Small classes but first-class champions - that summarizes this year's German National Show. Though it was the first main event in the show-calendar of German breeders they only sent a handful of horses - in the halter classes barely over 80 purebred Arabians came in front of the judges. Only horses bred in Germany were eligible to start. Perhaps this was the reason for the meagre participation. Today many owners of successsful show winners are better known for their talent in picking out a champion in America than breeding one... However, the supreme showman and commentator Klaus Beste - secretary of the German registry - created plenty of atmosphere with his enthusiasm. And the European judging system (with seperate marks for type, head and neck, conformation, legs and movements) kept the audience in suspense throughout the show. Interesting to know: Only at the German Nationals the judges are invited to award a "21" to horses with extreme type!

The Champions

Among many familiar faces, there was one newcomer who was something of a shooting star, and also one of the most international horses at the show: The colt Hamra Aligance (Ali Valentino x Sonbolahs Music). His sire and dam were born in the US and his maternal grandsire, Ruminaja Bahjat was a successful sire in Argentina. Hamra Aligance is a carbon copy of his unusually typey sire and a horse who unites everything a breeder is dreaming of: type, elegance and trot. His big black eyes and his beautiful face are his hallmark. This little man won the Reserve Championship and I am sure that this was not his last show!

The eventual Champion, however, was the winner of the two-year-old-class: Mutair HP (Ansata Sinan x Mesoudah M), owned and bred by Horst Preuss. An elegant horse of almost ethereal beauty - a perfect combination of his sire's elegance and the substance of his dam. In type he is similiar to his dam, too. He has size and good movement and everything he needs to follow in his European Champion sire's hoof prints.

The Junior Female Championships were dominated by Egyptians as well and it can have been no easy task for the judges. The result was the victory for the well-known "diva" Bint Deladiva (Ansata Sinan x Om El Deladiva), a breathtakingly beautiful filly (although this young lady was by far too fat!). She (like her brother Mutair HP) shows the refinement of her sire and the good neck and level topline of her dam. A winning combination! In type she totally appears as an Ansata horse. She is a beautiful representative of internationally acclaimed bloodlines.

So is the Reserve Champion Filly, Shadwanah (Classic Shadwan x Dalima Shah by Ansata Halim Shah), bred and owned by Annette and Erwin Escher. An excellent mover with a lot of style. She is indeed a very promising filly.

Once again the older mares were a highlight of the show. There was little doubt about the Champion, however. The beautiful Halima Alidaara (Alidaar x Hafeedah II) - bred and owned by Heike Dechant - proved to be untouchable. She is truly a treasure, a mare with a very fluid way of moving.

The Reserve Champion title went to the lovely mare Jalisca (Jalisco x Jasmin II), a pretty mare with a huge black eye. Her sire was known for his powerful way of moving - the "Spanish style" - and transmitted this special trait to his offspring. Jalisca is no exception.

In the Stallion Championships the competition was not a tough one - Garsal (Dekolt x Garenka) was the undisputed Champion. You look at him and there is no question that you are looking at an Arabian stallion. He is not huge, but dynamite has been known to come in smaller packages! He is a superb, typey and balanced stallion. For judges and spectators alike he was simply the best!

The chestnut Midoun El Madheen (Ansata El Salaam x Mesoudah M) gave a splendid performance and was awarded the Reserve Champion title. A very typey representative of straight Egyptian lines, he is a maternal half brother to the Junior Champion Colt, Mutair HP. And winning is indeed a family tradition considering the fact that a third brother, Mishaal HP (Ansata Sinan x Mesoudah M) was at the third place in the very competitive class of three-year-old colts. Midoun El Madheen is not an unknown to the winner's circle - he was several times class-winner or Reserve Champion Stallion at the regional level.

So, another National Show came to an end. Quality Champions and a competent and knowlegeable team of judges made this a show to remember. With the colt Hamra Aligance one cannot help but feel that a new star has exploded onto the Arabian scene, making the 1999 German Nationals all the more interesting.

Felicitas Berger, Photos: Escher