Welara

It is a smaller horse with fantastic movement, hardiness, and versatility, featuring an exceptionally beautiful head and a high-set neck. While the first impression of this breed is often its striking beauty, its extraordinary utility and versatility, combining the best working traits of both foundation breeds, make it a highly talented and capable sport horse.

Not to be overlooked is its character, which is almost a defining trait of the Welara. The Welara is intelligent, friendly, communicative, and always highly people-oriented. Most individuals are eager to please, generous, and willing to give the very best of themselves.

It is widely said that Welaras are among the most versatile breeds, with virtually unlimited potential. They are exceptional partners not only for riders across all sport disciplines, but also for drivers and leisure riders alike.

While striving to save the Crabbet Stud and its purebred Arabians, Lady Wentworth discovered a true gem—what she herself described as "the most beautiful pony on the face of the earth." She was deeply surprised when she bred her Welsh mares to purebred Arabian stallions, and this union of two already exceptional and ancient breeds gave rise to a horse of extraordinary refinement, resilience, and versatility.

The result was a horse with a sensible height, combining the best qualities of both parents—a noble appearance, strength, and a balanced temperament. This remarkable blend laid the foundation for what would become the Welara breed.

The story truly began in 1917, when the daughter of Lady Anne Blunt inherited her mother's title as the 16th Baroness and became known as Lady Wentworth. However, the Crabbet estate and the horses of the Crabbet Stud were inherited by Lady Anne's grandsons, sparking fierce disputes over the property.

Lady Wentworth attempted to buy back the horses that had fallen into inheritance claims, but tensions with the other heirs escalated. In a shocking incident, horses she had legally purchased were stolen, and on the orders of the heirs, her mare Bukra was shot. The heirs sold 37 horses to pay off their creditors, and part of the herd was exported to the United States. These disputes led to the loss of many original Crabbet breeding horses. In desperation, Lady Wentworth stole back her beloved mare Riyala, and began rebuilding her breeding program—this time acquiring new horses, including Welsh mares from the famous Coed Coch Stud, laying the foundation for the Arabian-Welsh cross that would become the Welara.

This was followed by a period of legal battles, during which seven more horses were shot by the feuding relatives. In 1921, the court intervened to stop the destruction of the Crabbet Stud, and a year later, Lady Wentworth was able to purchase the farm buildings at auction.

Although this may seem like a happy ending, the Crabbet herd had been so neglected during the disputes that some horses died of starvation, and it took years for the survivors to recover. In the end, only seven original horses from the breeding program survived the bloody inheritance conflict.

Lady Wentworth devoted herself to restoring the Crabbet Stud and spent the following years improving the conditions for her horses and refining her breeding goals. To raise funds, she sold part of her newly assembled herd to Egypt, Spain, and California. She rejected the prevailing theory that Arabians must be bred only in desert conditions and that they were merely larger ponies. By the end of her breeding career, her Arabian horses were reaching heights of 160 cm (15.3 hands) without issue. A turning point in her program came with the brilliant acquisition of the young stallion Skowronek.

In 1909, Count Potocki of Poland deemed the young grey asil stallion Skowronek unsuitable for breeding and sold him for £150 (about 4,500 CZK at the time). Later, when Skowronek was hailed as the "Horse of the Century," the Treska Stud offered Lady Wentworth $250,000 (over 5.5 million CZK) for him. Skowronek, a Polish stallion, left an indelible mark on Arabian horse breeding worldwide.

Lady Wentworth passed away on August 8, 1957. At that time, the Crabbet Stud herd numbered 75 horses, and for the first time in history, Crabbet stallions were made available to the public.

Today, the influence of the Crabbet Stud can still be seen in Polish and Russian Arabian bloodlines, particularly through Skowronek's son and Mesaoud's grandson Nasse, and his son Negatiw.

A notable and typical product of the Crabbet program was the stallion Serafix (pictured at age 22), who was exported to California. Standing 162 cm, he had outstanding movement and became a multiple show and sport champion.

Wikipedie: Historie Crabber Stud [online]. [cit. 2022-08-05]. Dostupné z: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crabbet_Arabian_Stud