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THE
BABSON FARM |
| In 1932,
Henry B,. Babson, at age 57, decided to establish a breeding farm
of Arabian horses. That same year he went to Egypt and obtained
7 Arabian horses from Prince Mohammed Ali, Prince Kemal El Dine
and the Royal Agricultural Society. One, a foal, died shortly after
importation but the remaining 6 established a legacy--a breeding
group known as straight Babson Egyptian Arabians. The Babson Farm
was the oldest continuous commercial Arabian breeding farm in America
until it's closure in 1999. A sad occasion for all Arabian enthusiast
across the world. The quality of the importation and the successful
longevity of these 6 Arabians, interbred over 6 decades, is a testament
to the high standards Mr. Babson had for Arabian horses. His standards
were simple. An Arabian horse should look typical of its ancestry,
it should be athletic and free-moving, it should have intelligence
and a good disposition and it should be willing to do any kind of
task asked of it for as long as required. As it turns out, these
are the same standards applied to the breed by its Bedouin tribal
originators. The breeders of the Babson
Influence Group also subscribe to these standards today. |
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All
of the sire lines in the Babson Farm's breeding program go
back to the imported stallion *Fadl who epitomized Mr. Babson's
standard. *Fadl was typey, high quality, very smart with an
excellent disposition, and an extremely versatile athlete.
He was an all around horse who was shown in Western, 3-gaited,
and Polo. He competed in endurance rides and was even used
to plow the garden at the Babson Farm. He sired 34 Babson
Egyptians foals. Because of his strong influence his blood
is now found world-wide in many champions in the breed. |
| What
remained in the Babson Farm breeding program were two dam
lines: (1) *Bint Bint Sabbah who is represented by her daughters
Fa Abba, Fa-Habba and Faaba, as well as her son Fabah, all
by *Fadl. (2) *Maaroufa, a full sister to *Fadl, who is represented
by her daughters, Aaroufa (xFay El Dine) and Serroufa (xFa-Serr).
Another very influential mare of the original imports is *Bint
Serra, who was represented at the Babson Farm only through
male lines via her two sons, Fay El Dine and Fa-Serr (x*Fadl)
and her double grandson Ibn Fa Serr (Fa-Serr x Fa Deene).
The breeding program in its later years was based upon the
quality and computability of individuals as the pedigrees
have already proven themselves. The result was a uniform type
of Arabian that has remained true to Mr. Babson's vision for
over six decades and continues on in the Babson Influence
horses of today. |
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