12 October, 2008

KAMAR-OH!-LICIOUS

My heart started pumping quickly and every hair on my head was standing on end, when I saw these series of Imperial Al Kamar pictures taken by Christine Emmert, at one of the last Pyramid Society meetings, held at Imperial Egyptian Stud.

GOOSEBUMPS...do you know what they are?

"I got chills,
they're multiplying
and I'm losing control
'cause the power
you're supplying
IT'S ELECTRIFYING!"
-John Farrar, from the song, You're the One that I Want

I get them everytime I see one of these pictures. Which is a surprising feeling to experience, as I was not a fan of Imperial Al Kamar through most of his career at Imperial Egyptian Stud. I have to "come clean" and admit this to you, right here and now. I can't even tell you why I was not a fan of this horse. He is one of a few sons of the 1966 stallion, El Hilal (*Ansata Ibn Halima x *Bint Nefisaa) like Mohummed Sadden (out of Akid Fa Mona), Moon Sheine (out of Nafairtiti), RG Hilacious (out of Desert Song RSI), Carousel Hilal (out of Nora Halima) and VP Regal Heir (out of Bint Sammara). So, it is not like the community has an overabundance of El Hilal breeding. We don't. I did not have an opportunity to see El Hilal personally, while he was alive. I relied on second-hand information regarding his conformation and really, there were other horses born in El Hilal's time period, whom I was more attracted to than El Hilal. I also knew that Sheila Varian had tried to use him in her program, without much success. I was being unfair. I had made too many assumptions, which led me to incorrect conclusions about this horse. Maybe, just maybe, he was never bred to the right mare...that is, until Imperial Sonbesjul came along. In 2004, I had the opportunity to visit Imperial again and SUDDENLY came to the realization that every horse that captured my attention, the horses that I would buy, if I could afford to, were all sired by Kamar!!! So, what was I thinking about El Hilal again?????

WOW!!!!!!!!

Imperial Al Kamar is a grandson of *Serenity Sonbolah and I think this blog accurately conveys how I feel about this once-in-a-lifetime mare. For this reason alone, you would think that I would have felt differently about Imperial Al Kamar.

For lovers of the "Dahman" horse, Imperial Al Kamar has two crosses to *Ansata Ibn Halima in his pedigree.  *Sanaa (Hossny's dam) is a daughter of Yashmak (the dam of Rashad Ibn Nazeer), who is also a Sheikh El Arab daughter, as is Halima, the dam of *Ansata Ibn Halima. If you believe in "strain theory", Yashmak also brings in another source of the Kuhaylan Rodan strain, which is the tail female strain of Imperial Al Kamar. So, in this stallion, we have the very dominant presence of the Kuhaylan Rodans and in particular, the powerful Rodania family; balanced by the Dahman sire lines of not only Halima but also Farida (through *Bint Nefisa). The presence of Yashmak in Imperial Al Kamar's pedigree, combined with El Hilal, also brings in another interesting point to consider. El Hilal's grand-dam, Nefisa, produced another daughter by El Sareei, *Bint Nefisa, who was imported to America by Richard Pritzlaff. *Bint Nefisa, combined with the blood of the Yashmak son, Rashad Ibn Nazeer, produced many beautiful horses for the Pritzlaff breeding program, including the lovely mare, Perfecta RSI.

Imperial Al Kamar is 20 years old now. Hard to believe that this amount of time has passed so quickly. As a two year old, he appeared to be the next star in the Imperial show string, winning prizes wherever he was shown: the Egyptian Event, Region 15 championships, the Buckeye. However, it was not as a show horse that Imperial Al Kamar would receive the most acclaim; it was as a sire.

Going back to my Imperial visit in 2004, I met the young stallion, Imperial Amir Kamar (out of the Imperial Imdal daughter and *Fawkia tail female line mare, Imperial Falaah). I was captivated. This horse was everything that I ever wanted in one horse. There, in front of me, was the horse that galloped in my dreams, suddenly come to life, in flesh and bone. If Imperial Al Kamar had only sired this one horse, for me, he would remain an astounding sire but he sired so many more horses.

