deal on a handshake. The same person who expects a receipt from the restaurant for a $5 lunch might later buy a horse for many thousands of dollars but seek ab-solutely nothing in writing. With nothing in writing, sales disputes can become complicated because the parties cannot agree on the con-tract’s terms.

Fortunately, it is easier than ever to document an equine sale. Written contracts can potentially protect buyers and sellers in equine transac-tions. Here are a few examples:

* Description of the horse sold. The sale contract can describe the horse being sold, such as the registered name, breed, registration number(s), markings, age, brands or tattoos, and height. Details can prevent the problem of a buyer who purchases a horse sight unseen off of a website to claim that a different horse was delivered.

* Papers. My office frequently receives calls from buyers who never received registration papers, yet no contract exists to confirm that the seller even had them. Buyers can protect themselves by de-manding a copy of them and by requiring the seller to promise in the contract that he or she will transfer them to the buyer at the time of sale or within a set period of time afterwards.

* Soundness and history. If a seller insists that his horse is “com-pletely sound with no vices or bad habits,” he or she should not hesi-tate to put this writing if the buyer asks.

A simple equine sale contract can sometimes take as little as five min-utes to draft. It can be signed by all parties and state, at a minimum: (1) names, addresses, and contact information of the buyer and seller; (2) a clear description of the horse sold; (3) a promise that the seller owns the horse and has the legal authority to sell it to the buyer; (4) the full purchase price; (5) the date the seller was paid; and (6) that the seller was paid in full (or the remaining sum that is due and when it must be paid).

More thorough and detailed contracts take more time and, for the pro-tection of the parties, can be drafted or reviewed by a knowledgeable lawyer. For example, state laws can impact installment sale contracts because the laws might require that the seller’s right to repossess be documented with state-specific language. Disclaimers of warranties in an equine sale can vary depending on state law, as well. Liability releases and indemnification clauses, which might be appropriate for installment payment contracts or trial period agreements, can vary considerably from state to state. A knowledgeable attorney can assist with these details.

Problem: Buying a Horse With Cash

In the horse industry, cash sales are surprisingly common. The prob-lem is, when these transactions are not confirmed in a carefully writ-ten contract, disputes can follow because the parties have no written record of the amount actually exchanged. Buyers who pay by check, by comparison, will at least have a cancelled check as evidence of what the seller received.

Problem: No Veterinary ExaminationPre-purchase veterinary examinations can help evaluate a horse’s

overall health and condition. Some buyers also order drug screens. Buyers who seek details regarding the fitness and suitability of a horse offered for sale, especially before parting with their money, can find these examinations informative and worth the expense. If the parties agree that the buyer can arrange for a pre-purchase veteri-nary examination, the contract can specify this as well as when the exam must be completed, how the buyer can decline the purchase if dissatisfied with the results, when the buyer must notify the seller of a canceled sale, and when (or if) the seller must refund any purchase deposit.

Avoiding Disputes

The phrase caveat emptor (buyer beware) is not meant to suggest that buyers have no legal rights when they feel cheated in an equine sale. They do. Buyers can, and sometimes do, sue sellers for breach of contract, fraud, violations of deceptive trade practice laws, and oth-ers. While it is true that a written contract cannot prevent all disputes from occurring, the fact is that without one, legal disputes are often more expensive to resolve and the outcome is rarely certain.

This article does not constitute legal advice. When questions arise based on specific situations, direct them to a knowl-edgeable attorney.

About the Author

Julie Fershtman, one of the nation’s most experienced Equine Law practitioners, is a shareholder with Foster Swift Collins & Smith, PC. An attorney and legal consultant for 27 years, she has successfully tried equine cases in four states and has drafted hundreds of equine industry contracts. She is a Fellow and officer of the American College of Equine Attorneys and has lectured at seminars in 28 states. She is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Business Litigation and Insurance Law. For more information, visit www.fershtmanlaw.com, www.equinelaw.net or www.equinelawblog.com.

Please visit and “LIKE” our Facebook Page: “Foster Swift: Equine Law”!


