Wow – last year, the February edition celebrated 10 years of The Arabian Magazine and now, one year on, we celebrate the 100th edition of this award-winning publication! I have just finished writing a few of my highlights from those 100 editions to share with you; at the same time, I am pinching myself that this is really happening!
I have said before that my ambition was always to reach 100 issues of The Arabian Magazine, and now that it is here, I can’t quite believe that I have. January 2016 is, it seems, a month of milestones for me as not only have I reached this 100th edition, I will also celebrate my 40th birthday at the end of the month.
Overall, the past 11 years, and 100 editions, have been ones of great joy, of seeing the most amazing horses from so many different bloodlines, and from all around the world. I have tried to ensure that The Arabian Magazine has carved its own unique path and to be as individual as it is possible for a publication to be. At the heart of this has been my deep-rooted passion to promote the Arabian breed in all its many different guises, and to preserve the knowledge that can be found in so many great breeders around the world.
Early on, an American trainer referred to The Arabian Magazine as “the magazine that tells the truth”. I loved that comment then, and I still love it now. For while I may have a natural bias towards certain horses and bloodlines – inevitable when I grew up surrounded by the Crabbet Arabian, and then I fell in love with horses such as Essteema (Essteem x Menascha), QR Marc (Marwan Al Shaqab x Swete Dreams), Maleik El Kheil (El Shaklan x Muneera) and so on – everything that has been written within these pages is honest and true. And that, I like to think, is what helps make The Arabian Magazine so different and stand out around the world.
One year, in Las Vegas at the Arabian Breeders’ World Cup, I was asked what makes The Arabian Magazine so different. My answer was, “me”, and upon saying that, the lady that asked burst into tears. You only have to look at the internet or, especially at the moment, Facebook, and to see how everyone follows each other, seemingly blindly, perhaps our individuality is what makes this publication stand out so much more? What I do know is that I am extremely grateful to all that the Arabian horse has given to me in terms of experiences, emotion, and how, even on the most jaded days when you long to be at home, they continually inspire you, filling you with a passion and enthusiasm to share their story.
So, in this 100th editorial, I would like to thank everyone that has supported The Arabian Magazine around the world. I’d also like to thank the naysayers, the doubters, for without them, I may not have been so determined to try even harder and achieve this dream. Thanks must go, too, to my ever-patient family, and my wonderful team of Taminis, who all believe in The Arabian Magazine as much as I do.
With my dream of 100 editions now realised, it is time for me to think ahead and create my next goal. But for now, I am content to sit back and marvel at all the incredible Arabian horses that been on these pages. Thank you all for reading.
