The Crabbet Organisation

About us

The Crabbet Organisation was formed to support and promote the breeding and achievements of horses from the Crabbet Stud legacy. This includes:

Straight Crabbet Arabians - 100% from bloodlines owned or bred by the Crabbet Stud
GSB Arabians - 100% bloodlines imported to UK by 1920 (registered in the General Stud Book), usually over 95% Crabbet.
Old English Arabians - 100% pre-World War II UK bloodlines, usually over 85% Crabbet.
Predominantly Crabbet Arabians - some non-Crabbet, GSB or Old English bloodlines but over 75% Crabbet breeding.
Anglo and Part Bred Arabians with Arabian blood from above groups.

Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt were responsible for starting the most famous Arabian Stud in the world at Crabbet Park in Sussex with the first horses arriving in 1887. Sadly today, the stud has closed down and only exists as a livery yard; hotel and the house and real tennis court are now offices.

However, Crabbet lives on more than 125 years after the first horses were imported from the desert and are still responsible for breeding the very best Arabians competing at the highest level and still taking leading awards in ridden showing and endurance.

The Crabbet Organisation UK was formed at the final meeting before the Crabbet Convention 2002. The Committee decided that they should register a company name so that the Convention was the start of a new movement to promote the Crabbet Arabian horse and its influence. The Crabbet Convention Committee members, Susan Hawes, Alexia Ross and Caroline Sussex became Directors of this Organisation.

To continue the work for Crabbet, shortly after the Convention, Tiffani McCarthy was invited to join and then Tanya Betts and Sam Mattocks showed interest in joining the Committee. They were responsible for the start of the Crabbet Journal before they moved on to start the Arabian Magazine, now world famous under Sam Mattocks’ team. Two new members came onto the Committee when Tanya and Sam left, Kay Firth-Butterfield then joined as Treasurer, Karen Jones to help with the Journal and Becky Ross assisting with the Heritage Certificates but now Editor of our Journal.

Later Suzanne Cruise came on for 2 years to take over the Membership and Show Secretary for the Crabbet Show. Suzanne was the driving force behind obtaining the Crabbet In Hand National Championships, held at the Arab Horse Society National Show.

Kay left to emigrate to the USA and Suzanne with her very busy life left after the wonderful Malvern success in 2009. Lindsay Thain from Scotland felt that Scotland needed some input and joined us to take charge of our website. Lindsay has some great ideas for this and she is changing the site all the time. The Committee is lucky to have Lynne Humphreys now on the Committee who has stepped in to help with supporting the ever increasing number of Crabbet classes at shows up and down the country and to help with the National Championships.

Since its formation , the Organisation has grown in strength and supports Crabbet horses competing in endurance, ridden showing, dressage, show jumping and other ridden events. The Organisation has its own rules which are for the more classical method of in hand showing. These have been highly popular. Whilst the Committee feels that ridden Crabbet Arabians should be out there competing in the open classes, which they are doing and winning, the membership has requested Crabbet ridden classes, so this year there will be 9 of these ridden classes around the country.

The most important thing is the Crabbet Organisation supports the Definition of a Crabbet horse and uses the same one as Australia. The Organisation feels it best to work with one definition so that people know what the goalposts are. A worldwide definition would be of great benefit to Crabbet. The Definition used by the Organisation is: All Arabian horses descended from bloodlines of horses that were owned or bred by Wilfrid Blunt, Lady Anne Blunt, Lady Wentworth, Cecil Covey or the Crabbet Stud.

The aim of the Organisation is to promote 100% Crabbet horses to preserve them in their purity but also to support horses of GSB and Old English bloodlines and the wider influence of Crabbet horses in the world today. In order to receive awards or show in the Crabbet classes, horses must have a minimum of 75% Crabbet blood.

The Organisation offers a service whereby the percentage of Crabbet blood can be worked out either roughly for showing in Crabbet classes or exactly which comes with a Heritage Certificate showing the exact Crabbet percentage.

The Winter 2009 issue included a report on the Wellworth Stud in Australia and Part II comes out in the summer issue. Historical articles on Crabbet, personalities in the Arabian world, and with round ups each year from the world of endurance and showing, the Organisation tries to cover Crabbet horses achieving throughout the world.

There is a Crabbet store where you can find books, videos and other items for sale and these are available on line or at our trade stands. Joining the Organisation for a small fee secures the Crabbet Journal, and keeps you up to date with news items. The Crabbet Organisation website is www.crabbet.org.uk.

The first Crabbet Convention was held in Denver Colorado, USA back in 1983 and master minded by Bazy Tankersley who owns the world famous Al Marah Arabian Stud. In 1985, a Convention was staged at Crabbet Park. This was called “A Return to Crabbet” and was emotional in that the Parade was held next to the great wall where descendants from the famous stud were able to walk in their ancestors footsteps and temporarily borrow their stables. Australia has hosted numerous Conventions including in Melbourne in 2000. England decided it was time for another and this was held in 2002. Australia took up the challenge and hosted the International Convention 2005 at Toowomba, Queensland. The next one is planned for England in 2013. These Conventions are fun, friendly and enthusiastic, with Crabbet breeders from all over the world getting together and admiring the horses with special parades and talks taking place together. With wonderful social events, it gives like minded enthusiasts the chance to get together and tour studs specializing in Crabbet breeding after the main event and these are well worth attending.

Recently, the Crabbet Organisation has invited Australian breeders to participate in the Crabbet Journal with their own news section. For further information, please see the letter sent out on our website.

Above all, the Crabbet Organisation supports the Arabian Horse and the Arab Horse Societies of the world. The Organisation wishes to ensure that breeding Arabians in the future continues with the qualities first found by Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt back in the late 1800’s. These horses proved to be the true desert Arabian and therefore the toughest and best riding horse.