19 June, 2006

*Bint Moniet El Nefous

*Bint Moniet el Nefous was the only living daughter of Moniet el Nefous, sired by the great Nazeer. The late Dr. Ibrahim Zaghloul, the Director General of the EAO from 1967 to 1984, once said of *Bint Moniet el Nefous, “She was, without a doubt, the most like her dam of all of Moniet’s daughters.” By the year 1958, Moniet el Nefous had foaled three of her four Nazeer-sired progeny: Ibn el Sheikh in 1955, *Bint Moniet el Nefous in 1957 and Maya in 1958. The fourth foal, a chestnut stallion named *Fakher el Din would be born in 1960. Given the celebrity-style status of her dam and that *Bint Moniet el Nefous, of all of the Moniet el Nefous progeny, was the one most like her; it was surprising that the EAO would sell an up-and-coming yearling mare but tough financial times have a way of rearranging priorities and forcing all of us to do things that we never expected or wanted to do. Philippe Paraskevas, a respected straight Egyptian breeder and author, wrote of *Bint Moniet el Nefous in his book, The Egyptian Alternative, Volume II, “Inside the Moniet family, there are many sub-branches available through the E.A.O. and it is only fair to say that the most instantly appealing of all branches was the one headed by a mare bred by Nazeer out of Moniet El Nifous herself, the pairing of King and Queen; this mare was sold abroad and lost to Egypt. That particular loss was of indescribable proportions and I simply cannot bring myself to say anything about it.” When you read a statement like this, written by a man whose knowledge, experience and understanding of the breed is expansive, it immediately catches your attention, as he explains what this particular mare meant for the EAO breeding program in her time, as well as the influential role she would have had within the present day’s gene pool, had she remained in Egypt. On a more personal note, he legitimizes the reverence that I feel for *Bint Moniet el Nefous, who must have really been outstanding, to inspire such passion in other human beings. There are many words that I can continue to use in order to capture her beauty for you but seriously, any words will fall short of fully describing *Bint Moniet el Nefous’ beauty. In a tribute article, written shortly after her death, Marshall Partlow came very close, offering a “taste” of her complete beauty when he wrote, “Her correctness, type, beauty, graceful action, elegance, loving disposition and extreme head, endeared her to all who saw her.” *Bint Moniet el Nefous was like a celebration, physically, of all the characteristics we expect to see in an authentic, traditional Nejd-type Arabian mare. 

*Bint Moniet was as beautiful as her mother but conformationally stronger in her body.*Bint Moniet was the result of the famous bloodline blend of Mansour and Ibn Rabdan (Nazeer was a Mansour son, while Moniet El Nefous was a daughter of Shaloul, an Ibn Rabdan son). So, the opportunity existed to have bred *Bint Moniet back to a Babson stallion, reinforcing the Ibn Rabdan ("world champion type") blood (remember that both *Fadl and *Maaroufa had Ibn Rabdan as their sire). What a giant-sized "what if"! If my memory serves me correctly, I think that Bint was foaled in 1957, as she was a yearling in one of the pictures that I saw of her (taken in 1958). She had 13 foals in her breeding career, her first two foals were a filly foal by John Doyle named Tatu (and a majority of people agree that this mare was her most beautiful) and a colt foal by the Rabanna son: Tibor the General named Sir White Moon, a filly foal by Umi named Muniet Nefous and 10 foals by by *Rashad Ibn Nazeer (Alcibiades, Bimoniet RSI, Bint Bint Moniet, Dymoniet RSI, Monietor-RSI, Monieta RSI, Sonieta, Monisa RSI, Rasmoniet RSI, RSI Rara/Raya Del Sol). 

