MY POINT OF VIEW – AGAIN
by
Carmel Rowley

Carmel and 33 year old Simeon Sarah  matriarch at Pearsons View Arabians

www.pearsonsviewarabians.com

Photograph Greg Egan 

There are many aspects about being an Arabian horse breeder that makes you wonder about your sanity. Sane or insane a basic life philosophy tells us ‘what you put into life, you get back’. This viewpoint can also be applied to many of the different avenues associated with breeding Arabian horses. From personal experience I know all breeders put enormous effort into learning about their chosen breed, pedigrees, conformation, preparing horses for the show ring, training and a multitude of other horse associated tasks.

This is why it’s an interesting exercise to ask people why they have chosen to breed Arabian horses. Sometimes the response is an embarrassed shrug followed by a slow and thoughtful expression, but on further questioning often the enthusiasm and passion comes bubbling to the surface. Enthusiasm like hysteria is infectious, and in a perfect world when coupled with positive energy, happiness and Arabian horses it should be recipe for a blissful life! If only it were that easy!

While enthusiasm lifts the spirit and gives energy continued positive feelings and enthusiasm can be hard to conjure when associated with day to day routine of operating a horse stud. Add to that a full time career and ones patience can be sorely tested. Why, what, where, and how, there’s no substitute for good research, so learning about the pitfalls is as important as the accolades.

It’s also important to know about life cycles and how they impact on the pleasure horse market. Over supply of horses and an under-supply of interested, new people spells slow sales. This happens routinely, culling happens and the cycle begins again. Equally important is the need to take responsibility for personal decisions, what is it they say, praise is satisfying to receive but it never teaches you anything new. How about being a genuine mentor, not just someone who panders to newcomers in hope of a sale.  Isn’t it about time people’s attitudes changed and some real solutions to the problems are found. Also, why in forty years are breeders still discussing the same issues. To the outsider the breed appears stagnant with the focus mainly on halter show ring performances but anyone associated with Arabian horses knows what these horses are capable of doing. We know he is able to perform creditably at almost anything you ask of him.

Does there need to be a more focused development  on all the disciplines the horses are good at – that also involves families. At the Arabian Gala on the weekend the ridden classes were a credit to the show and the breed. They were well supported with riders of every age and absolute joy to behold. It’s time to think honestly about the future of the Arabian breed. If you want returns you must plan, know where you’re headed and what you truly want to receive  from the Arabian breed, know your ideal and stop swapping and changing, be innovative, take a chance and think outside the square. I couldn’t tell you how many people mocked me to my face and behind my back when I said I was writing a book!

We should all be building on the progressive feeling’s we felt when we saw our first Arabian horse. Most of us have never forgotten the very first Arabian we laid eyes on and how it affected us. Remind yourself how it felt  and grab hold of that feeling again, built on it and share it. This feeling is what attracted us to the Arabian breed in first place.  Turn on that enthusiasm motor and begin to draw on that first basic feeling – the kind that comes from the love we all have for the Arabian breed, the beauty of nature  and the flow of creativity straight from the heart. It’s time to focus on the affirmative because for years the breed has been enveloped in far too much negative press. Even if you don’t wholly believe it, still concentrate on the success and joy of the Arabian breed because if you concentrate on failure and disappointment that’s generally what you receive.

All negativity is derived from fear. What you are afraid of is that a situation will not be solved in a way that SERVES YOU. The Universe is bigger than the problem and can heal all.

Turn off the computer and go outside and feel your horse’s energy, draw from it’s history. Fanciful,  maybe it is but who cares! Fling your arms around your horse and inhale that amazing ‘horse’ smell and take a moment to be grateful. Think about how lucky you are to actually own a horse!  How many breeders have stood beside their horses, closed their eyes and looked at them through their fingertips? Tracing the small pointed ears, sliding down the broad forehead into the slight indent above the eye cage, cupping the eye and feeling it slowly close relaxed as eyelashes tickle your palm. Slide your fingertips around the large jowl then across and down the structure of the tear bone onto the velvet soft muzzle and finally around the nostrils. Cup your hands and wait for the light exhale of breath to caress your fingers. This exercise is perfect when everything feels just too hard; it immediately boosts the spirit and revives enthusiasm.

On this Arabian horse journey there are times when striving to breed the  ideal can push breeders to teeter on the edge of insanity, it is hard work, but when is anything worthwhile easy. The answer to every question is all around us so if sanity can be retained and if the outside elements and our inner peace become balanced with the spiritual, social, and the sheer physical beauty of the Arabian horse, it’s probably as close as anyone could get to the Garden of Eden.

Adapted from the originally written Point of View by Carmel Rowley for the Arabian Horse Express August-September 2003 Vink Publishing