THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 6, 1996 TAG: 9605040286
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: CHRISTINA PROCTOR, SPECIAL TO BUSINESS WEEKLY
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Long : 178 lines
Long ago in the Middle East, the Bedouin tribes believed the Arabian horse to be a gift from God. Legend tells how God fashioned the desert wind into a creature who ``shall fly without wings.'' The Bedouins held their horses in such high regard that they shared their tents and food with them, maintained the purity of the breed by intensive and selective breeding.
Today, Arabians are the oldest breed of horse known, the progenitor of many of today's popular breeds, including the English Thoroughbred.
Not only do Arabians inspire devotion, the champion horses attract investors throughout the world, as partners Barbara Rosado and Dale Bowen found after they opened their 30-acre horse farm off Deer Forest Road near Suffolk.
The farm, called Discover Arabians, has put Hampton Roads on the map of the Arabian horse industry since December, when Rosado and Bowen bought a half-interest in the legendary stallion Bey Shah.
The purchase thrust them into the spotlight and brought many opportunities to their small farm. Bey Shah's stud fee is $10,000, and in 1994 two of his sons sold for a total of $2.75 million.
It began not so much as a business investment as a lifestyle investment.
``I started out as a nurse, then I became a hospital administrator. I eventually became a corporate executive with responsibility for a number of hospitals,'' Rosado said sitting in her barn office, with views of several horses in turn-out paddocks.
``I loved it for a while, but I think I got to a point in my life where I realized a lot of things were passing me by that were very basic and fundamental. I'm certainly healthier now. I take better care of myself,'' said Rosado, who is in hermid-40s.
``Not that this doesn't get stressful at times because the responsibility for these animals is incredible, but it's different. The horses give so much back,'' she said gesturing toward the ribbons that adorn her office walls and pictures of some of the horses that made it possible. ``It's just a different way to live. I work very hard but I really don't do it so much as a job. I do it as part of my life.''
In 1994, Rosado has devoted her full time to the business, while Bowen works as publisher of New Cars for Norfolk-based Trader Publishing Co., which is partially owned by Landmark Communications Inc., publisher of The Virginian-Pilot.
Rosado and Bowen were introduced to the Bey Shah blood line through the stallion's grandson, Cool Me Down. Last year Cool Me Down won Discover Arabian's first national championship. He was Grand Champion U.S. National Half-Arab Stock Hunter Gelding at the U.S. Nationals Arabian and Half-Arabian Show.
The success with the Bey Shah offspring prompted Rosado and Bowen last December to acquire half-interest in Bey Shah. The purchase price hasn't been disclosed.
Rosado and Bowen signed a confidentiality agreement about Bey Shah's purchase value with Dan and Maureen Grossman, Bey Shah's other owners, at the time of the investment. The Grossmans run Stone Ridge Arabians in Bloomington, Ind.
Bey Shah is legendary in the world of Arabian horse breeding because he reproduces copies of himself - the sign of a great breeding stallion.
Since 1983, Bey Shah has sired 41 offspring who have claimed 10 national championships, nine reserves and 53 Top 10s through the 1992 nationals. Rosado said an average Bey Shah colt sells for $30,000.
``This was not an ego decision. It was not from anything other than truly loving the horse. I have such awe for this horse,'' Rosado said. ``It was a major decision for a small farm like us to take this on and an incredible responsibility. I am dealing with breeders outside of Virginia. We just sold Bey Shah semen to Brazil, Saudi Arabia and England,'' she said. Artificial insemination is widely used by some breed organizations.
``Being involved with Bey Shah has afforded me opportunities to extend my network well beyond the state of Virginia and even this region. Now we're really more into a national network and even an international network,'' she said.
Bowen explained that with any special interest, people usually want to have the best.
``If you get a bicycle and it's a two-speed it's not long before you want a 10-speed. It's the same way with horses. When the opportunity became available to buy into Bey Shah, needless to say we jumped at it,'' Bowen said from his office in downtown Norfolk. ``I think the best way to maximize an investment is to have the best quality. There is a lot more going for horses that are exceptionally bred and they have a much better up side as far as value is concerned and in the show ring. There is nothing better than to win in the show ring. That's one of the great rewards of it - winning.
``You can buy bonds, you can buy CDs, you can buy real estate, but there are very few times when you can make a lifestyle investment in something you really love. It's like all investments - you try to maximize those investments, but when you have something you really love it brings a whole different meaning to it.''
