the

Transcription

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ARABIAN HORSE WORLD PRESENTS:
WHERE
WHEREHAVE
HAVE
ALLTHE
THEARABIANS
ARABIANS
ALL
I
n the August 2012 issue (beginning on page 9) Arabian Horse World presented a look at the number
of Arabian horse registrations and other breed statistics, with commentary by Bruce M. Johnson (a
member of the AHA Registration Commission, a Trustee of the Arabian Horse Owners Foundation,
and past Director-at-Large of the Purebred Arabian Trust).
As previously detailed in our report on the WAHO conference (March 2012 issue, page 8) the
number of Arabians in the U.S. continues to decline. Of course this is alarming to breeders and
Arabian horse lovers in the U.S., who wonder if the trend
A child’s desire for a horse is often
can be reversed.
We invited our readers to share their ideas for
the gateway to a family becoming
arresting this slide, and bringing the Arabian horse back
horse owners. A fictional account
to the level of prominence he deserves.
of a girl achieving a Tevis dream
could be as popular as “National
D e n i s e
H e a r s t
GONE?YOUR
YOURTURN
TURN
GONE?
Glenn Petty, Executive V.P., Arabian Horse
Association, Aurora, Colorado:
Overall, Bruce’s article was very good, and he’s correct that
all breeds pretty much proportionately are experiencing the
same decline. What we all face are the changing social draws for
leisure time — soccer and other sports that are cheap, Xbox and
other media, lack of TV heroes on horses, etc.
Regional show entries are down for several reasons —
the economy, necessary changes to the Sweepstakes Program
that reversed a trend of paying out more than interest on the
principal generated, awarding of full Top 5 regardless of entries,
and qualifying points restructuring over the years.
Currently shows contribute 34.7 percent of AHA’s bottom
line compared with registration and related work, 14.4 percent;
membership, 22.7 percent; awards programs, 16.3 percent;
racing, 0.2 percent; and marketing, 11.7 percent. (In 2008,
shows contributed 37.7 percent of AHA’s bottom line compared
with registration and related work, 17.7 percent; membership,
24.3 percent; awards programs, 14.2 percent; racing, 0.1
percent; and marketing, 6.0 percent.) Since 1991, the decline in
transfers has been flatter than for registrations, with some ups
and downs. (See bar graphs below.)
Shows are important overall because they drive the market
for the importance of registration of Arabian, Half-Arabian, and
Anglo-Arabian horses. Without shows there would be virtually
no market for Arabian horses. And while Arabian horses lead the
We are grateful to Glenn Petty, Executive V.P. of AHA,
who shared AHA’s perspective. We lead off with him,
Number of purebred registratioNs by year, 1991-2011.
Data provided by Arabian Horse Association.
and follow with trainers — performance and halter —
breeders, and wrap up with four women: a breeder, an
Velvet”! — Anna Wolfe
b y
endurance rider whose mother was an AHW Foundation
Breeder, one of our regular columnists who is a breeder
and holistic trainer, and a main ring trainer who asks us simply to think back about what drew us to
13,000
n Purebred Registrations
9,750
6,500
the Arabian breed to begin with.
We think you’ll agree that there’s plenty of food for thought here from passionate individuals
3,250
across the spectrum of breed disciplines and we are grateful to those who took the time to contribute.
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Agree or disagree with anything you read on these pages — your opinions are most welcome. Let’s
keep the conversation going … for the good of the breed.
Purebred Registrations
Number of purebred traNsfers by year, 1991-2011.
As long as we continue to talk instead
“At Registration” means the ownership transfer was processed together with the initial registration. “Certificate” reflects all
other transfers. Data provided by Arabian Horse Association.
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of act on what’s wrong with the Arabian
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horse industry we will be stuck with what
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we’ve got. — Frank Hennessey
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130 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ SEPTEMBER 2012
131 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b SEptEmBER 2012
Certiﬁcate
At Registration
ARABIAN HORSE WORLD PRESENTS:
WHERE HAVE
ALL THE ARABIANS
I
n the August 2012 issue (beginning on page 9) Arabian Horse World presented a look at the number
of Arabian horse registrations and other breed statistics, with commentary by Bruce M. Johnson (a
member of the AHA Registration Commission, a Trustee of the Arabian Horse Owners Foundation,
and past Director-at-Large of the Purebred Arabian Trust).
As previously detailed in our report on the WAHO conference (March 2012 issue, page 8) the
number of Arabians in the U.S. continues to decline. Of course this is alarming to breeders and
Arabian horse lovers in the U.S., who wonder if the trend
A child’s desire for a horse is often
can be reversed.
We invited our readers to share their ideas for
the gateway to a family becoming
arresting this slide, and bringing the Arabian horse back
horse owners. A fictional account
to the level of prominence he deserves.
of a girl achieving a Tevis dream
could be as popular as “National
We are grateful to Glenn Petty, Executive V.P. of AHA,
who shared AHA’s perspective. We lead off with him,
and follow with trainers — performance and halter —
breeders, and wrap up with four women: a breeder, an
Velvet”! — Anna Wolfe
endurance rider whose mother was an AHW Foundation
Breeder, one of our regular columnists who is a breeder
and holistic trainer, and a main ring trainer who asks us simply to think back about what drew us to
the Arabian breed to begin with.
We think you’ll agree that there’s plenty of food for thought here from passionate individuals
across the spectrum of breed disciplines and we are grateful to those who took the time to contribute.
Agree or disagree with anything you read on these pages — your opinions are most welcome. Let’s
keep the conversation going … for the good of the breed.
As long as we continue to talk instead
of act on what’s wrong with the Arabian
horse industry we will be stuck with what
we’ve got. — Frank Hennessey
b y
D e n i s e
H e a r s t
GONE? YOUR TURN
Glenn Petty, Executive V.P., Arabian Horse
Association, Aurora, Colorado:
Overall, Bruce’s article was very good, and he’s correct that
all breeds pretty much proportionately are experiencing the
same decline. What we all face are the changing social draws for
leisure time — soccer and other sports that are cheap, Xbox and
other media, lack of TV heroes on horses, etc.
Regional show entries are down for several reasons —
the economy, necessary changes to the Sweepstakes Program
that reversed a trend of paying out more than interest on the
principal generated, awarding of full Top 5 regardless of entries,
and qualifying points restructuring over the years.
Currently shows contribute 34.7 percent of AHA’s bottom
line compared with registration and related work, 14.4 percent;
membership, 22.7 percent; awards programs, 16.3 percent;
racing, 0.2 percent; and marketing, 11.7 percent. (In 2008,
shows contributed 37.7 percent of AHA’s bottom line compared
with registration and related work, 17.7 percent; membership,
24.3 percent; awards programs, 14.2 percent; racing, 0.1
percent; and marketing, 6.0 percent.) Since 1991, the decline in
transfers has been flatter than for registrations, with some ups
and downs. (See bar graphs below.)
Shows are important overall because they drive the market
for the importance of registration of Arabian, Half-Arabian, and
Anglo-Arabian horses. Without shows there would be virtually
no market for Arabian horses. And while Arabian horses lead the
Number of purebred registratioNs by year, 1991-2011.
Data provided by Arabian Horse Association.
13,000
n Purebred Registrations
9,750
6,500
3,250
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Purebred Registrations
Number of purebred traNsfers by year, 1991-2011.
“At Registration” means the ownership transfer was processed together with the initial registration. “Certificate” reflects all
other transfers. Data provided by Arabian Horse Association.
40000
n At Registration
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n Certificate
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Certiﬁcate
At Registration
them with merit badges. The same could be said for 4-H or
world in endurance, the volume of sales just isn’t there. Shows
pony clubs.
give us our volume drive for registration of our horses. Outside
What AHA has to do currently is focus on ways to promote
of AHA-sanctioned distance rides, there is no requirement for
our breed cost effectively and locally. Locally is where it happens
“papers” for distance horses.
initially. AHA can’t do it all, but we can feed tools to local clubs,
This also brings up another fight we face: the growing
breeders, and trainers to promote locally.
dominance of disciplines in the show world and those
AHA has steadily worked to get our financial ship in order
disciplines’ lack of requirements that horses showing in
as well as other departments. Our focus now is on what we can
disciplines be registered — i.e., reining, dressage, cutting, etc.
do in marketing, spending our marketing dollars in the most
Breeders breed for the top but must have a market for the
efficient and effective way possible plus utilizing social media as
horses that don’t make it to the top. All breeds are struggling
a new tool.
to generate a better market for those horses. The Arabian
Stan Morey and I are working on ideas, looking backward
Professional and Amateur Horseman’s Association (APAHA)
to see what’s working, what’s not, and what just needs a little
“Learn to Ride” Program is a prime new example of working
tweaking. It’s a work in progress, but not quite ready to present
to create a market from the bottom. Just ahead of that is the
to the public. But certainly we welcome everyone to come and
long-standing AHA Discovery Farms Program where horse
talk to us at any of our National events.
enthusiasts can go to have a simple contact and exposure to
Arabian horses. AHA has to do a better job of promoting fun
Howard W. Pike, Englewood, Florida:
and pleasurable activities for the noncompetitive enthusiast
Over the years I have been an owner, a breeder, and an
or prospect.
exhibitor of Arabian horses, and have served as IAHA Regional
I also have a long-standing belief that both breeders and
Director, Officer, and Executive Committee member; on the
trainers are important in our world. Trainers help generate
Board of Arabian Jockey Club; AHA Executive Committee;
the market for the breeders’ foal crops. It is also interesting
member of WAHO (World Arabian Horse Organization)
to note that trainers are now evolving into a huge part of the
executive committee; Trustee of The Arabian Horse Trust;
breeder community.
