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From Majorca with passion, Marieta Salas speaks to us about "her" purebred Arabians world
2011
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Marieta Salas has been present at the birth of 800 foals in her life.
Marieta Salas has been present at the birth of 800 foals in her life.

 

 

Majorca (Mallorca in spanish), the eldest sister of the Balearic Islands, is especially known for its golden beaches, its festive atmosphere which delights a mainly European tourist clientelle. Few people know that only several kilometers away from the famous Cathedral of Palma, in a valley, completely surrounded by hills, which is well away from our concrete civilisation, is situated one of the most reputed and prized stud farms in the world, as far as the Arabian thoroughbred horse is concerned.


Inheriting them from Don Pedro Salas, the great entrepreneur and industrialist, his daughter Marieta Salas is today the owner of the domains of « Ses Planes » and of « Ses Rotes », where graze the mothers and sisters of horses whose beauty has been admired in the whole world, and who have often been the object of millionaire offers. These horses almost all with the prefix « Abha » (translation of « Salas » in arabic language) have been multi-champions in shows amongst the most prestigious in the ECAHO calender (organisation which unites the different nations having a recognised stud-book of pure -bred Arabian horses) as is the case of Abha Qatar of Abha Palma, to quote but two of the most famous horses recently born or bred by Marieta Salas.



View of the stables and the landscape from Marieta’s Palace.Vue View of the stables and the landscape from Marieta’s Palace.

 

 

In a roman Empire style palace, a magnificent construction built only a few years ago on the heights of the property, perfectly in harmony with nature, with rocks and earth coloured ocre, the Mistress of the place receives her guests with the natural generosity of great people. At « Ses Planes », Heads of State, Princes, millionaires and people amongst the most humble have been received with the same generosity of heart. For Marieta Salas is a real ray of sunshine for all those who are lucky to know her personally. This great Lady, still young due to her overflowing activity and constant enthousiasm to finish everything she undertakes, wishes to convey to us her passion for the Arabian horse. And so she has accorded us this interview on her land, taking advantage of the winter break between the different stages of international competition.

 

Horses of the World : Marieta, you give the impression of directing everything and taking care of the smallest detail…giving from yourself without fail, letting nothing escape your control… that’s how you direct your stud farm. But… is there any time left for anything else ?

Marieta Salas : I only want to be able to take care of my horses and my garden !!... but unfortunately I have many other things which take up my time. I have to manage my father’s fortune, take care of my concerns, and also find time for my son. I got divorced in 2004, and I have no regrets, but that imposed on me the necessity to take on a supplementary load of work.

 

« We were champions of the United States right from the start…without even realising what it meant. Just by chance !! » Marieta Salas

 

Horses of the World : Today you are among the arabian horse breeders having won most prizes in the World. How did you find so much success ?

Marieta Salas : We began with Spanish pure-bred (P.R.E.). For my eighteenth birthday, my father bought a group of Spanish mares on the Peninsula. We took them to Palma. Then a friend asked my father to help her negociate the sale of her horses to a Dutch doctor. This man bought the horses, except for two which my father got for us. One of these two mares was by chance the mother of Abha Hamir. So we were champions of the United States right at the start without knowing , just by luck !! Our first big success was thus in 1973. And that was after breeding Arabian horses for only four or five years. But we were real novices.

 

Horses of the World : By their vocation for horse breeding, the domains of « Ses Planes » and « Ses Rotes » could not be desinterested in breeding the local bred « Caballo Mallorquín »… !?

Marieta Salas : When my father and I recovered the race we went over hill and vale to see what a « Majorcan horse » was like. Nobody really knew and besides they were in a wild and quite careless state. Now it is no longer the case. There are some very beautiful ones, both stallions and mares. I have had Majorcan mares of 1.60 metres high. But I bred them at my domain. My father also had up to three or four stallions and a dozen Majorcan mares. And I had two mares which I gave to my father’s stallions. You should know that at that time there were only three or four stallions which were « probably » Majorcan. I repeat : « probably » !! We created the breed and now its a beautiful horse.

