CRUSADER - StraightEgyptians.com - Arabian Horse Online


a s t a l l i o n for a l l r e a s o n s
Photo: van Lent Emma Maxwell and Crusader
As a colt he used to romp carelessly on his pasture in Sweden. Today he is the head stallion of the Maxwell’s well-known Lodge Farm in England. Crusader - an international stallion! But there is even more to it: He was born in Sweden but his sire is Salaa El Dine (Ansata Halim Shah x Hanan), who is stationed in Germany. Crusader’s dam comes from the United States - she is, in a word, the "grande dame" of straight Egyptian breeding in Sweden: The successful AK Kastana (by NA Ibn Moniet). There are virtually only champions among her foals! Joanna, Emma and Pat Maxwell fell in love with Crusader when he was just a colt, and they couldn’t get enough of looking at him - that was back in 1990. So they decided to buy him. "At home, he grew and grew. And when he was a yearling he looked like a spider!," Joanna Maxwell tells. Nevertheless he was the Junior Champion Colt at Towerlands (A-show) at the first go - against such show celebrities as Monitor! When he was only two years old, Emma Maxwell, an internationally acknowledged trainer and handler, led him to victory at the British Nationals and to the Reserve World Champion Colt in Paris. 1993 was one of the most demanding years for Crusader: He bred over twenty mares, completed his race training, and started in his first race in Holland (there being no races for three year olds in Britain). He was the only horse without any experience and the ground, heavy and wet, was covered with puddles. The distance was short, just 1.300 metres (1420 yards). The field stayed together at first, but in the last furlongs Crusader took off to win, without the least sign of fatigue, by over a full length!
Photo: Grasso	Today Crusader is one of the tallest Egyptian stallions world-wide. But apart from his seize he is blessed with outstanding type. Most of the judges saw that, too, and named him at the "seniors"-age British National Champion and Reserve World Champion (a repeat of his "junior" wins). "For us," Joanna Maxwell explains, "he personifies the ‘Morafic-look’ in a singular way!" A conviction she shares with many of Crusader’s admirers: the same long lines, the elegance, harmony, and last but not least the same extreme type. But at any rate Crusader has the better nerves. Nervousness? "Not at all," his owners state. "He is one of Emma’s favourite riding-horses." And he is excellent at moving the deer qietly around the farm. "No problems for Crusader!"
But his brilliance lies in his ability to sire wonderful foals - and they are winning championships around the world. Of course, they are to be found in Germany as well. Especially the full sisters Heloisa and Heleliya (x Heloua) were able to gain some important victories. Heloisa, born in 1996 and one year older than her sister, was rewarded (as a yearling) with the class-win at the European Championships in Verona. Her "little" sister was Junior Champion Filly in Langenfeld (a German regional show). At the same show the filly Tamborine (Crusader x Tombora) gained the class-win, while Sabrina (Crusader x LM Sadunga) filled the judges at the Kauber Platte show with enthusiasm and won the Foal Champion title by unanimous decision. These won’t have been the last victories of Crusader’s foals in Germany! Oliver Wibihal
News Flash: Crusader was sold to Sharjah! At the beginning of 2005, Crusader passed away.