Raffles (horse)

Last updated
Raffles
Raffles952--side.jpg
Raffles as an older stallion
Breed Arabian
Sire Skowronek
GrandsireIbrahim (PASB)
DamRifala
Maternal grandsire Skowronek
Sex Stallion
Foaled1926
Country United Kingdom
ColorGray
Breeder Lady Wentworth
OwnerRoger Selby
Alice Payne
Honors
1933 Three-gaited champion National Horse Show
Last updated on: January 13, 2008.

Raffles was an Arabian stallion foaled in 1926 and imported to the United States by Roger Selby in 1932. Raffles was bred by Lady Wentworth of the Crabbet Arabian Stud.

Arabian horse Horse breed originating in the Middle East

The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses in the Middle East that resemble modern Arabians dating back 4,500 years. Throughout history, Arabian horses have spread around the world by both war and trade, used to improve other breeds by adding speed, refinement, endurance, and strong bone. Today, Arabian bloodlines are found in almost every modern breed of riding horse.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Crabbet Arabian Stud

The Crabbet Arabian Stud, also known as the Crabbet Park Stud, was a horse breeding farm established on 2 July 1878 when the first Arabian horses brought to England by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and Lady Anne Blunt arrived at Crabbet Park, their estate in Sussex. Six months earlier, while staying in Aleppo, Wilfrid and Lady Anne had made a plan to import some of the best Arabian horses to England and breed them there. In Lady Anne's words, "it would be an interesting and useful thing to do and I should like much to try it."

Contents

Background

Raffles was a son of the Crabbet foundation sire Skowronek, out of a Skowronek daughter, Rifala. Lady Wentworth deliberately chose an inbreeding cross in hopes of producing a suitable Arabian for crossing on Welsh ponies. [1] She partially succeeded, as Raffles only matured to be 13.3  hands (55 inches, 140 cm). [2] However, Raffles never produced any offspring in England, and it is generally thought that his handlers at Crabbet believed he was sterile. [3]

Skowronek (horse) 20th-century Arabian stallion

Skowronek was an Arabian stallion foaled in 1908 or 1909. He was bred by Count Józef Potocki who owned the Antoniny Stud in Poland. He was imported to England as a young horse. Upon purchase by Lady Wentworth, Skowronek became a foundation stallion at Lady Wentworth's famed Crabbet Arabian Stud. He was most often crossed on mares who were daughters or granddaughters of the stallion Mesaoud, another foundation stallion for Crabbet, who had been bred by Ali Pasha Sherif and imported from Egypt to England by Lady Wentworth's parents, Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt.

Inbreeding Production of offspring from the mating of individuals of a breed who are more closely related than the average members of the breed.

Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and other consequences that may arise from expression of deleterious or recessive traits resulting from incestuous sexual relationships and consanguinity.

Hand (unit) unit of measurement of length equal to 101.6 millimetres (4 in)

The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length standardized to 4 inches (101.6 mm). It is used to measure the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was originally based on the breadth of a human hand. The adoption of the international inch in 1959 allowed for a standardized imperial form and a metric conversion. It may be abbreviated to "h" or "hh". Although measurements between whole hands are usually expressed in what appears to be decimal format, the subdivision of the hand is not decimal but is in base 4, so subdivisions after the radix point are in quarters of a hand, which are inches. Thus, 62 inches is fifteen and a half hands, or 15.2 hh.

He came to America as a free gift included with a group of Arabians that Roger Selby purchased from Lady Wentworth, [4] Selby had previously purchased Raffles' dam, Rifala in 1928. [4] [5] There is an alternative theory to why Raffles was given to Selby; in January 1932, Selby told Lady Wentworth that Rifala was infertile, thus, rather than being a sterile throwaway, a gift of a perfectly fertile Raffles was a replacement. [3] [6] However, at the time Rifala was in foal to a Saddlebred, and safely delivered the foal later in 1932. [6]

American Saddlebred American horse breed

The American Saddlebred is a horse breed from the United States. This breed was referred to as the "Horse America Made". Descended from riding-type horses bred at the time of the American Revolution, the American Saddlebred includes the Narragansett Pacer, Canadian Pacer, Morgan and Thoroughbred among its ancestors. Developed into its modern type in Kentucky, it was once known as the "Kentucky Saddler", and used extensively as an officer's mount in the American Civil War. In 1891, a breed registry was formed in the United States. Throughout the 20th century, the breed's popularity continued to grow in the United States, and exports began to South Africa and Great Britain. Since the formation of the US registry, almost 250,000 American Saddlebreds have been registered, and can now be found in countries around the world, with separate breed registries established in Great Britain, Australia, continental Europe, and southern Africa.

Life in the United States

Upon his arrival in America, Raffles did not sire any purebred foals until 1938. [7] The popular explanation is that only after he was placed under a proper management regimen, did he turn out to be fertile. [8] However, there are other theories. According to Selby's trainer, Jimmie Dean, after Raffles tested sterile at Ohio State University, Dean wondered if anxiety and tension was the source of the trouble. According to Dean, Raffles had endured poor handling, was distrustful of humans, and difficult to ride. With the assistance of Dean's wife, Thelma, a skilled horsewoman in her own right, they spent many months gentling Raffles and gaining his trust. Thelma in particular spent many months simply taking him on low-stress, relaxing rides around the farm and surrounding land. After this retraining, he was put to a couple of pony mares in 1936, settled both mares, and thus, proven to be fertile, was bred to purebred mares in the 1937 breeding season. [3]

There are many aspects to horse care. Horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and other domesticated equids require attention from humans for optimal health and long life.

