An Interview with Christie and Henry Metz
by Beth Hunziker
Photo by Sigi Constanti

One of the best things about the Arabian horse community is that generally, you will find that people are very willing to share information and experience. If you are new to the breed, this can be very encouraging and helpful in that it can provide insights, which can result in a more rapid success in defining and achieving your personal goals.

If you are a more experienced horse owner or breeder, just knowing that you are not alone in the challenges of everyday Arabian horse life can sometimes get you through a particularly difficult time. Also, sometimes hearing what someone else has tried or done with successful results can inspire a new idea or approach that you may not have thought of before. Either way, partaking in the exchange of ideas is a win-win situation because just as an experienced owner or breeder may have knowledge to share, new owners bring a sense of wonder and enthusiasm that can renew and inspire us all. What it takes to engage in a meaningful exchange is a generosity of spirit - the generosity to listen and acknowledge the experience of another and the generosity to share the gift that the Arabian horse truly is.

Here, Christie and Henry Metz of Silver Maple Farm in Santa Ynez, California, share some of their insights and experiences within the Arabian horse industry.

Q: Christie, how and why did you become involved with Arabian horses?

A: Henry and I became involved with Arabian horses in 1989 through our friends and neighbors, Dr. Charles and Judy Jones of Attalah Arabians, back in Iowa. They introduced us to their horses and I fell in love with them.

This was at a time in my life when our children were growing up and moving into their own lives and Henry was very busy with his career. I have always had a deep love of animals and the idea of spending time with these beautiful creatures was very appealing. After just a short time, I found that I loved the personal interaction with the horses and that there was a bond with them that I had not experienced with any other animals. The horses have given Henry and I the opportunity to travel and meet very interesting and enjoyable people - people that we might not otherwise have been able to meet.

Q: Henry, you and Christie recently moved to Santa Ynez, California. Why did you choose this charming little town to make your home?

A: I liked the reputation of the Santa Ynez area. It’s called The Valley of the Arabian Horse, and its true. It has an unusually high concentration of top Arabian horse breeders and historically, this valley has been home to some of the breeds most highly acclaimed stallions and show horses in the country. The services and amenities devoted to the horses here are unbelievable - all are the very best we’ve ever experienced.

The other thing that really sold Christie and I on Santa Ynez is the sense of community, people are close-knit and friendly. Coming from the Midwestern part of the U.S., we like the quiet, small town atmosphere. We think that the area supports our personal health and the lifestyle we would like to enjoy. And, the land really is beautiful here.

Q: Christie, what are your personal strengths and how have you used them to develop your breeding program?

A: The first interests in my life were horses and art. As a little girl, one of my first art projects was a paper mosaic of a horse. My mother saved it and I still have it! Beauty, color and design have always been my inspiration. Its what guided me towards my education in art and my major in fine art, specializing in painting, and minors in art history and psychology. When you are as inspired by beauty as I am, what other breed of horse could I choose other than an Arabian?

I am also persistent, determined and I have a very inquisitive mind. I am always seeking information on subjects that interest me, such as anything equine related - including everything from history to health care - I want to be informed about my horses. Another area that interests me is the heritage and traditions of the Arabian horse. I have studied the dominant phenotypes of the desert strains and tried to assess how they have been combined in the pedigrees of my favorite horses. I believe that studying the genetic history and actual physiology of live horses has helped me in the choices and selection of the horses we’ve bought and the horses we’ve bred. The goal has been to see how to achieve the best possible chance of reproducing desirable phenotype and genotype in our program.

Q: Christie, tough question, what are your personal weaknesses and how have they affected your choices or decisions about your horses?

A: Well, I think our weaknesses can also be our strengths and visa-versa. But to answer the question, I guess I would have to say my weakness is a soft heart for all animals, especially those that are weak or hurt. This love for animals creates a deep connection with our horses which can become a bit of a hindrance or conflict when you’re trying to run the farm as a business. It’s hard to sell a horse when they feel like an extended member of your family! Also, knowing that horses have a shorter life span than we do can make for some very deep heartache. But, I believe that to be really good stewards to these magnificent creatures, and that’s what I believe we are - stewards - you have to have this very deep love and respect for them. With the breeding of Arabian horses, it can’t always be the bottom line that drives the efforts of a breeding farm. At Silver Maple, we try to have a balance.

