Text & Photographs: Polish Arabian Horse Breeders Association

It’s been three years now that the Polish Arabian Horse Breeders Association – under new management – came up with the idea to foster a growth mindset amongst Polish Arabian horse breeders. A year later, we organised our first seminar, with another one following a year later. Recently, we wrote “Chapter 3” of our novella on education, and we are beyond certain that we’re doing the right thing. Our seminars and courses attract not only Polish breeders and enthusiasts of purebred Arabians alike, but also from (basically) all over the globe. Sounds neat, doesn’t it? Well, it does indeed!

Last year, we wrote that a lot had changed in recent years in the world of Polish Arabian horses, and we truly meant it. After the new Board of our Association had been elected, we started growing again and have been gaining new members regularly ever since. At the same time, we have been conquering ceaselessly new fields of activity – courageously, because “no risk, no champagne” as the saying goes. Being a PBO (“public benefit organisation”) helped us a lot, there’s no denying this fact, as at the end of 2023, PAHBA was granted tax exemptions and free-of-charge access to public media. This in turn made our activities in the fields of education and charity “easy peasy lemon squeezy” as our British friends might joke. Yet jokes aside, we take both our charity work and educational mission extremely seriously. You can say it’s a vocation, a walk of life.

A quarter million reasons

The word “million” never fails to pique one’s interest, or does it? Our friend and member Jolanta Gębka summarised the three auctions we have thus far successfully organised during the All-Polish Arabian Horse Championship in Tarnów – a horse show that we resurrected after the pandemic. The auctions always have the same goal: help children and youth from institutions and foster homes, many of them orphans.

During our first auction for Przyjazny Dom (“The Friendly Home”), it only took us half an hour to raise 17,250€. Our members, the Rzepka Family who own Klikowa Arabians Stud, then invited the kids to their stables to show them Arabian horses up close. Last year, at the second auction, we raised 20.500€ for Słoneczny Dom (“The Sunny Home”). This year, we raised 21.000€ for the Janusz Korczak Care and Educational Facility. All three are local institutions who look after and take care of kids who need our help the most. And we pledge to continue this work, because if you add up what we raised for kids and teens, you will get an impressive quarter million Polish złoty! All of which goes directly to help the youngest member of society have a good life as full-fledged adults; much of it towards a good education.

Learning? We like that a lot!

In autumn 2023, more or less a quarter of the year after the first Tarnovian edition of the All-Polish Arabian Horse Championship, our first seminar for breeders took place. One of the instructors was Bérengère Fayt of Faber Arabians, a well-known and accomplished breeder and judge with incredible insight into the purebred Arabian horse, who was one of the judges in Tarnów. She eagerly shared her knowledge, experience, and passion with Polish breeders who met with her at the Grabów nad Pilicą Arabian Horse Stud. It was our first course and we still didn’t really know what people wanted and needed the most, even though all of us have been part of the industry for most of our lives! Still, we felt like pioneers wandering into the unknown as we were opening this wonderful new chapter in the history of our Association.

The “DC & Judging Course and Breeding Seminar”, at which Bérengère together with Tomasz Tarczyński, Farhang Fazeli and Mariusz Liśkiewicz were instructors, was a triumph. Several people who participated have already become judges in their own right, others chose the path of DCs – and we’re proud of them. Since we successfully broke new ground, it made sense to strike while the iron was hot.

Next up came a dressage course in the spring of 2024. We invited Agnieszka Kolek-Kowieska, a graduate of Janów Podlaski Stud and accomplished rider who has won countless awards with her horses, to teach how to ride horses. She accepted and coached a group of young equestriennes in the arcane art of dressage. Some of them, you could later see participating – and winning! – at the European Championship for Arabian Sport Horses in Wiener Neustadt or at the All Nations Cup in Aachen. As we laughed last year: “education for the win”. Literally.

Next came the ECAHO DC Course which preceded the 2024 All-Polish Arabian Horse Championship. Here the teachers were Janet Court and Dr Nils Ismer, and it was the first time the Association organised an international teaching experience. We had students not only from Poland, but also Italy, Denmark, even Kuwait and Australia! But this time, the course was a lot more complex and tough, as the practical part lasted two days. That’s right: two days in the scorching sun labouring as disciples of Janet, Nils and Farhang who joined them to help them get a massive group of followers under control. Once again, we were pleased to hear two magic words that Janet spoke with a broad smile on her face after the show: “Everyone passed”.

Inter-National

The logical thing to do was to raise the stakes and step up our game. The fact that we were organising international courses for breeders and professionals working in the purebred industry crossed borders big time reaching faraway corners of the world. Seeing this as an immense opportunity, we announced our first “Judging Course and Breeding Seminar” at Klikowa Arabians Stud. We had 25 students from all over Poland, but also from Iran and Sweden. Those were two very intense days, packed with so much knowledge that it took us from early morning until the early evening to cover the entire curriculum. The list of lecturers and instructors was equally impressive: Scott Benjamin, Allan Preston, Kathleen Ohlsson, Antonia Bautista, Łukasz Goździalski and Tomasz Tarczyński.

We called it last year “a crazy experiment”, since it doesn’t really happen every day that there are as many as six lecturers shedding light on the secrets of Arabians at the same time. But it worked! And if it works, why change it? Improve on it, refine it, repeat it. So a year later, we met once again at Klikowa Arabians Stud, once again there were six teachers, and we spent another weekend taking in as much knowledge as we could. Obviously, the list of experts was no less impressive than year ago: Anna Stojanowska, Scott Benjamin, Jennifer Dhombre, Allan Preston, Łukasz Goździalski and Tomasz Tarczyński. Our students were – again – not only Poles. Poland is a global nexus for Arabian horses, it is no surprise then that we had students this year from Romania or Sweden, but also from Kuwait and… Venezuela! And this year’s curriculum?

Just like last year, we began with the most rudimentary of fundamentals, going as far back in history as 50 million years, all the way to the fox-sized forest-dwelling Eohippus, or “dog-horse” as Scott Benjamin called this prehistoric proto-equine. We covered the basic anatomy of modern horses, analysing all major body parts one by one, sometimes in excruciating detail, and still the students would ask questions. We discussed the purebred Arabian type, how and where this majestic breed evolved, most frequent and commonplace posture defects, faults and deficiencies, some of the most famous Arabians that roamed the global show stage over the past several decades, but also how to score, how to judge, what to look for in horses and why, as well as ethics and genetics. If we said “there was enough time to answer all questions”, we’d be lying as our students had plenty and didn’t hesitate to ask them over lunch or supper or during breaks.

When all our students, some of them future judges (fingers crossed!!!), were done with theoretical knowledge, came the practical part. Our instructors painstakingly and thoroughly helped their wide-eyed pupils analyse the horses that the Rzepka Family generously brought out of their stables. Everyone was asked what they thought about the legs, croup, wither, hooves or movement of the horses in front of them. And while those weren’t trick questions, they were far from easy. Because whoever thought judging was simple was – let’s face it – wrong. The mock class was followed by a mock championship, so their expertise could be put to the test to the fullest extent, and after they were done, they returned all their scorecards to the instructors. Oh, lest we forget: there also were a written exam and oral test… Like we said at the beginning, we take our educational mission extremely seriously. All the seriousness aside, we may rejoice as it looks like we are going to have more new probationer judges at ECAHO-affiliated shows next year, so… congrats!

We shalt not rest on our laurels

Education remains one of the top-priority statutory objectives of the Polish Arabian Horse Breeders Association. There is an insatiable hunger for knowledge out there which knows no borders. And we are lucky to be the epicentre of lifelong learning about Arabians. Which does indeed make sense. After all, Poland is one of the global capitals of purebred horses – the hub, heart, and hotbed of all things Arabian. That is why already now we promise and vow to continue our mission, and come 2026, we shall start writing “Chapter 4”. Everyone is invited – no matter where you’re from, come and learn with us. Even the best videos are not going to replace a real-life course during which you can freely interact with teachers, colleagues and fellow breeders. So it’s not really a question if you should come. The right question is: why on Earth wouldn’t you?!

“Those present at the show will confirm that this year’s edition was spectacular. The bar was set very high. And now it’s even higher.” These are the words Mirosław Kołodziej used to conclude his article from last year’s show in Tarnów, treating his readers to both curiosity and eager anticipation. And indeed, as promised, the organisers managed to reach for the stars – even further.

The hospitable Klikowska Ostoja Polskich Koni (Refuge for Polish Horses in Klikowa), the former princely stud farm of the Sanguszko Family, hosted the third All-Polish Arabian Horse Championship on the first weekend of July. It was here, in a land steeped in tradition and passion for Arabian horses, that Tarnów once again became the informal Arabian horse capital of Poland, the meeting place for breeders and enthusiasts from Poland and across Europe. It’s hard to find a better symbol of continuity, where aristocratic traditions of old meet modern standards and international renown.

This year’s edition had a unique, experimental character. For the first time, not one but two shows were held back-to-back: the European and the B-International. A total of 139 horses were entered in both events, of which 54 competed in the European show and 85 in the International one. Some of them competed in both shows, allowing them to be evaluated by different judges. Were the scores the same? Or did they differ significantly? Well find out soon enough.

The show was organised by the Polish Arabian Horse Breeders Association in collaboration with key partners, including the National Support Centre for Agriculture, Global Champions Arabians Tour, Klikowa Arabians Stud, and Strusinianka – a well-known chain of confectioneries and bakeries. The event was held under the honorary patronage of Jakub Kwaśny, Mayor of the City of Tarnów, and Łukasz Smółka, Marshal of the Lesser Polish Voivodeship.

Although this year’s edition had a new formula, several key elements remained unchanged: art exhibitions, a charity auction, riding competitions, friendly integration and – naturally – the most important heroes of this event: purebred Arabians.

By far the biggest success can be claimed by Michałów Stud, whose mares stormed through the championships, and the Głowacki Family’s private stud farm, whose yearling colt is surely destined to take over many a show ring.

For body and soul

The Pierogi Festival on Friday evening, as in previous years, introduced guests to the show’s atmosphere in a delicious and scrumptious way. This culinary highlight, sponsored by Klikowa Arabians owned by the Rzepka Family, provided an excellent opportunity for conversation and reminiscing over traditional Polish dishes. The whole experience was complemented by delicious liqueurs sponsored by the Podlesie Arabians of the Błaszkiewicz Family, owners of Strusinianka.

After a Saturday full of competition, working with horses in truly tropical temperatures, and cheering on one’s favourites, it was time for the Breeders’ Evening. It was not only a chance to relax, but also to bond with the community and have fun with live music.

Throughout the show, guests in the VIP tent were treated to artisanal sweets, exquisite in both taste and form. These were created by the aforementioned Strusinianka, a company with a proud 160-year baking tradition, helmed by Beata and Marek Błaszkiewicz. Fresh coffee effectively alleviated fatigue, even if only for a moment, as the tight schedule undoubtedly took its toll on many attendees.

Horses and artists – a tryst with beauty

Since the first edition of the All-Polish Arabian Horse Championship, art has been an integral part of the event. Artists who reflect the beauty, nobility, and elegance of Arabian horses in their works once again created a number of remarkable artworks especially for the show. The VIP tent featured both paintings and ceramic works that uniquely showcased the majestic beauty of the purebred Arabian. As in the previous year, Beata and Marek Błaszkiewicz of Podlesie Arabians sponsored unique, handcrafted ceramic medals featuring a head of an Arabian horse. Their creator was Tomasz Mrozowski, a veterinarian and artist in one.

Among the works on display, a watercolour by Małgorzata Świertok was a must-see! Her illustrations, combining oriental symbolism with the theme of Arabian horses, graced the cover of this year’s catalogue, as was the case in previous editions. The original watercolour and a ceramic sculpture by Tomasz Mrozowski were donated to the show’s charity auction, supporting a worthy cause.

Images created by Magdalena Muraszko-Kowalska and the artist known as Erna Polak were presented as awards to class and championship winners. The group of artists also included photographers – artists of the lens who capture what’s fleeting, often invisible to the eye: emotions, moods, the harmony of movement and light, and joie de vivre as well as presenters, breeders, judges, and children who flock to the show in Tarnów. Thanks to their work, we can relive these special moments again and again. Among them were Ewa Imielska-Hebda, Patrycja Makowska, Karolina Misztal, Sylwia Iłenda, and Auriane Schwanen. Sylwia, also known for her pastels, this time created hand-painted pendants for special guests, small works of art featuring images of Arabian horses painted on stones. This meeting of horse and art was no coincidence. The uniqueness of Arabian horses has inspired the greatest of artists and writers for centuries.

Charity auction – a quarter million złoty!

A beautiful tradition, which the Polish Arabian Horse Breeders Association has made an integral part of the All-Polish Arabian Horse Championship, is the charity auction, the proceeds of which support children in foster institutions in Tarnów. Since it was held for the third time, it’s high time we took our calculators out. Let’s have a look at some rather impressive numbers.

In 2023, EUR 17,250 was raised, equivalent to PLN 76,500. A year later, the result was even better, with EUR 21,000 raised, or PLN 90,600. This year’s edition brought in EUR 18,400, or approximately PLN 80,000. This totals an impressive quarter million Polish zloty! This year, proceeds will go to the Janusz Korczak Care and Educational Facility in Tarnów.

Nine breedings were donated to the charity auction. The highest price, EUR 4,500, was paid for the breeding to Exagon OS (Cyclone OS – Strastya OS / EKS Alihandro), offered by Monika Siecińska-Jaworowska of Andryjanki Stud. Breedings to Amaar (RFI Farid – Adiya / WH Justice), Medan Al Shaqab (Farhoud Al Shaqab – Abha Myra / Marwan Al Shaqab), and E.S. Harir (AJ Dinar – TF Magnums Magic / Magnum Psyche) also generated considerable interest. The Rzepka Family of Klikowa Arabians, Katarzyna Ostrowska of St. Roch Arabians, and Mariusz Nagórka will soon be expecting offspring from these famous sires.

The artistic highlight of the auction, as was the case last year, was the original watercolour by Małgorzata Świertok. The work went for €2,000 and will adorn the walls at Podlesie Arabians.

The same price was achieved by a breeding to the stallion Amaar (RFI Farid – Adiya / WH Justice), offered by Marek Rzepka from Klikowa Arabians. Two works by Tomasz Mrozowski – a sculpture of the head of an Arabian horse and a ceramic medal – achieved a total of €1,700. Their new owners are Mateusz Jaworski and Hekmat Al Shareif from the United Arab Emirates. An unusual item at the auction was a wooden walking stick with a silver horse head embellished with amber stones, which was purchased by Bogdan Maślanka for €200.

Equestrian duets and the first steps of future handlers

Ridden classes are another permanent fixture of the All-Polish Arabian Horse Championship. Although there were few pairs participating in these competitions this year, the participants deserve even greater respect for their courage and commitment.

On Saturday, the Polish Historical Costume class (4 pairs) was held, and on Sunday, the Traditional Arabian Riding class (5 pairs) – both expertly judged by Weronika Sosnowska. In both cases, the same pairs competed for first and second place: Karolina Ziobro on Purytanin (Kabsztad – Pustynna Malwa / Ekstern), bred at the Michałów Stud and owned by Marcin Ziobro, and Hanna Dziża on Cygarro z Gór (Portel – Cirila z Gór / Pentagram), bred and owned by Wacław Sajdak.

On Saturday, Karolina Ziobro emerged victorious, taking first place, while Hanna Dziża was second. On the next day, the tables were turned, with Hanna Dziża taking the top spot. Third place on the first day went to Agnieszka Helbik-Kuśmierz riding El-Salem (Piaff – El-Zachra / Machmuth Nur), bred and owned by Arkadiusz Nierodkiewicz, while on Sunday it was Adam Dębiński with his chestnut stallion Paristan (Psytadel – Parusa / Poganin), bred by Józef Pietrzak.

Sunday also saw the amateur presenters’ class, offering a chance for potential future professionals to try their hand at showing horses. Six pairs participated and Karol Makowski took first place presenting his grey mare, Psyche Adelajda (Psyche Ull – Psyche Diana / FA El Shawan), bred at Chrcynno-Palace Stud. Róża Skorupowska took second place with the Janów-bred mare Pobelloia (Erantis – Pasawa / Pogrom), owned by Bogdan Maślanka. Dominika Zaucha placed third, presenting the grey gelding Wonder KL (Aja Angelo – Wieża Nimf / Kahil Al Shaqab), bred at Klikowa Arabians. Some might remember that Wonder KL is the Gold Gelding Champion from last year’s show in Tarnów who had a full set of 20s for movement.

It’s show time – and make it double!

Two shows in two days? Now that’s quite a challenge. The agenda was packed full, and the pace was at times dizzying. Despite the logistical hiccups, everything was completed down to the last detail, though it was impossible not to realise we were racing against time a couple of times.

