The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine Volume V Issue I is out now – order your copy or subscribe through The Arabian Magazine Shop.
Arabian horses are the constant in our lives. It is because of them that our world is a smaller place. Our lives are woven together, all because of this marvellous breed that we love so much. You can speak online to breeders the other side of the world who own horses with pedigrees shared with your own. And that has been a lifeline for many over the past year since our lives became more stationary, all due to the pandemic.
The response to the 2020 Collectors’ Edition of The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine was amazing – one reader even said that she cried when it arrived, such was her depth of sadness over missing a year of travelling and seeing not only beautiful Arabian horses but friends as well.
Volume V Issue I – cover star BK Latif
That is the wonderful thing about this breed. It is unifying, and it doesn’t matter whether our passion is Egyptian, Crabbet, Polish, Russian, Spanish – at the end, it is all ‘just’ Arabian. We can appreciate a beautiful horse from lines that we do not follow, and invariably these horses move us to tears. They also move us to tears in print, seeing their stories written down, next to photographs of this most special of breeds.
This first edition of 2021 has a number of horses found within these pages that may, once more, bring these tears, with features on two horses in particular standing out. The first is an in-depth piece on the great straight Egyptian stallion Laheeb (Imperial Imdal x AK Latifa), bred and owned by Ariela Arabians in Israel and celebrating his 25th birthday this year. The influence of this incredible stallion has spread the world over, and to honour him in this way has been a lovely thing to do. He deserves all the plaudits he receives, and more – plus extra carrots besides.
Laheeb
The second feature sees us pay tribute to the great Polish mare Pinga (Gazal al Shaqab x Pilar) who tragically passed away aged just 17-years old in March. A truly remarkable mare, a champion on three continents and a dam of significance, this Janów Podlaski ‘P’ family icon was loved the world over, and there are many who lament her passing. Her death truly feels like the end of the great golden age of Poland as so many of us knew and loved it before the regime change a few years back.
While there is comfort to be found in the past, we always continue to look forward and I am pleased to say that, pandemic allowing, I will be printing all four editions of The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine this year. The Arabian Magazine online is updated every day with news and features, as well as beautiful cover horses and individual stories of people’s lives with their most beloved breed, the Arabian.
Finally, I end with some personal news that my beloved cat Merlin, who many knew as the ‘CEO’ of the magazine, passed away in March having put on a brave fight against cancer. He is hugely missed, and I want to say thank you to all who have taken the time to message me. As one breeder in the US said: “Rest in comfort knowing that even across the pond, I could relate to him and your love for that bloomin’ cat!” As I said at the beginning, our love for our animals reaches around the world, and Merlin will always remain part of the magazine.
Samantha
Merlin – the ‘CEO’ of the magazine, and forever part of our story
Read more on The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine here.
