Maymoonah to Messaoud

So, this is how my story begins, not so much a "once upon a time" or even, a "many moons ago" but a simple exchange of messages between 2 friends and a photo of the EAO-bred stallion, Amgad (Shadwan x Insaf), who was owned by Smaroel Arabians in the Netherlands. The conversation eventually steered towards another stallion, the Kaisoon son, Maymoon and then, his dam, Maymoonah, a Hadban Enzahi daughter out of Malikah. Naturally, in discussing Maymoonah, sooner or later, the attention shifted to *Messaoud and photos that Betty Finke had recently posted on her Facebook page. You know, I really loved *Messaoud. Actually, let me take that back. What I meant to say is that I really loved *Orashan and his paternal sibling, *Madheen, who was more of a baby at the time when I first met him and then, witnessed his metamorphis into the extraordinary horse he became. The common denominator between both horses was *Messaoud. So, I loved *Messaoud, because I loved his sons, first. Imagine my surprise, when I learned that Imperial Egyptian Stud had attempted to purchase *Messaoud initially and when they could not buy him, purchased two of his sons instead! I can still close my eyes and see Madheen trying to get my attention, as he danced from side to side of his stall, while I lavished all of the attention *Madheen felt belonged only to him, on his brother, *Orashan.  I was enchanted, as they were both friendly, happy horses who clearly enjoyed interacting with people.

Then, life, or rather, the consequences of the decisions I made happened and soon, thoughts of *Madheen, *Orashan and *Messaoud vanished, like the morning fog does, when the sun rises and starts to heat the day. 

This morning, I stumbled upon Denise Hearst's Facebook page, only to find photos of her astride Imperial Madori, a *Madheen son and surprise, surprise, a *Messaoud grandson! True to the meaning of *Messaoud's name, I was happy and fortunate to find the photos.

I don't remember how I found the digital copy of the advertisement that Erich Hagenlocher placed in the early 90s, once he had leased *Messaoud from his breeder, Günter W. Seidlitz. I'm thinking the ad was posted by Julie Koch in her awesome Facebook group, Reliving Arabian Horse History. When I saw the ad, it took me back, to a long ago time when I opened my copy of Arabian Horse World, to find the same ad and learn that *Messaoud was in America!

*Messaoud's sire was Madkour, a *Morafic son out of the Shahloul daughter, Maisa. In Madkour, we can observe the power of the successful EAO breeding formula for top-crossing Mansour (*Morafic)  onto an Ibn Rabdan son, like Shahloul (Zareefa). Keep in mind that *Morafic was himself, a result of the same formula, that is, Nazeer top-crossed on a Shahloul (Moniet el Nefous) daughter! In fact, one can argue that all of *Messaoud's pedigree represents this formula; as Nazeer's influence figures prominently (3 lines & over 30% genetic influence) but so does Shahloul (4 lines & almost 30% genetic influence). 

On the dam side, there is Maymoonah, an elite broodmare bred by the Filsingers, whose progeny included celebrated horses like the previously mentioned Maymoon, by Kaisoon, and Jean Kayser's Masouda, a full sibling to *Messaoud, as she is also by Madkour. Maymoonah was by Hadban Enzahi (Nazeer x Kamla) out of Malikah, the granddaughter of Moheba, herself a daughter of Halima. The matriline traces back to Farida, and from there to El Dahma and thereby, a connection Maymoonah shares with one of the most classic horses of our time, *Ansata Ibn Halima.

Time has a way of altering perspectives or the way in which you remember your past, good and bad. And for me personally, I have difficulty remembering that my eyes are on the front of my head and not on the back! Why did I not breed to a stallion like *Messaoud, when I could have done just that? At the time, I am sure that there were many practical reasons for not doing so but now, who knows? I find myself older and wondering about all of the missed opportunities over my lifetime, like for example, incorporating the blood of this stallion and creating a mini-program focusing on him, combined with other Egyptian ancestral elements. It seems so logical, so obvious of a thing for me to have done but sadly, I didn't and now, my life is like broken glass, scattered over many years. And therein is my challenge, to take these broken glass pieces and fashion them into something more beautiful, more radiant than what the glass was originally part of. Do I still have enough time to do this? That is my hope, all for the love of a happy horse.

