A Fistful of Bicentennial Quarters

Monadena (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Bint Fa Dena), 1976 mare. Bred by Bentwood Farm and owned by Paul & Delma Cotney. Photo by the late Polly Knoll.

 In the Bint Fa Dena blog, I wrote the following:

Like her dam, Bint Fa Dena would find her way to Jarrell McCracken, who bred the mare exclusively to *Ibn Moniet el Nefous, producing a lovely mare named Monadena

Monadena, a rosewater (fleabitten) grey mare, was foaled in 1976, the year of the American Bicentennial, 200 years since the founding of our great nation. Do you remember the special quarter? Monadena was  eventually sold to Paul & Delma Cotney, Wedgewood Farm, Oklahoma City. 

Halim El Nefous

What is really interesting is that the Cotneys bred Monadena to *Ansata Ibn Halima, her maternal grandsire (*Ansata Ibn Halima was the sire of Bint Fa Dena), producing the bay stallion Halim El Nefous in 1980 and his grey full sister, Halimas Legacy in 1982. The percentage of *Ansata Ibn Halima's genetic influence (62.5 %) in these 2 full siblings is a higher percentage than the numerical value (50%) most usually assigned to a sire. 

Halim El Nefous became an important sire for the Cotneys, and later, for Sherry Moseley of Sherbrook Egyptian Stud. Halim El Nefous' lifetime total equals a little less than 80 horses to his credit. What I also found interesting is the bay coat color of Halim El Nefous. When I visited Bentwood Farm in the late eighties, my goal was to see as many of the Babson/IMEN crosses as possible. I already loved the Babson/Halima cross and was interested to see for myself how similar or how different the crosses were from one another. 

Monadena (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous x Bint Fa Dena) at liberty, photographed by the late Johnny Johnston

Some might have complained that the IMEN crosses produced horses who were too chunky but I appreciated their rubinesque-style bodies. Comprised of 3-equal sized circles, much of the body mass was packed within each circle, until the circle could not hold any more mass. The mares were voluptuous and really unforgettable, as they grazed quietly within each field. 

The majority of the Babson/Imen crosses were grey horses. Maybe one or two chestnuts, but for the most part, the mares were visions in white. That's why Halim El Nefous sticks out, he was not grey, he was a bright bay! In his matriline, through the mare Fa Dena (his maternal great-granddam), he traces to *Bint Serra I twice, through Fa-Serr and Fa Deene. But Halim El Nefous also has lines to 6 other bay colored horses, within the first 5 generations of his pedigree: Halima (twice), Bint Samiha (thrice), Kazmeen (twice), Sotamm, *Kasima, Bint Sabah. If you are a believer of coat color predicting the genetic influence of a key individual, then Bint Samiha, Halima and Kazmeen, all of whom appear in multiple lines, would be the horses whose influence I would carefully study.

*Ansata Ibn Halima died in September 1981, leaving the Cotneys to find another stallion who would complement Monadena as well as * Ansata Ibn Halima did. For her next 3 foals, Monadena was bred to Shaikh Al Badi (Eskada Shadeek, 1984 grey stallion) and twice to Ruminaja Ali (Eskada Alicia, 1986 chestnut mare & Eskada Anastasia, 1987 grey mare). I don't believe that she produced any more foals, beyond 1987. Here we are, 50 years since celebrating the American Bicentennial and the birth of this beautiful mare. Today, as we are on the doorstep of the new year and therefore, about to celebrate our 250th anniversary; it's amazing really, to consider that her 5 foals have multiplied to imclude 422 descendants, per Al Khamsa's pedigree roster.

***HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026***

***HAPPY 250TH BIRTHDAY AMERICA***

Are you interested in learning more about the Fa Dena family of horses (see below listed blog links):

• Daaldan
• Fa Daalim & Fabo
• Fa Adorah Mia
• AK Dantilla
• AK El Hassan
• AK El Sennari
• Bint Fa Dena

2025: The Year That Was

NK Hamza (NK Kamar El Dine x Andorra Bint Asfoura), Sandra Stahl photo

Before I get too deep in reporting all the end-of-year statistics, I wanted to highlight the major difference between 2024 and 2025. Last year, there were 30 blogs published, this year there are 80 blogs (including this one). Of this number, 69 were brand new blogs for 2025, never published previously. The first quarter of 2025 was the busiest, 44% of the blogs written and published in 2025 were published in the first 3 months of the year, with March seeing the most blogs ever published within a single month, 13! Believe it or not, the total of 35 blogs in the first 3 months of 2025 is 5 more blogs than I had written in all of 2024!  In return, you clicked on the blog 90,000 times this year! 90,000! The breakdown of the top page views by country are as follows:

1. United States - 31,000
2. Singapore - 11,000
3. Brazil - 9,000
4. Hong Kong - 7,000
5. Vietnam - 4,000
6. Germany - 2,500
7. China - 1,600
8. India - 1,600
9. UK - 1,200
10. Israel - 1,000

I am so grateful to you, dear readers! Your readership encourages me to keep writing, especially on those days when my motivation is almost non-existant! 

Do you know that more of the page visits were made by readers using a Windows computer, on Google's Chrome browser, as compared to the Apple platform and Safari browsers or even Android cell phones! Including the 80 blogs I added in 2025, there are now 621 total blogs available for you to read (check the Blog Archive, located in the sidebar on the right hand side of the web version of the home page). Despite an increased level of publishing activity this year, I dropped to #6 in Feedspot's list of top Arabian Horse Blogs (last year, the blog was #5 on the list)!  

So, what were your favorite blogs this year? The 10 most popular blogs of 2025, across the world, are:

1. The Straight Babson Egyptian Arabian Horse 
2. The Tamria Story
3. AK El Sennari 
4. Dr. Ibrahim Zaghloul 
5. A Fascinating Son: *Ibn Safinaz 1981 - 2008
6. Bedouin Beauty: Jibbah
7. Catalyst
8. Carl Raswan
9. Gazal Al Shaqab
10. Prince Hallany++

Another difference, as compared to last year, is that more of the newly published blogs made it into your top ten list of favorites: #3, #7, #9 and #10! If you will remember, last year, only one of the new for 2024 blogs made it into the top ten!

Honorable mentions? The following list represents the blogs you liked, but not as much as the blogs listed in the top ten. These are the blogs which ranked 11th through 20th, also by page views:

11. Portrait of a King

12. Tammenaa MH

13. He's Gone

14. The Raswan Summer Challenge

15. The Memory of a Bright Soul

16. The Tale of the Golden Stallion

17. Aana, Raswan & John Rogers

18. 1982

19. There Once was a Stallion Named Antar

20. Bint El Bahreyn

This second tier of the top ten is an interesting mix of old and new blogs; the *Tuhotmos and Antar blogs, given a "tweak" here and there, are almost 20 years old! The Story about Antez and W.K. Kellogg, new for 2025, was fun to write, while affording the opportunity to learn a little more about the man named Kellogg, and what was important to him, as he became more involved with the Arabian horse. 

In early spring, I accidentally stumbled upon a photo of the 2011 straight Egyptian stallion, NK Hamza, by NK Kamar El Dine and out of the 2001 Adnan daughter, Andorra Bint Asfoura. A most photogenic individual, I was mesmerized by the horse's beauty. With a profuse forelock and  a red chestnut coat; finding his photo, exchanging messages with his owner, Sabine Klee  who sent even more photos, remains a highlight of 2025. I hope my blog conveys to you dear reader, what a magnificent horse, NK Hamza really is.

Foaled in 1995, Gazal Al Shaqab was the beautiful, more exquisite horse that Al Shaqab had desired to produce, when they purchased Kajora, already in foal to Anaza El Farid (Ruminaja Ali x Bint Deena). Michael Byatt explained that he wanted to take all the great qualities that Kajora had and breed her to a straight Egyptian stallion to produce a more exotic horse that was not only pretty but athletic, a horse that would offer a little bit of everything to breeders. I hope this blog will help you dear reader understand the influence that this particular stallion has exerted within our Arabian Horse community.

