Cantador 273990

1983 chestnut, 15 hh, star, strip, snip, three socks

Cantador, notable for his dramatic style, self-carriage and action at the trot, was never unplaced in Class A Southern California dressage competition against all breeds. More recently he served as Lydia’s first dressage lesson horse. His foals mark him as a sire — the eldest has two 4H Spring Show hi-point awards and a solid endurance record — and they reflect his action, carriage and Arabian character. He is the only Kimfa offspring out of an Aurab daughter, and with that plus his Lutaf influence we consider that he may prove one of his sire’s most significant links with the CMK heritage.

Cantador [Kimfa x Auralu] trotting at liberty

Cantador (Kimfa x Auralu), a head shot.

Reference Sire: Kimfa

Explore a five-generation pedigree from allbreedpedigree.com.

SIRE: Kimfa, the leading representative outside the straight Davenport program of the sire line of the “listening horse” *Muson. Kimfa was injured as a young horse and little shown but did win under saddle and remained a solid riding horse. His offspring carried on in his name both in halter and performance to make him a leading sire of Legion of Merit winners in his day, and 30 years ago he was voted a Living Legend. Kimfa got both sons and daughters of quality but his greatest achievement must be accounted the glamorous repeat-winning Scottsdale and US Top Ten champion, and now an international pedigree influence in her own right, Kimeyn. His own sire, the admired halter Champion Mustafa, was an early indicator of the successful blend of *Nasik with Davenport breeding; he got halter and performance champions, including the beautiful Arizonakim and Kimfa’s champion and producer full sister Esare. This is a Hanstead dam line redoubled to Razina by Rasim, the most influential producer of her era in England. *Iorana was half-sister to Umatella and Mikeno, and she also produced *Ranix, a champion and key foundation sire for the Double R program and sire of the major action champions and sires Rimax in Canada and AM Canadius and Canadian Beau for Al-Marah.

DAM: Auralu, an elegant younger daughter of Aurab, described by the late Lady Anne Lytton as “the horse Crabbet set out to breed but never achieved.” Auralu has also produced the very exciting Rifh, three-time Oregon Crabbet Show gold medal winner and Regional Top Five in halter for Rick Synowski, and now with his own stunning young offspring to his credit. Aurab, who combined superb structure and imposing presence with brilliant action, returned to international prominence the North American *Nasik branch of Crabbet’s Mahruss male line. His offspring, eldest of them the great champion and international sire Ben Rabba, have been successful in multiple areas of performance, from racing and endurance rides to all phases of show ring competition.

SECOND DAM: Ludara, a superlative trail horse in her youth and responsible for a quality New Albion family. The only other Ludara daughter, Lucreziah, has produced another New Albion Class A performance winner, Beniciah by Ben Rabba, who in turn has produced beautifully by *Seffer. Ludara’s sire Lutaf, bred at the Kellogg Ranch, was a Remount sire, many times champion at halter (through age 19), sire of halter and performance champions and of solid performers in all areas, but particularly in action classes. Royal Lutaf+ achieved more Top Ten awards than any other Arabian; other major Lutaf winners include Canadian national champion (halter) Indian Star and the successful full and three-quarter siblings to Ludara, such as all-time top AOTR Top Ten winner Teak.

THIRD DAM: Zedarah brings in the *Zarife and *Raffles mare influences which are doubled in the dam lines when this family is crossed to such important sires as Ben Rabba and Green Acres Sage. She carries classic Colorado breeding from the Van Vleet program and is closely related to a string of valued producing mares by Kahar and his son Sharrik from the family of *Rishafieh (only breeding offspring of the short-lived Rishafa, whose prolific sister Rishna stayed in England to found an internationally significant line headed by the imposing ridden winner and international sire *Rithan and his dynastic three-quarters sister Rithyana). This is the dam line of Rishan’s and Rangoon’s dam Rish, who cleared 32 feet over water in the hunt field and produced just five foals in her old age–these four of them destined to become internationally significant. Zedarah herself founded the well-regarded program of Barrick Arabians in Colorado.