[RC] Press Release: AERC Member wins Spanish Arabian Breeding - TypeF \(Jackie Floyd\)
Congratulations to Barb Thomas of Thousand Oaks,
California for winning a free breeding to CF Sorcerer in a fund-raising raffle
benefiting American Endurance Rides Conference (AERC) at the recent AERC
convention in San Antonio, Texas.
Sorcerer's owners, Jim and Jackie Floyd of Wizard
Arabians donated the breeding to AERC's raffle. "We were delighted to help raise
funds for AERC and at the same time, promote the Spanish Arabian breed," said
Jackie, an avid endurance rider. CF Sorcerer is the sire of the Arabian Horse
Association's 2005 Distance Horse of the Year and AERC's 2004 and 2005 National
Mileage Champion, Granite Chief +/, owned by Karen Chaton of Gardnerville,
Nevada.
Barb recently lost a mare that she was considering
breeding to Sorcerer and had been in phone contact several times with his
owners in the weeks prior to the AERC convention, with the intention of finding
a new mare to buy or lease to breed to him. "I was totally excited to find out
that I'd won the breeding!" Barb said after seeing her name listed on the raffle
drawing board. Her search for just the right mare is now in full
swing.
CF Sorcerer is 100% Classical Spanish
Arabian. The Spanish Arabian makes up just 1% of all
registered Arabians in the United States. The
Spanish Arabian is bred for its athletic ability, smooth
strong coupling, dense bone and supple neck set. They have a
particularly high tail carriage and a large kind eye. The
Spanish Arabian has been bred for generations to be compatible with both man and beast, as any
military mount must be. They are also the preferred family
horse in Spain. These Spanish Arabians have incredible
dispositions and are well known for their calm mind, smooth
elegance and quiet fire.
I
n 1848, Queen Isabella II sent a buying commission to
the desert to search for the best bloodstock to revive and
improve the declining Spanish Horse population. King Alfonso
XII imported fine blooded Arabians from France in
1884-1885. By 1893 a Royal Order laid the foundation for the breeding of Arab horses by the State and established the Yeguada Militar in Cordoba
at Moratalla. Their purpose was to give a firm foundation to
the Andalusian and the choice of upgrading fell upon the
Arabian.
The strict requirements of the Spanish Military have
formed the Spanish Arabian of present day. They sent buying commissions to the Desert, Poland, and France to obtain the highest quality stock available in 1905 and 1908. One such purchase, a stallion named
Ursus, almost bankrupted the Treasury. Private breeders such
as the Duque de Veragua imported coveted Skowronek daughters
from the Crabbet Stud in England as
well. It is from these importations
that the present Spanish
Arabians descend. Queen Isabella II kept records of
her breeding program started in 1847,
making this the oldest existing Registry of Arabians
today.
