Words by Alannah Swales
Established in 2021 in Zimbabwe, Swales Arabian Stud is a family-run affair. Owned by Sean and Trish Swales with their children – myself and Kylee, and sons Seth and Callum – we find that the Arabian horse has connected us as a family in so many special ways. In addition, we have also met so many incredible people who share our love for this amazing breed.
Our farm has pockets of indigenous forests planted close to the homestead and stud, with over 400 indigenous trees. As well as Arabian horses, we breed pedigree Boran cattle, an indigenous African breed who are early maturing, well adapted and suitable for our environment.
Looking at our Arabian horses, our bloodlines come from Poland, Russia, the USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa.
Following our first successful open day in 2023, we are deeply grateful to have had a successful breeding season in the last year. The best of these is SS Sariyah, sired by FS Mozart (Jasper MC x FS Miniona by Charismatic BVA) and out of FS Sashay Skye (Om El Exceed x Dana Sashay out of Baywatch V). She won the Zimbabwean National Champion Foal title, Best Filly Foal between Namibia and Zimbabwe Overall, and Best Bred Arabian in Zimbabwe, as judged by American Janice Wight, who judged at both the Zimbabwean and Namibian Championships in April. SS Sariyah also won the WAHO trophy for 2024, which was a huge moment for us as a family. Not only is SS Sariyah our own first Arabian foal, but she was also the first purebred Arabian foal in Zimbabwe to be produced through artificial insemination (AI), which we performed ourselves.
We had three further foals: SS Tehilah (ex FS Talyta by Mosaic V out of Talyta HVP), SS Rhema el Chayim (ex FS Russian Doll by Charismatic BVA out of Rana el Madan), and SS Sammartino (ex FS Sweet Inspiration by Mosaic V out of FS Sassy), all sired by FS Mozart and all bred through AI.
SS Tehilah won the title of Zimbabwe National Reserve Champion Filly Foal, while SS Sammartino won Zimbabwe National Reserve Champion Colt Foal.
Kylee and Callum also had a good season, winning Rising Star Awards. Kylee won the Junior Award between Namibia and Zimbabwe, while Callum won the Child Medal between Namibia and Botswana.
We believe that breeding with artificial insemination is the most safe and professional way to conduct a successful, modern day Arabian stud. We are excited to announce the arrival of more beautiful Arabian foals to the stud within the next few months. As our programme grows, we look forward to producing some of the finest purebred Arabian horses in the region. Our goal is to promote this phenomenal breed of horse with both integrity and passion.
Swales Arabian Stud at the Zimbabwean National Arabian Championships 2024
On 20 April 2024, the Zimbabwean Arabian Horse Society held the first Arabian horse show in Zimbabwe in over 20 years. The journey of bringing back the Arabian breed in Zim has been difficult, but there has been much success over this show. Since there are only three active breeders, the task of organising and fundraising for such an event was no easy feat. The purpose of the show was to highlight the presence and availability of the Arabian horses in Zimbabwe and promote the breed in its versatility.
The show was held at Hillcrest, a beautiful equine venue thirty minutes east of Harare. We began preparing for the event for several months by managing diets, building muscle, and training our riding horses and halter horses. We took all twenty of our Arabians to the show, with sixteen participating in classes. The last breeding season brought us four beautiful Arabian foals that were promptly halter-trained and transported with mothers to the show. For halter, we trained our four fillies along with our two-year-old gelding. We also trained our upcoming breeding stallion, FS Thunder (Jasper MC x FS Talyta by Mosaic V) and FS So Magnifico (Jasper MC x FS So Viva Magnifica by Charismatic BVA). The riding horses included the two stallions, FS Mozart and FS Phantom (FS Spartacus x FS PS I Love You by Baywatch V), and the three mares, HS Esponita (Vivaldi Rach x Euza by Etogram), FS Mae Maria (Jasper MC x FS Mae Margeaux by Fausto CRH) and FS Shining Victory (Baywatch V x Merriesfontein Sorres by Sidi Raees), all of whom also partook in the halter showing classes except for FS Shining Victory. Several of our Arabians were additionally in the liberty classes, so there was much training to be done.
We had many awesome trainers and experienced Arabian horse people help us build up to the show. They helped us curate effective diets, maximise training, and uphold the maintenance of the horses and stud. Francisca Strydom provided some of the different types of tack required. Matt Harwin and his mother, Bridget, owners of Harwin Arabians and President/Vice President of the Society, arranged the show and helped us fundraise for the event. Hippo Creek Arabians hosted the two-day judging course at their venue. We were extremely grateful to our international judges, Janice Wight from the USA and Allan Preston from Australia, as well as Barbara Scholz, Dr Stephan van der Westhuizen, Nadia Bouwer and friends from Namibia and Germany who took time out of their busy schedules to attend our show. They were full of encouragement, support and friendship – our shared passion for the Arabian horse creates opportunities for meeting incredible people from all over the world. It was an honour and a privilege!
