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We sought excellence......he answered.

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LD Pistal ~ Arabian Horse History in the Making
Story Copyright: J. L. Hardesty

History comes about little by little as one event connects to another on the world’s great stage, and the drama that is life unfolds. Some of the best glimpses of history are generational sagas, born of love and carried forth by passion. The most interesting human characters are those of depth and purpose, hope and determination. The most remarkable equine contributors to any narrative in which they play a part are those that attain the significance that is their birthright, against all odds.

This is such an account, a generational saga born of love for the Arabian horse and carried forth by passion for the breed’s proliferation. The stars of the human side of the drama are deep and purposeful people whose hope underpins their determination. And, in a world of somewhat narrow opportunity for the recognition of excellence, the equine contributors have risen –– often to astonishing heights –– against all odds.

The setting for this historic drama is the community of the Arabian horse –– to which this writer has often referred as a small town scattered all across the world. The participants are as vast and varied as are the lands from which they hail. But the stars, both equine and human, stand out, as stars are wont to do. And it is on them that that this account must focus.

In addition to all of its other merits, this is the quintessential American tale. The horses carry the best and strongest blood imported to America from faraway places and amalgamated here to produce today’s finest. Their human counterparts, whose ancestors also hail from varied sources, are that hardy breed of entrepreneurs and forward thinkers that epitomize the American spirit, unstoppable by convention or oft-perceived limitation.

In an apparently coincidental crossing of paths –– which is, in truth, the gift of Providence –– the leading characters in this drama came together for the first time nearly a quarter of a century ago, lost track of one another for a time, and were recently reunited. It was the horses that introduced them, the horses that brought them back together, the horses that will run beside them into the future.

Jeff Sloan and David Boggs, the aforementioned stars, met for the first time one triumphant evening in October of 1982. But the fast flowing rivers of many lives began their journeys toward this prodigious convergence in times and places more distant.

The cast, in brief:

The horses:

LD Pistal

Heir apparent to a legacy of unparalleled achievement
Chestnut Arabian Stallion, foaled May 20^th, 2000
By National Champion and leading sire, Magnum Psyche
Out of the GREAT mare . . . National Champion and exceptional producer, Halana
Bred by Al and Marian Corrow, Dayton, Minnesota
Owned by the LD Pistal Partners, LLC
Jeff and Rich Sloan, Bernie and Deena Sloan,
Frank and Carol Hennessey, Al and Ruth Glancy
Trained and Presented by David Boggs, Midwest

*Padron

Patriarch of an Arabian equine dynasty

Padrons Psyche

The link . . . son of *Padron, sire of Magnum

Magnum

The carrier of *Padron’s immutable flame
The reigning Lord of the Rings!
Presented by David Boggs, International Champion Stallion
Managed by David Boggs . . .
THE leading sire of champions in the world today

Halana

An extraordinary mare
With the depth of pedigree and individual excellence from which come the best sons, the greatest breeding stallions
National Champion Mare

The people:

Since the course that brought the human AND the equine stars together was set by the generation from which they came, it is with these antecedents that our story unfolds.

Don and Shorty Boggs
Patriarch and Matriarch of the Boggs dynasty of horsemen.

Al and Marian Corrow
Best friends of Don and Shorty Boggs. Like their friends, breeders of superlative Arabian horses

Bernie and Deena Sloan
Parents who bestowed upon the Sloan brothers the belief that they could achieve ANYTHING with hard work and dedication.

Jeff and Rich Sloan
Brothers...authors, hosts of the nationally syndicated talk radio show, StartupNation, and lifelong entrepreneurs AND Passionate Arabian horse enthusiasts.

Frank & Carol Hennessey
Newcomers to the world of the Arabian horse

Al and Ruth Glancy
Successful business moguls, and Sloan family friends. And members of the Pistal Partnership

David Boggs
Arabian horse industry entrepreneur with an unparalleled passion for the Arabian horse. Husband, father, trainer and showman. Through Midwest, THE world’s leading marketer of Arabian sale horses and breeding stallions.