The European Show began on Saturday morning and continued until lunchtime. The International Show classes began immediately afterward, but due to time constraints, the last two classes were moved to Sunday morning. At noon on Sunday, the championships began – first of the European show, then the International.

Thanks to the partnership agreement signed last year by the Polish Arabian Horse Breeding Association with Global Champions Arabians Tour, class winners again received vouchers to participate in one of the series’ events, this time held in Prague. The voucher includes free entry for the horses to the show and free stables.

This year’s judging panel was also international. The European Show was judged by Kathleen Ohlsson (Sweden), Amira Safady (the Netherlands), and James Swaenepoel (Belgium). The International show was judged by Cedes Bakker (Netherlands), Scott Brumfield (USA), Bérengère Fayt (France), Zico Guardia (Brazil), Joanne Lowe (Great Britain), Mohamed Oussidhoum (Morocco), Caroline Reid (Great Britain), and Jonas Salzmann (Kuwait).

EUROPEAN SHOW

Yearling colts ready to start

A small class of yearling colts (five horses) was the first to blaze a trail in the Tarnów show ring. Exit UMM (Exagon OS – Aja Estelle / Aja Angelo), a colt born in southern Sweden at Moëll & Moëll Arabians and currently residing at Barakah Arabians in Denmark had the highest score of 91 points. His owner, Mia Hvid-Wraae, also successfully bid for a breeding to Morion at the charity auction.

Second and third places went to Pustynny Książe (Wadee Al Shaqab – Paradna / Equator), bred and owned by Anna Janas-Naze, who scored 90.67 points, and Pianisto KL (Lyric EA – Pianissa KL / Ajman Moniscione), bred and owned by Klikowa Arabians, with a score of 89.67 points. In the championship, Exit UMM once again proved his status and won the gold medal. Pustynny Książe and Pianisto KL swapped places on the final podium.

Cornelia from Janów on top

A little while later, the yearling fillies competed in two classes, with a total of 11 contenders. Pieszczota (Belmari – Pericola / Kahil Al Shaqab), bred at Białka Stud took lead in class A, proudly standing out with her large eyes and impressive movement. She scored 91.42 points, clearly outpacing her rivals. This improved her score from last month at the Junior Spring Show in Białka (89.33 points), as this time she performed significantly better. She didn’t lose her form or composure throughout the championships, claiming the Yearling Filly Silver Champion title.

In Class B, three out of six fillies were daughters sired by the Michałów-bred stallion Ptolemeusz. The best of them, and the best of the entire class, was the charming grey Cornelia (Ptolemeusz – Cedora / Kahil Al Shaqab), bred in Janów Podlaski, who scored 92.13 points. In the championship, she was awarded the title of Gold Champion by a unanimous decision of the judges. Right behind her in class, with a score of 90.75 points, was the bay El Elsza of Sinus (Ptolemeusz – El Elwa of Sinus / Wadee Al Shaqab), a filly bred and owned by the Sinus Arabstuteri from Sweden. El Elsza joined the abovementioned ladies as she won bronze in the Yearling Fillies Championship.

Six ’20s’ and unanimous gold

Following the youngest participants in the show, it was time for junior horses. The future silver and bronze medallists of the Junior Mare Championship were in Class A of the 2-3-year-old mares. These were Parabella, a daughter of Prometeusz out of Pregoła by Vitorio TO, bred by Janów Podlaski Stud and owned by Klikowa Arabians, and Perida.

The bay Parabella stood out with her very correct body, lovely and quite unique grey coat, and her movement which was full of youthful vigour, for which she received three scores of 19.5. A total score of 91.83 points secured her victory in class. However, she did not take silver in the championship. The medal went to Janów’s Perida (Picasso Di Mar – Paolila / Pogrom), who placed second in the same class with a score of 91.67 points. The gold medallist, meanwhile, emerged from Class B – and with real panache. Białka’s sensational Ejna (D Kaheel – Elwimia / Ascot DD) captivated the judges, earning a whopping six “20s”: three each for type and movement, for an impressive score of 92.22 points. The jury was once again unanimous in choosing the gold champion.

The gold medal in the Junior Stallion Championship went to Marek Rzepka’s family-owned Klikowa Arabians Stud. Poker Move KL (RFI Unique – Plivia / Kahil Al Shaqab) won the 2-year-old stallions class with a score of 90.92 points. Białka’s Etyl (Haash OSB – Elzamira / Glorius Apal) left Tarnów with the silver medal, having earlier won the 3-year-old colt class in impressive fashion. He particularly dazzled with his movement, receiving a full set of 20s, for a total of 91.91 points . The bronze medal went to the snow-white colt Palissander SW (Raoud Al Bidayer – Pilarosa / Al Adeed Al Shaqab), bred by Suweco Stud and owned by Adam Ochmann and Polia Arabians. He placed second in his class with a score of 90.67 points. Also worth mentioning is Monarchio (Star Farid – Minerwina / Kahil Al Shaqab), bred by Wojciech Parczewski and owned by Bogdan Maślanka. He advanced to the finals from third place in his class with a score of 88.92 points, gaining in the championship the favour of two judges, who nominated him for bronze.

FA Estymacja with the highest score of the entire event

In the senior mares class, a total of 15 contenders competed for the top honours. Undefeated in both Class A and the championship was the grey Estymacja FA (Empower – Estema / Emerald J), bred by Krzysztof Goździalski of Falborek Arabians and owned by Joanna Wojtecka and Paweł Kozikowski’s JP Training Center. Estymacja FA boasted incredible movement and delighted the judges, receiving a full set of “20s” for (that’s right) movement, one “20” for type, and high marks for head and neck (2 x 19.5 and 19.75), giving her an impressive total score of 93.25 points – the highest of all the horses on both Saturday and Sunday. She left Tarnów as the Gold Senior Mare Champion.

Second place in her class and the Silver Mare Champion title went to Efora KL (QR Marc – Erigone / Ekstern), a mare bred and owned by Klikowa Arabians. She received 91.83 points for her performance. The bronze medal went to the grey Fogata (Muranas Jassehr – Formis / Esparto), bred in Michałów and owned by Paweł Syliwoniuk. Fogata placed third in the championship and second in Class B, receiving a score of 91.5 points. The judges awarded her the medal unanimously.

Senior Stallions – Ames JR reigns supreme

Among the senior stallions, Ames JR (Psytadel – Altara / Gazal Al Shaqab), a show horse with considerable experience on the red carpet, bred and owned by Janusz Ryżkowski, was unrivalled. This stallion boasts the title of 2019National Junior Champion Stallion, which only confirms his status. In Tarnów, Ames JR outclassed the competition, earning 92.67 points, including top marks for movement and, quite interestingly, very high marks for legs – three times 16 points. As we know, judges are generally reluctant to award such marks in this category.

Second place with a score of 91.42 points went to Encarino (Shiraz de Lafon – Eneria / QR Marc), bred by Janów Podlaski Stud and owned by Agata Pryciak. Ashton was third, a bay son of Pogrom out of Atanda by Eden C, bred at Edward Sieciński’s Andryjanki Stud, having scored 90.25 points. The championship standings remained unchanged: gold for Ames JR, silver for Encarino, and bronze for Ashton.

INTERNATIONAL SHOW

Unrivalled yearlings from Michałów

The yearling fillies competing in Classes A and B of the International Show presented a very even quality, but in each class, a representative of Michałów Stud clearly stood out. In Class A, the grey Zazzera, daughter of KA Nabras and the famous Zigi Zana by QR Marc, proved unrivalled. Zazzera, scoring 91.40 points, outshone her rivals – the other fillies were scored between 89.00 and 89.60 points.

In Class B, Epiforana (Mutabahi Al Hawajer – Espana / QR Marc) put on a real show, dazzling with her movement, earning four “20s” in this category and a total of 92.10 points. Her competitors received scores ranging from 90.20 to 91.20 points.

In the championship, the judges were unanimous – the gold medal went to Epiforana, and the silver to Zazzera. The bronze medal went to the beautiful Wiosenna Przygoda (KA Nabras – Wiosenna Róża / Empire), also from the stables in Michałów. This meant the entire podium belonged to Michałów! Moreover, two medallists were KA Nabras daughters.

Gellatto – the first step to great victories

In the yearling colts class, the undisputed hero was the bay Gellatto – a son of the award-winning stallion Nahil Al Khalediah and the mare Gratella by Morion, bred by Jan Głowacki. Handsome, with a beautiful head and neck, he stole the attention of not only the audience but also the judges, who awarded him a high score of 91.90 points, including four “20s”: one each for type and movement, and two for head and neck. In the championship, he unanimously took home the gold medal and the champion title. As it turned out, this wasn’t his only highlight of the day.

Aaron (KA Nabras – Anielka / Ekstern), this year’s bronze medallist from Białka, advanced to the finals from second place in Class A with a score of 90.40 points. He repeated this success in Tarnów, again finishing third.

El Soray LJ (Star Farid – El Soraya/Wadee Al Shaqab), bred and owned by Leszek Jarmuż, advanced to the finals from Class B. He placed in the Top Five in Białka, and this time he won silver, showing how his form was improving.

And I have a feeling that Gellatto, Aaron, and Białka’s gold medallist, El Primero, will be jostling for a spot in the final line-up once again. Their rivalry promises to be truly exciting, and… something tells me this is just the beginning.

The Janów-bred Elzoya does not disappoint and goes for gold

In class A of two-year-old fillies, the clear favourite from the start was the charming Elzoya, daughter of the excellent Euzona by Om El Belissimo and sired by Pianissima’s son, Prometeusz. This year’s silver medallist from Białka again did not disappoint the expectations of her enthusiastic home team from Janów Podlaski, earning 92.20 points. The judges awarded her very high scores: a full row of 19.5 points for type, head and neck, and movement. Class B was much more evenly matched. The contenders’ scores ranged from 90.70 to 91 points, with two mares achieving identical scores of 90.90 points. Unfortunately, neither managed to steal a place on the final podium.

In the three-year-old fillies class, four competitors lined up – two of them grey, the other two bay. The top two spots went to the latter. Cararra (D Zeidan – Calatina / Emerald J), bred by Marek Kondrasiuk and owned by Alicja Najmowicz, proved to be the best. Allow me to offer a personal note: Cararra is a mare with a very good head and neck, correct conformation, and great potential, so I’m rooting for her to reach greater heights. In Tarnów, she scored 91.80 points, including a full 19.5 for type as well as head and neck, along with four 19.5s and one 19 for movement. Second place in this class went to Michałów’s Pustynia Wiktorii (Dominic M – Pustynia Kahila / Kahil Al Shaqab), who scored 91.20 points. In the championship, the final podium perfectly reflected the class scored. Gold went to Elzoya, silver to Cararra, and bronze to Pustynia Wiktorii.

Białka repeats itself – same medallists, same emotions

Among the junior colts, there were no surprises – the results were exactly the same as they had been in Białka just a month earlier! The two-year-old stallion class was won by Palatyn PA (Morion – Prasada PA / Empire), bred and owned by the Parys Family at Dąbrówka Stud, with a score of 90.5 points. Palatyn PA didn’t look back, adding another gold medal in Tarnów to his gold from Białka.

The winner of the three-year-old stallion class was the grey Panier (EKS Farajj – Paprotnia / Elgast), bred by Lech Błaszczyk and owned by his grandson Marek Łukaszewski. Although he received a higher score than Palatyn, with 91.5 points, he was awarded the Silver Champion title. Third place in class and the bronze medal in the finals went to Fawoniusz (Wolare – Finga / Genetrix), bred and owned by Krzysztof Jagielski, who scored 90.10 points.

Michałów dominates in senior mares

The senior mares class was exceptionally strong. Thirteen contenders entered the ring, 12 of whom were scored (one was withdrawn due to lameness). Five of them achieved scores equal to or higher than 92 points, while the rest exceeded the 90-point mark.

In the 4-6-year-old mares class, the best performer was the bay Labonita (Dominic M – Lakonia / Chimeryk) from Michałów Stud. This beautiful mare with striking eyes and deep ganache, earned 92.30 points and deservedly qualified for the finals in first place. This is no surprise, as she is the 2022 Polish National Yearling Filly Champion. In Tarnów, she added the bronze medal to her collection, securing a spot on the podium for Michałów, which, after dominating the yearling fillies, once again swept all the medals.

The gold medal went to the milky grey Wildanova (WH Justice – Wilda / Gazal Al Shaqab), who is becoming more beautiful with each passing year. The mare dominated the ring, receiving a full set of “20s” for movement and a single twenty for type, giving her a total of 93 points and, if I’m not mistaken, the highest score of her hitherto career.

A slightly lower score was given to Poganinka (Dominic M – Lakonia / Chimeryk), who has a large fan base, as the judges awarded her 92.9 points. Poganinka has accustomed us to effortlessly flying through the ring, and this time it was no different: a full set of “20s” for movement and two more for type. In the championship, she joined her stablemates with the Silver Champion title.

Last but not least: Senior Stallions

Among the older stallions, the bay, charismatic, and in fantastic condition stallion Nisser Babel (Sinharib Babel – AJ Nasheeda / AJ Portofino), bred and owned by Hekmat Al Shareif from the United Arab Emirates, stood out with his exotic beauty. The stallion received 92.10 points from the judges and qualified to the finals from first place.

In second place with a score of 90.5 points was Elon KL (QR Marc – Erigone / Ekstern) from Klikowa Arabians Stud. This balance of power was confirmed in the championship: Nisser Babel took gold, and Elon KL silver. The bronze medallist was the winner of the 7-year-old and older stallions class, Petrus PA (Ekstern – Piwonia / Kahil Al Shaqab) from Dąbrówka Stud of the Parys Family, who received a score of 91.80 points from the judges. Interestingly, this class also included medallists from the European Championship held in the morning: Ames JR, Encarino, and Ashton. However, the different balance of power and the different judging panel prevented those horses from repeating their earlier success.

Best of the Best – Special Awards

To the great and well-deserved delight of his breeders and owners, Gellatto deservedly received the title of Best in Show Stallion. In addition to the Marshal of the Lesser Polish Voivodeship Trophy, he also received the special award for Best Head. Michałów’s Wildanova, in excellent form, was honoured with the title of Best in Show Mare and the Mayor of the City of Tarnów Trophy.

The Ganges Award for best horse in show with a racing career went to Elon KL from Klikowa Arabians. The title of best Pure Polish Mare was awarded to the grey Pantera, daughter of Ekstern and the mare Pampa by Gazal Al Shaqab, bred by Michałów Stud and owned by Bogdan Maślanka. Pantera earned a high score of 91.75 points in the European show, including twenties across the board for movement, and 90.50 points in the International Show. The title of best Pure Polish Stallion went to Piernat (Gaspar – Pogoria / Ekstern), bred by Andrzej Borkowski and owned by Agnieszka Dąbrowska, with his distinctive, extremely original flea-bitten coat.

A touching moment was the presentation of the Special Award of the Polish Arabian Horse Breeders Association – the Arabian Prometheus – to Anna Stefaniuk. This unique distinction is awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Arabian horse breeding in Poland. Anna Stefaniuk spent almost 40 years at the Janów Podlaski Stud, serving as Chief Breeding Specialist. The recipient of this prestigious award is also an international A-level judge.

The handlers weren’t overlooked either during the special awards ceremony. The Best Handler of the Show award went to Enrico Mearelli from Elegantica Training Center, who, together with his brother Nicola, recently joined the Michałów show team.

The show’s organisers never cease to surprise, and each year they reach for increasingly bold, often experimental solutions. They have already announced that in twelve months we will once again be treated to a powerful dose of excitement in Tarnów’s Klikowska Ostoja.

The only thing the growing number of participants and spectators could wish for is an even wider selection of horses in each class. However, with so many accompanying attractions and two shows taking place simultaneously, one might begin to wonder if two days is actually enough. Perhaps a three-day format, with the event starting on Friday, would be worth a thought? Such an expansion could give the event the character of a true Arabian Horse Festival, serving as an excellent prelude to the rapidly approaching Polish Arabian Horse Days in Janów Podlaski.

The third edition of All-Polish Arabian The Horse Championship organised by the Polish Arabian Horse Breeders Association made history. On 5th-6th July 2025, at the charming Klikowska Ostoja Polskich Koni (Polish Horse Refuge in Klikowa) in Tarnów, two shows were held back-to-back: B-International and European Show, all under the patronage of Global Champions Arabians Tour and with generous support of a multitude of sponsors and enthusiasts who had devoted the last few weeks of their time to making sure everything would be as perfect as possible.
The horses entered in the shows were judged by two different panels of judges. The European Show was judged by Kathleen Ohlsson, Amira Safady and James Swaenepoel, while the B-International – by Cedes Bakker, Scott Brumfield, Bérengère Fayt, Zico Guardia, Joanne Lowe, Mohamed Oussidhoum, Caroline Reid and Jonas Salzmann.

