Al Azim is a dream come true, a beautiful black Arabian stallion with a worldwide unique performance achievement, and a friend with a flawless disposition who will take you wherever you wish to go, whatever may come! Al Azim is the star of our farm since years. He simply has it all; wherever he appears, he is admired. He has a gleaming black coat, a small white star shaped like a flame, and two white hind feet. His head is beautiful with a broad forehead, large, dark eyes and small, well-shaped ears. A silky mane flows over his well-shaped neck. He has a sloping shoulder, a short back with an ideal topline, well-suited to take a saddle (even at a mature age after many years of extreme performance!) and strong, well-angulated hindquarters. He has correct legs (something many Arabians lack) and good hooves and passes his qualities on to his offspring.

These excellent conformation points as well as his superb character and his very good movements, including a ground-covering walk, an elevated trot with enormous power from the hindquarters, and the powerful canter, are reflected in his performance achievements.

Al Azim passed the very rigid, formerly state-run stallion licensing, both for the VZAP (Arabian registry) and for the ZfdP (German riding horses). Like all our horses, he is WAHO-accepted. Among the many registered Arabian breeding stallions in Germany there are only very few that have been licensed and performance-tested and are approved for all Arabian breeds; and of those, there are even fewer that are also black (this can be checked by consulting the official VZAP stallion list).
Al Azim passed his performance test against the toughest competition. For one season, he was raced successfully; a test that demands a lot more from a horse than the usual 100-day performance test or the basic test, in which the stallion has to show no more than his gaits. After state stallion licensing was abolished, only few Arabianstallions passed a performance test, and most that did, left it at that. Al Azim, however, proved his toughness, his health and his willingness to perform each year again,and is still ridden almost every day. For many years he competed in endurance rides, proving his athletic ability again and again, in all weathers and surroundings and all kinds of terrain, successfully participating in long international rides from Denmark to Spain.

Al Azim is a multi-champion; for a whole decade, he was among the best of the endurance Arabian Top Ten, five times in succession he was champion, several times Hessian regional champion, multiple winner of best condition awards on endurance rides, and many years an endurance winner.
His powerful, swinging movements, his catlike agility, and his absolute surefootedness have taken him safely through many long distance rides up to 160 km per day.

Al Azim is the dream Arabian, the black pearl found in so many books, stories, films and TV serials.

From Fury to Black Beauty, from Bento to Blitz, from Silas to Iltschi and many others - whatever their breed, it was always black stallions that captured the imaginations of the masses.
Wherever Al Azim appears, he is surrounded by new and old fans. His success and his achievements are real. He embodies the reality of the dream.

"In 1990, Al Azim carried his rider Doris Melzer over 1,223 km successfully in endurance rides. He never once endangered her.
He was first in the Top Ten of Endurance Arabians 1990 and achieved more than any other Arabian before in one year. Including training rides, this amounts to more then 3,000 km per year under saddle.
On the Trabweg West 1990, the longest endurance ride in Europe, he carried Doris Melzer from the north Vogeses in France, through the mountainous Pfalz, across the heights of the Hunsrueck; he camped by the banks of the Mosel and carried her through the wild valleys of the Eifel, where in the Lotter Valley, a primeval mountain gorge, the rocks and windfalls make passage almost impossible. She already visualized herself falling from her horse, but she could rely fully on her brave black stallion; on he carried her along the Dutch border, assaulted by swarms of insects, through the Engden desert, through heat, sand, and dust (1990 was one of the hottest, driest summers on record), and he did not hesitate when he had to pull her all alone (the second horse and many others had already given up) through the moors, finally reaching the goal by the salty north sea!"

Al Azim is the only state-approved black Arabian stallion worldwide who, in addition to a very good performance test at the racetrack, went over 6,000 km successfully in competitive endurance rides.

Al Azim's sire is the black straight Egyptian El Abd, who was the best purebred Arabian in show jumping in 1981. He won the jumping against time at Aachen and demonstrated the exceptional jumping ability inherited from his sire Gharib. Gharib was the black, world-famous chief sire of Marbach state stud. He was imported from the Egyptian state stud El Zahraa and sired many beautiful, tall, and superbly gaited performance horses. Al Azim's granddam El Garia was a black mare imported from the famous Egyptian Al Badeia Stables, later exported to the USA.
His dam is the black mare Ramalla, of impeccable disposition, whose ancestors include the famous bay Rualla and Wisznu, who greatly influenced early German breeding with his refinement and hardiness; also Bukra, and the famous Halef, whose performance ability and reliability were proven during a harrowing flight with his rider to Germany at the end of World War II.

