Our story

The adventure with the Arabian horses started with the horseback rides organized by Francis a bit all over the world. We met on horsebacks in 1969. The magazines wrote about our travels and breeders confided their stallions for promotion. In 1976, a great endurance race took place: The Great American Horse Race, 5000 km, 100 days, from New York to Sacramento. Francis took the race with a thoroughbred Arabian mare called Wassana from the Mac Abercrombie Stud in Atlanta, Georgia. He finished second in the category of equestrians who took the race with one horse only and 23rd in the overall ranking. This experience bound us to the thoroughbred Arabian horse.

 

Since this moment, we knew what we would expect from an Arabian horse. We finished our travels, founded two companies and worked for eight years without approaching to any horses, neither from a distant point of view nor in proximity to a horse, only with the big aim to be able to found our own stud in the most objective way possible. In 1987, the time had come. Our first foal, Azziz de Gargassan was born 1988. When he was sold to the French National Stud, his selling price broke records. Later, he was awarded to be one of the seven french elite stallions in endurance.

A year after the birth of our first colt Azziz, we purchased our own first stallion NA Colt (Warandes Plakat x Hamira von Euben). His pedigree resembled the one of Azziz. At the age of two, he became vice world champion in show. The line of Gargassan had started to become known. Our ambition? Charismatic, friendly horses with beautiful, efficient movements. To be short: Giving birth to the horses of our dreams...

 

...About 80 champion and vice champion awards later, amongst others two vice world championships (NA Colt and Papouchka) und a silver medal of the world equestrian games in Sartilly thanks to Nicolas Ballarin and Lemir de Gargassan, our horses and their owners are still our best ambassaders. 

Francis Arnaud, deceased 2010
Francis Arnaud, deceased 2010
Marianne Capdeville
Marianne Capdeville

About our horses

Broodmares

We founded the stud in 1987 with three mares and a filly who built up the foundation:

Nefretete (Pentagon x Nephras by Neptun) from the Netherlands. She gave birth to great descendants for the race track, Clip, Harry and Eazy de Gargassan. Amongst others she is the mother of Jazzy de Gargassan, an endurance mare of high level who was sold to Spain. Durra (Saher x Hamdi by Halef) was born on the well known stud of Weil-Marbach.

She gave birth to Azziz de Gargassan ****,  our first foal. Besides this, she is the mother of Emira de Gargassan - also champion in show - and thereby granddam of Lemir de Gargassan, very successful in endurance.

The third mare was Ghazala (Marzouck x Aischa by Dahman), who can call Baine and Defi de Gargassan her direct descendants, both mares were successful in show. The filly was no less than NA Copala (Warandes Plakat x Bint Shaklana), the future mother to Ekla, Gold, ... de Gargassan.

A few years later, we purchased together with „Mas de Lafon“ Devitsa (Ponomarev x Evitah by Plakat), who finally gave birth to Papouchka (Monitor x Devitsa by Ponomarev), Vice World Champion in Show in 1997. Doushka (Pokart x Dejalia Record by Damocles) was also one of our first mares and gave birth to some very good foals, like Mika, Night or Prince de Gargassan. 

 

Subsequently, other important broodmares of Gargassan were born:

Baïne de Gargassan (Diarex x Ghazala by Marzouck), mother of Lover, Miss and Qatar de Gargassan and therefore an important broodmare, which already connected our breeding goal of beautiful and sporty horses. All three have produced offspring that have been proven to be suitable for both: show and endurance. 

Defi de Gargassan (Na Colt x Ghazala by Marzouck) was already victorious in shows early on. In 1993 she was one of the top five at the All Nations Cup in Aachen, the same year she was awarded Vice Champion in Menton and one year later Champion in Bordeaux. Her most famous son is probably Koeur de Gargassan.

Emira de Gargassan (Na Colt x Durra by Saher) has been successful in shows herself and has given birth to numerous foals that are renowned, such as Lemir, Natif, Qaly, Roumba, Sheyk, Uzele and Wassana de Gargassan, to name a few. Of particular note are Lemir de Gargassan, Horse of the Year 2014 and several years in the national endurance team of France, and Sheyk de Gargassan, French Champion in Show 2014 and also successful in endurance.  