But after saving this breed, I told myself that I coukldn’t go on with so many breeds : Majorcan, Spanish pure bred, Arabian pure bred, … so I decided to keep only my Arabians, those with whom I feel best.

 

Horses of the World : Spain has always been the cradle of several breeds of prestige… and if we consider the Arabian pure bred, what is it today from the quality point of view ?

Marieta Salas : If people listened to me, knowing that I have given more than 20 courses, (about 2 courses a year for ten years) and if people had listened to me there would be a lot of horses of better quality in Spain. But people nowaday look like if they had no time to learn.

Even with internet, even with magazines, even if today there are many more channels of information than before, people still don’t take the time to learn.

 

« For me to see my horses being born is like an artist who finally contemplates his finished work : it is the final expression of my work » Marieta Salas

 

Horses of the World : It is said that your enthusiasm goes so far as to attend all births of your foals…. Is it true ?

Marieta Salas : I have seen more than 800 foals born in my life, even myself asisting in the births. In fact, take a real pleasure seeing my horses born. Seeing them born is like an artist who can finally see his finished work. Whether it’s a sculpture or a painting… it is the moment when you see the final result. Sometimes there are better surprises than what you expected and sometimes, on the other hand, there are very bad surprises.

It is so true for me that to see my foals born is the most important moment, that I normally arrange my journeys as a function of my foals being born. In fact, I am only away during periods when no birth is expected. In the rare cases when I cannot be present, there is in any case one of my collaborators who will be there. It has been like this for forty years. Well before you spoke of « imprinting » and all these things, it was already clear to me : the horse who is born with somebody by his side is different from others.

 

Horses of the World : During the birth, do you see immediately this « little something » which one day will make the foal a champion ?

Marieta Salas : Yes, or rather, not the very evening of his birth, but the next morning, yes ! There are many things which can be observed. But it is logical that at the birth of a foal you cannot judge his legs or even the rump as if it is a rather big foal, very often he will have a very low rump. But I see that I recognise the insertion of the neck, the way of walking in the yard, the eyes, the head which must already be attractive. Later, it can improve with age but it must already be attractive at birth. I also recognise an « attitude », yes that can be seen at the birth !!

 

Horses of the World : Have you a secret to guess the crossings to make to produce a champion ?

Marieta Salas : It’s not easy to breed well. It is even very difficult !! Moreover, you need knowledge and luck. Especially knowledge, but also luck. Because you cannot obtain the same horses with the same crossings… and yet : the are the same mares and the same stallions !! They do not give me the same qualities. So they are not photocopies. Today you say : Oh, how marvellous ! I must repeat this. Then next year, it gives nothing. On the other hand, what you cannot have for good breeding is bad horses. That is impossible : bad…never ! Some are good, others exceptional.

 

« Money, Intuition and Patience…that’s what are needed for good breeding ! » Marieta Salas


Horses of the World : It’s already quite a few years that the Arab countries have been investing a lot of money in the Arabian pure bred. Has this had an influence on improving the breed ?

Marieta Salas : Since the Arab countries entered the market things have changed. It is indeniable that horses have more quality. Because people have made more effort and simply because more has been paid for the horses. It’s as simple as that. This has made the horses much more beautiful.

The Emirate of Qatar has invested a lot, but the Emirate of Ajman has also spent a lot of money. Another big spender is the Emirate of Dubai which has probably invested more than ten or fifteen millions euros in the last three years. This is a lot when you consider that Dubai can’t really afford to throw money away these days. However the results haven’t really been up to scratch. Ajman has had better results than Dubai.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is very very up and coming. Not only in « straight- Egyptians », which attract a lot of buyers and which are very expensive. Good « straight-Egyptians » horses are very very dear. Saudi Arabia is perhaps the country where there are most new breeders who appreciate the « straight-Egyptian » as much as the non-«straight-Egyptian ».

