History:
Eastwinds Arabian farm was founded about 25 years ago. At that time the owners were well established as amongst the top breeders and exhibitors of dogs in this country.
Today Tom and Les continue to exhibit dogs with great success (Australia’s Top Toy dog, and Top dog All Breeds NSW in 2006 was bred, owned and exhibited by the partnership, while 2007 Top Toy dog in NSW was yet another youngster, bred, owned and exhibited by the farm). Les and Tom are also International dog judges, who have judged throughout Australia and across the globe.
For over 40 years the partners have consistently proven their husbandry skills in the dog world, where records have been set in many breeds, such as; Afghan hounds, Maltese, Pomeranians, Bichon Frise, American and English Cocker Spaniels, etc.
The addition of the Arabian horse was at first through a special partbred mare, who enjoyed many wins. Very quickly there was a move to purebreds, with much study preceding initial purchases. Jasima, one of the earliest acquisitions, became a foundation mare and has produced many Champions, including the very successful Eastwinds Antiophe, who was Supreme at the National stud Show as a yearling, and at SEAHC under Bob Boggs, as well as champion at the Challenge and Trophy shows, each under International breeders. Jasima is still represented in the stud today!
Most provenances have been represented in the stud. These included some exquisite Crabbet bred mares, including the beautiful National Show winner, Arabian Park Fedora by Banderol from a Trix Silver mare, the Bostocks bred Kalifa, by Sirocco from Brinsissa, the Sindh mare Guinelle, who was from the imported Meagill Guinevere, and the beautiful Ralvon Pilgrim daughter Mosque, who was from a Puritan daughter who was also a Rikham granddaughter. As well, the incredible pure Polish mare Dzina (USA) spent some time in the stud courtesy of the generosity of the Farrell family, and the Polish bred Model, by Ambition (USA) from Maania (Germany) was also used. The Exselsjor daughter, TEMA (UK) was also acquired, but did not produce. One of our most beautiful mares was the Polish/Russian mare MASKARADA, whose ESTASHAN daughter EASTWINDS MOONLIGHTING is being leased to Eastwinds for a breeding in 2008.
The Spanish and Egyptian provenances have had a very enduring impact, and this is discussed below.
Determining a direction and developing a Foundation:
Years of breeding dogs had taught us that no program will succeed without a plan. A direction needed to be identified early on, and a focus developed. We had subscribed to all the “right” magazines, and had visited as many studs as possible both here and abroad. Quickly, and like so many others worldwide, we had decided that the Spanish/Egyptian stallion, El Shaklan might provide a great jump off point for the new “EASTWINDS” stud.
The Nazeer and Skowronek combination is a consistent influence in many great Arabians across different provenances. Morafic (Egypt) and Tabal (Spain), the grandsires of El Shaklan, were two great inheritors of the prepotent qualities of these two. El Shaklan combined their best assets, AND reproduced them.
The first Eastwinds’ sires were immediate members of this “family”. ESTASHAN (imp Germany) was an International Champion brother to the World Champion Ibn Estasha. His dam was ESTASHA, a National and World Champion – full sister to El Shaklan. He was followed by the incredible show horse and sire, SIMEON SA’AR (imp). Sa’ar was of course one of the first El Shaklan sons. Sa’ar only stood at limited stud, but did make an auspicious return to the showring at 19 years of age to be again champion at the National Stud Show.
With these two important sires, the acquisition of the right mares was essential.
The first of our Spanish/Egyptian mares was JUANITA (imp UK), by the Galero son Makorr (Spain) and from the Egyptian mare Lapis, a granddaughter of Hadban Enzahi and Ghazal. Purchased specifically to breed to Estashan, she sadly died after producing our dream filly, which coliced soon after and was also lost. This double loss was perhaps our greatest challenge in those early days.
At this time the El Shaklan daughter, BINT MOHENA, was being bred to the El Shaklan grandson, SIMEON SANEGOR. Her second filly, SHAKLANA, was acquired for the farm, and went on to be an “A” class champion, East Coast Top 5 and Australian Top 10.
Another breeding which we felt could be important, was that of the Spanish/Egyptian mare ESPERANZA (UK) to that other great Australian El Shaklan son, AMIR EL SHAKLAN. The relevance of this breeding was that Esperanza, like El Shaklan and Estasha, was a granddaughter of both Morafic and Tabal - she appears to have been a homozygous grey.
AMIRA BINT ESPERANZA, AMIRA AL FUJAIRAH, and AMIRA ESPANA, all full sisters from this breeding, spent time in the stud.
Amira Bint Esperanza, when bred to SIMEON SA’AR produced the N.Z. National Champion EASTWINDS AXIOM and the East Coast and National show champion EASTWINDS AXPLOSION. Both these have proven to be great sires, and Axplosion is the farms leading sire, with several daughters in the stud.
