On Morocco’s wild and natural Atlantic coast to the North of Al Jadidah, you find the scenic town of Azemour. And there, just on the ocean and right in the center of a vast palm grove, Issan Stud was built. Almost 90 straight Egyptian Arabians have found their homes on the well-kept stud grounds which cover 60 hectares of green land. The whole complex is a beautiful sight and was built with the horses’ requirements firmly in mind: spacious paddocks with run-in sheds for the stallions, mare barns that invite communication between the horses, and green pastures for the youngstock. Mr. Mostapha Benlafkih is the owner of Issan Stud, and he is a man who loves his horses. His Arabian horse breeding operation continues the long-standing family tradition. “My grandfather would harness his Arabian mare every day to transport merchandise to his small shop, six miles away. At that time, it was a great privilege to be owning an Arabian mare. My father has always kept horses on his farm, too. We grew up in the company of the farm animals, and handling horses was just what we naturally did. When I bought my own farm in 1982, a stock of 16 mares already lived there, all of them with a racetrack background. I have been breeding straight Egyptians, exclusively, since 2012, as I wish to base these horses’ perfection and beauty – which are criteria for breeding for me – on the past. The pedigrees are my roadmaps, and I wish to perpetuate my horses’ history in the history of my stud.”