***Thinking about Maymoonah, who was bred by Dr. Erwin Filsinger, makes me a little sad, as she also reminds me of the late Irina Filsinger. I loved her photography! And so, I dedicate this blog post to her memory and for the joy that her photos brought to all of us.***

The Praying Mare

"...always pray and not give up.."-Luke 18:1

"I am really worried about her. She doesn't socialize with the rest of the horses. It's as if she has lost interest in everything, even the things she used to enjoy. I mean, I used to catch her alone sometimes but I just thought that she needed some space, some down time, away from the younger horses. But now, look at her, doesn't she look depressed? She prefers to stand alone in the far corner of the pasture, away from all the other horses." said my friend, as she agonized over her beloved mare. "Do you think she is not happy anymore?" she asked. "The vet has seen her a few times and has run blood workups but he can't seem to find anything wrong with her. Nothing. She's healthy and in great shape. I wondered over her diet and whether the grain I was feeding her was causing the mood change, so gradually, I changed her over to a low glycemic feed, thinking she might be suffering from some type of withdrawal, sort of like what happens to people when they haven't had their morning coffee. I've tried a few nutraceuticals, hoping for some kind of a change but between the new feed and the supplements, nothing's worked like I had hoped and she still looks so sad, so withdrawn. What if there is nothing wrong and I am just overthinking this? I need a break. No, I take that back. I need a miracle. I know this sounds crazy but I have an animal communicator coming here tomorrow, for a session." she said, while holding back the tears. "I don't think that's crazy Maria," I gently said, "from what I have heard, it sounds like you might just find out what's bothering her and then, help her get better." We talked a little more about her mare and a few other things and pretty soon, it was time to go home. "Call me and let me know what the communicator finds out about your mare. I'm worried, it doesn't look or sound good." I said in agreement, as I backed my car out of her driveway and drove away.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I could tell from the number of parked cars that Church was full to capacity and it would be difficult to find a seat. No matter how hard I try, time has a way of just evaporating. What seems like five minutes becomes twenty or more. Is that even possible? I opened the door and found the perfect spot in the second to the last pew and quietly whispered, "excuse me" and scooted 6 feet over to the right, embarrassed that I was bothering the poor people who were already in the midst of their worship. The gospel reading this morning was one of my favorite parables: the widow and the unjust judge: A poor woman who is widowed seeks justice from a judge who was corrupt and unfair. The widow is poor, she is female and lacks the socio-economic standing she needs, to attract the attention of the powerful judge. All of what she is, works against her. She is vulnerable and defenseless. However, she remains strong, patient and through her perseverance, the widow finally gets the judge to grant her the justice that she repeatedly sought from him but had not been successful in receiving. She wore the judge down! He wanted her to get off his back!

GO AWAY! LEAVE ME IN PEACE WOMAN!

The unjust judge who was cold, hard, unfeeling as if he were made of stone would prove to be no opponent for an old, poor woman with great faith in God. Maybe his stony heart would even change too.

In his sermon, our priest gave us an acronym to use in our daily life. He told us when we are discouraged, when we are stressed, when we are overwhelmed by anxiety, fear or worry, we need to

PUSH = Pray until something happens.

Sam'i Allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa lakal hamd...God hears those who call upon Him; our Lord, praise be to you.-(part of the Islamic daily prayers, which Muslims pray five times per day! Imagine if we praised God like this every day!)

God wants to hear our prayers. Prayer is the only way we have to communicate with Him. Prayer humbles us, lets us know that we really need God. Through prayer, we acknowledge that God is in control of our lives and not us. Life, as we know it today, has gotten very intense. I know so many people who are really struggling economically,  not to "get ahead"...just to "get by". If EVER there was a time to pray, TODAY is a powerful reason to start praying.