Who is *Ansata Ibn Halima+? The legendary straight Egyptian stallion, imported from Egypt by Don and Judi Forbis, was foaled in 1958, sired by Nazeer and out of Halima, a bay Sheikh el Arab daughter out of Ragia (Ibn Rabdan x Farida). Hermann Marsian, shared a long ago photo of *Ansata Ibn Halima. I had never seen this photo before and it definitely was a surprise to find this year.

Long before the Polish State Studs started to incorporate straight Egyptian stallions like Laheeb, the Tersk Stud, through the use of the EAO stallions, Nil and Aswan, had already realized the benefits of using Egyptian bloodlines in its breeding program. In April of 1971, approximately 5 years or so into Aswan's tenure at Tersk, *Mars, an Aswan son out of *Magnolia, was foaled at the stud. This particular cross was so successful, it was repeated several times, yielding, among other horses, the full brothers *Magnificent, an AERC endurance champion and the Dutch National Champion stallion, *Mag, both stallions were eventually exported to America.

This year, I was able to find again a particular photo of Ansata Abbas Pasha, taken by the late Johnny Johnston. Like the Halima photo, some may say that it is not a very flattering photo of Ansata Abbas Pasha and while that may be true, for me, it is how I remember him, when I stood in front of his stall at Bentwood, all those years ago. The enchantment  blog I wrote about him is an old one, possibly one of the very first blogs I authored, almost 20 years ago. It's a little different now, the "tweaks" I made to the blog were inspired by the "new" photo that I found. Along with the discovery of NK Hamza and the rearing photo of *Ansata Ibn Halima, finding Ansata Abbas Pasha's photo again was a highlight this year.

And there, you have it, a highlight of what I believe to be, were the more memorable stories of 2025 (and the most fun to write) but don't take my word for it, there are over 600 more stories in the archive, some of the blogs will celebrate 20 years in 2026! 

In closing, I am compelled to express my gratitude once again to you, dear readers, because you are the reason for why this blog exists. I hope that each blog I write will continue to inspire you with a desire to learn more about Arabian horses. And if along the way you receive equal helpings of some good old-fashioned awe and wonder, then all my efforts and sacrifices will have been worth it, all for the love of an Arabian horse. 

 Happy New Year 2026!

A Yule Prodigal

"Hi Marky, it's me. Just calling to tell you that I hung the ornament you made for me on the tree today. Remember that? I love you and miss you so much. Please honey, come home soon." I knew my Mom well enough to recognize that her voice, so warm and soothing, was holding back a sob. She was trying hard to sound strong and courageous. I thought of my mother and of the loving home that she created for me, all these years. Gosh, I lost count of how many times I must have broken her heart, including tonight.

HOME...

"I'm dreaming tonight of a place I love
Even more then I usually do
And although I know,
it's a long road back

I promise you

I'll be home for Christmas."-from the song, I'll Be Home for Christmas, written by Kim Gannon  and Walter Kent 

Like Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz movie, I wanted to click my heels together and say, "there's no place like home" and find myself walking the long gravel driveway that led back to the farmhouse with red shutters, a warm and inviting glow radiating from all the windows. Home...my home. My heart fluttered. How I missed home. I imagined opening the front door, to fall into the waiting arms of my loving mother. Nothing could define home more concisely than my mother.

When I left home, I was determined to become my own person and do all the things I wanted to do, when I wanted to do them and never apologize.

I WANTED TO LIVE FAST and DIE YOUNG.

Life,  for me, was meant to be lived on the edge, played hard and loud...like rock music. And yes, I had done exactly that...except that I hadn't bargained on living a life that was less than full, a life that paled in comparison to the quality of life I lived when, yup, you guessed it...when I was home. I was ready for a change and now, listening to my mother's voice...well, I was not so proud of my so-called independent life. And yet, I knew that no matter what I did, what I said or how ugly I got, I knew that my mother would still love me. My mother still believed in me, even when I wasn't worthy of her trust. I craved forgiveness and I was struggling with the whole concept of redemption...and God. "Maybe, that's how I need to think of God...like I think of my mother, a person whose love knows no limits, always there for me. That's how God must love me too, maybe...even more."

