By Morgan Moore
As featured in the Winter 2025 issue of Arabian Horse World
JUDGES: Halter Mike Beethe, Greg Gallun, Isaac Taylor Ford Arena: English Lisa Corbin, John Lambert, Bruce McCrea Hunter Bob Gordon, Terry Holmes, Lindsay Rinehart Western & Performance Halter Bruce Bates, Scott Brumfield, Deb Witty Mustang Arena: Ben Balow, Darrell Bilke, Kathy Callahan-Smith, Mark Guynn, Ann Judge Trail/Showmanship/Equitation: Terri Delbridge, Laura Doran, Tim Goggins, Tami Pacho-Douglas, Lorne Robertson.
For centuries, the Bedouins leaned heavily on developing “tail female” lines to direct breeding pairings within their herds of Arabian horses. These mare lines dictated the strains to which each resulting foal belonged, and the Bedouins believed that phenotype always followed the maternal lineage.
Many modern-day breeders follow these ancient principles and covet the key mare lines that repeatedly deliver championship results. Visit virtually any breeder of significance today, and they will tell you about the mares that built the backbone of their successes.
No US National Championship show before 2024 echoed the importance of selecting strong mares as show and breeding horses as much as this year.
In the English ring, Exhibitors saw the exceptional Heirs Noble Love’s final victory pass in the Arabian English Pleasure AAOTR 19-49 with her owner, Emily Shippee, in the irons. Heirs Noble Love has amassed a dominant record of 12 US National Championships (at least one win every year save one since her first appearance).
The undeniable Heirs Noble Love (Afires Heir x Noble Aphrodite) and Emily Shippee take their final pass as she retires as a 12-time National Champion.
More impressively, she has shattered all records and established a new benchmark of broodmare excellence by having an astounding nine foals win titles at this same US National Championship show. Her name was announced more than any other mare at this show:
KT Lasting Love
(2019 purebred mare by Inception)
National Champion Arabian English Pleasure Junior Horse
One True Love
(2018 purebred mare by Inception)
National Champion Arabian Country English Pleasure AAOTR 60 & Over
Ladie in Redd
(2018 Purebred mare by ROL Divine Style+/)
Reserve National Champion Arabian English Pleasure AAOTR Maturity
National Top Ten Arabian English Pleasure AAOTR 19-49
(the same class her dam won)
Undulatas First Love
(2016 Half-Arabian mare by Undulata’s Nutracker)
National Champion HA/AA English Pleasure AAOTR 50 & Over
National Top Ten HA/AA English Pleasure
HNL Inspired Love
(2019 purebred gelding by Inception)
National Top Ten Arabian English Pleasure Junior Horse
KT Inthe Nameof Love
(2020 purebred stallion by Inception)
National Top Ten AEPA $100,000 Arabian Saddle Seat Futurity
HNL One Love
(2020 Half-Arabian mare by Noble Braveheart)
National Top Ten AEPA $50,000 Half-Arabian Saddle Seat Futurity
HNL Radiant Love
(2020 Mare by Prosuasion)
National Top Ten AEPA $100,000 Arabian Saddle Seat Futurity
HNL Supreme Love
(2023 purebred gelding by Prosuasion)
National Top Ten Arabian Country English Pleasure Junior Horse
One True Love and Lori Lawrence.
Undulatas First Love and Katie Harvey.
Heirs Noble Love continues to bestow generational gifts of excellence within our breed throughout the saddle seat divisions. While her show ring appearances have ended, her foals are well-equipped to carry on their mother’s legacy for years to come.
2024 National Champion Mare Lulu Marajj and Andrew Sellman.
Another “first in US Nationals history” moment in the halter ring occurred in the US National Champion Senior Mares Class. For the first time, one mare won the title of National Champion in yearling fillies, futurity fillies, junior mares, and senior mares: Lulu Marajj owned by Orrion Farms and guided by Andrew Sellman. “Lulu” has become a fan favorite, sporting an ivory coat, beautifully curved neck, and coquettish dark eyes. Her domination as a show horse has been equaled only by her prowess as a breeding horse.
Lulu boasts three national champion offspring, including OFW Legend (2023 US National Champion Yearling colt), OFW Cupid (2022 US National Champion Yearling filly), and OFW Luxxury (2022 US National Champion Breeding Pays 2-year-old filly). In 2024, Lulu Marajj had two of her colts achieve top 10 titles: OFW Lucero (x Dominic M) in Arabian Yearling Colts and OFW Legend (x Dominic M) in Arabian 2-year-old Colt Breeding.
OFW Legend.
OFW Luxxury.
OFW Cupid.
