By Jean Llewellyn
Photography: ANAA; Peter Llewellyn; FEI/PSV; FEI/Benjamin Clark

In September 2009, when Breeding News for Sport Horses was still printing monthly editions, we published a special supplement on behalf of ANAA (Association Nationale de l’Anglo-Arabe). Of concern to AA fans over the years has been retaining the bloodline purity.

An organization that has been working to preserve the Anglo Arab breed is Génétiqu’Anglo. Located in the heart of the Southwest of France, in Nérac, Lot-et-Garonne, Génétiqu’Anglo is a collective breeding facility established in 2015 after the closure of the National Stud Farms. [Although ANAA continues for the annual registration of foals, any statistics on their website only reference up to 2016.]
According to the Génétiqu’Anglo website, the organization serves breeders and offers “a selection of over 30 stallions, some of which have competed on the finest showjumping and eventing grounds in the world. During the breeding season, our stallions are stationed throughout France, and some far beyond our borders. Our wide selection of stallions, licensed for breeding in Anglo-Arab and/or Selle Français, will undoubtedly help you find the ideal stallion for your mare.”
Aurélien Lafargue, the founder of Génétiqu’Anglo, is himself a French former international eventing rider, so has a wealth of knowledge of the Anglo Arab stallions his organization represents.

History: A breed created for excellence

Although the breed itself was created in 1860, the first test crossings were realized from the 18th century onwards. Gradually, its impact in the French cavalry was accentuated, but there has always been competition from other breeds and this is the demographic that plays against it today. Yet its sporting and aesthetic qualities are always in line with the search for the modern sport horse.
As its name suggests, the Anglo-Arab is formed by crossing an Arabian horse and an English Thoroughbred. Starting in 1750, the Prince of Lambecs, located near the Haras du Pin, produced crossings between English broodmares and an Arab stallion. The objective was to combine the qualities of both these prestigious breeds in order to create an excellent saddle horse. From 1814, the products from this crossing were relocated to Rosières aux Salines and Pompadour, but the influence of the Thoroughbred stopped for a time because of war and the Empire...

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