Yesterday ~ The Foundation

Don and Shorty Boggs

Don and Shorty (Alverna) Boggs were crazy about horses –– all kinds –– especially pretty ones. Born a third generation horseman, horses were in Donnie’s blood. But for many years he had to settle for loving them from a distance. For a blue-collar worker with a big family, the horses weren’t always an affordable luxury.

Don Boggs served in the Merchant Marine during World War II. He was injured aboard ship and sent home before the War ended and with Shorty, the wife who would be his for life, had his first child, Sandy, came just a year ahead of the fabled Baby Boom. Over the next 15 years, Shorty would bear 8 children and have one miscarriage between the last two, David and Bob.

Sandy, the first daughter, recalls: “We were brought up with positive thinking, hard working parents, who had to leave us way too soon. If we ever said ‘I can’t,’ the reply was always, ‘Can't never did anything. You’ll try.’

Anyone who knows a member of the Boggs family today will doubtless recognize that philosophy of their Dad’s that, like his heart, lives on in them.

In the natural course of events, for one who appreciates beautiful horses, Donnie Boggs found a way to become involved with the Arabian. It didn’t hurt that Minnesota was the Midwestern capitol of Arabian equine pulchritude, largely thanks to Dan Gainey. Before long, Donnie had parlayed his boarding business into an enterprise that earned just enough to enable him to become involved in the fledgling community that was only then taking shape around the breeding and showing of the most beautiful horses he had ever seen.

Sandy remembers when the Dan Gainey-bred Gawad, the Boggs’ first Arabian stallion, became a member of the family in the early 1960’s. “Dad paid $1500 for him back then, and everyone thought he was nuts. Imagine a father of 8 (who was a milkman) paying that kind of money for a horse. The rest is HISTORY!!!!! Dad believed in what he was doing, and in his judgment, and tried his best to instill that philosophy in all of us. He used to tell me that if you believe in something strongly enough, and if you’re honest and willing to work hard, you can accomplish anything.”

Again, if you know a Boggs today, you know that though he’s been gone from this earth for some years, he lives on through his sons and daughters. And that, as a matter of fact, is the essence of this story . . . an account of dynasties built and legacies left, both human and equine.

And, as it happens, what began with Donnie Boggs a half century ago on the wings of hope and enthusiasm, is now –– with his youngest sons David and Bob –– the epicenter of a modern day empire. But that’s getting ahead of the story . . .

Al and Marian Corrow

With the U. S. Air Force, Al Corrow fought for America in World War II. From training camp, he sent his sweetheart, Marian, a ring. She flew west to accept his proposal and they were married before he shipped out. Their first child, born in 1943, was two-years old before his father saw him. After the War, Al re-enlisted to take part in the Berlin Air Lift, but that didn’t stop the growth of the family. Between 1943 and 1961 they would have 9 children, one of whom would not live. Today, both Al and Marian are 84 years old. They’ve been married for 64 years, have 8 living children, 36 grandchildren and 42 great grandchildren. And this is counting only the human variety!

Neither Al nor Marian Corrow had any interest in horses until their oldest son came home with a Half-Arabian gelding in 1967. Al’s response was, “What are we going to do with that?” It didn’t take long for him to learn, and to develop a great passion for Arabian horses.

When he came home to stay after the Berlin Air Lift, Al started a construction company, at first hauling dirt from place to place in the back of his old pick up truck. Although the business prospered, it was seasonal. So, in 1968, the entrepreneur changed lanes, and opened a rubbish business, reasoning that people made trash all year long. His first customers were Don and Shorty Boggs.

By then, there were 8 children in each of these families, but that wasn’t all the Boggs and the Corrows had in common and soon Al and Marian became Don and Shorty’s best friends. Their kids, many of whom were close in age, followed suit. Together the adults became ever more deeply involved with the Arabian horse, sharing everything from motel rooms at horse shows to all that they would come to know and treasure about the breed. They remained best friends until the passing of Don, then Shorty. Their shared legacy of family and friendship, fine horses and fabulous breeding lives on.