Trustee of the Arabian Horse Owners Foundation; on the
The American Horse Council is kicking off a generic horse
Board of Arabian Horse Registry; co-chair of the Arabian Horse
promotion focusing on the mother as the primary decision
Galleries at the Kentucky Horse Park; and a trustee of the
maker in children’s sports choices. In addition, I believe
Purebred Arabian Trust.
grandparents are important. The reality is that we need to focus
In my opinion, if our national organization continues to
on children under 10 and primarily girls for our marketing.
place the primary focus on
Maybe one thing
showing, we are not doing
to do is as simple
Perhaps we continue to evolve as a much
justice to this incredible Arabian
as inviting a Girl
more
urban
society
and
the
number
breed. As stewards of the breed,
Scout or Brownie
in the last 35 years we have
troop out to our
of potential new owners continues to
moved from the “family horse”
farms or helping
decrease as recreational time is more
favorably spent doing “contemporary”
things. — Curt Westley
we have shifted from a bottom-up
to the “show horse.” We are widely
AHA has not promoted the
structure to a top-down structure largely
perceived as a single-purpose breed,
amateur
halter
classes
funded by competitions. The result
because we have failed to promote within
today is that we have a national show
the Arabian horse community and the
to any degree with prize
organization (that we need to continue),
broader market, the other qualities of this
money. All the current halter
but no national breed organization. We
wonderful breed. We need to develop
prize
money
classes
are
need to unite and strengthen our support
and make available in the marketplace
of all the unique traits of the Arabian
a wide range of activities that can be
non-AHA programs and
horse. As a first step we need to join
enjoyed by owners of Arabian horses.
shows. These programs have together in a plan designed to capitalize
I recall a comment made at
on all the wonderful traits of the breed.
the end of a lengthy discussion at a
become the most popular in
We must broaden the Arabian market,
Registry board meeting (pre-merger),
the
halter
show
circuit
and
reflecting the versatility of our breed,
concerning declines within the Arabian
so that Arabian owners may participate
breed. As the meeting drew to a close,
are the main reasons a few
in activities with their horse as their
an experienced senior representative of
people are still breeding.
personal interest dictate.
another breed organization was asked
—
Robert
North
What we are doing is not working!
for his opinion after listening to the two
Continuing to do the same things, using
days of discussion. He was able to distill
the same decision structure, will most likely result in continuing
all that he had heard to this comment: “The problem is not the
decline for our breed. AQHA has sought professional advice
Arabian horse.”
and is investing to broaden the base for the Quarter Horse
This continues to be true today. We are failing as a result
breed. We need a new plan for the Arabian breed in North
of the collective actions or inaction of all of us. The horse
America, different from the past (“you can never go back”), and
is remarkable in all respects, not the best at everything, but
responsive to todays’ economics and marketplace.
between “very good” and “outstanding” at most things people
wish to do with their horse.
Tommy Garland, Powhatan, Virginia:
My participation with horses began at an early age. The
When I became involved in the Road to the Horse Colt
Arabian horse experience came later and was the result of
Starting Competition, I found it surprising that the sold-out
recognizing the unique qualities of the Arabian horse, my
crowd of 6,000 at each venue were shocked to discover that not
family’s enjoyment and their bond with the Arabian horses, the
all Arabians are little, crazy grey horses. After the presentations,
diversity of Arabian activities in the local area, and sharing all of
about 100 people came up to me and said they’d purchased
this with wonderful people with a love for the Arabian horse.
Arabians. The horses were not the most expensive but they
Over the years we (lovers of the Arabian horse) have diluted
went to owners who are now showing them and having the
our effectiveness as we each focus on our own special areas of
time of their lives. Through my involvement with RFD-TV, I’ve
interest within the Arabian breed and neglect the unique shared
increased the number of visitors to my facility, some of whom
traits of the breed. As a result of social and economic changes,
Howard W. Pike
Tommy Garland
are now clients. One wife was having so much fun, her husband
joined in. His first show was a train wreck, but he was hooked. I
also started having cookouts each evening at the shows because
the owners enjoy sharing the day’s experiences and swapping
stories about their Arabians.
Unfortunately, the industry responded with jealousy rather
than congratulations for thinking outside the box. They prefer
to reinvent the wheel over and over again. The TV shows were
relatively inexpensive, $150,000-$200,000 per year for the CPR
for the Horse and Rider series I put together, which ran three
times a week for a year, yet none of the farms I contacted to be
featured in an episode was interested. By sponsoring one of the
six to eight spots on RFD-TV, their farm would have reached
30 million horse-loving
viewers, and it’s these people
Has anyone figured who will help our industry
grow. We need to come off
out that we don’t
our high horses and interact
have enough horses with more than just the few
high-end clients with the
instant payout or we’ll die.
being shown any
One idea that initially
seemed to be a great way to
longer to justify
involve beginning amateurs
18 regions here in
was the Select Rider classes.
Unfortunately, with the
North America?
ever-shrinking size of classes
at the class A and regional
— Greg Knowles
levels, a rider who’s not
ready to compete at the
National level can be named champion at his first regional
show and then be unable to compete again at the regional level.
Suddenly your grass-roots rider is being punished instead of
encouraged.
Another major factor in the breed’s decline is transported
Greg Knowles
semen. It used to be that if you wanted to breed your mare to
a top stallion, you would look locally for a son or a stallion
with similar breeding. This would benefit the small breeder
by bringing in a little money from stud fees that they could
then spend showing a few of their own foals. Instead we
now have people breeding for the flavor of the month and
wondering who’s next, instead of doing some research to find
suitable stallions for their particular mares. As a result, the gene
pool diminishes.
The industry can be saved. We need to be truthful with
ourselves and start working for the good of the industry as a
whole, not just the individual and the short-term payout.
Greg Knowles, Arabian Expressions, Scottsdale,
Arizona:
Where do we go from here? How do we fix a problem
overnight that has taken us years to create? First, even though
we all constantly complain about the problems of this industry,
we never seem to take action and come up with a plan that
could help. There is no one glaring problem that has created this
downward slide in the Arabian horse industry, but many, almost
like a perfect storm.
I am not going to dwell on the problems, I am going
to suggest some positive ideas to help stop the downslide of
registrations and maybe some of these ideas will promote
growth. Naturally if I talk about fixes, it will be pretty obvious
what the problems are.
JUDGING
I probably hear more complaints about judging than any
other aspect of this industry. Sometimes those complaints are
justified, sometimes not. The most logical fix would be to create
a pool of professional judges that are qualified, educated, and
who do nothing else in this industry but judge. No ownership,
no breeding, no exhibiting. There are plenty of talented
horsemen and women who would do a great job. If we create
true accountability of the judges and educate them to do their
job and take away some of the pressures of playing and judging
in the same arena, we would create a level playing field.
Also, we need to try to define a world standard of
excellence, a consistent model of what we as the world Arabian
community truly want our halter horses to be. We also need to
decide what judging system would work for the whole world
and work for that consensus. Since the new scoring system
came into being there has been a great deal of divisiveness. If we
decide on a concise, intelligent system that works all over the
world, we are on our way in a more positive direction.
ShowS
Shows should be celebrations, competitions of the best
against the best. They should be to promote the Arabian horse.
We need energy and excitement in these shows. Events at
fabulous destination locations where people want to go and
enjoy their horses and each other. Location, location, location,
this is economics 101. The good news is that this has already
happened; look at the Vegas Show and the new Breeder Finals in
October in Scottsdale.
Another thing, has anyone figured out that we don’t have
enough horses being shown any longer to justify 18 regions
here in North America? Have you been to a Regional show
lately? Three or four in a class. That doesn’t benefit anyone,
certainly not this breed. How about AHA creating a big-time
regional show with more prize money, and many more top
horses? For example, let’s put Regions 1, 2, and 7 together and
call it “The Southwest Super Regional,” and rotate the location
every three years. Another
consideration for the
It is a super time to
shows would be to make
become involved
them “user friendly”
with Arabian horses! for the spectators and
exhibitors. Since the game
The top-quality
plan here, at least for this
horses are still
discussion, is growth for the industry, let’s try and have these
shows at locations and times that make sense. I have a friend
who said that here in North America we have as many potential
wealthy clients as in the Middle East; we are just not getting the
message out. So that being said, let’s get the folks to the horse.
That means shows that start at maybe ten in the morning or
later, and the most important classes, if not all classes, need to be
held on Saturday and Sunday. Successful businesspeople are not
available on Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 7:30 a.m.
Move Nationals for God’s sake. I don’t think I have ever
heard a positive statement about the town, the time of year, or
the weather. It is time to bring Nationals back to a time of year
that is more enjoyable for the exhibitors and spectators. If we
move our National horse show to maybe mid- or late September,
it is a perfect time for horses, haulers, exhibitors, and spectators
to enjoy a beautiful fall event. Since we are on the subject,
moving to Tulsa created a serious unforeseen consequence. Since
we moved our National Show to Tulsa, we have divided the
industry. The facility and the new halter system have made it so
that we no longer have the opportunity to watch each other’s
disciplines. It is important that everyone be involved in all our
disciplines. Halter and performance need to grow as one, not as
separate entities.
It is time for us to decide what we want to accomplish in
the show arena. I believe that we should present our horses in
the most positive, exciting light possible. The shows should
be fair and exciting, with a schedule that won’t kill the average
person. Also, the shows need more prize money. Let’s put our
heads together and create a task force that can create a plan,
and then put it into action to create the biggest jackpots in the
equine world.
Breeding
This industry needs to honor and protect its breeders and
acknowledge them at our national venues. After all, they create
the horse — and the energy. It is important to try and maintain
bringing a good
price, but a new
breeder can get
quality stock and
that is essential to a
newcomer’s success.
— Shawn Crews
individuals that win at the highest levels in the show arena. This
is not enough to grow an industry or even sustain an industry.
Good, honest auctions of high quality Arabians would help take
the pressure off the showring to establish value for the Arabian
horse. These auctions would be a platform for breeders to define
and market their production. A good honest auction market
would be an important component to bringing our industry
back to health.
ALL OF US
Everyone one of us, breeders and trainers and AHA, has
made some mistakes. These mistakes have brought us to where
we are today. We have lost, since 1985, almost ninety percent of
our registrations. That pains me to even think about, but that is
why we are here now. None of us paid enough attention to the
problems that were lurking around the corner. Now it’s time to
pay the piper.
AHA
This organization must get smaller and more nimble so that
it can react to the many issues that come its way. The board of
directors needs to be able to act. The delegate and convention
system is too slow and fragmented to lead. Take a lesson from
some of the other successful shows, and from clubs. They are
run like businesses, with the board of directors leading the way
and held accountable for results.
BREEDERS
Times are tough, the economy is in the Dumpster, but
breeders have to take some responsibility. Get educated, learn
your breed, and learn how to choose stallions that fit your
mares. Decide in what direction you want to go, and commit
to your success. Please don’t just breed because the new horse
is the flavor of the month, or your
best friend said they like this or that
We have seen little if any real change or new ideas horse. Go to seminars, read articles,
from the Arabian Horse Association. The only good become knowledgeable enough to make
intelligent breeding decisions.
the value of the Arabian horse so that the breeders will continue
to sell and show their offspring. There is no doubt that the
advent of transported semen has really hurt this breed. Today,
young colts can barely get started as breeding stallions. Great
young stallions are just advertisements for their sire. Breeders see
beautiful young colts in the arena and order semen from their
sire. Our gene pool has become depleted. We probably have only
ten stallions in the entire country that breed more than twentyfive mares a year. Unless a young colt is absolutely amazing,
colts have zero value. I remember in the old days when we lived
in Seattle, we would send our best mare to *Bask in Arizona to
be bred, then we would bring her home and foal her out and
never send her back to Arizona. The foal was too valuable, so
we would search in our area for a top son of *Bask to breed to.
