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by Joe Ferriss
I
n life all things in balance and harmony end up being the things we value the most, whether a fine work of art such as a Rodin sculpture,
or a perfect meal of the right balance of flavors, even the finest of automobiles which never seem to be out of style.
Creating balance and harmony is a slow and patient process that requires time to learn and time to explore and this is the story of Al Badia
Arabian Stud of Martin and Laurie Schmelzle in Seneca, Kansas, in the U.S. whose namesake was chosen for its simplicity. Realizing that
the farm name sounded similar to the larger renowned Arabian horse breeding farm in Egypt, the Albadeia Stud of Dr. Nasr Marei, he was
contacted about the name choice. Dr. Marei considered it a compliment approving of the choice and aware that it is similar sounding but
not exactly the same. Yet the Albadeia Stud of Egypt would become an important ancestral contributor to the breeding program of the
Schmelzles.
Laurie began riding Arabian horses at age 11 as a student of Gatewood Arabians in Florida which led to her traveling in the U.S. and Canada,
showing her Supreme Legion of Merit winning gelding Windward Allmajed++//, a son of the Davenport straight desertbred stallion Aramis.
Horses of this kind of athletic quality and keen intelligence were a perfect exploration for Laurie. These experiences would later lead her
to riding and showing straight Egyptian Arabian horses for Willis and Immogene Flick’s famed Glenglade Arabian Horse Farm. From this
remarkable experience Laurie learned the intricacies of the powerful families of straight Egyptian breeding.
About the same time Martin Schmelzle, living nearly 3000 miles away in California, was honing his skills in the field of Audio Engineering,
a field with its own intricacies of developing the fine sense of getting things ‘just right.’ Martin developed an interest in Arabians, beginning
with a race-bred Arabian mare named Ellipse (Pesniar x Enora) who is from the same dam line as renowned Polish sire Bad Afas, famous for
his grandson Comet. From Ellipse, Martin produced the endurance winning Tychos Comet, twice a finisher in the grueling Tevis Cup and
2005 AERC National Champion in the 50 mile division.