"Four, tres, two, uno
Listen up ya'll cuz this is it
the beat that I'm bangin' is de-li-cious"-
Fergie, from her song, Fergielicious

I believe that Imperial Al Kamar nicked especially well with two Imperial mares: the Orashan daughter, BB Ora Kalilah, who produced by Imperial Al Kamar: Imperial Bint Kalilah, Imperial Kaleen, Imperial Kabisah and Imperial Kambriah. My favorite of these mares was Kaleen, because when she was bred to *Ibn Safinaz, she produced the mare Imperial Sahleen (who eventually, when bred to Baarez, produced my favorite filly, Imperial Baalena). Which segways me into the other mare, Imperial Mistilll. With Mistilll, Imperial Al Kamar sired the most famous of his sons, the stallion, Imperial Kamill. This stallion was owned up until recently by Donald Duke of England. However, with the Mistill daughter (sired by *Ibn Safinaz) Imperial Safilla, Imperial Al Kamar sired the young mare, Imperial Karee, who is a gorgeous mare. With the Mistilll daughter (sired by Baarez), Imperial Baarilla, Imperial Al Kamar has sired the young mares, Imperial Kabaarah and Imperial Kahleedah. And again, another "seqway" in this article, as the Imperial Al Kamar sired offspring appears to nick well with the blood of *Ibn Safinaz and Imperial Baarez. Some of the best horses that I have seen anywhere, result from this blend of bloodlines.

Imperial Al Kamar is now owned by Jody Cruz of Rancho Bulakenyo and perhaps, this will be the most exciting chapter of this amazing stallion's life. It's like waiting for the next sequel in the Harry Potter film series. You know that it is going to be good, you just don't know how great its going to actually be. However, one thing is for certain, the results are going to be

KAMARLICIOUS!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy your horses,
Ralph

10 October, 2008

Willi Schultheis and an Arabian Horse





"Yes, that is Willi Schultheis on Khofo++. Still remember Willie saying 'tomorrow he will be so tired' after a hard work out. Well Khofo++ would lie down and rest and the next day, came out even stronger. This is when he earned Schultheis' respect and love."-Hansi Heck-Melnyk

Who is Willi Schultheis, you might ask?

I recently read a book, written by Britta Schoffmann, about Klaus Balkenhol. It is a wonderful book, as the reader becomes better acquainted with Klaus Balkenhol and his training philosophy. While I already understood that Klaus Balkenhol is the coach for the United States Dressage team and long time trainer of Nadine Cappelman, there is so much more to Klaus Balkenhol that I did not know. For less than $20 US, you can find the book on Amazon.com and I eagerly recommend it for you to read. You will love it, as I did.

So, who is Willi Schutheis and what has Klaus Balkenhol got to do with it?

In the mid-1970's, Klaus Balkenhol received special permission to take his horse, Rabauke, to Warendorf, so that he could participate in a riding clinic with Willi Schultheis. At the time, Willi Schultheis was the German team coach. Klaus Balkenhol, although familiar with the reputation of Willi Schultheis and his authority over the riding sports in Germany, had never met the man before. Klaus Balkenhol rode Rabauke through a series of movements, including one tempi changes, passage and piaffe, to a silent Schultheis, who watched his every move carefully. After Klaus Balkenhol dismounted, Schultheis asked to ride his horse. As he handed the reins back to Balkenhol, Schultheis uttered one word: "Compliments".

WOW.

Klaus Balkenhol was primarily a self-taught rider, with no formal training. He was virtually unknown, up until this point. He was a mounted police officer in Dusseldorf. Schultheis, who had been skeptical of the police officer's ability, was impressed with his riding and training and considered him one of Germany's best riders. Schultheis was very instrumental in Balkenhol's career, using every opportunity he had available, to promote Balkenhol. He pushed him into competition at the German Championships and other shows. By 1979, Balkenhol's horse, Rabauke was the most successful dressage horse in the world.

Willi Schultheis never personally competed in the Olympics, however, from 1974 - 1979, he coached the German Dressage Team to Olympic Gold, to world championships two times and to three time European champions. Under his leadership, Warendorf, became a world center for the sport of Dressage. Prior to his tenure with the German team, Willi Schultheis coached the Canadian team through two Olympic games, from the late 60's to the early 70's. So, in understanding the background of Willi Schultheis and the enormous influence he had over the sport of dressage; I found it amazing to see him sitting on the stallion, Khofo+++ (*Morafic x *Nabilahh). I actually get goose-bumps just thinking about it. Maybe in the time period of Willi Schultheis, people were more open-minded regarding horse breeds and with proper and careful training, any horse, regardless of breed could accomplish anything. There are so many other things to notice in the picture, i.e. notice that Willi Schultheis is smiling, notice that he has the reins in one hand, notice how relaxed, yet alert *Khofo+++ is? I wonder what Willi Schultheis really thought of *Khofo+++? I wonder what he thought of all Arabian Horses, with regard to their ability to be competitive in the sport of dressage? I bet he thought that these horses, like all horses, could do anything their riders asked them to do, with proper training and careful development of the horse's body and spirit.

