From our Arieana Notebook: THE STORY OF ANTEZ

Descending in all lines from horses imported from the desert to the United States by Homer Davenport, bred and foaled in Southern California, then homes in Tennessee, Poland, Arizona, then back again to Southern California, this brilliant chestnut stallion Antez saw more of this world in his lifetime than I ever have or ever will ~ a horse so appealing and with a story so unique that he needs his own special page here in our Arieana Notebook.

THE EARLY KELLOGG YEARS

Antez, bred by F.E. Lewis II and foaled in what is now Diamond Bar, California, was one of a group of six purebred Arabians purchased from his breeder by W.K. Kellogg for his purebred Arabian breeding program at Pomona, California. The year was 1925 and Antez was four years old. Antez quickly became a ranch and public favorite for his amenable disposition and the beauty of his iridescent coat. In 1927 he won First Place at two fairs in California, and in 1928 Antez was named Champion Arabian Stallion at the Los Angeles County Fair in addition to winning a championship under saddle at the Orange County Fair. Then in 1933, following several seasons at stud with one of those years on loan to William Randolph Hearst and all the while continuing to serve as a riding horse and publicity ambassador for the Kellogg Ranch, Antez was sold to General J.M. Dickinson of Franklin, Tennessee (Travelers Rest Farm). Price paid by Dickinson was $5,000. 

THE TRAVELERS REST YEARS

General J. M. Dickinson wrote the following words about Antez in his Travelers Rest Catalogue: "He is one of the few five-gaited Arabians.  His gaits are done upon command of the rider and without mixing. He does a prompt, airy, flat-footed walk, and a good square trot with free movement and balanced natural action. He is spirited in motion and full of ambition, yet so gentle as to be ridden constantly by a girl of 13 [Margaret Dickinson Fleming, daughter of General Dickinson]."

Dickinson goes on to say: "Antez is a model of symmetry and elegance. He is stoutly made on the most finished lines and one will seldom see a better muscled Arabian in the breast, arms, loins, quarters, and gaskins. His bone is exceptionally large for a horse of his inches. In style, magnetism, and exquisite refinement, he is truly Arabian, and in appearance and manners every inch a gentleman." (Travelers Rest Catalogue p. 43)

"In a private test conducted by the writer [Dickinson] in 1932, Antez, carrying a moderate weight for an Arabian, 225 pounds, was ridden steadily twelve hours a day for five days over fields, country roads and hillside trails, simply to verify the endurance of the breed. At the end of the test the little horse was in perfect condition and apparently ready and willing to go the distance again immediately." (Travelers Rest Catalogue p. 10)

After proving Antez's worth and ability in the Endurance Test, Dickinson decided to see what he could do in the way of  running. So at 12 years old Dickinson placed Antez in race training and ran him in the Tennessee Timber Toppers Gold Trophy Steeplechase at Overton Downs against Thoroughbreds in which Antez ran third against two seasoned Thoroughbreds; his time: 1:471/2 for one mile over rolling turf, date: May 1, 1933. He then ran him in a speed trial on May 23, 1933, where his time was recorded as 51 seconds for 1/2 mile, thus equaling the world's record for Arabian racehorses at that distance.

THE POLISH YEARS

The fact that Antez had been trained for the track brought him to the attention of Arab breeders in Poland, where all Arabs are first tested for speed, soundness and courage in races before being used for breeding, and he was sold to that country for breeding purposes. This was a most unusual occurrence during those years between the two World Wars and brought much international attention to this stallion. During his three seasons at stud in Poland, Antez sired 10 foals including Haschim Bey (x Dywersja), winner of the 1940 Polish Derby. Unfortunately all of his Polish-born progeny were lost in World War II, but his Polish-bred son *Latif (x *Lassa) did breed on in the United States.

