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 leaders. Through his roles as Chairman of the Arabian Horse Trust, Advisory Committee Member of the Arabian Jockey Club, and Chairman of the Eastern Arabian Racing Alliance, he figured prominently in solving many of the challenging issues that have faced Arabian breed organizations over the years, both as a negotiator and as a representative for various boards, providing not only his wisdom and business acumen, but a moral compass, too. Alan also co-founded Richmond, Virginia’s nonprofit Faison School, which provides resources for children with autism and autism spectrum disorders and their families.
Ever since my earliest days with Arabian Horse World, beginning in 1983, the magazine covered Arabian racing, and Alan Kirshner and his wife Deb Mihaloff, and their Cre Run farm, as well as Markel Insurance, for which Alan was CEO, and Deb an equine insurance specialist, were mainstays in the breed. The Arabian horses they bred and owned dominated in the sport of racing.
The late Alan Kirshner with Deb Mihalof and the mare In Awe ( Monarch AH x Thess Is Awesome), a Darley winner and track record holder.
Over the decades Alan and Deb lobbied racetracks to include Arabian horses in their meets, and also grew the ranks of Arabian owners by developing partnership opportunities, adding countless new Arabian owners to the ranks. The breeding program that Deb steers has produced winning racehorses that have run with the best internationally, as well as broodmares that are valued members of breeding programs around the world.
It was clear from my first months at the magazine, that these were two of the brightest and most dynamic persons in the breed, and no one worked harder through the ups and downs of the horse business to promote the Arabian breed, or the sport of racing, than Alan and Deb.
Their Cre Run farm received all the greatest U.S. accolades in the sport, including the Darley Awards for outstanding breeders, and multiple Darley Horse of the Year honors. Their mare, Royal Atheena (Monarch AH x Malabar Athena), is the only five-time Darley Award winner and a splendid broodmare. The Cre Run herd is one of the finest collections of racing bloodlines ever assembled on one farm.
It's not an exaggeration to say that Arabian racing in the U.S. would not have gotten off the ground without the passion and commitment of Alan and Deb.
Alan became focused on racing. As Deb said, “Alan liked the action and we didn’t have to worry about conflicts of interest with our insurance clients. Racing allowed us to enjoy our horses together since it was simply a matter of which horse finished the distance first. As Alan once said, “When a horse you’ve bred or own beats the best in its class in objective competition, it is a high second to none.’
I can attest to those highs – no place was more beautiful than the Delaware Park paddock area where we cheered so many winners in the early days of Arabian horse racing in the U.S. I remember Alan’s greetings at the races – ”Hi hon!” with that light southern accent and always a twinkle in his eye.
Deb ads, “Funny thing, when Alan starts walking the pastures they’re 'his' horses. For a person who grew up without animals the change in him was profound…and I think he loves helping others experience the great thrill of Arabian racing.
“The Thursday before he passed, he watched his horse Winds of Fortune (Al Mamun Monlau x A Second Wind) win in Abu Dhabi. It brought tears to his eyes. He knew it would be the last win that he would get to experience. It warmed his heart, and mine. It could not have been more special.”
Here's an uplifting video of Alan's Celebration of Life:
