World Equestrian Games hopeful ‘Zar' indeed a breed apart
By Jennie Rees
jrees@courier-journal.com
You've heard of shaggy dog stories. This is a Shagya horse story.
A rare breed of horse similar but distinct from the Arabian, the Shagya is so scarce in Kentucky that only two or three might be born in the commonwealth in a given year. But one of those, 13-year-old SA Belshazzar, is in the final days of evaluation to represent the United States in the 100-mile endurance race Sept.26 at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington.
It is the first time a Shagya born in the United States — let alone Kentucky — has made it to the short list for WEG endurance, a sport dominated by Arabians, according to Darlene Steven of Finchville, Ky., a past president and founding member of the organization that registers Shagyas in this country.
Of the 10 riders and 12 horses still in the running for the American team, five rider-horse combinations will be chosen Friday. Zar, as the gelding is called, is one of two horses who made the short list with rider Ellen Rapp. He also could serve as an alternate for Rapp if she is chosen for the team with her other horse, a 15-year-old Arabian.
Zar was bred by Daunna Sellers, who stands the gelding's Shagya sire, Bayram, at her Sun Arab Stables farm in Verona, Ky. Sellers first got involved with Shagyas 18 years ago while looking for a taller breed than an Arabian to accommodate her teenage daughter's long legs.
She credits Jeremy Olson, who trains and leases Zar, for seeing the horse's true potential.
“It's really amazing,” Sellers said of Zar coming so far with the U.S. team, which is spending 3½ weeks at Shaker Village near Harrodsburg in preparation for the games. “If he doesn't make the team, he's still pretty special. He's made the top 12.”
Steven and Sellers estimate there are fewer than 200 Shagya stallions and broodmares in the United States, and so few are actually in breeding production that only 10-15 foals are born in America each year. Steven puts the number worldwide at fewer than 2,000 breeding animals.
“She hit the horse lottery,” Steven said of Sellers.
Zar is out of an Arabian mare but qualifies as a purebred Shagya under breed rules because he has a certain amount of Shagya blood in his pedigree. He also is registered as a half-Arabian.
The 2006 WEG endurance race was won by a Spanish rider on a purebred Shagya born in Hungary, where the breed started back in 1789.
Olson calls the Shagya the best breed you've never heard of.
“You can pretty much excel in any discipline you want with them, whether it's endurance, dressage or eventing,” he said. “Their mind is a lot calmer than a typical Arab mind would be. They seem to be a little bit bigger, stronger and faster, and still keep the Arab athleticism for going the distance.”
So why aren't there more?
“People don't know about them,” Olson said. “There's not too many in the world, and even less here. And the other breeds are so popular, it's kind of hard for them to get noticed.”
When Rapp brought her WEG hopefuls to Kentucky, she also brought a retired Arabian race mare to breed to Bayram.
“After we had two of them, that's my main focus,” she said of Shagyas. “If more people would just learn more about the breed and try them out, I guarantee everybody would have them.”
More information about this rare breed may be found on www.shagyaregistry.com
By Jennie Rees
jrees@courier-journal.com
You've heard of shaggy dog stories. This is a Shagya horse story.
A rare breed of horse similar but distinct from the Arabian, the Shagya is so scarce in Kentucky that only two or three might be born in the commonwealth in a given year. But one of those, 13-year-old SA Belshazzar, is in the final days of evaluation to represent the United States in the 100-mile endurance race Sept.26 at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington.
It is the first time a Shagya born in the United States — let alone Kentucky — has made it to the short list for WEG endurance, a sport dominated by Arabians, according to Darlene Steven of Finchville, Ky., a past president and founding member of the organization that registers Shagyas in this country.
Of the 10 riders and 12 horses still in the running for the American team, five rider-horse combinations will be chosen Friday. Zar, as the gelding is called, is one of two horses who made the short list with rider Ellen Rapp. He also could serve as an alternate for Rapp if she is chosen for the team with her other horse, a 15-year-old Arabian.
Zar was bred by Daunna Sellers, who stands the gelding's Shagya sire, Bayram, at her Sun Arab Stables farm in Verona, Ky. Sellers first got involved with Shagyas 18 years ago while looking for a taller breed than an Arabian to accommodate her teenage daughter's long legs.
She credits Jeremy Olson, who trains and leases Zar, for seeing the horse's true potential.
“It's really amazing,” Sellers said of Zar coming so far with the U.S. team, which is spending 3½ weeks at Shaker Village near Harrodsburg in preparation for the games. “If he doesn't make the team, he's still pretty special. He's made the top 12.”
Steven and Sellers estimate there are fewer than 200 Shagya stallions and broodmares in the United States, and so few are actually in breeding production that only 10-15 foals are born in America each year. Steven puts the number worldwide at fewer than 2,000 breeding animals.
“She hit the horse lottery,” Steven said of Sellers.
Zar is out of an Arabian mare but qualifies as a purebred Shagya under breed rules because he has a certain amount of Shagya blood in his pedigree. He also is registered as a half-Arabian.
The 2006 WEG endurance race was won by a Spanish rider on a purebred Shagya born in Hungary, where the breed started back in 1789.
Olson calls the Shagya the best breed you've never heard of.
“You can pretty much excel in any discipline you want with them, whether it's endurance, dressage or eventing,” he said. “Their mind is a lot calmer than a typical Arab mind would be. They seem to be a little bit bigger, stronger and faster, and still keep the Arab athleticism for going the distance.”
So why aren't there more?
“People don't know about them,” Olson said. “There's not too many in the world, and even less here. And the other breeds are so popular, it's kind of hard for them to get noticed.”
When Rapp brought her WEG hopefuls to Kentucky, she also brought a retired Arabian race mare to breed to Bayram.
“After we had two of them, that's my main focus,” she said of Shagyas. “If more people would just learn more about the breed and try them out, I guarantee everybody would have them.”
More information about this rare breed may be found on www.shagyaregistry.com