Yet another version claimed that Raffles was such an outstanding riding horse that he could not be spared for stud duties. [9] And indeed, he did well in the show ring. Awards and honors Raffles earned included the 1933 three-gaited championship at Nashville, Tennessee's Nashville National horse show. [10] A final theory is that he was discounted as a breeding stallion, was viewed merely as a potential pony sire, and only used on purebred mares after the Arabian horse expert Carl Raswan urged Selby to do so. [11]

Nashville, Tennessee State capital and consolidated city-county in Tennessee, United States

Nashville is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The city is the county seat of Davidson County and is located on the Cumberland River. The city's population ranks 24th in the U.S. According to 2017 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the total consolidated city-county population stood at 691,243. The "balance" population, which excludes semi-independent municipalities within Davidson County, was 667,560 in 2017.

Carl Raswan Arabian horse expert

Carl Reinhard Raswan, born Carl Reinhard Schmidt, was one of the greatest connoisseurs and patrons of the asil Arabian horse. He authored numerous books on Arabian horses and the Bedouin people who raised them. A scholar of Arabian bloodlines, he also published the Raswan Index, an extensive compilation of Arabian horse pedigree and strain information. He advocated tolerance and understanding of Bedouin ways of life and culture in Arabia.

However, once put to stud, he went on to have a tremendous influence on Arabian horse breeding in the United States, siring 122 foals. [1] In addition to horses he produced by outcrossing on Arabians of other bloodlines, breeders also had very good results by linebreeding his offspring to those of Raseyn, another Skowronek son who had also been purchased from Lady Wentworth and was imported to the USA by W.K. Kellogg. Among his better-known offspring were Indraff, Rapture, and Azraff. [8]

Horse breeding human-directed process of selective horse breeding

Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses. Furthermore, modern breeding management and technologies can increase the rate of conception, a healthy pregnancy, and successful foaling.

Raseyn 20th-century Arabian stallion

Raseyn (1923–1959) was an Arabian stallion foaled in 1923 and bred by Lady Wentworth of the Crabbet Arabian Stud. After being imported into the United States by W.K. Kellogg in 1926. He was part of a large shipment of horses that Carl Schmidt, later Carl Raswan, purchased from Lady Wentworth for Kellogg's new ranch in Pomona, California.

Will Keith Kellogg American businessman

Will Keith Kellogg, generally referred to as W.K. Kellogg, was an American industrialist in food manufacturing, best known as the founder of the Kellogg Company, which to this day produces a wide variety of popular breakfast cereals. He was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and practiced vegetarianism as a dietary principle taught by his church. Later, he founded the Kellogg Arabian Ranch and made it into a renowned establishment for the breeding of Arabian horses. Kellogg started the Kellogg Foundation in 1934 with $66 million in Kellogg company stock and investments, a donation that would be worth over a billion dollars in today's economy. Kellogg continued to be a major philanthropist throughout his life.

He broke a hind leg in 1950, when kicking his stall. [12] He recovered and shortly thereafter was purchased by Alice Payne for her Asil Ranch in Chino, California, where he was stalled next to another Skowronek son, Raseyn, whom Payne had obtained from the Kellogg ranch in his old age. [13] Raffles died on May 11, 1953. [3]

desert bred
Ibrahim (PASB)
(Poland Arabian Stud Book)
desert bred
Skowronek(GSB)
(General Stud Book, England)
Kortez
Rymnik
Hama
Jaskolka (PASB)
(Poland Arabian Stud Book)
Derwisz
Epopeja
Lira
Raffles [14]
1926 gray stallion
desert bred
Ibrahim
desert bred
Skowronek
Rymnik
Jaskoulka
Epopeja
Rifala
(AHR 815) imp. USA 1928
Seyal
Berk
Burka
Rissla (GSB)
Mesaoud
Risala
Ridaa

Registry data

Raffles was registered with the Arabian Horse Club Registry of America, the precursor to the Arabian Horse Association as number 952. His registration lists him as a "white" horse, even though he was actually a gray. [15]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Edwards The Arabian: War Horse to Show Horse 3rd Rev. Ed. p. 82
  2. ↑ Edwards The Arabian: War Horse to Show Horse 3rd Rev. Ed. p. 81
  3. 1 2 3 4 Carpenter Arabian Legends p. 140-153
  4. 1 2 Conn The Arabian Horse in America p. 178
  5. ↑ Archer The Arabian Horse p. 16
  6. 1 2 Magid "The Selby Importations: A Re-Evaluation" Arabian Horse Times May 1991 p. 38-49
  7. ↑ Progeny list
  8. 1 2 Edwards The Arabian: War Horse to Show Horse p. 222-223
  9. ↑ Conn The Arabian Horse in America p. 203
  10. ↑ Edwards The Arabian Horse: War Horse to Show Horse p. 83
  11. ↑ Payne, Alice. "Carl Raswan Dies," The Arabian Horse News, Nov-Dec 1966. Accessed online October 17, 2007
  12. ↑ "Arabian Foundation Horse - Raffles"
  13. ↑ Mulder, Carol W. "Raseyn 957" The Crabbet Influence, September-October 1984 accessed online October 17, 2007
  14. ↑ All Breed Pedigree Database Pedigree of Raffles accessed on October 16, 2007
  15. ↑ Arabian Horse Club The Arabian Stud Book Volume V p. 82

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References

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