The Magnificent Mares of Mulawa
Click here to read the full article in Oasis Magazine
By Scott Benjamin
The Arabian mare was beloved as the most precious possession of the Bedouin. She was his chosen mount in battle, his closest companion in life, and upon her the legendary acclaim of the Arabian breed was founded. Courage, stamina, strength, intelligence, quality, endurance and beauty are her legacy to not only the Arabian horse of the last five millennia, but to the greater population of light horses celebrated the world over.
The tradition that began with the Bedouin still flourishes amongst the most enlightened and inspired breeders of the Modern Age. The Blunts founded their legendary Crabbet Stud on superlative foundation mares, as did the renowned State Studs of Poland. Throughout the centuries, every great breeding program across the globe can credit their success to a carefully assembled and skilfully bred collection of world-class broodmares. It is adherence to this time-honoured principle of magnificent mares that has proven to be the key element of nearly four decades of unprecedented success for Mulawa Arabian Stud in Australia, a commitment that continues to reap rewards of impressive significance in the most elite, well respected and demanding show rings, breeding programs and marketplaces worldwide.
Since its inception in the early 1970's, Mulawa has been a dominant force in the show rings of Australia with mares purposefully and sagaciously selected as foundation mares for the program as well as descendants of those aristocrat mares who now comprise the elite broodmare band of nearly 60 mares. A Mulawa championship in the mare and filly divisions at the prestigious Australian triumvirate shows - the National Stud Show, the East Coast Championships and the Australian Championships - has become almost a foregone conclusion since that latter part of the 20th century. Shattering even their own impressive records at the 2011 Australian Championships, Mulawa females were awarded both champion AND reserve champion honours in ALL the purebred filly and mare halter divisions in unprecedented style, bringing home Champion (ROMANCE MI) and Reserve Champion (MI ASPIRING VALENTINO) Yearling Filly, Champion (KLASSICAL DREAM MI) and Reserve Champion (LLC BRIANA) Two & Three Year Old Filly, and Champion (MULAWA KARISMAA) and Reserve Champion (PRINCIPESSA CCA) Mare.
In the past two Australian show seasons, Mulawa has proudly campaigned two of its best young mares to undefeated show records on home soil, both of whom are highly representative of the international quality now produced with regularity at the stud. The glorious PARADA is a fifth-generation Mulawa female who traces directly to foundation mare DZINA, a Pure Polish import from Lasma first introduced to the breeding program back in 1976. Affectionately known as "Australia's Sweetheart" PARADA (Magnum Forty Four x Presence by GLF Apollo) was the first three-year old filly in continental history ever to be named Champion in her division at the Australian Championships, the East Coast Championships and the National Stud Show, as well as the important Queensland Gala Event. Second-generation superstar MULAWA KARISMAA bested PARADA's impressive record the year later winning the Mare Championship at all three major shows as well as the always competitive Queensland Challenge. Only one other mare has ever won all three major mare titles in the same year prior to KARISMAA's win; this was yet another second-generation Mulawa-bred beauty named MULAWA BEHOLD (GLF Apollo x Amurath Beguile by Ramses Fayek) who has since gone on to enhance the breeding program with her inherent value. KARISMAA is considered one of the best daughters of Magnum Psyche in the world and is beloved at home amongst a collection of outstanding daughters belonging to her meritorious dam KARMAA.
The undisputed "Queen of Mulawa" is KARMAA, who was discovered by Greg & Julie while honeymooning in Scottsdale and purchased through one of the last Tom Chauncey Sales in 1988. A daughter of World Champion KABORR and US Reserve National Champion AN MARIETA, KARMAA was an instant star in the Australian show ring as East Coast & National Stud Show Champion Mare. Her lasting legacy, however, has been undoubtedly realized within the breeding program, as KARMAA has consistently produced many of the leading females of the most recent generations. Along with KARISMAA, three other daughters of KARMAA rank amongst the elite at Mulawa: twice National Stud Show Champion, East Coast Reserve Champion & twice Australian Reserve Champion MAE MARIE (by TS Al Malik); National Stud Show Champion MULAWA KARA MIA MI (by GLF Apollo) - herself the dam of Australian Champions as well as a collection of outstanding daughters and granddaughters; and MULAWA ARIA (by Arrival), the dam of five fantastic daughters by Parkview Audacious including East Coast Champion and champion producer AUDACIA.