Bernie and Deena Sloan

Bernie and Deena Sloan met at the University of Michigan when he was a medical student and she, an undergrad there. They’ve been married for 46 years and are the parents to brothers Jeff and Rich and their sister, Julie, and grandparents of Jeff’s daughter, Lyric and Julie’s children Andrew and Katie.

Deena, the daughter of a Polish immigrant who built a highly successful business in scrap metal, grew up in Flint, Michigan. Bernie, a boy from the concrete jungle known as the Bronx, outside New York City, came to Michigan to attend undergrad and med school. With his MD in hand, he started a family and built a highly successful medical practice (specializing in urology) from which he has recently retired. Today, the senior Sloans spend winters in Scottsdale and summers in Harbor Springs, Michigan. They’re both thrilled to be back in the horse business and have been quoted as saying, “This time around it’s even better because Jeff and Rich are paying the bills.”

Both Bernie and Deena love the horses and take great pleasure in their beauty. They have always had a keen interest in pedigrees and in the history of the Arabian horse and have passed on that proclivity to his eldest son, Jeff, who has one of the most complete libraries of Arabian horse books and magazines anywhere and who would like to be considered not merely an enthusiast, but a true scholar of the Arabian horse. Deena and Bernie have always been hands on, enjoying all aspects of the experience, from watching new babies play in the pasture, to offering their opinions on purchasing and breeding selections, to meeting new people, and to cheering on the family’s horses at the shows.

*Padron

The family line that is *Padron’s might as well have started with him. Some stallions are like that. They become a source, as though none had gone before them.

He was an audacious under-yearling, too breathtakingly beautiful to be believed, when he landed on U. S. shores early in 1978. For him, we coined the term exotic. Before him we’d known many beauties in the breed, horses renowned for that essential quality known as Arabian type. But *Padron was different somehow. He could not be described as others had been. And he would not be ignored.

From the first time he pranced brazenly into the arena, he took the Arabian show world by storm. Beside his life’s partner, David Boggs, he ran and reared, stomped and snorted his way into hearts all around the world. And in the wake of this dazzling duo and their myriad conquests, the lifestyle and the industry that surrounded the Arabian horse would never be the same.

They became history, *Padron and David, refusing to be denied or forgotten . . . in the best of times and in the worst. Even today, 24 years after their final show ring triumph, when the 20 something David ran with all the power and boldness of his youth into the spotlight at the U. S. Nationals beside the magnificent 5-year-old *Padron, the Olympic flame of their many shared achievements blazes on . . . perhaps more brightly than ever.

It was a cool Saturday evening in the fall of 1982 –– October 23^rd to be exact. Three days earlier, the Saint Louis Cardinals had won the World Series in front of nearly 54,000 fans at their home field, Busch Stadium. On September 14^th, the beloved Princess Grace (Kelly) of Monaco had been killed in a tragic auto accident. President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II had begun their joint efforts to end Communist tyranny in Eastern Europe. But to those in attendance at the 1982 U. S. National Championship Arabian Horse Show, nothing was more important than what was about to take place at that event. Among the observers on that historic occasion was the Sloan Family. Newcomers to the world of the Arabian horse, the Sloans were attending their first ever U. S. Nationals and about to be thrilled for the first time by the most magnificent stallions the breed had to offer.

The Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center was awash with light. Parking lots were filled beyond capacity, as were the box seats and the balconies all around Freedom Hall’s legendary horse show arena. The air was alive with excitement. Music blared from speakers suspended above the green wood shavings laid down to cushion the hooves of the world’s most beautiful horses. Hot, canned light illuminated every corner of the ring and the spectator areas beyond. In and around the house’s best seats, women in ball gowns and diamonds chatted and laughed about their clothes and their trainers, their horses and their husbands. Men in tuxedos speculated about the stock market and the spectacle that would soon begin. Grooms and stable hands of both sexes, garbed in sweatshirts and jeans, with greasy rags hanging out of back pockets, clustered in the warm-up ring and along the show arena rail. They talked of nothing but the horses.

