Sad news has reached us from Australia, where Ron Males has passed away. He and his wife Val had founded their Ralvon Stud in the mid-1950s, which was known for its show and endurance horses based on Crabbet and Polish bloodlines. Their breeding philosophy was always: “The Arabian must be sound, functional and beautiful.”
Ralvon Stud was fortunate to have been part of the resurgence in Arabian breeding and in 1977, to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, the Males were invited to the UK with Ralvon Pilgrim. Here the stallion was to compete in the International Championship Show at Ascot, where he was promptly declared Supreme Exhibit. Those of us who saw his grandson Ralvon Elijah win all the championships in Great Britain and eventually the 6th All Nations Cup in Frauenfeld will never forget this superbly moving chestnut.
The Males were interested not only in showing but also in endurance sport and Ron Males took part in the very first Tom Quilty 160 km ride in 1966. Ron Males achieved 21 Quilty Buckles for completing these rides – I don’t think this has been achieved before. They then sold their farm in 2017 and Ron gave up riding in 2018. The couple enjoyed travelling and judging as they got older.
I was lucky enough to visit Ralvon Stud in 1993 and witnessed not only the influence of Rikham (from the UK) and The Puritan (from the USA) but also the Polish-bred Milex (from Denmark). The last time I met Ron was at the WAHO conference in Australia in 2019 – he had hardly changed! So it is all the more sad to hear of his passing – my condolences go out to his wife Val, their three children and many, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Gudrun Waiditschka