Back in the Western and Hunter arenas, one familiar dam line garnered title after title to owners fortunate enough to obtain access to foals that hail from matriarchal excellence via the late Magdalena V. Magdalena V was a 1987 gray mare by Sanadik El Shaklan out of Marigold V via Sheila’s tail-female foundation mare Moska. Magdalena V was a prolific producer and delivered multiple national champion daughters: May Dancer V and Melody V+//. She also produced Sheila Varian’s last personal riding gelding, Murietta V.
Magdalena V was represented by six winning descendants at the 2024 US National Championship show, which included multiple of the most prestigious titles in the Western ring: the $100,000 purebred AWPA futurity and the Open Western National Championship.
Magdalena V and her Jullyen El Jamaal filly My Valentina V.
PA McKoy
(2014 purebred stallion by PA Kid Khan and out of Magdalena’s daughter, Maggie May V by Bravado Bey V)
National Champion Arabian Western Pleasure
PA Madelyn
(2019 bay purebred mare by KM Bugatti+++/ and out of Magdalena’s daughter, May Dancer V by Sundance Kid V)
National Champion Arabian Western Pleasure Junior Horse
National Champion Arabian Western Pleasure AAOTR Maturity
PA Real Messina
(2017 purebred gelding by SF Sir Real and out of Magdalena’s daughter, May Dancer V by Sundance Kid V)
National Champion Arabian Hunter Pleasure National Champion
National Champion Arabian Hunter Pleasure AATR Select
PA Marican Outlaw
(2017 purebred stallion by Sundance Kid V and out of Magdalena V’s daughter, Marilyn V by Jullyen El Jamaal)
Reserve National Champion ABS Western Pleasure AAOTR Jackpot
National Top Ten Arabian Western Pleasure National
National Top Ten Arabian Western Pleasure AAOTR 40-59
He Aint Foolin WB
(2015 half Arabian gelding by Poco Van Star Two out of Magdalena V’s daughter, Marilyn V by Jullyen El Jamaal)
National Top Ten HA/AA Western Pleasure
Sweet Melody B
(2016 purebred mare by Vicario+++/ out of Magdalena’s daughter Melody V+// by Sundance Kid V)
National Top Ten ABS Arabian Mares Performance Halter
PA McKoy and Stanley White III.
PA Madelyn and Elizabeth Bentley.
PA Real Messina and Nicole Reed.
Maternal pedigree precedents certainly aren’t the only indicators of success, however. One of the exceptional aspects of Arabian horses is the diversity of bloodlines that represent our winners in the arena. Small breeders can deliver huge successes from quality bloodlines year after year without following leading sire and dam lines.
Zee Kahili+++// and Jesse Chase.
The Working Western arena offers the most diverse bloodlines since multiple phenotypes are often crowned winners. Style is very much relative to the individual horse, meaning unique bloodlines can readily win key titles when they are high-quality, expertly presented individuals.
Zee Kahili+++//, for instance, is the only foal of his dam Zees Kopy Kat. Zee Kahili++// hails from seven generations of Miller Arabians breeding and represented his dam beautifully, winning numerous titles at the 2024 National show:
National Champion Arabian Ranch Riding Horse Rail Pleasure
National Champion Arabian Ranch Horse Rail Pleasure
National Champion Arabian Ranch Horse Riding
(one of the most popular working western classes with 36 entries)
Reserve National Champion Reserve Limited Reined Cow Horse
One more “first in history” adds to the mystique of feminine power represented at the US National Championships this year. For the first time, an amateur owner, rider, and breeder captured the title of US National Champion in the highly competitive $50,000 AEPA Half-Arabian Saddle Seat Futurity: Juliette Dell aboard her chestnut mare SD Eternal Love (Noble Braveheart x Eternal Fire PF). Making this win even more remarkable is that this was SD Eternal Love’s first set of US National roses, and Juliette owns her Saddlebred sire, Noble Braveheart. Juliette’s win is a testament to Juliette’s abilities and to our judging panel, which recognized the excellence of her presentation. It is rare in any breed to see highly coveted, high-prize money titles captured by amateur riders in open divisions.
It is important to note that Eternal Fire PF, SD Eternal Love’s dam, also had another winning foal at the show: 2018 purebred gelding MJM Whiskey River by Black Daniels, who won National Top Ten Arabian Country English Pleasure AAOTR Maturity.
US Nationals continues to showcase the breed’s most exceptional trainers, riders, handlers, and breeders. Behind each horse is a team that supports those individuals and guides their careers to achieve those coveted rose garlands. Given the time it takes to thoughtfully breed an individual and usher it into the show ring under saddle, it is an incredible feat for certain mare lines to emerge consistently in a sea of thousands of individual equines at our national show.
SD Eternal Love and Juliette Dell.
