by Allison Mehta
photos by Amy Austin and Suzanne Sturgill
The Region 12 Classic Egyptian Championship
show was conceived — by a group of breeders
dedicated to the straight Egyptian horse — with
a dual mission. Part one of the mission is to
promote the Egyptian and Egyptian-related
horse as a valuable and contemporary breeding
source, not just a rarefied animal belonging in
preservation herds and arcane literature. And,
the second part of the mission is to develop
a show to welcome all people interested in
Arabian horses, and offer a venue that would be
fun, inviting and allow viewers the chance to get
up close with the horses, handlers, owners and
other industry professionals. Plus, we wanted,
if possible, to use foreign judges in order to
minimize politics and provide Region 12 some
international exposure. Our success has been
generously underwritten by some wonderful
sponsors to whom we owe a huge thank you!
It was scary (and tiny) in the beginning. Now,
after the 2019 show, we are heartened that we
may be succeeding beyond what we thought
possible. The quantity and quality of horses have
improved every year; Emrys Jones, our 2019
judge from the UK, remarked very favorably on
the quality of horses presented. Also, we are
seeing a larger group of handlers, some from as
far away as Texas and Michigan this year. And,
interestingly, the number of spectators has
increased significantly over the last two years
— to the point that we’re wondering
what to do about next year’s
set-up! We are grateful to
Emrys Jones and his lovely
wife Sue who traveled
all the way to middle
Georgia to judge our
show. He did a fantastic
job and was fair in
his choices.
Photographer Suzanne Sturgill sees a great deal of the
industry and talks to people across the country about the
state of the Arabian horse today. After the show, she posted
on her Facebook pages:
AHA Region XII
Classic Egyptian
Championship
May 5 - 11, 2019
Perry, Georgia
Grand Champion Egyptian Heritage Stallion/Mare FH
SHAHTEENAH PSYCHE (*Shaheen Al Waab x Psyches
Premonishahn), bred and owned by Franklin Holloman, Ocala,
Florida, and shown by Mike Wilson.
Grand Champion Straight Egyptian Stallion/Mare THEE MARQUIS
TFA (The Singleton x Simply Eriesistible), bred, owned and shown by
M. Karen Ehlke, Morganton, Georgia.
AHW > 32 < 08 .19
sharon
(sharon)
#1