Carleton Cummings holding the weanlings
Antezeyn Skowronek and Abu
Farwa's Rawia, both by Abu Farwa. Rawia,
called by Cummings "the Queen of Diamonds" for her three
diamond star, strip and snip, carried two generations of
children to show ring victories, the last at age 17 when
she was named champion mare of the Pacific National Exposition
in Vancouver, B.C., shown by an eight-year-old boy.
Like many kids looking for their first
Arabian horse in the 1950's and early 1960's -- kids perhaps from
less than affluent families and looking to make their dreams of
owning an Arabian horse come true -- I first heard of Carleton Cummings
after reading about his Skyline Trust Arabians. An article by H.
H. Reese stated that Cummings had "developed his Arabian horse
breeding program with the purpose of assisting boys and girls who
like horses to secure good specimens of the breed on a partnership
basis." Reese's article described Cummings's "lend lease" program
whereby youngsters could lease a mare, breed her and then, after
the birth of the foal, return either the mare or the foal. To an
imaginative 11-year-old, this sounded like just the ticket. I wrote
a letter to Cummings. Having read H.H. Reese's Kellogg Arabians
a hundred times, I had pictured in my mind's eye the Arabian horse
I wanted to own. I described this horse to Cummings in the first
letter. Cummings replied with a post card. He stated he had about
2500 letters on his desk from youngsters across the country. If
I was still interested, I was to write him again. I wrote Cummings
that very day and so began a correspondence of some two years which
culminated in buying half interest in a weanling colt, Skowronek's
Antez, with my own savings in 1962. Cummings wrote the following
spring that "few breeders ever get colts of this quality and
even fewer ever offer them for sale." Nevertheless, he was giving
me the opportunity to buy out his interest in the now yearling colt.
I took Cummings up on his offer. It was a purchase I was never to
regret. Within a few weeks Cummings died of a heart attack.
Skowronek's Antez (Antzeyn Skowronek x Raseynette).
The author's first Arabian and a wonderful companion
for 28 years.
He also proved a fine sire.
Cummings's background outside the sphere
of Arabian horses was in music. He had been an operatic tenor of
some notoriety in the east. He later turned to teaching as professor
of music at Wake Forest College and later as the head of the music
department at the University of Idaho. Cummings's wife, Theresa,
had been a drama major in college where they met. After their marriage
and graduation, they traveled to Army posts doing music and drama
presentations during World War I.
Cummings's background in music and theatre
suited a personality that tended toward the theatrical, and a soul
that was flamed by the same qualities in Arabian horses. His love
for the dramatic carried over to the horses he purchased and bred
and the ways he talked about them. However, his flowery descriptions
were no means an exaggeration of the splendid group of horses he
assembled.
His initial purchased in 1945 was the
four-year-old Kellogg-bred Direyn (*Raseyn x Ferdirah). Cummings
rode in a boxcar with Direyn the entire trip from Pomona, California
to Moscow, Idaho. Cummings was to become part of "the Reese circle
of breeders." Reese, having left the Kellogg Ranch as manager
by then, and with a ranch of his own, continued in an influential
role in the early Arabian horse community. Cummings's later purchases
were from Reese himself, from that circle of cooperative breeders
like the McKenna brothers, and from the Kellogg Ranch. Cummings's
notable purchase outside this circle was Rifala's Lami (Geym x Maatiga,
by Image) from Roger Selby in 1954. She was to become one of his
most influential foundation mares.
Rifala's Lami (Geym x Maatiga, by Image).
Roger Selby wrote Cummings that she was as good a filly
as he had ever bred.
In 1949, Cummings purchased the weanling
Abu Farwa son Antezeyn Skowronek (x Sharifa, by Antez out of Ferdith,
by Ferseyn). He became Cummings's head sire. His progeny earned
him a reputation as the third ranking son of Abu Farwa in the list
of leading sires of show champions -- with many fewer foals on the
ground than the first two ranking Abu Farwa sons. Antezeyn Skowronek
ranked first of the Abu Farwa sons on another of Gladys Brown Edwards's
lists: Abu Farwa sons whose own sons had sired show champions. Cummings
himself claimed that for a three year period Antezeyn Skowronek
had sired more ribbon winners than any sire of any breed. This was
entirely possible since his progeny were in the hands of an army
of horse-crazy, show-happy kids who would take their Skyline charges
to every local show, weekend after weekend, entering dozens of classes
in every division from halter to three-gaited to gymkhana events
-- and winning. These Antezeyn Skowronek offspring were notable
not just for their quality and sheer beauty. And their successes
were not limited to the competition of local shows. In 1958, the
Pauley girls took their young Antezeyn Skowronek daughter, Khatum
Tamarette, on the road, first to Estes Park, Colorado, to take 1959
U.S. Top Ten Mare; then to Yakima, Washington, to win Pacific Northwest
Champion mare; and finally to Calgary to win a Top Ten at halter.
