KHEMOSABI
Khemosabi was known as a "Showring Phenomenon", he was named the "Superhorse of the 20th Century", who was said to have rewritten Arabian history. He was a horse that was as good in the performance ring as he was in the halter ring, and he managed to pass this athletic and showy ability on to his offspring.
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Arguably the most impressive aspect of Khemosabi’s rise to legend status came in 1976, where he was named Canadian National Champion Halter Stallion and Canadian National Champion in Western Pleasure, at the same show! He remains one of only a handful of stallions to have been named National Champion in both halter and performance, and to have it occur in the same year was groundbreaking. In a world where most halter stallions are quickly retired from the showring as soon as they have gained enough notoriety to be profitable breeding stock, the idea of a horse of this caliber being competitive in both areas is impressive even to this day. Indeed, this is what made Khemosabi great.
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Khemosabi was sired by the stallion Amerigo and out of the mare Jurneeka, both horses whose pedigrees were essentially products of the W.K. Kellogg breeding program, which was significantly based upon stock obtained from the Crabbet Arabian Stud in England in the 1920’s. Interestingly, during the 1960’s and 1970’s, the “in style” thing in the industry was to import horses for breeding stock, and thus most popular stallions had sire’s and/or dam’s that were imported, but Khemosabi’s closest imported relative was his granddam, Szarza, who was Polish bred, thus he was often touted as an “All American” horse.
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Khemosabi was foaled in 1967 and stood for his first breeding season in 1969 at Varian Arabians in Arroyo Grande, CA. He went on to sire over 1250 foals, his legend continued. His records as sire: his foals are consistently dominant foals. By Khemo's 25th birthday, he had 225 champion foals which earned over 1500 championships. For perspective, there are over 123,256 arabian stallions in America and only 10 have produced 100 champions or more.
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The wonder of Khemosabi was only partly that he sires so well, it is also the ability of his sons and daughters to reproduce the Khemo characteristics of extreme type, balance, refinement, correctness and prettiness. Even in his early days, it was known among the most well known breeders that he and his get and grandget would dominate the showring for decades to come. He carries the blood of great show horses from decades and passed it onto his offspring, including his mother who was 3 times top 10 halter mares and in 1964, she won US Reserve National Western Pleasure Championship and US National English Pleasure Championship. His foals went onto winning national championships and this has carried on for decades and generations to follow.
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During his show career, Khemosabi earned the Arabian Horse Association’s highest achievement award, the Legion of Masters. Upon his death in 2001 at age 34, a legend of the Arabian breed was lost, but perhaps more so than most, was not forgotten. Khemosabi is one Arabian of influence that will live on in the hearts and dreams of his many fans forever.