 *BINT MONIET EL NEFOUS STRAIGHT EGYPTIAN DYNASTY----DAUGHTER-TO-DAUGHTER

1964 MARE: RSI RARA DEL SOL
  • 71: Rodoniet (Umi) 
  • 73: RA Leila (Bel Gordas) 
  • 81: Myrna (The Egyptian Prince) 
  • 82: AK Raiyeh (The Egyptian Prince) 
1967 MARE: MONIETA RSI
  • 81: Monietsmelody RSI (Raj RSI) 
1969 MARE: MONISA RSI
  • 73: AK Monisa Moniet (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) 
  • 76: Bint Monisa (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous)
  • 78: AK Abriel II (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) 
  • 79: AK Radia (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) 
  • 80: AK Khaasataanah (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) 
1970 MARE: MUNIET NEFOUS RSI
  • 76: Fatiha (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) 
  • 83: AK Munifeh (AK Shah Moniet) 
1972 MARE: BINT BINT MONIET
  • 80: AK Bint Moniet (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) 
AK Ghazala (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous)
  • 81: AK Esmaaha Moniet (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) 
  • 84: AK Tashrifa (The Egyptian Prince)] 
  • 85: AK Bint Sahara (Shaikh Al Badi) 
1973 MARE: SONIETA
  • 79: Alsonia (Almoniet RSI) 
Moniet El Nefous has been a celebrated mare, in most everything written about her, the reader is always left with a favorable impression of the mare. She was beautiful, however, conformationally, she had some flaws. That is why I love her daughter, *Bint Moniet El Nefous so much and why I say that Moniet produced a daughter who was superior unto herself. *Bint Moniet retained the awesome beauty of her dam, while embodying superior conformation. The year prior to his famous purchase of Rashad and Bint, Richard Pritzlaff attempted to buy a full brother to Hadban Enzahi: Kamal II (Nazeer x Kamla). What if???? *Ansata Ibn Halima...I am very curious over the end result of this cross. From breeders who knew Richard Pritzlaff, he wanted to try this stallion as well but the transport was too risky for a mare as valuable as *Bint. I agree and find myself wishing that AI had been in practice, back in the day. WHAT IF??? And then, there is Alaa El Din. Moniet El Nefous was bred to Alaa El Din three times, to produce two chestnut mares and 1 chestnut stallion: Manar in 1965, Manaya in 1966 and *Soufian in 1968 (who was eventually exported to the USA). Of the three horses, Manaya has contributed daughters to the EAO breeding program, 1 daughter in particular, Maali (by the chestnut Moniet El Nefous son Ameer) has been equally prolific as a broodmare. It would have been a wonderful cross to try *Bint Moniet El Nefous with Alaa El Din. And finally, what about *Tuhotmos? An El Sareei son out of Moniet El Nefous? This stallion was in fact, crossed back on Fayrooz, a daughter of Mouna, herself a daughter of Moniet El Nefous! This mare produced Fouzan, a 1971 chestnut stallion, who was gifted to the President of France and *Maather, a 1972 chestnut mare exported to the USA. Had *Tuhotmos been bred to *Bint, what ethereal creature would have emerged from the mating? *Tuhotmos was a double grandson of Shaloul, a son of Ibn Rabdan, as El Sareei was a Shaloul son and Moniet El Nefous was a Shaloul daughter, as described earlier. Would the resulting foal be chestnut, like Moniet? Bay, like Ibn Rabdan? Or grey, like Shaloul? That would have been really interesting and possibly, a very dramatic horse.

