Cross-Roads

This stud wasn't just another farm. In fact it was one of the oldest and most prestigious European studfarms - the Hungarian Bábolna Stud, known the world over for its straight Egyptian breeding program and for providing foundation stock for many successful studfarms - like Simeon Stud in Australia.

Daughters of Ibn Galal I, Ghalion, Ansata Abbas Pasha, Jamil and Ansata Halim Shah formed the nucleus of the herd. In the mid-nineties Tamás Rombauer (then the head of Bábolna) decided to use Russian and Polish stallions to combine noblesse with correctness and to improve movement and height. He wanted to create a modern type of the Bábolna Arabian. Again, breeders of straight Egyptian horses raised their eye-brows.

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Photo: Carola Toischel

Teyszir B in Wels 1997

The results of Tamás Rombauer's efforts soon were seen in the European show rings. First came the stallion Teyszir B (Magdan x Tamria II) who won the international show at Bábolna in 1998. He then was raced successfully and thereafter was able to win in the show ring again. At this year's Nations Cup he was shown in what was believed one of the strongest stallion classes ever and stood at the eighth place – but with a score of well over eighty points! A beautiful, very refined individual, Teyszir B indeed combines the noblesse of his dam with the correctness and substance of his sire – the fulfilment of Tamás Rombauer's hopes. Teyszir B is currently serving as the head sire of Bábolna.

The Russian stallion who would change the face of modern Bábolna was the chestnut Balaton son Kubinec. First he conquered the European show scene by winning literally everything. He pranced into the ring with confidence and pride and took judges and audience by storm. He was that ultimate combination of charm, type, fiery expression and bold movement. Then he had to prove himself as a sire – what he did. His foals stood in the winner's circle all over Europe.

Tamás Rombauer waisted no time and asked Kubinec's owner Karl-Heinz Stoeckle if the stallion could breed some of Bábolna's best straight Egyptian mares. Karl-Heinz Stoeckle agreed. The fruits of Kubinec's efforts formed the "new generation" at Bábolna: Horses with more height, longer lines and airy movements. Excellent representatives of this cross are the stallions Malik B (x 221 Ibn Galal I) and El Nabila B (x Elf Layla Walayla).

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Photo: Kórósi

Malik B with the Spanish queen Sofia and
the Hungarian president Arpád Göncz

Malik (Arabic for "king") owes his name to the fact that the Spanish queen Sofia visited Bábolna when he was born and instantly fell in love with him. She wanted to be the godmother of that foal and "Malik" was considered the appropriate name. Just one year later he stood in the spotlight again: In 1997 he was Junior Champion Colt at the international show in Wels/Austria (where Teyszir B was Reserve Senior Champion Stallion).

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Photo: Anders

Click here to see El Nabila's sire and dam!

But the most popular Bábolna stallion of the "Vice Versa Cross" is El Nabila B, son of the multi-champion mare El Layla Walayla. In 2000 alone, he won two German regional shows and was second in his class both at the prestigious Nations Cup and at the European Championships (there behind the eventual Champion Stallion, Ekstern). Bold moving, stretchy, very upright with great presence and attitude, El Nabila B is currently on lease to Germany with Robert Schlereth and his partner Volker Wettengl.

Some German breeders are sending their straight Egyptian mares to Kubinec, too. And they are rewarded with champion horses like Noura (Kubinec x Bint Moufisa) or Kapella T (Kubinec x Ansata Fay Jamila).

The phenomenon of the "Vice Versa Cross" is not limited to European breeders at all. Some years ago Count Zichy-Thyssen bred some of his straight Egyptian mares to El Shaklan and currently is breeding his El Shaklan son ZT Shak Fantasy to some of his best Egyptian mares. In the United States now and then a "vice versa" horse is born – not as planned as at Bábolna but rather by chance. Nevertheless they are very successful individuals. The most popular to date is the mare Psyches Amber Gem (Padrons Psyche x AK Zabiya), who was imported to France and went on to win the title of Reserve Junior Champion Filly at the 1995 All Nations Cup and Senior World Champion Mare at the Salon du Cheval in 1997.

What remains is the question whether or not it is suitable to breed a straight Egyptian mare to a stallion of a different bloodline to produce (at best) a foal which may be more correct or has better movements than its dam and can easily win in the show ring – but can't contribute to an Egyptian breeding program anymore. On the other hand these crosses are providing new opportunities and rekindle the interest in straight Egyptian lines as a source of unparalleled type.