What is lacking in my opinion, and what is lacking today more thane ver are real connoisseurs. Let me explain : 25 years ago, perhaps the horse was less beautiful comparatively, even if there were already horses who seemed very beautiful to us. Today there is more quality but in my opinion this improvement is just luck. Because the great breeders have gone. I am speaking about breeders in general. In Europe there remain very few breeders of more than 3 mares. In America there were perhaps 50 or 100 without more than 20 mares when I was living in the United States. Now there must be about ten with more than 20 mares each in North America.

In South America…for example in Mexico there remain very few Arabian horses. In Argentina there are more and Argentina has also more breeders than in Europe. Of course if you consider the way of breeding, the extent of the land is much greater and it is a better climate. The economy also is more favourable. It’s the same in Bresil. Europe imports a lot of pure Arabian horses from Bresil, less from North America. The Arab countries also buy greatly from Bresil.

But from the ten breeders in North America who have more than 20 mares, there are two or three which are really competitive in Europe. The others as they have bred a very different type of horse which is more favoured in their country, do not wish to go back to a more Arabian type of horse, with a less long back, more harmonious and with more movement. If you have bred to obtain something, selecting to obtain a special type for 20 years, you don’t want to take the risk of adding something which destroy these years of selection… It is difficult to integrate a change in the second generation after years.

 

« Beauty is Harmony » Marieta Salas

 

Horses of the World : You give great importance to harmony in selecting horses for shows…

Marieta Salas : Why do I say «Beauty is Harmony » ? Because according to the defined type, it doesn’t matter whether the Arabian horse is a little bigger or smaller. It’s the same : it must be beautiful. It must be harmonious. Harmony in relation to its size, its legs, etc… Without harmony, there is no beauty.

It is not just because a horse has won a show that it is necessarily better. It may have won because the competition was not strong on that day, or simply because it was on a good day. To breed, you cannot trust one show. Everyone must be their own judge. Don’t let yourself be influenced because a horse has won five shows. It’s clear that if a horse has won five shows, the judges are not idiots, and you are in the presence of a good horse. But from there this good horse could pass on its qualities to its sons is another question. It’s there that pedigree comes into play.

There are people who breed just by looking at pedigree. That seems absurd to me !! Because all stallions…-and the case of El Perfecto is there to illustrate it, he who had also ordinary colts- can have bad colts. It is not enough to be a son of El Perfecto to necessarily be a good stallion, and it’s the same for all horses. In my opinion, the first thing to do is see the horse and only then lean on the pedigree.

 

 

In 2002, as a recent World Champion, Marwan Al Shaqab covered mares at Ses Planes, as an agreement between the Emir of Qatar and Marieta Salas. The resemblance between Marwan Al Shaqab and his son Abha Mahdi (of whom we can see a painting from the artist Carine Meunier) ist extraordinary.En In 2002, as a recent World Champion, Marwan Al Shaqab covered mares at Ses Planes, as an agreement between the Emir of Qatar and Marieta Salas. The resemblance between Marwan Al Shaqab and his son Abha Mahdi (of whom we can see a painting from the artist Carine Meunier) ist extraordinary.


 

« With Marwan Al Shaqab, I think I am the person who has had the luck to have the best colts» Marieta Salas

 

Horses of the World : If you had to give the name of an important stallion at the beginning of this century….

Marieta Salas : Without hesitation : Marwan Al Shaqab !! Yes. Then I would place WH Justice. After there are horses which have reproduced well, like Ghazal Al Shaqab. Then, on a different level, stallions who remain very good even if they haven’t reproduced phonomena : Besson Carol and some others both in the United States and Europe.

The stallion must be judged for what he reproduces and not just for his beauty and results in shows. It’s very good for a stallion to be beautiful, and that he has the greatest number of characteristics’ of the Arabian horse : fine eyes, harmonious neck, an excellent trunk, good legs, charisma, yes : charisma. That’s what he must at least give to his descendants !..just like he must transmit holding high the tail. If he doesn’t transmit these qualities, it is not a valid stallion.

 

Horses of the World : I was very impressed to see El Perfecto in his paddock. This stallion has a very impressive morphology and bone structure which, I am sure, are the indispensable basis for a stallion trace out valid descendants in his reproductive life and produce very correct horses.