With mainly black genes, Al Azim sires a majority of black foals with few or no markings. He passes on type, disposition, good conformation, correct legs, health and a robust constituion, excellent movements, and the will and ability to perform. He is a champion sire!
His offspring have proven themselves in trecking and endurance rides, at shows up to the European Championships, in Western competition and trail riding. One son for example went on a trek from Stuttgart across the Alps far into Italy. His brown daughter Scarlet has successfully participated in many endurance rides up to 103 km and has an overall record of 2,335 km in competition; his daughter Al Shazima is one of the typiest and most successful black Arabian mares at European shows and got 1st and 2nd places at Langenfeld, Kauber Platte, and Gieboldehausen, where she was Junior Reserve Female Champion; also at Altenstadt and Aachen and at the European Championships in Holland, where she was the 2nd best filly from Germany.
Al Azim's son Shazim has completed 1204 Endurance kilometers. He has been taken part in endurance riding for several years and has finished several long rides up to 134 km; he has won a 100 km ride and finished most rides at high speed. Shazim's full brother Sawlan has successfully finished rides up to 120 km. This performance ability is also shown by Al Shamour, who has finished several long rides won a 80 km ride, coming across the finish line at full gallop with a pulse of 58; he also placed 2nd in a 90 km ride. Al Shamour competed one of the best placed Endurance-Stallion-Performance-Test. His owner credits the entire success to his horse; he says Al Shamour is an endurance rider's dream, the horse is simply brilliant and he would not sell him for a million. Other sons and daughters that are successful at middle and long distances are, among others, the black Al Asham, the black Al Ameerah, who has also successfully competed the Endurance performance test for mares and Al Samura, who competed at endurance rides and who is also a Therapy horse for children.

The magazine "Freizeit im Sattel" featured Al Azim on the cover and wrote: "Al Azim in front, followed by a group of three; that is four purebred Arabian stallions on the trail, cantering in a disciplined manner, the riders sitting cheerfully and lightly in the saddles, the reins in some cased held with one hand…"
Several times, Al Azim was honoured by Wolf Kröber in the main ring of the Equitana. A 55 minute documentary film, "Arabians - Drinkers of the Wind" featured Al Azim among others, showing him extensively and praising him.
In the annual vote for the Arabian of the Year, mostly dominated by show horses, the readers voted Al Azim 3rd because of his great performance achievements.
In order to save mare owners long journeys, Al Azim is also available by Artifical Insemination. All bacteriological examinations, as well as the examination for CEM, instantly yielded good results. Further examinations showed that he has excellent sperm quality, ideally suited for making frozen semen. According to the Arabian registry, at most 50 % of all stallions are suited for frozen semen, based solely on sperm quality.

The magazine "Araber Journal" writes: "Al Azim has many qualities; he is a friend and companion, an excellent sports horse and a successful sire. Small wonder that he has many admirers, not only in Europe, but also overseas. There is even an "Al Azim Fan Club". For many, he embodies the dream of the Black Stallion, Black Beauty & Co., but - unlike the film industry - Al Azim's achievements are authentic, unique, and proven. To his owner, he is a companion and friend who comes to call, and will go anywhere with her, no matter what. A friend for life - not even six figure sums, which have been offered for him, have been able to change this, nor ever will."

Finally, an example of one year's achievement: four 45 km rides from January to April; in April a difficult 105 km ride through the mountains; in Mai an international 100 km ride over difficult ground with a minimum weight of 75 kg. Then a 64 km ride and an international 90 km ride, again across mountains and hard, extremely difficult terrain. In June/July he won another 90 km ride as well as a 108 km ride in extreme heat and with high ozone readings. To continue his series of wins, Al Azim then won an international 125 km ride and an 83 km ride. During the great August heat, he successfully participated in the 360 km ride from Frankfurt to Strasburg. This included steep climbs in the mountains with height differences of 1,612 meters going up and 1,528 meters going down, in only one day. Not long after came a classic 100 mile ride (160 km in one day), starting at night and hindered by rain and cold temperatures. A final 42 km ride to finish off, completing the exceptional record on 1,409 km in one year.

Meanwhile many years passed and Al Azim remained always fit, healthy and fertile until his high age and he still had much fun to be ridden outside through the valleys and over the hills of the Odenwald country.

One of his last big entrys was in Aachen, where he was invited to the World Equestrian Games.

Another highlight of his career was, that Al Azim was awarded by the German Arabian Horse Breeding Association (VZAP) with the certificate and the title "German Elite Stallion", which means the highest award for a breeding stallion.

On his 30 birthday he got countless congratulations from all over the world.

When he passed away in sommer 2012 and Doris Melzer held his head in her arms, this was a very, very sad moment for her, but it was also fulfilled with thanks, that Al Azim lived 30 years long, always healthy and happy and gave so much happyness and he will remain and live forever unforgotten in our hearts and our minds.