Rest in Peace, Mrs. Bazy Tankersley of Al-Marah Arabians

[DawnJL]

Mrs. T passed away this morning. Over nearly 70 years, she bred over 2500 good riding type Arabians many of which competed in sport disciplines (as well as in endurance and working western disciplines) and some that were used in sport breeding including the ATA approved stallion, Al-Marah Quebec, and the hunter pony stallion, AM Lord Elope. Over her long lifetime, she generously contributed to education and historical preservation in the Arabian horse community. She was a grand human being and will be missed.

An article from last summer: http://www.insidetucsonbusiness.com/news/profiles/bazy-tankersley-and-her-lifetime-passion-breeding-arabian-horses/article_7b499e3c-dcd2-11e1-ac47-001a4bcf887a.html

[starrunner]

Thank you for sharing this Dawn. She was a wonderful breeder who did many great things for the breed. I long admired her spunk and great attitude towards the horses.

[equescool]

A huge loss to horsedom. She was a wonderful contributor to the Arabian breed and to horse husbandry in general. What a monumental soul.

[fairtheewell]

Rest in Peace Mrs. Tankersley…

[Ghazzu]

The woman had a good eye for a horse and a great ability to choose appropriate matings.
And a terrific sense of humor.

[3Dogs]

Rode at her farm when it was on River Road outside Washington DC - godspeed Mrs T!

[draftxfan]

She was quite a woman. My mother bought my sisters an Indraff son at an Al Marah production auction in Potomac – in 1961, probably – and I had first a stumpy, mean little orphan gelding by A.M. Suleman’s Flag (out of the famous broodmare Cassandra), and then, for twenty grand years, a Bazy-bred Radames son who was exceptional. The Raffles / Rissalix outcross that Mrs. T favored back then was a terrific nick. The farm in Barnesville, Maryland, was really something to see – I think she had three hundred head out there in the early 1970s.

Condolences to her kids and all the rest of her family, friends, and staff. I just googled and learned that her daughter Tiffany died last fall at forty-five – very sad.

[draftxfan]

On a related note, does anybody happen to know anything about Pat (Patience) Walton, an Englishwoman who trained for Mrs. T and ran the barn at Conoy in the early 1970s?

[Sakura_Hill_Farm]

Mrs. T and her Al-Marah Arabians were a fixture in our minds as we grew up…out West, where we rode Circle 2 Arabians, Al-Marah and her contribution to racing Arabians, inter alia, were a source of constant inspiration.She was truly an example of the old-style horsewoman.

God speed, Mrs. T!

[Auburn]

My friend and I visited Al Marah, when it was in Barnesville, MD. We got to meet Count Bazy. Many years later, my DH and I lived in Clarksburg, which was not far from Barnesville. That area was such a lovely part of the country for horse farms, until overrun by housing developments.

Condolences to the family for their loss.

[DownYonder]

That is really the end of an era. Way back when I was a pup, I was totally fascinated by the Al Marah Arabians. What a contribution she made to the development of the Arabian horse industry in this country. RIP to Mrs. Tankersley, and condolences to her family and friends.

[GreyDes]

I got my Al-Marah newsletter today, and there’s a letter from Mrs. T’s son, Mark Miller (Arabian Nights owner) saying he will take over. He says he plans to move the herd to Florida over the next two years, and Jerry Hamilton, the farm manager, will be moving as well.

[Joanne]

GreyDes: Did the newsletter mention what part of Florida?

Thanks.

[GreyDes]

Kissimmee. I think he’s had a small breeding operation there for a while.

[Kyzteke]

My condolences to the family; I’m glad someone will be going forward with her breeding program. She did so much good for the Arab breed her in America.

Funny, I didn’t “discover” Arabs and BT till I had moved away from the East Coast and out West. I was living in MD in 1965-73 but working with TBs on the track. I would have LOVED to see her farm…