Marieta Salas : Just « correct horses » are worth nothing for a show. They are good for breeding but not for competition where you nead exceptional horses or at least quite exceptional. Just « corretc » are not enough. On the other hand for good breeding « correct » horses can be enough.

What has El Perfecto given me exactly ? A good base so as to be able to , thanks also to the cross with Marwan Al Shaqab, produce exceptional subjects !! El Perfecto has not only good bone structure but other good qualities. Charisma, eyes….a special « touch of class ». It’s clear that if you have an Arabian horse of 1,60 m with very small legs, this is not beautiful. Even if, all the same, he will be resistant due to his steel tendons. But if it’s not good to see, if it is not harmonious, it is not the horse we are looking for.

 

 

El Perfecto, coming out of prestigious spanish lines of pure Arabian, is the King of Ses Planes. He appears here with Pedro Soto, the private trainer of Marieta Salas.El El Perfecto, coming out of prestigious spanish lines of pure Arabian, is the King of Ses Planes. He appears here with Pedro Soto, the private trainer of Marieta Salas.

 

 

Horses of the World : The United States and Europe… two very different visions of appreciation of show horses…

Marieta Salas : Now, the United States have changed a lot their way of noting horses. Until recently they did not give notes for movement in the United States. Now movement is given a note by judges. They would now like to select a bit for movement. But they still have as selection criterian the stationary posing of the horse for several minutes in front of the judges. To do this, it is necessary to take all impulsiveness from the horse but also all the personality. The ai mis thus to find a « happy medium » : you can’t breed horses which only have movement. Isn’t this because movement is something very subjective to judge. I myself have a very precise idea about movement, for I was a rider for many years. Those who haven’t been riders don’t have the such a precise idea about what movement should be. There are horses for example who trick the eye with the anterior while not engaging sufficiently with the posterior.

If you have experience with the sporting use of the horse, either in a harness or in the saddle, you can appreciate afterwards the movement of a horse, even a colt only two weeks old : even if he does not yet lift his tail to the vertical, he already engages his posterior. The way of walking says a lot about movement. It is in walking that you see the impulsion and it is not even necessary to trot the horse.

In Europe it is indispensable for a horse to have beautiful movement to go to a show. Let him be beautiful and let him have movement but especailly he must have movement !! He can even have a rather short neck, which will disturb less than having no personality, no movement or correct assurance for with these faults he has no chance in a show. If the horse lacks alertness, he will not get any show results, even if he is very beautiful. Also the type is very important.

 

 

Abha Salina, as a worthy grand-daughter of El Perfecto, is showing the movement which is requested today in the best international shows.Abha Abha Salina, as a worthy grand-daughter of El Perfecto, is showing the movement which is requested today in the best international shows.

 

 

What is the » type » exactly ? It is not just a beautiful head. The type is the fact that the horse really looks like an Arabian horse. It must emit from its being a special « presence ». It can happen that a horse has a head noted 20 and y type noted only 18 because he comes on the track like a sheep. This is not what you want. One of the characteristics of a pure arabian horse is precisely that he must have remarkable allure and movement.

In the United States, until recently, they did not give importance to movement. Now things have changed due to the market, as everybody prepares according to the market… !! So you give importance to movement. But it still remains very difficult to give the new characteristic of movement to descendants of horses which lack it. You can try to select by chosing a type of head, or a complete group of qualities as I myself try to do. Some people don’t reason like that : it’s enough for them to have a beautiful head, the rest doesn’t count for them. But in my opinion, that is not a good way of breeding. I repeat that this is my personal opinion… !!

A horse should look like an Arabian horse and have as few faults as possible which means that if the horse has no movement then it already has a rather important fault, and just because it is one of the principal characteristics of an Arabian pure bred to have movement and charisma…. If it has a beautiful head but no movement it lacks fifty per cent.

 

« It’s when horses are happiest that they give the best of themselves » Marieta Salas

 

I am convinced of this !! If you leave your horse locked between four walls, he gets bored… That’s why when you see horses kept in their trainers’ boxes and presented each month in competitions they do not give their best performances. Horses are intelligent. But Arabian horses are much more intelligent than other horses. I can say that to go to the Molino for example an Arabian horse learns all the subtleties of the movements in one day. A pure spanish bred needs three or four days.