In all their grandeur and dishabille, their hope and their anxiety, the crowd awaited the big class of the evening, the final competition in which the greatest stallion of the land would be chosen, supreme over all the others. There were 73 entrants in the show program, 73 stallions from all across the land that had qualified to compete in Class #2 of the 1982 U.S. National Arabian Championship Horse Show. Even though some dropped out before the show, there were still 54 horses shown in two initial sections where the best among them were chosen to move into the semi-finals. Soon, the final ten stallions, the best of the best, would enter the ring one last time. And when it was over, one of those horses would carry the Arabian breed’s most prestigious title for the rest of his life –– and beyond.

An uneasy hush fell over the crowd when the lights and the music went down. Then the melody rose again and the horses arrived. One at a time, the contenders pranced or ran into the spotlight that followed them around the arena only to leave each one standing with its handler in the semi darkness while swept back to the in-gate meet the next in line. So it went until nine stallions had taken their places at the far end of the arena. But there was one more to come. We all knew that, and we waited.

Finally they were there. The spotlight was with them, but it was no match for their brilliance. The flame-bright chestnut, with the handsome young man running beside him, dashed into the arena and claimed it as his own. The stallion’s head was high, his nostrils flared full open. In his eyes there was assurance and purpose –– unchallenged. His mane and his tail were flying as his knees curled above the level where his forearms left his shoulder. With unchecked power, his hocks snapped. His was the dance of a giant, performed for his own amusement, shared with the only man who would ever run beside him.

The clapping and the whistling and the shouting vied with the music until the house and arena lights came on and the judging began. There was scarcely a doubt about who the winner would be. Some wondered how the others would place, who would stand just behind him. But most carried on as though there was no horse show . . . until the great chestnut and his young friend found their place in front of the judges. Then once more, there was quiet.

When it was over, though it happened as most had expected, there was no shortage of excitement. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer called out, “I give you your United States National Champion Stallion . . .” A long and pregnant pause. “Padron!” The name was scarcely spoken when the noise of the crowd drowned out the announcer’s voice.

The handler, a relative unknown in that day, threw his ribbon in the air and flung his arms around the stallion’s neck. A lesser athlete might have been yanked from his feet when the gorgeous red horse reared, then came down in the magical dance for which he would always be known. When the trophy presentation was over and the photographer finished taking pictures, the big horse and his man left the ring, just as they had entered it, strong and triumphant, in a place in time that was most truly all their own.

At the gate were the founders, Don and Shorty Boggs, Al and Marian Corrow, weeping together for joy. In the warm up arena, another handsome young man, Jeff Sloan, joined the swarm of well-wishers. It was the first meeting in what was destined to become a most prodigious alliance.

The night would live on in the hearts of many . . . But for David Boggs, the golden lad who ran beside the great red horse, it was a pivotal moment. He had begun his ascent in the world he had chosen as his own. And for Jeff Sloan, it was a hallmark in a rapidly escalating love affair with the Arabian horse.

“To this day,” says Jeff, “the image of David and *Padron in the ring at Louisville still resonates. Following the victory, David invited my parents, Cindi (Murch, the Sloan’s farm manager), and me to join them in celebrating their victory at the Midwest stalls. I remember the elation of the entire Boggs family. I remember David crying in joy (and I’m sure relief as well). I remember the magical horse being admired like a rock star, I remember the loyal clients and breeders who gathered in celebration, and most of all I remember the connection between David and the horse. It just doesn’t get any better than that….”

And that was one decisive junction in this ongoing tale of convergence.

Halana

A year before *Padron danced off with his U. S. National Championship, Al and Marian Corrow made a most prodigious purchase. By 1981, the Corrows had been involved in the breeding of Arabian horses for a decade. As their passion increased, so did the belief they shared with Don and Shorty Boggs that a beautiful face was absolutely essential in an Arabian horse. In the fall of 1981, toward their goal of producing the kind of horse they loved best, they purchased an exquisite yearling filly with a pedigree that said she was likely to pass on her extreme beauty.

The filly, Hickorys Natasha, was of primarily Egyptian heritage, although some of that blood was distant. She was sired by the beautiful Tah Zaman, that would become in 1983, a U. S. National Top Ten Champion Stallion. Natasha’s dam, Arabest Narranne, was a daughter of Nabiel, the 1974 U. S. National Champion Futurity Stallion and twice U. S. National Top Ten Champion Stallion, not to mention dozens of Class A championships in stallion halter and most classic events.