The organisers must have booked the weather well in advance, and it was actually too good, as is was at times scorching hot, especially on Sunday, and even avoiding the sun and staying in the shade wasn’t enough to prevent you from getting a tan. The large, spacious, and, as always, exquisitely furnished VIP tent offered a tempting array of catering, and the staff ensured no one would get thirsty too quickly on these hot summer days. Unfortunately, as is sometimes does happen at a show in such weather, I personally had the opportunity to appreciate the helping hand of the paramedics on site.

People outside the VIP tent had access to stands for the audience along the shorter wall of the arena and to tiny shops and catering stands around the building known in Klikowa as Hubertus, or the hunter’s lodge. On Sunday, unfortunately, and weirdly so, with an increased number of people in attendance, the number of stands decreased, leading to some being a bit disgruntled, which is indeed quite logical. One must admit, however, that not everything is within the organisers’ control, and some unpleasant situations do occur in spite of one’s best and kindest intentions.

In this year’s catalogue, we could find a total of approximately 150 entries, and the International Show proved to be more popular among horse owners. Some horses were, naturally, entered in both shows, as well as in the ridden classes or the amateur handlers class, others were withdrawn, so overall we saw more or less 100 horses. This number certainly is impressive for one show, for two – slightly less so. Nonetheless, let us hope that the smaller number of horses was, generally speaking, due to the necessity of choosing one of the shows, and in a broader perspective, undoubtedly, due to the difficult times all of us are facing these days. Just keeping a larger group of horses nowadays generates higher costs than it did a few years ago, and when you factor in preparing your horse(s) in a show training centre and the costs of participating in events… your spending will increase exponentially. I think we all would hate to see the Tarnów Championships disappear from our calendars, since in Poland, we have such a limited selection of events for purebred Arabians. Therefore, every opportunity to admire these beautiful horses is probably worth its weight in gold.

What’s encouraging, however, is the large number of new names among owners of the horses shown, which is linked to the growing interest in Arabian horses. In my view, this might be due to the fact that the show is organised outside of Białka and Janów Podlaski stud farms. Another reason is probably the broader promotion of these horses, which had been seriously insufficient for many years. Furthermore, the community itself could have been potentially a bit scary to newcomers due to its somewhat closed-off nature.

I think many would agree with me that the hot weather and the extremely tight schedule—many horses, two parallel shows with numerous classes and two series of championships to compete in, equestrian sports, and a charity auction – were quite exhausting even for the most seasoned of us. Half-jokingly, the horses entered in both shows had it worst, losing their strength and lightness on Sunday afternoon during the championships. Perhaps it’s worth considering a “one-day, one-show” formula, although this too might not guarantee the horses would get enough rest, but it would prevent some of them from performing for judges and the public three times in one day.

Despite these minor hiccups, which some may not have even noticed, the entire event will without a shade of doubt go down in history as a marvellous event considering all the pleasant, emotional, and touching moments. We all held our breath during the amateur-presenters’ class, when the chestnut Esmina ran away from Eliza Tarczyńska only to hide in her stables? And then, the moment when Eliza was honoured – that’s right: honoured – with a special Bravery Award. A trophy just for her so that she would remember her performance fondly in spite of stress.

We all felt like crying during the symbolic ceremony marking the return to Poland of Białka’s legendary multichampion Pesal? Surely Renata Kurzyńska did cry, and did many other – both in awe and in shock. And there were many more such moments. The awards for the best Pure Polish horses were also a very nice touch, and so was the aforementioned class for amateurs. The charity auction for a local foster home for kids in Tarnów was also a memorable moment – for those involved in its organisation, the donors and bidders, and, of course, the kids who will benefit from the bidders’ generosity. Good deeds return with greater goodness, and I think that supporting places like this is truly important on many levels, and I hope the Tarnów auction will serve as a model for others.

The auction, the breeders’ evening on Saturday with fun and games, the “pierogi and nalewki” festival (with dumplings and traditional liqueurs) on Friday evening which included this year delicious goat cheese, are permanent fixtures at the Tarnów show. In my humble opinion, the ambiance at this show is designed and intended to build lasting interpersonal bonds, to integrate and unite, rather than divide people within this small community of ours. A more integrated, friendly environment, and a welcoming atmosphere surrounding the event are a simple recipe for success. The very idea of “resurrecting” the Radom championship with participation of its creators was in itself an act of healthy cooperation – proof of the need to do something together, and subsequent editions of this “new-old” show as well as the way it is organised and experimented with, only reinforce my belief that this is in fact true.

Dearest Reader, as you must have already noticed, this year (which is quite unusual for me), you shan’t find any information about the show results in my article. I refer you to www.arabianessence.tv, where you can find videos from each class and all the results in full details. Please consider these observations of mine as a subjective report to be attached to numbers and facts. And… see you soon!

If you love Arabians, you must know about this beautiful tradition we’ve had for many years now in Europe that every year after All Nations Cup, we go to Belgium for open days in some of the most renowned centres for purebred Arabians in the world. One of those places is Jadem Arabians where we saw last year the magnificent RFI Farid, multichampion and one of the most sought after sires to ever trot on this Earth. Will his son make the father proud? Let’s have a look at Farid Al Hawajer.

A legend is born

The bay and utterly handsome Farid Al Hawajer was born on 2^nd February 2018 at Al Hawajer Stud in the United Arab Emirates, and it took him less than a year to win his first medal. Sired by the icon of the breed RFI Farid and out of Jameelah Al Hawajer (we’ll get back to her), the then yearling was close to peerless at the 2019 Ajman Arabian Horse Show where he won the title of Silver Yearling Colt Champion, losing only to D Shakhat (D Khattaf – D Shireen / Kahil Al Shaqab) from Dubai Arabian Horse Stud. Those who have kept a close eye on the Arabian scene in recent years might remember Tom Oben accompanying a bijou and petite intensely bay yearling in January 2019 at Ajman Equestrian Club – yes, that’s the hero of our story.

Named obviously after his outstanding sire, Farid Al Hawajer from the very start had some pretty grand horseshoes to fill. And he did his level best to do that. At the 1st Sharjah Kalba Arabian Horse Festival in November 2019, also shown by Tom Oben, he was once again first in class, just like in Ajman, and won bronze in the 2 Years Old Colts Championship. And already as a yearling, he would score “twenties” for head and neck. But with young horses you rarely know how they are going to perform or what they might grow into. Over the course of the next couple of years, the young Farid was a bit less lucky in terms of medals, yet invariably showing promise as a potential future sire.

The big day finally came on 25^th March 2022 at the Emirates Arabian Horse Breeders Championship in Abu Dhabi. It was a massive show and the judges saw a total of 342 horses in just three days. Our hero had the highest score of the show: 92.20, ex æquo with AD Bdoor (AJ Azzam – Torfah Al Zobair / S.M.A. Magic One), the Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship 2021 Gold Filly Foal, bred by Hamad Adnan Abdulla Shaban Alshehhi. With three 20s for type (one scratched) and one more for movement (alas also scratched), he was destined for the noblest of medals. Needless to say, he was indeed victorious in the Senior Stallion Championship, living up to the expectations of his proud breeders and, as it happened, making his sire proud too. Tom Oben, who was at his side when he was still a kiddo, was there with Farid Al Hawajer again, together with Dr. Ghanem al Hajri, the founder of Al Hawajer Stud and Farid’s breeder himself.

Beauty personified

The dam of our hero is Jameelah Al Hawajer by Alixir out of Thee Midnight Angel by Al Baraki. The black mare whose name in Arabic means “beautiful” is a Straight Egyptian queen who made a name for herself not as a dam, but a mother of champions. Her offspring, albeit few, have made the headlines countless times.

In Paris at the World Arabian Horse Championship in December 2024, I asked Fariborz Vadipoor about his first impressions of Farid Al Hawajer and instead of telling me about Farid, he told me about… Jameelah: “Even before I heard the name Farid Al Hawajer or saw him for the first time, I was in love with his exquisite dam Jameelah Al Hawajer. Coming from an American Straight Egyptian line, this iconic black mare would produce amazing foals. The bay Mandela Al Hawajer was first, full brother to Farid as a matter of fact, in 2014. As a five-year-old, he won the title of Gold Senior Stallion Champion at the Emirates Arabian Horse National Championship. That’s years before Farid won his gold.”

I could see how much in awe Fariborz must have been that decade ago as he was first discovering the “gorgeous lady in black”: “The next year came Mandela’s sister, Bint Jamelah Al Hawajer by Royal Colours, an amazing black Straight Egyptian filly that grew into a refined mare. Then Jameelah gave birth to the bay Baraqah Al Hawajer by Dominic M who became the Silver Yearling Champion Filly at the 2019 United Arab Emirates National Championship.”

Just like in one of the movies by Hollywood’s enfant terrible, Fariborz had my curiosity, but then he also had my attention. I didn’t expect him to elaborate to such extent about Farid’s dam, nor his siblings, so I decided to dig a bit deeper: “For me, a stallion’s dam and sisters, if you know what you’re looking for and you trust your gut, can give good hints of the offspring he might produce in the future. So after I saw Farid’s offspring born at Al Hawajer Stud and how successful they were in the ring, I had no doubt that this handsome, charismatic stallion is not only a modern Arabian supermodel, but also a sire of the next generation of champions.”

Remarkable progeny

One quick look at Farid Al Hawajer’s offspring is more than enough to see that the foals that he produces are truly superb. Colts and fillies that were sired by this fantastic stallion are conquering Arabian horse shows all over the Middle East and they have even crossed the Mediterranean Sea to try their luck at events in Europe as well. But would the champion-making RFI Farid be proud of his Emirati heir? Let’s bring his potential as a sire in his own right under scrutiny.

Meet Shamikhat Al Hawajer, born on 28^th October 2022, a bay filly now owned by Al Thamer Stud. Shamikhat is out of Durah Al Hawajer by the one and only FA El Shawan and out of Gloryannaa by Versace. Don’t let her young age fool you – that sweet, extremely feminine cutie is already a four-time champion, thrice as a yearling. She won her first medal in November 2023 at the Sharjah Arabian Horse Festival. In class, she scored her first twenty for head and neck, qualified for the championships and won silver, losing only to Al Aryam Harbah (S.M.A. Magic One – Al Aryam Hamrah / Marajj).

They met again at the end of January 2024 at the Al Shiraa International Arabian Horse Show and looks like history likes to repeat itself, as here she won another silver medal which was followed in late March by a bronze medal at the 2024 Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship. Then in the first days of November last year, a month before the World Championship, she won her first gold at the 2024 Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show. In class she had twenties across the board for head and neck, and two days later in the Junior Fillies Championship won the gold medal, beating her half-sister…

… Farida Mudhar who won silver at that very same show. Born on 2nd April 2022, Farida Mudhar is out of A.L.R. Aseela (D Mshary – D Noorah / QR Marc). A year earlier, in mid-November 2023, she won here the title of Gold Yearling Filly, after taking the first place in class and scoring twenties for head and neck. It runs in the family – sire charmed judges and spectators alike with his eyes and smile, and so do his daughters. But before we move on to her half-brother, perhaps we should mention one more thing: she was fourth in the Yearling Fillies Championship at the 2023 World Championship in Doha – she lost by a point to the bronze medallist.

Speaking of her brother, his name is Adnan Mudhar and just like Farida, he’s bred and owned by Sheikh Hamad Ali Al Thani from the State of Qatar. Adnan is out of Soufiya Al Shaqab by S.M.A. Magic One. Her dam is Pretia, a Michałów Stud-bred daughter of Kahil Al Shaqab and Parmana by Al Maraam. This little fella was born on 13th February 2024 and won his first gold medal as a nine-month-old colt foal at the 2024 Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show, scoring more than twice than the silver medallist! That was indeed a good show for RFI Farid’s grandkids.

The list of young and very young horses that take Middle Eastern show rings by storm goes on, testament to RFI Farid’s legacy as a champion maker, a trait that Farid Al Hawajer seems to have inherited from his esteemed sire. Hasseeb Al Zobair is yet another example of a junior with a bright future ahead of him. Born on 12^th October 2023 out of Zoheya Al Zobair (Dominic M – Star of Al Zobair / Ajman Moniscione), bred by Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohammed Ali Al Thani and owned by Sheikha Maryam Ahmed Abdullah Al Thani, this bay youngster made himself known at the Sharjah Arabian Horse Festival in November 2024 where he won gold in the Yearling Colts Championship. This jolly and fun-loving lad made a huge impression on the judges, so much so that he had one of the highest scores of the show and three 20s for… that’s right: head and neck! So much so that, in the championships, seven out of eight judges chose him for gold.

Farid Al Hamidiya is another interesting colt whose career we might want to follow. Born on 3rd October 2023 out of D Awaly (FA El Rasheem – Ghazalah Alaalya / Monticeto LN), bred and owned by Ali Mohammed Eissa Bushehab Alsuwaidi, he triumphed in late March 2024 in the Colt Foals class, basically unrivalled.

Let’s go back to Farid Al Hawajer’s home in the UAE and pick a filly and a colt each that have the potential to reach for the stars as their sire and grandsire have, shall we? Moth’hel Al Hawajer out of Muth’hela Al Hawajer (FA El Rasheem – Gloryannaa / Versace) was born on 2nd October 2022 and this bay colt is already a double medallist. Currently owned by Abdulaziz Soud Almutairi, he was first in class and won the silver medal at the Emirates Arabian Horse National Championship in late March 2023. Shortly before Christmas 2024, at the 4th Doha International Arabian Horse Show, he won bronze in the Yearling Championship, scoring earlier four 20s for movement (one was scratched) proving Farid’s kids can move too.

Salymah Al Hawajer is the last horse we shall discuss, otherwise we’d need several pages more. This grey filly was born at Al Hawajer Stud on 20th December 2022 and her dam is Salymah E.A. (Khidar – Libanon Azadika / Om El Azadik, son of Sanadik El Shaklan). Thus far, she’s only been to two shows and her best result is the 2nd place in class at the 5th Sharjah Kalba Arabian Horse Festival at the beginning of December 2023, but with pedigree like hers, she’s bound to make a wonderful broodmare, and who knows…? Perhaps we’re looking at the future mother of champions that will follow in Jameelah Al Hawajer’s hoofsteps and who’s going to make her owners at Ramz Stud proud?

Epilogue, or to be continued

Thinking of Farid Al Hawajer’s offspring, Fariborz Vadipoor can’t help smiling: “Both colts and fillies by Farid show beauty, talent, and charisma, and they feel at home at some of the most important show in the Middle East. They leave those shows with championship titles making the celebrated Al Hawajer name even more famous, building on a lasting legacy that will undoubtedly have a meaningful impact on future generations of Arabians.” The question we ought to ask ourselves now is whether we want to contribute to this legacy? Are you ready to introduce Farid Al Hawajer into your breeding programme? After all, “farid” means “incomparable” in Arabic… Your call.

Farid Al Hawajer is owned by KHD Partnership from the United Arab Emirates. His semen, both fresh and frozen, is available in Europe and the Middle East at Danisa Training Center (now part of Privilege SFQ) in Belgium.

This will be another short story about my trip to see Arabian horse shows in Qatar. However, I would rather avoid discussing the horses, their scores and pedigrees, or the officials. Instead, I would love to take you on a trip with me and tell you about the atmosphere at the show, which is considered by many – on many levels – to be one of the best in the world, as well as touch upon GCAT, the city where it all takes place – Doha, and a bit about the country itself – Qatar.

After a week-long stay in Doha, watching closely the first show, that is Katara Arabian Peninsula Horse Show, busily processing hundreds of photos and creating my first short story, I was about to finish packing, basically almost ready to leave for Poland. Then out of the blue, I was asked if I might want to stay for the second part of the Festival, the much larger show, the upcoming Qatari leg of Global Champions Arabians Tour… Of course I wanted to!!!

Tour of the studs

A short break between the two shows was filled with an Arabian horse auction, followed by two days off, during which preparations for the next parts of the festival were underway. The first of the free days was when the trip to the open days of the studs took place. Usually they are simply impossible to visit so, together with Ewa Imielska-Hebda, we started our tour from the oldest stud in Qatar – Al Rayyan Farm, where its hospitable manager Grzegorz Gajewicz from Poland who has been working there for the past two years welcomed us.

After the arrival of all guests, the presentation of horses owned by this well-known stud began. Stallions were the first to be shown. And what a demonstration of strength and charisma that was! Despite the warm and very sunny day, the milky-grey stallions were bursting with testosterone. Then it was time for the mares and foals. This was no less exciting, although in a totally different way. The foals, which are not yet used to the presence of the public, sometimes rebelled, and the presenters leading them looked almost as if they were carrying them onto the showground and back to the stables to make room for the next horses to come out.

