Memories come and go, sometimes they come from afar, then there are memories that will never die. Nobody will ever for- get Mr. Jacques Chalom des Cordes, a ge- nerous man with a deep understanding of Arabian horse breeding. In every decade throughout the centuries, irrespective of the country of origin, the Arabian horse and the related breeding activity have come across exceptional people very devoted to his cause, and who have marked the great history of this sector for almost half a cen- tury. age thus, the static horse exhibited in his building, had to come alive. In 1965, he made contacts with a quite singular cha- racter who was worth knowing as he had lived in North Africa where he himself had been able to approach the pure-bred Arabian horses collected from the former Equestrian Establishments of the Protecto- rate. For many years, mainly in the nineteenth century and until the middle of the twen- tieth century, pure-bred Arabian horses – also known and classified as “Oriental Horses”- had been a prerogative of the ari- Text by: Guillaume de Cléry Translation by: Sonja Smaldone Photos: Personal Collection The Chaloms had their pediment on Place Vendome in Paris right next to the most fa- mous jewellers, they were one of the most illustrious families of antiques dealers of France, owners of a temple of objects of rare beauty, including many equestrian statues that adorned the entrance of this prestigious Art store. Jacques Chalom des Cordes had demonstrated particular inte- rest in the living ‘things’ from a very young stocracy, the French Emperor, he first ow- ned very nice specimens that inhabited the Stables that he built nearby Les Jardins des Tuileries in Paris. Given that he belonged to the extremely wealthy France, Jacques Chalom des Cordes did not find it hard to come across an icon of the industry, the heroic Count Stephan Zamoyski who had participated at the operations of saving Ja- now Podlaski’s Arabian horses during the Word War II. In 1967, Jacques Chalom des Cordes decided to build his own breeding program on the family estate in south France, at the foot of Mount Cordes, not far from Arles; the local climate was conducive to these enduring horses accustomed to the dry habitat of their country of origin. We need to know that the person being talked about dona- ted an Arabian stallion “Coustignargue” to the State of Israel, who was later renamed to Chalom, an act of great generosity that he made for very personal reasons.The Haras de la Montagne des Cordes eventually became a reality with highly se- lected specimen coming from the Polish National Studs which, at that time, had not yet entered the spiral of the market economy. Among them, one could find subjects from the finest and most ancient bloodlines; truly one needed a gold mine to acquire one or more reproducers. Jacques Chalom des Cordes’studies led him to establish a breeding program that aimed to the homogeneity of the products inside the genetic reservoir that he had available, and he managed to produce very correct horses, with a good back, a body structure in conformity with the breed standard, very good lim- bs, straight feet that are essential to support body mass, but also with a lot of Arabian type. The pure-bred Arabian horse, who dominates for his nobility, he argues, was not manufactured by the man, rather, it was domesticated by him, sometimes in a wrong way by intervening too much at the level of his use as a whole. He nostalgically remembers that at a time when he was trying to promote the Ara- bian horse and the exchange of knowledge and practices inside the sector, the horse was a ward of the Haras Nationaux (French National Studs) in 1971, following a meeting with the official leaders, misters: de Poncins, de Castelbajac, Henry Blanc and Bécheau La Fonta, Chalom des Cordes came up with the idea of creating the first National Breeders Association which gathered influential per- sonalities of the sector, such as: Martine Cantrel, Marie Claire de Nervo, Albert Laredo and Pr. Dambrin. After making a list of all the breeders who owned Arabian horses, Mr. William Richardot de Choisey, a member of the foundation, offered to organize by himself a breeding contest in 1973 on the occasion of the 2nd Salon du Cheval in Paris held at Parc de Floral in Paris-Vincennes, this marked the first international event for the development of the Arabian breed opened to the general public, there were fifty-five participating horses from Germany, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland; a very good and promising beginning, but also a novelty that caused a sensation in the sector. From 1971 to 1981, Jacques Chalom des Cordes was President of the French National Breeders Association, he invested a lot of himself and of his private funds in the promotion of viable programs such as the Haras Nationaux de Pompadour which, in the central region, seemed appropriate to organize an event that could serve as an annual showcase of the breed; the prin- ciples of the 1st French Championship solely established by private intelligence were endorsed by the Administration, and each class of horses divided by age had to perform a ridden se- ries with three gaits, in other words, a beauty test. Each year at the Haras Nationaux de Pompadour and Tarbes, a Class Appro- val for candidate stallions could assign breeding authorizations for males of age three and over. It was a fair assessment made by nominated competent judges who did guarantee the good conformity of future reproducers. At present, Jacques Chalom des Cordes is very concerned about the future of the breed whose authenticity, physical appearance and legendary endurance, he warns, must be preserved and not changed; according to him, everyone should now understand that the preservation and survival of the breed for more centu- ries to come can only be possible with responsible leaders who must act ethically and must remain free from all compromises as well as from organizations that crystallize into much critici- sm. If it does not happen, the whole industry will come to an end. The Haras de la Montagne des Cordes of Jacques Chalom has recently stopped its breeding activity. Today, he owns fifteen specimens corresponding to his vision of the beautiful and ge- nuine pure-bred Arabian horse, he keeps vibrant evidences and holds the esteem of the most important but also of the most humble breeders who have worked with him. We thank Jacques Chalom des Cordes for this precious and heart-warming interview. An important gift for future genera- tions.