THE LANTEEN YEARS

Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Antez was purchased by Rufus Riddlesbarger for his Lanteen Arabian Foundation at Hereford, Arizona and thus returned to the United States. The Lanteen Arabian Foundation ranch bred Half-Arabian Palominos as well as purebred Arabians, and Mr. Rufus Riddlesbarger consulted several American horsemen about an outstanding foundation sire for this purpose with the result that Antez was decided upon and finally purchased. At Lanteen Antez sired many Palomino foals of superior quality as well as a few registered purebred Arabians which inherited his rich golden chestnut iridescent coat coloration with flaxen mane and tail. Antez's sire Harara and dam Moliah were also both of this color, so this feature was a strong point of the line. This flashy coat coloring has long been popular and is outstanding in parades and shows; today you can still see this glorious coat coloration in the rising star and future herd sire Haat Pursuit.

THE FINAL YEARS AT KELLOGG

Antez had not been long in Arizona until war caught up with him again, this time conditions incidental to World War II forced Mr. Riddlesbarger to close down his Lanteen Arabian Foundation with the result that W.K. Kellogg purchased Antez and many of the other Lanteen Arabian horses which were of his Kellogg Ranch bloodstock descent (see also Surrab and Tamma).

Antez was always a favorite of Mr. W.K. Kellogg's due to an incident that happened during the early days of the Kellogg Ranch, prior to the stallion's stellar show career and European travels, and Mr. Kellogg had not forgotten him through all the intervening years. The following is an account of what happened as related by both Ms. Parkinson and Mr. Reese in their books:

One day Mr. Kellogg was riding Antez in the hills in the company of several friends. Suddenly his saddle slipped due to a loose girth, and Mr. Kellogg fell under the belly of Antez with one foot caught in the stirrup badly injuring his back. Although the average horse would be inclined to bolt and run away under such circumstances, dragging and possibly killing its rider, Antez, like a well-trained Bedouin war mount, stopped in his tracks and stood stock still until Mr. Kellogg's companions, who had ridden on ahead, came back to see what was wrong and quickly released Kellogg from the stirrup.

Consequently Mr. Kellogg wanted to provide for Antez, then 22 years old, and purchased him, placing him in the care of H.H. Reese for the remaining days of this horse's life.

Much public admiration and publicity surrounded this horse in his lifetime; just one example is this photo which shows Antez with Gary Cooper and Clara Bow taken at the Kellogg Stables February, 1927. For additional photos, information and details on Antez's life and his foals, please go to this web page: Antez: The Versatile Arabian. There is also a film in the archives of the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library showing Antez being ridden at five gaits which you might enjoy viewing; please ask for directions to the vault. And as if all this is not enough to have given Antez a high place of honor in our Arabian heritage and lore, in addition to his purebred Arabian and his Half-Arabian Palomino foals, Antez's influence as a sire was also felt in the Morgan breed through his Half-Arabian daughter Pontez, the dam of Antman, making them among the first registered Morabs of their day.

Beautiful, fast, enduring, gaited, gentle, a good sire of quality foals for several breed registries ... yes, definitely, Antez was a horse to be admired, and we at Arieana Arabians are proud to claim that we are enthusiastically perpetuating his influence through our carefully-bred CMK Heritage bloodstock and the rising star and future herd sire Haat Pursuit now owned by Kristi Johnson, D.V.M.

~ Suzi Morris (Updated 09/27/2012)

Bibliography:
Dickinson, J.M., A Catalogue of Travelers Rest Arabian Horses 1947. Reprinted by the Arabian Horse Trust, Denver, Colorado. 1988. pp. 42-45.

Reese, Herbert H. in collaboration with Gladys Brown Edwards. The Kellogg Arabians ~ Their Background and Influence. Borden Publishing Company, Alhambra, CA. 1958. pp. 114-117.

"Travelers Rest Arabian Horses - Antez." A website courtesy of Margaret (Peggy) Dickinson Fleming and Travelers Rest Plantation & Museum, Nashville, Tennessee.