After the horse show, all guests were invited to enjoy some food and drinks. Tables were set up on the lawn, and all of us could debate about what we had just seen and experienced. We also met another Pole working at the stud, the friendly Patrycja Pakuła who serves as a vet there. After the visit to Al Rayyan, some of the guests returned to their hotels, because the next stud to which we were invited is already located far outside the city – in the desert. It was not easy to get there, but somehow we managed. Al Hamama is a relatively new stud, but can already boast significant successes, such as at this year’s KIAHF show. Here we were surprised by the collective prayer, which took place not in a dedicated tent, but in the audience in front of the showground. Some of the participants took part in the prayers, while the rest of us waited patiently for the presentation, enjoying the treats and drinks served, as well as the smell of agarwood, which in the Arabian Peninsula is called oud. Once the presentation began, what caught our attention was… the stud’s owner Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Saoud Al Thani was standing at the fence, waiting for each of the horses, patting them and treating them each to a tasty carrot. Now isn’t that sweet?

The third we visited was Al Waab Farm, located as far as 80 km from Doha, which does not often open its doors to visitors. That probably explains the crowds visiting. Attractions began as soon as we entered the lush green (!) areas of the estate, as right in front of the hood of the car ran a herd of… zebras! A bit further on, an antelope was grazing calmly… On the farm, there are pavilions with wild animals, but the harmless ones walk freely all over the multi-hectare green pastures. What to us seems most familiar are the aforementioned pastures, but to keep them green is actually a huge challenge concerning the weather in Qatar. After all, this is a country where deserts reign; no grass grows here, no meadows or forests. Just sand, rocks, and some more hot sand. Feed for animals, including horses, has to be imported, so imagine what an immense, really enormous undertaking it is to maintain a green farm with a huge number of animals.

The horses on display were delightful, especially since the owners of Al Waab do not exhibit horses at any events, nor do they show them anywhere outside their property. And they have some of the best Straight Egyptian Arabians. It was truly a feast for the eyes. When it was over, as we wanted to quietly leave the estate, we were stopped by kind gentlemen who declared it was not possible… Since the nights in the desert are cold and we were all already frozen, we were invited to a warm meal. And we were treated like royalty! It was a leisurely but very, really very busy and eventful day.

Return to Doha

The Katara auction was held at the showground. To my disappointment, most of the lots were embryos (some of which were destined for charity) and semen – you can’t really take photos of either of these, and only a few horses were shown. Faced with such a dilemma, we stayed at the auction only for a short while, and then we went to the old souq, a historic marketplace, to enjoy the colours, aromas, and atmosphere of the oriental city. Charming narrow streets full of tiny stores selling spices, pottery, ceramics, textiles, food, handicrafts and hundreds of products unheard of in our country, whose purpose we could only guess. It was a wonderful trip and another colourful, eventful day.

On the eve of the main show of the GCAT series, it turned out that we had a lot of work ahead of us – we had to organise all the photos we had taken earlier, describe our impressions so that nothing would be missed or forgotten, and prepare for the next event.

As I have already mentioned, my guide to Qatar and to the shows themselves was Ewa Imielska-Hebda, a well-known Polish Arabian horse photographer. As a person who, not for the first time, participated in shows in these parts of the world, familiar with the customs of such events, she was a constant source of knowledge for me, and I very much hope that I did not torment her with dozens of questions, also for advice. Ewa forewarned me that GCAT would be “more” of everything I could imagine. That it would be bigger, louder, more colourful, that there would be more crowned heads, princes and royal families, more magnificent horses, more glitter, and cameras, the incessant sound of shutters snapping pictures…

Indeed she was right!!! There were more tables, more people labelled “Media”, more people in the stands, and, well, more horses. The show began with a ceremonial performance by the representative orchestra of the Qatari police. Once again, it caused goose bumps all over my body. The orchestra mid-performance presented a rather complicated marching choreography – the more impressed the audience was with their ceremonial dance. This time it was not the last time I saw the orchestra during the event. They would show up and play fanfares before each announcement of the class winner. The show included not only Straight Egyptian horses, but all the best Arabian horses from around the world. Polish-bred horses were present too, four of them to be precise: Monserat, Echo Anastasia, Eragon Zalia and Equator. Unfortunately, due to the large number of horses entered in the show, Polish Arabians did not qualify for the championships. This is because the regulations stated that if more than 180 horses were entered, only the first three from each class would go further to the championships, and our horses, without exception, were among the top, but outside the first three of their categories.

The last day of the show was reserved for the championships and medals, and a lot of excitement. Starting with the youngest, subtle fillies and ending with the proud senior stallions, we could watch the most beautiful, most desirable horses in the world. Hunting for the perfect photo was an incredibly difficult task. This was true for the official photographers – who were in the ring during the show though only during the decoration of the horses – as well as for the rest of the photographers. Later, backstage, over dinner, we talked a bit about it, complaining together about the mass of people with cell phones who would come very close to the horses, making it impossible to take pictures with cameras. However, it wasn’t bothersome enough to wipe the smiles off the faces of media representatives of all sorts, especially since it was time for the festive conclusion of GCAT Doha.

Let there be light

The light show was extraordinary, the sky lit up with hundreds of tiny lights covering on drones, fireworks and the sound of the drums of the aforementioned orchestra. At the showground, during a short break, in almost total darkness, a stage was built in the bling of an eye. The orchestra performed on this stage, and there was a dance show, which could perhaps be described as modern dervishes. This combination of sounds, lights, colours, and dance was truly breath-taking and made my body produce an unprecedented amount of endorphins. I stood and watched it entirely captivated, watching something so amazing for the first time in my life.

The show ended with the appearance of the GCAT logo above our heads. Hellishly tired, but indescribably happy, I returned to the hotel. To Poland. Back home. The shows in Doha will surely continue to energise me for a long time to come, because even now, as I’m writing this story, I can feel myself smiling.

And so the first two shows are behind us. Next stop: Oman!

In January 2025, I had the immense pleasure of participating in the Katara Arabian Peninsula Horse Show in Doha. I owe this trip to the courtesy of the editorial team of Polskie Araby and the organisers of this amazing Qatari show. The entire setting and the ambience, the exquisite horses, the falcons – beyond a shadow of doubt an unforgettable event.

From the very beginning, the event was extraordinary – before it started, really. At the airport in Doha, a driver was waiting for us. What surprised me was that he had my name and surname written down and spelled flawlessly, and believe me, this doesn’t happen often (even in Poland). It’s quite a long and complicated sequence of relatively random characters (especially for those who don’t speak any Polish).

My companions and I headed towards the men who were greeting us. They took our luggage and led us to the cars that then took us to the hotel. On the way, we were impressed by the cleanliness of the city – no garbage on the streets, nor any graffiti on the walls… Beautiful, clean architecture, which in its form beautifully combines Arabic tradition with cosmopolitan modernity.

Let’s see the horses

The next morning at breakfast, one could sense joyful anticipation. Who else would show up? Would we meet old friends? Cordial hellos, smiles, hugs, the “mandatory” coffee (the first of many on this eventful trip)… We waited for the party to begin.

We were driven to the show in elegant cars, and there were more good friends waiting for us at the arena. What surprised me a little was the cordiality with which the media veterans welcomed me, a relative newcomer. I immediately felt as if I had always belonged to that group of chosen ones who showed up with cameras at horse shows, never feeling out of place wherever life took me.

After the hellos in the lobby, it was time for the official opening. Before the horses appeared in the ring, a military band marched in at an even pace. The gentlemen played with such dedication and so beautifully that the people present got shivers down their spines from excitement. I know I did. After playing two songs from their repertoire and the Qatari anthem “Peace to the Amir”, it was high time for the heroes of the event, the purebred horses, to finally come out.

The first day was in its entirety about yearling horses – youngsters who are not yet fully familiar with shows, so sometimes their handlers had some minor problems with them. At such moments, it was clear who was friends with the horse they were showing, as well as which horses felt a bit afraid of what was happening around them. It was often nice to watch how the gentlemen – because here, as anywhere else, horse presentation is the domain of men – calmly waited for the “little ones” to calm down so they could get back to work. It was most visible when the music stopped and silence took over. There were several such moments during the day. The sound system was turned off for prayers, but the show itself was not interrupted. The silence was almost absolute, because in Qatar – unlike in Poland – no one runs around the arena trying to get the horses’ attention. The only sounds you could then hear were the horses – their steps, the clatter of hooves, their excited breathing, and how the handlers talked to them.

Suddenly one of the horses got spooked, rammed the rope fence, bolted onto the beach and then onto the wooden pier. There he stopped, and returned with confidence to his handler. The pair were rewarded with cheers and a moment later with applause, as they won their class.

More than just a show – a proper festival

Katara is a lot more than horses trotting around the showground. Next to the impressive facility, built especially for the event, there were pavilions and stands where you could admire the works of artists and traditional artisans, or buy “equine” cosmetics (as in inspired by horses). The most interesting for me were the live painting demonstrations. As someone who likes to pick a pencil or a brush, I admired artists who could work in such an intensity of emotions, noise and light… Painting dominated, but each of the artists present used a different technique, had their unique style, used different creative materials. You could even buy paintings painted on saddles.

The second day was about two- and three-year-olds, or junior horses. On this day, many more guests showed up, and the cheering from the stands became louder. The atmosphere of the show was getting hotter and wilder, despite the strong and chilly wind that accompanied us until the end of the day. Waiters were constantly bringing cold and hot drinks and snacks, making sure that the guests and spectators had all they needed. And believe me – we lacked nothing. The organisation of this huge was top notch.

This day made us realise how beloved grey horses are by the people of the Arabian Peninsula. Other coat colours were not as visible and you could probably count those horses on two hands. In this situation, it was quite easy to become a clairvoyant: “Who will win? The grey one!” And that’s okay, because the old Polish provers tells us: “Who never had a grey horse, never had a good one”.

The next day was all about senior horses and once again there were no surprises in terms of the coat colours of the winning horses. As always, I was most impressed by the senior stallions, boisterous and expressive. You can always count on these guys to do something that will look interesting in photos and later – after translating them onto paper with a pencil – in drawings. I was right!

Attractions aplenty

Championship reigned supreme on day four. However, before the show’s winners were announced, the stands were filled with crowned heads. There were also significantly more guests from outside Qatar.

Another attraction of the day was the opportunity to observe the finals of a falconry competition, which took place in one of the pavilions of the Katara Cultural Village. What surprised me (and probably the other guests, who were watching such a competition for the first time too) were the dynamics of the event. Although these are probably not the best words to describe the course of this event. Especially when compared to the pace and expression of Arabian horse shows, which we are used to.

All that transpired during the falconry show took place at a leisurely pace and in a most dignified fashion, without any loud music obviously. Each of the hooded birds was first presented to the Emir of Qatar, then slowly carried for the jury to see it, and then returned to its place. Sadly, we could not wait until the final results of the competition, because we had to return to the arena with the horses. And the way back also turned out to be a very nice experience. The ride at night through beautifully lit Katara was truly magical.

Prologue

In the championships that always crown shows like Katara Arabian Peninsula Horse Show, we always see the crème de la crème. It was no different in Doha: lots of grey horses, lots of people posing for photos with the prize-winning mares and stallions, a lot of photographers, artists and filmmakers running around in front of them, excited to take the best picture. The results? You can read all about them on Arabian Essence, so it would be pointless to prolong the (perhaps already too long) report. That wasn’t my job anyway. I’m the one who snaps photos and draws and paints.

I wanted to capture as much of the ambience and uniqueness of the show as possible from my very own perspective of a guest observing the event from the stands. It was a truly special time for me and I hope I managed to show at least a bit of the colourfulness and otherness of the Arabian world of purebred horses as compared to what we usually are witnesses to in Europe. I myself will certainly often return to my Qatari memories, both in my thoughts and on paper – with a pencil in hand, drawing the equine superheroes that I saw with my own eyes.

The five-hour-long flight from Warsaw to Doha allowed us to step into the fascinating world of the Orient. The exotic city of Doha inspired awe not only because of the phenomenal architecture to be seen everywhere, but primarily due to its omnipresent aura of serenity and kindness. Such extraordinary atmosphere surrounded the Arabian Peninsula Horse Show, which took place between 29th January and 1st February 2025 as an integral part of the fifth edition of the Katara International Arabian Horse Festival. The Festival, which ended on 8th February 2025, consisted this year of three events: the Arabian Peninsula Horse Show, the Katara Arabian Horse Auction, and Global Champions Arabians Tour, its most prestigious part.

The Katara Cultural Village Foundation in collaboration with the Racing and Equestrian Club and the Qatar Equestrian Federation organizes Katara International Arabian Horse Festival annually. The Festival is graced with the esteemed patronage of the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Professor Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, General Manager of the Foundation pointed out in his message to the guests that the Festival is a tribute to the tireless efforts of breeders who devoted their lives to preserving the purity of Arabian bloodlines. Moreover, the Festival expresses the fact that Katara fully embraces its responsibility to preserve and promote heritage, with the Arabian horse standing as a powerful symbol of strength, elegance and loyalty.

The Arabian Peninsula Horse Show is a specific origin show open to Straight Egyptian horses registered or eligible for registration by the World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO). 139 horses were registered for the show representing six countries: Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. The horses competed in 12 classes for considerable prize money. Suffice to say that the owner of the winning horse in senior classes is awarded with 250 000 QR. Therefore, there is a lot at stake, although what ultimately matters is the prestige of being the owner of the best horse.

The Show itself takes place in a fairy-tale scenery created by a show complex erected at a huge expense upon the Katara beach to last only for the duration of the Festival. Yet, the organizers spared neither money nor effort in order to secure dazzling conditions for the presentation of horses. All premises were designed in sophisticated aesthetics drawing on Bedouin culture, combined with subtle shades of brown, beige and white, thus creating the effect of subdued luxury. Such scenery in conjunction with shimmering ultramodern skyscrapers looming on the horizon in a way symbolizes the underlying concept behind the event, namely the connection of a centuries’ long cultural tradition of Qatar with the challenges of the modern world. The entire place provided a grand and dignified setting arranged meticulously for the sole purpose being to admire the beauty of Straight Egyptian horses participating in the show. This year, the horses were evaluated over days by a panel of 14 judges, among whom there were Poles this time. It is worth mentioning that the organizers every year indicate a different colour as the dress code in place. This year, black attire was to be observed.

Day 1, Wednesday 29th January – the first day of the Arabian Peninsula Horse Show welcomed the guests with sunny, though somewhat windy weather and a comfortable temperature around 20 degrees Centigrade. The performance of Qatar Air Forces Music Battalion proved a beautiful and original element of the opening ceremony. Upon completion of the customary welcome speeches, the competition could begin in the starting classes of yearling fillies and yearling colts.

At this point, a slight remark needs to be made. While analysing the show, one has to bear in mind that we are watching Straight Egyptians, not Pure Polish Arabians. Therefore, evaluation criteria and breeding considerations are somewhat different. Due to their narrow gene pool, the Arabian horses classified as Straight Egyptian are very similar in appearance and conformation. These horses are characterized by their delicate, refined build and narrow chest. Delicate construction makes them susceptible to all kind of injuries, while rather frequent cases of disqualification during the show resulted mainly from lameness. Additionally, Arabian Straight Egyptian mares suffer from reproductive health problems; hence, each new foal is highly valued. Yearling fillies opening the competition already showed everything that is best in a Straight Egyptian Arabian horse, namely a small, exquisitely chiselled wedge-shaped head set upon a long, arched neck. Their large, dark eyes gain additional expression against the prevailing milky grey colour of coat, prevailing in that breed.

Of the yearling fillies competing in classes 1A and 1B, only one in class 1A was bay among the remaining grey fillies. And yet, after fierce competition, the victory in class 1A with 91.70 points went to her, the wonderful bay beauty QUMRIYAH (Naseem Al Rashediah x Kamar Ega) owned by Qatari Al Hamama Stud. It is interesting to note that third in the same class was a grey filly displaying a high potential for future, GJ MAJESTICA (Majd Al Qusar x Hadiye Al Shahania) owned by Al Nasser Stud from Qatar and bred by Glenn Jacobs. The same Glenn Jacobs known for taking photographs of Polish horses. However, not everybody knows that apart from being a photographer, he is also a highly successful breeder of Straight Egyptian Arabian horses. Unfortunately, movement remains the weakest point of yearling fillies. Nonetheless, according to judges, especially fillies competing in class 1A seem promising, as more than half of them received notes above 90 points. From the group of 11 yearling fillies competing in class 1B, the victorious one proved to be the truly charming ANHAJEEAH AL SHAQAB (Naseem Al Rashediah x Mashhoorah Al Shaqab) from Al Shaqab Stud in Qatar.