Must de Gargassan (Na Colt x Papouchka by Monitor) has two Vice World Champion as parents but is besides show also very athletically built and especially because of her warm character she has always been a very special heart to us. She is mother of Raswan, Shipy and Venus de Gargassan. Miss de Gargassan (Gold de Gargassan x Baine de Gargassan by Diarex) has inherited the gentle and attentive character of both her parents and always passed it on to her foals. 

 

 

Ghazala with Defi
Ghazala with Defi
Na Copala
Na Copala
Doushka
Doushka
Devitsa
Devitsa


Baïne de Gargassan
Baïne de Gargassan
Defi de Gargassan (at the age of 27)
Defi de Gargassan (at the age of 27)
Emira de Gargassan
Emira de Gargassan


Papouchka
Papouchka
Must de Gargassan
Must de Gargassan
Miss de Gargassan
Miss de Gargassan

Stallions

NA Colt (Warandes Plakat x Hamira by Euben) was purchased as a colt when we first purchased our mares. His movements and charisma were awarded with the title of vice world champion at age two. Besides many awards he was father to the first generations of mares „made in Gargassan“, amongst others Defi, Emira, Baine, .. de Gargassan. Vladimir de Falgas: pure russian line (Vatican x Lana by Neman) with further for us essential attributes was the second stallion to purchase. Likewise, he became international champion  and father to other champions.

Ali Mabrouk: our third stalllion, egyptian line (Ali Zafir x Bint Mabrouk by Mabrouk),                                         

imported in 1996 from Texas. He was taller than the other, had a great solid back and good shoulders.

 

Afterwards, our own stallions were born: 

Gold de Gargassan (Neral x NA Copala by Warandes Plakat), a remarkable stallion with exceptional gentle temper, brother to Ekla de Gargassan.

Nabab de Gargassan (Ali Mabrouk x NA Copala by Warandes Plakat) is a really great stallion and his progeny an enormous gain to our breed.

Raswan de Gargassan (Vladimir de Falgas x Must de Gargassan by NA Colt) is our loved „Pegasus“.

 

Na Colt
Na Colt
Gold de Gargassan
Gold de Gargassan
Vladimir de Falgas
Vladimir de Falgas
Nabab de Gargassan
Nabab de Gargassan
Ali Mabrouk
Ali Mabrouk
Raswan de Gargassan
Raswan de Gargassan


After the death of Francis in 2010, we decided to decimate our breeding. We are very proud of the large Gargassan family we have built up over the years and are happy about every further success of our horses, as well as their numerous offspring. 

This is how it happened that we sold Nabab de Gargassan to our friends from 'Les Rocs de la Serre'. In the future he will be available there as a stud.


1. Alphabet of Horses (1988-2011)

1988 A like: Azziz de Gargassan

1989 B like: Baïne de Gargassan

1990 C like: Clip de Gargassan

1991 D like: Defi de Gargassan

1992 E like: Emira ou Ekla de Gargassan  

1993 F like: First de Gargassan

1994 G like: Gold de Gargassan or G like Papouchka

1995 H like: Hamy de Gargassan

1996 I like: Iff de Gargassan

1997 J like: Jazzy de Gargassan

1998 K like: King de Gargassan

1999 L like: Lemir de Gargassan

2000 M like: Must de Gargassan

2001 N like: Natif  et Nabab de Gargassan

2002 O like: Oman de Gargassan

2003 P like: Prince de Gargassan

2004 Q like: Qaly de Gargassan

2005 R like: Raswan de Gargassan

2006 S like: Sheyk de Gargassan

2007 T like: Tooyou  ou Tonik de Gargassan

2008 U like: Uzele de Gargassan

2009 V like: Vatou de Gargassan

2010 W like: Wassana de Gargassan

2011 X,Y,Z like: Yalha and Zizou de Gargassan

2. Alphabet of Horses (2019-)

2019 A like: Amir de Gargassan

2020 B like: Barby de Gargassan



 

Marianne CAPDEVILLE 

Domaine de Gargassan

1 Rue des Haras 

33590 St. Vivien-de-Médoc

Tel.: +33 (0)675120356

gargassanstud@orange.fr

Facebook