Enjoy your horses,
Ralph

28 September, 2008

Bint El Bahreyn

There has been much interest in all lines of Asil Arabian Horses recently and specifically, the Arabian Horses from Bahrain. The bay stallion, El Sareei, pictured, at left, born in 1942, traces in his tail female line to the mare, Bint El Bahreyn (pictured, black and white photo, to the right). This mare is not an Egyptian mare, meaning she was not bred and born in Egypt. She came from Bahrain. El Sareei is four generations removed from a Bahraini horse. El Sareei was a son of Shaloul, who sired some really terrific horses like *Bint Dahma and *Bint Nefisa, both imported to America by Richard Pritzlaff. El Sareei also sired the mare, Mohga, who, when bred to Galal, produced Ibn Galal. El Sareei also produced the stallion, *Tuhotmos, out of Moniet El Nefous. The bay mare, *Bint Maisa El Saghira (pictured in a Rhita McNair photo, to the right) , a 1958 daughter of Nazeer, out of Maisa, also traces to Bint El Bahreyn in her tail female line. She is five generations removed from this Bahraini mare. This beautiful mare was imported by Gleannloch and produced horses like Shaikh Al Badi. Her dam Maisa, also produced the very famous stallion Madkour, when she was bred to *Morafic.

As we move forward into the future, one wonders if a fresh introduction of Asil blood, in the same manner as the EAO did, when they incorporated Bint el Bahreyn into the breeding program, would reinvigorate the gene pool and hopefully, correct some of the flaws that are becoming more commonplace in SE breeding, i.e. a lack of substance. Something to think about, as we all try to enjoy horses that are sound in both body and spirit.

Enjoy your horses,

Ralph

06 September, 2008

A Fascinating Son: *Ibn Safinaz 1981 - 2008

"Never thank yourself: always thank the horses for the happiness and joy we experience through them." - Hans H.E. Isenhart

In a 1986 article in the May issue of Arabian Horse World of that year, Dr. Ibrahim Zaghloul, then the director of the EAO, was asked which mares, living or dead, he considered to have the strongest influence upon the EAO's breeding program. Dr. Zaghloul chose Moniet El Nefous, Kamar, Safinaz, Hebah and Adaweya. And so the story of *Ibn Safinaz starts with his dam, Safinaz, the Alaa El Din daughter, out of Ramza, (an El Sareei daughter). Safinaz already had 8 foals, through 1986, when Dr. Zaghloul said the following:

"A chestnut mare foaled February 1, 1970, has one of the prettiest heads you'll ever see, along with all the other qualities that make you take a second look. She is extremely elegant with a chiseled, tapered face and a teacup muzzle. She is one of the noblest mares in the herd, with the dry, typey look of the true Bedouin mare. She has been a superior mare for the EAO...."

It is interesting to know that the name "Safinaz" is a Persian name, which means "Fascinating Woman". In Egyptian culture, Persian, Turkish and non-Islamic names are often given to higher-class females. The mare Safinaz was in a higher class of broodmare, as evidenced by Dr. Zaghloul's testimony.

*Ibn Safinaz was her fourth son sired by Seef, foaled in 1981, named initially Swedan and purchased in 1982 by Hopeland Arabians, who imported him into the USA and registered him as *Ibn Safinaz.

