In a recent survey posted by Arabian Horse Times, editors asked readers to name the one Arabian horse they would most like to ride. Among amateur and youth riders, there was a clear consensus - Heirs Noble Love. For her breeder and co-owner, Karlton Jackson, this recognition of his "effervescent" mare "Princess" was almost as sweet as any one of her twelve national championship wins in English Pleasure and Pleasure Driving.
"That was part of the goal of my breeding program - to breed really good horses that amateurs can have, and ride well, and enjoy," says Jackson.
With co-owner Emily Shippee, "Princess" added the most recent jewel to her crown this year, winning the 2023 National Championship in Arabian English Pleasure Amateur Adult Owner to Ride (AAOTR) 19-49. But Princess' offspring also captured significant wins of their own: One True Love (reserve champion Arabian Country Pleasure AAOTR Maturity); Prosuaded By Love (national champion Arabian English Pleasure Junior Horse), and Undulata's First Love (champion Half-Arabian English Pleasure AAOTR Jackpot).
In recognition of her stunning success - as well as her positive impact on the Arabian breed - the US Equestrian Federation named Heirs Noble Love a 2023 National Horse of Honor.
Princess epitomizes the ideal Arabian show horse-- she is typey, feminine, powerful, expressive, and positively crackles with presence. But in the barn, Princess is friendly, gentle, and people-oriented; Jackson says he would never hesitate to let a small child visit with her. And no matter where she is, Princess demands attention.
"She's a real ham," says Jackson. "She's a wonderful horse to be around, and a lot of spirited horses, they're not that way. We love her to death."
Jackson came to the Arabian breed through a serendipitous stroke of luck. A lifelong horse lover and recreational rider, he wanted his two daughters to learn to ride and care for horses, too. The facility where they ended up taking lessons was owned by a woman with Arabian horses.
"I didn't have a lot of exposure to the breed until then," says Jackson. "What I found out is part of the attraction to Arabians is they seem to be really people-oriented horses."
It wasn't long before the Jacksons owned a few Arabians of their own, and connected with esteemed Arabian trainer Joel Kiesner. Under Kiesner's mentorship and direction, the family added increasingly higher quality animals to their herd, and both girls ultimately won top prizes at the Arabian national championships. But when they headed off to college, Jackson found he couldn't bring himself to get out of horses. Instead, he had an idea.
"I was talking to Joel, and said, 'what I'd like to do is take one of these well-bred mares we have and start breeding,'" Jackson remembers. "Joel cautioned me - we can start breeding, and maybe one or two out of eight will be really good.
"But I guess sometimes it's better to be lucky than good," Jackson continues with a laugh. "And with his help, we got started."
Jackson ensured his breeding program served to improve the Arabian breed by always prioritizing making highly complementary matches between sire and dam. He crossed his first broodmare, EA Aphrodite, with a stallion named Noble Express. Their best foal was a mare named Noble Aphrodite, who displayed all the characteristics Jackson was looking for: a fairly high-stepping, powerful trot, a beautiful aesthetic, and an easy going temperament.
But despite being an excellent riding horse, Noble Aphrodite was intimidated by the crowd at horse shows. Jackson wanted to retain her many excellent qualities, while producing a horse with a little more flair in the show ring. He bred her to multiple time champion Afires Heir, a stallion well-known for his good temperament, breed type, and show ring presence. The result was Princess, who proved to be the perfect blend of both her parents.
"Our goal was just to try to improve each time over what you started with," says Jackson. "We'd talk about how to make it a little better like you were doing a painting-- a little higher trot, or a little calmer. That's kind of the way we approached it, and I guess we were just lucky."
Because they have so much fun riding and competing Princess, all of her offspring have been carried by surrogate mares, and in this way, she has averaged two to three foals a year. But Jackson found he faced a difficult challenge in trying to select stallions to further improve Princess.
"I'll never have a better horse than her, or a more successful horse than her," says Jackson. "I've always thought that the stallions seem to get all the attention, but it's the power mares that keep all the good going with horses."
