Noran Arabians
Re-Ality Arabians
September 1, 2020
Dressage Stars
September 3, 2020Noran Arabians
The Arabian horse has given our whole family a fantastic ride
When asked to write an article about when we ‘Noran Arabians’ (the Wall family) started, it made us reflect several years to 1969. Yes, 1969! How does one put all of 50 years on a few pages? What a journey. The Arabian horse has given our whole family a fantastic ride, along with the friends we have made all over the world.
1969 saw Norm (then Nancy’s longterm boyfriend) heading off to do his National Service based in Sydney. Norm to this day still says that this was the only lottery number he has ever won. With time off, sitting on their hands, Norm and a couple of mates started weekend jaunts out around Sydney ...looking. The first horse farm they visited was a Standardbred training farm of Lou Cini. On reflection, their thoughts sometimes dwell on where Noran’s future may have gone to if Norm and the boys had not discovered Ralvon Arab Stud. Ron invited Norm back for another visit, and Noran Arabians’ future was set. Norm did his apprenticeship at Ralvon and has never forgotten that wonderful start over the many years that followed. Visiting Ron and Val Males has reinforced to Norm and Nancy how you should reflect and thank those that helped you at the start with your apprenticeship. Each person starts an apprenticeship with someone within the horse industry. Ron and Val Males of Ralvon Arabians are well known all over the world as horsepeople extraordinaires and breeders of quality Arabians, especially the magnificent Ralvon Pilgrim. Norm worked and learned a lot while at Ralvon with the Males family. A lot of their ethics and philosophies have carried through over the many enjoyable and successful years of Noran, continuing even now into the next generation of Noran.
Noran’s next step came with a letter to Nancy, and Norm stating, ‘I have just bought an Arab colt.’ Whenever Nancy speculates back to their start, she laughingly states the family often blame Norm for ‘starting it all. It’s Norm’s fault that they have horses!’ Norm’s first purchase was Razik, chosen by Norm because of his superb temperament. This colt’s sire was the stallion Rikham, imported as a foundation sire of Polocrosse horses for the Hurst family. This colt’s dam was the wonderful endurance mare Razzanna. Razik is the youngest horse to complete a Quilty as his dam was unknowingly pregnant when she completed her last Quilty endurance ride. What a start for Razik for his future as a saddle Arabian. A legend in Western Australia, Razik was bred by Ron and Val Males in partnership with the legendary R.M. Williams, and transferred to Norm and Nancy. The rest is now history for the Wall family.
THE BEGINNING OF THE WALL FAMILY Along the trail of the Arabian horse Norm and Nancy found time to attend their all white wedding with some 250 guests at a huge banquet, enjoying time with friends and family celebrating their marriage. What a night that was, still recalled by some. After some three years of ‘playing’ horses along came Kylie and Stanley, quite close together. Two redheads that looked like their dad and became very well known by many on the show circuit – unmistakably the Wall children. Kylie Wall, with a Business degree and a Veterinary Nursing degree, has her own varied story to tell. International travel, training horses in England and USA, she is heavily involved in Noran’s past, present and a partner in Noran’s future. Stanley Wall has his Process Engineering degree and although he has strayed a little from the Noran horse life, maybe one of the grandchildren will make their own story in the future for Noran Arabians.
At this time, Noran was on 600 acres just west of Mandurah, where they ran at times up to 65 head of horses...saddle breaking, halter training, agisting, breeding mares...you name it, they did it. The farm also ran 100 breeder cattle and 200 sheep. What a busy life for all.
Noran’s first purebred Arabian mare was Melara Ar-Ra-Ba, a Sindh-bred mare purchased in the mid 70s. Interestingly back then this mare’s purchase price was the same as a brand-new motor car. Norm and Nancy’s parents thought that their children had both lost the plot. This mare’s first foal for Noran was the Count Cordova daughter Noran Kyan (named after Kylie and Stan, the Wall children). Kyan made her own history and is still the base of Noran Arabians’ highly successful Arabian band.
Noran have always tried to stay in the middle of the road in their breeding program, keeping with their own ideals. They have not been swayed by fads and trends along the way, yet still moving with the times to remain successful. Consistency and predictability have always been paramount to the breeding program. Norm and Nancy bred the mares they had collected over the years to stallions that could reliably reproduce the qualities they were looking for in their offspring. Noran imported several well known Arabian stallions including Mashour, Simeon Shagrir, Priority and Hayyid, and stood at stud several other high profile stallions including Tarong El Nefous, Razik and Reserve Australian National Champion Tarren Hill Tarik, later exported to Al-Marah Arabians in the USA for a WA record of $50,000. This impressive line-up of stallions co-existed with an equally impressive group of Warmblood stallions, and together up to 65 visiting mares per year would call Noran home for a short while. Noran would breed on average 18 foals per year. Today, Nancy often contemplates how they managed this lifestyle, running a huge breeding farm and show team, as a family.
After scaling back on horses in the 90s, the Wall family increased their interest in stud cattle. Although cattle were always on the property for pasture management, being ‘breeders’ at heart the Walls upgraded the herd to purebred Maine Anjou cattle. Not content with the red cattle found in Australia at that time, the Walls travelled to Canada (followed by the wonderful Scottsdale Show in Arizona) and purchased a $14,000 cow, then embryos from a Grand Champion Congress cow, to start the first black Maine Anjou breeding program in Australia. That is a story on its own. Over time, the family also branched out into aquaculture, producing Silver Perch for the table. From there, a side hobby of breeding Koi was expanded, and today Noran Fish Farm is the largest breeder of Koi in Australia.