"If in your mind, there is no peace
and you want to put your heart at ease
here's a solution at what you should do
get on your knees and pray until you get through
Pray, Pray until something happens
that's what you got to do."-lyrics by Dottie Peoples

The communicator visited my friend's mare but was not able to "talk" to the mare. Which disappointed my friend, who had her heart set on learning what troubled her dear friend.

BUT

My friend received an answer that she was not expecting and which, has changed her life forever. A little filly spoke instead with the communicator the next morning. She told the communicator how much she likes carrots with the "long green flowers". She told the communicator how much she liked to be scratched behind her left ear. She told the communicator alot of things, like how good the sun feels on her back, how much she enjoys the cardinal's songs and how soft the grass feels in the morning, however, it was what she told the communicator next, about my friend's mare, that shocked everyone that day.

"Markie, do you know the mare that is standing over there, in the far corner of the pasture?" the communicator asked. "which mare, oh, you mean the praying mare?" the filly responded. The communicator, puzzled by the filly's answer, asked her, "what do you mean by 'the praying mare'?" "I mean that the mare over there prays alot. Non-stop. She prays to God for her human, so that she remains safe  from the evil forces that are trying to attack her. She prays for us too, that we may grow up to fulfill our destiny. It's hard being a horse these days" said the filly, matter of factly.

"Baruch Hashem"-Blessed be the name of the Lord in Hebrew

So, the mare wasn't sick and she wasn't depressed. She was busy. She was praying. The Bedouin-bred war mare continues to wage war but on a different battlefield. She is a prayer warrior. She knows God...really well.

The praying mare.

The persistent widow.

IT'S TIME TO START PUSHING.

"We have courage in God's presence, because we are sure that He hears us if we ask Him for anything that is according to His will."-1 John 5:14

When I became a father, my understanding of God deepened and so did my relationship with Him. In my role, it was only then that I really understood the unconditional love a father feels for his children, no matter how they behave. You want to give your children the very best, even when your children do not know what the very best is. So, today, when you are feeling afraid, worried, anxious, tired, frustrated, upset...DON'T GIVE UP...reach out to your Heavenly Father, no matter which name you use to call upon your Creator. Pray. You might just be surprised over the miracles that may begin to happen in your life.

****Princess Alia bint al Hussein of Jordan is a champion of the Arabian horse and of all life, in all forms. This story was originally published in 2010, then again in 2014 and December of 2020. I hope this story, lovingly dedicated to Princess Alia, touches your heart today.****

What is a Hallmark?

"HALLMARK" can mean different things, depending on the use of the word within a sentence. However, the "common ground" between all the definitions is another word: "distinguishing". Used in conjunction with our breed, "HALLMARK" are those distinguishing characteristics that identify a horse as "ARABIAN", as compared to other breeds of horses. What are the hallmarks of the Arabian breed?

Last week or rather, in the last blog I posted concerning the stallion, Nile, I mentioned this book:

This is the Standard of Excellence, published by The Pyramid Society in 2012. If you don't own the book, I encourage you to purchase it. It's excellent. While focused on Egyptian Arabian horses, I feel that much of what is written in this book applies to all Arabian horses, whether straight Egyptian or not.

The Pyramid Society, on page 7, identifies 5 hallmarks of type:

• Head
• Arched neck
• Short back
• Comparatively level croup
• High, natural tail carriage

While Arabian horse type can encompass a wide diversity of body types and breed attributes, including characteristics which are familial; the 5 hallmarks presented above are unique to the Arabian breed as a whole (again, not just Egyptian bred Arabians) and therefore, each hallmark, to some degree, need to be visibly present in an Arabian horse. That's my understanding of the presentation made by The Pyramid Society.