Those days there were three good young sons in the Northwest:
Tornado, Negatraz, and Gdansk. These young colts got a chance
to evolve into breeding horses. Today that would never happen.
Also another result of just shipping our semen in a drum is
that we rarely visit the great breeding farms and meet the great
breeders and sit at their feet and learn from them. To spend a
weekend at Kale’s or Lasma, and walk through the barns with
Dr. LaCroix and Dr. Kale was an amazing experience. Today we
don’t have those mentors to teach us. We need more seminars
and education for our breeders so they can produce better foals
to sell and show.
AUCTIONS
Today, as we are constantly looking for ways to market our
horses, the high-end auction mechanism is another positive way
to sell, promote, and establish value for our horses. Currently
it appears that the only horses that have value are those few
idea was the development of the Sweepstakes
program, which was abused and then depreciated.
— Mike Weinstein
Curt Westley and Allison
Mehta-Westley
Perhaps we continue to
Trainers
The horse is remarkable in
evolve as a much more urban
Trainers need to service their
all respects, not the best at
society and the number of
clients, to be honest and listen to their
potential new owners continues
needs. Please don’t take horses just to
everything, but between “very
to decrease as recreational time
take horses. Don’t tell your clients you
good” and “outstanding” at most
is more favorably spent doing
can win or sell their horses unless you
things
people
wish
to
do
with
“contemporary” things.
really think you can. Somewhere along
Perhaps it is just too
the line we taught our clients to be
their horse. — Howard W. Pike
expensive a hobby.
flippers instead of breeders. Looking
Perhaps too many owners
back, that was a huge mistake. Today
were victims of politics and/or
we should tell new people that this is a
rigged judging.
wonderful world and if you have the passion to live with, breed,
Perhaps too many owners were victims of deceit, unethical
and enjoy the Arabian horse, by all means come on in.
practices, and/or otherwise taken advantage of, by trainers or
A client of mine said to me the other day that it is time to
“reintroduce the Arabian horse to the public once again.” I think other owners or breeders. And now they’re gone.
he is right. We have to do everything we can to get the message
Alan Kirshner, CEO, Markel Corp., and owner of
out. Seminars for new people, fairs all around the country, news
Cre Run, Doswell, Virginia:
stories, TV shows — it’s a daunting task. After all, it took us
The current economy is negatively affecting all business.
over twenty-five years to get here. However, I know we can do it.
I hope you do me a favor when you get done reading this article: That, plus the threat of taxes in the 50- to 60-percent
neighborhood looming for some and an increase for all no
get up and tell two new people about the Arabian horse, and tell
matter their income, there will be little left for most persons
them to tell two new people who will tell two new people and
after necessities are paid.
we will be on our way. Hopefully we won’t screw it up this time.
With this said, the economy will right itself in the long run,
but will the Arabian horse industry?
Curt Westley, Talaria Farms, Atlanta, Georgia:
Remember, this industry was facing big problems before
Could it be that the inflated numbers of the previous
2008. Only the influx of South American and Middle Eastern
decade(s) were representative of a larger number of Arabian
money kept it going.
owners as opposed to Arabian lovers? How many horses were
The horse business forever has been inhabited by a small
purchased and/or bred due to vanity, or ego-drunken logic, or a
fringe of dishonest persons. Call them what you want, they
“solid” business plan?
practice bribery, lies, Ponzi-like schemes, conflict of interest,
Perhaps the current numbers represent a purer Arabian
and a variety of other unethical behavior. (Sound like the stock
owner or breeder, truly driven by the pleasure of owning and/or
market?) The Arabian industry leaders stuck their head in the
breeding?
sand and fought the wrong battles.
Perhaps the current numbers indicate a soon-to-be
We hoped the consolidation of the Registry with IAHA
recognized quality-beats-quantity reality?
Unfortunately, the industry
responded with jealousy
rather than congratulations for
thinking outside the box.
— Tommy Garland
Deb Mihaloff and Alan Kirshner
would have the right effect. Instead, we merely invited the fox
into the henhouse.
Bottom line, the best and quickest way to solve the problem
is to create a group of no more than five persons to hire a CEO
(a czar if you like). Those five persons would pay their own way,
getting minimum expenses. The CEO would be well paid and
answerable for specific results. If the results, such as increase in
owners, breeding, etc., are not reached, that person goes. The
five person group should serve staggered terms and can serve
only one term.
Several years ago I wrote a similar letter to the World
emphasizing the same things. Nothing happened; no one listens.
In closing, let me say I see or hear literally every day about
a daughter of an employee or an acquaintance getting their first
horse. The people are there, but the Arabian is not foremost …
Walter Farley, where are you?
shows going and gets people interested. Look at the money
programs that have been set up by independent clubs like the
Scottsdale Signature program, the Region 12 Spotlight, Iowa
Gold Star, Minnesota Medallion Stallion. Now, why isn’t AHA
setting those money programs up? The only money programs
AHA has are the National Futurity and the Performance
Futurity, but those programs are pretty tiny. Halter guys are now
guiding their clientele toward five shows that really have nothing
to do with AHA. And that’s a shame for AHA —they should
have been involved in leading the way.
They should be trying to get in the doors at those
shows and instead they’re running the other way. Our breed
organization should be supportive of anyone trying to promote
the Arabian horse.
AHA was originally designed to promote the Arabian horse
— that’s what its mission statement says. They spend a lot of
energy policing trainers and writing new rules, and doing things
so that their four National horse shows make money. But a lot
of the decisions they make to help the horse shows don’t help
Rob Bick, RBC Show Horses, LLC, Smithfield, North
Carolina:
Regarding declining memberships in
AHA, it seems Arabian owners are only
Bottom line, the best and quickest way to
getting memberships if they’re showing,
and the people who have Arabians but
solve the problem is to create a group of no
who are not showing don’t think they
more than five persons to hire a CEO (a czar
need a membership anymore.
AHA could borrow AQHA’s idea:
if you like). The CEO would be well paid and
members can get 10 percent off at Ford
or John Deere because they are sponsors
answerable for specific results. If the results,
of AQHA. If AHA promoted discounts
with their sponsors, that would be a big
such as increase in owners, breeding, etc., are
thing. I get an AQHA membership so
that I can get 10 percent off when I buy a not reached, that person goes.
tractor. It pays for itself just like that.
— Alan Kirshner
The other thing is, money programs
for the horse shows are what keeps the
Rob Bick
the breed. They don’t promote the breed at a local level. For
instance, if you eliminate the qualifications for yearlings and
they can just come to Nationals, you’ve damaged every class
A and Regional show for yearling halter classes. If they don’t
have to qualify — they’re not going to go. By removing the
qualifications, we’ve done a disservice to the local shows.
Regional shows are struggling to make money as well. We
probably do have too many regionals. The Eastern half of the
country hasn’t been as hard hit as the West yet, but I think
Region 6 is suffering to the point that they’d love to join with
Region 8. Regional restructuring may make more sense.
At the class A level there are three- and four-day horse
shows with three sessions of classes, morning, noon, and night
with a bunch of one- and two- and three-horse classes. It’s a
waste of time. If you don’t have the horses to fill those classes,
you should cut the number of classes. Cut the number of days
and make it more affordable so that people aren’t missing so
much work.
I think there is a healthy number of horses born every year
and I don’t think it’s 30,000. I don’t think it’s 3,000. I think it’s
somewhere in between. I think 8,000 or 10,000 a year would
be a healthy number of horses. We’ve got to help the breeders
in order to get the horses on the ground, and that’s where the
money programs come in.
Breeders Sweepstakes was originally set up to help breeders,
it wasn’t “Amateurs” Sweepstakes. If we want to set something
up for the amateurs, let’s create a different program for them.
Instead we diluted the program we had to the point where it’s
now worthless. There was a time when if I went to sell a horse,
the buyer would ask, “Is it in the Sweepstakes?” and if it wasn’t,
they wouldn’t buy it. They don’t ask anymore. When there’s
not enough money to even pay for your show bill if you win —
well, that’s not a very good program. John Wheeler started that
program so that breeders would get a kickback for every winning
foal they produced. Their stallion would get a kickback, too.
That’s the kind of incentive that puts horses on the ground.
I think it’s important to get those academy programs going,
too, so people have an inexpensive opportunity to compete
in a relaxed atmosphere at the local level. They can still be
competitive and learn and if they want to go further, they can
buy more expensive horses that are more competitive at a higher
level. It’s good for breeders, too, as a place to market local-level
horses. It helps the local trainers fill their barns. That’s where
we’re drying up — at the roots. We need to get some life down
there.
There are two things that the Arabian horse is famous for
right now: they’re expensive and they’re crazy. AHA needs to
change that. We’ve got to show that these horses are not all
expensive and they are every bit as much a family horse as any
Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Foxtrotter, or Welsh pony.
Bruce Johnson’s graphs that showed how the other breeds
grew compared with our breed over the last couple of decades
were fascinating. You can blame it on the economy if you want
to, but the economy has not always been bad and we have
continued to shrink in comparison with other breeds, whether
the economy has been good or bad. So that means we have a
problem with promotion.
I don’t think that AHA has made one good decision in the
last 25 years to grow this breed. And the reason I can say that
is that the breed hasn’t grown. Tell me one thing that has been
done to grow the breed. There’s nothing.
As for the structure of AHA, we may do well to look at
AQHA. They have an executive making decisions — things
move faster that way. Somehow, some way, we have to get
our focus on
promotion.
The U.S.
I believe that people’s
Nationals is a
great place to
perceptions of
promote the
Arabians are at odds
with what they want
to do with their horse
in the back field on
weekends — and
that is chasing away
potential new owners.
— Leslie Hammel-Turk
Arabian horse and I don’t care where that horse show is held,
but it needs to be an event that showcases the Arabian. The
promotional committee showcased the Arabian very well at the
last show in Louisville; attendance was high and there was lots of
activity. You could do the same thing in Tulsa or Waterloo — I
don’t care where the show is, it needs to be promoted as a special
event that will attract people.
U.S. Nationals has never been promoted to attract
international visitors. Scottsdale gets international traffic.
Las Vegas gets international traffic. The Egyptian Event gets
international traffic! Why can’t U.S. Nationals be an event that
draws international traffic?
I would not add more classes. I would try to shorten those
days. I would put in more presentations of past winners. Maybe
put in presentations of special things that have happened in
the breed. Outstanding horses of all our disciplines. Let people
come and enjoy the horse show without feeling like they’re in
a marathon. We run people into the ground from morning to
night. It’s not fun.