Q: Christie, what characteristics of the Arabian horse do you value or appreciate the most?

A: I love big, dark eyes that express the horse’s character. I like a good width between the eyes and a dry, chiseled face. I like an overall sense of quality, refinement and balance. Carriage is very critical because I feel that it is a display of true Arabian type. And, equally important is the intrinsic quality of each individual horses personality. It is very important and it’s always found in their eyes.

These are the qualities that either compel me to buy a horse or, if its one that we bred, make me decide to keep it for our breeding program. I see these qualities in our stallions and we want to keep them and pass them on. Our stallion *Simeon Shai (Raadin Royal Star x Simeon Safanad), is a giant of the Arabian horse breed and he possesses all of these qualities and more. He has extremely fine, dark skin; tiny ears, wonderful body structure and movement and the priceless qualities of wisdom and kindness.

Ali Saroukh (Ruminaja Ali x Glorietasayonaara), has wonderfully expressive eyes, small, well-shaped ears; a small muzzle, an unusually upright neck; a nice, clean throat; good shoulders; good length of legs with smooth, clean bone; and again he also has a very proud carriage, but with a very
kind and playful personality - all of which he passes on.

BB Thee Renegade (Thee Desperado x PH Safina), is an absolute peacock of a horse! He is totally self-absorbed and thinks that the universe revolves around him! He is regal and has a very proud way of carrying himself. He has wonderful motion with powerful hocks. He has very classic style, like a Vernet painting come to life. He has a beautiful head, big dark eyes, nice small and well shaped ears, a beautiful hooky neck of very good length and well set on his shoulders. He is refined and you can always count on him to reproduce
his long, smooth hip and excellent tail carriage.

Majestic Noble SMF (Marquis I x Nagda), although he is still a junior stallion, he is growing into himself. He has wonderful balance, a nice short back and a long hip with a very good loin and smooth coupling. He has good shoulders that allow for good movement. He has perhaps the most extreme face with large, dark, expressive eyes, good ears and a very well shaped neck of good length.

Q: Christie, knowing the breed characteristics that you value, how have these values shaped the decisions and choices you have made for the Silver Maple Farm breeding program?

A: We all have our own vision of the perfect horse. I always have these particular qualities in mind whenever I look at a horse. But, knowing that no horse is perfect, I try to select one that will contribute its strengths to improve upon the areas that I find might be lacking or not as strong as I might like. This was very much the case when Henry and I recently visited our dear friends Judi and Don Forbis at their Ansata Arabian Stud. They showed us some horses and both Henry and I were very impressed with a young colt named Ansata Nile Pharaoh (Ansata Iemhotep x Ansata Misty Nile). We felt that he would be a wonderful compliment to our other stallions and their daughters. Phenotypically, Pharaoh has many of the same qualities that they possess, but he also has the proven genetics of 50 years of Ansata breeding in him. His pedigree is full of their best individuals, stallions and mares. It took a while, but we are very proud to announce that we have recently purchased him. Ansata Nile Pharaoh is a 2-year-old colt. He will go into training with Michael Byatt and due to his potential show schedule in 2006, he will have a limited breeding book.

Q: Christie, what is the best experience that you have had since becoming involved with Arabian horses?

A: Its impossible to try to think of just one thing because everything is so enmeshed together - the spiritual connection with each of our horses, the people Ive met that love the horses as much as I do - too many to name just one or two - really wonderful people! Oh, and foaling! Nothing beats being right there to welcome that tiny, new life into the world...

Q: Christie, what are some of your top short term goals for your breeding program and what is one of your top long term goals for your farm?

A: Always high on our list is creating and participating in educational events that promote the Arabian horse, such as the upcoming Arabian horse farm and wine tour scheduled for May 2006 in the Santa Ynez Valley. Were looking forward to welcoming the group to Silver Maple Farm and by May, we should have a good number of foals on the ground, so it should be fun.

Speaking of foaling season, I guess one short term goal will be to see the 2006 foals. We had perhaps some of our best foals this last year. We liked the results so much that we repeated a number of the breedings including Ansata Haalah (Ansata Iemhotep x Hasbah) and Ali Saroukh, Shaboura (PVA Kariim x Sahbine) and *Simeon Shai, via embryo transfer; Ansata Nariya (Ansata Hejazi x Ansata Neoma) and Ali Saroukh, Dance Diva (RA Raquin x Antigua Dance) with *Simeon Shai and Rebel Rose SMF (BB Thee Renegade x Royal Laleekha) and Majestic Noble SMF etc.