Part 3: Goals for training our yearlings:

Review all the weanling trainingRound Pen TrainingNatural Horsemanship ground workLearn to push and kick a ballTrain with light weight pony synthetic saddles with familiar inflat-able bunnies and other objects attached with VelcroContinue walking over and around obstacle courseLoad into stocksLoad into horse trailer and go for a ride

In the spring of their yearling year, the first steps in training the yearling were to review previous training again using a clicker and reinforcing behavior. The bareback pad was soon replaced with lightweight pony synthetic saddles with a cinch and regular latigo tie.

Learning to kick the giant arena ball was also demonstrated by the older horses that all play soccer. The yearlings were led up to the ball and asked to touch it with their nose and walk forward. As foals and weanlings, they had been exposed to six various colored big exercise balls in their pasture that blew all around in the wind. As yearlings, they were clicked and reinforced for walking for-ward and moving the ball with their nose, hoof, or knee on cue. For the first time in their life, the yearlings were taught to load into a stock. Stocks are a U shaped metal bar chest high with three legs. They are used for veterinary procedures or other occasions where movement must be restricted. For many adult horses walking into the stocks can be as difficult to train as some find trailer loading. Walking and backing between plastic barrels and zig zag arranged plastic PVD pipes as weanlings laid the foundation for this step. Again, the yearlings were asked to approach the stocks, stop, and back up. They were immediately clicked and reinforced. Each time they were asked to approach the stocks, they were asked to walk into them a bit further, clicked and reinforced and backed out again. Finally they walked all the way in and were allowed to eat grain out of a dish attached to the front end.

The next step and lesson was loading into my step up horse trail-er. When the filly arrived prior to two months of age, she was just picked up at lifted into my trailer. She had not had any other trailering experience. The colt was born on our farm and never exposed to loading into a trailer other than observing other farm horses loading and unloading. Both yearlings were trained by be-ing asked to take a step, stop, back up, clicked, and reinforced. The next step asked for two feet to step up and so on. When the horses were completely in the trailer they were allowed to eat from the trailer grain bin. Soon they were loading by the command or cue “load up” and me pointing my finger in the direction with the lead line thrown over their neck. For one month, the two yearlings

were loaded at liberty and fed in the trailer. They were taken for their first ride along with a parade mare they had been pastured with for a “no stress” and positive experience.

With the exception of a few limited times when we had good foot-ing, the weanling horses were not round pen trained at speeds be-yond the walk. Lessons have been lengthened to 15-30 minutes as the horses have a longer attention span.

For more information about Harmony Acres visit our website at: harmonyacresparadehorses.com

Facebook: facebook.com/HarmonyAcresArabianParadeHorses

Nancy Harm may also be reached at [email protected] and phone 248-437-5672.

Anyone working with horses should remember there is always some danger involved in any horse training for both your horse and you. We all know that horses can cause serious injuries. Proper preparation and thinking through any activity can prevent problems that can take a long time to overcome. Any item that our horses pick up in their teeth is first wrapped in electrical tape or duct tape. Hula hoops are unfastened so that they will fall apart if needed. Velcro that is easily removed is a must for attaching props. We have not experienced a wreck in training babies and other horses by keeping these guidelines in mind. Use common sense and do not attempt any suggestions outside your experience and comfort level.

This information is intended to demonstrate training methods and helpful tips that work for us. You must be responsible for using it safely. If you are not comfortable with your abilities or experi-ence, seek advice or assistance from a professional horse trainer. The last piece of advice I have is to do your preparation homework and have fun!

The next installment is Part 4: Goals for training our two year olds

About the author: Nancy Harm grew up on a Brown Swiss dairy farm with draft horses and a Welsh pony that was ridden western and also pulled a sleigh and buggy. She has a B.S. degree in Edu-cation from the University of New Hampshire, M.S. in Educational Psychology of Child Development from the University of Michi-gan, and an ED.S. Degree in Educational Psychology of Early Childhood from the University of Michigan. Recently retired from teaching Psychology at Schoolcraft College, Harm has applied her educational background to the way she raises and trains her Arabian horses.


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Desert Mirage December 2013