"Preparing for Christmas means looking deep within ourselves and asking if our hearts are truly at home in the lives we are living. "-Mary Lou Redding, from her book, While We Wait: Living the Questions of Advent

I really needed to do something, maybe I needed to accept this gift of love that I had been given...and so, I picked up the receiver and dialed.
 
One...two...three rings...no answer...
 
...just when I was ready to hang up...
 
"Hello?"

*pause*
 
"Hello?"

I was quiet for a second, as I thought of all that I wanted to tell her and just couldn't. I was afraid.

"Hello?

*pause*

Is someone there?

*pause*

Marky? Is this you?

*pause*

Please, Marky, say something...anything," she pleaded.

*pause*
 
"Mom...uh, yes...it's...it's Marky." I paused and said, "Mom...uh..I'm sorry...for everything. I've been so wrong about so many things...and..about Christmas, well, can I come home?" as I finally started to tear down the walls of anger and bitterness, that kept me separated from the people and the place I knew as... 

 
HOME.

***I wrote this story 15 years ago. It just came to me one night and I was lucky enough to have paper and pen handy.  Thank you dear reader for visiting the blog over this past year and Happy Holidays.***

Chamor: A Messenger of Hope

Tonight, in many homes throughout the world, the fourth candle on the menorah will be lit, marking the halfway point during the happy season of Hanukkah. In one week, we will be celebrating Christmas, followed by Kwanzaa and finally, we will say goodbye to 2025 and embrace all the hope that the coming New Year 2026 wil bring. 

"Chamor" is the Hebrew name for "donkey" and at this festive time of year, the donkey is central to many of the stories that have been passed from one generation to another. Without getting very sentimental or even, religious; the donkey is considered by many people of the Christian faiths to have carried a pregnant Mary on his back, as she and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem, to participate in a census of that time. In many nativity scenes, the donkey is one of the pieces we add to this beloved pastoral setting. It was also a donkey, who carried Jesus thirty-three years later, when he entered Jerusalem, leading to his passion and Resurrection. 

In one of my favorite books, When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Susan McCarthy, within the chapter titled A Capacity For Joy, the authors write, 

"One of the many signs by which joy in animals can be recognized is vocalization."   

and while the sound of braying in the above video is the more obvious sign of the "vocalization" of joy; notice how the donkey uses more silent joyful gestures like an embrace, the closed eyes, the deeper and quieter sounds of contentment, as the donkey proceeds to rub his head all over the girl. 

For 2000+ years, Jews have remembered the great miracle that happened in the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem, as they light each candle on their menorah for eight nights.  A single flame, providing both warmth and light, connects our past with our present. We live in dark times, surrounded by similar feelings of uncertainty, fear, loss, sorrow, grief. Possibly, many of the same feelings that Jews experienced during the Maccabean revolt in the Second Century BC. Hanukkah brings unexplainable light into the dark and with the light, comes a glimmer of hope. It is symbolically similar for Chamor, the donkey, who long ago carried hope into the darkened streets of Bethlehem and from there, the world. It is my hope that a video of a joyful Chamor (my fourth candle), will inspire you with hope and provide for you a similar glimmer of light and joy, into what may be a darker world than you are used to living in. 

Chag Sameach to all of my Jewish brothers and sisters.

An Odyssey of Joy

If only I had a horse. I have lost count of the many times that I have said or thought these same exact words. Maybe hundreds, thousands, millions of times? If only I had a horse, I would be so happy and that happiness, would trickle into other parts of my life. I would have tons of friends and a full engagement calendar to prove it. My sales would be off the charts, driven by customers who hoped that some of my happiness would rub off on them too. And with all that new found money, guess what I could buy? 

Horses, lots of horses.

if only, 

if only, 

if only.

I was getting desperate and dare I say, older. I was starting to believe that owning a horse would never happen for me. Or happen within the years that I would be physically healthy to enjoy them.

