Arabian Horse World

M a r j e s t i c
WA
by Mary Jane Parkinson
p h o t o s b y A p r i l Vi s e l
orse-crazy girls, especially when the horse is an Arabian, deal
with “the craziness” in a variety of ways. Some just put the
pressure on dear old Dad to purchase an Arabian; others scrimp
and save and clean stalls just to be near an Arabian; others daydream
for years of their phantom Arabian, perhaps one that can fly. Here’s
the story of one such girl and her determination to make her Arabian
horse dreams come true.
Lisa East grew up in a household where the budget wouldn’t allow the
buying or keeping of a horse, so she spent each summer on her grandmother’s
farm in Arkansas. There, on top of Wolverton Mountain, a setting of pine
forest, open pastures, shady groves, and ponds, Lisa spent many happy
horse-oriented summers. Lisa and her friends could ride from early morning
until dark, pounding away on headstrong Shetland ponies that they rode
bareback, their tack consisting only of a halter and rope reins. When Lisa
and her summer friends outgrew the ponies, Lisa had only “Julie,” her
grandmother’s plow horse, for her mount. “Not a fast horse, but a good
sport,” Lisa remembers, “It is hot in Arkansas in the summertime and we’d
ride all day, stopping only for a swim and water. We had to be home by dusk
as there were bobcats on the mountain, and I can remember many an evening
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Marjestic WA
(*Marwan Al Shaqab x Miraga WA)
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misjudging time and forgetting that it is darker
on the road home due to the overgrowth of trees
on the mountain road. Julie and I would step up
the pace if we started to hear the bobcats scream,
let me tell you! We spent the summers riding on
the mountain, and now and then the rodeo would
come to town. I dreamed of being a barrel racer,
but that’s hard to do with a plow horse.” Lisa
borrowed a friend’s horse, “Buck,” for a try at pole
bending; they hit every single pole, but galloped
out fast. The exit didn’t influence Lisa’s score, and
she came in last in the class. She didn’t care.
Then one special summer, Lisa found
neighbors who raised Arabians, and her life dream
took shape. The neighbors thought Lisa had “a
way with horses “ and loaned her a beautiful grey
mare. The mare “ran like the wind” and Lisa loved
the feeling of power when she took off. And just
loved her in every other way, too. Lisa’s thoughts
are presented here, reflecting her joyous discoveries
from childhood to the present.
On discovering Marjestic WA
When I was still sobbing over the tragedy of Eight Belles in the 2008 Kentucky Derby, my fiancee
told me I needed to get a handle on my emotional sadness. He was right and I changed my focus to
something positive: pulling stock photos of Arabians from the Internet. Most were well-known horses,
but for some reason, I was struck by a bay colt. I don’t know to this day what qualities drew me to him,
but it was just reacting to my gut emotion. About a week later, when I was viewing the photos for howmany times, the colt’s name popped up — Marjestic WA. I quickly googled him and found he was for
sale. I e-mailed Andrea Wadsworth, his owner/breeder, and while I waited for her reply I checked sale
prices on Arabians. I had sticker shock when I heard his purchase price as I had set my ceiling well below
that amount. Andrea took a great deal of time answering my zillion e-mails, giving me a basic education
about the colt and the Arabian horse business. Andrea assured me — me with no experience with
stallions — that Marjestic was a real gentleman and that she had handled him each day since his birth.
I visited Brookhill Arabian Farm in Franklin, Tennessee, to ask for advice. From the owner and the
trainer there, I got two pieces of advice: 1) Consider buying a mare or possibly a mare and a filly if I
wanted to breed one and have some fun showing the other. 2) If I were going to buy a stallion, be sure to
get well acquainted with him before purchase. The first piece of advice fell by the wayside back home as
I looked at Marjestic’s photo, and the second shortly after Greg Hazlewood flew out to inspect him for
me. Greg reported that no trainer could guarantee a National Champion or even what any horse would
do in the showring on a given day, but that the colt’s quality was “Top Ten in any class in the world”
and that he should be put in training immediately if he was to compete in the 2008 U.S. Nationals as a
futurity colt.
