Loving horses since I can think, I started horseriding at the age of 10. As a teenager I fell in love with Arabian horses and it has to be around this time that I visited the Marbach stud farm for the first time. 

Working hard, I did not have time for a horse of my own, but for years I took every opportunity to ride, care, and spend my vacations with horses. In 1991 I participated in my first trail ride in the south of France. We spent 12 days passing the massif central and the chevennes, a fantastic feeling. 

At the end of the nineties we moved to northern Germany and, having two daughters who fell in love with horses like their mum, we decided to purchase our first horse. For practical reasons we chose a pony with a very kind, child-friendly character. But very soon it became obvious that we would need a second horse.  

So I started looking for the dream from my teenage years. It should be a purebred Arabian, preferable a bay mare. I love bays and I prefer horses with no or very little white marking. A friend told me about a very beautiful, very well ridden chestnut gelding with lots of white markings. I said no, no, I want a mare, bay and without any white. Nevertheless I took a look at this horse, and what happend? I suddenly fell in love with this guy. So my first Arabian became the polish bred chestnut gelding Sajan 1991 (Europejczyk x Saszetka). We started quite successfully in some Western competitions, and in 2002 we participated in a wonderful trail ride through the fantastic landscape of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in northern Germany. In the same year I became interested in endurances.

In 2003 we decided to purchase one or two fillies to educate and mature ourselves. We took a look at many foals, most in northern and some in southern Germany. Finally we found two fillies at the studfarm of Reinhard Sax: the mostly Russian-bred Essteem-granddaughter Mudhessa (Esstashan x Mudh) and the Egyptian-related Kubinec-granddaughter Valentana (Ali Valentino x Menuba).

Over the years we were looking for a farm to live with our horses. In 2004 finally we found what we were looking for, and on August 1st we became owners of the former warmblood studfarm “Buchenhof”. So now I had the opportunity to start breeding, if ever I wanted to. We had to do a lot of work with all those old buildings. New boxes, new fences, new ground for the indoor arena, new ground and fence for the outdoor arena, a modern walking machine, windows in the stables for air and light, paddocks for the stallions, winter paddocks and so on. Finally, we built a new home for us and since December 2005 we are living at the stud farm. In 2006 we built the modern insemination station and since beginning of 2007 we are EU-certified.

In spring 2004 my gelding Sajan had become lame and I was looking for a new riding horse. In summer once again we visited Reinhard Sax, found Kubina and purchased her. 

A few weeks before I had visited Osterhof Stud and there I found a picture I never will forget: Karl-Heinz Stöckle showed me the mares: it was a herd of greys, chestnuts and bays and in between there stood a golden mare. As I had told Karl-Heinz Stöckle about my Kubinec-granddaughter Valentana, he said that Valentana had this mare in her pedigree. I had an idea and suddenly asked: is this Nascha (Neman x Neschi)? Yes, she was, she was there for breeding. At this instant, I decided, one day I want to own such a golden horse.

So when we were at Sax Arabians and had purchased Kubina, I suggested to Reinhard Sax to inform me if he ever had such a golden mare for sale. He took his phone, called his employee and told her to bring Menina (Menes x Nascha) in the indoor-arena. And there she came: a golden beauty with fantastic movements with type and expression to die for. So on this day I purchased a second mare. She was in foal to Khidar and so it was her to start the stud farm. 

In autumn we purchased the stallion Mir Wan and in winter we added Nirvana and Crown Nadiara to the stud farm. In spring 2005 I found Navodchik and he became my favorite riding horse. 

In May 2005 the first foals were born, not bred by myself, but nevertheless I felt very proud about those three. 

In July 2005 I lost my beloved Sajan after several colics. I believe today that he became ill because I did not ride him anymore. I wanted him to stay with me and to grow old at the farm with his lame feet, but he did not understand. He was a riding horse with his whole heart, and being on the pastures together with his ladies was not enough for him. 

In summer and autumn we added three mares to the farm. Exotic Pure and Medusa we purchased at Osterhof Stud and Mara, once again, we found at Sax Arabians. 

So now we own a herd of eight or nine breeding mares and we are getting some foals every year. 

I love Arabian type, huge eyes and russian movements. In addition I am looking for a good conformation and correct legs. As deep in my heart I am a horse-rider, all of the horses at the farm are at least started under saddle, except for the youngsters. We are visiting some shows and if I find the time, me and my employee are starting on some endurances, which gives us a lot of fun.

 July 2007 

Barbara Schwarz

CAFRA Arabians