18 yearling colts competed in classes 4A and 4B. Also here, one bay colt stood out against the grey crowd, though without success. In class 4A, the public was absolutely taken by the grey colt SAIF AL WADI (Naseem Al Rashediah x Nefertiti Al Wadi) belonging to Saudi Al Wadi Stud. During his presentation, that charismatic colt freed himself from the handler, whereupon he started to walk in a highly dignified manner away from the show ring towards the adjacent pier leading to docked boats. After a while, Saif Al Wadi decided to turn back out of his own free will. Walking slowly and majestically, he then appeared again at the side of his handler as if nothing had happened. No intervention was undertaken, as everybody awaited calmly and respectfully for the colt to finish his walk. This manifestation of Saif Al Wadi’s independent character met with enthusiastic acclaim from the public. The judges were equally impressed viewing the beauty and charm of the Saudi colt. Saif Al Wadi received a total note of 91.43 points, thus winning his class. In the second class of yearling colts 4B the unquestionable number one proved to be the astounding grey D SADN (D Labbad x D Asfoorah) owned by Dubai Arabian Horse Stud from the United Arab Emirates. D Sadn achieved the highest note of the day, being 92.57 points. Myself, I was greatly captivated by the movement and charisma of the Qatari colt IBN AL NAIF (Ansata Nile Echo x Al Jood Al Naif) belonging to Al Naif Stud.

Day 2, Thursday 30 January – the second day of the show proceeded with the competition of junior fillies and junior colts, ergo horses aged 2 and 3 years. According to the regulations applicable during the show, age groups are determined by the date of birth, with the year starting on 1st October and ending on 30th September for the junior classes (fillies and colts as per the Middle East breeding season) and starting on the 1st of January and ending on 31st December for the senior classes (Mares and Stallions).

The cold and violent wind raging during the second day of the show failed to disrupt the rivalry of junior horses. Junior fillies of class 2A initiated the competition. Of the 15 fillies registered, 2 were absent and 2 were disqualified. Of the 11 fillies competing in class 2A the grey GHAYA EL ALYA (Quemar Al Zaman Al Waab x Ghezlan Al Waab) representing Al Hamama Stud definitely stood out above the rest. Among a varied group of competing fillies, as confirmed by dispersed notes, Ghaya El Alya could boast with an exquisitely shaped small head of excellent proportions and harmonious build. Deservedly, she won her class with the note of 91.50 points. Class 2B that followed surpassed the level of the previous class. The high note of 92.07 points as well as victory in class 2A was awarded to a filly of stunning beauty, BAGHA AL FARIDA (Baarez Al Farida x Sheroukh Al Farida), owned by the Egyptian Al Farida Stud. My favourite filly in that class was MAYAN AL NASSER (Shagran Al Nasser x Reema Al Nasser) of Qatari Al Jaham Stud attracting with her splendid movement and charm.

The competition of junior colts gave them an opportunity to manifest on the ring their personality, charisma, but also their striking femininity. One gets the impression that these junior colts have a strong potential to show much better movement than was actually the case. The obstacle often seems to be the lack of cooperation and coordination between the horse and the handler. This phenomenon was highly noticeable during the show. 11 horses were registered in class 5A, thereof only 9 entered the competition. One chestnut colt and one bay colt added diversification to the prevailing grey colour of the participants. However, only 3 colts manage to receive notes of 90 points and above. Victory in class 5A with the note 90.93 went to SH SAHER (Motair Al Baida x PSE Razeelah) from Alshaya Stud in Kuwait. The last class of the day, i.e. class 5B, took place after nightfall, lighted by a breath-taking illumination worthy of the Tales of One Thousand and One Nights. Like in the previous class, only 9 colts competed of the 11 individuals registered for class 5B, as 1 was absent and 1 disqualified. Generally, horses in that class displayed fluid, dynamic movement. Undoubtedly, most of them have a bright future ahead. The performance of MALEEH AL NASSER (Nasser Al Rayyan x Sarab Al Nasser) of Al Nasser Stud provoked an extraordinary explosion of enthusiasm and acclaim from the public. It turned out that the public and the judges were unanimous in their preferences. Maleeh Al Nasser won class 2B with a very high note of 92.07, thus outclassing his rivals. Personally, I was absolutely taken and charmed by the third junior colt in that class HAITHAM AL SHAHEEN (Fares Al Rayyan x Ghamer Al Shaqab) belonging to Al Shaheen Stud from Qatar.

Day 3 Friday 31 January – the third day of the show was marked by an increase of temperature in Doha, which seemed to bode heated competition. Of the15 senior mares registered for the first class of the day, a bevy of 13 milky white and dark eyed beauties entered competition in class 3A. During a joint presentation of all the competitors, one mare released herself from her handler, apparently driven by an urge for a solo walk. Fortunately, the handler quickly regained control of the situation, bringing in place the mare in his care by a calm gesture. The competitive level among senior mares proved very high, which found reflection in the notes awarded by the judges, attaining above 90 points for the majority of the mares in competition. The classes of senior mares revealed a known truth that the Arabian horses are late maturing. With age, the mares bloom, ultimately achieving the full spectrum of their beauty. The even and high level of competition inevitably made it possible only for an exceptional beauty to win the class. Indeed such was the case.

The winner of 3A with 92.29 points was the phenomenal SHEIHANA AL NASSER (Naseem Al Rashediah x Al Jazi Al Nasser) from Qatari Al Nasser Stud. On her heels was the extraordinary D’ANNAFEYYAH (Asfoor Al Waab x D Folah) owned Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, with the note of 92 points. A slight shadow was cast upon the rivalry in class 3B of senior mares due to the notice that one of the handlers received from DC a yellow card. Although 14 mares were registered for the class, only 11 entered the competition, of which 2 were disqualified. An undisputed victory in class 3B went with the impressive note of 92.64 points to the absolutely wonderful and unique NADRAH AL NASSER (Shagran Al Nasser x Jamila Nasser) representing Al Nasser Stud. The public showed Nadrah Al Nasser their admiration by applauding intensely her performance, when the mare impressed with her exceptional quality and fascinating movement. Another noteworthy senior mare came second in that class with the note of 91.79 points, i.e. LUJINA (Al Ayaal x Mashalla Aleha) x Mashalla Aleha) from the Kuwaiti Ashayel Arabian Horse Stud. It is interesting to note that according to the catalogue, the breeder of Lujina is Ali Ali Mahmoud from Poland.

After the dark, Friday was crowned with the competition of senior stallions in classes 6A and 6B. 10 senior stallions were registered in each class. Also here, one stallion gracefully escaped from his handler to receive in reward great applause from the public. The rivalry between senior stallions proved equally heated. It became apparent once again that with age, Straight Egyptian Arabian horses gain in beauty. 9 stallions competed in class 6A as one stallion was disqualified. Amongst a range of other excellent horses, one was especially catching the eye from the first moment on the ring. D MEMZER (Asfoor Al. Waab x Extreme Wonder) from Dubai Arabian Stud excelled due to his dynamic movement, captivating personality and exquisite head. He won his class with a note of 92 points. However, a real gem was yet to be discovered among the participants of the last class 6B of senior stallions. Born in 2018, GJ FAHEEM (Naseem Al Rashediah x Hadiya Al Shahania) seemed to declare from the very first moment on the ring: “Veni, vidi, vici”. The owner and the breeder of this brilliant stallion is Glenn Jacobs mentioned earlier. GJ Faheem is very difficult to describe. One has to experience GJ Faheem personally with own eyes in order to appreciate fully his exceptional charm and beauty. GJ Faheem became gold champion in the last edition of the show. This year, he won his class with the highest note of the show, being 92.79 points, thus placing himself in the role of the favourite for the highest prize this year.

As rivalry in classes has ended after 3 days of competition, it is now time for a few, general reflections. Undoubtedly, Arabian Peninsula Horse Show revealed the extremely high level and strength of the Straight Egyptian breed conducted on the Arabian Peninsula, as well as an incredible potential of that breed on a global scale. Those who consider with scepticism Straight Egyptian Arabian Horses would change their mind upon viewing the horses participating in the show. The judges were very severe in their evaluations, as no horse managed to reach a note of 93 points. The competition clearly pointed to the supremacy of studs from Qatar in breeding Straight Egyptian Arabian Horses, while the stallion Naseem Al Rashediah needs to be pointed out as the most successful sire of that breed.

Day 4 Saturday 01 February – the last day of the show emerged with beautiful sunshine and azure sky, creating a perfect background for the championships as the last chord of the Arabian Peninsula Horse Show. Rules for championships state that that if the total number of entered horses is less than 180, the top five horses from each class qualify for the championships. If the number of entered horses is more than 180, only the top 3 from each class qualify for the championships. This year, champions were to be chosen from a group of 5 top horses from each class, totalling 10 horses for each category. That day, the public was more than ever animated, eagerly awaiting for the winners to be crowned. There were no surprises, though. The best won.

The wonderful bay QUMRIYAH (Naseem Al Rashediah x Kama Ega) became the gold champion of yearly fillies, silver title crowned GJ MAJESTICA (Majd al Qusar x Hadiya Al Shahania) bred by Glenn Jacobs, and bronze went to the charming ANHAJEEAH AL SHAQAB (Naseem Al Rashediah x Masshoorah Al Shaqab. As can be seen, the entire podium of yearly fillies was occupied by the studs from Qatar: Al Hamama Stud, Al Nasser Stud and Al Shaqab Stud. Naseem Al Rashediah is the sire of the gold champion and bronze champion.

In the championships of yearly colts, gold covered the phenomenal D SADN (D Labbad x D Asforaah), silver was received by the mischievous SAIF AL WADI (Naseem Al Rashediah x Nefertiti Al Wadi), while broze title went to IBN AL NAIF (Ansata Nile Echo x Al Jood Al Naif). The podium was divided between studs from the United Arab Emirates (Dubai Arabian Stud), The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Al Wadi Stud) and Qatar (Al Naif Stud). Naseem Al Rashediah is the sire of the silver champion.

Supremely beautiful BAGHA AL FARIDA (Baarez Al Farida x Sherouk Al Farida) became the gold champion of junior fillies, the title of silver champion was awarded to the lovely GHAYA EL ALYA (Qamar Al Zaman Al Waab x Ghezlan Al Waab), and the bronze title was received by LATEEN AL DANAT (Naseem Al Rashediah x Mona Aldanat). Gold honoured the junior filly from the stud in Egypt: El Farida Stud, silver honoured the junior filly from the stud in Qatar: El Hamama Stud, while bronze is the success of Al Danat Farm from Kuwait. Naseem Al Rashediah is the sire of the bronze champion.

The favourite of the public, MALEEH AL NASSER (Nasser Al Rayyan x Sarab Al Nasser) became the gold champion of junior colts, silver title was awarded to MEJRIN AL SALAM (Motair Al Baida x Layan Al Salam), and the bronze went to AKM LUSAIL (Shaheen AA x Aishaa). Gold and bronze graced two studs from Qatar, Al Nasser Stud and AKM Arabians. Silver podium is the success of Al Salam Stud from Kuwait.

In the midst of flashing photographers and a large international audience, the judges finally decided on the titles in the last, most exciting classes of senior mares and senior stallions. Yet, nothing could threaten the position of favourites, so final results came as no surprise.

Unquestionably, the highest step on the podium among senior mares was occupied deservedly by the supremely beautiful, NADRAH AL NASSER (Shagran Al Nasser x Jamila Al Nasser). As expected, silver medal was awarded to the exceptional D’ANNAFEYYAH (Asfoor Al Waab x D Folah), while the lovely LUJINA (Al Ayal AA x Mashalla Aleha) became the bronze champion. The following studs were proud of the trophies received: Al Nasser Stud from Qatar, Dubai Arabian Horse Stud from the United Arab Emirates and Asayel Arabian Horse Stud from Kuwait.

The championships of senior stallions constituted the final icing on the cake. There could be no doubt as to the stallion most worthy to occupy the first place. During the competition, that stallion gained widespread admiration and the highest note of the show. No other could become the gold champion of senior stallions but the exceptional GJ FAHEEM (Naseem Al Rashediah x Hadiya Al Shahania), owned and bred by Glenn Jacobs. Congratulations. Behind him as silver champion came BASHEER AL WAAB (Sinan Al Rayyan x Amaal Al Waab) bred by Sheikh Abudullah bin Khaled Al Thani, while the bronze title went to the charismatic D MEMZER (Asfoor Al Waab x Xtreme Wonder). Success could be celebrated by El Alya Stud from Qatar and Dubai Arabian Stud from the United Arab Emirates. Yet first and foremost the owner and breeder of the gold champion deserved to celebrate. This great achievement of Glenn Jacobs was awarded with prize money amounting 250 000 QR. Naseem Al Rashediah is the sire of the gold champion of senior stallions.

4 days in the company of beautiful Straight Egyptian horses bred on the Arabian Peninsula proved an unsurpassed aesthetic experience, as the breath-taking beauty and sweetness of these horses is unquestionable. It needs to be underlined that not only huge funds, but also enormous effort is put by the breeders of the competing horses to achieve such wonderful results. That effort is seen as a way to honour the ancient cultural heritage connecting horses with the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula. For them, breeding horses is a passion and the pursuit of a long-time strategy. The organizers of Katara International Arabian Horse Festival aim to provide a global platform that offers knowledge and expertise about purebred Arabian horses, enabling horse owners to exchange this knowledge and expertise with one another, contributing to their development and growth. The task of promoting the beauty of these horses, along with the accompanying breeding tradition also aims at elevating the status and significance of purebred Arabian horses around the whole world. Undoubtedly, the State of Qatar is an questionable leader in spreading the true belief in the power the Arabian horses on a global scale and in a global perspective.

At his point one has to express great admiration for the organizers, who made their utmost to take the best care of all the guests invited. The Organizing Committee of Katara International Horse Festival displayed the highest level of professional prowess and efficiency. All organizational aspects of the event were perfectly coordinated, which secured smooth operation at all levels, as well as full comfort and satisfaction to all the guests admiring the beauty, strength and elegance of Straight Egyptian Horses from the Arabian Peninsula. Last, but not least, one cannot forget about the extremely touching kindness, courtesy and willingness to help shown to the guests not only by the organizers, but also by every single inhabitant of Qatar met on the way. Leaving the hospitable thresholds of Qatar, we will remain with the message that the breeding of Straight Egyptian Arabian horses is immanently linked with the tradition and the feeling of national identity of that country, as expressed in the motto: “Breeding for heritage”.

With the year 2024 inevitably, albeit slowly, drawing to a close, it is most definitely high time we began to sum up what we all have been doing since 1st January… Some of us will certainly wish they had done a little more and tried harder. On the flipside, there are people like Kathleen Ohlsson who seems to be having the time of her life. Who could blame her if a stallion like Medan Al Shaqab has just moved in to the stables at Sweden Arabian Stud?

For the win

All jocularity aside, Kathleen, together with her husband Joakim, have had a truly successful year indeed. Horses born on the outskirts of Uddevalla, a small town in the province of Västra Götaland in southwestern Sweden, have been making their breeders proud all year round. A quick look at their résumés and we’ll find as many as 15 horses with the initial O in their name happily jogging around arenas all over Europe as well as in the Middle East or North Africa. And we’re talking about events ranging from C-shows like Arabische Pferde in Westfalen, through Vesuvio Trophy Straight Egyptian, all the way to major shows like the All Nations Cup.

Eight gold medals, two silver ones and two more bronze – won by Alexandra O, Saga O or Pamela O to name a few – speak for themselves. While it’s obvious that luck is a vital component in any breeding programme, in the case of the Ohlssons, luck seems not to be a decisive factor, tertiary more like it, with professionalism, experience and vision taking over to produce results many would wish for. Consistency and hard work pay off – only a madman would dare say otherwise.

Love at first sight

If the name Medan Al Shaqab fails to ring bells, no need to worry. Here’s what you need to know about him – in a tiny nutshell… He’s a 10-year-old grey stallion born at Al Shaqab Stud in the State of Qatar. Sired by the Reserve World Straight Egyptian Champion Farhoud Al Shaqab by Al Adeed Al Shaqab, our soon-to-be teenager is out of Abha Myra, a Marwan Al Shaqab daughter which makes the legendary Gazal Al Shaqab her grandpapa. He’s also the maternal brother to World Champion Fadi Al Shaqab, and uncle to Afreen Al Shaqab. Basically… a pedigree to kill for, as none of the aforementioned purebred gentlehorses require any introduction.