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Goals for Marjestic
My goals? Well, a World Championship title, of course! Isn’t that the
dream of anyone with a show horse of any quality? I’ve always believed that
if you’re going to dream, dream big for the future, but plan for the here and
now. That means we’re hoping for a great show at Scottsdale, which will be
only Marjestic’s second show in his life, the first being the 2008 Saguaro
Classic where he went Champion Arabian Stallion.
Marjestic, the breeding stallion
There are moments when you get a glimpse of the senior stallion
Marjestic will become, and those moments take your breath away. We’ve just
opened his book of initial breedings and he’s generating tremendous interest.
They are attracted by his pedigree and it’s exciting to see breeders want to
get in on the very first foal crop of any stallion. The sire *Marwan Al Shaqab
needs no introduction, and his dam Miraga WA gives Marjestic an extra
special dam line rich in AHW “Aristocrat” mares. Miraga WA has never been
shown, but is simply stunning, even in snapshots. So whichever parent’s genes
Marjestic throws to his offspring — it can only be good.
Marjestic WA
boasts several AHW
“Aristocrat” mares in
his pedigree, promising
strength as a breeding
horse. Three of those
mares are pictured
here.
My strongest wish for Marjestic is that he can
make his way in the Arabian horse world and then
come home to live with me in Tennessee where
I can see him daily. I do plan to ride him; he’ll
have to tell me what discipline. I believe a horse
needs a job to be truly happy and he certainly has
the temperament for it. I’m no expert, but to me
he shows an affinity for dressage. I’d love that.
Dressage keeps horses fit and healthy into their
golden years and a part of my Arabian horse dream
is to present a future great halter champion and
sire who was trained in that beautiful discipline.
Marjestic is very smart, and I want to keep his
mind stimulated as well as his body strong.
Marjestic has a lot to offer a mare. He’s
elegant and refined, very correct and upright, with
a smooth body and great legs and feet, as well as
a great mind and gentle disposition. I feel a little
magic in the air and have a strong feeling that just
the right mare owners will be attracted to Marjestic
that he’ll speak to them as he spoke to me. I have
no doubt we’ll be seeing a nice foal crop in 2010.
I’d love to breed to his strengths, and I’m a sucker
for a correct and quality mare with a pretty face.
I’ll have lots of expert advice in this area as I hope
to either buy an embryo or lease a mare to breed to
him. I want to get in on early foal crops too!
The power of the pedigree
Meiata (*Menes x Muscaffona).
Muscaffona (*Muscat x
Sanraffona).
Sanraffona (Raffon x
Saladins Sangria) with
Muscaffona at her side.
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Two important truths are shared and agreed
upon by fine horse breeders the world over,
regardless of the breed: 1) The tail female line of
a pedigree is the most powerful indicator of the
strength of the pedigree. 2) A breeding stallion
must have an exceptional dam. Not necessarily a
great show horse, but a great producer. Science tells
us that each parent contributes exactly one-half of
the genetic makeup of the foal, but that doesn’t take
into consideration the value of the dam as protector
and teacher of the foal.
*Marwan Al Shaqab has certainly stamped this
colt, but the living legend himself is not the only
one who shows up in Marjestic. I’m told he moves
like Desert Heat and you are reminded not only
of him, but also of Little Liza Fame, Fame VF, and
of course, Miraga WA. At some point, I plan to
meet *Marwan Al Shaqab and *Gazal El Shaqab,
both World Champion stallions and as many of the
other great horses in his pedigree as possible.
Marjestic’s sire *Marwan Al Shaqab
Ruminaja Ali
Anaza El Farid
Bint Deenaa
*Gazal Al Shaqab
Kaborr+++
Kajora
*Edjora++
*Marwan Al Shaqab
Bey Shah+
Fame VF+
Raffoleta-Rose
Little Liza Fame
Aza Destiny
Katahza
Afhar Rahza
Marjestic WA
Bey Shah+
Fame VF+
Raffoleta-Rose
Desert Heat VF+/
Huckleberry Bey++
MCA Matilda Bay
MCA Maryssa
Miraga WA
Nabeg
*Menes
Metropolia
Meiata
*Muscat
Muscaffona
Sanraffona
AHW “Aristocrat” Mares
Sire line: Saklawi I
Dam line: Zulima
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Marjestic’s dam Miraga WA
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The meaning of Marjestic’s success
On the mundane level, Marjestic’s success
would mean that the Hazlewoods won’t have to
rent me a stall next to his when I have to sell my
house to keep him campaigning. But seriously,
I’ve worked very hard to earn a very nice income
from my career, but promoting and marketing a
stallion is enormously expensive. I need him to
begin to pay some of his own bills this year! Hear
that, breeders?
On a higher level, success would mean
validation of an element that has never let me
down — my intuition. I was supposed to have
Marjestic in my life, I have no doubt of that. But
I can’t predict exactly what purpose or how success
will be manifested for me and my horse.
I am confident that someday when I reflect
back on this time in my life, I will measure it as
successful. I’m just unsure what yardstick I’ll be
using. Hopefully, the one with pretty foals, blue
ribbons, and rose garlands attached to it. But I also
know there are other measures of equal or greater
value when seen from a distance — at least if that
distance doesn’t involve training and show expenses.
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Lisa East and Marjestic WA.
Team Marjestic
Several persons are significant in my ownership of Marjestic. Andrea
Wadsworth’s early and ongoing mentoring was invaluable. Without it, I
would not own Marjestic today. Jill Girardi Thomas and Jeanne Abernathy
at Brookhill Arabian Farm are equally important and, of course, Greg
Hazlewood’s thumbs-up to buy him and hard work in his ongoing training
has played a key role. But I have to give Dick Adams of Savannah Bloodstock
the credit for the advice that most resonated. Ironically, his advice: “Don’t
take advice from anyone. Listen to others’ opinions and then make up your
own mind and go with your own gut.” Those words hit home with me as it is
pretty much the way I operate anyway.
When Dick asked me for my goals with Marjestic, I answered (with more
than a touch of naivete) “to get at least a National Championship title and to
recoup my investment in breeding fees.” He told me those were lofty goals
indeed, but then spent about three hours mentoring me and ended with the
advice that if I’m going to go for it, to go for it with everything I have, never
halfheartedly. That too hit home as I’ve never much believed in the word
impossible and am only more determined when I’m told something can’t be
done, is too hard, or unlikely to happen. Even through hardships in my life,
I’ve always felt guided by and have trusted in my intuition, although I can’t
always pretend to know the reason for the intuitive message. It always seems
to work out, often in delightfully unexpected ways.
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Dick told me a valuable story. When he was
campaigning Fame VF to National Champion
Stallion, well-wishers would often say to him:
“Dick, you shoot for the moon.” But he said he
didn’t believe in shooting for the moon. That isn’t
thinking big enough. You should shoot for the
stars. I loved that story, as worst-case scenario you
end up with the moon.
My hard work and career focus has paid
off and allowed me to chase my dream. I am
Senior Vice President, Multifamily, of Amerimar
Enterprises, Inc., a Philadelphia based real
estate investment company where I oversee my
company’s apartment division. I’m lucky enough
to work for a company forward thinking enough
to allow me to move to Tennessee five years ago.
Now basing out of my home, I frequently fly
to visit my on-site teams and properties. Sales,
marketing, and customer service are my specialties,
and I find all those skills valuable and transferable
to campaigning a stallion.
Special moments with Marjestic
The first time I laid eyes on Marjestic was a special moment, of
course, as was the following day, when I first touched him. We
were at the photo shoot where he is in the river, and he was excited
prancing around and pawing the water the whole time. For the last
photo, the photographer asked me to take the lead and pose with
him. Now, I was nervous as I was barefooted and he couldn’t see my
feet, and we really had not had the opportunity to get to know each
other. But when I stepped in close to Marjestic, he relaxed, took
his first drink of water of the shoot, and began to engage with me.
A collective gasp went up from others there, and I knew that what
I had hoped for was true: Marjestic and I were destined to become
great friends as we walk this path together.
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The American Arabian show arena
Three factors that I love about American shows: 1) The new
scorecard, but I’m not sure when the scores should be posted for
the general audience. For me, it takes some drama out of the win if
scores are posted immediately and detracts from the horse currently
in the ring. I love the transparency, however. 2) The willingness of the
business to transform and improve the shows. 3) The moments when
less-famous trainers get their fair share of good horses and titles.
