Quote of the Month
Articles
Keep up with The Swift Runner – we’ll be be presenting new editorial every week.
December 2024:
Whispers from the Tent
Getting to the soul of a horse.
"He really taught me the coming and going aspects of a using horse: how their feet ...
November 2024:
Quote of the Month
– From Lady Wenthworth to W.K. Kellogg
A Breeder’s Story – Mike Weinstein,
by Cindy Reich
Every breeder aspires to produce horses that contribute to the breed as a whole, and to ...
One Judge’s Breathtaking Moments at the 2024 U.S. Nationals,
by John Lambert
SA Chantal was one of the most exciting horses I've had the ...
Remembering Chaldoran Mir Yazd,
by Emma Maxwell
I wrote this story the end of last year, and then sighed with ...
Whispers from the Tent
Observations about the Arabian from Captain Roger Upton, circa 1874.
"There is nothing more beautiful in the world ...
October 2024:
Quote of the Month
– Buck Brannaman
The 2024 Classic Egyptian Coalition Clinic,
by Jeremy Malou
After a hiatus of several years, Johanna and I finally head back to ...
A Triple Treat: Open Days at El Thayeba, Al Qusar, and Nagel’s Katharinenhof,
by Betty Finke
In the north of Germany lies a small, idyllic ...
The Ranch Horse Class,
by Michael Damianos
The Ranch Horse classes have enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity in the last decade. They were ...
A Bit That Is Symbolic of Strong Foundations,
by Michael Damianos
Whispers From the Tent
Reflections from the Grand Dame of Endurance Riding, Julie Suhr
“With 37 years of endurance training and riding ...
September 2024:
Quote of the Month
It may be of interest to note that most Arabian horses have a very pleasant smell – in some the coat smells definitely sweet, which becomes very apparent as they get hot when ridden. This is just the contrary with zebras, which have a distinctly unpleasant aroma. Some chestnut horses, too, are rather strong
– Lady Wentworth
2024 Polish National Arabian Horse Show and Pride of Poland Auction
by Jeffrey Wintersteen
Gold Champion Yearling Filly Anagramma (out of ...
Memories of Poland from Another Time … and Now,
by Denise Hearst
From an upper floor window of a Warsaw hotel, the clatter of horses ...
Where Does Your Horse’s Feed Come From?
by Cindy Reich
In late August, dozens of horses were reported dead at the famed Beutler and ...
50 Years Asil Club: Retrospective and Celebration
by Betty Finke
The world was a different one in 1974, and that includes the world of Arabian ...
In Consideration of the Arabian Horse, Part Two, with Rob Bick
I love starting horses because in the first three or four months of training you get ...
Whispers from the Tent
The War Mare in the Desert
I had not yet made friends with my mare. She fretted and was nervous. I was on her back without ...
August 2024:
Quote of the Month
– Lady Wentworth
A Walk with Trela,
by Jeffrey Wintersteen
At 5:45 a.m. the Janów Podlaski’s streets are empty as I take a left at the church across from ...
It’s All in the Family – 2024 Tevis Cup
Mother–Daughter Duo take First and Second riding mares who are Three-Quarter ...
In Consideration of the Arabian Horse, Part 1
by Rob Bick
If we want people to come into our breed, we have to breed horses that people ...
Whispers From The Tent
King of the Wind
July 2024:
Quote of the Month
A few years ago, the late Shirley Watts shared with me her most meaningful experience with one of her Arabians.
“It was with the Janów - bred stallion Piechur (Banat x Pierzeja) a great race winner and show champion, and maternal grandsire of Ekstern (Monogramm x Ernestyna). He was with us for many years. He was such a kind and gentle stallion, and I spent a lot of time with him in his stable because he was such a lovely horse to be with. Late in his life, as his health was failing I decided I must let him go. I arranged for the vet to come the next morning, but that evening before was lovely, warm, and soft. So I took him into the little paddock outside his stable to let him stretch his legs and relax. There were lots and lots of swallows flitting around making lots of twittering calls, and I realized that they were preparing to leave on their great migration to the south. Piechur and I stood close together watching them. He was fascinated by the birds, and every now and again he would turn his head, look at me, and nuzzle me, and lean on me gently. Then he turned and walked slowly back to his stable. The following day all the swallows had left and so had Piechur…
“He was the horse which had stolen my heart.”
- Denise Hearst, in loving memory of a great lady.
Whispers from the Tent
Dr. Hans Nagel contemplates the the nature of the Arabian horse.
Attentive, alert, intelligent, with a sense of humor ...
Wisdom From the Breeding Shed With Rob Bick,
by Denise Hearst
The arc of trainer Rob Bick’s career is impressive in terms of the quality of ...