“The very first time I saw Medan was two years ago. I was visiting Raphael Curti for a presentation at Privilege, and of all the horses there, he was the one I liked best. I thought to myself how great it would be to have him in our stables. However, we had another horse that we were leasing at that time, so I didn’t use him in my breeding programme. Yet! What I did was observe his offspring”, Kathleen tells us in Lier during the European Championship. Paying attention to Medan’s kids was undoubtedly a smart idea…

… because last year and this year too, colts and fillies sired by our majestic hero made several purebred Arabian headlines – for a good reason. Let’s take a walk down memory lane to 2023, shall we?

It’s early May and we’re in the Tuscan province of Lucca where Elisa Bonaparte ruled at the beginning of the 19^th century. In the town of Pietrasanta on the foothills of the Apuan Alps, an Arabian horse show is taking place: L’Arte del Cavallo. It was at this ECAHO B International Show that the Al Shaqab-owned Mayez Al Shaqab, out of My First Star by Windspress Mirage, first caught Kathleen’s eye, and then took home gold in the Junior Championship.

Moving on to late November that year – we’re in the Qatari capital of Doha participating in the Qatar National Arabian Horse Championship. Among the filly foals, there’s a cute little girl by the name of Kaltham Al Nasser who is out of Arwa Al Nasser by none other than Fadi Al Shaqab. The Al Nasser youth becomes the Gold Filly Foal of the 2023 Qatar Nationals, beating both Teha Al Shaqab and Sultana Al Thamer.

Mid-July 2024, many of us met in Ströhen for the International Days for Arabian Horses organised at Ismer Stud. There’s no distinction here for yearling and juniors, so all young horses go to the same championships. Who comes on top in the Fillies Championship? Unanimously the grey yearling out of Binta El Jyar by Jyar Meia Lua – “Benita, LM Benita” to paraphrase James Bond, from the Austrian stables of La Movida Arabians. And it was more than sheer luck as two months later at Purosangue Arabi a Bergamo Festival, she was once again unanimously chosen by the judges to become (this time) the Gold Yearling Champion.

There was one more yearling in Bergamo that weekend present at the show sired by Medan Al Shaqab, bred and owned by the well-known Gestüt Osterhof. A bay colt out of Afra OS by Antaris OS for whom it was his debut in the world of horse shows: Cyros OS. Karl-Heinz Stöckle’s boy first won his class, and then was awarded gold by the judges.

The last major success of Medan’s progeny came less than two weeks after Kathleen’s announcement. Rayyana Mudhar out of Mezen Al Zobair by the Marwan Al Shaqab son Marajj, bred and owned by Sheikh Hamad Ali Al-Thani, easily won the Gold Champion Filly Foal title with the highest score of all foals at the Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show. One might say it was testament to making the right decision regarding where Medan Al Shaqab would find his new home.

“Following the All Nations Cup, I met him up close in his box again and I knew I absolutely had to have him! His kind gentle personality and amazingly beauty touched me to the core. Not only with his incredible face, but with this type that I think we miss a bit today… Long croup, good body, alluring eyes – he is classic and modern at the same time with a different pedigree from his Straight Egyptian sire and very proven dam. For me he is the embodiment of true Arabian type!” Here Kathleen stops, most probably already thinking which mare she will use him on in the days to come.

For he’s a jolly good fellow

News like that which Kathleen dropped on the purebred Arabian horse world shortly before the European Championship travels fast, almost approaching the speed of light. A twice-Gold Junior Colt Champion from the Qatar International Arabian Horse Show and Gold Senior Stallions Champion from Bergamo is not a horse that’s easy to overlook. With offspring that’s promising to say the least, it’s even harder. No wonder then that congratulations to the entire Ohlsson family came from far and wide. Here’s what some of our friends told us…

“I’m proud I had the chance to share a part of my career with this gorgeous horse and to have him at my farm. We had a very successful time together in the show ring internationally when he was a junior and later a grown-up stallion. It is rewarding that many breeders acknowledge what he can offer to the breed, just like I visioned it. I’m happy to know that he will have an amazing life with a family who loves him.”
Giacomo Capacci

“It was a privilege and I personally take pride in contributing to the acquisition of Medan Al Shaqab by such an esteemed breeder as Kathleen Ohlsson. Representing Al Shaqab Stud over the years has been an honour, especially with a stallion like Medan who hails from a remarkable pedigree. As a son of Abha Myra, Medan shares his lineage with world champions Fadi Al Shaqab and Siwar Al Shaqab, making him a part of one of the breed’s most distinguished families. We are thrilled that after several successful seasons producing outstanding offspring in Europe, Medan has found a new home. We wish Kathleen, Joakim, and their family all the best with Medan. We know he will be loved and cherished at Sweden Arabian Horse Stud.”
Raphael Curti

“Everybody looks to Medan because of Abha Myra who of course is an icon of the breed, but many miss the fact that Medan’s paternal granddam is Johara Al Shaqab. Johara has been an outstanding matriarch that has produced countless champions and amazing broodmares for the Al Shaqab’s Straight Egyptian programme. While she remains less known than some other Shaqab-stars, she is most certainly equally valuable to the breed. I must admit I had a fixation with Medan as a colt, and I actually had an agreement to send him to Argentina for the first season. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make him go. What I love about him the most are his blessed contradictions: he is tall, yet very typey, classic, yet more stretchy than usual. Qualities like that are rare to find.”
Santiago Fornieles

All’s been said and just one more thing is missing. Dear Kathleen, congratulations and good luck!

Last year’s World Arabian Horse Championship in the capital of the State of Qatar, Doha, for many marked the end of an era: after four decades of the world’s most important Arabian horse show being hosted by the global capital of luxury, good taste and fashion, the Championnat du Monde du Cheval Arabe was moved to the Arabian Peninsula. All the irrational fears and doubts that the crowning event of the season would never return to the city on the Seine proved greatly exaggerated, and the horses presented this year far surpassed last year’s horses in terms of quality and diversity. As for the champions, one thing is certain: surprises rarely happen in Paris.

In December, the World Arabian Horse Championship returned not only to the French capital, but also to the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre in the 15th Arrondissement of Paris, which borders the 7th, where one is bound to find the Eiffel Tower, the Rodin Museum, the Hôtel National des Invalides with the tomb of Napoléon, and (last but not least) Musée du Quai Branly, dedicated in its entirety to indigenous art and cultures. Next door, in the 14th Arrondissement, there is Montparnasse, one of the most famous Parisian quartiers, home to countless bars that attract both tourists and locals. And so, the residents of Paris and tourists visiting the city alike got a gift for the Feast of Saint Nicholas in the form of an Arabian horse show, the apogee in last year’s series of events, which could easily and quickly (in Parisian terms) be reached by public transport. Therefore, the crowds visiting the Salon du Cheval and the Championship were not surprising at all. What was rather surprising, however, was the astonishment of the organizers of the Paris Horse Fair that the interest in the purebred event was so huge. In spite of the annoying drizzle, the queue Porte de Versailles seemed endless, and the corridors between the halls dedicated to equestrianism and Arabians were regularly blocked. But these are technical matters, let’s focus on what we’re really interested in.

Feminine Friday

A quick glance at the six female classes and among the 64 names in total, many of them well-known celebs, as many as 15 Polish-bred and/or owned horses (almost a quarter!). This must have made quite an impression on the guests from Poland, especially since many of them are show veterans and “graduates” of the All Nations Cup, the European Championship, Polish Nationals, Global Champions Arabians Tour or Prague Intercup. We saw all of them but two: Anagramma and Wencedora, and those in attendance did well despite rough competition.

In the Yearling Fillies Championship, we saw El Lyrica KL (Lyric EA – Erskina / Kahil Al Shaqab) from Klikowa Arabians and Sana OS (Exagon OS – Panamera OS / Psytadel), bred by Gestüt Osterhof and owned by Lubochnia Arabians. The following ladies qualified to the Junior Mare Championship: Bianca of Sinus (Fadi Al Shaqab – Ballena / Kahil Al Shaqab), bred by Sinus Arab Stud and owned by Polia Arabians, Wildonara (Paris – Shanghai E.A. / Wildona) from Michałów Stud, Ebonita (Haash OSB – Etruzja / Pogrom) from Janów Podlaski Stud and Bella Rose (Star Farid – Bogini Marajj / Marajj), bred by Paweł Redestowicz and owned by the Jahazi Family from Iran. Moreover, at the end of her class, Bianca of Sinus, who had one of the highest scores of the Championship (93 points) received the special award for Best Head in Class.

In the Senior Mare Championship, we had the pleasure to see the Michałów-bred Emarella (Sahm El Arab – Emandorella / Eden C), owned by Aljassimya Farm, Echo Anastazja (Psyche Keret – Echo Aurora / Eternity Ibn Navarone D), Pila (Abyad AA – Piba / Gazal Al Shaqab) from Janów Podlaski, Poganinka (El Omari – Pentra / Poganin) from Michałów and Pustynna Noc (WH Kaneko – Pustynna Rosa / Ekstern), ex-Michałovian and currently owned by Budhen’s Stud in Belgium. Interestingly, Anastazja, while bred by Chrcynno-Palace Stud, this time competed for Ahmed Hamad Althumairi, her new owner from Saudi Arabia. Although none of them won any medals, which is obviously a pity, each of them can boast the title of World Championship Top 10.

Purebred Top Models

From the very beginning of Friday’s spectacle, we had many a horse to marvel at. For many, especially among the enormous and packed audience (the stands were so full, organisers would let people in only in small groups, having made sure there was room for everyone), it was the first opportunity to see some of the top models they had been following all year long. Such equine celebrities included Durrat Albidayer (Jyar Meia Lua – A Vision MI / Allegiance MI). This year she appeared in three shows, always perfectly prepared by her team at Privilege SFQ, and each time she left the show with gold in the Yearling Fillies Championship. And we are talking here about GCAT Cannes in June, the All Nations Cup in Aachen, and the World Championship. Cherry on top: in Paris, the Albidayer filly scored a full set of twenties for head and neck, which is hardly surprising.

The next star and the first to score twenties across the board for type was Aisha Al Sheikh (Jyar Meia Lua – Algamra / AJ Portofino) from Al Sheikh Stud, like Durrat also shown by Raphael Curti. Moreover, she scored seven more twenties for head and neck, and it is rather noteworthy that her class was of such high quality that twenties came aplenty. Two days later, the first three juniors in this class took the whole Junior Mares Championship, but more on that in a moment.

There was also no shortage of extraordinary personalities among the senior mares, especially in class 3B (the last we saw on Friday), in which, apart from Poganinka, we also saw Bint Hazy Al Khalediah (El Palacio VO – Hazy Al Khalediah / F Shamaal), bred by Al Khalediah Stables and owned by Al Jumail Stud. This was the first appearance of this phenomenal mare after nearly a three-year-long break, in top form, although clearly unaccustomed to the atmosphere of shows. AJ Kayya (AJ Kafu – Aja Caprice / EKS Alihandro ) from Ajman Stud could have been a bit of a disappointment for some… The breath-taking Reigning Queen of GCAT gave the impression of a fatigued, yet diligent student. Her performance was top notch, but unfortunately she seemed tired from her constant travelling and training. A quick glance at her calendar and we’ll see that less than 3 weeks earlier she was in hot and sunny Riyadh, and right after her triumph in the GCAT ranking, she ended up in cold and humid Paris. She deserves a vacation. The aforementioned Poganinka, on the other hand, was beyond compare when it came to movement, not only in class, but of all the mares – close to perfection, as if taken from the definition of the ideal Arabian horse.

Masculine Saturday

There was no shortage of Polish horses in the male classes either, which were held in their entirety on Saturday. There were six Polish stallions out of 48, which is exactly one in eight, and we saw five of them, as Michałów’s Partes had been withdrawn. Besides, class 4A, in which he was supposed to compete, must’ve been unlucky, because less than half of the horses listed in the catalogue presented themselves in front of the judges and the audience. In the following classes it was much better and Polish fans of Arabians could cheer both live and on-line on Janów’s very own Comoros (HL El Ganador – Cedora / Kahil Al Shaqab), Monarchio (Star Farid – Minerwina / Kahil Al Shaqab), bred by Wojciech Parczewski and owned by Bogdan Maślanka, Pheniks Al Miro (D Zeidan – Psyche Lejla / Pogrom) from Evopegasus Stud, Pinito (EKS Alihandro – Piniata / Eden C), owned by Flaxman Arabians, and Paris (Kahil Al Shaqab – Palmeta / Ecaho), owned by Polia Arabians. Fun fact: the last two boys were both born in the stables at Janów Podlaski.

Comoros, Pinito and Paris qualified for the championships, and just like their colleagues from the female classes left the French capital with World Championship Top 10 titles. For some, simply being in Paris with their equine friends was a dream come true and an adventure of a lifetime. Bogdan Maślanka spoke in this spirit about Monarchio’s performance which was quite thrilling. First they made our hearts stop, only to show us how important is the relationship between horse man based on respect and trust.

Front page celebrities

Saturday started on a high note, as the first to shine that day at Porte de Versailles was AB Bandar (D Seraj – Priscilla OS / Poseidon OS) from Abhaa Arabians. He received twenties for type, movement and head and neck, an omen of excitement to come until the last class of senior stallions was over. In the second class of yearlings, we were all witnesses to a clash of young titans, as after several months, the grey Afreen Al Shaqab (D Mezyan – Siwar Al Shaqab / SMA Magic One) from Al Shaqab Stud once again challenged the bay Aesar Alwajba (AJ Radman – LR Altagracia / Excalibur E.A.) of Al Wajba Stud. They had to compete again the next day, also with the third in their class, the dark grey colt Azzaam Al Amal (EL Galal Baahir ZA – Arabesca Scarlet Moon ZA / Sidi Scorpio ZA) bred by Al Amal Arabians and owned by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Saoud Alqassimi.

One of the most anticipated stallions of the show was Baz Aljassimya (Exxalt – MD Mirka / AJ Thee Luca), bred by Aljassimya Farm and owned by Akmal Stud, who appeared in the same class as Fajer AA (Shanghai E.A. – Fadwa AA / Fadi Al Shaqab) from Ariela Arabians. It immediately became clear at the beginning of the class that one of them would go for gold. Both had proven themselves in recent years formidable showmen who can steal the show. Furthermore, their clash was something that had been expected for a long time, as these two veterans of, among others, GCAT had so far missed each other at various shows. Baz’s owners also had the ambitions to repeat his gold at the World Championship, which he won two years ago as a yearling. What else do these two have in common? Well, both are gold All Nations Cup medallists, so stakes were undoubtedly high. Ultimately, they shared twenty-three 20s, and the defending champion turned out to be better by 0.64 points.

The competition of senior stallions, who are only seniors in name, as their age category starts at 4 years old, was to be equally exciting. The stallion EKS Farajj (Ibn Farid – EKS Bint Helwah / Laheeb), bred by Willy Brown’s Elkasun Arabians and owned by Haras Royal De Bouznika, is a rare sight at shows these days. Last year at the World Championship in Doha, he was the Senior Stallion silver medallist, so expectations and ambitions were through the roof. Especially since we didn’t see him anywhere for 11 long months until he won gold at the El Jadida show in Morocco, where he currently lives. To say that he was unrivalled would be a grave understatement. In his class, of course, he was first, receiving the highest marks from the judges for type, head and neck, and movement, deservedly so. It was a pleasure to watch him present himself in front of the audience, full of vigour, in excellent humour, rested and relaxed. Not tired at all from the arduous intercontinental travels, he was clearly enjoying himself.

In the second class of senior stallions, in addition to the Polish-bred Paris, there were HL El Ganador (HP Shakir TE – Lonco Baby Maria / HP Emir), bred by Familia Dutch Matthei and owned by Hanaya Arabian Stud, and D Seraj (FA El Rasheem – Ladi Veronika / Versace ) from Dubai Arabian Horse Stud. Also entered was AJ Kafu (Shanghai E.A. – AJ Kahayla / QR Marc) from Ajman Stud, but he last participated in any show at the Dutch leg of GCAT, so he must be preparing for the 2025 season. We saw the first of them a few months ago in Aachen, where he won gold, but we hadn’t seen D Seraj since the first days of February… His performance was all the more exciting, and he was perfectly prepared and he was the first in the class with the highest score of all stallions this year – 93.71 points.

La crème de la crème à Paris

Sunday was devoted entirely to the championships, and before each of them, a chamber orchestra of the French Republican Guard would play fanfares. The longest performance separated the mares from the stallions, and in addition to the large orchestra of dragoons of the Republican Guard, an all-male choir performed for the guests of Porte de Versailles, making the experience all the more momentous. Especially since in the championships we had the pleasure of seeing once again all the “pure-blood” nobles, whom we admired so in their respective classes. And as I mentioned at the beginning: in Paris, they don’t really like surprises a lot. With the exception of only the Yearling Fillies Championship, in each one the winners were the winners of the highest scores in their age categories.