The thermometer barely registered 15 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a bitter cold December morning. My hands ached. I drove them deeper into the pockets of my coat, searching for any warmth I could find in them. Even though I dislike wearing a mask, I was grateful for the protection it gave my nose and lips. Last night's snowfall, now frozen hard, crunched under my boots, as I carefully navigated the unshoveled stretches of sidewalk.  It was Christmas time and festive lights twinkled all over town but deep inside, nothing made me joyful. I felt really down. I did everything I knew, to keep myself healthy, virus-free and working. I had worked harder than I have ever worked before and was not any better financially, than I was last Christmas. How could I even think about horses? I thought of all the bills that I needed to pay in a few weeks and my stomach started churning. A horse, really?

My boss was an intimidating man. He always got what he wanted and he was willing to do whatever he needed to do, to get it. He had been riding me hard, as my current sales were falling short of my forecasted budget. "Your sales are not impressive and your pipeline isn't any better. Unless you do something about it, and do it fast, we are going to be having a different kind of conversation." he said.

"Pressure, pushing down on me, Pressing down on you,  no man ask for, Under pressure"-from the song, Under Pressure written by David Bowie and Queen

My head was spinning. "Doesn't he understand the lockdown and the effect it is having on everything, including my sales?" The fact was that my sales were almost 90% to budget; a worthy accomplishment on its own, in terms of the new growth which cushioned the devastating economic impact of the spring lockdown. It had been a long, challenging year and frankly, I just wanted to get past Christmas and into what I hoped, would be a more prosperous new year.

I heard him before I could see him. "C'mon baby....let's go!" he shouted at her. He slapped the reins hard against her back and she sprang forward, digging her hooves into the slushy muck, every muscle in her powerful body straining, until finally, the carriage started moving. She was a dark bay mare, a little over 16 hands tall, with powerful shoulders, a strong, wide back and a well-muscled hindquarter.  She really didn't look like a carriage horse. I thought she looked more like one of the crossbred sport horses advertised in the English riding magazines. She was beautiful and her body just screamed to be ridden. I picked up the pace and soon, I had caught up with the carriage. Now that I was closer, I could see that the mare looked tired, cold and hungry. "She's no carriage horse." I thought.

The carriage driver was an older man, about 70-something, maybe a little older. "Hey mister, how much for a ride?" I asked. He turned to face me. "Where you headed?" I noticed the twinkle in his eye and a faint smile spreading across his face. "500 Market Street, right at the corner of Broad." I told him. He looked at me intently, as if he was studying every feature on my face. "10 bucks, not a penny less." he said. I dove deep into my pockets and pulled out a ten dollar bill and gave it to him. He nodded at me, tipped his top hat and then, he patted the empty seat next to him. "C'mon up and sit here next to me kid. I want to talk with you but do me a favor and take that ridiculous thing off your face. There's no virus here. I scrub this carriage clean in the morning and then again at night. In the old days, a fella who covered his face spelled trouble, for an old guy driving a coach like me."  I pulled the band of my face mask from around my left ear, as I jumped up into the carriage and sat down next to him. "You on your way to work, kid?" he asked me. I nodded, while my stomach turned. "I know how you feel kid, I know how you feel. This cold weather, well, it's hard on an old man. I'm cold all the time. No matter what I do, I'm just cold.  And now, this virus. No one wants to take a ride anymore. What's an old guy to do? Well, I'll tell you something. I want some warmth and kindness for these old bones.  You know, my sister has been trying for years to get me to retire. She's got a cute little place in Cocoa Beach.  You know about it?" I shook my head. "Well, it's all about palm trees, blue sunny skies and no worries.  Yup, I really think it's time." he said and then he asked me, "so, what time is it for you? Looks like you are about ready for a change too." The mare turned her head around to look at me and then,  I noticed the shape of  the star on her forehead. It looked like a "thumbs-up". I couldn't believe it and I laughed. "You think it's funny to move to Florida?" he asked. "No sir, I just noticed the shape of your mare's marking, on her forehead. It looks like.."  "a thumbs up", he said. His horse nickered to me and SUDDENLY, what I had been thinking, illuminated into an idea and from there, a plan.