A long time ago, the late Hansi Heck-Melnyk (Serenity Arabian Farms) explained how movement enhanced the level of breed type to an extraordinary level, as compared to an Arabian horse at rest. I never forgot her words because they were brilliant. She had given a voice to a phenomenon that I had seen happen many times but never described with words, as accurately as she had managed to do. 

A few days ago, when I came across Judith's photo of the stallion, *Padron (Patron x *Odessa), who was 25% Egyptian and an incredibly photogenic horse; Hansi's words came alive once more but also, in a very dramatic way, the hallmarks of breed type, as presented by The Pyramid Society, could not be made any clearer. One could say that *Padron continues to inspire us and remind us of  WHY we love this most beautiful breed of horse so much.

ETHEREAL

Seemingly out of nowhere, I found this photo. I was looking for something else and Google offered the Pinterest photo in their list of recommendations. I'm not a fan of Pinterest and the site makes it difficult to look at the photos without creating a profile but my oh my, what a horse! I have been reading the Standard of Excellence, published by The Pyramid Society and this particular horse, embodies much of what I read in the booklet and then, understood, with regard to type, balance, quality and substance. I haven't been able to think of anything else since finding the photo. Why would anyone want to geld a horse like this? I searched everywhere I knew to look, for an Ansata Shah Zaman son, out of Silk N Satin, bred by the late Lee Romney of Somerset Farm.  And you guessed it, I found nothing. How odd, right? A horse who looks like the horse in the photo, even if he were a gelding, would have created enough of a buzz within the community, to generate even a sentence or two about his beauty. I'm not sure that I remember how I got to David Gillett's Diamond Road Arabian Stud website but I'm grateful that I did, and to my surprise (and delight), not only was the above mystery solved, there was a full write-up, including his correct pedigree and best of all, I learned that he was never gelded! Nile, as he was called, lived his life at Clifton Park Stud in Australia, as a stallion, earning a National Grand Champion Stallion title, circa 1980. David owned a gorgeous daughter named Clifton Park Nefisa (out of the Tanya Hawley bred Nazelle), who remains at the very core of David's breeding program. David also owns a granddaughter, Nira (Naavah x Clifton Park Neeka) who also, is an important mare in his program, having founded her own family. David includes many more photos of Nile on his website, where he also says, "Nile was known for producing beautiful progeny of extreme type and beauty, and he crossed well with a variety of different bloodlines to become one of Australia's all time leading sires."

Nile (Mustafa x Nara)

Foaled in October of 1975, Nile was by the German-bred stallion, Mustafa, a Hadban Enzahi son, bred by Marbach Stud. His dam, Nara, also sired by Hadban Enzahi , was bred by Tanya Hawley. It's interesting to find paternal siblings bred together, to further concentrate the bloodline of their sire. Hadban Enzahi, bred by the EAO and originally named "Kamel", was a Nazeer son out of Kamla (Sheikh el Arab x Samha).  In this pedigree, Hadban Enzahi carries the same weight as a sire, 50%. Genetically, Hadban Enzahi is an interesting horse, because at the heart of the pedigree are 2 central horses, Mansour as the sire of Nazeer and Sheikh el Arab plus Bint Samiha, as the dam of Nazeer and Samha.  Each horse carries a weight of 37.5%, which means that more than 70% of the pedigree, reflects just these 2 horses! When you also consider that Kazmeen carries a genetic percentage of 25% via his daughters, Bint Sabah and Bint Samiha, that's almost 100% of the pedigree, represented by just 3 horses: Mansour, Bint Samiha, Kazmeen. The outcross blood in the pedigree is small, through Bint Obeya and Bint Gamila. Less than 10% of the blood that flowed in the veins of Hadban Enzahi could be considered really different from the rest of his pedigree! To further underscore the intensity of the pedigree, consider that one of the sources of outcross blood, Bint Gamila, is herself a product of line breeding as both her paternal and maternal grandsire was the same horse, El Sennari! 