Nabiel’s sire, *Sakr, was one of the most successful show horses of his day, in a career that spanned more than a decade. A National Champion in both Park and Native Costume, *Sakr was especially unique in that he also consistently won most classic competitions.

For the Corrows, the un-shown Hickorys Natasha produced five exceptional foals. Two of her three sons were halter and performance champions. But it was her daughters that literally put the Corrows’ Lawndale Arabians breeding program on the map. Natasha’s first daughter, Capreis, was by their wonderful Tsaytr son, El Cap Ghadimar. A champion mare, Capreis has produced five exceptional offspring, three of which are also champions. Among these, Regional Champion Breeders Sweepstakes Filly, LD Echstacy.

But the crown jewel of the Corrows’ Arabian horse dynasty is, without question, Halana, the third foal born to their best foundation mare, Hickorys Natasha. An exquisite dark bay filly, Halana came into this world on April 25^th, 1986.

Just months earlier, Halana’s sire, Hal Gibby, had been purchased by the fine Brazilian breeder, Nagib Audi as his herd sire. Before he was exported to Brazil, the gorgeous bay earned Top Ten National Championships in Stallion Halter in the U. S. and Canada, as well as a Canadian National Reserve Championship in Western Pleasure AOTR. Presented by David Boggs for Nagib Audi, he would later become Brazilian National Champion Stallion and an important breeding stallion.

Hal Gibby’s sire, the big, bold, handsome *Hal Gazal, imported to the U.S. from Poland by another passionate breeder, Toik Halberg, was twice a U. S. National Top Ten Champion Stallion and carrier of some of Poland’s most sought after Arabian blood.

But it was neither of these stallions’ show careers that intrigued Al and Marian Corrow. What made their hearts beat fast were Hal Gibby’s huge, kind eyes, the beauty of his face and the pedigree that said he might just be the perfect outcross for Natasha. Their attraction to that pedigree was definitely not a coincidence, but rather one more connection to their dearest friends, Don and Shorty Boggs. You see, Hal Gibby’s dam was by, G-Amigo, a ¾ brother to the Boggs’ beloved Garis. Both horses were by Niga the black stallion known to this day as one of the breed’s all-time greatest progenitors of huge, beautiful, expressive eyes and marvelously tractable dispositions. And both Garis and G-Amigo were out of exquisite daughters of Dan Gainey’s treasured Ferzon.

As it happened, Hal Gibby and Hickorys Natasha gave the Corrows everything they had ever dreamed of in an Arabian horse –– and much more.

The bay filly born that April morning was a gift from God and a joy beyond imagining. Halana’s show career began in 1988 with one Class A and Regional halter championship after another. The highlight of that stellar run came in 1990 when, presented by David Boggs –– the second to the youngest son of the Corrows’ best friends –– Halana was named Canadian National Champion Mare.

And then, the most important phase of the great mare’s life began. When she won her National Championship, Halana was in foal to Padrons Psyche. The following March, she presented the Corrows with an extraordinary son that was purchased at birth by the world-renowned Brazilian breeder, Paulo Levy. That colt, LD Halston, is today one of the herd sires at Levy’s Haras Capim Fino.

Four of Halana’s five offspring are show ring winners. But, her own crowning glory is the magnificent heir apparent, LD Pistal. With the birth on May 20^th, 2000 of this son of Magnum, the Corrow breeding program reached its pinnacle near the end of its third decade. It was the ultimate achievement, born of passionate devotion to the Arabian horse shared by friends of a lifetime –– another linking of the chain.

Today ~ The Future

On separate but parallel paths to stardom, two sets of brothers traveled through the minefields of the 1980’s and 90’s into the new millennium. The elder brothers, David and Jeff, lost contact a few years after the National triumph that had introduced them. But their separation was not meant to be forever. While David and his brother, Bob, navigated the troubled waters of the Arabian horse industry after the cataclysm that followed the 1986 Tax Reform Act, Jeff and his brother, Rich, became entrepreneurs in a world apart, finding remarkable success that has enabled them to answer once more the siren’s song of the Arabian horse.

