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The French have already discovered the *Shagya Arabian* and used it 
wisely when they bred GEORGAT!  There is no doubt that this very rare 
breed is a natural when it comes to endurance, either in the crosses or 
purebred.  Think of it as an Arabian that has been bred to eliminate all 
of the negatives and re-enforcing all of the good qualities!!   This is 
exactly what has been done to breed the purebred Shagya, for the past 
200 years.

It *is* a breed NOT a strain of Arabian!   The breed is still difficult 
to find in the U.S.,  and one must realize that there are good examples 
of the breed and not so good!  That is why we imported three German bred 
stallions to bring in new bloodlines.  

What normally is found, is a tough, gritty horse that will try his heart 
out, rise to the occasion and come down fast.  They don't waste time 
with hot behavior.  They also have big, round dense feet, good 
substantial bone, great heart girth and the correct shoulder/hip angles 
that make for a comfortable ride.  And best of all, their temperament is 
fantastic.  Right now I have four stallions living together in five 
acres, 3 four year olds and a five year old stallion, and they all get 
along.  Try that with some of the breeds!

This being said,  the Shagya  needs new breeders  and new blood!  Its 
actually a ground-floor opportunity, because of all of the other breeds, 
the Shagya Arabian is the ONLY breed that is Arabian based.  No other 
breed has been allowed for those 200 years, plus the breeding stock has 
always undergone a Keuring for breeding approval.   They are a natural 
for the endurance enthusiasts and rarely will they disappoint! 

There is a very long list of Horses with Shagya blood that have been in 
the Olympics, some gold medal winners,  including  WINDFALL II  who 
starred in Eventing last year.  Yes, he is a Trakehner, but descends 
directly from a Shagya stallion, named LAPIS who carried his  WWII 
German rider, nearly 4000 miles, in three years,   enduring misery and 
hardship.  Sometimes all LAPIS had to eat,  was the thatch off of 
rooftops! 

At the end of WWII only 300 Shagya bred horses survived, so its been a 
long struggle to bring them back.  Just in the past few years are you 
seeing more of them in the U.S.    But considering the handful, they 
still have a good record, beginning with Fayette de Cameo  and now Georgat.

www.shagyasport.com


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