Nara, the dam of Nile is out of the beloved Aswan daughter Naadirah, owned by Tanya Hawley and the subject of a widely popular book. It is extremely interesting to find Aswan, together in the same pedigree with Hadban Enzahi, as genetically, he was very similar to Hadban Enzahi. Yes, both horses were sired by Nazeer (Mansour x Bint Samiha) and yes, both horses were out of Sheikh el Arab (Mansour x Bint Sabah) daughters. However, their dams, Yosreia and Kamla, share more common ground than just their sire. You need to "dig a little deeper" and look to the maternal granddam of each horse, to understand what I mean. Aswan's maternal granddam is the mare Hind (Ibn Rabdan x Bint Rustem); while Samha (Baiyad x Bint Sabah) is the maternal granddam of Hadban Enzahi. These mare's sires, Ibn Rabdan and Baiyad are maternal siblings, sons of the mare Bint Gamila (Ibn Nadra x Gamila), whose paternal and maternal grandsire are one and the same, El Sennari! To further illustrate the relationship between both mares, Ibn Rabdan was sired by Rabdan el Azrak, who in turn, was sired by Dahman el Azrak. Tarfa, the granddam of Baiyad, was a daughter of Dahman el Azrak. Also, it's the same tail female line, the major difference between Aswan and Hadban Enzahi is the position of Bint Hadba el Sagihira in the pedigree (closer up by one generation in Aswan). 

It's not that I am saying that Hadban Enzahi and Aswan are better horses than the other individuals in Nile's pedigree. What I am saying is that the combination of these 2 horses, who are genetically similar, represents 62.5% of the pedigree and that is a sizeable percentage of genetic influence, so it is highly probable that these horses had more of an impact upon Nile, as compared to the other horses in the pedigree but then again, I am not a geneticist and breeders will be quick to remind me that you study as much as you can, you see as many horses as you can in order to make a more informed decision and still, it's a mystery as to how it will all turn out. I am reminded of a book that I read a long, long time ago, The Little Prince, written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. There is a quotation that is somewhat apropos here, "What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well." The quote, in its simplicity reminds us to dig deeper in order to find the hidden treasures in challenging situations. Pushing the boundaries of this quote then, does "well" in this case, symbolize the unique, the extraordinary and ethereal qualities we observe in the individual horses like Hadban Enzahi or Aswan and how they may have come together genetically, to push these qualities to an outrageous level as we see in Nile? Or maybe it has nothing to do with the Egyptian horses in the pedigree and all to do with a "wild card", like Marbach's Haladin (Halef x Jadine) or the Tersk-bred mare named Elsissa, who was imported from Saudi Arabia by Prince Eustachy Sanguszko for Gumniska Stud in the late 1800's. This is whom Nile traces back to, in his matriline, via his  maternal great-granddam,  Napraslina (Nomer x Plotka). 

The Pyramid Society, within the Standard of Excellence, defines type as "the ethereal quality of the horse that defines it as an Arabian horse, a horse unique in its physical beauty, balance and symmetry." And quality as, "that ethereal value that can be seen in anything of great worth. In the Arabian horse, quality is manifested in its high degree of type, athletic ability, intelligence and character. The high quality horse reflects exemplary breeding in his ethereal beauty, strength yet refinement, elegant carriage, cleanness of limb, also his fine coat and skin, prominent veining,  desert dryness and his overall balance and harmony." David Gillet also uses the same word, ethereal, to describe Nile, "The ethereal, alabaster white stallion..." What does the word ethereal mean? I've used the word myself but do I really understand what the word may imply? The online dictionaries seem to agree that an ethereal quality is that which is fine or delicate, possessing unusual or extreme refinement and not of the real world. 

In closing, David Gillet also reminds us of how Clifton Park Stud used Nile's ethereal beauty to breed his type forward, through his get. David says, "Nile sired many champion offspring including Australian National Champion mare Clifton Park Nile Queen." That is the real power of the horse we knew as Nile, to inspire and encourage us to dream of all that is possible and beautiful, all for the love of a horse. 

