Happily, this year the dates finally aligned   with our mutual calendars; we caught a direct flight from Paris to Atlanta. On landing, we picked up our rental car and headed straight towards Newnan. It was getting late, and despite the jet lag, I had to turn the car towards our favourite restaurant worldwide: “Redneck Gourmet.” Curt had introduced us years ago, with a typical twinkle in the eye, to this very local cuisine and we felt we owed him our first dinner in town. We are served food by an elderly lady who declares, after some small talk, that she has Swedish ancestry. Johanna is happy to share a bond — while I focus on trying to open the ketchup bottle – and we reminisce about the times we sat at a large table with Curt and Allison, and a bunch of like-minded people — clients, staff, fellow breeders, trainers — engaging in interesting talks. We shed a little tear (the place is empty by now) and we head to our hotel.

We arrive at Talaria Farms the next morning and happily meet José Palomera and his wife, Angelica, who manage Talaria. Then we must greet every single horse in the barns, including dear Botswana, now 26 years old. Curt’s absence does fill the air with sadness — but the feeling slowly morphs into peacefulness, as if his soul tells us all is well, and how it should be. We then run into Jane and John, our dearest cooks on this planet Earth and John does not spare any of us with a few sharp words, which reassures us he is doing fine! A few moments later Allison pops up, and we fall in each other’s arms. Finally…it has been a long time. We chat away the whole afternoon, sitting in the lobby of the Talaria barn, surrounded by sculptures, art and paintings, in a wild mix of Oriental, Western, Native American and British styles which Allison and Curt have mixed so well. A number of participants and presenters start to arrive, a buffet is planned in the evening. It all feels relaxed and genuine, as always. Jane and John being in control of the kitchen, it is a treat as usual, and I wonder why we have been away for several years.

After a good night’s sleep, we come back the next morning for the clinic speakers and discussions. There are a number of presentations and Q&A which keep rolling, morning and afternoon, in a very constructive atmosphere.

Allison launches the day by raising the combined issues of dwindling numbers of Arabian horses in the U.S., and an evaporating market for them, and the reason we are all here: to discuss why, and what can be done about it. The goal is to be constructive, not critical. Assembling, not dividing. It sets the tone, and I do appreciate, reminded of why we bonded many years ago.

Valerie Clinkenbeard, a Classic Egyptian Coalition Board member, presented an analysis of Facebook tools, sharing some interesting conclusions about the users accessing their CEC Egyptian Coalition page. Her knowledge of the analytical tools of Facebook is first class and convinces me that these tools give insights that go contrary to our usually preformed beliefs. Only available for FB business pages, obviously. Marketing to the right group is key, after going through the real data.

C.J. Jewart, who works for Doubling Gap Ranch in Pennsylvania, then shared their various methods to organize open barns. I conclude success derives from the combination of a very professional approach in disseminating the invitations, targeting the right public, and a fun experience that must cater to all social and age groups. Nobody wants to attend all day just waiting, or only watching — and especially not children. But don’t we all remain children, somewhere buried deep? I have the thought we should hire C.J. for our own open barns, and then my sense for ethics kicks in, and I refrain. We should rather attend Doubling Gap’s open barn instead, and enjoy what they are doing.

Johanna Ullström, my wife, as the informed reader must have realised by now, shares her views on worldwide markets, stating that the U.S. and Europe have sold their best horses to the Middle East, where a large population of good quality horses now thrives, and auctions of numerous offspring abound. She shares her belief that there is no need for these markets to source our best genetic pools anymore, or what we have kept of it, and that we need to turn our attention towards selling the right horse to the right person, instead of hoping for overseas purchases. We must rebuild a first-class genetic pool within our countries, and exchange with fellow breeders in a cooperative manner. She also shares her opinion that by acting in often dishonest ways, or driven by short term greed, bad players are turning away many actual or potential Arabian horse enthusiasts. Selling and buying should be an act of mutual trust where both parties win, in a secure and transparent transaction. Anything else invariably collapses the market over time, something from which we then collectively suffer. We all individually need to breed the best possible horses, and place them in the right hands, at a just price. Moreover, if we do not have the right horse(s) then we refer to another farm who will treat the potential buyer with trust and respect. There is no other way to sustain a healthy and growing long-term market.

Bridgette Orwig and Missy Head (both also CEC board members) discussed demographics and target markets, concluding that many believe the most important market is the well-off middle-aged woman at the peak of a good career, and in need of a new life experience. Bridgette insists this is reducing reality and peppers her talk with numbers. The vast majority of horse owners (all breeds combined) in the U.S. are indeed women, and by a very wide margin. Most are in the top 20% of income earners. Interestingly, around 50% of the horses are used for pleasure, 25% for work, and only around 8% for breeding, and the same can be said about showing. We better not focus solely on narrow niche markets, because that is not how we will support numbers and attractiveness of Arabian horses to a larger public.