The first to be held was the Yearling Fillies Championship, which was won by Durrat Albidayer almost unanimously (only one of the judges had a “minority report”). The fight for silver and bronze was between the highest-scoring yearling D Rowa (D Seraj – D Danat / SG Labib) from Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, who took silver, and Royal Futurista (AJ Radman – HK Sweet Musique / HDF Luciano), bred by Cindy McGown & Mark David and owned by Al Wajba Stud, who won bronze. The GCAT multi-medallist Sultana Al Thamer (Dominic M – Weaam Al Jassim / Emerald J) this time lost to her more experienced colleagues.

The Junior Mares Championship was basically a rerun of Friday’s class 2B. All three medals were awarded to three-year-olds from this class: Aisha Al Sheikh (almost unanimous gold), D Najlah and D Raseel. Interestingly, in a way, the Dubai mares are “twins” as they have an identical pedigree: D Seraj – Elle Flamenca / Ajman Moniscione, and they were born just nine days apart. Bronze medallist D Raseel is less known than her titled sister, but she is developing beautifully and we will probably hear more about her quite soon.

In the Senior Mares Championship, the fight for gold took place between AJ Kayya and Bint Hazy Al Khalediah with the former ultimately taking it home. Now she can finally have time-off after an exhausting season, during which she won a total of eight medals of the noblest of colours. One should also keep in mind that she is a two-time World Championship bronze medallist, both as a yearling and a junior mare in 2021-2022. And the bronze was awarded to the well-known in Europe mare Basandra Settimocielo (Ajman Moniscione – MA Scarlet / Hadidi), bred by Maria Annaratone Ferraroni and owned by Ajman Stud. Also Emarella caught the eyes of the judges and their attention as I mentioned earlier, and one of the judges even thought she should win gold.

After three female championships, it was time for the stallions. As in the case of junior mares, among the yearling colts, the fight for medals turned out to be wholly within only one class, 4B. The order was identical as in class: Afreen Al Shaqab – unanimous gold, Aesar Alwajba and Azzaam Al Amal. So there was no surprise, although some of the audience certainly kept their fingers crossed for AB Bandar, who had the same number of points in his class as Azzaam. But oh well, great men’s favours are uncertain as the saying goes, and three votes for silver and two more for bronze were not enough to secure the title of reserve champion.

As we approached the last of the championships, excitement grew. There was no doubt that Baz Aljassimya and Fajer AA would once again face each other in the Junior Stallion Championship. What we didn’t know, however, was who would win what, although it could be assumed that Baz, who was in near-perfect form, had better prospects. And so he did – unanimously – as did Afreen three quarters of an hour earlier. Fajer finished with the bronze medal, and the silver, to the surprise of the audience, went to the little-known but quite intriguing Nesj El Jameel (EKS Farajj – Nesj El Yuliah / Ajman Moniscione), bred by Nesj Arabians and owned by Al Jumail Stud, who won his class by 0.07 points beating STA High Voltaj (Taj Raheem – Rose CME / Lark MCA), bred by Marion and Andreas Maschke and owned by Al Wajba Stud.

Everyone know the saying “to save the best for last”… As in each of the previous championships, the Senior Stallion Championship also boasted a phenomenal group of horses, including the previously mentioned celebrities, each of whom had a chance for triumph and eternal glory. For Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, this was their last chance to win gold – they had already won medals of the other two colours, but not gold, not yet at least. They were in luck! The judges decided that D Seraj was the best and in fact worthy of gold. The fate of the other two medals was uncertain until the very end, because both EKS Farajj and HL El Ganador left their individual classes with an identical score: 93.29, except that Farajj scored better for type, and Ganador higher for movement. Cosmic equilibrium, wouldn’t you say? Ultimately, type narrowly won over movement…

What comes after Paris?

One thing is certain. The attention of the Arabian horse world will shift more strongly to the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will now enjoy huge interest. Thanks to modern technology, we can always keep up to date with what is happening in every part of the world, even should we have to pull an all-nighter. There will undoubtedly be no shortage of reasons to be thrilled. In our part of the world, life will slow down a bit, as “winter is coming”, although the foaling season is about to begin in a couple of week, so we’ll be experiencing a different excitement altogether at home. And next year, we will meet at the World Championship for the second time ever in history in the Qatari capital of Doha, in a formula never seen before.

Global Champions Arabians Tour took the world of Arabian horse shows by storm. Interest in GCAT was huge from the very beginning, from the moment the series was announced in early December last year, but at the time few people could fathom what was really in store for us. Meanwhile, a year later we got both a sequel in a refined formula and a spin-off on the other side of the Atlantic. What else could one wish for?

The events making up this year’s Global Champions Arabians Tour stirred up emotions from the very start, not only in the Middle East and Europe but all over the world. It was no different in Poland, and some even dreamt of a Polish show under the GCAT banner. For now, this remains a dream. But that’s okay, because at the beginning of December, the organisers made two announcements public that shook the world of purebred horses. Still, let us stay for a short while in…

2024

The first event with GCAT in its name took place just two months after the announcement of the series, and it was the Katara International Arabian Horse Festival – a prestigious event with a world-renowned reputation. For five days in the capital of the State of Qatar, Doha, festival guests had the pleasure of admiring some of the most extraordinary Arabian horses in the world, which did not change until the grand finale. There was also no shortage of horses bred in Poland, such as Michałów-bred Emarella (Sahm El Arab – Emandorella / Eden C), owned by Aljassimya Farm, and Wildona (Shanghai E.A. – Wilda / Gazal Al Shaqab), owned by Hanaya Arabian Stud. The former even won the bronze in the Senior Mares Championship.

Less than three weeks later, the sophomore event in the series took place – this time in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and at the turn of March and April we were guests in exotic Muscat, the phenomenal capital of the Sultanate of Oman. The following two shows took place around mid-June and mid-July, respectively in the European capital of cinema on the Côte d’Azur, Cannes, and in the cradle of the Longines Global Champions Tour, the highly regarded international horse jumping competition, the Dutch town of Valkenswaard. The last European leg took place at the beginning of September, on the largest chariot racetrack of the ancient world in the Eternal City on the Tiber, Rome. And the recent finale in Riyadh secured for years to come the place of GCAT in the global calendar of events with Arabian horses in the lead role. If one were to sum up these events in two words, one would have to say: brilliant splendour.

The organisers of all seven shows set the bar very high this year. Probably everyone at least once asked themselves questions like “What will they surprise us with in Cannes, Rome or Riyadh?” – anyone, that is, who followed the entire series or took part in any one of the events. Because GCAT, as the organisers emphasised at every turn, was not just about horses! Of course, they play the first fiddle, but apart from them we have an entire extended symphony orchestra in the form of handicrafts, theatre, music and cuisine – from artistic Arabic pottery to neo-baroque Italian opera. Shall we then take a look at what we already know about what awaits us in…

2025

We first got to know the schedule for the second edition of Global Champions Arabians Tour, which will once again take place in the Middle East and Europe, with the first event in half a month, in the first week of January. This time, in the United Arab Emirates, we will meet in Ajman, not Abu Dhabi like last year. Perhaps the organisers are also planning shows in other emirates too in the coming years, such as neighbouring Sharjah?

From there we will go to Doha, then to Muscat and then back to Riyadh. Each time there will be a long enough break to catch our breath of about a month between the shows, all of them taking place at the beginning of the month or the first half of it. Four Arabian episodes in, we’ll cross, just as we did last year, the Mediterranean Sea and we will cheer on our favourites in Cannes (mid-June), Valkenswaard (second half of July), London (mid-August) and Prague (early September).

After these eight events, the series will return to Qatar, where the World Arabian Horse Championships will be held for the second time on December 3-6, 2025, combined with the GCAT finale. Especially for this occasion, the co-organisers have created the GCAT Supreme formula. The final show will be reserved for the victors of the previous shows of the European-Middle Eastern series and the newly created…

GCAT Americas

In case one couldn’t get enough of Global Champions Arabians Tour, they must’ve let out a cry of joy last week. Right after the World Championship, GCAT organisers officially announced the five South and North American shows at an Instagram-streamed press conference at the New World Center in Miami Beach, with their own Atlantic rankings but the same values, including, of course, a strong emphasis on integrity, culture, and tradition.

“The launch of the Americas circuit represents a bold step forward for GCAT. It’s a testament to the growing global appreciation for Arabian horses and their unique qualities. We are thrilled to bring this celebration of excellence to the Americas and build lasting connections across continents.” This is what Faleh Al Nasr, Chairman of Global Champions Arabians Tour, said about GCAT Americas during the press conference.

GCAT Americas will be inaugurated in the second half of February, between the shows in Doha and Muscat, in Scottsdale, Arizona. This place is well-known to Arabian horse enthusiasts, including those from Poland. It was here that Perfirka in 2016 and her daughter Perfinka in 2024 won the titles of Senior Champion Mare, both hailing from Białka Stud. And it was here that the unrivalled Pogrom bred in Janów Podlaski successfully reached for the title of Senior Champion Stallion.

The American Arabians Tour will then move to Miami Beach, Florida. The date of this show is not yet known. It will probably take place between the events in Riyadh and Cannes (or St. Tropez, the final decision on which of these coastal cities on the French Riviera the show will take place in hasn’t been made yet), which would suggest late April, but we will have to wait for confirmation from GCAT on that.

From there, we will cross the Caribbean Sea as the middle part of GCAT Americas is to take place in São Paulo. Formula 1 fans may know the city as the birthplace of Felipa Massa, but it is primarily the cultural capital of Brazil, and the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo attracts South American classical music fans no less than the Musikverein and the Vienna Philharmonic. This part of GCAT is scheduled for the first half of July, a week before Valkenswaard.

Then, a week after the show in London, we will move to the Canadian state of Manitoba, thus remaining within the Commonwealth of Nations. The Canadian leg of GCAT will take place in a city little known on our side of the Atlantic, although with an interesting history. The city of Brandon lies on the prairie on the Assiniboine River, which played a large role in the Canadian fur trade, which European colonists took over from the indigenous people of America. At one time, the fur trade even financed the Christianisation of present-day Canada, and the Jesuits, among others, made money from it.

The GCAT Americas finale will be hosted in the world’s capital of gambling, Las Vegas. But this city has also long been associated with purebred horses, and Polish-bred horses have achieved much success here. Perhaps the greatest of these is the Breeders Cup won in 2009 by Michałów Stud thanks to two marvellous mares: Emandoria and Embra. They won the Senior Mare Championship and Reserve Championship then. In any case, there will be a small problem with the American finale… as it is scheduled for the very same weekend as next year’s All Nations Cup in Aachen

At the Miami Beach press conference, Cindy McGown, CEO GCAT Americas, highlighted the significance of bringing the GCAT formula to the Americas: “The Arabian horse has a deep-rooted legacy here in the Americas, and GCAT’s presence will only amplify the admiration and respect these remarkable animals deserve. This Tour is a unique opportunity to unite communities through the shared passion for these extraordinary horses and their incredible stories.”

Coming back now to the Qatari GCAT Supreme, for which we have to wait almost an entire year, the winners of all GCAT shows in both Americas are also invited to the capital of Qatar. Considering the wealth of local breeding and pedigrees that are exotic from our Eurocentric perspective, next year promises to be very interesting.

When a new series of events for Arabian horses titled Global Champions Arabians Tour was announced a year ago, few expected that the individual stages would be organised on such a grand scale. Obviously, no one had the slightest doubt about the quality of the horses we would see over the year, but the setting of each event had to surprise and satisfy even the most demanding guests of Arabian horse shows. The GCAT finale in the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was nothing more than a testament to brilliance and splendour.

After the seventh and final leg of Global Champions Arabians Tour, the 2024 series is over. The series started in early February in Doha, the capital of the State of Qatar, from where it moved to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates that same month. From the Persian Gulf, at the turn of March and April, we moved to the Gulf of Oman to Muscat, the capital of Oman, after which we said goodbye to the Arabian Peninsula for over six months and flew across the Mediterranean to Western Europe. In June, the series visited Cannes on the Côte d’Azur, in July popped in to Valkenswaard in the southern Netherlands, and in September we celebrated the beauty of purebred horses in Rome. In mid-November, we returned to the Arabian Peninsula and witnessed the grand finale in Riyadh. Enough chronology. Let’s focus on the common denominators of these events.

Polish accents

Although GCAT did not visit Poland this year, there were quite a few Polish accents at each stage of the cycle. For a long time, there were two “graduates” of Michałów Stud in the female ranking: Emarella (Sahm El Arab – Emandorella / Eden C), owned by Aljassimya Farm, who won medals in Doha and Muscat, and Wildona (Shanghai EA – Wilda / Gazal Al Shaqab), owned by Hanaya Arabian Stud. Polish private-bred horses were also present at GCAT; in Brabant, among the older stallions, one could see Calateon (Vitorio TO – Calatea / Ekstern), bred by Marek Kondrasiuk and owned by C&S Arabians.

Polish judges were also present at each of the seven events, and each time there were two of them: Alicja Poszepczyńska, Anna Stefaniuk, Anna Stojanowska, Jerzy Białobok, Łukasz Goździalski and Tomasz Tarczyński. Furthermore, each of the invited judges from Poland judged at least twice, and there was also Jerzy “George” Zbyszewski who represented the US as a judge. And there’s more. The official photographer of the entire series was Ewa Imielska-Hebda. Also among the presenters, one could find Paweł Kozikowski, well-known to Polish fans of Arabians, who in Riyadh showed, among others, the French-bred stallion Wortex Kalliste (Shanghai EA – Mirwanah Kalliste / Marwan Al Shaqab), bred by Kalliste Arabians and owned by Ahmed Althumairi, as well as Jurij Samoilenko, who showed in the Netherlands horses from the stables of GT Arabians and the Grabów nad Pilicą Arabian Horse Stud.

Culture and traditions that go beyond horses

The mission of Global Champions Arabians Tour, according to the announcements of the creators of this series from a year ago, was to promote not only the beauty of purebred Arabians but also the traditions of each of the countries in which the series was to take place. The organisers took that pledge to heart and guests attending the shows, both on the Arabian Peninsula and in Europe, could enjoy art, craftsmanship, music and even avant-garde theatrical performances in between classes and championships. Caterers, in turn, did their best to surprise guests with extraordinary culinary experiences.

For example, anyone who has ever been to Arab countries must have come across popular drinks served hot or chilled in this part of the world. And something just like that awaited thirsty guests of the event in Riyadh, where the temperature in November rarely drops below 25°C when the sun is up. The names of the individual blends reflected the ambience of the show: “Sahara Night” (black grapes, blueberries and cloves), “Emerald Oasis” (lemonade with kiwi and spearmint), hayyak (rose water lemonade with pomegranate juice), jizani (mango, oranges, sweet pepper and chilli flakes). The cherry on top? On tables decorated with ice sculptures in the shapes of horses, one could find both fresh and candied fruit, while fans of cinema could try spiced popcorn.

The artistic programme was also beyond sumptuous. The military orchestra officially welcomed the guests on the first evening, and the orchestra, consisting of musicians playing classical and Arabic instruments, said farewell to the guests. Moreover, the orchestra closing the show was accompanied by an illuminated drone show, which in the cloudless Riyadh sky formed intricate patterns, including a running horse and the Global Champions Arabians Tour logo. Then the orchestra was surrounded by a galloping group of equestrians in traditional Saudi robes. In the middle of the closing ceremony, there was a fireworks show, which was undoubtedly an attraction (and a surprise) also for the residents of Riyadh. At the end, the winner of the “Horse of the Tour” title, AJ Kayya (AJ Kafu – Aja Caprice / EKS Alihandro), led by Glenn Schoukens, ran into the ring, having previously won the Senior Mare Gold Medal at each of the seven GCAT stages. The winner of the perfect GCAT score and her owners from Ajman Stud, headed by Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nauimi, were personally presented with the award by Prince Abdullah bin Fahd bin Abdullah Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation and Chairman of the committee organising the show in Riyadh. But we shall return to the winners later.

Crème de la crème

The comeback of GCAT to the Arabian Peninsula meant the return of classes with more than 10 horses. While we are more accustomed to the slightly intimate classes that dominate shows in Europe, in Arab countries it is not uncommon for classes of up to 20 horses to be shown. In 16 classes, we saw a total of 204 horses out of 237 entered for the show, which is an average of 13 horses per class. For comparison, at this year’s All Nations Cup in Aachen, the largest class of 4-6-year-old mares had 14 entries and only 11 horses were presented.

Returning to Riyadh, what a shame and pity that we did not see in the 11-year-old and older stallions class the stallions Equator (QR Marc – Ekliptyka / Ekstern), bred by Michałów Stud Farm and owned by Abdulaziz Saleh Alrajhi, and EKS Alihandro (Marwan Al Shaqab – OFW Psylhouette / Padrons Psyche), bred by Willy Brown and owned by Abdulaziz bin Ahmad Al Saud, who were unfortunately absent. Undoubtedly, both the class and the championship that followed with their participation would have looked completely different! But let’s move on to the championships.

