"What attracts me first is the beauty of the horse......
when I go to the stable in the afternoon and turn them loose,
I want to see pretty things in front of me."
Ajman Stud. Home of some of the finest Arabian horses in the World. The passion and dedication of Sheikh Ammar Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, brought this farm to the highest levels in only a few years. Founded in 2002, Ajman Stud is a prime equestrian facility, built in the traditional Arabic style, surrounded by desert dunes, some 30 kilometers from the city of Ajman. Sheikh Ammar’s passion for the Arabian horse stems from childhood and his involvement with show horses grew stronger year after year. The first horses to join the stables of Ajman Stud came from worldwide famous breeding farm Om El Arab in California. Sheikh Ammar wanted to start with the highest quality, so in addition to the first mares he acquired a very special mare in Europe, Bint Deladiva, whose bloodlines go back to Om El Arab. This exquisite mare gave later birth to the first Ajman bred foal, Aj Hojas, sired by straight Egyptian stallion Nur Ad Dine. Aj Hojas represents the true Arabian type. Her big black eyes and extremely dished face make her one of the most exotic mares at Ajman Stud. All those who have the pleasure to walk through Sheikh Ammar’s stables are fascinated by the amazing collection of white mares, who gaze contently out the stall windows at the visitors. Mares who have made their mark in the history of the Arabian breed - treasures such as Loubna, Bess Fa’Izah, Panarea by Palawan, The Princess of Egypt, Eagleridge Passionata, Fs Cayenne, Barasha El Narah, Bint Deladiva, Aj Hojas and many other “Jewels of the Desert”.
The earnest and continuous search for the quality, for the authentic Arabian type and for the best Arabian horses in the world brought Ajman Stud to countless successes, both in Europe as well as in its home land, the Middle East. So let’s step backwards to what is probably one of Sheikh Ammar’s best memories. It is the last weekend of September 2005 - the 23rd “All Nations Cup” in Aachen, Germany. The national anthem of the United Arab Emirates is playing. For the first time in the history of this show, the UAE won the title of “Nations Cup Champion”, made even more remarkable by the fact that one single farm brought home the victories for the UAE. Three out of the four champion titles had been won by horses of Ajman Stud. Never before had a single owner managed to achieve such success at arguably the toughest competition in Europe. Junior Champion Filly Bess Fa’Izah, Senior Champion Mare Psyches Amber Gem and Senior Champion Stallion Escape Ibn Navarroné-D are the horses who made this dream come true for Sheikh Ammar and the UAE.
The road of success led Sheikh Ammar and his Ajman Stud to many more wins, including the crowning glory of the World Champion title in Paris. Once again it was Escape Ibn Navarroné-D who would create both history and victory for his owner when he was announced 2005 World Champion Stallion against the toughest competition. But this was not the end of his career. “Skippy”, as his friends and fans affectionately call him, once again had to prove his outstanding quality – this time in his own country, at the 2006 Dubai International Arabian Horse Show. It is always difficult to show horses with serious international show credentials, but Escape fulfilled one more time his owner’s expectations: he was named Senior Champion Stallion to the thrill of the cheering crowd.
Picture taken by Danielle Mertens
Some could think that after all this success, one would most likely take success for granted. In the end, one never does. And this is what Sheikh Ammar experienced in person at the 2006 Salon du Cheval in Paris at the World Championships. His two fillies, Bess Fa’Izah and Panarea by Palawan won respectively the Junior and the Senior Filly classes, with several 20s for type and head & neck. The Sunday championship gave Sheikh Ammar the honor of standing in the ring with Bess Fa’Izah and Panarea being named Champion and Reserve World Champion Filly, respectively. An incredible and unprecedented achievement for Ajman Stud and their proud owner. Two wonderful daughters of WH Justice - the “Champion Maker” - were crowned with the most prestigious titles in the international show ring. The beauty and charisma of these two young mares grows exponentially with each passing year. Two undeniable treasures, admired by breeders all over the world.
That same year in Paris, another one of Sheikh Ammar’s world-class mares left her mark on that show. It was the Straight Egyptian mare Loubna being named Reserve World Champion Mare. After a year’s hiatus, Loubna returned to the show ring in 2008 at the tough Dubai International Arabian Horse Show, were she conquered both the judges and the crowd, leaving the arena with the title of Senior Champion Mare.
During 2008, Sheikh Ammar made several more important acquisitions. During the Las Vegas Show, he was captivated by the spirit of Kharrea PGA, who was named Unanimous Champion Filly with the highest score of the show. Later in the year she achieved titles in Europe, only to return to the United States to capture the title of US National Champion Futurity Filly. But the most important addition to Ajman Stud’s mare collection came from Poland. The mesmerizing Kwestura - “The Queen of Poland”. Some horses you can only dream about and Sheikh Ammar had admired this amazing mare throughout her incredible show career, that saw her in 2007 achieving the title of World Champion Mare, always thinking it would be impossible to own her. Why should the Polish State Stud sell such a treasure? But in early 2008 came the rumor that Kwestura would be offered as Lot A in the annual Pride of Poland Auction, in foal of Qr Marc. “Honestly it was not in my mind to go for her” says Sheikh Ammar. “I thought all the big players would go after her and the price will rise to incredible figures. But then as I thought about it, I decided, why not try? I had a friend at the auction. I was watching it on the live stream. I gave him a call to see what was going on and it seemed the right instant to bid. When the gavel fell and I realized she was mine I felt so proud to own such a treasure”. After a very deserved welcome party held at Frank Spönle’s stables in Aachen, Kwestura reached Frank’s training center in northern Germany where she will quietly await the arrival of her foal, sired by the recent Reserve World Champion Colt QR Marc.
The 2009 looks very bright for Sheikh Ammar and his farm. Some new fillies who have recently joined Ajman Stud’s stables will soon make their debut at international shows. Aj Lamees (by Qr Marc), Felicia (by Shael Dream Desert) and Noor Bint Eternity-D will be competing in the yearling fillies class at the major shows in the Middle East and Europe. Competing together with these future stars in the Junior Filly category will be Ul Lucca (by El Sid), a very pretty young filly full of spirit.
Ajman Stud and Sheikh Ammar are not only breeding and showing Arabian Horses, they are also busy in promoting this amazing creature in the wonderful country of the United Arab Emirates. An impressive and very well known event is the Ajman National Show, which will enjoy its 6th anniversary in 2009. Horses coming from all the Emirates reach Ajman to compete at the very first show of the Middle East show season. Besides a horse show, it’s a real event. Some past events have included presentations of Ajman Stud’s World Champions such as Escape Ibn Navarrone-D and Bess Fa’Izah. But in 2008 the crowed was really amazed by a spectacular show: laser shows, fireworks, falcons and horses. At the end of the closing ceremony a group of gliders flew over the show arena displaying the names of the horses who made Ajman Stud famous worldwide. Soon we will see what Sheikh Ammar has prepared for the next Ajman show, which is scheduled for the 16th and 17th of January, 2009.
Ajman Stud is not only a breeding farm, it is an oasis in the desert, a paradise surrounded by dunes. A place where some of the most beautiful Arabian horses find their home.
A special thank you to the wonderful staff of
Ajman Stud that makes all our accomplishments possible.