"Hey kid, I think she likes you. That's my Joy, always flirting with the boys." he chuckled to himself. I looked at my watch...quarter past seven. Time was running out and I needed to be in the office in a little more than an hour. "Hey mister, it sounds like you are ready to make a change in your life and well, meeting you and Joy this morning, makes me think that I need to do something different too. So how 'bout it, are you up for sunny Florida and a change?" I asked him, summoning up every bit of courage I could and hoping that this quickly concocted plan would work. Many dollars later plus, a first class ticket to Florida and I was the proud owner of Joy, a draft cross mare with a "thumbs-up" mark on her forehead. 

When the driver had pulled the harness off of her, it was hard not to miss the loud sigh of relief that came from a place deep down inside of her. Her head rubbed my chest, her sweet breath making me feel both warm and wonderful. As the realization of something much larger than I could ever imagine hit me. The image of the carriage driver's face popped into my head. "I thought there was something really familiar about the guy. I just knew it! And it wasn't because he looked like Peter Falk either." I laughed at the thought, as I saw a picture of Columbo, his trademarked trench coat with angel wings, in my mind. My heart, which had been so weighed down with discouragement only a few moments before, became happier, lighter and dare I say, joyful?  "Did I just experience a little miracle and could that driver have been an angel in disguise, sent down from heaven to help me this morning?" I asked myself. "That's another thing too. he kept calling me kid." I smiled, after all, it was Christmas and don't we all become more like children at Christmas? I really felt the holiday spirit or better said, I felt joyful, when a few minutes earlier, I was discouraged, all hope lost. I  shook my head, trying to shake myself back to reality. "Gosh, I am starting to sound like I have been watching one too many Hallmark Christmas movies but I met this guy out of nowhere and now, I have the one thing I have always desired, since I was a child. "If only..." had suddenly materialized into real and tangible joy. It was not exactly how I expected horse ownership to happen for me, here, on a cold and dark city street. However, that's what made it so....miraculous! I felt like singing at the top of my lungs, for all the world to hear that Joy, has finally found me this Christmas, all for the love of a horse!

****This is a fictional story that I wrote a long time ago, maybe in 2008 or 2009. Fast forward to 2021, I revised the story, to include a Christmas setting. Many thanks to you dear reader for visiting the blog in 2025. I am grateful for your support.  At this time of the year, regardless of who and what you believe in, I hope that when you look at an Arabian horse and become overwhelmed by the horse's beauty, that you also stop for a brief second to also recognize the Creator of the universe and the kindness of the Creator to gift this most wonderful horse to us. Happy Holidays.***

Bint Fa Dena

Bint Fa Dena (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Fa Dena), photographed at Bentwood Farm, by the late Johnny Johnston

Mrs. George Fox of Rogers, Arkansas bred the Babson Farm-bred mare, Fa Dena, to *Ansata Ibn Halima which produced the filly, Bint Fa Dena, foaled in 1966. Bint Fa Dena became an important mare for Mrs. Fox, who also owned the stallion, Daaldan. No surprise that these 2 horses would be bred together, to produce Bint Daaldan in 1970 and the colts: Daalden in 1971 and Sar Amir Daaldan in 1972. Bint Daaldan was sold to Albert Guilbault and became a significant cornerstone of the Abitibi breeding program. Bred to newer Egyptian horses, she produced valuable mares like Abitibi Zamana and her daughter, Abitibi Madeena, from which, horses like Safeen have emerged. Robert Cowling, who had purchased Bint Fa Dena from Mrs. Fox,

 chose to breed her once more to Daaldan, producing Fa Daalim in 1973, an exceptional black stallion and foundation sire for Marilyn Lang of Fantasia Arabians, in Sealy, Texas. The following year, 1974, Bint Fa Dena, who had been bred to *Morafic, produced a grey mare, Sar Morafa, a prolific mare, BB Serrasab among her progeny.  Like her dam, Bint Fa Dena would find her way to Jarrell McCracken, who bred the mare exclusively to *Ibn Moniet el Nefous, producing a lovely mare named Monadena, who, when bred to *Ansata Ibn Halima, produced the mare Halima's Legacy, a significant broodmare for Sherry Moseley, having produced SES Bint Fabo, who in turn foaled SES Nadira.