***many thanks to David Gillett not only for your informative website but also, for all that you have accomplished and continue to do for the Arabian horse and of course, I love your Palominos too.***

Happy Birthday Windy Bey V

I'm not sure that I remember how I managed to get to the Varian Arabians website or what motivated me to click on their stallion page (I don't own a mare, open for breeding) but I am glad that I did it, because there he was, Windy Bey V, a 1999 son of Desperado V (Huckleberry Bey V x Daraska), out of Willow Bey V (S-Shah Bask x Gypsy Mmusic). Do you realize that a horse born in 1999 means that today, in 2024, the 1999 horse is 25 years old? And check out those dapples! WOWOWOW! Back in the day, I understood dappling to be a sign of good nutrition, including nutraceuticals to supplement the horse's diet like collagen, biotin, vitamin E and Omega-3, the absorption of which is greatly improved through regular worming and teeth care.  Not to mention a personal investment of some good old-fashioned, roll-up-your-sleeves, elbow grease via well-managed, consistent, grooming to remove unwanted dirt and loose hair, while stimulating the natural oils present in a horse's body for that deep radiating glow. However, while all of this is true, the predisposition for dappling is passed genetically, no matter how much time you spend currying his coat. However, it's very rare to find dappling, to the extent that we see in Windy Bey V, in senior-aged horses. That's what impresses me, the high level of hands-on husbandry that is obviously practiced by Varian Arabians. In this case, the "fruits" of all their actions speak much louder, than any words that can be used.

A couple other things really stand out, in celebration of this glorious horse. See the man standing on the other side of him? Even with a baseball cap, you can barely see him over the wither. I'm guessing that Windy Bey V is a taller horse, maybe a little over 15 hands, like 15.2 or 15.3? I really like that. 

Do you know that his sire line represents 5 generations of Varian breeding: 

Bay-Abi->Bay-el-Bey->Huckleberry Bey->Desperado V->Windy Bey V 

That's Sheila's vision or rather, her life's work, very much alive and relevant in our Arabian horse community. That's important to say in this day and age, when so many of us miss Sheila. And hopefully, Windy Bey V will sire a colt, worthy of adding yet another link to what is, a long chain of kings. I can't think of a better way to honor her memory. Not to be outdone and equally impressive is the matriline. Windy Bey V, as does his great grandsire, Bay-el-Bey, traces back to the mare Gazella, an 1840 Kuhaylah Ajuz, purchased in Syria by Count Juliusz Dzieduskycki for Jarczowce Stud. Gazella founded one of the most influential families in Polish Arabian horse breeding. What a most wonderful complement to the Varian line of super sires! 

While Windy Bey V's pedigree includes a wide variety of American foundational bloodlines like  the Davenport and Crabbet horses bred by Roger Selby, Frank McCoy and W.K. Kellogg; we also find on a smaller scale, older Egyptian blood via horses like Hallany Mistanny (*Zarife x *Roda), Sabdaan (Faddan x Fay-Sabbah) *Fadl (Ibn Rabdan x Mahroussa) and Gulastra (Astraled x Gulnare); however, with all this said, the majority of the genetic influence comes by way of Poland and a beloved Polish stallion, *Bask. There are four lines to *Bask, one cross on the sire side (Holly Bask) and three crosses on the dam side (Star of Ofir, Gazal Bask & Gwyndalyn). Almost 20% of Windy Bey's pedigree reflects *Bask's influence. Additionally to *Bask, consider the somewhat related lines,  like that of Wierna, the maternal granddam of Bay-Abi, who like Witraz is sired by Ofir, plus the stallion, Nureddin (the sire of Aladdinn), also a Witraz son (paternal sibling of *Bask). Just in case you are wondering, it's not just about finding multiple sources of *Bask in the pedigree, I think its more of how Ofir becomes common ground in the pedigree, combined through his get like Witraz, Wielki Szlem (through Gwara) and *Witez II (through Zarabo).