*Ibn Safinaz's sire, Seef, was a son of Mashour (which means in Arabic, "renowned") and a grandson of Shaloul. Seef's dam Elwya, was out of the mare, Zareefa, who also produced the influential stallion, El Sareei (by Shaloul). The mare, Zareefa, traces in her tail female to the Bahraini mare, Bint el Bahreyn. I find it interesting to point out that the Bahraini horses are recognized for their heavier body type or rather, they are known to be horses with much substance. It is this quality that I saw in *Ibn Safinaz. Seef was not used much at stud, until he was a much older horse, in his mid-teens. Like most of the stallions used at the EAO, he was stationed at one of the agricultural depots, when he was discovered and brought back to El Zahraa, somewhere in the early 70's. Successful as a race horse, Seef became a valuable sire for the EAO, as he was known for siring powerful movement in his progeny. His foals were athletic horses, successful under saddle. The majority of Seef-sired horses were imported by Donald Ford, Martin Loeber, Bill and Janet Lowe (together with Evelyn Burton) and Rick Heber. Among these horses were the stallion, *Ibn Seef and the mares, *Higran, *Yathreb and *Lancers Asmara. Hansi Heck-Melnyk, breeder and owner of the horses carrying the world famous Serenity prefix, was in Egypt in 1972 and personally saw the stallion Seef. In May of 2006, she shared her impression of this horse:

"I happen to be at the EAO in 1972 , having horses brought before me to see. Then came this HORSE, a white stallion, prancing on a loose shank next to the handler, in a passage-like and correct balanced way, tail carried high, big eyes wide-opened and ears gently moving. I got goose bumps, which I only get when I see something truly outstanding and Dr Marsafi said, 'Hansi, this is Seef, we just brought him in from the depot, was ridden 50 km through the desert and city to get here. He has an excellent racing career and produced good foals off country mares.' I looked him over and asked Dr Marsafi if I could buy him right there and then. Dr Marsafi declined and then asked me which of the EAO mares would I breed the stallion to. I replied, 'all of them, retain the best and sell the rest.' Seef indeed did not have a Pikehead (Hechtkopf) but a beautiful profile, dry and pikant, neck was set on beautifully, clean legs- after all that work-smooth coupled and in top condition too. Nobody could ever see in him other than a very type desert bred horse."

In 1987, Imperial purchased *Ibn Safinaz and I really believe that this purchase was a pivotal turning point for Imperial Egyptian Stud. The stud had a phenomenal foundation already, that was created with outstanding mares like *Fawkia, *Serenity Sonbolah, *Serenity Sabra, *Pharrah, *Malekat El Gamal, Negmaa and the stallions Ansata Imperial and Moniet El Nafis. *Ibn Safinaz was purchased in the same time period that the German-born stallions, *Orashan and *Imperial Madheen were purchased. Imperial Egyptian Stud was ready to build upon the foundation they established and take the stud to the next level of their vision, that is, of breeding the ultimate Arabian Horse. The horses that were produced by Imperial Egyptian Stud were well known for their Arabian type, for their overall balance and for their smoothness. When *Ibn Safinaz was added to the breeding program, he contributed athletic ability, movement and a very good mind, in addition to his very correct conformation, qualities that were already existent in the Imperial breeding herd, however, *Ibn Safinaz took the farm forward to the future. Upon the death of this most wonderful horse, Beverly Sziraky offered the following::

"I have always felt that Safinaz was one of the most underrated straight Egyptian stallions in the breed. His contribution to the lmperial breeding program was immeasurable. Though we did not often show his own sons and daughters, most of our show string, through the years, had Safinaz in their backgrounds...His was a strong character, forged in an environment that encouraged the survival of the fittest. Both *Ibn Safinaz and his progeny need to be handled firmly but very quietly. They are willing, trainable and smart but will fight back if abused or mishandled. On the other hand, if asked nicely, their response is a hundred percent. As one who knew him intimately, under saddle, at the reins and in the breeding shed, I feel privileged to have known one of the truly great stallions in our breed."