EnJoy,
Ralph

03 June, 2006

Ansata Nile Pasha


In the 1980's, the German-bred straight Egyptian stallion, *Jamil, was so different in type to many of the Egyptian Horses that were popular in America at that time. His eyes were the largest and blackest that I had ever seen. When *Jamil went to Ansata...oh my! to dream of the horses that would eventually be born there! Ansata Nile Pasha was such a horse of dreams...a fairy-tale come to life. Ansata Nile Pasha traces in tail female to the bay, 1965 daughter of *Ansata Ibn Halima: Falima (out of the bay straight Babson Egyptian mare: Fa-Habba, herself a daughter of the 1930 mare *Bint Bint Sabbah
, one of the five mares that Henry Babson imported from Egypt.) When bred to the 1971 Ansata National Champion stallion, Ansata Ibn Sudan, Falima produced the 1969 bay mare: Ansata Nile Queen, an important foundation mare for Ansata Arabian Stud. What is interesting about Nile Queen, is that she was bred to her sire twice, to produce the full sisters: Ansata Nile Dream and Ansata Nile Charm. Both sisters were bred to *Jamil and each mare produced a stallion: Nile Charm produced Ansata Nile Sheik and Nile Dream produced Ansata Nile Pasha. Different dams but the colts are full blood brothers. Another interesting point to consider about the Ansata Nile family is that this family produces wonderful females, that is, mares who have continuing influence upon the Egyptian community, through the present day. From the USA to England, to Austria and then France and finally, Qatar, Ansata Nile Pasha saw many places that most people never have the opportunity to visit, heard many different languages spoken and made many friends, before returning to the land of his ancestors. I remember when the joyful announcement was made that he was going to Al Rayyan. Finally! the horse would have the opportunity to breed some of the very finest mares in the world. His time at the world famous stud farm was very measured indeed. It was as if God wanted his dust, to become part of the wind that blows across the land of his fathers, to remind those who may have forgotten, of a boy, his mother and the angel Gabriel. Ansata Nile Pasha's life must also be a lesson to all of us who love Egyptian Arabian Horses."...someone pointed out to me that a pebble and a diamond are alike to a blind man....maybe, I have been fingering diamonds all this time, without ever realizing it." That this horse had many, many fans was not a surprise, as the horse was a living celebration of the very unique qualities that identify a horse as a member of the Arabian breed. Yet for all the people who expressed their appreciation, Ansata Nile Pasha lived somewhat of an obscure life, never really breeding the quality mares that he deserved and should have bred, until the very end.Enjoy,
Ralph

02 June, 2006

Hoofbeats On My Heart

"I don't know what it is, or rather, I don't know how to put into words that indescribable air of distinction which marks the horses and mares of Ali Pasha Sherif's, or rather I would say of Abbas Pasha breeds…So it is, however, the movement one sees other horses beside them - when moving one sees the style of the Abbas Pasha collection." Are the words that Lady Anne Blunt used to describe the horses she saw and later bought in Egypt, after founding the Crabbet Arabian Stud in the late 1800's.

After traveling the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and purchasing horses from the Anazeh, amongst other Bedouin tribes, the superiority of the Abbas Pasha/Ali Pasha Sherif bred horses was admired by the Blunts and incorporated into Crabbet Park. Their daughter, Judith Blunt (Lady Wentworth) loved to recount the merits of horses like Mesaoud, who by 1938, had over 100 champion descendants including 2 world champions, 5 long distance race winners, and winners of many races overseas. He was a celebrated Sheykh Obeyd horse!

The Arabian Horses of Egypt have a long and unprecedented history of strength, courage, and physical might. Without these horses, much of recorded history would not have been the same. In the time period before Christ, the Pharaohs and particularly during the reign of Thutmose, armies mounted on Egyptian horses, drove out invading armies like the Hyksos and the Hittites, established empires, helping Egyptian civilization to prevail into Palestine and Syria, extending as far as the Euphrates. King Solomon, enamored with the horse of Egypt, had a celebrated stud of horses, which led his chronicler, to record: "These horses also were much exercised in order to their making a fine appearance, and running swiftly, that no other could upon the comparison appear either finer or swifter, but they are at once the most beautiful of all others, and their swiftness was incomparable also."

The use of the Arabian Horse as a warhorse flourished throughout these times and far into the future, giving prowess to the Mamelukes who dominated much of the Middle East, including Egypt, from mid 800 AD to 1800 AD. Superb horseman, their skills were made even more overwhelming, a direct result of the superior athletic abilities inherent in their horses. Their ability to train horses for battle, to squeeze out of their horses the ultimate responsiveness, leaving their hands free for the use of weapons made them more formidable warriors, than they ever could be on foot. Without the intelligence, the endurance, the confidence that comes from courage, the tractability of their temperament, much of the world would not have recognized and thereby record, the superb horsemanship skills of these Mameluke warriors.
It would only be natural that the very qualities that made the Egyptian Horse a formidable warhorse, would also make him a horse well suited for sport. From the times of Mohammed Ali the Great to the present, the Egyptian Arabian Horse is favored as an endurance mount and also as a racehorse. The Sheykh Obeyd bloodlines have been especially influential within the blood of Egyptian Arabian Horses. While this article is not an exhaustive study of racing bloodlines, the athletic ability of the Sheykh Obeyd Arabian as a racehorse is significant and the records of the following horses reflect the superior athletic capabilities of these bloodlines. Aiglon, the sire of *Exochorda, raced from 1914 to 1921, a total of 41 races, winning 6 and retiring sound. Ibn Rabdan (Rabdan x Bint Gamila) in 1919 ran 16 races, wining 4 times. Nabras raced in 1924 until 1929, running in 14 races, winning 6. He sired Komeira, out of Layla, a swift running mare that raced 17 times, winning 3 of those races. *Nasr (Rabdan x Bint Yamama) ran 12 races from 1923 through 1924, winning 2 of them. His son out of Bint Obeya, Ibn Manial, raced 3 times in 1933 and won one of the races. Nazeer (Mansour x Bint Samiha) raced from 1937 to 1939, a total of 20 races, winning 3 of them. Alaa El Din (Nazeer x Kateefa) ran 6 races in the 1960-61 race season winning 1 race. Ibn Bukra (Nazeer x Bukra) ran 12 races in 1961 and won three. Talal (Nazeer x Zaafarana), racing under the name "Goni Boy" ran 44 races from 1960 through 1964 winning 6 races. However, the most famous Sheykh Obeyd racehorse of all time, Balance (Ibn Samhan x Farida), ran from 1932 until 1934, a total of 17 races and winning 14 times! In the races that he lost, he placed second twice and third. Balance also sired Amlam, out of the racing mare Komeira, who raced from 1949 until 1952, a total of 5 races, winning 3 of them, and like his father, in the races that he lost, he placed second and third.

The ability of the Sheykh Obeyd horse to gallop and endure over long distances was developed over time, proven on the battlefield and tested on the racetrack. Ultimately, these abilities would prove useful in the sport of endurance racing, where horses are challenged both physically and mentally. Sheykh Obeyd horses, when given the opportunity to participate, have successfully met the challenges. *Fadl and *Bint Bint Sabbah, both sired by Ibn Rabdan and out of Mahroussa, participated in 100 mile rides, with the mare, journalized for her achievements in May of 1937 in The Arab Horse. The following was written about her: "The third prize winner, the Arab mare, *Bint Bint Sabbah emerged a heroine. Weighing little more than 800 pounds, she carried 189 pounds, finishing the half distance in 1 hour 16 minutes in the mud, and walking the second lap so as not to finish ahead of the 3-hour minimum. Her head and tail were always up and she never took a deep breath." *Bint Bint Durra (Ibn Rabdan x Bint Durra) also competed in endurance, finishing the Vermont trail ride in perfect condition. One of the most famous endurance horses was a Doyle bred mare, the 1956 mare Bint Gulida (Ghadaf x Gulida). She went on to establish an endurance dynasty of her own, producing Cougar Rock. Another successful Doyle bred horse is Blarney (Ibn Gulida x Bint Ghadaf), the 1980 US Top Ten Purebred Endurance Arabian.

Lothar (*Fadl x Habba) and Saafaddan (Faddan x Saaba), both under the capable hands of Linda Tellington-Jones, were top endurance winners, before becoming herd sires for Walter Schimanski. Drkumo RSI (Dymoniet RSI x Kumoniet RSI) is a contemporary endurance champion, having won the 1996 AERC National Jim Jones Stallion Award, the 1997 AERC Top Ten Jim Jones Award, and the 1997 Pioneer Award Winner for heavyweight rider.

In America, we have taken the harsh conditions that have fashioned the Sheykh Obeyd Horse into an ultimate warhorse, racehorse, and endurance mount and crafted these qualities to create a show horse supreme. No show horse list would be complete without first mentioning the most famous Sheykh Obeyd Dressage horse of all time, Serr Maariner (Ibn Fa Serr x Maarena). This horse was successful at a period of time, when Dressage was not one of the largest growing disciplines in the IAHA and when Arabian Horses were exceedingly rare in the open divisions. A United States National Champion in Second, Third, Fourth Level, and the first Arabian ever to win a USDF Gold Medal (for which he won at one of the highest levels, Prix St George). He was also the USDF horse of the year, the AHSA/Insilico region 2 Horse of the year, and the Eastern States Dressage Champion for second and third level. Another successful dressage horse, Ibn Sabbah Bedu+ (Serabaar x Shar Sabbah), is a 2001 Scottsdale Prix St. Georges Reserve Champion and 1997 US National Top Ten Winner in Second and Third level. In 1998 Sabbah was the Region VII Reserve Champion at Third Level and the Purebred Working Hunter Champion in Scottsdale. Although not shown, *Rashad Ibn Nazeer was schooled in dressage by Colonel Hans Handler, a former director of the Spanish Riding School.

The show ring wins of many Sheykh Obeyd horses are numerous. In the 1950's, the beautiful show mare, El Maar (Fay el Dine x Maaroufa) dominated the show rings with her type and balance. Fabah (Fadl x *Bint Bint Sabbah) met with tremendous success in the show ring and passed on his performance abilities to his son, Hadbah, out of Fa Deene, who won many championships for his owners, Anchor Hill Farm. The Hadbah son, out of Silima, Anchor Hill Halim was a successful multi-champion stallion in Germany, and a winning endurance horse. The 60's and 70's ushered in an Egyptian explosion in the United States, as the ethereal beauty of the imported Egyptian horses captivated people. As these horses made their way into the show ring, the horses of Sheykh Obeyd bloodlines were among the stars. One of the most successful Sheykh Obeyd performance show mares was the lovely and talented *Bint Maisa El Saghira, not only a top ten halter winner in 1965 but also in the same year, scored top ten wins in English Pleasure and Park. In 1968, the talented Sirecho son, Joramir, out of Fad Roufa, won a National Top Ten in English Pleasure and Native Costume, the crowning achievements to a career that included 20 Class A championships in halter and performance. The gray Babson stallion, Roufas (Fa Serr x Aaroufa) was a 1974 Reserve National Champion English Pleasure Champion and also a top ten winner in Park and Formal Driving. As a matter of fact, Bentwood Farms took the Babson mares Maarena, Roufah, Aarouser, Ahroufa, and Bint Aaroufa and successfully campaigned these mares to championship wins. Bint Aaroufa, the most successful performance mare of the group, went Top Ten Park. *Ansata Ibn Halima, the beautiful Nazeer son out of Halima, imported by Ansata Arabian Stud, was the winner of many championships in Park and English Pleasure, in addition to his National Halter top tens. *Ansata Ibn Halima is the only Sheykh Obeyd stallion to sire both a National Champion stallion, mare and 14 other national winners. His beautiful daughter out of Sabrah, Fa Halima, inherited her father's good looks and even disposition and used these qualities to win 1980 US National Champion Mare, in addition to Reserve Champion wins in Canada and at the Salon Du Cheval in Paris.

The *Ansata Ibn Halima son out of Allah Ateyyah, Ra'adin Inshalla, was also a frequent English Pleasure champion like his father, in addition to his halter wins. *Moftakhar (Enzahi x Kateefa) a successful racehorse in Egypt, was imported to America, and was shown to multiple championships in Native Costume, English Pleasure, Western Pleasure, and Driving. Owned by Gleannloch Farms, his beauty changed the course of breeding and inspired Gleannloch to import horses, which would play a significant role in the development of Egyptian breeding, including 19 Sheykh Obeyd horses. The mare *Dawlat (Antar x Shahrzada) was one of these 19 horses and was an English Pleasure champion and the dam of the successful racehorse, Asjah Ibn Faleh. Unfortunately, her blood is no longer available in Sheykh Obeyd. *Talal, a proven racehorse in Egypt came to America and started a new career as a premier show horse, winning Scottsdale Reserve Champion Stallion and US National Top Ten Stallion.
In many backyards, in many a quiet barn, resides a horse of Sheykh Obeyd bloodlines that does not win ribbons, trophies, or National titles. Always a beautiful horse, the Sheykh Obeyd horse waits patiently for his owner, his friend, his companion. This is the horse that meets any challenges that his owner encounters on an impromptu ride through field or forest. This is the horse that can courageously take a three or four foot jump, cross through any amount of water, attend a weekly riding lesson with his owner, who only wishes to improve her seat and ride her horse better, in the quiet moments of her life. This Sheykh Obeyd horse becomes increasingly important in a world of deadlines, budget cutbacks, missed school buses, orthodontic appointments, overtime and frequent grocery trips. This is the confidante that knows well the salt in our tears and the fast beat of a heart that is hidden within a laugh. This is the consoling friend who welcomes his owner with a nicker of recognition and rests his head on the shoulder of a friend, at a time when it is needed most. This is the companion that helps us to manage our lives better in an unreasonable world. And this is the trusted friend that day in and day out, is the hero of our lives.

Whatever your discipline, whatever your choice for pleasure on the back of a horse, there is an athletic Sheykh Obeyd horse waiting for you! Whether you value speed, courage, agility, kindness, intelligence, consistency….or just a companion that you can trust and depend on, you will find these qualities wrapped in the utter and absolute beauty of a Sheykh Obeyd Horse.



** I wrote this piece for the Sheykh Obeyd Foundation International in 2001.  The essay appears at the SOFI website: www.sheykhobeyd.org
.
The horse pictured is Serr Maariner (Ibn Fa Serr x Maarena) with Gail Hoff-Carmona astride.

01 June, 2006

Gelgelah AlBadeia


I don't believe there is a more striking, dramatic, traditional, Bedouin style mare than Gelgelah AlBadeia, the 2003 World Champion Mare.

The Venus family of Hadban Enzahi horses is a wonderful family, especially the tail female through Yosreia. Gelgelah's dam, Anhar AlBadeia, is a daughter of Bint Bint Yosreia. However, her sire: Ameer AlBadeia is also a Hadban Enzahi, tracing in tail female through the Nagdia daughter, *Malekat El Gamal to Hadba, a daughter of Venus.
Ameer Albadeia is considered a milestone in the breeding program of Albadeia. His sire , Kayed (son of Morafic) has started a new era at Albadeia and Ameer just took it several laps further. Most of my current mare s and stallions are his get or grandchild. Take Farid Albadeia , the prime sire at Albadeia at present –Five times National champion of Egypt (never beaten) and three time Champion stallion at the Breeders Association show in Egypt . His Grand daughter out of Anhar Albadeia is Gelgelah Albadeia ..Won Several championships in Egypt and in Europe and last year won the European and the World champion mare titles . So Ameer produced at least two World Champions Al Adeed Al Shaqaband Gelgelah Albadeia. To me he was and is more valuable than any horse I ever had. - Nasr Marei
Anhar is a pure-in-the-strain Hadbah Enzahiyah. Yosreia, again demonstrates the success of the Mansour/Ibn Rabdan cross. Yosreia's sire, Sheikh El Arab is a Mansour son. Yosreia's dam, Hind, is an Ibn Rabdan daughter. Some of the best horses, as I have witnessed it, are of this bloodline blend. Yosreia was a prolific broodmare, having produced horses like Aswan, who was a powerful and significant sire in Russia, Farasha who produced the exotic stallion *Farazdac and Mohga, who produced the influential sire Ibn Galal (Magdi), to name a few of the illustrious horses of this line.

Gelgelah's sire, Imperial Madori is a son of Imperial Madheen, whose dam, Madinah, is interestingly a daughter of Ibn Galal, the Mohga son and thus, bringing in an additional line to Yosreia. Imperial Madheen's sire: Messaoud, is a son of Maymoonah, a daughter of the stallion, Hadban Enzahi, who also traces to Venus, through Kamla. The influence of the Hadban Enzahi strain is strong in Gelgelah. It will be interesting to see how this line continues to produce at AlBadeia, through Gelgelah's daughter: Farha by Farid AlBadeia (a son of Ameer out of another Nagdia daughter) and in the hands of another breeder, Mrs. Shirley Watts of Halsdon, who has bred Gelgelah twice to Simeon Sadik, producing two fillies: Gamra and Greta.

EnJoy,
Ralph

*Serenity Sonbolah

I was looking for a picture of the Monogramm daughter *Zagrobla. When I visited her website, imagine my surprise when I read the following interview that Denise Hearst (Arabian Horse World) had with Jeff Wallace (who, together with Mike Carragher, leased *Zagrobla from Michalow Stud in Poland)
QUESTION-Name three to five Arabian horses that have had the greatest impact on you.
ANSWER-The straight Egyptian mare *Serenity Sonbolah represented so well the Poles’ description, “of perfect harmonious build.” Her make and shape were so pleasing to the eye.
I saw *Serenity Sonbolah on multiple occasions at Imperial Egyptian Stud. The first time that I saw her; I didn't recognize her. I had arrived late for the open house and was quickly walking over to the indoor arena, as it was raining. As I approached the building, I saw a young girl leading a chestnut mare in from the field. The mare was having a difficult time walking and the girl was very sensitive to her, taking it slowly too, matching the pace of the mare's steps. I was looking at her body and she was a substantial horse. Her hindquarter was generous in size, round and balancing her powerfully-built shoulder. She was not the slight-looking, narrower, elongated in the middle kind of horse that seems to be all the rage today.