Bey Shah lives not in Suffolk but with handler and trainer David Boggs at Midwest Training Center in Rogers, Minn. The horse stays there because the owners don't want to disrupt the 20-year-old stallion's daily routine.
At Midwest Training Center, Rosado said, Bey Shah has a stall of honor in the middle of the mare barn with Dutch doors on each side so he can survey his harem and loyal subjects. There is always a bag of carrots or other treats hanging by his stall so anyone that approaches can give `The King' an offering.
``He loves to watch the mares and babies,'' Rosado said. ``Arabs are very people-oriented. He makes such eye contact with you, and he will seldom look away. He has a presence about him. People come from all over the world to see him, and they aren't disappointed. You have to know how much I love this horse. I went up to Minnesota in January to see him,'' she said with a laugh.
Rosado said the venerable stallion has had some health problems in the past but is doing extremely well now.
``We don't know how many more years he'll be with us, but I'm thankful and appreciative that we had this opportunity to invest in him. You can have a wonderful stallion that does great in the show ring, but if he can't reproduce like himself you're not going to have a market or potential breeders who want to breed from you,'' she said.
Rosado and Bowen hope that Bey Shah's son, Shahcago (pronounced Chicago), who is currently standing at stud at Discover, will pick up where his father leaves off. Shahcago bears a remarkable resemblance to his father, and as a 2-year-old the bay stallion already commands attention. His stud fee for 1996 is set at $2,000.
Rosado and Bowen named their farm Discover Arabians not only because of their discovery but because they hope to be a gateway for others to become involved. They are offering a unique investment opportunity for those who might want to get a taste of the gentle farm life, and perhaps make a little money in the process.
Discover Arabians offers a lease program on mares that are in foal to Shahcago. After the 11-month gestation period, the foal is the client's to keep or sell. This opportunity cuts out a lot of leg work for the investor. Otherwise, people who wanted to try their hand at Arabian horse breeding would have to make an initial investment in a mare, find a place to board the mare and pay a stud fee to put her in foal.
``There's a lot of people who would like to make a lifestyle investment but don't want to jump into the Arabian horse business,'' Bowen said. ``By leasing them a mare in foal to Shahcago they don't have any of the worries, and they can come out to farm as much - or as little - as they like and enjoy the lifestyle. And enjoy the mare while she's in foal. They just pay a set fee per month, and at the end of the year they are presented with a foal.''
Rosado said through their relationship with Midwest Training Center they can offer their clients connections to either sell or show their foal on a national and international level.
``David Boggs is perhaps the best halter trainer in this country or in the world. He will come and evaluate our foal crop and help us determine how we're going to market the horses,'' she said.
Rosado also hopes with the help of Mark Burke, a graduate of Texas A&M University with a bachelor in Animal Science, to turn Discover into a regional mare station.
``Little work is done in this area with artificial insemination. There are mare owners in this area who would perhaps like to breed to last year's champion stallion but the expense of shipping the mare to the stallion is prohibitive. But now under the Arabian Horse Registry, semen may be shipped with permit. We hope to become a regional mare station for other stallions as well as our own.''
According to the Arabian Horse Registry of America, headquartered in Westminster, Colo., there are 200,578 owners of purebred Arabian horses in the United States and 428,538 purebred Arabian horses. In Virginia there are 3,303 owners with an average of 2.3 horses per owner.
As Rosado tours her farm, it seems slightly abandoned because most of the mares are in Minnesota. Soon Discover Arabians will have its first Bey Shah foal crop. Rosado is expecting 25 to 28 foals. All 30 of her stalls will soon be occupied and the fields will be dotted with mothers and babies. Rosado turning to her empty fields said she has no trouble imagining them home.
``The beauty and charisma of these horses is just so phenomenal that even to this day when we turn the horses out in the field it gives me chills. There's nothing prettier than on a warm summer morning when the mist is still on the ground to watch a group of mares trot off together. It's an addiction.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by John H. Sheally II
[Color cover photo of a horse]
< Barbara Rosado in her ribbon-laden office at Discover Arabians
Color photos courtesy Discover Arabians
[Color photos of the horse Bey Shah, Bey Shah's grandson, Cool Me
Down and Shah's son Shahcago's and handler and trainer David Boggs
and Rosado and Bowen.]
KEYWORDS: HORSE BREEDING ARABIAN HORSES by CNB