The long term goals include continuing to improve our breeding program which is becoming more and more focused on horses of straight Egyptian bloodlines. Henry and I feel that is where we can make the biggest contribution and being able to feel like we’ve contributed something of value is very important to both of us. We’ve reached a point in our lives where we have to accept that we cant do everything and do it well, so we’ve decided to focus on the things that we enjoy the most and do that. For us, that’s spending time with our family, especially the grand kids, spending time with friends - many of whom are Arabian horse breeders and then to spend as much time as possible with the horses. Ideally, that would mean every day.

We also want to try to participate in our hometown community which we enjoy very much and then fill in with other efforts that we believe make a positive difference such as the Black Stallion Literacy Program, the upcoming Arabian horse art exhibit at the Kentucky Horse Park, equine research at Colorado State University, political lobbying for equine legislation and perhaps equine rescue or foster programs. We both feel compelled to pay forward the blessings we have been given.

Q: Henry, what are your personal strengths and how have you used them to develop your breeding program and promote the Arabian horse?

A: After spending a lot of time in business, I learned a couple of things. One, to be successful, you have to really like what you’re doing. The more you like it, the better the chance that you’ll achieve a higher level of success. Two, you can’t live your life just being a taker. You can’t go through life always wearing a catcher’s mitt - you have to give back. I guess these ideas have carried over from my business days to the operation of Silver Maple Farm. Everyday, opportunities to contribute in a positive way are presented – it’s one of the things I love about being involved with Arabian horses, the people here in Santa Ynez, and the Pyramid Society.

Q: Henry, tough question for you too, what are your personal weaknesses and how have they affected your choices or decisions about your horses?

A: This is a good news/bad news answer - my weakness would have to be the emotional attachment I feel with our horses. I believe that breeding is the creative aspect of the horse business and every form of creative process involves the emotions and passion. To me, it is just as creative as creating art, music or literature. To be really good at anything that relies on creativity, you must have a passion for it. However, that passion and emotion can also cloud the thought process and decision making. So, the answer to that is balance.

Q: Henry, what is one of your top short term goals for the Silver Maple Farm breeding program and what is one of your top long term goals for the farm?

A: Recently Christie and I made the decision to redefine the focus of our breeding program. We have enjoyed owning and breeding Egyptian-related Arabian horses for a number of years. But when we talk about how we want to go forward with our program, and the kind of horses we want to breed, we end up right back where we originally started - which is horses with straight Egyptian bloodlines.

It’s the reason we are currently offering a truly exceptional group of horses, including proven show ring champions like *ABHA Gali, a U.S. Reserve National Champion and a Scottsdale Champion Mare and Om El Shadream, a U.S. National Champion Mare, as well as a Scottsdale and Regional Champion Mare. Others horses of excellent quality, in terms of the individuals and their pedigrees, are also available. Our short term goals are some what like stepping stones to our long term goals.

As far as our long term goals, Christie and I are both deeply committed to breeding the best straight Egyptian Arabians we can. And that through our efforts, we will be able to contribute to the existing pool of high quality straight Egyptian horses, stallions especially. The purpose of which is to make them available for all breeders of purebred Arabian horses as the source of classic type, refinement and quality . I have to say that its really exciting to see the resurgence of interest in the Straight Egyptian horses - and to see the influence they are having on so many breeding programs around the world.

Q: Henry, what is the best experience that you have had since becoming involved with Arabian horses?

A: I really enjoy showing horses. Winning the 2005 U.S. National Championship with Om El Shadream was huge - especially because we bred her sire, Dreamcatcher SMF and, because Sigi and Jay Constanti who bred the mare, are such dear friends! It was wonderful to feel we had a part in creating such a beautiful mare - it is an Arabian breeders dream come true! One of the very best things about being with the horses is sharing them with friends. I made some very good friends when I was in business and they remain close friends to this day. But sharing something that you love so much - like the horses - sharing them with people who have that same passion is just an incredible gift.

And the other thing that I personally love is the babies! Foaling season can get a bit tense with all the possibilities for things to go wrong. But when I get to see the results of our ideas and plans materialize before our eyes in the form of a new born foal, it all seems worth it and I want to start all over again. It a mystery of life and I love it!