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Raffles (horse)
Encyclopedia
Raffles was an Arabian
stallion
foaled in 1926 and imported to the United States
by Roger Selby in 1932. Raffles was bred by Lady Wentworth of the Crabbet Arabian Stud
.
, out of a Skowronek daughter, Rifala. Lady Wentworth deliberately chose an inbreeding
cross in hopes of producing a suitable Arabian for crossing on Welsh ponies
. She partially succeeded, as Raffles only matured to be 13.3 hands
. However, Raffles never produced any offspring in England, and it is generally thought that his handlers at Crabbet believed he was sterile
.
He came to America as a free gift included with a group of Arabians that Roger Selby purchased from Lady Wentworth, Selby had previously purhased Raffles' dam, Rifala in 1928. There is an alternative theory to why Raffles was given to Selby; in January 1932, Selby told Lady Wentworth that Rifala was infertile, thus, rather than being a sterile throwaway, a gift of a perfectly fertile Raffles was a replacement. However, at the time Rifala was in foal to a Saddlebred
, and safely delivered the foal later in 1932.
regimen, did he turn out to be fertile. However, there are other theories. According to Selby's trainer, Jimmie Dean, after Raffles tested sterile at Ohio State University, Dean wondered if anxiety and tension was the source of the trouble. According to Dean, Raffles had endured poor handling, was distrustful of humans, and difficult to ride. With the assistance of Dean's wife, Thelma, a skilled horsewoman in her own right, they spent many months gentling Raffles and gaining his trust. Thelma in particular spent many months simply taking him on low-stress, relaxing rides around the farm and surrounding land. After this retraining, he was put to a couple of pony mares in 1936, settled both mares, and thus, proven to be fertile, was bred to purebred mares in the 1937 breeding season.
Yet another version claimed that Raffles was such an outstanding riding horse that he could not be spared for stud duties. And indeed, he did well in the show ring. Awards and honors Raffles earned included the 1933 three-gaited championship at Nashville, Tennessee
's Nashville National horse show. A final theory is that he was discounted as a breeding stallion, was viewed merely as a potential pony sire, and only used on purebred mares after the Arabian horse expert Carl Raswan
urged Selby to do so.
However, once put to stud, he went on to have a tremendous influence on Arabian horse breeding
in the United States, siring 122 foals. In addition to horses he produced by outcrossing on Arabians of other bloodlines, breeders also had very good results by linebreeding his offspring to those of Raseyn
, another Skowronek son who had also been purchased from Lady Wentworth and was imported to the USA by W.K. Kellogg
. Among his better-known offspring were Indraff
, Rapture, and Azraff.
He broke a hind leg in 1950, when kicking his stall. He recovered and shortly thereafter was purchased by Alice Payne for her Asil Ranch in Chino, California
, where he was stalled next to another Skowronek
son, Raseyn
, whom Payne had obtained from the Kellogg ranch in his old age. Raffles died on May 11, 1953.
as number 952. His registration lists him as a "white" horse, even though he was actually a gray
.
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
foaled in 1926 and imported to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Roger Selby in 1932. Raffles was bred by Lady Wentworth of the Crabbet Arabian Stud
Crabbet Arabian Stud
The Crabbet Arabian Stud, also known as the Crabbet Park Stud, was a horse breeding farm established on 2 July 1878 when the first Arabian horses brought to England by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and Lady Anne Blunt arrived at Crabbet Park, their estate in Sussex...
.
Background
Raffles was a son of the Crabbet foundation sire SkowronekSkowronek
Skowronek was an Arabian stallion foaled in 1909. He was bred by Count Józef Potocki who owned the Antoniny Stud in Poland. He was imported to England as a young horse. Upon purchase by Lady Wentworth, Skowronek became a foundation stallion at Lady Wentworth's famed Crabbet Arabian Stud...
, out of a Skowronek daughter, Rifala. Lady Wentworth deliberately chose an inbreeding
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
cross in hopes of producing a suitable Arabian for crossing on Welsh ponies
Welsh Pony
The Welsh Pony and Cob are closely related horse breeds including both pony and cob types, which originated in Wales in the United Kingdom...
. She partially succeeded, as Raffles only matured to be 13.3 hands
Hand (unit)
The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, now used only for the measurement of the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. With origins in ancient Egypt, it was originally based on the breadth of a human hand...
. However, Raffles never produced any offspring in England, and it is generally thought that his handlers at Crabbet believed he was sterile
Infertility
Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term...
.
