The Crabbet Stud - Arabian Horse Breeding

The Arabian horse has a reputation as the "oldest and purest" of horse breeds. With its refined head, high spirits and elegant action it is considered the most beautiful equine animal in the world. It's origins are in the Arab deserts and until the late 19th century it was never bred purely in the west.
The pure Arabian horse breeding movement in Europe was led by Sir Wilfrid Scawen and Lady Anne Blunt who founded The Crabbet Park Stud in 1878 with the intention of building and perpetuating the pure Arabian's beauty and strength. The Crabbet stud is largely responsible for preserving and defining the Arabian breed as we know it today.

Both the Blunts and later their daughter Lady Wentworth were gifted painters and they bred their horses with the artist's eye for perfection. Both Wilfrid and Lady Anne came from aristocratic backgrounds and, like Lawrence of Arabia, they shared the English aristocracy's fascination with the desert Arabs. They learned Arabic, respected Arab customs and beliefs, and adopted their attire. In 1877 the Blunts made their first trip to Syria where they were able to obtain horses other westerners could not, because they dealt with the Bedouins as equals. Later, Lady Anne bought land in Cairo and established the Sheikh Obeyd branch of the Crabbet stud in Egypt.

Following the death of her parents Lady Wentworth took over the Crabbet stud. She kept importing horses from the Mediterranean desert and in 1920 acquired the beautiful Polish bred Arabian stallion 'Skowronek' whose bloodline now runs in the majority of the world's pure Arabians. She was also responsible for establishing the registration of pure Arabian horses - an activity, which has kept the bloodlines pure.