Raising rare Crabbet Arabians...			...in Smithers
			by Lillian Weedmark

Jocelyn Pearce, owner of Griffin Arabians and Narnia Farms on the Telkwa High Road, has been a horse lover all her life. Today she is a breeder of Crabbet Arabians. By keeping the bloodline true to the Crabbet line, she has become one of a handful of preservationist breeders of this beautiful horse in North America. Although Jocelyn knows there are a few Crabbet breeders in the United States, she is not aware of any others in Canada. Most, in fact, are in Australia.

11 year-old stallion, FV Ben Juan

A comment heard from both Jocelyn and Joe Toner, her ranch assistant and trainer, is "I didn't know I wanted to breed Crabbets until I really saw them." For Jocelyn that moment came in 1985 during a tour of horse shows and stud farms in England. The Crabbet Arabians began in 1877 when Lord and Lady Blunt first brought breeding stock from Arabia to their estate, Crabbet Manor, in Sussex, England. The Blunts made several trips through the deserts during the 1880's and 90's, searching and bartering for the best horses they could find. An interesting piece of history is the fact that Lady Blunt was the granddaughter of the poet Byron.

Senecio, taking his ease

Until that time, she had been mildly interested in the breed but one special day on the tour changed her interest to a passion. That day she attended a Crabbet convention where more than 200 horses were on show. She bought her first stud, Senecio and began searching for good mares. Finally, in 1992, she found the quality she was searching for in the United States.