The Fourth Of July – The Animal Owners’ least favorite Holiday
By Cindy Reich
If you have animals, the Fourth of July is the most ...
Farewell to a Good Man – Alan Kirshner
by Denise Hearst
Alan Kirshner, who passed away on March 17, 2024, was one of the Arabian breed’s ...
The Making of a Breeder,
by Denise Hearst
Rick Richetta grew up in Manteca, California, in the central valley. One of his ...
A Letter From Brazil,
by Rick Richetta
A last-minute decision to send Aria Rakeem (FA El Rasheem x MD Hibat Allah) to the ...
June 2024:
Quote of the Month
"I saw my first Arabian in 1974 – a fantastic chestnut stallion on the beach in the south of France. There was some kind of sale going on. I asked what he was. Someone said, ‘He’s an Arab,’ and I said, ‘Well, I think I’d like to have one.’
Whispers From the Tent
Dr. Nagel implores us to never forget where this horse came from…
All those who embark seriously into the breeding and ...
Secrets of Doktryner
by Betty Finke
The stallion Doktryner was foaled in 1950, so you’d be justified asking why he should be of particular ...
Wisdom from the Breeding Shed with Sherry Conrads
Sherry Conrads is still over the moon after her home-bred filly, Al Noor Miralina (Om El ...
Kristin Hardin Reflects On The “Magical” Arabian Horse,
By Denise Hearst
“Arabians have always made my life better,” says Grand Prix ...
May 2024:
Quote of the Month
"Experienced breeders will back me up in passing on a tip – if you want to be absolutely certain that a mare delivers a beautiful filly in the color you want and perfectly marked, simply sell the mare before she foals, preferably at a price slightly lower than what you think she’s worth. She is guaranteed to have a filly close to perfection. I recommend this because it works every time. We are now working on a plan to fool the mares into thinking they have been sold. This is necessarily complicated and involves vanning them to strange places. I’ll let you know if it works."
~ Mike Nichols
Whispers From the Tent
Where Should a Breeder Begin?
We turned to Dr. Nagel of Katharinenhof Stud in Germany
“The first step should be to ...
Wintersteen Arabians — Summer of 2007
By Jeffrey Wntersteen
Wintersteen Arabians is a small family-run Arabian breeding operation outside of ...
Kim and Joe Orr – A Breeders’ Life.
By Denise Hearst
Life with horses began for Joe Orr when he was 22, and the manager of a car dealership. ...
Raising the Young, Part Two,
by Johanna Ullstrom
As described in chapter one of foal raising in Swift Runner’s November 2023 issue, ...
April 2024:
Quote of the Month
"My greatest high in 55 years of owning and breeding Arabians? I’ll respond in the manner of Mark Grace, Chicago Cubs first baseman, when asked for his greatest moment in the sport: I haven’t had it yet."
– The late Bazy Tankersley, Al Marah Arabians
Whispers From the Tent
Here is a tender story relayed by His Highness Prince Mohamed Aly in his book “Breeding Pure Bred Arabian Horses."
I ...
From the High Country to Center Ring
by Denise Hearst
On the finals day at Scottsdale this year, I was chatting with friends on the rail and ...
Dancing With Trees — A Hanging Offence
by Cindy Reich
When PJ Altshuler and Marwan Abusoud’s son, Jamal Abusoud went out the door on ...
The Painters
By Michael Damianos
Intuition is a funny phenomenon. It allows us to bypass discernment and put the decision-making process in ...
March 2024:
Quote of the Month
Our horses were like brides
garbed in fine raiment,
and everyone admired them.
and sedate manner,
surrounded by the old men
and followed by the children.
Ibn Saud says we must protect her
because every man would covet her.
She is a shaqra,
and she has a long tail
and flies like the wild dove.
When she is standing, she appears calm,
but when she runs, it is as if she has wings….
~ The Poem of Ibn Mesaoud al Qahtani about his Mare
A Show with Horses' Well-being in Mind
by Johanna Ullstrom
We have had the most rainy, wet winter in France that I can remember. We have been ...
The Founding Father
by Betty Finke
Who was the most influential Arabian stallion of all time?
The question regularly pops up on social ...
No Time to Call A Veterinarian With This Emergency - The Peril of Red Bag
By Cindy Reich
Foaling time is here and as Charles Dickens said, “It ...
Wisdom from the Breeding Shed: Great Expectations VS. Realities
By Mary Anne Morrison
In mid-March, lightning struck for the second year in a row! ...
February 2024:
Quote of the month
When you’re at home sitting on the shady side of your porch and planning the exportation of Arab horses, there are some details which you overlook while seated in a comfortable rocking chair…I had been careless and even ignorant of some of the things I afterword learned must happen between the time that horse is purchased in the desert and when you again hear of it in its paddock.”
