Arabian Foundation Horse

Foaled 1926
GSB #841
AHR #952
Gray Stallion
Bred by Crabbet Arabian Stud
Imported by Roger Selby in 1932

Raffles sired 45 producers of National winners. In 1949, when he was 23, Raffles was nearly lost to the breed when he broke a hind leg (he was kicking the concrete wall of his stall to show his displeasure at not being fed first that day, as he usually was). The veterinarians recommended putting him down because of the location of the break and his age. The Deans, who were looking after Raffles protested, so the leg was set, put in a cast, and attached to a crutch. They devised a body sling with an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys to keep the weight off the leg. With the Deans' vigilence, Raffles made a full recovery. The next year Roger Selby decided to cut back his program, and Raffles ended up going to Alice Payne, who had wanted him for a long time. Raffles sired 15 more foals for Alice Payne, and died of natural causes in 1953, at the age of 27. He sired a lifetime total of 123 foals.