Lobeke

photo: Aline Sagrabelny

When the grey stallion Lobeke trotted into a show ring, he was impossible to overlook — compact, athletic, with that unmistakable Spanish fire in his eye. Born in 1992 and standing about 15 hands high, Lobeke was bred in Spain by the Marquesa de Laula. Later owned by Zenith Arabians in the Netherlands, he would go on to build a career that few Arabians have managed to equal — as both a halter champion and a national-level eventer.
Lobeke’s pedigree read like a tribute to classic Spanish breeding. His sire, Fiolek (Zacateco × Rijeka), was a grey stallion of striking type and proven merit — Reserve World and European Champion Colt in 1984, later twice Spanish National Reserve Champion Stallion, and recipient of the 2006 WAHO Trophy from the Spanish Breed Association. Fiolek carried the male line of Seanderich, one of the desert-bred cornerstones of the Spanish studbooks, through Tabal.
On the dam’s side, Eleskirt (Testigo × Zoska) contributed the depth and continuity of the Beni-Khaled family, tracing to the 1918 grey mare imported from the Ottoman Imperial Stud Farm. Through Nevisca by Tabal — a paternal half-sister to the legendary Estopa — this family produced numerous show winners, including Pikara, 2008 Spanish National Reserve Champion Mare.
From such origins came a stallion who refused to fit into one category. Lobeke was athletic, intelligent, and eager to perform. In 2001 he achieved what few thought possible for a purebred Arabian: winning the Dutch National Eventing Championship against Warmblood horses. The feat astonished the sport-horse world and confirmed what his trainer Jan Calis had always believed — that Arabians, when bred and trained for purpose, could match their larger counterparts in courage and stamina. Those who saw him work remember his fearless jumps, sometimes over improvised obstacles, a testament to his trust and enthusiasm.
Yet Lobeke’s show career was no less remarkable. Across more than fifteen years in the ring, he maintained a consistent record at national and international level. He was Dutch National Senior Champion Stallion in 2006, Senior Champion Stallion at the St. Petersburg Open in 2008, and placed third in the All Nations Cup at Aachen both in 2002 and 2005. His other top placings included the Emerald Trophy, World Championships Top Ten Stallions, and multiple Dutch National and European Championships.
Lobeke passed on his beauty and versatility to his offspring. He sired over fifty foals, among them both purebreds and part-bred sport horses. His grey son Nago (x Nagarima) was Reserve Gelding at the Vilhelmsborg International in 2005, while Al Nile (x Flaxman’s Nile) carried his sire’s elegance into the Middle East, placing fifth in his class at the Jordan National Championships 2009. The mare Bint Al Arabia (x Al Arabiah) was also shown in halter in Jordan, continuing Lobeke’s international legacy. Even among his half-Arabian offspring, the type and presence were unmistakable — such as the pinto mare Layla (x Cheyenne), shown successfully in halter classes as a National Riding Pony.
Lobeke remained active into his senior years, placing first in his class at the 2010 All Nations Cup and third at the 2011 European Championships, closing a career that spanned nearly two decades.
Lobeke’s combination of Spanish beauty, conformation and athletic ability exemplifies the dual-purpose potential of Pure Spanish Arabians. His achievements in halter and international eventing, along with his influence through over fifty foals, marked him as a significant contributor to Dutch Arabian breeding program.