GIUSEPPE CRISTIANO

Hello, Giuseppe! It is always a pleasure to welcome Sicilian breeders into the international community. Many thanks for agreeing to the interview. 1. Who is Giuseppe Cristiano? Tell us a little about yourself... 1. Thank you for giving me this chance to introduce myself to the Arabian Horse Magazine community! I am 54 years old, married, and have two beautiful children with whom I share my passion for Arabian horses. My main activity is the running of a building company that has been orbiting the world for over thirty years. I live in Palermo, a province in splendid Sicily. Breeding Arabian horses is a true passion that enriches and excite our lives. I've always loved the complete animal world. I began my career as a bird breeder, excelling in all regional and national competitions for over twenty years, earning several awards, including the Italian Champion title. 2. When did you first get interested in the Arabian horse breed? 2. I met my first Arabian horse during a vacation with my dear friend Antonio Pizzo, a local breeder, on August 17, 2015. He showed me his horses, and we visited one of the most important and prestigious Sicilian farms. I was first introduced to Arabian horses in a field of sand at Aretusa Arabians, owned by Pippo Palumbo. It changed my life forever. I, too, decided that I needed an Arabian mare and I would try to breed one. After discovering this fascinating world, I spent all the summer holidays on the farms in our area, such as MG Arabians, Vincenzo Romano's Farm, etc. I was given my first mare AG Haidjana by my friend Antonio, a daughter of Ajman Moniscione, whose top stallion of the moment was Avalon LBA, by whom I got my first filly CPE Fajjar Wadhi. 3. What does the word "breeding" mean to you? 3. In the world of Arabian horses, the study of pedigrees is the most fascinating thing. For me, breeding the Arabian horse means chasing a result from the union of two horses, and above all from the union of two pedigrees, for I love the Arabian horse passionately, and I am not ashamed to admit I love competition! It is a challenge for me to create something beautiful and unique to exhibit to the world, show it in competitions, and enjoy it in my barn. The review and deepening of all pedigrees of foals from one to three years of age, which excelled in the most relevant shows, have become crucial for me to evaluate the evolution of the breed and how it has affected them. Seeing a new life emerge, the fruit of your choices, of your intuitions, feels magical. 4. When was CPE Arabians founded? Which bloodlines are primarily bred at CPE Arabians? 4. The CPE Arabians brand was launched in 2015 with the recognition that every company and its products need to be identified clearly in the world of breeding, and embody their distinctive positioning on the market, based above all on the seriousness and responsibility of offering products of quality with the right value. We will not sell foals before the first year of their lives, which is necessary to make a serious evaluation. The primary goal of our business is to sell our products to other breeders who must, of course, be happy and aware that they have purchased at an appropriate price. As I constructed the breeding base in these six years, I focused on leaving the most promising fillies in the barn, resisting market offers, not without inner struggles, but with the awareness that for important results in the future, I needed a solid foundation of mares from both phenotypic and genetic perspectives. So after only six years of breeding, I find myself with five mares of different lines among today's best reproducers of champions. Obayana K.A. (Qr Marc - Wh Justice line) CPE Fariba (RFI Farid - wh Justice line) CPE Rashida (Da Vinci FM line - Ajman Moniscione line) CPE Arima (ES Harir - Ajman Moniscione line) Parthenia (Wh Justice - Gazal al Shaqab line) 5. Which breeding stallion is the most important at the moment? 5. All the shows in the last few years have proven that FA El Rasheem is the stallion that best defines the new characteristics of the Arabian horse, as well as his sons, including D Seraj, and at the same time, we are thrilled to have his son, CPE Davidoff, with our top mare Obayana KA. FA El Rasheem for me represents an evolution and a peak of perfection arising from the union of two historical bloodlines such as Versace and Marwan al Shaqab. His impact on all his foals is undeniable. The foals' foreheads, eye sockets, and heads as a whole are distinct from those of other lines. Combined with a more or less complete body and movement, they obtain foals that are complete. The best results are achieved by using mares that descend from Versace, as was the case with D Seraj and Lady Veronika (the daughter of Versace). 6. Which of your mares do you think is the most important? Why? 6. Definitely Obayana KA by Espressivo KA and out of Odalis De Nautiac! I purchased her in 2017 at the Palermo show, thanks to Paolo Capecci and Giampaolo Gubbiotti, to whom I will always be grateful for allowing me to have a mare of this calibre. The three-year-old girl affirmed herself with a gold medal at the show in Palermo, in 2017, another gold medal in Roccalumera in 2017, and the best in the show title, and the year ends as a Reserve at the European Championship in Verona with joy and memories of our family. Also in 2021, Obayana won another gold medal at the Montefalco international show! We had three wonderful foals from her, one by Fa El Rasheem, our CPE Davidoff who will be bred to our mares starting this year, and the others owned by friends. Obayana KA is certain to produce excellent results given her beauty and her prestigious pedigree. 7. What Arabian horse today would come closest to your ideal? 7. With a clear distinction between phenotypically and genetically perfect horses, Es Harir, Excalibur, Shanghai, and Alexanderr are all horses whose beauty makes my heart race... 8. Do you breed horses for show purposes as well? If so, what have been your most recent successes? 8. I breed primarily for shows, knowing that the show is the sole place where true judgment and comparisons between the subjects can be made. In the long run, the opinions of the judges align with those of the breeders themselves, the spectators. I am a huge fan of shows and I try to follow them as much as possible, either in person or via streaming when I cannot leave the house. We achieved the most important results in the shows with our Obayana with three gold medals and one silver at the 2017 European Championship, to which we add Davidoff's silver medal at Montefalco 2020. These are substantial goals for a small, entirely amateur breeder with a few years of experience. 9. In your opinion, what role does "marketing" play in the Arabian horse industry? 9. The promotion of the Arabian horse breed is important and fundamental in a world that is so globalized, a world where social networking is the primary and most effective element of your Farm's image and the undisputed showcase of your products, a world where an Arabian horse magazine like yours captures the very best of what the Arabian horse breed has to offer, and I feel glad and honoured to express my modest and humble opinions today. 10. What are the goals you would like your breeding program to achieve in the future? First, I would like to reach national success with the foals in my barn, the fruits of my choices. To bring high-quality foals with important pedigrees to the market and to assist young breeders to start breeding Arabian horses by providing them with all the little knowledge that I have acquired in those years. 11. Is there anything you would like to tell the readers of AHM, Giuseppe? 11. Yes, of course...to me, the essence of Arabian horse breeding and, above all, the shows is a moment of aggregation with friends, family, acquaintances, being together, sharing, confronting each other. My hobby has allowed me to get to know a lot of people, and I'm so grateful for that. In closing, I would like to remember my father, Vito, who passed away last year... He was as passionate about it as I was, and he followed me to all the shows...