Why is there always something wrong with the way people get started breeding and raising horses? If they manage to get the bloodstock right (always the most important part), they get the management wrong or the marketing and advertising, or the farm is located in Timbuktu. Not so with LD Arabians. Dan and Louise DeRusseau selected their bloodstock with the mentoring of veteran Arabians Ltd. trainer and manager Shawn Crews and have scarcely skipped a beat in getting their amazingly complete program on the fast track to imminent international recognition.

“We’ve raised all of our broodmares ourselves from a young age until they were ready to start breeding,” says Louise. “We actually have four excellent foundation mares, and two are daughters and one is a granddaughter of Bint Bint Magidaa, full sister to the legendary U.S. National and Reserve National Champion Ruminaja Ali. We are lifetime breeders to both Thee Desperado and Mishaal HP and those are the main stallions we are using currently.”

Not only are the Magidaa and Bint Magidaa bloodlines well known and respected around the world, they are hugely successful in the show ring, from Aachen to Lexington. To top it off, the breeding is rare. The bloodline has produced just a few females and DeRusseau’s own three. The superstars of the group are Illa Magidaa LDA (Thee Desperado) and her ET sister Il Bint Magidaa, the only two daughters of Bint Bint Magidaa. Both mares have produced very well, in quantity and in quality. Il Bint Magidaa’s first foal was Magidaat Al Gamal LDA (Mishaal HP), retained as a broodmare and the dam of the 2011 Egyptian Event unanimous Junior Champion Filly, Gameelah LDA (Thee Desperado). Because Gameelah LDA was the highest scoring junior horse at the show, DeRusseau’s received the 2011 Egyptian Event Breeding Excellence Award.  Nayla Hayek of Hanaya Arabian Stud, Switzerland now owns Gameelah LDA as well as several other top LD Arabians-bred horses. On May 21st Gameelah LDA’s full sister was born at LD Arabians and DeRusseau’s named her Samah Magidaa LDA. Louise and Dan have two full siblings to Gameelah LDA’s dam, a two-year-old colt and a yearling filly, currently available for sale.

LD Arabians now has horses they have bred residing in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Egypt, as well as Texas and Michigan. They have a number of wonderfully bred horses for sale, including Karimah Magidaa LDA (Mishaal HP x Illa Magidaa LDA) a yearling filly showing in the Straight Egyptian (Apr –Dec) Futurity Class at the Event this year. This is a full sister to the 2010 Event 2-Year-Old Champion Noor Magidaa LDA. Karimah and Noor’s full blood yearling sister, Farah Magidaa (x Il Bint Magidaa) is also available for sale. Another great LD Arabians broodmare, Minstrils Petunia LDA (The Minstril x MC Alexsis, 2006 and 2007 Egyptian Event Reserve Supreme Champion Mare) has also proven herself a dam of champions. Her two and three-year-old offspring, a filly by Mishaal HP and a colt by Thee Desperado are now available for sale. It’s worth the time to take a look at the LD Arabians’ sales list, or better yet take a flight to Austin. The farm is only fifteen minutes from the airport.

To add icing to this small breeder’s dream cake, Dan and Louise have a farm that is a little slice of heaven, a sweet, efficient 23-acre spread in Cedar Creek, just outside of Austin, Texas. There’s a 10-stall barn, but for the most part the horses stay outside in herd groups on grass all year. The DeRusseau’s mutual career backgrounds in the Whole Foods Market organization have made them environmentally conscious farmers and they pride themselves on providing their horses with chemical-free pastures and natural equine living conditions.  “I take great care to make sure that all of the basics are handled,” smiles Louise. “Leading, standing, trailer loading, grooming and eventually saddle training. All of our broodmares have been started under saddle with natural horsemanship methods and most of the work I really prefer to do myself.”

Louise and Dan own 15 horses, have two foals expected in 2012 and are expecting six more in 2013, all of the proven Magidaa, Thee Desperado and Mishaal HP bloodlines. The international Arabian community will once again be lined up to see what they have produced. It looks easy enough to create this bit of breeder’s paradise from the outside and perhaps it is. Like Dan and Louise DeRusseau you simply have to do everything just exactly right … right from the beginning.