The soft breath of the desert wind sweeps across a harsh and barren valley, cascading the sand against a single rock to create a small mound. As the winds grow stronger and with each gust gathering momentum, more grains of sandstone join. Inch by restless inch, a dune is created, so magnificent and resplendent in …
There was a time when harsh winds and howling gales blew across Arabia. Inch by inch, a desert was formed, harsh and barren, where only the most gifted and the strongest could survive its wrath. Of all the creatures, it was God who created the horse to live here, a creature so magnificent that his …
In the beginning, it starts with a single flicker of light. A spark of one’s imagination, a promise of things to come. One small glimmer became a beacon of shining light, one that lit up a nation and was crowned champion of the world. With breeding of any horse, it is these initial thoughts that …
Every now and then, once in a blue moon, the stars align, and the forces of nature come together to bring us something great. They are so powerful in their creation that we can only look on in wonder. This is what happened one morning in 2014 as the sun was just starting to rise …
Barry Shepherd presents the first in what is sure to be a fascinating series looking at some of the Arabian horse stars of the United Arab Emirates. As the call to prayer was finishing, a high-pitched whistle cut the heavy summer air at dusk and there was the rumbling sound of 100 hooves galloping, swirling …
This feature first appeared in The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine Spring Edition, April 2017. You can order your copy of this beautiful coffee-table book at The Arabian Magazine Shop. The response to The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine continues to be incredible, and breeders worldwide are getting in touch to share their stories. However, for those of us …
Yesterday, I was researching a pedigree for a feature I am writing for The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine, and one name came up. That name instantly transported me – to a time and place that is burned into my memory…
As the first fingers of the sun creep up over the desert, a mare and foal stop to drink at a waterhole. Elsewhere, the final stars in the ink-blue sky fade as the muezzin recites the adhān, which rings out from the minaret over the rooftops. There is only one place in the world you can be right now and that is the Middle East, the birthplace of the Arabian horse and an area filled with much allure and mystique for all those that visit.