Maybe the show is too big. Maybe there need to be tougher
qualifications so that only the very, very, very best show up and
there’s only one cut because nobody else qualified.
Maybe trainers would regret taking fewer horses, but if
you’re not going for as many days and you’re able to go to a
couple of other shows that make up for it, you’re going to make
the same amount of money.
Actually at a show I attended, the guys were kind of making
fun of a halter horse that showed up. It wasn’t competitive. It
was a little backyard horse with a backyard lady. They said,
“There’s a reason right there why half the class shouldn’t be
awarded a prize for showing up.” But that’s not the problem.
Sometimes there’s only three in a class and they’re all National
Champions. What are you going to do, knock a National
Champion out for showing up? The issue is in qualification:
How did that lady qualify? It wasn’t tough enough for her to
qualify so here she
We need to come off
is at Nationals.
our high horses and
To make the U.S.
interact with more than
Nationals special, it
should be tougher
just the few high-end
to qualify. Because
clients with the instant
once you get there
payout or we’ll die.
you should be
— Tommy Garland
rewarded. It should
mean something to
be there. And that’s
a step in the direction of making our Nationals more exciting …
and better promotion for the breed.
Mike Weinstein, Morgan Hill, California:
There are no easy answers to the problematic decline
of Arabian horse breeding in the U.S. My family started a
breeding farm in 1974, and we were there to witness the rise the
Arabian horse business in the 1980s. Unfortunately, at that time
American breeders had an opportunity to build a strong and
enduring base, and they failed to do so. After many of our top
breeders and leaders in the industry began leaving the business,
people such as the LaCroixs, the Kales, the Pattersons, and
Imperial Egyptian Stud, there was a kind of vacuum where the
understanding of how to breed great Arabian horse bloodstock
once existed. And this lack of knowledge has really never been
repaired. The La Croix family almost singlehandedly brought
the Arabian horse to levels only dreamt about by those in
other breeds.
We have seen little if any real change or new ideas from
the Arabian Horse Association. The only good idea was the
development of the Sweepstakes program, which was abused
and then depreciated. We really need to evaluate the Arabian
Horse Association and decide if we want to continue to
watch our breed deteriorate, or start a new, smaller entity of
Our focus now is on what we can do
in marketing, spending our marketing
dollars in the most efficient and effective
way possible plus utilizing social media
as a new tool. — Glenn Petty
Mike Weinstein
Another area where we might reinvigorate the breed is
breeders, owners, and professionals who have the energy and
through the reinvention of the Arabian Horse Fair. Perhaps
understanding of what needs to be done to improve the breed.
we could combine fairs with our regional shows as a place to
I believe we can turn things around, but it will take new
showcase horses. Every regional show has the opportunity
leadership and new ideas. And it won’t happen overnight.
to provide outreach, education, and to be a place where new
We might begin by evaluating other breeds that have
enthusiasts can go to learn more about our horses. The regional
successfully sparked new interest; take the best ideas and use
shows should also be strategically located to provide maximum
these to develop a plan for the Arabian. There is no need to
exposure of the Arabian horse to the public.
re-create the wheel.
Lastly, we need to improve the quality of judging. With the
I believe we should reduce the number of our regional
movement in the last thirty years of real specialization in the
shows to a number that can draw 400-plus horses. This may be
training of Arabian horses, we have few remaining trainers who
eight to 10 shows. I was at a few regional shows this year and
show breeding horses as well as performance horses. I have never
some of the classes had only one or two entries. We can always
seen such poor decisions being made in the judging arena of
add more shows in the future as needed.
breeding horses as I have seen in the last few years. We need to
We need to improve the quality of our shows and make
recruit more breeders to get judges cards and do a better job of
them friendly and educational for potential new Arabian
preparing them to judge breeding horses. I still like the idea of
enthusiasts. First, the judging system needs to be more
having professional judges so that a professional horseman could
understandable and user-friendly. If owners don’t comprehend
make a fair living judging horses. We have lots of professionals
the current judging system, how can we expect visiting guests
out there who may not be able to make a living training horses,
to understand and enjoy the show experience? Next, the shows
but are very well equipped to judge. We also need to develop
are not any fun for the audience. We need to find a way to draw
people in and to make the experience something they really want better oversight of our judging system. Judges need to know that
if they don’t do a good job, they can be removed. Our exhibitors
to be a part of. I visited the Arabian Finals in Scottsdale last
and trainers need to feel confident that they are getting a fair
year, and it really felt like the Scottsdale show from years gone
and professional review from judges, and that judges at the
by. It was not overwhelming, the hours were reasonable, the
regional and national level have a deep and
visitors were not cordoned off by ropes,
knowledgeable background of the classes
and guests were free to move around and
It’s
time
to
put
the
that they are being asked to judge.
meet with other guests and exhibitors in
the ring. After the show was over, there
“social” back into the
Deb Mihaloff-Kirshner, Cre
was a great party where everyone enjoyed
clubs … move some
Run, Doswell, Virginia:
music and dancing. What a novel idea,
Any intelligent businessman would
a great town, a beautiful venue, and a
club meetings out of
have to have serious doubts about being
chance for breeders, trainers, exhibitors,
restaurants and back
in today’s Arabian horse show business.
and guests to mingle and talk about
Why? To begin with, many of our show
our wonderful horses. We may be on to
to
farms
and
invite
horse trainers are also bloodstock agents.
something here.
enthusiasts to attend.
— Bruce Johnson
This is a conflict of interest. We all know that the majority of
the judges actively adjudicating within our industry, also breed,
own, or train Arabian horses. This is also a conflict of interest.
Having admitted that we have more than a few political and
ethical problems, counterproductive to the growth of our
breed, the Arabian industry does currently have an advantage
over many industries, equine and otherwise. Today, those with
a decade or more of serious involvement with Arabian horses
are true diehards. They are bona fide Arabian horse aficionados
and breeders. They love their Arabians and in many cases have
had to make real sacrifices in order to keep them during our
recent economic downturn. These owners and breeders have
not perceived the Arabian horse business as strictly a monetary
investment the way owners have done in the Thoroughbred
industry. If you go to Saratoga Springs and visit the Racing Hall
of Fame, exhibits actually point out how the Thoroughbred
industry owners have
changed from serious
We need to have a lot
breeders to horse investors.
of nice small shows
They simply do not have the
where the actual owner
passion for their horses that
one can still find within the
can participate and
Arabian horse industry.
show his horses without
On the track, where
our Arabian horses race
having to pay these
on the same cards as the
incredibly high show
Thoroughbreds, we have
fees. — Sigi Siller
people from that industry
tell us frequently how much
fun they have with the Arabian racing people. It’s fun because
we are now the way people in the Thoroughbred industry were,
once upon a time. Almost all Arabian horses racing today are
owned by people who breed Arabian racehorses. We love them
just as much as those breeders who take them to horse shows.
The biggest difference between the showing and racing groups
is that racing Arabian owners now pay less than horse show
exhibitors to train and compete with our horses and we have
the opportunity to make good money racing and pay for our
enjoyment. In today’s Arabian show world the same people
are asked over and over again to sponsor things and to pay
increasingly higher and higher fees and costs to exhibit. This
constant “going to the well” eventually wears out the sources and
drives them to refuse to participate temporarily, or worse — to
leave permanently. In the racing world the betting public pays
for us to run our horses. If our horses are successful, we race
them and profit. If they are not successful, we send them home
and place them in another discipline, like endurance racing, one
of our important secondary markets. Racehorse trainers don’t
want losing horses filling up box stalls at the track that could be
occupied by successful racehorses. Those winning race checks are
far more important to our trainers than keeping stalls filled with
paying boarders.
Recently there has been much sponsorship support
from the Middle East, for both Thoroughbred and Arabian
horse racing internationally. The Middle East seems to have a
twofold purpose determining their support. As the homeland
of the Arabian horse, the Middle Easterners have collectively
decided to put forward this most beautiful equine treasure
as their ambassador to the world, and in so doing they have
also strategically set their sights on venues that will effectively
showcase the Arabian horse to the masses. In this country, their
first real success with this new program was the running of the
Arabian President’s Cup at Keeneland Racetrack in Lexington in
the fall of 2010. In 2011, they negotiated with Churchill Downs
and, although we did not get to run on Kentucky Derby Day,
we did have a race at Churchill on their second-biggest weekend,
Stephen Foster Day. This year, the Arabians ran at Pimlico in
Maryland on the card with the Preakness, second jewel in the
Thoroughbred Triple Crown of horse racing. There were over
40,000 people in attendance that day last May at Pimlico, and
these are just a few of the opportunities now available to Arabian
racehorses all over the world.
What’s difficult for me to understand is why these
enormous success stories of outreach, exposure, and opportunity
for Arabian racehorses have created so little stir within our
collective Arabian horse industry. Here is a once-in-a-century
opportunity to showcase our Arabian horse to literally thousands
and thousands of people globally, expose our breed to interested
newcomers and truly help us to grow. What is wrong with
our industry? At this very late date, when anemic registrations
and a serious lack of new owners threaten our breed’s very
survival in this country, why do we remain frozen into inaction
by shortsighted, outdated personal agendas? Are our trainers
and owners really so uneducated and uninformed? Why is
there so little exposure given to versatile niche disciplines like
Arabian racing by our media outlets, except for Arabian Horse
World, which covers Arabian racing on a regular basis? These
are Arabian horses and what happens to them affects every one
of us.
Here is where I have to stop and seriously thank Arabian
Horse World for continuing this critical discussion. Dialogue
is the first step toward solutions. Perception is also critically
important and a look at the larger view can also help us achieve
change. No matter what any of us thinks is the cause of our
breed problems we have to take into account the larger picture.
The entire equine industry has problems with diminishing
status and importance. It’s very obvious to those of us racing
Arabians that the Thoroughbred is the “representative horse”
primarily recognized by the world outside of the horse business.
Of all our breeds in this country it has by far the largest number
of participants and spectators. It would behoove all of us to
understand this and to capitalize and coattail on this most
visible of all horse breeds. The Thoroughbred can and does
affect the rest of the world when it comes to overall exposure
to horses, and no other breed is nearly as well positioned as the
Thoroughbred to elicit interest in horses by the general public.
Just as the Thoroughbred creates interest, our breed has
discouraged interest and been badly branded over the past thirty
years by our competition and some rather bad press we have
virtually encouraged, rather than countered. For instance, the
Arabian horse is generally perceived to be a very costly horse.