We’ve covered a good bit of history in an effort to express the depth of passion and purpose and Arabian genetic material upon which the future, now unfolding, is founded. The records of David Boggs and his partner, Magnum, are, even in their own time, legend. But less familiar are the other principles. So now, let’s get to know them.

An Interview with Jeff Sloan

When did you and your family first become involved with the Arabian horse and who was the instigator?

I was at college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (in 1982) when the winter doldrums intersected with a viewing of The Black Stallion movie. This singular and momentous couple of hours set in motion my desire to have an Arabian horse. At the time, having one was good enough, but we all know how that goes! And so it went that the very next day, I began my research and my quest to find an Arabian horse of my own. And having been exposed to the Black Stallion, my first horse had to be a stallion.

I remember going into a period of educational immersion for several weeks. I bought the magazines and read them voraciously. I learned about the popular bloodlines and the who’s who in the business. My search ultimately led me to find a two-year-old son of Shaikh Al Badi named Sandal Shahin. He was stabled at a small facility in mid-Michigan owned and run by Marva Ittner and her family. I also had consulted with a trainer named Carol Jessup. And these two guided me to the young steed and convinced me that he was the one I was looking for –– and they were right. The only problem was that his price tag was not something a typical college kid could afford, And so, there was only one thing to do. I had to convince my father and mother to be my partners. Now, this would be no easy task. Not only was my father a city boy from the Bronx, he was a busy physician and had never mentioned any desire to pet a horse, let alone own one, and certainly riding one would be out of the question. Furthermore, my dad wanted me doing nothing but getting good grades . . . and getting a horse would not be a logical part of that program. There was however hope with my Mom. She had stimulated my interest in horses when I was younger, even sending me to a summer camp focused on horseback riding.

However challenging this endeavor, my parents were my only hope to acquire this colt and follow my dream. I arranged a presentation of Shahin to my parents on a Saturday afternoon. I didn’t tell them where I was taking them, but I asked them to join me for a ride to the country to see something. Marva and Carol were at the stable preparing the colt for presentation, while I drove my parents to the Ittner farm. Upon arriving, I positioned my parents squarely and directly facing the closed door of Marva’s barn. I went inside, grabbed the lead, and Carol and Marva opened the barn doors to let the two of us come flying out. Shahin did a number! He was always very fancy with lots of attitude. He had great spirit, high tail carriage, was very typey and was a beautiful grey with black mane and tail and markings up his legs.

I’ll never forget the expression on my Mom’s face. As Shahin burst out of the barn, my parents’ faces lit up and each took a big deep breath in awe of this beautiful young colt. The presentation was effective to say the least. We bought the young colt and shortly thereafter put him in the capable hands of Tim Shea. His show career started just a couple of months later. He won his class at the Michigan Futurity, then won the two-year-old colt class and the Jr. Championship at the Berrien Springs, Michigan Show. After that, he went to the Egyptian Event as a three-year-old colt and won his class there. Next he headed off to the Buckeye where he won his three-year-old class with David Boggs handling. Later that year, he was crowned Region 13 Champion Stallion as a three-year-old, and it went on from there.

The magical start we had with Shahin was just too good to be true. So good in fact, that even the naysayer from the Bronx developed his own love for Arabian horses. And one horse in our barn quickly became ten and so on….

We were fortunate to run a very profitable operation early on. We had a great run until we sold our entire operation in the late 80s. The industry was going through some challenges following the 1986 tax law change, and it was time for me to pursue a business opportunity with my brother that ultimately led to the success we enjoy today and to our ability to be back in the business.

So, how DID it happen that you got involved with the horses again?

We always maintained an interest in the Arabians. Rich and I imported two Warmbloods from Amsterdam and kept riding. We continued to read the magazines, and our return was sparked by a desire to get into the business and acquire, show, breed, and market the best. We named our endeavor Aria Arabians (www.ariaarabians.com). As it developed, one of our first stops was to meet with David and explain our goals. While we’re now working with him toward the achievement of those goals, we also wanted to have a broad base of experience, exposure, and relationships in the industry, and with that in mind, we identified other key trainers/handlers/breeders with whom we have very successful and rewarding relationships. So far it seems to be working really well for everyone.