 

Horses of the World : Which are the two or three best « straight- Egyptian » stallion on the market today ?

Marieta Salas : I haven’t the least idea. Even Marwan Al Shaqab is not « staight- Egyptian ». He is American, which means that he can be perhaps a bit Egyptian and a bit Polish… That’s the « American bred ». with a lot of mixing of blood. The grandfather of Marwan was « straight-Egyptian » and his grandmother was « American bred » but with more Polish blood.

What is « American bred » ? These are horses which were exported to America 150 years ago. Some of them were « straight-Egyptians », others were Polish and they mixed their bloods. In America almost all studs are « American bred ». There are studs which are based on « El Shaklan » who was a stallion 50 per cent Spanish-Arabian, and 50 per cent « staight-Egyptian ». It is this cross that is called « golden cross » !!

 

Horses of the World : If I take from you 10 mares (that I chose myself) and I let you chose 10 other mares to replace them in the same country… where would you chose them ?

Marieta Salas : As I told you, my mares would not win international championships, but they are mares who produce horses that have won international championships. Even if it is true that I no longer walk in Spain, visiting studs as I used to do every year in the past with my father, I must say that at that time there were some very good horses. Today there are still descendants who are worth using for breeding.

But having said that, I would not choose just one country. I know breeding-lines whom I really like but there are all kinds. There are horses who have reproduced well, but also left bad subjects. In fact, I would go to the States on certain stud farms, but not all. I could also go to Argentina or Brazil on certain stud farms. Could go everywhere in certain chosen places. I could go everywhere in the world. Even to the Arab countries, because breeders invested 15 years ago sot hey must really have something good now… !! But really, I could not say to which country in particular I would go. Italy, who, fifteen years ago had practically no good pure Arabian horses, has invested a lot since.

 

« The Polish do not teach us anything. But they are the real Masters » Marieta Salas

 

Marieta Salas : I like Polish horses. But I am afraid of using them for breeding. Why is that ? Because it’s true that the Polish, as I have said several times, breed 10, 15, or 20 good horses every year. But they have 700 mares to select from. As this is not the case for me, or any other breeder, to imitate them would be complicated. The people who have bought Polish horses, in America for example, have never had the same results as those obtained by the Polish. Far from it !! In fact, the Polish have learnt by themselves and they don’t want to teach anybody else. They are the true Masters !!

I don’t believe so much in an « art of breeding » because when you have 500 or 600 mares and you can allow yourself to give 80 mares to one stallion, if you don’t manage to produce 3 or 4 excellent horses every year, you really haven’t got the gift !! Because you must know that in Europe there is not one breeder of pure Arabians who is able to give 80 mares to one stallion. So it is an enormous advantage for the Polish. Ghazal is a solid example of this. Whatever it is, breeding with a well-defined programme is not easy. Just as it is not easy to breed with only 20 mares. But I don’t want any more. It’s enough. I have a magnificent domain, but don’t wish any more staff or costs.

Horses of the World : If you had to give to the same renowned stallion a group of 10 mares, all with important titles or another group of 80 mares who had never competed and neither their mothers, but who would come from exceptional blood-lines, which choice would you make ?

Marieta Salas : Neither, I think that with 10 mares of good pedigree you can create a fantastic stud in ten years. And even perhaps in less time than that. But you must take the time to study or else trust someone. Having said that, with mares at 2000 euros I do not think that you can do anything. It would be a miracle !!

When you have well presented horses and, as is my case, you have the possibility of having well organised stable and enough money to sponsorise it, the results will come one day. Even if I must admit that I have lost a lot of money horses. I was losing money until four or five years ago.

