Farm Tour Arabian by Lauren Ebert • hotography by b uren Ebert • ph b photography by Lauren E ert Eb uren Ebert
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veryone has one. The horse story. The tale of a beloved or sometimes begrudged horse that either nurtured or ended the room for horses in their lives. Starting Decem- ber 29th at the Arab Horse Farm tours in sunny Scotts-
dale Arizona, I was given a through the lens perspective to witness the Arabi- an horse do what it does best, capture hearts forever. For many in attendance it was their first glimpse at the raw beauty of an Arabian in person, for others it was the pull of heartstrings bringing them back to visit the tour now in its 11th year running. For some of the youngest at- tendees, it was the beginning of what will surely be a lifelong passion. For myself I was remanence of how Arabians first entered my life and how fortunate I had been to have been surrounded by not only beautiful Arabians, but a founda- tional matriarch of the breed.
“All that is gold does not glitter,”-J.R.R. Tolken perhaps read my mind when I first encountered a dark bay Arabian mare who was none less than the great dam of the world renowned stallion Magic Dream CAHR. I was 17, fully invested in the Quar- ter Horse world by employment and a closet Arabian horse lover. My own half Arabian bay mare was shunned by my peers for her flair for the dramatic and typical Arabian expression, and I loved her for those qualities. It was working for my employer when the breeding manager of the farm, Kristi Hopp introduced me to an Arabian industry impacting mare. In her shaggy winter woo-
24 FEBRUARY / MARCH 2018 I HORSE & AG MAGAZINE
lies, with an impressive moody glare, and all the refinement of beau- ty God could spare during creation I remember being awestruck. I didn’t know it at the time but it was that an encounter with an Arabian mare who would lead me down a life full of passion for the breed.
The Dreamspinner, lovingly referred to as “Sarah” was to anyone who knew Ara- bians, the pinnacle of a producing mare. She had earned her crown. To me as a newcomer to the breed, she was the moody mare whose respect I aimed to earn. The beauty and grace she carried outwardly were nothing compared to the threads of gold woven around her heart. Sarah was just an Arabian to me, I didn’t understand her worth outside of sweet nuzzles and gentle whinnies. She also shared the dear qualities that were re- flected in my own mare at home, reaf- firming my deep love of such flamboy- ant characteristics of the breed. They were both special simply for who they were, not what they were worth. I didn’t understand her bloodlines or why she was so valuable simply I understood that we connected. I knew where her happy spots were and how to best reach them from her withers. Now almost two de- cades later I can comprehend the great- ness that I was intimately connected to
and my heart is still warmed by her memory.
Nearly two decades later I again I find myself at the beginning of an adventure surrounding Arabians. In 2017 I refocused my photog-
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