As a show horse, *Ibn Safinaz became a United States National Top Ten Halter Horse, however, he was also campaigned in performance classes and he was awarded the Region 15 and 18 Championships in English Pleasure and Pleasure Driving, with wins also at Class A rated shows like the Buckeye and the Mason Dixon, in Informal Combination and Country Pleasure Driving, as well. While there is no doubt that *Ibn Safinaz was a phenomenal performance horse, together with his stablemate, Orashan; it was as a sire that *Ibn Safinaz would make his greatest mark. Unlike Orashan, who is an incredible producer of broodmares; *Ibn Safinaz produced good horses of both genders. It is rare to find a stallion, who sires equally good sons and daughters. *Ibn Safinaz was such a horse. The pedigree of *Ibn Safinaz contains multiple sources of Ibn Rabdan blood. There are 5 crosses to Ibn Rabdan through Shaloul, Layla and Hamdan. Having been a student of the Egyptian Arabian Horse for a long time, I have, over the years learned to treasure the blood of this stallion, Ibn Rabdan. In today's straight Egyptian horse, we have very concentrated sources of Mansour blood, because of the multiple crosses to Nazeer in the majority of Egyptian horses. *Ibn Safinaz carries only one cross to the stallion Nazeer in his pedigree, through the sire of his dam, Alaa El Din. Like the stallion *Ibn Hafiza, I wish that *Ibn Safinaz had been bred to higher percentage Babson mares, if not straight Babson Egyptian mares, in order to multiply the sources of Ibn Rabdan and result in horses carrying higher percentages of his blood. I am not sure at the moment, what is the highest percentage of Ibn Rabdan found in an Egyptian Horse's pedigree? In *Ibn Safinaz, one wonders over the impact, genetically, that Ibn Rabdan had upon this horse. I really like what Beverly Sziraky said about the influence of *Ibn Safinaz in the Imperial program:

"lbn Safinaz in the pedigree was, and is, a virtual guarantee of athletic ability, trainability and action. He was so prepotent for these characteristics that we could just drop him into a pedigree and then breed tor other characteristics, such as extreme type or tail carriage, without having to worry about losing these invaluable traits."

My favorite *Ibn Safinaz horses, were the horses that resulted from crossing him with the Imperial Babson lines, namely PH Safina and Ansata Nile Mist. In my opinion, I believe that *Ibn Safinaz nicked well with the *Jamil daugher, Imperial Mistilll. With Imperial Mistilll, *Ibn Safinaz sired 3 sons: Imperial Saturn in 1991, MB Mistaz in 1993 and Imperial Safari in 1999.
Jane Simicek, owner of Imperial Saturn and Willow Breeze Arabians in Louise, Texas offered the following about her horse:

"Imperial Saturn is a national top ten futurity winner. Imperial Saturn has been an easy horse to show, starting his undersaddle career in country English pleasure, then flexing over into western pleasure and hunter, sometimes at the same show. He is a versatile and athletic horse, and I believe this line is the same because colts we have here by Saturn are easy to work with, easy to train to saddle and have a good work ethic. They are willing to be versatile, love the change of pace, and love to show off."

Not to be outdone by the "boys", his 3 daughters are Imperial Saahoura in 1989, Imperial Dakhilah in 1990 and Imperial Safilla in 1992. My favorite, the mare Imperial Safilla, is now owned by Anne-Louise Toner of Al Atiq Arabians in Maryland. She foaled a gorgeous and very promising filly this year by the Asfour son, *Simeon Sachi. Anne-Louise made me laugh very hard, with a glimpse into Safilla's personality:

"Safillla also has free run of the farm when we are working outside. She usually wanders about wherever either my husband and I are working, or will go visit her pony. She can undo ANY latch - unless you put a bull snap on it (we have learned) - as well as other horse's blankets, turns on the water and will turn on a sprinkler and stand with her face over it if she is given time and opportunity to work out which tap turns on that hose. She loves our pony, and before we worked out the trick with the bull snap would open her stall door, walk over to her pony and open the pony's door, and then ignore the other mares who would be FURIOUS that she and pony were out in the courtyard while they were stuck inside. She likes peppermints too, but her favourite thing is her own Starbucks chai - not too hot - which she will slurp right out of the cup. This was also discovered by accident - she stole my drink while I was mucking stalls."