These victories, which Cummings later described as no small feat
of endurance for a young mare, earned her the Legion of Merit, one
of the first mares to earn this award.
Cummings's band of foundation
mares numbered at 16. He selected these mares to complement
Antezeyn Skowronek, but each was chosen on her own merits.
Four of his mares were daughters of Ferseyn, taking Reese's
lead to cross Ferseyn daughters with Abu Farwa, and Abu
Farwa daughters with Ferseyn, an idea which echoed Lady
Wentworth's earlier cross of Skowronek and Blunt lines.
Cummings purchased the Farnasa daughter Anazeh's Nijm from
the Kellogg Ranch, in partnership with one of his protégées,
Mary Hall. Anazeh's Nijm was bred to Ferseyn prior to shipping
her home. The resulting foal was the chestnut colt Ferseyn's
Rasim, whom Cummings traded Mary for full interest for his
interest in the mare. Ferseyn's Rasim became Cummings's
junior sire and proved himself an excellent cross on Antezeyn
Skowronek daughters as well as on Skyline foundation mares.
Two of Cummings's foundation mars were daughters of the
Antez son Gezan, a popular southern California sire of the
early 1950's. Antezeyn Skowronek himself was a grandson
of Antez, a Kellogg sire of 100% Davenport breeding who
ended an international career as a successful sire himself
at the Reese ranch. The Davenport influence was an important
presence in the Cummings breeding program.
Cummings was a somewhat controversial
figure and outside his band of young, loyal protégées, he
was not always well liked. He did not seem to care, and
used to say "It doesn't matter what people say as long
as they keep talking about you." This advice must have
harkened back to the days when he performed on stage. Cummings
was outspoken and did not mind stating his opinions while
sitting in the stands at a horse show. If sitting on the
same side of the arena as Cummings, everyone got to hear
his opinions, which sometimes referred to the horses in
the ring, whether they wanted to hear them or not. It was
a little embarrassing for the youngster such as I who was
sitting at his side. Cummings also made enemies of a few
breeders who had horses for sale at fancy prices. Cummings's
kids sometimes beat these breeders in the show ring with
horses leased from Cummings or sold by Cummings at bargain
basement prices. And the parents of competing kids must
have sitting in the stands bored stiff watching the Skyline
horses entering, and often winning, class after class.
Antezeyn Skowronek, Skyline Trust head sire.
Wafa El Shammar (Cavalier x Shama, by Abu Farwa).
When Cummings died everyone wanted
this mare. Seven people lay claim to her. Wafa El Shammar
produced a half-dozen champions. Five of her offspring
produced national champions or top ten winners in halter
and performance.
Abu's Rissletta (Abu Fatwa x Alleyna, by Alla Amarward)
bred by and purchased from H.H.Reese. The rider is a
young Bruce Clark, later well known as co-owner of Bru-Mar-Ba
Stud. An important mare at that stud was Skyline-bred
Rasim's Ghazayat. Abu's Rissletta was later purchased
and shown by another youngster, Joyce Stockdale, who
now with husband Ron Paelek owns Vantage Point Farm.
When not carrying youngsters in the show ring, Abu's
Rissletta was having foals, including the important
Risseyn for Berry's Skyline Arabians in Iowa. Risseyn
was trained and shown by daughter Lyn, now Lyn Freel
of Crystal Castle Arabians.
Nadir (Gezan x Bint Sedjur)
Maternal half-sister to Bint Sahara. Nadir produced
Canadian Top Ten stallion Raseyn Gezan by Antezeyn Skowronek.
Raseyn Gezan was leading sire of champions in Canada
for years.
Cummings was not in the habit of
getting things down on paper and sometimes made agreements
or promises he did not remember. After his death, his
daughter inherited his estate, which included the horses.
