*Khadraj NA
(*Ponomarev x Khatreena NA)
1991-2019
by Cindy Reich
*Khadraj NA (*Ponomarev x Khatreena NA), bred by Nagib Audi of Brazil, passed away at the age of 28 in October at Jerland Arabians, where he had lived for the last 12 years of his life.\
He appeared destined for greatness when he was named National Champion Foal at Side in Brazil before he was weaned and went on several years later to be name National Champion Junior Colt in Brazil. Purchased by Rose Taylor in 1995, he continued his winning ways in halter. However, at the age of 10, he started a performance career as a western pleasure horse. In 2003, he was named Canadian National Champion Western Pleasure horse with Greg Harris and Canadian National Champion Western Pleasure AOTR horse with Devon Benbrook. As if that wasn’t enough, at the same show, six *Khadraj NA offspring went Top Ten in performance, with a son, Kharaktor (x SH Sharifa) winning the Canadian National Champion Junior Western Horse title.
*Khadraj NA was proving himself to be the “complete” horse. In all ways — as a halter horse, as a performance horse, and as a sire. Therefore it was no surprise when breeder Larry Jerome bought *Khadraj NA into his Jerland breeding program. Larry believes that his animals, whether they be Holstein cows, German Shepherd dogs, or canaries, be as functional as they were beautiful. *Khadraj NA was fulfilled all of those requirements, but it was as a sire that he became legendary. His offspring have won in western, reining, hunter over fences, hunter under saddle, halter, dressage and sport horse classes.
*Khadraj has 477 registered progeny in the U.S., many of them recognizable by their sire’s gorgeous chestnut coat and beautiful big eyes. Among a few notable offspring are Abracadraja (x Artemisia Bey), Garth MH (x Dancing Gdynia), Kharismatic PGA (x Aphrodite FA), Khash PGA (x RA Kela), Khontroversy PGA (x Enfenee), Possesion PGA (x RA Po Okela), RA Lanai (x Sablefire) and RA Monaco (x Roze of Shah).
At this year’s U.S. National Championship show, a beautiful tribute video was shown, honoring *Khadraj NA. Then, in fairytale fashion, the first horse called into the ring was Kola J (Khaja J x Jer-Koko), a grandson of *Khadraj NA who was pinned National Champion, ridden by Stanley White lll. *Khadraj NA is the all-time leading sire of western pleasure horses, and his legacy is continuing into the second generation.