Tell us a little about you and Rich –– your partnership –– how you’re each involved with the horses.

Richard is seven years younger than me, and in 1982 when I was 21, he was at prep school out east at Phillips Academy at Andover. The academic demands kept him busy, but Rich is a true horseman and always made time to come back to the farm and ride. Ultimately, he played polo and today is very seriously interested in endurance riding.

Back in the 80s, it was really just my parents and I that were engaged in the business. Today however, much like all of our endeavors, Rich and I are in it together. Although we’ve only been back in the business for a couple of years, we’ve already shared many great moments, thanks to the Arabian horse. Some of the highlights include our travels over the last year to places like Poland, Dubai, Aachen, Paris, and Jordan. Today the Sloan brothers do business with both David and Bobby Boggs, and we’re grateful to each of them for helping us make our return to the business so exciting and fulfilling.

When Rich and I were growing up, I was the instigator, and he was the willing participant. Today however, we are truly equal partners. We each bring unique capabilities and qualities to everything that we do. And the things that we do together seem to succeed as a direct result of our mutual effort. In our book, published last year by Doubleday, entitled StartupNation - Open for Business, we explain our roles with the metaphor that if Rich and I were charged with creating a road through a forest, I’d be the guy who envisions where the road should go, and then I would hack my way through the forest to create the clearing. Rich would then move in to remove the stumps, pave the roadway, and make it all work. The result is that we have a road that neither of us could have built on our own!

How about the show ring? Will we see you and/or Rich there?

I’ve shown horses in halter competition. This year I had the great joy and honor of winning the 2006 Scottsdale Signature Yearling Colt Class with a *Marwan son named Baanderos, who has since been sold to Saudi Arabia. I definitely hope to do more in the halter arena, and to begin showing in English as well. Rich is now interested in endurance competition, in addition to his interest in presenting halter horses. We want to have a real hands-on approach to our horse activities, and for us, showing is a big part of that.

How about LD Pistal –– the introduction –– the purchase –– your plans?

Sometimes things just happen –– mysteriously, but powerfully. From the day Rich and I got back into the business, one horse completely captured us –– he was LD Pistal. We loved to watch him show. We loved his attitude, his charisma, and his sheer beauty. We watched him in the Nationals Class last year when he finished third and just knew that one day, this guy would be wearing the roses. He’s legitimate and worthy, and some say, undeniable.

Between then and the time we acquired him, I made a trip to Scottsdale with Scott Benjamin, who is now Aria Arabians’ breeding program Director. The purpose of this trip was to discuss our strategy and vision for Aria, and the subject of stallions came up. We had already leased *Piaff and had just acquired *El Nabila B. When I asked Scott what horse he would choose if he could have one more stallion in the program –– a horse with a strong pedigree –– a horse that could win at the national level….one stallion immediately came to mind, and I remember Scott Benjamin's words . . .

“There is a horse out there that I absolutely love. He’s been overlooked and under-promoted. But when you see him, you can’t help but recognize his greatness. He’s a horse that should be a national champion stallion. And, given his breeding, he should be a great sire one day too. His name is LD Pistal.”

The fact that Pistal’s story has come full circle, landing him in the hands of David Boggs (who ran beside his father and his mother, his grandfather and his great grandfather), is one of those things in life that’s just meant to be.

David knew nothing about our infatuation with this colt or about Scott’s desire to add him to the program. But his thoughts were obviously running parallel to ours. I remember when David called and indicated that the horse might be available for purchase. It wasn’t long . . . and he was ours. We couldn’t be more proud and honored to have him.

We believe that Pistal is as good as they get, and we’re confident that he will excel, both in the show ring and as a sire. We recently purchased a beautiful weanling filly by Pistal that we hope to debut in Scottsdale next year to showcase Pistal as a sire. We want to give this horse every chance to be all that he can be. When you experience Pistal …when you get to know him, you find yourself pulling for him because he is such a charismatic, showy and wonderful horse to be around.

