R.I.P Heiner Buschfort (1946 - 2024)
The breeding of pure bred Arabians on the high plateau of Hofgut Kauber Platte began in the early 1970s, when Heiner Buschfort brought four mares of Marbach blood to become the first horses 360 meters above the valley of the romantic Middle Rhine. Although, these horses did not remain at Heiner Buschfort's stud for long, Winarsad's daughter Diedje by Hadban Enzahi founded an influential family in Germany, who with her daughter El Kantara (by Kaisoon) became the founding mare of the Steiner family's Amun Stud in Augsburg and whose son Amun El Kantar (by Anchor Hill Halim) was the first Bavarian-bred winner of the 1981 licensing in Darmstadt.
During a visit to Carl-Heinz Dömken and the live experience of Ghazal (Nazeer x Bukra), Heiner Buschfort fell in love with the charisma and presence of the pure Egyptian Asil Arabian. A visit to the state stud in Cairo finally sealed Heiner Buschfort's ideal conception of the desert horse after he was able to experience the legendary broodmares there, above all the incomparable 'Queen of the Nile Valley' Moniet El Nefous (Shahloul x Wanisa). Consequently, four daughters of the legendary Tuhotmos (El Sareei x Moniet El Nefous) imported from El Zahraa followed the departure of the 'Marbacherinnen' in Kaub only a short time later in 1973, who were to have a decisive influence on the development of breeding both nationally and internationally: Hania (elite mare, 1971 x Hodhoda by Alaa El Din), Nana (1971 x Nazic by Morafic), Set Husen (1971 x Set Abouhom by Alaa El Din) and Moetazza (1972 x Aziza by Alaa El Din). This quartet of Arabian beauties can be described as the real foundation mares of the Kauber Platte breeding program. Hania and Nana proved to be particularly valuable dams and are still represented in the stock today with their families. Set Husen's offspring were sold, while one daughter and one son of Moetazza remained in the herd for a time. Today, their lines can only be found outside the stud. Some of them are also widespread and successful abroad. Over the years, a few more Egyptian families were added, of which those of Manaya (Madkour x Maisa) and Halima El Nil (Halim Al Kadir x Bint Bint El Nil) are the most prominent families at the stud.
In 1974, Heiner Buschfort accepted the invitation of some fellow breeders to a meeting at the Georg Olms publishing house in Hildesheim. The aim was to protect the interests of Asil breeders and, together with Carl-Heinz Dömken, Dr. W. Georg Olms, Erika Schiele, Dr. Otto Saenger, Dr. Georg Wenzler and others, subsequently the Asil Club was founded. This was also intended to create the basis for corresponding publications with stud presentations. The first volume Asil Araber, The Noble Arabian Horses was published in 1977 and also included entries from the Kauber Platte Stud. Since then, Heiner Buschfort's esteemed Kauber Platte Stud has not been missing from any of the now seven volumes.
Due to the geological conditions of the central Rhine plateau, the herbal meadows of the stud farm, which are rich in minerals, resemble a barren landscape in dry summers, as the Egyptian horses knew it from their original homeland. This promoted and preserved the true type of the Asil Egyptian Arabians on the Kauber Platte for over four decades. In his breeding vision, Heiner Buschfort always had the classic appearance of the noble, dry and powerful horse of the Arabian desert in mind, which caused a sensation in Europe from the beginning of the 19th century. You can still find them on the Kauber Platte today, the horses we know and love from the works of the numerous artists of the last two centuries. It should also be noted that Heiner Buschfort was one of the first private patrons outside the USA, alongside the Asil Club, to commission a portrait bronze from the now internationally renowned artist Karen Kasper. Here, too, he showed foresight!
Since 2011, Heiner Buschfort has increasingly withdrawn from public life and handed over the reins of the family business to his son Martin. In addition to the stud farm, which has been managed by equine management specialist Reinhild Moritz for over 45 years, the Kauber Platte has also been home to a training center run by Toni Baumann for over 30 years, a training facility for horses not only of Arabian blood. In addition to training, the many activities include a wide range of seminars and, of course, the 'Kauber Platte Championship', which established itself as a mega-event in the national and international show calendar back in 1991 against the inimitable backdrop of the Middle Rhine.
At this point, I would like to quote Heiner Buschfort: "Through my breeding efforts, I would like to contribute to preserving the Asil Arabian horse in all its facets, beauty, elegance, harmony and incomparable charisma for people with a watchful eye". On my own behalf and as a lover of Arabian horse art for decades, this quote speaks to me from the soul; because when I visited Heiner Buschfort's stud farm for the first time in the 1970s, I can say that I saw exactly these horses in the paddock, as I knew them from the 'old' pictures. For me, this was a truly memorable experience!
Heiner Buschfort, one of the best-known breeders of Egyptian Asil Arabians, passed away on December 29, 2023. He will be missed by many who knew him and held him in high esteem, but he will be especially missed by the "Kauber Platte family"!
