Charlottenberg Arabians in Namibia held its open day on 28 March. The grooms, staff, and family love this special day, when everything gets polished, painted, repaired, and the horses are washed with their silk tails displayed after intense shampooing and grooming. For two weeks, there was a feverish tension at the stud to get everything ready.
To our great delight, we two foals were born 10 and 20 days before the open house, both by EKS Aldebaran (EKS Amira x Alihandro): Little Charlottenberg Charlie Chaplin (ex Charlottenberg Charlotte) and Little Clementine, out of Charlotte’s dam, Chapmar Cleopatra (Patrician B x Banghor Mahdepa). The day before the open house, Perylla (Metropolis NA x Perforacja) foaled their paternal half-brother, a massive athletic colt with a dorsal stripe. He was too young to show and slept away the excitement of the day in the hay next to his mother. The other two tiny foals were taught to walk, disciplined in halter by the experienced grooms from Skai Arabians who came to help.
We watched the weather app hour by hour, with rain definitely forecast for the afternoon – in a country where it hardly rains… On the morning of the open day, it was pouring with heavy rain. I rode to the dressage competition in town and couldn’t saddle my gelding Charlottenberg Camar (Kahil al Shaqab x Chapmar Cleopatra) as I couldn’t get out of the car due to heavy rain. In the end, I rode her test in the rain and anxiously drove home up the mountain to the stud to see to the final preparation. My husband, Henning, and two sons Konrad and Hadrian, groom Dawid and Willie, and many helpers put the last shine on everything. Like all Arabian horses, they did not set a foot wrong and let everything happen, just giving love to everyone and tolerating everything with the patience of angels.
Miraculously, at 2pm, the sun started to put its head out and, at 4pm for the arrival of the guests, there was sunshine. They were received with an oriental mint cooler made from mint and lemon out of the garden. The number of guests had increased significantly from previous years, with international guests and breeders attending, including breeders from as far as Hippo Creek Arabians in Zimbabwe.
There was delicious cake, dates to feast on. Hay bales and chairs had been set out in front of the stable, which remained strictly closed. At 4.30pm, the huge stable doors, which come from a palace in Rajasthan, were flung open to the dramatic music of Willem Tell, and the two foals emerged with their mothers, each with a red rose in its mane. More horses poured through the stable door, each led by a groom or guest.
According to tradition, we presented our mare families and their progeny, starting with the Crabbet bloodlines. Then it was Chapmar Cleopatra with her extensive progeny, and then our Polish imports and their progeny: Zlota Rola, Perylla, Demeter and the granddaughter of Drewizcia, Charlottenberg Descelina (Equator x Carlottenberg Drewiske).
However, the big moment arrived when it was time to show Delacroixx (RD Dynamo x HED Caramba) our chief sire, who came to Charlottenberg in October last year. This stallion has a stellar resume, being Canadian, South African, and US National Champion and having progeny who are National Champions including Aria LaCroixx (ex La Belle Shawan HVP), who is US National Champion multiple times over. Everyone was holding their breath as his appearance was much anticipated. Everyone waited to the dramatic music of O’Fortuna, but Delacroixx did not appear. Apparently, he was difficult to catch, but finally, in a goosebump moment, he appeared with Konrad, the youngest family member of the du Toits, with the stallion’s beautiful coat shining in the afternoon sun. This well refined incredibly beautiful stallion with his beautiful head and huge eyes, a mane and tail that would win any shampoo competition, and a shiny, healthy coat. With his broad chest, correct legs and hindquarter, he is truly like a moving piece of art of the highest aesthetics. For a breeder, it is a great fortune to acquire such a stallion who has so many wonderful features. Delacroixx truly brings something new to Namibia. His main role is to refine and add nobility to the large bodied, athletic, functional horses that are the baseline here, as all the horses are ridden. However, Delacroixx is also athletic with a baseline pulse rate of 28 bpm, which makes him interesting for endurance.
After his presentation, the du Toit family changed into their traditional Arabian costumes and rode in on their costumed horses with the Charlottenberg Arabians banner between them. To the music of Bacchanale, they swept across the arena with their horses. More ridden performances followed.
To finish, two mares were shown at liberty. These were Charlottenberg Clara (Shaykh Barrani x Chapmar Cleopatra), who is in foal to Delacroixx and is now proudly owned by Harwin Arabians, and the farm’s darling Charlottenberg Pilarka (EKS Ibn Fadi x Perylla), the reigning Junior National Champion Mare of Namibia. The pair danced against the backdrop of the clouds lit up by the late afternoon light.
When the sun started turning dark golden, everyone moved back to the stables for sundowners and Arabic kebabs with couscous salad. Just as the sun set, Delacroixx appeared under saddle, moving through the crowds to the music of The Mystic’s Dream, creating an unreal atmosphere. Gazelles were seen in the background, grazing on the African savannah, while the foals were brought out so that children could cuddle them.
As the magnificent southern starry sky unfolded, the first land cruisers started rolling down the rugged dirt road towards town. Soon the lights went off to the darkness of the starry sky with the blowing of a mare, feeding on delicious teff, breaking the silence while the little foals slept deeply at their feet.
Everyone was deeply thankful for another beautiful day, shared with our horses and friends, and that brought us closer to the day when the first Delacroixx foals will arrive.
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