Avonbrook Stud - Stallions

Marcus Aurelius is predominantly Crabbet Arabian with Davenport lines through his grandsire Ben Rabba. Through Ben Rabba he is also in direct male descent from Nasik - an important Crabbet line that was lost in the UK until the lease of Ben Rabba by Beatrice Paine for the 1979 and 1980 breeding seasons. Marcus bears a strong resemblence to his sire Aurelian and his grandsire Ben Rabba.

Marcus has been with me from the age of 18 months and lives cheerfully with and alongside mares, colts and geldings.  His easy relaxed temperament has made him a joy to have around and he has passed this on to all three youngsters I have by him.

2008 was the first year that I have been in the position to ask any real questions of Marcus and he really performed.  He was shown under saddle on 3 occasions and achieved:

• 1st Restricted Ridden Purebred Arabians Midlands AHS Festival 2008
• 1st Novice Ridden Stallions and Novice Ridden Champion N Staffs AHS Summer “C” Show 2008 (beating several horses who were at the Horse of the Year show in 2009, including OAS Vendetta who went on to be Reserve ridden gelding and Reserve overall ridden champion).
• 2nd Restricted Ridden Purebred AHS National Show 2008

Marcus is ½ brother through Aurelian to Istfahan, gold medal winning racehorse and sire of Al Shahrani, runner up in the 2008 HOYS ridden geldings to the eventual HOYS ridden champion.  He is also sire of the partbred colt foal Avonbrook Silver Augury who took the partbred/anglo championship and the supreme champion light horse title at the 2008 British National Foal of the Year Show.

The main focus for 2008 was the NaStA performance test over 2 days in August.  Marcus was successful in this, showing his abilities in Novice level dressage, pre-novice level cross country and showjumping in addition to loosejumping, in hand presentation, vettings and assessor’s ride.  His cross country round drew particular compliments from all three assessors.

Three days after the NaStA testing, Marcus took me round a Sport Endurance organised pleasure ride at the Jacques and spent the afternoon standing quietly in an electric fenced corral watching the comings and goings at the venue. 

In 2009 Marcus combined his stud duties with consolidating his jumping and dressage. He is now competing at Novice level dressage and easily showjumping 105cm tracks. He is also thoroughly enjoying his cross-country schooling. Marcus and I enjoyed the SE Catton Park ride riding as a group with two friends on their geldings and my two young daughters on their pony mares. As always, Marcus behaved impeccably.

Marcus has started eventing at Intro level and was 9th in his first unaffiliated outing in September 2009. Unfortunately his rider's ill-health has prevented the planned preparations for the 2010 eventing season. Instead he has made a return to the ridden showring in the very capable hands of Kirsty Brown.

They have enjoyed great success in top class company so far in 2010:

• 1st Open Ridden Stallions and Open Ridden Champion North Staffs Spring Show, where he also qualified for the British Arabian Championships
• 2nd Open Ridden Stallions North West Arabian Summer Show
• 2nd Open Ridden Stallions The Classic Horse Show
• 1st Open Ridden Stallions Northern Arabian "C" Show, where he also took one of the 15 tickets available to ridden Arabian stallions for the Horse of the Year Show at the NEC, Birmingham in October 2010.

The long term plan remains to take Marcus up through the distances in endurance - as his other commitments (and mine!) allow.  Marcus’ grandsire Ben Rabba was one of the World’s best known endurance performers and sires and appears in the pedigrees of many top US endurance horses today.  Fiesta Magica is dam to Imagine and Magica’s Minstrel, both advanced endurance horses in the UK.

His fees remain at £600 to pure bred arab mares and £400 to others for the 2010 season.