We broadcast loudly when horses in our breed sell for six figures
and frequently neglect to tell the story about the Arabian horse
found at the slaughterhouse, rehabilitated, and then shown to
championships. The Thoroughbred industry and its media have
created great promotion touting these heartwarming, “ragsto-riches” stories. Why are we so reluctant to understand the
meaning and value of these stories? I have heard trainers say
that they don’t want to talk to anyone not willing to pay at least
$30,000 for an Arabian horse, and I have heard of as many as six
people or more making a commission on an Arabian horse sale.
Well, no wonder the Arabian is perceived to be too expensive.
A great many things created the myth that Arabian horses
are too spirited and difficult to handle. More than ever before in
the history of the horse in this country, the horse owner wants
to have a horse they can ride and interact with personally. In
the racing industry it’s common knowledge that the Arabian is
smarter than the Thoroughbred, and usually smarter than its
trainer or handler. Disposition? You have only to walk through
The fact that the numbers of straight
Egyptian horses have held steady, even
grown, over the last ten years might
suggest that the Pyramid Society has
been doing something right.
— Allison Mehta-Westley
the backside at the track and see the Arabians hanging their
heads out over the stall doors looking for a pat or a treat, and
enjoying life as a racehorse. They are doing what God created
them to do … take flight, and what the Bedouin bred them
to do for centuries … run like the wind. You can also go to an
endurance race and see well-behaved Arabians tied to trailers
and standing in makeshift pens. Most were purchased for less
than $5,000. The owners and their family members are riding
and grooming, all in a family setting. The Arabian is the finest
family and personal companion horse ever created. Why not
rebrand our horses in that direction?
Breed programs and futurities have not produced the
positive results
we should all be
The board of directors
enjoying. We
have had several
needs to be able to
opportunities to
be this country’s
act. The delegate and
equine leaders
convention system
in prize money
programs, a great
is too slow and
incentive for
fragmented to lead.
newcomers and
breeders. Instead,
— Greg Knowles
questionable
spending and
unfortunate mismanagement of funds by some have damaged
the overall integrity of all these programs and our breed.
Breeders nominate stallions so that the stallion offspring are
eligible for prize money classes, and with each nomination
there are fewer paid stud fees. In most cases the owner of the
stallion not only nominates his horse but ends up buying the
breeding back to establish a stud fee value, another questionable
business practice. Right now there is a limited supply of people
able to afford breeding fees. It is also very sad that Arabian
horse breeders are not given enough credit for being breeders,
either financially or via recognition. Arabian horses are also sold
domestically and internationally and have their names changed,
removing the breeder’s initials. That’s so painful for the breeder
trying to develop or maintain a good reputation. I am told that
WAHO is trying to address this concern. I hope that they do.
The Arabian show scene is rife with accusations of cruelty,
some actual and some imagined. It is the same for the Arabian
racehorse. As previously discussed, the racetrack is a very public
and visible venue. We are all wise to present our horses to people
in the manner we wish them to be perceived … comfortable,
friendly, intelligent, and kind. We would also be wise, in this
climate where obscene greed in big business and on Wall Street is
heavily criticized publicly, to provide a haven of integrity within
the horse business. Imagine a place where people smile and say
“hello” when you walk into the barn at a farm or a show and
make it their business to welcome visitors and be ambassadors for
the Arabian breed. What if we had horse shows and events that
were not the most expensive in the equine industry? What if they
were specifically created to be affordable and entertaining for
horse people as well as ordinary people? What if these shows or
events routinely offered one session, perhaps an entire Saturday
afternoon, devoted to children, newcomers, and families where
there were schooling classes, entertaining demonstrations, open
barns, light refreshments, and delightful opportunities to learn
and interact with horsemen and Arabian horses? Imagine.
Frank Hennessey, Hennessey Arabian Farms,
Ocala, Florida:
It’s no secret that the graphs showing the decline and
diminishment of the Arabian horse are alarming. Conversations
around what is wrong and discussions explaining the underlying
reasons are interesting, but by their nature are problematic. As
long as we continue to talk instead of act on what’s wrong with
the Arabian horse industry we will be stuck with what we’ve got.
Frank Hennessey
We own it. It’s like Walt Kelly, the creator of the “Pogo” comic
strip, saying, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Talking
about solving problems is of little use, unless we are willing to
shift our focus away from history and move it toward telling the
truth about the present, thereby creating the future we want.
What defines the present context, the fundamental
commitments of the Arabian horse industry? The answer: The
motivating factor at this moment in time is purely commercial
finance. Don’t get me wrong; the profit motive is an absolute
necessity in any industry if it is going to thrive. But what’s
missing for me is a collective purpose, a strategic intent, based
upon a future that we all desire. What is our vision for the future
— say five years out? What does it look like, and what do we
want it to be?
We cannot get there from where we are today if the
fundamental motive is simply financial. There must be a greater
and more compelling purpose. For this industry to grow and be
successful it must be based upon capturing the hearts and minds
of the American people. How do we do that? First, we need to
be aligned with a common and agreed-upon strategic intent.
Nothing will change without a new context, and it must be
bold and game changing. It must be noble in purpose. It must
reflect why we love the Arabian
Our new strategic
horse. Our new strategic intent
must expose the beauty and
intent must expose
functionality of the Arabian
the beauty and
horse to all Americans. It
must share our pleasure in
functionality of the
the Arabian horse with the
Arabian horse to all
vast public. It must educate,
Americans. It must
promote, demonstrate, and
demand leadership from our
share our pleasure
association to deliver on this
in the Arabian horse
intent.
with the vast public.
Second, the opportunity
to create the future we all want needs to be based on spreading
the joy we all feel from our relationship with the horse. This
is a universal joy — accessible to all, with the right exposure.
Imagine a promotion of the Arabian horse to the community
at large; exposure via platforms like the horse show “Cavalia,”
movies like “The Black Stallion” and “Arabian Nights,” and the
use of the Arabian horse in therapeutic programs for physically
and mentally challenged individuals. Imagine families learning
about the history of the Arabian horse, via National Geographic
and a virtual visit to the Arabian horse museum in Kentucky.
Imagine broadcasting competitions throughout the country for
both halter and performance horses in activities such as reining,
driving, English pleasure, and country pleasure.
The purpose is to demonstrate the magnificence of the
Arabian horse and its interactions with humans. It’s not new,
it’s been forever, and it cannot be lost. With the right vision and
direction, we can create a “National Transformation Institute”
toward this end. We can describe the future, develop an action
plan, and watch it unfold as a shared reality. Our mission
together can be to invent, ignite, and implement a future for the
Arabian horse, the industry, and countless people in America.
Third, the challenge for all of us is to establish agreedupon principles for governing this magnificent world known
as the Arabian horse industry. The task will be to co-invent our
own definition of the industry, as we want it to be. Imagine
an “Arabian Horse Institute” whose vision is to promote the
wonders of the Arabian horse, and create a national demand
from people who want to be involved. Imagine it as a positive
force; a branding of the Arabian horse by focusing on creating
a genuine public image of the Arabian horse that represents the
possibility it can be in our lives through education, promotion,
demonstration projects, and marketing.
In the spirit of this message, I’ve established a blog setting
forth concepts, describing examples and seeking input from
all who care about the treasure of the Arabian horse. Stop by
It must educate,
promote, demonstrate,
and demand
leadership from our
association to deliver
on this intent.
— Frank Hennessey
at www.stateofarabians.com. Take our
opinion survey, share your thoughts
with us, and sign up to be a part of the
dialogue.
Imagine creativity unleashed —
together, we can change the world.
I thank Arabian Horse World
for starting this dialogue, and
for contributing to us all in a
meaningful way.
I see or hear literally every day about
a daughter of an employee or an
acquaintance getting their first horse. The
people are there but the Arabian is not
foremost … Walter Farley, where are you?
Shawn Crews, Manager,
Arabians Ltd., Waco, Texas:
Of all the reasons mentioned
in Bruce Johnson’s article regarding
declining registrations in the U.S., I
have seen the cost of care and the shaky economy be the biggest
factors in why more people are not buying horses now, or selling
or not breeding the ones they have. In the last five years hay and
grain prices have tripled; that is substantial. Prior to the hike in
those expenses, feed was always a factor in the annual budget,
but not like it is today. That fact means that many Arabian
owners are cutting back on breeding, showing, and a lot of the
fun things they love to do with their horses.
We all know the economy affects people’s decisions about
how they spend their discretionary funds. Many are fascinated by
these horses and can afford them, but they’re just holding back
until they feel a bit more confident in the economic future.
The U.S. is exporting a lot of Arabian horses and our breed
has totally gone global. I would just guess the worldwide numbers
are slowly expanding and will continue to grow as those horses are
bred and produce. Obviously those foals are being born around
the world and not in the U.S. But this is not a bad thing.
Having mentioned some of the challenges, I still firmly
believe there is a bright future for this breed. Those people for
— Alan Kirshner
Shawn Crews
whom having a horse has been a life dream will find a way to
get involved and there is a lot more we can do to attract them to
Arabian horses. They will buy a horse at some point in their life,
so exposing these amazing animals is key.
Exposure should not be the responsibility of AHA alone,
it is something that all of us who have chosen to “do horses”
as our life passion are responsible for. And there are simply not
enough people available to promote our breed and help the
novice owners and breeders with the guidance they need to be
successful. In the Thoroughbred business, there are bloodstock
agents who help buyers and sellers. New horse owners also
find it hard to find young trainers to work with around the
country. Many of the established training centers are full and
have obligations to their longtime clients. So we have few venues
for new people to get help training their horses for halter or
performance, and we all know the experience some have when
they send their Arabian horse to a trainer of different breeds.
Supporting the young professionals and bloodstock agents
so the new breeders have “people” is huge. If you knew nothing
about racing, and wanted to get into it, you would look for a
either correctable or very controllable.
Of course, the economy plays a large part. Breeding and
showing Arabian horses requires a very personal involvement.
The affordability of properly providing for a horse is certainly a
major consideration. We do not have a lot of people coming into
the industry because of financial restrictions and limitations. The
desire might be there — the necessary affordability is not.
Another, more emotional reason, is that many of the newly
involved people feel that they are not having a good experience
and they quickly leave. They are being taken advantage of by
trainers who are so motivated by their own interests that they
cycle through clients in the short term, instead of nurturing a
long-term client relationship.
Our market for the $10,000 to $40,000 horse has suffered
because some marketer/agents only spend their time and energy
trying to sell high-dollar horses. There is a huge economic
imbalance in this problem. But then again, what do we have to
offer the $15,000 show horse?
The days of classes full of $15,000 to $25,000 show horses,
competing enthusiastically at their level are gone. Our AHA
halter scoring system is demoralizing to the lower and mid-range
quality horse. It unnecessarily insults the majority of participants.