– Homer Davenport
Wisdom from the Breeding Shed, With Jeanne and (the late) Charles Craver
Homer Davenport’s 1906 buying trip to the desert resulted in the ...
A Bowlful of Berry
by Michael Damianos
I was a young horse trainer in 1986. My business was all Quarter Horses and I was dating a local Ventura ...
Blood Ties: The Arabian—Trakehner Connection
by Betty Finke
Of all warmblood horses, the Trakehner has most in common with the ...
The Mystery of General Patton’s White Stallion
by Betty Finke
The fate of Trakehnen's Arabian chief sire Fetysz (Bakszysz x 28 Siglavy ...
January 2024:
Quote of the Month
"The normal expression is that of a fallow deer, meltingly soft but glittering into brilliant life when excited. A deeply hollowed corner to the mouth gives a pleasant expression. The face should have a what is best described as a “sweet” expression, indicating a contented, places and friendly disposition, never surly or hostile.”
Spartan and Archie
By Jeffrey Wintersteen
Photos by Annalisa Durighello
The faint hint of dawn colors the sky as we drive east out of the city. ...
The Saga of Wyatt Earp
by Michael Damianos
Career horse trainers may show scores, if not hundreds, of horses in their lifetime. They will compete ...
A Loving Farewell to Artzi
by Mel Dixon
Over 21 years ago, through my sister, I met a little, thin, scared eight-year-old chestnut Arab. He ...
One Thousand and One Nights (In Three Days)
World Arabian Horse Championship - Qatar 2023
Photos by Alessio and Denise Hearst
...
December 2023:
Quote of the Month
"The expression in a horse’s eye is like a blessing on a good man’s house."
TR Despret For Achic - Our Relationship was a Gift
By Michael Damianos
My story today begins in February of 2006 while I was attending the ...
Taleb Remembers….
By Denise Hearst
A couple of years ago I was sitting in the grandstand at the Doha, Qatar racetrack, chatting with ...
Arabian Type - The Head
By Cindy Reich
This is the final chapter of the series examining the five traits that constitute Arabian type.
I left the ...
A Kind of Magic
By Betty Finke
Christmas, heralding the end of the old and the beginning of the new year, is a time for pause and reflection. It is ...
November 2023:
Quote of the Month
What is “quality?” It cannot be defined in standards, or divided into measurements, but like charm and “breeding" in human beings it must forever remain independent of legislation. It is an intangible something which does not depend entirely on line, but on a combination of lines, thickness, thinness, width, depth, curve, etc, their relation to each other producing a certain perfection and exquisiteness of harmony, without which dull correctness is lifeless and uninteresting.
A Visit with Stuart Vesty
by Denise Hearst
As Stuart Vesty explains it, “Horses have been in my life forever, so I ...
Mom and Ekstern
by Jeffrey Wintersteen
Ekstern is one of the most iconic stallions of the Arabian breed. Foaled in Poland in 1994 at a time ...
Arabian Type, Part Two
by Cindy Reich
In this second installment of “Arabian Type,” we look at the Arabian’s short back, nearly-level ...
It’s All in the Head (- or is it?)
By Betty Finke
Ask anyone why they fell in love with Arabian horses, and chances are they’ll tell you ...
Raising The Young, Part I
by Johanna Ullstrom
When a foal is born, we are responsible for so many parts of its future. ...
October 2023:
Quote of the Month
“I've had quite a few special times with these horses. When I’m riding a good horse and everything is going just right, it’s very much like dancing – timing and rhythm and balance. You lead and the horse follows. If things goof up a little, you let the horse lead until things line out again, and then you start over. Find the horses' rhythm, and pretty soon they’re dancing."
– the late, great, Jeff Wonnell
An Enduring Passion
by Betty Finke
Do you remember what it was like?
The very first time you encountered an Arabian horse?
I’m betting ...
Happy, Lively, Kind and Attentive – The Arabian Disposition
by Johanna Ullstrom
The Arabian horse is special in so many ways, and much has ...
AM Rising Star Shines at the USEF Pony Finals
by Neva Rae Powers
The Arabian horse world has a new hero to celebrate. His ...
Reassessing the Arabian Scorecard
by Scott Benjamin
Ever since Arabian shows were first organised across Europe in earnest in the 1970s, the ...
Foundations: Arabian Influence in Other Breeds - The Welsh Pony
by Betty Finke
The Welsh pony is the original miniature Arabian. It has been ...
Arabian Type — We might know "What" but do we know "Why?"
Not Just A Pretty Face
by Cindy Reich
Breed: A group of usually domesticated ...
A Visit with Scott Trees
by Denise Hearst
Scott Trees is among the great photographers of our breed, having made his entrance on the scene around ...