It should be mentioned here that AXPLOSION is by an El Shaklan son from an El Shaklan granddaughter.
Fujairah was a Junior Australian Champion and has a granddaughter EASTWINDS SEQUINS, a National top ten winner, presently in the stud.
Espana was an Australian National Futurity Champion, her son Viva Espano will soon be shown in the gelding ring.
A full brother to these three great mares, ESPIRATION, became the studs next sire, and also became an Australian and East Coast Champion, as well as winning in costume and harness.
Whilst this was all coming together at home, we decided to look for our own daughter of the great sire himself. As both Sa’ar and Amir were from German/Egyptian dam lines, we were keen to see the cross of Shaklan to USA/Egyptian lines. We searched for a mare to breed to Shaklan, who was then in California. Lines of the sires Ansata Ibn Halima and Morafic (or his son Ibn Moniet El Nefous) most appealed. The classic champion mare Halina El Nefous was purchased – a daughter of Ibn Halima and Ibn Moniet!
In due course Halina El Nefous produced the filly HALINA SHAKLAN (USA), who was imported after weaning, and was National Stud Show Champion at her only Australian outing. Halina’s offspring include the lovely EASTWINDS VIENNA SHAKLAN, whom we showed once to be Reserve Champion at the National under Marquesa de Laula (Spain), before going on to great success with the Hudsons at Quartz Hill.
Her sons were EASTWINDS STAR WARS, who was a National yearling winner before being sold to Perth where he became WA State Champion, and the outstanding EASTWINDS OVATION, who was sired by the great Shaklan grandson SIMEON SANEGOR. Injured as a foal, Ovation was never shown, but was a look-alike of his great sire and became himself a great sire for the farm, (though never standing at public stud).
At his point, with this very eclectic group and their offspring, we felt it was time for the next step.
Where to next ?:
With El Shaklan strongly represented, the decision was made to add to both the Spanish and Egyptian bloodlines via other sources. While not looking to “more Shaklan”, we intended to continue with Morafic and Tabal, but this proved easier said than done!!
At this time the Spanish borders had just closed to horse traffic. From Germany we purchased the filly ALTEZA EL HAUWHA (Germany). She was sired by QUEBEK who was a son of the great TABAL mare NEVISCA. He had been leased to Germany to be bred to Estopa and Estasha, and Alteza’s dam had been amongst the original Om El Arab imports from Spain. Another Nevisca son – Nagasaki - is well known as the sire of the exquisite Sasaki, grandsire of Magnum Psyche. Unfortunately, Alteza was discovered to have piroplasmosis while in UK quarantine, and was never imported. Her colt by the world champion PROCYON (Spain) WAS imported. This horse, PRIORITY, was sadly injured during importation, but has proven a successful sire of performance, endurance and halter horses for his new owner. As well, his daughter EASTWINDS SPANISH MASKARADE has proven a great success in all disciplines.
From the USA we then imported two straight Egyptians, both MORAFIC bred. BA MINSTRIL BAY (imp USA) was the first Arabian of Minstril blood to arrive in Australia. The Minstril combines the blood of Morafic and Ibn Galal, while Minstril Bay’s dam was by Ibn Galal, from the ethereal Morafic granddaughter Pharrah. A soundly bred horse with the great forehand typical of his sire’s offspring, his granddaughter Eastwinds Bay Breeze will be part of our future.
The mare SHAHELIA (imp USA) was sired by Shaikh Al Badi, and was ¾ sister to Ruminaja Ali. Shahelia was a double granddaughter of MORAFIC, perhaps the greatest of all Egyptian sires. Her grandams; Bint Maisa Al Saghira (Egypt) and Nabilaah (Egypt) are amongst the most important females in “STRAIGHT” breeding. Shahelia produced four daughters at Eastwinds: Jewel of the Nile was inbred Morafic, being by the double Morafic grandson Sir Ibn Moniet (USA), she now resides at a straight Egyptian farm in the UK.. Ellusion was sired by Minstril Bay, and is now a key mare in a Queensland breeding program. The other two fillies, by Joda Aly Dar and Tarong Shahgig were both lost without producing.
Shahelia later joined the Poths’ Dobell stud in France.