AHA’s attitude is counterproductive because it actually suggests
that owners not show their $15,000 horse unless they are willing
to endure the low-scoring insult as an award.
Manny Vierra, Valley Oak Arabians, Brentwood,
I personally register 10 to 20 foals per year, yet I have never
California:
had my regional AHA director or any of the AHA leadership
First, let’s not forget that it is the passion for the Arabian
horse that binds all of us! For most of us, the love of the Arabian come to me for my opinion.
High-dollar sales are welcomed by all but the stabilizing
horse is our motivation. But where have all our horses gone? And
of our industry requires that breeders with a solid breeding
why are the numbers declining?
foundation produce Arabian horses of interest to all market
I believe there are a number of clearly defined factors that
have caused our Arabian horse population to decline. And all are demographics, large and small. We must direct positive energy
back into the show arenas that will
service the majority of breeders. Then
There are two things that the Arabian horse is
we will see the $15,000 Arabian horse in
professional to guide you. Developing a professional network
that newcomers could tap into would be huge! I really believe
this is one of the major factors as to why Arabian breeders are not
attracting more of the market share of horse lovers. Our industry
needs to offer more in the way of services to horse owners and
prospective buyers.
Although there are fewer foals being produced, with embryo
transfer and thoughtful breeding decisions, the overall quality
that knowledgeable breeders are producing is impressive. We
breed Egyptian Arabians, and have felt the economic stress that
others have but we still have a solid market for quality horses.
I do see a positive trend in the breeding business, but with
a smaller number of horses. Those people generally do well, and
in a slow market year have no problem as they are not carrying
a large number of horses. It is a super time to become involved
with Arabian horses! The top-quality horses are still bringing a
good price, but a new breeder can get quality stock and that is
essential to a newcomer’s success.
So, there is a lot we can all do. Certainly we would like to
see the numbers come up, but less does not have to be a bad
thing. It gives us all the great opportunity to help reshape the
future of the breed we love so and do a better job with all we
have learned.
famous for right now: they’re expensive and
they’re crazy. AHA needs to change that. We’ve
got to show that these horses are not all expensive
and they are every bit as much a family horse as
any Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Fox Trotter, or
Welsh pony. — Rob Bick
Manny and Diana Vierra
demand again.
Currently, our market is only active within our very own
limited community. Breeders cannot keep breeding and selling
just to other breeders. One of the primary market strategies
at Valley Oak Arabians is to promote our quality horses to
newcomers — this is a must in our industry.
On the positive side, there have been some great efforts
made with shows like our Breeders Cup in Las Vegas. This
excellent show has done a lot to bring new people to the U.S.
from other countries. And the live-feed Internet coverage has
exposed our products in a very favorable and energizing manner.
It has done a lot for our industry! Of equal importance, the
show has been a lot of fun and very positive for new people
coming and having a good time. In fact, all have a great
time, and all leave with an optimism that they take back to
their countries.
Marketing rules apply: If breeders (large and small)
do not market their horses, they obviously cut back the
numbers in breeding. As a result fewer horses are registered,
fewer horses shown; fewer shows for mid-range quality, and
lower participation.
Our regional shows in California: Regions 1, 2, and 3
have all steadily declined in numbers over the last 15 years.
But, to me, the last five years have been the most dramatic.
Once the numbers per class dropped below the top-five
line, it seemed that the reason for its being referred to as
“competition” vanished.
There is no more Cal-Bred Futurity. I remember when
there were over 30 horses in each of the seven Cal-Bred
classes, and the champion three-year-old colt and filly were the
I personally register 10
to 20 foals per year, yet
I have never had my
legitimate front-runners for the U.S. and Canadian National
Futurities. Now, the show doesn’t even exist! The Cal-Bred
Futurities were like our Rose Bowl game is to college football!
The horses bred in North America are unsurpassed by any in
the world, a fact demonstrated by the majority of international
champions that are from the U.S. or who feature our horses in
their pedigrees. That tells me that our quality has held to the
highest standard.
That said, we need to be sure that new people experiencing
the breed do not have negative experiences, and that we longtimers don’t lose our passion.
There are a handful of trainers at the top of our industry
who have mastered the art of selling and marketing for the
benefit of their clients and themselves. But let’s not forget
the newcomers coming in, because they need to be the next
generation of enthusiasts to advance our breed into the future.
Again! Let’s not forget that it is the passion for the Arabian
horse that binds all of us! Hopefully we won’t continue to let
short-term goals separate us and hurt our industry.
Robert North, North Arabians, Ramona,
California:
Breeding is, to a large degree, done by halter people. They
are motivated by having foals that can be shown and sold at a
young age (like zero to two years). For a performance horse,
you usually have to wait for two to four years before you have
a market. The halter breeders need to have a number of shows
where the young foals, yearlings, and two-year-olds can be
shown. AHA has worked hard to eliminate these shows by
requiring that the young horses be in sweepstakes or several other
restrictions. This reduces the number of young horses that are
eligible to show. In addition, the AHA shows for halter are very
bad shows. They are long in terms of number of days and usually
AHA shows no real interest in or promotion of the halter classes.
In addition, many of the AHA shows do not even have those
regional AHA director
or any of the AHA
leadership come to me
for my opinion.
— Manny Vierra
Robert and Dixie North
that could be reviewed and initiated.
classes anymore but there are no AHA
An experienced senior
It is a hard problem, and to my
shows for just halter. The Class A shows
representative
of
another
knowledge currently AHA is doing
have now deteriorated to just a place to
nothing to address the issue.
qualify for Regionals and the Regionals
breed organization was
run for at least four days. Therefore,
asked for his opinion after Sigi Siller, Om El Arab
the breeder is not motivated to go to
International, Santa Ynez,
these shows the way they are promoted;
listening to the two days
California:
the shows run for many days of every
I believe the current state of the
performance category you can think of,
of discussion. He was able
Arabian breed is indicative of the
and have little or no “fun factor.”
to distill all that he had
overall decline of everything, but
AHA does not have any breeder
the economic decline is only partly
awards or promotions. Breeders are not
heard to this comment:
responsible for the declining numbers
treated any better than someone who
“The problem is not the
of production of Arabian horses. This
owns one backyard Arabian riding horse.
decline was already happening long
They should set up programs to promote
Arabian horse.”
before 2008. I remember attending
breeders with awards, recognition, and
—
Howard
W.
Pike
workshops organized by the Purebred
money rewards. Instead, the breeders
Arabian Trust and the Arabian Horse
are expected to pay big nomination
Owners Foundation years ago to find
fees for their unborn foals to support
ways to improve our industry and to brainstorm how to increase
prize money for the performance people after the horse is
numbers in foals being born. Yes, horses are a luxury and when
under saddle.
times are tough, these luxury items are the first ones to go.
The few new “fun shows” for young halter horses and
breeders are all currently non-AHA shows (i.e., Scottsdale halter, However, as mentioned several times before, the Quarter Horse
industry was able to turn their declining numbers around.
Vegas World Cup, Breeders Finals, etc).
In my opinion Arabian horses are still a high-end luxury
AHA has not promoted the amateur halter classes to any
item. Only affluent people can afford to own an Arabian show
degree with prize money. All the current halter prize money
classes are non-AHA programs and shows. These programs have horse, whether in halter or in performance on higher levels.
Exceptions are the endurance and NATRC world. These
become the most popular in the halter show circuit and are the
events are still mainly occupied by hands-on owners who pride
main reason a few people are still breeding.
themselves on caring for their horses on a daily basis. They
AHA could initiate a number of breeder incentives to
get immense satisfaction in preparing their horses for these
reward the few breeders we still have rather than punish them
competitions and ride them to their placings themselves. The
with programs that cost extra fees and shows that are way
few exceptions are some foreign competitors who either buy
too long for the U.S. and international breeder to attend or
already proven endurance horses or rent a horse to compete in
participate in with their horses.
our endurance races. I believe that there is no other breed more
These are a few ideas but are only the beginning of ideas
Sigi Siller
suitable for endurance than the Arabian horse.
We as breeders and horse owners have to create more
affordable, fun events for Arabian horse lovers. We need to have
a lot of nice small shows where the actual owner can participate
and show his horses without having to pay these incredibly high
show fees. This also requires capable judges who can evaluate
horses without the hard stand-up. Fun has to return to Arabian
horse events! There is this misconception that Arabian horses are
high energy and sometimes dangerous. Our breed organizations
should work to create a better image for our breed.
Bruce Johnson, Bint Al Bahr Arabians, Buckeye,
Arizona:
There are as many good ideas for stabilizing the declining
numbers as there are great people working within the Arabian
breed. Here are some of mine:
Breed for the future — As the country recovers from its
economic challenges, the cost of breeding and raising horses will
continue to rise and fewer horses will be bred. The best advice is
to breed the best animals possible.
• Educate yourself and perform the required research; don’t just
rely on flashy photos and videos.
• When at all practicable, visit a prospective stallion to study
its conformation. View its offspring to see how the stallion’s
genetics influenced the offspring produced by different
phenotypes of mares. Does the stallion do what your mare
needs?
• Each foal bred should have a purpose, whether it is for
competition in the showring, pleasure riding, breeding,
endurance, dressage, Pony Club, or genetic conservation.
• Start horses under saddle whenever practicable so that breeding
animals have a secondary career if the first does not pan out.
• Help get the facts out — be direct, truthful, and provide
educational links and information for new people attracted to
Arabian horses.
Most importantly, have fun!
Remember the reasons you got
involved in the first place and keep
sight of what makes you, and your
horses, happy. — Peri Wilson
• Educate and help prospective new owners by using the
purchase/lease/breeding checklists developed by the
Registration Commission on the AHA website.
Put the “social” back into clubs — Clubs represent a
large proportion of the current Arabian Horse Association
membership. It’s time to put the “social” back into the clubs.
Work to move some club meetings out of restaurants and banks
back to farms and invite enthusiasts to attend. This serves several
purposes:
• People interact on a face-to-face basis.
• New members can learn bloodlines or disciplines supported/
trained by each farm.
• Each farm meeting should cover at least one topic that would
help other club members learn and be especially informative
for new owners and enthusiasts.
• The combination of education in a social environment will
attract new enthusiasts to the Arabian horse and increase club
memberships.
Invest in the future — Breeders, you have a responsibility
to pass on your knowledge to the members of the next
generation and help them continue down the breeding path.
There are many ways one can do that. Once you find new
breeders or enthusiasts that you believe will contribute positively
to your bloodlines, disciplines, or to the Arabian breed, there are Gordon Potts, The Brass Ring, Burleson, Texas
many options to help them get started:
The day the music died was the day after the 2004
• Donate or discount mares or stallions
convention when the big money sweepstakes thing was approved.