The KARMAA influence in the Mulawa breeding program has become even more profound through the use of her son KLASS (by TS Al Malik) a four-time East Coast Champion and the only stallion in history to be named Australian Champion in successive years as Champion Stallion, Champion Ridden Arabian Stallion and Champion Working Stock Horse. As with KARMAA, the most significant long-term contribution of KLASS is proving to be as a breeding horse, with KLASS now the celebrated sire of the most superlative group of young mares yet to grace the stables and paddocks at Mulawa. These include twice East Coast Champion & Australian Champion KLASSICAL DREAM MI (x Mustang's Magnum by Magnum Forty Four), her younger full sister MI KLASSIC FANTASY, National Stud Show Reserve Champion KLASSICAL INSPIRATION MI (x Aspired by Parkview Audacious), and Queensland Challenge Champion & Australian Reserve Champion KLASSIC HARMONY MI (x Fames Harmony by Fame Maker R). Two more spectacular KLASS fillies were born in late 2011 out of KARESS and MULAWA KIARA, both daughters of MULAWA KARA MIA MI, making these special fillies double-KARMAA by design.
KLASSIC HARMONY MI is the first of the Mulawa-bred females to take on the challenge of the show ring and breeding shed in the ancient homeland of the Arabian horse. Exported in 2011 to Qatar, she is now proudly owned by industry leader Al Shaqab Stud. Most impressively, KLASSIC HARMONY is a six-generation Mulawa female descending from an original UK import through the cherished AMBITION daughter MULAWA CHANCE. Still thriving at 29 years of age, CHANCE has left an invaluable legacy of descendants to the Mulawa breeding program, a profound influence that is soon to be felt around the world.
With KLASSIC HARMONY MI proudly carrying the banner for Mulawa in the Gulf, another six-generation Mulawa-bred filly has proven her worth on the opposite side of the world in the most elite show rings of North America. ALWAYS VALENTINE MI (x Always An Angel by SK Shakla Khan), the product of imported frozen semen from six-time US National Champion DA Valentino, spent 2011 competing amongst fillies almost twice her age as a September-born filly in the Northern Hemisphere. Despite this disadvantage, ALWAYS VALENTINE won the Junior Two Year Old Filly title at the world's largest Arabian horse show in Scottsdale, as well as the exceedingly prestigious Junior Reserve Filly Championship. These accolades were succeeded with Arabian Breeders World Cup honours as Reserve Champion Junior Two Year Old Filly & Top Ten Supreme Champion Junior Filly, the title of Region 13 Champion Two Year Old Filly, and the ultimate honour as United States Reserve National Champion Two Year Old Filly. Like KLASSIC HARMONY, ALWAYS VALENTINE is a member of a critically important Mulawa foundation family. From amongst the sixteen dam families comprising the Mulawa breeding program, the late great M ANGELIQUE (Vision x Abanda by Banderol), to whose family ALWAYS VALENTINE belongs, remains one of three most important along with those of KARMAA and MULAWA CHANCE.
Faithfully stewarding the Arabian breed now for nearly four decades with passion, integrity and dedication, the Farrell Family and Mulawa Arabian Stud have charted an ambitious, progressive and ever-evolving path towards success - for themselves, for the worldwide industry and for the breed and the horses they love. With a continued dedication to the magnificent mares that have been source of unequivocal success, we look forward to the next chapter of this inspiring saga with great anticipation and shared rewards for all.
KARMAA
1986 Grey Mare
(Kaborr x AN Marieta by AN Malik)
Discovered in the Tom Chauncey Sale in Scottsdale by Greg & Julie Farrell whilst honeymooning, KARMAA has since become the most significant mare in Mulawa Arabian Stud breeding program. Currently, seventeen KARMAA female descendants, including daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters, are essential members of the elite Mulawa broodmare band, consistently contributing her exceptional Arabian type, aristocratic quality and captivating charm to each new generation. A former East Coast & National Stud Show Champion Mare, KARMAA has had the most profound influence as an Aristocrat Dam of seven champions. At 26 years of age, KARMAA is still beloved as the incomparable "Queen of Mulawa".
MULAWA CHANCE
1982 Grey Mare
(Ambition x Grojecca by Grojec)
MULAWA CHANCE remains the last great daughter of foundation sire AMBITION, the Pure Polish Lasma-bred BASK son, in the Mulawa Arabian Stud breeding program. A flea-bitten beauty of exceptional old world charm, CHANCE has been a stellar producer of generations of winners both in halter and performance at the most elite competitions in Australia. With ten tail-female descendants representing her excellence in the Mulawa broodmare band, CHANCE continues to impact each generation with her trademark quality, conformation and capable athleticism. A former National Stud Show Champion, MULAWA CHANCE is a venerated Aristocrat Dam of five champions. Still thriving at 29 years of age, MULAWA CHANCE remains an inspiration and a living tribute to all that a great Arabian mare can and should be.