There is nothing lovelier or more romantic in the world of Arabian horses than a herd of exquisite white mares. Reminiscent of the great mares of the world renowned breeding program and Janow Podlaski, are the gorgeous mares of Haras Mayed.
Says David Boggs on the subject of mares: “The mares are the very air we breathe, the heartbeat of all that we love most dearly. Each year, life is renewed in the resurrection of spring when the mares give us another generation to love. Opportunity is born anew every single year and enthusiasm abounds thanks to these great and glorious ladies.”
The white mares of Haras Mayed . . . they are elegance and dignity, grace and beauty personified. They are the essence of all that we love in the Arabian horse.
JJ Apharina . . . a third generation Haras Mayed beauty
Argentine National Champion Mare
Brazilian National Champion Mare Scottsdale Grand Champion Mare
A third generation Haras Mayed female, bred and retained by Fernando and Joaquin de Santibanes, Haras Mayed, Argentina, JJ Apharina is a perfect example of the exceptional Santibanes breeding program.
In the way of the best breeders, Fernando and Joaquin started by collecting a herd of fine foundation mares. Among these was the exquisite Afite, a daughter of Khobiel out of an exotic Uruguayan bred mare by the name of Rasha.
With the phenotype and the genotype that epitomized the term Arabian Type, Afite was a perfect source mare for the production of beautiful Arabian horses. Her first foal, by the beautiful Kharyd NA, came in 1996. She was called JJ Afaryd and she was destined for greatness.
Add to the mix the fact that Kharyd NA was out of a daughter of multi National Champion *Padron, one of the breed’s all time greatest sires of exotic type, and you begin to understand just how intensely bred JJ Afaryd is for the production of beauty.
So what would the serious breeder do next? He has considerately bred a beautiful stallion to a beautiful mare, and he’s gotten a gorgeous filly. That filly carries a spectacular percentage of beauty producing genetic material. Should he cross completely out of this realm, perhaps tapping into some of the handsome, athletic lines that appear here and there throughout her pedigree? Or should he go for further intensity?
Fernando and Joaquin chose the latter. Of course it didn’t hurt that they owned the world’s most beautiful stallion, the International Champion and *Padron grandson, Magnum. But true to their breeding philosophy, they would most likely have chosen such a cross regardless of stallion ownership. By taking JJ Afaryd to Magnum, Fernando and Joaquin effectively further intensified all of the characteristics they most highly prized in an Arabian horse. And the resulting foal was nothing short of superb.
JJ Apharina was born to JJ Afaryd at Haras Mayed, Argentina, on September 1, 2000.
Following in her daddy’s hoof prints, JJ Apharina has had an amazing show career, earning one title after another. Perhaps the most emotional, most thrilling of those titles came in February of 2006, when the elegant, exquisite, exotic 6 year old mare earned the title of Scottsdale Grand Champion Mare.
And the best is surely yet to come. There is no doubt that JJ Apharina has everything it takes to not only be the great show horse that she is, but even more importantly to contribute to the Arabian breed for the long term, continuing the legacy of those great horses from which she came.
The Mares of Haras Mayed . . . A Superb Collection.
Almadina
(Almaden x Padrons Fantasy)
1990 Chestnut Mare
