SANDARAC SANPIPER 60692 (Shalimar Tarde x Mitseeah by Orbit out of Shalimar Colleen) with Mrs. Rooker aboard.

Robbins: Since this issue of the Crabbet Influence is dedicated to the problems of CID, what are your opinions on this problem?

Munson: I feel that CID is a significant problem in the Arabian breed today, which is why I have a closed herd and don't risk breeding to outside stallions. I have never produced a CID foal in my inbred *Raffles horses, but I have had CID as a result of breeding to other stallions. I feel that the public absolutely has to be made aware of which horses are known CID carriers. It has to be done. But it would be a mistake to jump to any conclusions about these horses until one studies their pedigrees.

Robbins: How do you feel about the Registry's requirement to blood type all mares at $65, and the $100 registration fee for new foals?

Munson: I think it is ridiculous. None of us would complain if the blood typing was done at cost, but for an organization like the Registry to charge two to three times the cost of the service to pay for their Taj Mahal is a bunch of malarky. I have no problem with a good home for the Registry, but not at a tremendous cost to the small breeder.

Robbins: Bill, do you feel the IAHA does a competent job of promoting the breed, or do you feel their financial problems of the last decade have rendered them ineffective?

Munson: I think it has been about a break even effort - they've probably done about as much good as damage to the breed. IAHA lost it's effectiveness when it was taken from the hands of the horsemen and small breeders and given to a bunch of politicians and businessman who have lost contact with the problems of the average Arabian horse breeder.

Robbins: How do you feel about the newly created position of Judges Commissioner?

Munson: I think it's a fine idea, but who in the hell is going to pay for it? I recently received a premium from the Sioux Falls, S. D., show. On the premium list the fee was $50 for halter and performance classes, $70 for box stalls, $20 for an off ice fee, $10 for the IAHA Commissioner, and $5 for miscellaneous (drug testing). That's $40 per horse for nonsense charges. I don't know how the average breeder can afford to show. IAHA has just about priced the average exhibitor right out of the show market. People here are getting rid of Arabs in order to show Quarter Horses because the costs of registering and showing are a lot less expensive. I fear for the grass roots breeders; who is going to raise the gelding for endurance riding, racing, and family pleasure riding? It's almost as if we need two different breed registries - one for the rich investors and another for the everyday breeder/owner.

Robbins: Why did you give up judging in 1988?

Munson: Because I thought as a young man, 'Why don't those old people give up judging when they can't even see what's going on in a class? In 1988 I lost track of a horse in a large English Pleasure Class at a Minnesota show and decided that I was in danger of becoming one of those judges that I had complained about when I was younger.

Robbins: What type of a job do you feel judges are doing today?

Munson: I feel the young people are doing a very conscientious job of judging today, except for paying attention to tail carriage. There aren't enough horses being shown today with good, natural tail carriage. They're doing as good a job judging conformation as we did thirty years ago, it's just that they are judging to a different breed standard which is closer to the Saddle bred than the classic Arabian.

Robbins: Bill, you've judged a lot of great horses over the years. Which were some of the best mares you ever judged?

Munson: The best mare I ever saw or judged was Cassandra (*Raffles x Rodetta). I saw her first at Selby's in 1949 as a three year old when she in for breeding. She personified to me everything an Arabian mare should be. The next time I was similarly attracted to a mare was when I saw Rose of Raswan at Alice Payne's. The best mare class I ever judged was the Pacific Coast Championship Mare class in the early 1950s. I had to decide between Cassandra (who had just weaned a foal and was thin), and Fersara (Ferneyn x Bint Sahara) who was in top shape and looked beautiful. I had to give the class to Fersara because she was a better mare in that cfass, but I left the ring and cried because I knew that Cassandra was the better mare.
Among my other all-time favorites would be Leland Mekeel's gorgeous chestnut mare Ghazna (Chepe-Noyon x Ginnyya); Islama (Islam x Nahshan), a lovely bay mare owned by Ross Peterson; The Cedardell mares Lallegra (Imaraff x Bint Abu) and Imarfa (Imaraff x Marifa), two of the finest mares ever bred; Henry Babson's great Fa-Ghagaha (*Fadl x *Bint Serra 1); and the John Rogers *Serafix mares were a wonderful bunch.

Robbins: What about stallions?

Munson: El Nattall (Alla Amarward x Natta). Alice Payne almost disowned me for liking that horse. Raffon (Gazon x Vadraff) would be near the top of my list; Khemosabi (Amerigo x Jurneeka); El Hadiyi (*Ansata Ibn Halima x *Sammara); Halin (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Bel Lindah), I loved that horse; Classy McCoy (The Real McCoy x Sahara Star); and El Raffon (Raff on x El Louisa).

Robbins: Who in your opinion had the best broodmare bands during the 1950s and 60s?

Munson: In no particular order: Alice Payne (Asil Arabians); Margaret Shuey (Sunny Acres); Bazy Tankersley (AlMarah); Henry Babson (Babson's Arabian Farm); Dan Gainey (Gainey Fountainhead Arabians); R.B. Fields (Bent River Ranch); Frank McCoy (McCoy's Arabians); Garth Buchanan (Comar); Tish Hewitt (Friendship Farms); Warren Buckley (Cedardell Farms), and myself.

Robbins: Bill, which of your own horses were your favorites?

Munson: Garaff. He did a great job for us as a broodmare sire and was a good performance horse in his day. Orbit was real important to us, he was a wonderful sire and surprisingly was a good halter horse with smooth natural action. Collette was the greatest horse I ever put a saddle on. If I'd only been able to own one horse in my life I would have wanted it to be Collette. At Shalimar today two of the best fillies on the place go back to her. I couldn't have asked for abetter riding mare or abetter producer than Collette.
Rose of Raswan was the best show mare I ever owned. She was only beaten once or twice in her whole show career. By the time she was five or six years old Alice Payne got so tired of hearing me tell that she was the best mare in the world that she flew into Illinois to see for herself. Now Alice had a way of standing with her hand on her hips, her feet spread apart and she would memorize every hair on a horse. So there Alice stood, hands on hips, looking at Rose. She completely circled the mare, stopping every couple of feet, and when she got to the other side she looked at me and said, "Bill, you're?right, she's the best mare in the world."

Robbins: What horses do you wish you hadn't sold?

Munson: Sunny Acres Tequila and his son Shalimar Teke. At the time I sold those horses I wasn't much interested in using Polish breeding (Tequila was out of the early Polish import *Aeniza) but looking back on it I realize that *Aeniza was probably one of the finest mares ever brought into this country. I also regret selling Ylla who turned out to be a wonderful producer for Al Ehnle.

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