• Send your stallion or mare to them on a maintenance lease
Then Sunday morning after the convention there was a meeting
• Swap stallions
by the whole board of directors and it got voted down.
• Make a gift of frozen semen
Prize money is what makes some of these breeds continue
• Offer free breeding(s) to your stallion if they purchase/lease
to grow or hold their own, while others flounder. For instance,
a mare (Al-Marah Arabians in Tucson, Arizona, has a very
in the 90s, the Quarter Horses maintained their growth. I think
successful program selling a mare in foal or in a three-in-one
they’re all down now but they actually grew and the Paints took
package with a foal at side and the mare bred back)
off. Those horses are so quiet, and they have so many varied
• Significantly reduce board if mares are left in your care for
uses, but they are primarily the backyard pleasure riding horse.
breeding
You can take a two- or three-year-old Quarter horse or Paint
• Pay for and process registration transfers for all horses sold at
and ride it down the road. You can’t do that with an Arabian. It
your farm
was amazing to me when I started riding big Quarter Horses,
Attract new riders — Some well-known trainers have
how quickly they were trained. One of the reasons they are easy
developed academy programs to teach new riders (youth
to train is that they don’t have any endurance; they can’t go for
and adults!) to learn how to ride on the back of an Arabian.
very long.
These programs are serving as a model to other trainers to
Reining is big money, cutting is big money, and so are
attract and help new enthusiasts move
barrel racing and roping, whether it’s
through the stages of riding lessons,
weekend jackpot stuff or the big-time
That’s
where
we’re
joint lease of a horse with others, horse
stuff. So that keeps the price of those
ownership, pleasure riding, introduction
drying up — at the roots. horses up there. All those sports are their
to competition through open shows,
own entities. They don’t need breed
We need to get some life organizations — they’re well-heeled
Arabian community and one-day shows,
USEF-recognized (formerly Class A),
on their own. But their source, their
down there. — Rob Bick
Regional and National competition.
product, is the American Quarter horse
Breeders who are also trainers can use
and its derivatives.
this model to help sell or lease horses
The bottom fell out of the Quarter
while also providing valuable jobs for
Horses and Paints skyrocketed. I know
older show horses as lesson horses.
because I was in it at that time. I bought my first Paint in 1996.
The key is that it will take all of us and all our good ideas to I thought they were cool looking — but also, weanlings and
reverse the decline in Arabian horse numbers. We are competing yearlings were selling from five to ten or fifteen thousand dollars.
not only with the other breeds but other non-equine interests to
But the bottom fell out of Paints, too, because they overbred
attract the people who will become the new owners, trainers, and their market and they had no prize money programs in place.
breeders to guarantee there is a solid future for the Arabian horse. They were registering 40,000 a year and were transferring 40,000
Gordon Potts
to be hit with a VS (vesticular stomatitis) sanction. You could be
on your way up there and they close the border to you.
Scottsdale numbers are virtually the same. I think those
people could probably write the book on how to do a horse show.
More and more NRHA guys have gotten interested in the HalfArabians because of the prize money in reining at Scottsdale.
I’ve been involved on the APHA board for a number of
years and been a judge since 1981. I have been around the
political machine of AHA or IAHA for a long time and to
me it is refreshing to see what Lance Walters and Glenn Petty
have meant to the association. The National show commission
has changed their attitude 180 degrees in how they treat the
exhibitors. Their whole outlook is, “We’re interested in your
opinions as professionals. We’re on the same team and we want
to have a great horse show. What can we do to help you and
what can you do to help us? We’re all in this together.” That kind
of attitude never existed before.
They have gone to great lengths to improve things in
Tulsa this year. And you have to remember that people on the
commission, people in AHA, with exception of a few, don’t get
paid. Their hearts are in the right place. They are trying to do the
right thing and put on a great horse show.
I’m in the minority: I like Tulsa. Granted, there’s
nothing like going down that ramp into Freedom
I have been around the political machine Hall, but when you have great horses in an arena it
doesn’t matter where you are. Honestly — I would
of AHA or IAHA for a long time and to
like to see them move the show to Fort Worth and
I think that one day that might happen, hopefully
me it is refreshing to see what Lance
when I’m still showing, because that coliseum
does have the kind of aura around it that Freedom
Walters and Glenn Petty have meant
Hall does.
We’ve seen a big step up because of the Arabian
to the association. Their whole outlook
English futurity prize money, which is now at U.S.
is, “We’re interested in your opinions as
Nationals. That alone increased the breeding for
purebred English horses. The participation hasn’t
a year. And that was second only to the Quarter Horse.
Now I use those Paint mares to breed Half-Arabians.
Some people feel that Half-Arabians detract from the purebred
Arabian. In reality, I think the Half-Arabian has brought people
into the Arabian fold. The people who have come up through
the Arabian ranks are, all of a sudden, intrigued by a Saddlebred,
or the NRHA, or intrigued by color. And believe me, all three of
those things are big draws. They can have their taste of Quarter
Horses and Saddlebreds, they can have whatever color they want.
That has kept people in our breed. They don’t have to leave the
comfort of what they came up in, the arena that they know, and
their standing in this community, to go to another breed.
This is the first year that I’ve seen a slowdown in business. We
had some of our biggest years in the last five years. We had to rent
another place to have room, and we were just taking horses. Our
numbers were good going to shows, which is where we make our
money — where all trainers make their money. But this year has
been one of our worst years. I think it’s been a tough year for most
people. Still, Canada was up 100 horses, but you’ve got to want to
go to Canada. They put on a great show and they’re great people
but it’s tough to get there; it’s tough to get your help there. When
you’re coming from the Southwest you never know if you’re going
professionals. We’re on the same team
and we want to have a great horse
show.” — Gordon Potts
been as great as they would have liked, but you see more people
breeding. Those are difficult classes for four-year-olds but still,
when I have a client who asks me to go find a young English
horse, that’s nice, because before I might look for years — now I
can find one pretty quickly.
There is certainly demand for really good horses. And when
I say “really good” I mean, not just the top, sure-shot, National
Champion, but a horse that an amateur can go and be competitive
with. Most of them are looking for English horses but in the last
few years I’ve bought more reiners than anything. People want to
show. They like to show. They think it’s fun. When people talk
about stiffening the qualifications for Nationals, well, that’s dumb
because the whole organization is funded by that horse show, so
I don’t think we want to restrict it. And for those who think that
there are too many classes — let me tell you something, the more
people that win, the better off you are.
It all comes down to prize money. In any successful horse
venture, you can follow the money. So when you ask, “Why
didn’t our breed flourish?” It’s because we didn’t have the
prize money. What will it take to get it turned around? I’m on
the Sweepstakes commission and I’m one of the people who
resuscitated it. We used the model that Peter Conway and Gary
Dearth had and we just had to dial it down, but at least if you
have a purebred horse and you win a national championship,
you’re going to win ten thousand dollars. And for Half-Arabians
it’s half that but still, it’s something to get out of bed for.
I think we have three enemies facing the breed: #1 lack
of significant prize money, #2 people who are motivated by
their own self-gratification or ego and not trying to further our
breed, and #3 our endless rule changes. Our National show is a
really good deal. Leave it alone. We have great English horses,
and great Western horses — compared to the other breeds our
western horses are pretty pure and pretty neat. So leave it alone.
There are so many people who have to have a cause. Their
cause should be furthering the Arabian horse, not witch hunting.
If everyone could recruit just three people a year, our breed
would be a lot stronger.
Allison Mehta-Westley, Talaria Farms, Atlanta,
Georgia:
I think most Arabian horse enthusiasts today understand
the situation we now face: diminishing numbers of people
purchasing Arabian horses, and thus fewer Arabian horses being
bred. It’s just that plain and simple: no market — thus no
product.
But there is the reverse side to the “no market-no product”
trend. You can produce a marketable product and then develop
your market — the old “if you build it they will come”
philosophy.
Plenty of people still ride horses and still enjoy the lifestyle
associated with them. What we need to discover is why they
aren’t buying Arabian horses. Ours is the most versatile breed,
the one associated with an exciting international lifestyle — and
Arabian horses, with their ability to enchant humans, almost sell
themselves if given the opportunity.
So, if we have such a great product, what are we doing
wrong? Well, we’ve really been doing something wrong for the
past twenty years, I believe. With the exception of the sport horse
market, most breeders have relied on trainers and horse shows
to help them sell horses. But we forget that trainers must have
myriad clients in order to survive (thus competition for every
sale). Plus, many trainers also breed Arabians themselves.
Moreover, horse shows are probably the worst place to
sell horses to newcomers (with the exception of a couple of
glamorous shows such as Scottsdale and the Egyptian Event).
We’ve all seen those people, invited by some horse-owning
friend, meandering around the show grounds looking dazed, or
sitting in the stands barely concealing their yawns. Let’s see …
western pleasure junior horse, western pleasure select, western
pleasure ladies to ride, western please JTR, western pleasure
We’ve already done the experiment and
know that doing the same thing is not going
to bring a different result, unless of course,
we are fools. — Leslie Hammel-Turk
AOTR, western pleasure open, etc. Pretty boring — especially
if you’ve never ridden a western (or hunter, or English pleasure)
horse. Plus these same newcomers often get to hear the caustic
complaints of unhappy exhibitors whose horse didn’t place well.
But that is what the Arabian industry has become … we
plan our lives one horse show to the next, our magazines catalog
the glory of show wins — and horse owners pay, and pay, and
pay to “enjoy” their horses.
If we are to survive, the Arabian industry (whether AHA, or
an owners’ organization, or a group of breeders) absolutely must
develop ways to make owning Arabian horses more fun, more
interesting — and, to some extent — less expensive.
We should exhibit our horses at celebrations, have a booth
at Pony Club Nationals, set up a display at the Breyer celebration
(with real horses and interesting demonstrations). We need
to develop, rather than another expensive show, an Arabian
horse fair at the Kentucky Horse Park (or a West Coast venue),
with exhibits and clinics, and hands-on activities for people
to learn about Arabian horses and how to enjoy them. I know
fairs have been tried before, without much success. But we
need to keep trying until we find a moderately priced formula
for some successful event other than a horse show to introduce
newcomers to the beauty and versatility of Arabian horses, their
fascinating history, the fact that they are ambassadors to other
cultures around the world. Beyond this, I think all Arabian horse
shows should devote at least a half-day in the schedule to fun
activities for attendees. People will spend money for enjoyable
camaraderie — that’s why they play golf, sail yachts, and belong
to tennis clubs.
