Anglo-Arabians Today
Anglos in America
The Anglo-Arabian in America is fairly young. Full-scale breeding began here during World War II when purebred Arabians from Poland and Germany were placed under the protection of the U.S. Army at Poland’s request. They were brought to America as cavalry horses and registered with the U.S. Army Remount’s Half-Bred Stud Book. The Remount Service loaned Arabian stallions out to breeding farms, suggesting a cross with Thoroughbreds in order to produce a large cavalry horse. The AHA purchased both the Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian Horse Registries in 1951 when the U.S. Remount Service was discontinued.
There are approximately 11,300 Anglo-Arabians registered with the AHA. In 1991, there were 200 new registrations, compared with 4,200 Half-Arabians that year. In 2004, 111 Anglos were registered; another 144 followed in 2005.
Until a rule change in 1986, Anglos were not eligible for shows and programs sponsored by the AHA. Recently, there was a new rule, effective in December, 1999, that allowed Anglo-Arabian stallions to show at AHA shows in certain classes. The hope was that this would increase registrations of Anglo Arabian horses (up until this time, the AHA rules prohibited any partbred stallion over one year of age to be exhibited at any of their shows). In 2000, AHA and USEF passed a rule change allowing all partbred stallions to show in any performance classes, effective December, 2000.
In the United States, although not nearly as popular as in Europe, Anglo-Arabians have made their mark too. The French-bred *Nos Ecus was named the 1989 The Chronicle of the Horse Event Horse of the Year and won the inaugural CCI*** international 3-day event at Fair Hill with Karen O’Connor in 1989. Lendon Gray campaigned Kitwell Consul++, who earned 14 USDF All Breed Awards, competed up to Grand Prix Level and won at the 1991 Olympic Selection Trials, in addition to four US National Top Tens in Dressage and a Reserve in Show Hack.
MJ Take Five was not only the AHSA Horse of the Year several years, and garnered both Regional and National titles in Working Hunter, Show Hack, Jumpers, Western Pleasure and Hunter Pleasure, but also won the Region 7 Half-Arab Halter Championship in 1992.
Beverly Gray competed her Anglo gelding AA Omner in endurance, logging 9,000 total miles. They earned 18 Best Condition awards and were in the Top Ten 98% of the time. Omner was named Endurance Horse of the Millenium by the AERC, and even had a Breyer model horse made of him. Before he passed away in 2005, Omner was a therapeutic riding horse for children.
Endurance rider Matthew Mackay-Smith rode his Anglo gelding, WC Freiheit, to 1450 lifetime miles, including 2 Best Condition awards; and winning both Old Dominion 100 and Tevis 100 in 1995.
The IAHA awarded the stallion Shalom Mishkoh+// the 1993 Special Recognition Award – he is a multiple champion in Dressage at Prix St. Georges level. The very athletic Anglo gelding was by the straight Egyptian stallion Serenity Osiris (*Khofo x Serenity Bint Nadia) and out of a stakes-winning Thoroughbred mare, Echo Princess.
In open competition, he won countless titles, moving from dressage Level I in 1985 to Intermediaire Level I (the next level above Prix St. Georges) by 1991. Mishkoh was the Canadian National Dressage Champion over 40 Warmbloods. He took home blues in open competition at shows ranging from Bloomfield to Devon to Detroit. Several times, he won the Tournament of Champions in Canada.
In Arabian competition, Mishkoh won eight National Championships, two Reserves, and 12 Top Tens. He has 17 Regional Championships, one Regional Reserve, and 19 Top Five awards. The gelding received the IAHA’s Legion of Supreme Excellence Award in June, 1994, at the 14th Annual Egyptian Event.
FC Ambush+/ was US National Champion at Third Level and Top Ten at Fourth Level, and USDF Horse of the Year in Prix St. Georges and Intermediare I Levels in 1992. He was US National Reserve Champion at Fourth Level in 1993, US National Champion in Fourth Level in 1994, and US National Reserve Champion at Prix St. Georges in 1997.
The 2002 USEA Mare of the Year was Canadians Bruce Mandeville and Nicole Shinton’s French Anglo mare Rose Tremiére, who was also short-listed for the Canadian Olympic event team in 2003 after her first year of competing on this continent. She is by Tango de Brejoux, sire of Nos Ecus, and is still eventing successfully after a hiatus to recover from an injury, and competed in the 2006 American Eventing Championships.
Fanny De La Tour, an Anglo mare ridden by Daviid Raposa, is highly ranked in the FEI Jumper standings worldwide. In 2005, they won the $65K Grand Prix of Pennsylvania National, The $25K Open Jumper Challenge and $50K Grand Prix at HITS on the Hudson, and The $75K Budweiser World Cup of Syracuse. This outstanding mare is now showing for the Swedish Team.
Recent News
Ann McKay: Anglo-Arabian Breeder Spotlight
Although this story begins with a girl and an Arabian stallion named Aazrak, pictured below, their mark on the Anglo-Arabian breed in the US is
Vermiculus to Compete at Rolex 2017
Anglo-Arabian Vermiculus will be making his Rolex debut this year with Olympian Lauren Kieffer aboard. We will update this post as they compete! Photo Above:
Groesbeck Featured in Arabian Sport Horse Magazine
In the middle of a fabulous season of eventing, Katy Groesbeck with her 2 Anglo Arabian brothers were featured in the August/September issue of THE ARABIAN
The International Sporthorse
On the world stage, Anglos continue to impress. There were 6 Anglo-Arabs competing on equestrian teams in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The famous Tamarilllo and William Fox-Pitt helped earn Britain’s Team Silver Medal; EHK Mozart and Rally LF for Brazil; Debatd’Estruval for France (Gold Medal for their team) and Vent d’Arade for Italy all in eventing.The French Anglo-Arab Dileme de Cephe [Starky d’Anchin x Cephile (Et Hop)] finished tenth in the Team Showjumping for France. He is also a winner of the World Cup of Showjumping in Italy.
An example of successful German Anglo-Arab breeding is the stallion Troupier by Kallistos, who for many years took part in international eventing competitions, including world championships and the 1996 Olympics for Denmark.
Crocus Jacob *ENE HN (Emir de la Fot) ridden by Jean-Luc Force (France) were members of the Eventing Team Silver Medal at Jerez World Equestrian Games in 2002, finishing 8th individually. He was joined in the 2000 Olympics by Anglo teammates Twist la Beige*HN andAmouncha to a tenth place finish for France. Crocus Jacob also won many World and European championships throughout a long career.
Also worth mentioning, the two famous jumpers Alco (Nanval) and Paprika della Loggia(Fougueux AA) respectively competing in Belgium and Italy and Urus d’Olympe (Saint Erwan AA) ridden in Dressage under the Brazilian colors.
For updated accomplishments of Anglo-Arabians worldwide, please visit our news page.