In choosing breeding stock, I wish all of us were in the mode of
looking at the entire horse including legs and feet and not judging a
horse simply by the dishy-est head. Of course, the biggest challenge
for owners is that it is difficult to compete without deep pockets,
and I’m left wondering about all the would-be champions that
never had the opportunity to fulfill their promise or to improve the
breed. Maybe we should have a kind of Rhodes Scholarship program
for Arabian horses where a trust is set up, and a certain number of
nominees are selected each year and campaigned out of the trust. I’d
need to think about the way horses are chosen and by whom. But see,
I told you I’m a big dreamer!
The meaning of the Arabian horse
I have always intuitively believed that Arabian horses are magical,
spiritual beings, equal to, not subservient to man. So now that I am
older, I have no trouble believing the mythology of the creation of the
Arabian, and I’m humbled by the fact that these beautiful beings have
literally helped build civilization as we know it. And that they have
offered themselves in service and companionship to humans, often at
great sacrifice to themselves. I believe the depth of their intelligence
and emotion isn’t fully understood or respected by humans. I believe
they operate on more levels, more frequencies, or more dimensions
than we do. When I see a horse dozing in a pasture or in the stall, I
often wonder what distant vistas he’s visiting — this in a way that we
don’t currently have the capacity to comprehend.
Marjestic is simply a lifelong dream come true. I named my
little horse operation “Arabians of Qiran Al Sa’dain” for a number
of reasons, but one relates to a special connection I have with him.
Ancient astronomers used the phrase “qiran al sa’dain” to indicate that
special celestial event when Jupiter (planet of blessings, good luck,
and abundance) and Venus (planet of love, beauty, and harmony)
are conjunct and it literally means the meeting or conjunction of
two auspicious stars or planets. Or more simply put, the blessed and
auspicious union which I love due to our connection, but also for
what it whispers about the breeding of a certain stallion and a mare.
Who knows? Maybe it will someday be the name of my Arabian horse
farm where we both live. In any case, Marjestic has already been the
achievement of a dream for me and any blue ribbons, trophies, or
garlands are simply icing on the cake.
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Regal. Aristocratic.
2005 bay stallion · Scottsdale Signature Stallion · Breeders Sweepstakes Nominated Sire
SCID and CA clear · Video by Horsefly Films available
Standing at Hazlewood Arabians, LLC · 480.488.5044 · www.hazlewoodarabians.com
Proudly owned and managed by Lisa K. East · Arabians of Qiran Al Sa’dain, LLC
phone 215.620.7977 · E-mail: [email protected]
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www.MarjesticWA.com
Arabian Fancy
Custom Tack
Thank you to Lisa East and Greg
Hazlewood for choosing Arabian Fancy to
design the custom tack for Marjestic WA.
They join a growing list of top names in the
Arabian business who choose Arabian Fancy
for their tack needs.
From local shows to the showrings of
Aachen, Paris, and the Middle East, or for
your next photo shoot or presentation, let us
design something unique for you!
www.ArabianFancy.com
or contact Gina Dupree
601.739.3659
Marjestic WA, top left, and *Marwan Al Shaqab
wearing custom halters created
by Arabian Fancy.
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all photos conformation unaltered
May many more horse-crazy girls have the dream, the vision,
and the determination to make that dream come true. And
with such a shining example as Marjestic central to that
dream. Lisa East took the dream from many childhood hours
of drawing pictures of Arabian horses, to reading the “Black
Stallion” series, to aggressively shopping for her horse.
Never were Lisa’s daydream horses still pictures, but always
live scenes, sometimes of racing, others times of an Arabian
stallion in a pasture with his mares. The latter is still a
favorite for Lisa.
Marjestic WA is standing at
Hazlewood Arabians, LLC · 480.488.5044
www.hazlewoodarabians.com
Proudly owned and managed by Lisa K. East
Arabians of Qiran Al Sa’dain, LLC
phone 215.620.7977
[email protected]
www.MarjesticWA.com
Designed and produced by Arabian Horse World · 1/09