I told her Cummings had promised Wafa El Shammar to
me to breed to my colt. His daughter told me six other
people had written to tell her Cummings had promised
this mare to them. (I did get Wafa El Shammar, who became
my foundation mare.)
Despite these discrepancies,
Cummings was a real horseman and a genius as a breeder.
The horses he selected and bred from were outstanding
for their "tangible as well as intangible qualities."
Most of his horses were mounts and companions for youngsters.
Few of the horses were ever trained or shown by professionals,
but were remarkably successful nevertheless. As breeding
horses, they were notable for their ability to consistently
produce first rate stock. Cummings's advertising slogan
"Home of beautiful heads and great performance horses"
was an accurate description of the Skyline Arabians,
as was another of his slogans, "bred for and born
with spectacular action." Cummings admired the Crabbet-bred
Naseem for his exceptional beauty above all other ancestor
horses, and the Crabbet-bred *Berk for his spectacular
action. He used to brag about the number of crosses
his horses had to those icons of Arabian horse breeding.
Cummings also admired *Raffles. He used to say he liked
a "touch of *Raffles for beauty" in his horses.
His statement no doubt reflected his delight with the
foals of Rifala's Lami, especially the Antezeyn Skowronek
son Rifala's Naseem. Cummings described Rifala's Naseem
as a "peacock of horses" and "well worth traveling
10,000 miles to see him." From his pedigrees-in-a-name
(another of Cummings's idiosyncrasies) his pride in
these particular ancestors of Rifala's Naseem is obvious.
Perhaps most
important of all, Cummings provided an opportunity for
kids to have their dreams come true -- not just to own
an Arabian horse, but to own a good one. Cummings stressed
hard work and responsibility to these youngsters, but
his often heard advice was "to dream big."
(Ad recreated from the one
appearing with 1995 Skyline Trust article)
CMK PRESERVATION BREEDING
SILVER FELICITÉ 1993 filly
(Jericho Cortez x Silver Joi)
Carlton Cummings
would have raved about this filly and he would have
recognized his own breeding in her -- 4 crosses to
ANTEZEYN SKOWRONEK and tracing to 6 of his Skyline
foundation mares. He too would have commented on her
6 crosses to NASEEM whose influence bred down in spades.
We are honored to have bred and to own such a filly
to carry forward the Skyline type and bloodlines into
the 21st century.
RICK SYNOWSKI ARABIAN HORSES
200
SE Uglow #2
since 1962
Dallas,
OR 97338
(503)
623-6726
For
more information on CMK Arabian horses
we carry the CMK HERITAGE CATALOGUES, vols.
I, II, & III @ $10, each
.
In Memoriam: Jericho Cortez 48007 (January
27, 1968 - March 8, 1995)
One of the grat Skyline stallions is gone.
(Ad recreated
from the one appearing with 1995 Skyline Trust article)
Having owned
ANTEZEYN SKOWRONEK...
Robert Bruce photo,
age 28
...there really isn't much
more one can say...
...except
belatedly to thank his breeder, E.J.Boyer (and
the guiding spirit H.H.Reese), his long-time
owner, Carlton Cummings, who gave him opportunity
with those brilliant mares in the Skyline program; the
director of his later career, Rick Synowski;
and the Illings of Twin Brook Farm who entrusted
the old horse to us in Maryland.
ANTEZEYN left us just one
representative, his lovely feminine daughter ENCHANTED
GOLD, from the Lewisfield mare MOSTLY MAGIC. See the
Skyline descendants' photo feature for ENCHANTED and
two of her offspring, CROWN OF GOLD by GALAN, making
a good start as a sire at Hill House Arabians in Lincoln
CA, and our own filly GOLD AND SPICES by ABU ZANZABAR.
Both these youngsters are linebred ABU FARWA and CROWN
traces in 50% of his pedigree to the classic Reese blend
of ABU FARWA with ANTEZ.
MAGIC GOLD (Zadaran x Enchanted Gold)
is one of the promising young geldings we currently
offer for sale; he is rising four, has been ground worked
and is ready to start.
Five CMK stallions
at stud (shipped semen available; filly consideration
on the Sweepstakes sires).
Neziah+ 85494
15 hh br 1972 (Galah x Nalysa by Ayf) book closed
Cantador 273930
15 hh ch 1983 (Kimfa x Auralu by Aurab)
*Seffer 318071
15 hh ch 1983 (Prince Saraph x Sa'lilah by Silver Flame)
Sweepstakes
