On Saturday evening, November 6, 2004, Talaria Farms hosted a gala event to welcome the beautiful young stallion, Suhal al Nasser to our farm. Suhal will be standing at Talaria through the 2005 breeding season, and is a very exciting addition to our stallion line-up.

Over 240 guests (by invitation only) attended the event, and were treated to world-class entertainment provided by Talaria, with the assistance of many talented industry professionals. The evening commenced with a social hour, where guests enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeuvres and visited with each other and the Talaria horses—and then proceeded to an exciting entertainment provided in the Talaria arena.

The Talaria inside arena was decorated to recall a desert ruin, complete with a Bedouin encampment—and the space filled slowly, as the evening progressed, with presentations of gorgeous purebred Arabian horses under spotlights (many in native tack such as HH Fortune Hunter wearing an antique Bakhtiari war bonnet and chest protector), accompanied by tribal dancers—all against a background of beautiful music. Darryl Larson created a special video, entitled “Desert Dreams,” which was shown during the event, and the evening culminated with a Middle Eastern feast provided by Talaria’s favourite chef, Jane Eikenberry, in the Talaria meeting room decorated to resemble an Eastern bazaar.

Arabian horse enthusiasts came from all over the US and several foreign countries—including Eileen Verdieck from Dubai, UAE, who helped present several of the horses, most notably the stunning young stallion, Suhal al Nasser.

But all the guests agreed that the highlight of the evening was the welcome by Botswana (Talaria’s resident young Straight Egyptian stallion) to Suhal al Nasser. These two young studs met each other “nose-to-nose” in center arena and the beauty and charisma demonstrated by both was mesmerizing!

Talaria is deeply grateful for the wonderful assistance provided by Eileen Verdieck, Rob Simpson of Cerene Acres Arabians, Michael Carpio of Chapel Farms, John Dolphy (who was responsible for most of the decorations), Bridgette and Denny Orwig, Awalim Dance Troupe of Atlanta, Jane Eikenberry and her staff for the wonderful food and drinks, George Lainhart (photographer), and AVA Productions for the sound and light effects. Plus, of course, many thanks to Talaria’s own Curt Westley for compiling the beautiful music which accompanied the horses and dancers, and the Talaria staff, under the expert guidance care of Jose Palomera, for preparing all, and presenting many, of the horses.

Lastly, and certainly not least, we wish to thank Michael Albertini, our general manager, for all that he does – that which we know and, more importantly, that which we don’t – a trusted, valued, and loved Talaria family member indeed.

The Pedigree Puzzle
The following day Talaria hosted a seminar (compiled by Mike Albertini and Bridgette Orwig) entitled “Unlocking The Pedigree Puzzle” for a group of about 40 interested breeders. The seminar was moderated by Eileen Verdieck and Mike Albertini, and many of the attendees, including Karen Henwood, Betty Gail Skinner, David Houseknecht, and Deb Nowak, spoke as to the importance of pedigree knowledge in their own breeding programs. Lunch and a social hour provided a pleasant interlude to give breeders the chance to discuss their programs and their plans for the future.