Editorial: The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine Volume V Collectors’ Edition
Writing this, I know that in two weeks’ time – if all goes to plan – people will be arriving in Paris for the 40th anniversary of the World Arabian Horse Championships. And, for the first time in two years, since the last decade, to be precise, I will be at an Arabian horse show.
I wonder how it will feel to be there. I suspect that there may be that sense of magic that I felt the first time I went to the World Championships. That was the year when Emandoria (Gazal al Shaqab x Emanda) took the Junior Female World Championship – there were no yearling championships, or bronze places awarded then. And thinking back to that show, I cannot help but wonder, with a certain amount of anticipation, who we may see there this year, making their debut on the biggest stage on the planet and who will then become a household name over the coming years.
For Paris is the place where magic happens. Even watching from the side lines, with no personal involvement with any of the horses in the class, you still get swept up with the excitement. You cheer for your favourite until you are hoarse – pun intended – and celebrate with everyone as a horse as elegant and graceful as Emandoria comes into the ring and takes our collective breath away.
Raoud Albidayer (SMA Magic One x DL Marielle), cover star of The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine Volume V Collectors’ Edition
After that magic and excitement, it will then be time for the earth to pass its annual point around the sun that marks another year arriving, and the focus will then be on different things: the arrival of new foals, the upcoming show season, backing your horse, breeding a champion. And for the great many of my subscribers who no longer have horses but still love the Arabian, there is just as much to look forward to with catching up with friends and their four-legged family. For, dare we hope for a return to normality next year – in whatever form that may be?
I do think that the last two years has shown us an alternate way to enjoy Arabian horses and the shows. While we may not have been able to travel due to lockdowns and travel restrictions, I know that I have remained connected to what is going on. My friends at Arabian Essence have done a fabulous job livestreaming into our homes, and I have even written show reports from the comfort of my sofa. And while nothing quite beats being there – especially when you get goosebumps, seeing a horse such as Emandoria for the first time – there is a lot to be said for being more selective when it comes to travel, namely through our own carbon footprint. I know that mine is the lowest it has been in over 15 years, and I know I am not the only one looking at how we can continue to keep that low in the future, yet still enjoy visiting shows, and breeders, around the world. If anyone has an easy answer, do let me know!
For now, it is time to put this issue to bed and dream of the stars that will shine under the Parisian lights in two weeks, before we then all return home and enjoy sparkles of a different kind as we enjoy that most wonderful time of the year.
Happy Christmas, and I look forward to seeing you in 2022.
Samantha
Cover photograph by Patrycja Makowska
For more on The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine, click here.
