By Arabian Horse World
As featured in the Summer 2024 issue of Arabian Horse World
He was in a stall at the back of Aljassimya’s California farm, where the breeding stallions lived. He wasn’t on the presentation list that day and was casually eating his hay when Morgan and Ryan Moore first saw him. His dapples resembled the pattern of a leopard’s coat; the picture was striking, but his dark eyes, impressive substance, and length of neck caught Morgan’s attention. “I was mesmerized by his excellent type and balance. He embodied the things I love most about the aesthetic of an Arabian horse. He was engaging, curious, beckoning us to say ‘hi,'” said Morgan. Of course, He wasn’t for sale.
Arslan Aljassimya and Morgan Moore
“I always settle on horses that are unattainable. No one wants to part with the great ones, but I hoped there would be an opportunity to acquire or breed to him in the future.” Morgan learned his name was Arslan Aljassimya. His sire is Gold World Champion *Equator PASB (QR Marc x Ekliptyka), and his dam is the ethereal Silver World Champion Junior Mare OmEl Aisha Aljassimya (WH Justice x Om El Aliha). Almost two years after that first visit, Morgan stumbled across a photo of him on Facebook, just a headshot of the stallion at a training arena at JT Keller’s facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. She instantly knew it was him. She contacted JT and learned he was available. After some negotiation (and the nod from their trainer, Josh Quintus), she was able to bring him home. “I knew he had the potential to serve as a critical next step in our breeding program, but I also knew he would be an excellent show horse. He was one of the largest investments we had made up to that point, but there was little hesitation. He was the horse for us.” He also delivered in the ring, earning a unanimous US National Championship, Mid-Summer National Championship, Scottsdale Reserve Championship, and multiple Regional Championships within his first two years of showing in Halter and Western Pleasure.
Morgan and Ryan Moore own MLM Arabians, a boutique Valley View, Texas-based breeding program producing 2-5 thoughtfully bred Arabian foals annually. They focus on producing Halter and Western prospects, but the athletes they produce have found success in many disciplines. Horses from their program have excelled and earned national accolades or equivalent accomplishments in Halter, Western Pleasure, Endurance, Jumping, Hunter Pleasure, Sport Horse (including the only Supreme National Champion Purebred Mare), Trail, and Dressage. These horses have found homes all over the US but also now reside in more than a dozen countries.
I want to breed horses that are easy to love. Yes, they need beautiful, athletic, trainable individuals- but more than that, I want to breed horses that draw in and connect with their human counterparts. I want to breed horses that inspire you to dream.
Morgan
Celoso MLM
(Arslan Aljassimya x Aria Tresor)
Their program began with the inspiration of Morgan’s first Arabian horse, who entered her life when she was 13. RB Cavalier++ was a black stallion of primarily Babson heritage who won in Western Pleasure, Halter, Sport Horse, Dressage, and Trail with Morgan during their 20 years together. “He inspired me to become a breeder. I wanted to create opportunities for others to enjoy Arabian horses in the capacity that I enjoyed Cavalier. He was my partner in the show ring, but he was also my confidant and supported me through many of my life’s biggest milestones. He was incredibly people-oriented and empathetic and was an ambassador to new riders of all ages throughout his life. He helped people discover joy in interacting with horses.”
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With this as the central mission, Ryan and Morgan’s vision evolved to perpetuate, inclusive of temperament, other elements they found critical to an excellent Arabian horse: large eyes, excellent carriage, movement, substance, and athleticism.Â
Following the guidance of many successful breeders, they executed a simple strategy in formulating their program: build a strong base of mares from proven dam lines, continue to invest in embryos from National Champion individuals, and perpetually search for complementary stallions to weave into the program.Â
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“I firmly believe that dam lines are the leading indicator of the direction a mare will produce. I don’t necessarily focus on the show wins of those mares, but I like to look at the generational production of a mare line when selecting an individual to incorporate into our program. I want to ensure that mare’s pedigree has consistently propagated the elements I hope she will bring to our program.”
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Their approach to stallions, however, differs slightly: “We like to use a blend of proven sires and emerging young horses with pedigrees we believe in and phenotypes that represent those pedigrees well. As small breeders, we painstakingly select each pairing, hoping to bring our program forward and breed the next generation. We aren’t afraid to take risks on horses we believe in.” Those “risks” in most recent years have included World Champion EKS Farajj, Elle Mustique, AJ Radman, Dominic M, and Rhan Al Shahania in their first years available to the US public. “We were the first ones to import semen from EKS Farajj to the US. We worked with a small collective of breeders and imported enough semen for ten breeding rights. The community aspect of our industry has allowed us to expand our reach to incorporate horses that might have otherwise been unavailable to us. We constantly look for horses we feel fit our vision and goals.”
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Arslan Aljassimya and Morgan Moore
Enter Arslan, whom Morgan and Ryan affectionately call “Leo.” “We weren’t necessarily looking for a stallion when we met him, but he was one of those horses that left an indelible mark on my memory. He was a horse whose impression lingered long after I first saw him. To be able to purchase him was a dream, but then we had to wait to see if he would fulfill his potential as a sire. We are lucky to work with a trainer, Josh Quintus, whose vision of Leo’s potential aligned with ours, which has made the journey all the more fun.”