In closing, I can only point out that making the annual
weeklong Egyptian Event in Lexington, Kentucky, as much
fun as possible for all attendees (horse owners and breeders,
exhibitors, and just casual onlookers) is the absolute mantra
of the Pyramid Society. Plus, many of the individual straight
Egyptian farms have followed suit — offering their own open
houses, clinics, seminars, and conferences.
The fact that the numbers of straight Egyptian horses have
held steady, even grown, over the last ten years might suggest that
the Pyramid Society has been doing something right.
We all need to remember Mr. Kellogg and his open houses
at the Kellogg Ranch. How many people were introduced
to the Arabian horse through his Sunday afternoon Arabian
horse presentations?
Anna Wolfe, Des Moines, New Mexico:
As an endurance rider I enjoy spending hours and hours
each day and each week with my beautiful, intelligent, and kind
Arabians. They come from my mother Patricia “Tish” Wiman
Hewitt’s Crabbet bloodlines and were bred for disposition as
well as beauty and athleticism at her Friendship Farms in Illinois.
They are remarkable and generous companions that are willing
to share miles of trail and together we grow into a bonded and
trusting relationship.
I was shocked to learn how much the numbers of Arabian
registrations have declined, particularly since my mother’s death
in 1992. But when I think about it, the number of Arabians
owned by our family have also fallen by a factor of ten. My
mother had nearly 100 Arabians when she died, for she ran a
large operation with many employees. My brother and sister and
I combined had about 20 Arabians at our peak numbers, and
now it is down to about ten of mine. Until recently I had never
bought or sold a horse in my life, for I had just inherited them,
been given them, or bred them, and I usually kept them until
they died, with the exception of one that I can think of that I
A great many things created the myth
that Arabian horses are too spirited
and difficult to handle. More than
ever before in the history of the horse
in this country, the horse owner wants
to have a horse they can ride and
interact with personally.
— Deb Mihaloff-Kirshner
Anna Wolfe
I believe we should
reduce the number of
our regional shows
to a number that can
draw 400-plus horses.
— Mike Weinstein
gave away. I was
never in the horse
business — my
horses are part of
my family, and so
I don’t breed more
than I can take care
of or use myself.
My family is
a micro example
of the decline
in the number
of Arabians. While I have owned mares whose bloodlines and
beauty would tempt me to breed them each year, I did not do
so, for I couldn’t use that many horses. Particularly with the
economic downturns of recent years it is not just a matter of
breeding more horses, for realistically not all that many people
can afford to give them the homes that they need and deserve.
Sadly, the economy is not something that we, as lovers of the
Arabian breed, can do much to improve. But I certainly hope
that there will still be those who will come under the spell of
these kind and gentle animals, and who will enjoy spending time
in their company. I have chosen endurance riding as my favorite
method of being with my Arabs because it is a way to see new
trails and new country from the back of my horse and I can
spend up to 24 straight hours or up to five days in a row doing it,
not to mention camping with my horse, and all the hours, days,
weeks, months, and years it takes to get there. And the horses
I have from my mother’s breeding seem to excel at this sport.
Endurance comes from perseverance, stick-to-it-iveness, inner
strength, and dedication, and these attributes serve me well in
life — I think a lot of it I learned from having children!
So how can more people learn about this breed and this
sport? While I’d love to take each potential Arabian owner for a
ride on my mountain, and mentor them, and help them find the
right partner, I feel that in this day and age the most exposure we
can give the breed is through the Internet or television. YouTube
reaches a lot of people, and I’m not sure how to make it happen,
but movies and television programs that feature Arabians, their
relationships with people, and what they can do could lure a
lot of people into our very special world. Wouldn’t it be great
to have a video game based on a girl and her horse (an Arab,
naturally) that could become popular, or maybe DVDs for kids
that feature Arabian horses as the stars? A child’s desire for a
horse is often the gateway to a family becoming horse owners.
A fictional account of a girl achieving a Tevis dream could be as
popular as “National Velvet”!
Leslie Hammel-Turk, Turk Arabians, Las Vegas,
New Mexico:
The economic pressures on horse ownership are the same
for all breeds. What we need to look at is why the Arabian’s
popularity is low and diminishing. I believe that their perception
of Arabians is at odds with what people want to do with their
horse in the back field on weekends — and that is chasing away
potential new owners.
Although over 75 percent of Arabian horse owners do
not show, shows provide the highest visibility both within and
outside the breed. What happens in the showring is the primary
driver of how the breed is perceived. And when publicity and
promotion emphasizes the halter classes for Arabians, the
predictable outcome is that the horses are perceived as merely
expensive baubles. But there is more to the story. The showring
is an indicator of trends in the horse market. The strong growth
in our shows — especially small local shows — is in the working
horse classes, specifically reining and sport horse. It appears
that riders want to do something interesting with their horses
under saddle.
The halter ring, at its best, shows off the Arabian’s beauty
and charisma. However, as a stand-alone test, halter in all breeds
Leslie Hammel-Turk
the running. This will highlight the versatility of our breed, while
can tend to run off into the weeds because it is so subjective.
making a statement that we are serious about true using horses. It
It is easy to lose sight of the fact that ultimately we should be
might also play to amateurs and those who presently don’t show
breeding for the ideal riding horse that is also beautiful and
their horses in halter. Those who want to continue to show as
charismatic.
they always have done, can — this just adds a new top end that
We need a way to shine the light back on all that is great
our horses are more than capable of achieving. Are we?
about our breed. We need to show that our Arabians are still up
And what about those who don’t show and those who are
to the most difficult of tests — as they were when those in need
curious about Arabians? What occurs in the showring affects
of topflight warhorses traveled to the Middle East to purchase
those who ride for pleasure and never plan to show. They may
the best. Toward that end, what would it look like if instead
go watch a show and see the possibilities and go home with
of the National halter champions being called the National
Champion Stallion/Mare/Gelding, they were called the National raised expectations of what they and their horse can do. What if
people start to see spectacular, quiet horses in halter and then the
Champion Halter Stallion/Mare/Gelding? What if the title of
National Champion Stallion/Mare/Gelding was reserved for the same horse doing amazing things under saddle? They may give
Arabians another look. What if people started to see pictures on
contender that accumulated the greatest number of points not
the cover of Arabian Horse World of National Champion stallions
only in halter but also in a “rail” class such as western pleasure,
English pleasure, hunter, or show hack, and a working class such that are powering over Cougar Rock during the Tevis Cup ride?
Pretty compelling, I’d say.
as reining, high level dressage, racing, or endurance?
This would not be easy to bring about, and I am sure that
Clearly, this is a much more difficult test that will
many would be adamantly opposed to this
incorporate some level
idea. But no matter what course we take,
of self-regulation. People
it is not going to be easy to get our breed
are going to be a bit
Our new strategic intent
back in the forefront where it belongs.
disinclined to jump on
must
expose
the
beauty
and
We’ve already done the experiment and
board one of those halter
know that doing the same thing is not
horses that is quivering
functionality of the Arabian
going to bring a different result, unless of
in fear. Halter horse
horse to all Americans. It
course, we are fools.
conformation will start
to reflect a horse that
must share our pleasure in
can hold up to the rigors
Peri Wilson, Wilson Training
of high level work. On
Center, Tavares, Florida:
the Arabian horse with the
the other side, breeders
After being invited to give my
vast
public.
It
must
educate,
of racehorses and other
thoughts about the decline in interest
working horses may pay
in the Arabian breed, I took a few days
promote,
demonstrate,
and
a bit more attention to
to think about how this decline can be
retaining more Arabian
stopped. The issue is a large one and leaves
demand leadership from our
type in order to be in
quite a bit to think about. I do believe
association to deliver on this
intent. — Frank Hennessey
everyone who is involved with this great horse, at any level, is
going to have to put forth an effort to turn things around. I
do believe this can be done. After spending some time really
considering all of the areas in the industry where changes could
be made to stop the decline, here’s what I’ve come up with.
We need to get back to what draws people to the breed. If
everyone takes a moment to think back on what drew them to
the Arabian horse, I believe their story would be similar to mine.
I grew up with homebred, “backyard” Arabians. We showed a
couple of times a year at local open shows. We spent weekends
and summers on horseback. We had fun! Many of the other kids
I grew up riding with are still involved in this breed in a very real
way. I treasure how I came to be a part of the Arabian horse and
I have to imagine that most people feel the same way about their
introduction to the breed. I think the industry needs to better
support its grassroots. It’s so simple to get wrapped up in striving
to be at the highest levels possible but I feel we close ourselves off
to those who have no idea what they are missing.
If we want people to be involved, then we need to open the
door for them. By this I mean, offer open barns where locals
can come in and learn about the Arabian horse; go to a local
open show and offer a clinic or a presentation to people who
love horses but don’t know much about the Arabian. Take time
at a horse show to talk to spectators about what we are doing
and striving for. People need to hear our stories and meet this
amazing horse. I think if those less involved had the opportunity
to join in, at whatever level they could, they would. We just need
to make that opportunity available.
The next thing to consider is how to keep the new people
involved. Arabian horse enthusiasts have a responsibility to take
new people under their wing. Help educate them, help them
make sound decisions on how they are going to proceed in the
business. So often, people make decisions in this business based
on what is new and exciting and then end up disappointed with
the outcome because it was not ultimately what made them
happy, long term. Every individual needs to decide where his or
her passion lies with this horse and be encouraged and supported
to stick with that. Every decision that is made needs to be
considered thoroughly. Owners, breeders, trainers, and amateurs
alike need to have a strong support group of knowledgeable
people who are willing to share their wisdom for the greater good
of the breed. Trainers need to keep in mind that steering people
in the correct direction, even if it may not be the most profitable
in the moment, will eventually turn into a positive, long-term
relationship.
Everyone needs to look toward long-term goals. When
breeding, breed an Arabian true to the type standard that can
go on and compete in all divisions. Take time to study pedigrees
and understand what you are breeding. When owners are making
decisions on where to place their horses for training, showing,
and/or selling, get to know the people you are working with.
A good relationship with open communication and clear goals
needs to be developed and maintained. When the time comes
to offer your horse for sale, be realistic about pricing. Do your
homework and communicate with those with whom you have
built relationships.
We need to look forward in a positive manner. Everyone
needs to do their due diligence as supporters of the breed and
take some time to spread the word and knowledge about these
incredible animals that have stolen so many of our hearts.
Most importantly, have fun! Remember the reasons you got
involved in the first place and keep sight of what makes you, and
your horses, happy.
The Arabian is the finest
family and personal
companion horse ever
created. Why not rebrand
our horses in that direction?
— Deb Mihaloff-Kirshner
Peri Wilson

the

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