I'm reminded of a story, one of my favorites, which involves Bogdan Ziertarski and Carl Raswan who traveled extensively in the Middle East. In 1931, both men imported five stallions and four mares. Kuhaylan Haifi, the sire of Ofir, was one of the stallions purchased for Janow Podlaski.

 "Finally I hear a neigh, they guide the stallions... they lead the bay Kuhailan Haifi. My legs buckled under me, it is just the horse I am looking for. Not large, dry, on splendid legs without any trace of cow hocks. A long neck, a noble head, although not very small, with distended, thin and moveable nostrils; a splendid high carried tail. I feel, the first time in my life, that during the purchase of a horse I am fainting."-Bogdan Ziertarski, as quoted in Arab breeding in Poland, written by Edward Skorkowski

Happy Birthday Windy Bey V! 

Storm Clouds on the Horizon

Over the weekend, I discovered a fascinating interview that Gudrun Waiditschka had with Andreas Perner, who is head of the Research Institute for Organic Animal Breeding and Land Use, since 2018. The interview is titled, Are We Still Breeding or Are We Just Multiplying? The article appears within the online version of Arabische Pferde In-the-Focus magazine, published on Valentines Day (02/14/24). It's a deeply provocative article and while I try to stay away from anything which invites criticism of our horses, breed community and  current practices (there are other places online where you can engage in these discussions) and yet, I feel compelled to encourage you to read the interview, which identifies problematic issues facing the cattle industry, which run parallel to challenges we face in the  equine industry and specifically, with our beloved Arabian horses. 

Seeds of Inspiration

A long time ago, I kept my mare in a field with a couple Thoroughbred racehorses. There was one mare in particular, Rocky, who took my breath away whenever I saw her run. The other horses tried to keep up with her and pretty soon, Rocky would lap them once, twice and then, three times. Adrenaline coursing through my body, I felt the sheer power of Rocky's massive body. In her joy and freedom, she wasn't holding anything back. She was invincible. Run, Rocky, run! 

I had blogged about Pepita a few years ago, in 2019. Bred by Janow Podlaski stud, Pepita is a 2005 Ekstern daughter out of Pepesza (*Eukaliptus x Pestka), which includes a matriline that runs all the way back to the 1810 mare, Szamrajówka, bred by one of the oldest of the Polish studfarms, Count Branicki's Biala Cerkiew Stud. Pepesza's maternal granddam is the *Bandos daughter, Pentoda, out of Piewica, a Priboj (Piolun x Rissalma) daughter out of Wlodarka, by Ofir. Piewica was bred by the Tersk Stud and exported to Albigowa Stud in the fifties. At Janow Podlaski, Piewica was credited as the root or source mare of the highly esteemed "P" line of horses.

Pepita is the mare that generated such a "buzz" in and out of the Arabian horse community when she was sold in the 2015 Pride of Poland sale for a record price of $1.4 million Euros. A mature mare, already 10-years old, she was in foal to the stallion, Pogrom, at the time of her sale. The year prior, 2014, Pepita was named the Polish National Champion mare. However, back in 2019, when I watched Pepita, turned loose and running in her paddock, none of this was so important. These "factoids" are like static on the radio, preventing the beautiful music from being heard! All I could think of as I watched the video, was that day long ago, standing by the fence, ground shaking and watching Rocky morph into the Queen of the Thoroughbreds! Today, it's a new Pepita video, this time by Arabian Insider, and Pepita, is still so breathtakingly beautiful. Her beauty and her spirit inspire me. What must it be like to be a horse? To be brave, joyful and free to show the world just who you are, without worry. Congratulations to Akmal Stud and thank you; Pepita reminds me that I knew a Queen once. 

****I am so grateful to Arabian Insider for these videos. You make my world so much better!***