His trainability and saddle adaptability also excelled beyond what they had hoped. “He was reliable, quick to learn, and eager to please from the first day. He nickers hello to people he knows every time they enter the barn. He relishes connection, which makes ‘adventures’ with him in the show ring or outside of the ring all the more fun.” In terms of outside-the-ring activities, Morgan and Ryan always aim to push the limits to show Leo’s incredible temperament to the world. They have taken Leo to some wild photoshoots with April Visel, including, most recently, one in a historic mill where Leo stood in the center of the factory building (having to enter through a narrow, human door and pause on precarious, original hardwoods) and later was asked to stand still with lights, bridleless and bareback in a courtyard. “He takes it all in stride. He never says no if he understands the ask. He loves being with people and is always happy to journey with us into unexpected places.”
In terms of breeding potential, Morgan and Ryan saw potential in Leo’s individual attributes and the depth of his pedigree. Beyond his generational World Champion sire line, his dam line is rich with influential individuals. The bottom line of his pedigree traces through Om El Shaina, one of the most influential matriarchs from the Om El Arabians program whose descendants include Om El Shahmaan, Om El Sinon, Om El Erodite, and Sahm El Arab.
Paramour MLM
Tryst MLM
Tryst MLM
Leo sired seven foals in his first foal crop, including three for MLM Arabians: “We selected two National Champion mares and a national winning mare from our legacy breeding program for Leo. The results have surpassed our expectations, not just for us but also for the breeders who entrusted their mares to him. The foals are balanced, charismatic, exude Arabian type, and exhibit their sire’s incredibly affable disposition. We would have been happy with one great foal, but we are excited that Arslan has supercharged our show string for 2025. This foal crop is extremely timely since we have parted with some of our top show horses in the past 12 months to allow them to contribute to other breeding programs and win for other exhibitors.” One of the horses they parted with is the 2024 Signature Stallion Futurity Western Pleasure Champion Lothario MLM, who will compete at this year’s Arabian Western Pleasure Association $100,000 futurity. “Selling Rio was not a decision we entered into lightly, but Ryan and I are always excited to watch new owners enjoy the horses from our program. We breed them to share them. Sometimes, that means parting with our best. He is in excellent hands with the Larson family and receiving trainer Colby Powell. We will be wishing him roses in October.”
We are optimistic the Arslan Aljassimya foals will be excellent next-generation representatives of our program.” One of the foals is a black-going-gray colt out of the exceptional show horse Aria Tresor (Conquest BR x RH Triana), who captured numerous titles during her show career, including US National Champion Futurity filly, Gold Champion World Cup Junior Mare, and Silver Champion Scottsdale Junior mare. “Tresor has become a central part of our program.” Morgan’s brother and sister-in-law own Tresor and have produced two embryos for MLM Arabians, including the World Cup Silver Champion Futurity Filly Tesora MLM by Rhan Al Shahania (now co-owned with ISRA Arabians) and Celoso MLM; this year’s Arslan Aljassimya colt. “Oso, as we call him, is smooth and balanced. He has the incredible poll from his dam, but length of neck and powerful shoulder from his sire. He is bold and friendly, with large eyes and a beautiful face. His pedigree is a fascinating blend from a performance perspective. Still, we are excited to debut him in the halter ring first.”
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Another promising prospect is the beautiful Tryst MLM out of multi-National champion Bashayer Albidayer (SMA Magic One x PA Penelope), whose maternal granddam is World Champion Pinga. “Tryst is feminine, ultra-refined with the dark, large eyes of her sire and impeccable carriage. She can move and has arguably the most beautiful face of all of the 2024 foals on the farm.”
In addition to their Arslan Aljassimya foals, MLM Arabians welcomed an exceptional filly by EKS Farajj and their first Half-Arabian English Prospect (owned in partnership with Josh Quintus). “Next year, we expect foals by AJ Radman, Elle Mustique, Arslan Aljassimya, and our National Champion Friesian Stallion Fonzie S.A. Ster AA.”
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“We are also incredibly excited about our exotic, gray, 2023 EKS Farajj daughter Valkyrie MLM. We are waiting for the right time for her to make her debut, but her beauty is remarkably unique. We expect she will blend well with Arslan for successive generations.” Valkyrie MLM is out of Reserve National Champion MD Athena (Truest x *Anastasiaa). Notable winners from this dam line include MD Hibat Allah, Baz Aljassimya, MD Mirka, and Maayer Aljassimya.Â
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Morgan and Ryan plan to exhibit Arslan Aljassimya at Mid-Summer Nationals and US Nationals this year in Western Pleasure: both in the open with Josh Quintus and amateur divisions with Morgan. They will also continue to offer him at public stud to astute breeders looking for an outcross for more dominant, modern western lines. “He offers an excellent complement to Versace, Khadraj NA, and Sundance Kid V mares,” said Morgan.Â
They are eager for 2025 when they plan for the first Arslan Aljassimya foals to make their debut in the Halter ring. “Many of the mare owners plan to show their foals next year. We do plan on presenting our foals at some of the major venues. We believe these foals have the quality of type and carriage to make an impact in the halter ring.”
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However, when she imagines a future with Leo, her vision is broader than the next few seasons, exhibiting him as a show horse. “Truthfully, I’m most looking forward to the day we bring Leo home to enjoy him. What he has done for us would already be enough, but his journey is still unfolding as a show horse and sire. In the long term, I imagine doing the things I love most with horses: riding him bareback, galloping down trails, hugging him goodnight. My favorite moments with horses will always be the quiet ones, and there is no horse I enjoy those moments more with than Leo.”