The yearlings of Riyadh

In the yearling fillies and colts classes held on Wednesday, 13th November, the would-be medal winners entered the championships from the first places, and deservedly so. In the Yearling Fillies Championship, Sultana Al Thamer (Dominic M – Weaam Al Jassim / Emerald J) from Al Thamer Stud took gold, although it was not her highest-scoring performance. She received 91.64 points from the judges – more or less in the middle of what she could, as she scored 91.07 in Cannes and 92.21 in Valkenswaard. The debutant Marwaa Alaoon (Hilal Alkhalediah – Marsoulat Alkhalediah), bred by Mhummed Altmmi and owned by Abdullah Alotaibi, won the silver medal, while the bronze medal went to another debutant Sandi RS (Ghaith Al Zobair – ZG Iklil / BS Raeed), bred and owned by Fahad Al-Khanfari Al-Qahtani.

It was similar among the yearling colts, with the first two medals won by both class winners. Afreen Al Shaqab (D Mezyan – Siwar Al Shaqab / SMA Magic One) from Al Shaqab Stud won gold, silver went to D Borkan (FA El Rasheem – D Ajayeb / RFI Farid) from Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, and bronze to Sinan Al Bahya (AJ Redan – AJ Saray / Marwan Al Shaqab), bred by Ajman Stud and owned by Abdullah Alotaibi. Let’s focus for a moment on the bronze medalist. He appeared at GCAT for the second time this year, as he made his debut in Muscat. Although he qualified for the championship also then, in March he performed much worse than two weeks ago. Kudos to the team of trainers for preparing him for the show, improving his condition, and helping him grow into a magnificent showhorse. And now let’s get back to the silver colt from Dubai. His score of 93.29 points was the second-highest on the first day of the finale, and above all his best in the entire series. His previous record was 92.93 from GCAT Abu Dhabi, and if he hadn’t “fooled around” while trotting, his score might have been even higher. It doesn’t change the fact that he won the GCAT 2024 stallion ranking and the Best Male award went to him.

The juniors of Saudi Arabia

At the end of the first day of the show, both classes of two-year-old mares were also held. Shahbrys HVP (Royal Aasad – Rebecca HVP / Magnum Chall HVP), bred by Agropecuaria Vila Dos Pinheiros and owned by Turki Alothman, despite a great performance in her class and a high score, won no medal during Saturday’s championships. Gold went to Shahalel Al Shaqab (Na-Mous Al Shahania – Siwar Al Shaqab / SMA Magic One) from Al Shaqab Stud, who won twenties across the board in class for type as well as head and neck, which gave her 93.50 points. It was her triumphant return to the GCAT ring after the massive premiere in Doha, where she was also awarded gold. No wonder, because led by Raphael Curti on a loose rope she charmed with her allure and calmness, never losing her spirit until the end, and when the judges were all done, a proverbial grin from ear to ear emerged on the presenter’s face. Silver and bronze medals went to two three-year-olds from Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, who showed themselves on Thursday, 14th November: D Najlah (D Seraj – Elle Flamenca / Ajman Moniscione) and D Sanayen (Wortex Kalliste – D Seeneyyah / FA El Rasheem). The first of them repeated the feat of Shahalel, winning all twenties for type and head and neck, but showed worse in movement, while the second had the best movement, for which she received a couple of twenties from the judges.

Both classes of junior stallions, i.e. two- and three-year-olds, took place on the second day of the show, on Thursday. Saturday’s championship was primarily a duel between two two-year-old stallions: D Shakhar (D Shakhat – D Shamkah / FA El Rasheem) from Dubai (92.43 points) and LR Anselmo (RFI Unique – LL Almudena / Bey Shahdow TGS), bred by Estancia Las Rosas and owned by Al Wajba Stud (92.29 points). Ultimately, the gold went to the latter, who, although he’d received 0.14 points less, simply proved to be a better mover. The bronze medal was a surprise because it was awarded to the horse that only came third in the three-year-old class, Adhm Sarm (Royal Asad – Bandahleeza ZB / Emerald J) from Sarm Stud. The intensely black Saudi colt is a show veteran on the Arabian Peninsula, and while his score wasn’t the highest, what immediately struck anyone who had the pleasure of seeing him was his self-confidence and his remarkably natural ease. Glenn Schoukens knew exactly how to bring out the best in him, and so this pair of dapper gentlemen won the bronze medal with effortless grace.

Seniors worthy of a Kingdom

Thursday evening and Friday afternoon, 15th November, were marked by senior mares and stallions, and purebred stars and celebrities ran into the ring time and again. Some of them came to Riyadh to fight for medals, titles and places in the ranking, such as the aforementioned AJ Kayya, Basandra Settimocielo (Ajman Moniscione – MA Scarlet / Hadidi), bred by Maria Annaratone Ferraroni and owned by Ajman Stud, or E.S. Harir (AJ Dinar – TF Magnums Magic / Magnum Psyche) from Al Saqran Arabian Horse Stud. Others came to “stir up trouble”, make changes in the rankings, or prove their position as archmasters in the world of Arabians, such as Xxpectations (Excalibur EA – MC Psynammon / Psymadre), bred by Families Butler & Collins and owned by Khalid Alroweidan, or Alexxanderr (Excalibur E.A. – AR Most Irresistible / ML Mostly Padron), bred by Frances Butler & Brandi Carson and owned by Khalid Alsayed.

In the Senior Mares Championship, AJ Kayya won the gold medal for the seventh time in a row, giving her 140 points in the mare ranking, the most perfect of all scores that no one else came close to. The second-best mare D Najlah had 128 points, and the best of the stallions D Borkan “a mere” 122. Her success was determined by a great performance, a full set of twenties for type and head and neck, exceptional movement and stunning charisma. The silver medal was awarded to Basandra Settimocielo, who could boast one of the highest marks for movement (although not half as perfect as SMG Ivana (Elle Narcisse – SMG Idaliha / Magic Magnifique), bred by Smedgårdens Arabstuteri and owned by Khalid Alotaibi, who received a full set of twenties for flawless movement, the absolute best of all horses in Riyadh). The bronze medal went to the aforementioned Xxpectations, who was something of a revelation or epiphany at GCAT – the debutant easily and gracefully won the 7-10-year-old mares class in the final part of the series with a score of 92.29 points.

On Friday evening in Riyadh, stallions ruled supreme, the best of which we saw in the championship on Saturday evening. Many “new faces” entered by Saudi breeders showed up in the classes, with many of their big boys presenting themselves in a fashion way beyond decent. Other stallions were extremely pleasant surprises, including the 2019 European Champion, Wortex Kalliste. Ultimately, Alexxanderr, who had not been seen at GCAT since the event in Qatar, reached for gold. In class, he had only twenties for type and head and neck, some of the highest marks for body and legs, and showed what it means to move. Also here, Raphael Curti didn’t even bother to hide his smile. With such unexpected competition, E.S. Harir, visibly tired after numerous shows and travelling from one continent to another in a short time, was left with a silver medal. Although it was already known after Rome that he would not be first in the male ranking, he had had a chance for second place immediately after D Borkan, but “only silver” this time made him drop to 4th place. In any case, he undoubtedly gained a group of ardent fans, which in itself is a huge success. Third in the championship was Amaar (RFI Farid – Adiya / WH Justice), bred by Al Juman Stud and owned by Sheikh Hamad Falah Al-Thani, a stallion last seen at GCAT in Oman. Shown in class by Giacomo Capacci, he was second-best immediately after Alexxanderr.

Mustaqbal means future

What awaits us in the future? A week after the finale in Riyadh, registrations launched for the opening event of the 2025 series in Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. A total of nine shows are planned for next year, including in new locations: London and Prague. The organisers will certainly surprise us many more times with both their unique take on national traditions and additional attractions. The fact that they set the bar very high for themselves this year works against them. But as we know, fortune favours the bold, so we can’t wait to see what mustaqbal brings.

Two years ago, we came up with a plan: let’s foster a growth mindset amongst Polish Arabian horse breeders. Sounds neat, doesn’t it? By then the wheels had already been set in motion to transform the Polish Arabian Horse Breeders Association into a “public benefit organisation” – this would grant us tax exemptions or free-of-charge access to public media, but first and foremost it would enable us to better educate the public about purebred Arabians and would make our charity work a lot easier. At the end of 2023, PAHBA was granted the status of PBO and it did in fact change a lot for us. For the better.

A lot has changed in recent years. First, the new Board of the Polish Arabian Horse Breeders Association were elected which turned out to be a game-changer. Headed by Mateusz Leniewicz-Jaworski who is backed-up by Tomasz Tarczyński, Magdalena Helak-Kulczyńska, Marek Błaszkiewicz and Łukasz Goździalski, the Association started growing again, gaining new members and conquering new fields of activity. The biggest institution in Poland that nurtures the prosperity of state studs and private breeders alike also implemented a new social media and communications policy that would help PAHBA better promote Polish horses around the world, highlighting the successes and vision of their breeders. All that with no support from the central government or agricultural agencies, and financed solely from our members’ annual premiums and generous support of our friends.

A new chapter is open

Our first course took place at the turn of September and October 2023, and you could say it was one of the final items on the checklist to become a PBO. Earlier that year, we organised a highly successful charity auction for Przyjazny Dom during the All-Polish Arabian Horse Championship in Tarnów. “The Friendly House”, that’s what the name of that institution means in Polish, is a foster home for local kids. It took us half an hour to raise 17,250€ after the final championship-qualifying class had ended. Our members, the Rzepka Family who own Klikowa Arabians, then invited the kids to their stables to show them Arabian horses up close. This year, we repeated the auction and raised 20.500€ for Słoneczny Dom, or “The Sunny House”, another local foster home, and we will continue to support kids this way in the years to come.

The 2023 edition of the All-Polish Arabian Horse Championship was a success too. Pre-COVID, this show had been organised by Stanisław Redestowicz in Radom. It was a popular National B-show that brought together a large part of the Polish Arabian community for a laid-back weekend of fun spent in good company. It was ambitious and risky to stage a revival of a show that people loved, but already in ancient Rome people knew that “Fortune favours the bold”. And speaking of favours, fate was in our favour – there can be no doubt about that…

One of the judges at that show was Bérengère Fayt of Faber Arabians, a well-known and accomplished breeder and judge with incredible insight into the purebred Arabian horse. When she’s not judging and looking after her horses, she travels the world as a mentor and teacher to fellow breeders. This year, she was a guest of honour at the first-ever Arabian horse show in Slovenia organised by our friends from Vineyard Arabians, the Vrančič Family.

Make hay while the sun shines

In 2023 after the show in Tarnów, we invited Bérengère to share her knowledge, experience, and passion with Polish breeders. Come autumn, we met in Grabów nad Pilicą Arabian Horse Stud. It was the first of our courses after we’d opened a new chapter in the history of our Association. The DC & Judging Course and Breeding Seminar, at which Bérengère together with Tomasz Tarczyński, Farhang Fazeli and Mariusz Liśkiewicz were instructors, was a triumph. Several people who participated have already finished their probation as judges and will soon become judges in their own right, others chose the path of DCs. And we’re proud of them.

We were still new to this even though years ago the Association did organise similar courses. Still, in a new reality, nothing ever is as simple as one would wish. But we realised it would’ve been pointless to rest on our laurels, because we had just identified an almost insatiable hunger for knowledge! So we continued our efforts looking for the most interesting teachers we could find.

As we all know, Arabians are not just show horses. They are both beautiful and BRAVE. That’s why so many of us go to races, participate in endurance competitions, or dabble in amateur sports – leisure, fun, pleasure (and every now and then, a little gambling). It was then only logical that we organise a dressage course. We invited Agnieszka Kolek-Kowieska, a graduate of Janów Podlaski Stud and accomplished rider who has won countless awards with her horses, to play the part of sensei at our next course. She accepted and last spring she coached a group of young equestriennes in the arcane art of dressage. Some of them, you could later see participating – and winning! – at the European Championship for Arabian Sport Horses in Wiener Neustadt or at the All Nations Cup in Aachen. Education for the win, literally.

Next came the ECAHO DC Course which preceded the 2024 All-Polish Arabian Horse Championship. Here the teachers were Janet Court and Dr Nils Ismer, and it was the first time the Association organised an international teaching experience. We had students not only from Poland, but also Italy, Denmark, even Kuwait and Australia! But this time, the course was a lot more complex and tough, as the practical part lasted two days. That’s right: two days in the scorching sun labouring as disciples of Janet, Nils and Farhang who joined them to help them get a massive group of followers under control. Once again, we were pleased to hear two magic words that Janet spoke with a broad smile on her face after the show: “Everyone passed”.

Aim for the stars

The news that the Polish Arabian Horse Breeders Association organises international courses for breeders and professionals working in the purebred industry seems to be travelling far and wide. This autumn, back by popular demand, we put together another Judging Course and Breeding Seminar, this time at Klikowa Arabians. We had 25 students from all over Poland, but also from Iran and a delegation from our fellow Arabian horse breeders association from Sweden, Svenska Arabhästföreningen. Those were two very intense days, packed with so much knowledge that even though we started in the morning, it took us until the early evening to cover the entire curriculum.

Even the list of teachers was quite impressive: Scott Benjamin, Allan Preston, Kathleen Ohlsson, Antonia Bautista, Łukasz Goździalski and Tomasz Tarczyński. By the way, when is the last time you had six lecturers and instructors take you on an educational journey to the realm of Arabians over a mere weekend? If you’re thinking it must have been a crazy experiment on our part, you’d be right. But as we’ve said ourselves a couple of paragraphs above “audentes Fortuna iuvat”.

We began with the most rudimentary of fundamentals, going as far back in history as 50 million years, all the way to the fox-sized forest-dwelling cute Eohippus. We covered the basic anatomy of modern horses, analysing all major body parts one by one, sometimes in excruciating detail, and still the students would ask questions. We discussed the purebred Arabian type, how and where this majestic breed evolved, most frequent and commonplace posture defects, faults and deficiencies, all four correct gaits, some of the most famous Arabians that roamed the global show stage over the past several decades, but also how to score, how to judge, what to look for in horses and why. It took us “only” 18 hours to do that and our teachers were gracious enough to answer all questions and dispel any doubts their students might have in a very thorough manner, for instance taking them step by step through the process of judging.

What the students also loved, and I’m not afraid to use that word, are the private, at times almost intimate, insights that our six mentors shared with them. Kathleen, Antonia and Łukasz told them their life stories, how they discovered Arabian horses, their first adventures in the world of purebred Arabians, their dreams and ambitions from the time when they were kids and teen – and how it impacted their decisions as adults. They spoke of their successes, mistakes, the horses they were proud of, what they personally look for in horses. They shared something of a more intangible nature that you simply won’t find in any textbook. And whenever they would share those special memories, you could see how the room fell silent, everyone taking in every little word spoken.

After all that, came the practical part. Whoever thought judging was easy was ruthlessly proven wrong. Maybe not ruthlessly, but stripped of any illusions judging is not a challenge nonetheless. The Rzepka Family hand-picked several horses from their stables, among them Prometeusz, the handsome son of Pianissima by FA El Shawan. Equipped in various scorecards, the longest of which had 24 items to be evaluated, the students got to work. The mock classes were followed by a mock championship, so they could test their skills to the fullest extent and after they were done, they returned all their scorecards to Tomasz Tarczyński. What followed was a written open-book exam – again, not as easy as it may sound. If one hadn’t been paying attention, well… you know the rest. Nevertheless, from what I was told, it looks like we are going to have some new probationer judges at European shows, so job well done!

More in store

Education is one of the Associations statutory objectives and we take it very seriously. This hunger for knowledge is not going away and even the best videos are not going to replace a real-life course during which you can freely interact with teachers, colleagues and fellow breeders. Next year, we will continue organising courses and everyone is invited – no matter where you’re from, come and learn with us.

And make sure to save the date 5-6 July 2025! The success of the two editions of the All-Polish Arabian Horse Championship in Tarnów as a B National show prompted us to once again refine the formula. Next year, there will be two back-to-back shows in the former city of the princely Sanguszko Family: B International and European. We shan’t tell you more now, however, we are certain this will be major Arabian horse event strategically organised between the two continental European legs of GCAT 2025. We hope to see many horses from all over Europe and farther corners of the world, and we count on you to enter the best you have in your stables. Have we got a deal?

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About PAHBA

The Polish Arabian Horse Breeders Association was founded on 4th January 1997 by breeders from the state studs in Janów Podlaski, Michałów, Kurozwęki and Białka, as well as private breeders of purebred Arabian horses. Janów Podlaski Stud was then designated as the seat of the Association. Currently, PAHBA has 110 members.