 

 

Abha Qatar, the Triple Crown Champion 2009 when the World Championship in Paris the same year. Behind Marieta Salas who is stroking the horse she bred, Antonia Salom, precious assistant at Ses Planes. By the side of Philipp Looyens, handler and trainer, the owner ofAbha Qatar, H.R.H. Prince Abdullah bin Fahd Al Saud posing together with his team from Saudi Arabia.Abha Abha Qatar, the Triple Crown Champion 2009 when the World Championship in Paris the same year. Behind Marieta Salas who is stroking the horse she bred, Antonia Salom, precious assistant at Ses Planes. By the side of Philipp Looyens, handler and trainer, the owner of Abha Qatar, H.R.H. Prince Abdullah bin Fahd Al Saud posing together with his team from Saudi Arabia.

 

« People come to me to buy horses because they know that with me they have a real chance of success in the best shows » Marieta Salas

 

Horses of the World : At auctions or directly, do breeders sell their best horses ?

Marieta Salas : I have sold fantastic horses and created a reputation. Of course it’s hard to sell your best horses.

 

Horses of the World : But you have always kept horses of same family as those you sell.. !?

Marieta Salas : Yes, I admit. But I ‘m not saying they are as beautiful as the ones I sell. I always hope they will produce others as beautiful. But it is always necessary to sell as that’s how you get publicity. I have made great sacrifices but got good publicity. And now people come to me to buy horses because they know that with me they have a real chance of success in the best shows.

If I sistematically kept the best it would not please the clientelle. Having said that, you must keep a balance. If you sell all your best products what will happen ? I would have to start from scratch each time and if it’s taken 40 years to get there…now I would be able to get there more quickly because before all the results came by luck. Pure luck !!

 

« Wanting to start breeding with horses at 3000 Euro, without pedigree, is certain failure !! » Marieta Salas

 

Horses of the World : What advice could you give to someone who would like to start breeding pure Arabian horses and…be successful as soon as possible ?

Marieta Salas : You must learn about pedigrees so you know successful descendants. Of course at the beginning you must know about horses as animals. The basics as well as particularities : what is an pure Arabian horse ? If you want to breed bull-dogs, you must know what it is. Also particularities of the race, what are their essential and dominant characteristics, where do they come from ?

Firstly you must learn, but some people can never learn. To be a breeder you must have « little touch ». With a computer you can learn, but not everything. Why learn successful pedigrees ? We can see the example of Marwan Al Shaqab : today it is easy to find a good son of Marwan Al Shaqab on the internet. Before you had to go and see them on the farm. You can spend five or six days at home reviewing the sons and you can select based on resuts. Then you must look at the mares. What have mares in common ? This can take a week.

It’s true that an unexceptional horse can win a show. But if he starts with a Champion Title, and then at second show, be Reserve-Champion, it is a good horse, because judges are not idiots. Some give more importance to one thing than another. But if the horse is always among the winners you think it is a good horse. Afterwards you must do research to find where it comes from. Then you must learn the « eye ». When I was twenty for example I never looked at the legs. Then you study them so much that if the fault is minimal you pay no attention to it. It’s the same for humans : if you walk in a very unbalanced way it can be seen and it is a clear fault. But if it is not a terrible fault and the horse is harmonious, you should not concentrate on each leg. It can have perfect legs, but if it does not look like a pure Arabian, what use is it ? The first thing is that it possesses the type of its breed. After try to get the best possible.

And now, let us go and see the mares because i twill soon be dark. I will put on a pullover because it will soon be chilly. We’ll do a tour of the mares in the car… It’s already twenty to five.

 

 

Jamil Boukarabila, who has held the interview with Marieta Salas, is very happy to standing in front of the statue of Abha Hamir, founder of the Stud and have his fotograph taken.Jamil Jamil Boukarabila, who has held the interview with Marieta Salas, is very happy to standing in front of the statue of Abha Hamir, founder of the Stud and have his fotograph taken.

 

 

The winter days are short in Majorca and the mistress of the domain does not want to miss checking that the mares do not need anything, and also enjoying a peaceful sunset. That is Marieta Salas, completely dedicated to horses with her enthusiasm and expert knowledge. As long as she lives at « Ses Planes », this little corner of paradise will exist for pure Arabian horses.

THE END

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