We believe that Pistal’s time has come. We like to think he has landed in the right program at the right time! Hopefully for his sake, that will prove to be true. And for us, we realize that the opportunity to own such a horse is a rare privilege. We have had so many phone calls and emails of support for the horse. It’s clear he’s got a very strong fan base, and while we love all of our horses, it’s especially thrilling to own one that so many others admire as well.

And the rest of your breeding program? Your philosophy –– Your hopes and plans?

Being breeders is important to us. In addition to enjoying our horses today, it’s a primary goal for us to leave a lasting legacy. We strive to make a contribution to the overall quality of the breed and to take part in the continuance of the majesty of the Arabian horse. It’s always fun to buy a great horse, but the biggest thrill is to produce one.

Back in the 80s, we were focused on breeding Egyptian Arabian horses, largely because we got our start with a Shaikh Al Badi son and enjoyed showing at the Egyptian Event. At that time, breeding straight this or pure that was more in vogue. Today we realize that while it is important to maintain the pure genetic pools of the Polish and the Egyptian horses in particular, the breeding that is going on right here in America is the some of the best in the world. Our goal is to use the best representatives of various bloodlines to breed an ever-better horse. We’ll use the best of Polish, Egyptian and domestic bloodlines to achieve our breeding goals.

From Poland we’ve imported great mares, including the likes of *Pianissima and *Elandra, two of the most famous and elegant mares in the world today. We also imported the Polish National Champion Stallion *Piaff, who we believe represents some of the best qualities Polish breeding has to offer. The Poles have always been standard bearers for the breeding of Arabian horses, focusing on their goals and consistently achieving them. In this tradition, we’ve set out to collect a group of the finest breeding horses in the world and to breed them in a way which incorporates the best blood from a variety of breeding lines, as the Poles have so successfully done.

We’re proud to announce that *Piaff has sired the Champion Yearling Filly and Champion Yearling Colt at this year’s Bialka show in Poland, and his son “Alert” was crowned Jr. Champion Colt. This is the event where the best yearlings and two year olds of Poland are shown. To have both yearling classes won by *Piaff offspring is quite an honor. He’s producing great size, correctness, and very typey babies as a result of his famous Pilarka dam line, perhaps the most famous in all of Poland through his dam, the renowned mare Pipi.

In addition to *Piaff, we have two stallions now that will become the cornerstones of our breeding program. The Kubinec son, *El Nabila from Hungary represents new and fresh blood in this country, and he is proving to be one of the most prolific sires in the world. He left his stamp on the Brazilian program, becoming National Champion Stallion and going on to produce some of the best babies in Brazil. Last year at the Brazilian Nationals, *EL Nabila sired the National Champion Yearling colt and filly and the marketplace is stirring for those *El Nabila youngsters now. Like *Piaff, *El Nabila has an exceptional mother, the great Elf Layla Walayla, who some consider to be one of the most beautiful mares in the world. It is through her that *El Nabila gets the powerful Egyptian blood, which results in such beauty and type in his babies.

And now we’ve added the final ingredient to our stallion roster. LD Pistal, like *Piaff and *El Nabila, is the son of a great mare with a deep and powerful pedigree. AND he is a fourth generation representative of one of the most important sire lines the Arabian breed has ever known.

Into this mix, we bring our tremendous desire to introduce new people to this beautiful breed, people like Frank and Carol Hennessey and Al and Ruth Glancy. Once we’ve sparked such people’s interest, we’ll do all that we can to involve them with great horses, and share every bit of combined wisdom and guidance we can provide and access. In this way, we hope to engender a memorable and rewarding experience with the Arabian horse.

And so the waters converge, and the river of life rolls on, and the world of yesterday awakens to the new day that is tomorrow.

There are some partnerships in life that change us –– not only the participants but those whom they touch as well.

What began with *Padron and David, and all those who were a part of their lives, happened again with Magnum and David, and the many who love them. Together, they changed us, altered the way we look at and think about the Arabian horse.