Our Greatest Stroke of Luck:
Our interest in the Arabian horse required regular visits to major Arabian breeding centres around the world. During one visit to USA, Europe and UK we discovered an exciting young stallion who was to be become a great show horse and an even greater sire. This horse, ALI JAMAAL, was a son of the great Ruminaja Ali, who had already made his own impression on us. After much negotiating we purchased one of his first daughters, who was later admired by his owner Lenita Perroy as one of his best. This filly, ESSENCIA, was from the great producing El Shaklan mare ESPRESSA, a USA dam of distinction, and dam of one of Europe’s greatest show horses ESTEEM. The cross of Jamaal on Shaklan daughters was to prove spectacular; Ludjin El Jamaal, Lethyf El Jamaal, Lilyh El Jamaal, Ryad El Jamaal, Niharra El Jamaal, Ninjah El Jamaal, etc. have all proven to be great show horses and producers. Essencia became an East Coast Champion and Reserve champion, as well as a national top ten each time competing, but it was her abilities as a producer which proved the magic of the cross. Essencia was acquired to bring an outcross to our linebred Shaklans. Being a granddaughter of El Shaklan and Ruminaja Ali, she was THE ideal outcross. At Eastwinds she was bred to very Shaklan-line males; ESPIRATION, AXIOM, OVATION, and AXPLOSION. The outcomes created a crucial part of our foundation.
As a result of ESSENCIA’s amazing success, we decided to seek a Jamaal colt to eventually breed to Essencia’s offspring. Oddly, it was her bay full brother , ESSCORT (USA) who was selected. Very different in type to his sister, Esscort was used over two seasons, and is still represented in the stud by his lovely granddaughter EASTWINDS HEAVEN SENT.
Principally, the mares Halina Shaklan (USA), Shaklana, and Amira Bint Esperanza had provided a great genetic base on which to build. Essencia was bred to stallions closely related to these three.
Her daughters, Eastwinds DANCE WITH ME (by Espiration), Eastwinds BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (by Eastwinds Axiom) and Eastwinds KISS FROM A ROSE (by Eastwinds Ovation), have all won EAST COAST Championships and have all been Australian Championship Top Tens.
Her Axplosion son, EASTWINDS AXCEPTIONAL, was champion at the National Stud Show under Dr Jung (Austria), his only outing, before sadly being killed in a breeding accident.
It was then decided to breed Essencia, and at least one of her daughters, to a “next step” outcross. Frozen semen was purchased by the great sire PADRONS PSYCHE (USA), whom we’d viewed as a two year old, but three lost years resulted in no foal. Semen was also acquired from a stallion we had viewed in the USA many years before, and had greatly admired. This semen, produced by NARIADNI (Russia), was used on Bohemian Rhapsody, but again without success. Both Psyche and Nariadni carry Russian blood.
To gain access to at least some of this genetic influence, we then acquired the very lovely bay mare, HALIMA PSYCHES SONNET. A daughter of Padron’s Psyche and Bask Melody.
Our next successful “outcross” was eventually located “at home”. We have always admired the contribution of the Bremervale breeding program, and rate Jill Toft as one of the most gifted breeders in this country. The stallion DESPERADO was making his mark as a sire and show horse, and we knew that Jill had viewed him as one of her greatest achievements.
Desperado’s sire line; Dasjmir, to GG Samir, to Jacio, to Tabal was very in keeping with the lines we’d used from Tabal. Dasjmir’s dam is a granddaughter of the Skowronek line stallion Aramus, a magnificent individual. Desperado’s own dam is a daughter of the pure Spanish POLACA (Spain), a mare we greatly admired, and a mare which we felt was very similar in type to Essencia (USA).
Mostly, we felt the type of this stallion would add to the look we were seeking.
The mare chosen to send was the tall and elegant EASTWINDS KISS FROM A ROSE. A daughter of Essencia, she was also a granddaughter of both ALI JAMAAL and SIMEON SANEGOR.
Desperado, Sanegor and Jamaal – all bay, all exotic type, all stretchy, all great halter champions and ALL GREAT SIRES. Without detracting from the importance of any one of these “greats”, we believe it is their COMBINED genetic power which has given us our most impressive sire ever: the enigmatic EASTWINDS DESPERATE KISS.
Kiss was abandoned by his novice dam, and was raised as an orphan. Unfortunately his birth coincided with personal illness which has sidelined the stud for over five years, so “KISS” has remained a great secret!
In due course, Kiss was bred to his maternal aunt, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, and the two offspring, the filly Bohemian Kiss and the colt, EASTWINDS THE BOHEMIAN, are retained. The Bohemian is a world class horse, also yet to be shown.
Kiss was also bred to the outcross Padron Psyche mare, Halima Psyche’s Sonnet, to produce another wonderful colt (also retained!) EASTWINDS ABRAXAS.
Balancing the breeding of Rose to Desperado, we also sent the lovely EASTWINDS DANCE WITH ME to WN DASJMIR – the exciting EASTWINDS THE FRONTRUNNER was the result. Sadly he broke his leg as a two year old, but he has left an exciting daughter EASTWINDS JUST KISS ME in the stud. She will be one to watch, being from Kiss From a Rose.
In 2006, Dance With Me produced another colt for the stud. He was to be one of the last offspring of the straight Egyptian sire PVA SONBALI (USA). This colt carries a “double” of both EL SHAKLAN and RUMINAJA ALI, two of the most aesthetically beautiful sires in the breed.