The Coincidence Narratives

Bint Tuhotmos (*Tuhotmos x *Gazbeya)

I'm really not sure why I chose the most inopportune time to look through the third volume of the Reference Handbook. I almost didn't do it, as what little remained of my attention, was already divided into bits and pieces and it didn't really seem like a good idea, considering the rapidly disappearing day and the monster-sized list of seasonal tasks still waiting to be done but I couldn't fight the nagging feeling anymore. For some crazy, unexplained reason, I felt that I was being nudged, in the direction of the Handbook. At this point in my life, I have learned that there are no coincidences and so, there I was, page-by-page, lost amongst the most beautiful horses in the world. It wasn't until I was halfway through the book, that I stumbled upon Bint Tuhotmos, who seemed to jump right off the page.  While the beauty of *Tuhotmos was widely recognized, *Tuhotmos was a critically important sire within the EAO breeding program, actually, he was the number one stallion at the EAO and still, I find it amazing that Rick Heber of Ranchara Arabians was able to purchase the horse. I acknowledge Rick and Ann's efforts to acquire *Tuhotmos, had it not been for them, this beautiful mare would not exist. 

Joe Linzer posted this photo in 2012. It was from an advertising pamphlet he had at the time.

Bint Tuhotmos' dam, *Gazbeya, was sired by the Balance son, Nasralla and out of the El Sareei daughter, Hagir, whose matriline runs back to El Dahma, through the dam of Sid Abouhom, Layla. She shares much common ground maternally with not only the Bukra horses but the Babson *Bint Bint Sabbahs too. The combination of *Tuhotmos with *Gazbeya not only doubles the influence of El Sareei, it also triples the influence of Shahloul!

Razaman (Ansata Shah Zaman x Raalima)

I continued turning pages, finding familiar horses, until I came to a screeching halt, when I arrived at the photo of Razaman, a 1971 grey stallion, bred by the late Robert Cowling. He was sired by Ansata Shah Zaman (*Morafic x *Ansata Bint Mabrouka) and out of Raalima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Asal Sirabba). Asal Sirabba, a 1958 grey mare, bred by Mrs. John E. Ott, was sired by Sirecho and out of the Babson mare, Habba. By virtue of her pedigree, she is representative of the type of horse that defined the breeding program of Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik.

Raalima

Raalima was Asal Sirabba's 1967 daughter by *Ansata Ibn Halima. Raalima was a prolific mare for Bentwood Farm, producing daughters by the stallions, *Ibn Moniet El Nefous, The Egyptian Prince and Shaikh Al Badi. Among those daughters are AK Shahlima, Bint Raalima, AK Tarifa, AK Zayaadah, Thamin Amira, Latifa Raqqasa and Our Kibriya.

Imagine my surprise to learn that Bint Tuhotmos was bred to Razaman, producing the 1980 grey mare, DW Miriya for Dr. Marvin Ginsburg, Desert Wind Arabians. It really doesn't happen like this for me, to find two horses that I really like, who were bred together, resulting in a mare to carry the line forward. DW Miriya was bred to Moniet El Sharaf, producing the full sisters and proven broodmares,  DW Shamar in 1984 and DW Shara in 1985. It's interesting to learn that the  sisters were bred to stallions (DW Dar Essalam & DW Ali Kaliph) who are out of  maternal siblings to Razaman, intensifying the bloodline of Asal Sirabba, as well as furthering the influence of Moniet el Nefous, through additional lines to *Ibn Moniet El Nefous. DW Miriya was also bred to Nabiel, producing DW Monsoon, a grey stallion in 1986.

 DW China Doll, the 1991 DW Ali Kaliph (Ruminaja Ali x Bint Raalima) daughter, out of DW Shara, foaled a son by TT Sabor, a GG Samir son out of a *Nabor daughter who also combines *Raseyn blood with that of *Raffles, via the Alice Payne breeding program. Given my interest in the Asil Arabians breeding program, what was that about coincidences again?