He came to America as a free gift included with a group of Arabians that Roger Selby purchased from Lady Wentworth, Selby had previously purhased Raffles' dam, Rifala in 1928. There is an alternative theory to why Raffles was given to Selby; in January 1932, Selby told Lady Wentworth that Rifala was infertile, thus, rather than being a sterile throwaway, a gift of a perfectly fertile Raffles was a replacement. However, at the time Rifala was in foal to a Saddlebred
American Saddlebred
The American Saddlebred, formerly known as the American Saddle Horse, is a breed of horse that was developed in Kentucky by plantation owners. Today, in the horse show world, they are most commonly seen under saddle in Saddle seat style riding, and in various types of driving, including pleasure...
, and safely delivered the foal later in 1932.
Life in the United States
Upon his arrival in America, Raffles did not sire any purebred foals until 1938. The popular explanation is that only after he was placed under a proper managementHorse care
There are many aspects to horse care. Horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and other domesticated equids require attention from humans for optimal health and long life.-Living environment:...
regimen, did he turn out to be fertile. However, there are other theories. According to Selby's trainer, Jimmie Dean, after Raffles tested sterile at Ohio State University, Dean wondered if anxiety and tension was the source of the trouble. According to Dean, Raffles had endured poor handling, was distrustful of humans, and difficult to ride. With the assistance of Dean's wife, Thelma, a skilled horsewoman in her own right, they spent many months gentling Raffles and gaining his trust. Thelma in particular spent many months simply taking him on low-stress, relaxing rides around the farm and surrounding land. After this retraining, he was put to a couple of pony mares in 1936, settled both mares, and thus, proven to be fertile, was bred to purebred mares in the 1937 breeding season.
Yet another version claimed that Raffles was such an outstanding riding horse that he could not be spared for stud duties. And indeed, he did well in the show ring. Awards and honors Raffles earned included the 1933 three-gaited championship at Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
's Nashville National horse show. A final theory is that he was discounted as a breeding stallion, was viewed merely as a potential pony sire, and only used on purebred mares after the Arabian horse expert Carl Raswan
Carl Raswan
Carl Reinhard Raswan , born Carl Reinhard Schmidt, was one of the greatest connoisseurs and patrons of the asil Arabian horse. He was also a writer and author of numerous books on Arabian horses and the Bedouin people...
urged Selby to do so.
However, once put to stud, he went on to have a tremendous influence on Arabian horse breeding
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
in the United States, siring 122 foals. In addition to horses he produced by outcrossing on Arabians of other bloodlines, breeders also had very good results by linebreeding his offspring to those of Raseyn
Raseyn
Raseyn was an Arabian stallion foaled in 1923 and bred by Lady Wentworth of the Crabbet Arabian Stud. After being imported into the United States by W.K. Kellogg in 1926...
, another Skowronek son who had also been purchased from Lady Wentworth and was imported to the USA by W.K. Kellogg
Will Keith Kellogg
Will Keith Kellogg, generally referred to as W.K. Kellogg was an American industrialist in food manufacturing, best known as the founder of the Kellogg Company, which to this day produces a wide variety of popular breakfast cereals...
. Among his better-known offspring were Indraff
Indraff
Indraff was a gray Arabian stallion, foaled on May 9, 1938 and bred by Roger Selby of Ohio. His sire was Raffles and his dam was Indaia. Both his sire and dam were bred by the Crabbet Arabian Stud in England and imported to the United States by Selby.As a colt, before he grayed out, Indraff had a...
, Rapture, and Azraff.
He broke a hind leg in 1950, when kicking his stall. He recovered and shortly thereafter was purchased by Alice Payne for her Asil Ranch in Chino, California
Chino, California
Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....
, where he was stalled next to another Skowronek
Skowronek
Skowronek was an Arabian stallion foaled in 1909. He was bred by Count Józef Potocki who owned the Antoniny Stud in Poland. He was imported to England as a young horse. Upon purchase by Lady Wentworth, Skowronek became a foundation stallion at Lady Wentworth's famed Crabbet Arabian Stud...
son, Raseyn
Raseyn
Raseyn was an Arabian stallion foaled in 1923 and bred by Lady Wentworth of the Crabbet Arabian Stud. After being imported into the United States by W.K. Kellogg in 1926...
, whom Payne had obtained from the Kellogg ranch in his old age. Raffles died on May 11, 1953.
Registry data
Raffles was registered with the Arabian Horse Club Registry of America, the precursor to the Arabian Horse AssociationArabian Horse Association
The Arabian Horse Association is the single national organization that is the only breed registry that registers Arabian horses in the United States...
as number 952. His registration lists him as a "white" horse, even though he was actually a gray
Gray (horse)
Gray or grey is a coat color of horses characterized by progressive silvering of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike many depigmentation genes, gray does not affect skin or eye color Their adult hair coat is white, dappled, or white intermingled...
.