The day started with halter-showing. Our foals, who were around four months old, took Zimbabwe National Reserve Champion Foal titles, our colt SS Sammartino and filly SS Tehilah. SS Sariyah was named Zimbabwe National Champion Foal, Best Bred Arabian in Zimbabwe, and Best Arabian between Namibia and Zimbabwe, making us very proud.
Our horses took the top three placings in the fillies under three class: FS Stolen Kiss (Mosaic V x FS Sashay Skye by Om El Exceed) was first, FS Enya (Mosaic V x HS Esponita) second, and FS Misty Myth (Mosaic V x FS Misty Mae by Charismatic BVA) third. FS Haya Misti (Mosaic V x FS Haya Faustina by Fausto) and SS Little King (Mosaic V x FS Shining Victory) were the only Arabians in their sections, taking wins in the filly under four years old and gelding classes, respectively. FS Haya Misti was named Filly Champion with FS Misty Myth in third and FS Enya in fourth.
FS Thunder won the colts under three class, with FS So Magnifico second. HS Esponita won the Senior Female Championship with FS Mae Maria third. FS Mozart was named Zimbabwe National Champion Senior Male title while FS Phantom placed third.
The ridden classes were after lunch, giving time to prepare the horses. Manes and tails must be specifically plaited for show hack and hunter, then let loose for the novice, rider, and native dress classes. Each Arabian riding class has a different set of tack for the horse and a different outfit for the rider, and each class must be ridden differently. There are unique gaits in every class and the rider needs to change his position according to the style of riding. Some classes may require you to perform an individual test, similar to the English showing class that all breeds can enter.
Show hack was first, with tack and attire similar to that of dressage. The horse must have a higher head setting and show ten gaits from the hand gallop to the collected walk, with the ability to rein back often required. FS Phantom with Alannah Swales won the Open Show Hack Champion title, with FS Shining Victory and Kylee Swales taking the Junior Show Hack title.
Next were the hunter classes, the Arabian version of the English hunter classes well-known in the UK. The tack, attire, and riding style mirrors that of the old traditional foxhunting. The horse will have a heavier frame in this class and will be required to perform four gaits. FS Mozart ridden by Danielle Ludick won the stallion class with FS Phantom, ridden by Alannah, second. FS Shining Victory with Kylee won the mare class.
The novice riding classes were next, which are very similar to English showing. This division is for young, inexperienced horses, with a simple snaffle used and an individual test may be required. Once you have won a novice title, your horse moves to the open category. FS Mozart and Danielle claimed another win in the stallion class, with FS Phantom and Alannah second. FS Shining Victory and Kylee won the novice mare class, with FS Mae Maria and Alannah third.
The rider class was next, a discipline that showcases the rider’s abilities, with attire is very similar to novice. The title is awarded to the most adept rider in the class and this went to Ance Deetlefs on HS Esponita. Danielle was second on FS Mozart, Kylee fourth on FS Shining Victory, and Alannah fifth on FS Phantom.
The final ridden class was the costume class. Ridden in boldness and reminiscence of the Bedouins, this class is characterised by its flashy dress and exciting riding. The only gaits in this class are the canter and the walk, with backing up generally required. With the sun setting on the grounds, the costume class was a pleasant end to the day. FS Phantom and Alannah won, with FS Shining Victory and Kylee second.
Being at liberty is completely inherent to the Arabian breed. One of the prime characteristics of the Arabians is their ability to perform. A confident Arab will not hesitate to prance, snort, and float about the arena with little prompting. The horse’s tail should come up and the horse will show off its movement. HS Esponita placed second in the mare liberty, FS Stolen Kisses won the filly liberty with FS Enya second, while SS Little King won the gelding class.
The day ended with a wonderful prize-giving dinner and speeches. With such a small support base, the President and Committee had achieved an incredible show and managed to draw a crowd of both equestrians and non-equestrians alike to showcase our beautiful Arabians who live in Zimbabwe. It is our dream that the love of these horses will spread in our country and create new opportunities for horse lovers to ride, show and own these magnificent animals.
The 2025 Zimbabwe National Championships takes place on 5-6 July at Kuimba Shiri, Lake Chivero