She was compact and she had muscles. She had a darker chestnut coat, not bright red but the kind of chestnut color that is deeper, with a hint of purple. She was dirty and she had not fully shed her winter coat (this was in early May). Where were the beautiful horses pictured in the magazines? Gosh, I didn't think this mare was attractive, as she did not have, from a distance, any of the chiseled features that I had seen pictured. In my haste and arrogance, I had decided that she was definitely not Egyptian and not like the horses that were waiting for me, inside the building. Imagine my surprise, when later in the day, this mare reappeared in the outside ring (the weather had cleared by then and the sun was shining). I recognized her by her walk, as she was led up to the ring.
*Serenity Sonbolah????????????????
Someone must have made a mistake. Or so I thought, I am embarrassed to say. When the young girl unclipped the lead line and Barbara Griffith had shared some of her story, she asked and encouraged the audience assembled outside of the ring, to share their enthusiasm and appreciation, as the mare really liked to show off.
I thought, "she must be kidding."
I saw a transformation slowly take place...a miracle, you might even call it that. There was no way this mare could move like that. I had just seen her walking to the barn, with a lot of difficulty. With every clap, with every holler, this mare became a "trotting machine", her tail curled over her back, her nostrils dilated; making this huge snorting sound, as if she was grabbing every bit of air in her body and pushing it out, from as far down as her toes. She floated this way and she floated that way. She extended her trot in ways that a dressage champion would envy. With every stride, the float lifted her body and she was suspended in the air longer and longer and longer. She was curvy and she was graceful. Her body was like a song, playing tribute to harmony and to....JOY. She danced gracefully all over the ring. She was a prima ballerina, showing off her best moves. BRAVO!! I was so unfair in my early appraisal of this beautiful mare. She was more beautiful than any horse I had ever seen. She "flew" around the arena, swallowing every form of appreciation we gave her and was obviously enjoying herself. How did I miss this?

I looked around me and saw the faces of the people. Some were smiling, some had tears in their eyes and some, were too stunned to even show a look. It was obvious that they were feeling what I was feeling too. I wondered how? How did this mare do this? The look on *Sonbolah's face was not that of a horse in pain. It was of a horse that was free and joyful and just happy to be alive. She was here, present in all her glory, in this moment and grateful for it. "What must it feel like to ride this horse?", I thought in passing. I remember a conversation, recently, that I had with a friend over how he had missed "that special something" in Ansata Iemhotep, preferring his brother, Ansata Sinan over him and I understood exactly what he was saying, as I had initially missed the special something in *Sonbolah that day. Seeing her walking from the field, I dismissed her. She was not like the horse I remembered in the pictures. However, watching her move, I knew that the most beautiful horse of all, was right in front of me and I had almost missed her. How many wonders occur in every second of life and how many do we actually witness? I dare not even contemplate my answer. As many beautiful horses as I have seen over the years, no one can ever be as beautiful as *Serenity Sonbolah. She is unforgettable...still, to this day. She gave us everything she had, that special day in May. She gave me more, lots more. She taught me a powerful lesson about raw courage and joy, while helping me to get past my shallow self. She taught me how to recognize true beauty, to savor it, to really appreciate it, so I wouldn't miss it the next time. I'll always be grateful to Barbara Griffith for sharing these beautiful horses with everyone and in the process, help me to make some bold, new steps towards a more joyful life.

Enjoy your horses,
Ralph

PS I would like to give credit to the photographers Jerry Sparagowski and Johnny Johnston for the lovely pictures of *Serenity Sonbolah. Little did they know, when they took these pictures, how many people would fall in love with this mare, as a result of the pictures.