Along the way, several Arabians bred by Noran have been exported from Australia, many into the endurance world. Norm always said Tarik’s sale was their ‘cream on the cake’ from the Arabian industry, helping purchase 43 acres of river flats for a hay property.
Then came a huge change for Noran when Norm shifted to California USA for almost two years. Kylie came home to help run the farm so Nancy could travel too. It is these times when family rally for family that Norm and Nancy reflect on what their two wonderful children have done with them along the way with the Arabian horse. Stan, at university, helped Nancy run the farm while Kylie was in England, Europe and USA training horses, and Norm with lengthy stays in the USA. It was such a hectic time for the whole family but they were there for each other as this family always is. Kylie is now working at a veterinary clinic, with a huge part of her life today totally dedicated to riding and working with these wonderful horses. Stan is a Process Engineer who laughingly says he tolerates the horses but is always there to help when needed to do a horsey job. Norm and Nancy are extremely proud of the two beautiful adults their children have become.
Making the most of this opportunity in the USA, Norm and Nancy visited many studs, seminars and shows, learning more and more with each new day. They saw an opportunity to develop a line of cable show halters, made to order for Arabians, Miniature Ponies, Palominos and other breeds. Nancy’s showring leads are made to any length and colour, and have replaced leather leads for her clients as they are nonslip and do not break. The Norm Wall’s rope training halter and leads have been in production now for nearly 20 years, still being used by many.
About five years ago Norm and Nancy started to scale down a little on breeding, yet they remain a force to be reckoned with on the show scene. Both are competent showring handlers, showing at least four to 12 horses at shows, both their own and on behalf of clients. Norm, Nancy and Kylie get a thrill from helping a client train their horse, to then see them capably and confidently show their own horse. Noran has been involved in all the Arabian Promotions over the years, race day exhibitions, Christmas parades through Perth city, you name it – Noran-bred and trained horses have been there to promote the Arabian Horse.
Always prepared to help anyone who asks, Norm, Nancy, Kylie and Stan are ever ready to help and support anyone along the way. The family at Noran Arabians want people to enjoy the journey of association with the Arabian horse. ‘Enjoy – It’s the journey that’s important, not the destination.’ Not only an exhibitor, Nancy fills National Panel Judging commitments, and was a Halter judge at the 2018 Australian Championships.
A few years back, the Walls decided to make a radical move with their breeding program. Many of the mares were looked at closely and decisions were made to rehome, sell and purchase new mares...mares that could breed the modem Arabian horse. The half Spanish 16 hand stallion Quayyzar, senior stallion still at Noran, was retained to continue producing top saddle horses. Mystica Arabians helped shape the new Noran with the international bloodlines they had made available. Several Arabian mares were purchased including Mystica Al Shamah (Focus on Me x Coolinda Park Nisreya by Anaza El Nizr) and Mystica Bella Psyche (Magnum Psyche x Bella- Versace). These bloodlines, along with those of DA Valentino, Maharaja, LLC Prince Magnum, Shanghai EA and EKS Bay Gazal help shape the new breeding program. A QR Marc son, Markhan EL was added to the mix and although since exported, Noran has retained frozen breedings available for Australia. Noran is blending these bloodlines, consistently producing show champions.
Not long after Markhan’s export, Norm received a phone call from Jeff of Mystica Arabians. ‘Norm, I have a colt for you.’ The next chapter for Noran arrived in the form of a hairy, bay, unnamed colt sired by Maharaja HDM, a World Champion and unanimous Scottsdale Champion, who is in turn sired by the World Champion and USA National Champion stallion Marajj. The dam of this colt is the world renowned WH Justice daughter AJA Aphrodite, the million dollar mare now owned by Sheik Ammar of Ajman Stud. At this time, he was her only son, and only foal born in Australia. After a few weeks Nancy named him Mystica Santosa (meaning ‘peaceful’ and ‘saintly’). Santosa was not shown until he was two, winning State Champion and Supreme, Supreme at Perth Royal then the coveted Supreme of Supremes, a unanimous decision by the five judges from a field of 28 of all breeds. He finished the season with The Kadova Favoury High Point Arabian Horse of the Year in Western Australia.
As an adult, Santosa came back into the showring after two years, especially for the Jackpot Show, where he was confronted by two international judges and a line-up of top class multi champion halter horses. Trained by Kylie Wall and shown by Steve Muco, this team wowed the spectators, and upon both judges awarding him Grand Champion, there was a roar from the approving crowd. As a sire Santosa has surpassed all expectations. He adds style, type and class to his foals whether they be purebred, Arabian Warmblood or Pony crosses. His first two foals shown won State Champions and Supremes as weanlings, and our Magnum Psyche mare produced a world class filly, Noran Bella-Sansa who has already won two Gold Championships. Steve and Sarah Muco of Khizmeht Arabians also have a classy colt from their mare Goddess of Ajman by Ajman Moniscione.
Today, Santosa is back in his paddock, enjoying life and being watched closely by the old man Quayyzar. When people come to the farm they can’t resist stopping to say hello to this beautiful stallion, who generally races them to the gate, demanding their attention.
Noran Arabians and the Wall family have had their trials with Norm’s almost fatal accident three years ago, and then most recently, Kylie’s health scare last year which continues today. Their love of the Arabian horse is what has helped them keep going, enjoying their farm, family, grandchildren and friends worldwide. Norm, Nancy and Kylie are the consummate breeders looking forward to this season’s Arabian foals by Mystica Santosa.