Another of my favorite *Ibn Safinaz daughters is the mare, Imperial Sahleen, who is out of the BB Ora Kalilah daughter (by Imperial Al Kamar) Imperial Kahleen. This is the other Babson line at Imperial through PH Safina, which traces to the Babson mare *Maaroufa, through the tail female line of the pedigree but also includes the blood of *Bint Bint Sabbah and *Bint Serra. When bred to Imperial Baarez, Imperial Sahleen produced the spectacular young mare, Imperial Baalena, who is now owned by Prestige Straight Egyptian in Belgium. Like her maternal grandfather, who was recognized and awarded for his good movements, this mare has very powerful, ground-eating movements, powered by a full, muscled and round hind end, elastic hocks and balanced by a free-moving shoulder, that allows her to move in a way that is appears to me that she is grabbing the ground ahead 0f her, swallowing it in huge strides. She is wonderful, stunning, magnificent and I remember when I found her at Imperial, I just could not get her off my mind. I read the news that she is in foal to the popular young stallion, Botswana, owned by Talaria and it will be exciting to learn about the foal that she will produce, crossed with Minstril lines. Another horse, who is equally exciting for many reasons, is the *Ibn Safinaz son out of MB Mazaraa: Imperial Shehaab. His full brother, the grey Imperial Saheeb, was unfortunately taken from this world, at too young of an age. A striking, very dark bay, almost black horse, he traces in his tail female to the one mare, who fires my mind with her memory: *Serenity Sonbolah. Although at first appearance, someone may not agree that he looks like his sire; a careful look at his conformation will underscore that he is his father's son. I am excited over this horse and the impact he may have upon the straight Egyptian horse. Majid Alsayegh of Douglassville, Pennsylvania owns Imperial Safemaa, another daughter of *Ibn Safinaz out of the mare, Negmaa, who is a full sister to the stallion, El Hilal. When I met Safemaa, I fell in love with her baroque look, a look that I recognized the first time that I saw *Ibn Safinaz. What is baroque? Normally, the baroque horse breeds are known as the Andalusian or the PRE, the Lusitano, the Friesian and the Lipizzan. These are all breeds which share common ground, as the Iberian Horse or the Spanish horse, as well as the Arabian Horse, influenced the formation and development of these baroque horses. Baroque horses have an old world look. Shorter-backed, with a lot of substance, their bodies are comprised of rounded lines, powerfully built hind-quarters that are large and wide, well-crested and arched necks, short, expressive heads with large, elastic nostrils, larger sized, round, black eyes. These are the horses depicted in the paintings of Velazquez, Rubens and Bernini; a time period recognized for extremely ornate styles and an extravagance or decadence of any form, whether in art, architecture, clothing and music, as a few examples. It was a style which originated in Rome and spread to France and the rest of Europe, heralding the birth of modern Europe. It was the age of Galileo and Descartes. Massive and ornate palaces were built, bordering on the unusual or even, bizarre. The term baroque, as applied to horses, recalls a period of time somewhere between the late 1600's to mid 1700's, when the noblemen of the day pursued riding at its highest and most spectacular form and developed riding into an art form, launching schools of horsemanship all over Europe. Possibly one of the greatest schools of horsemanship in this time period was established by Louis XIII of France in Versailles. This school became the Ecole de Cavalerie and became the home of Francois Robichon del la Gueriniere, the father of modern horsemanship. These baroque breeds of horses were so highly prized and so sought after, that they became the mount of choice for royalty. The very word baroque inspires romance and passion, coupled with mystery and sensuality. This was the horse from the time period of Marie Antoinette. This was the horse that inspired the classical dressage masters like William Cavendish, the Duke of Newcastle and helped to build other classical riding schools like the French Cavalry School in Saumur and the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. In the dimly lit presentation hall, I remember *Ibn Safinaz, at liberty, highlighted by natural sunlight, the thick rays of light dancing with the dust of the arena to create a foggy haze which illuminated *Ibn Safinaz's silvery white coat, made more dramatic by his muscling, creating a horse that was round, smooth and harmonious; moving freely with an exhuberance, a lightness, a freedom of movement. *Ibn Safinaz was a magnificent sight to behold on this day. The ultimate baroque horse, *Ibn Safinaz, about to perform another timeless dance, like I had witnessed a long time ago. He was a horse that could fit in comfortably, within the manege of the lords and the ladies, depicted forever in a painting, hung on the wall of a museum.

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together, in the same direction." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

3 days ago, on September 3rd, I received a very sad email from Anne-Louise Toner to let me know that this great horse had died. *Ibn Safinaz was blessed in his old age, to have someone like Anne-Louise Toner care for him. He was able to live in very close contact with a warm and loving family, who appreciated him, every day. Anne-Louise made *Ibn Safinaz feel loved, in a different way than a stallion feels love, on a breeding farm. In July, Anne-Louise shared how much she loved this horse:

"...Regarding Saff, well, he is the sweetest, most darling horse on the planet, and whenever I am taking him anywhere rests his muzzle on my right hand, just breathing on my fingers and gently rubbing his lips on them while we walk. His latest trick is to take a big mouthful of water as I come into his stall and wait until I am not paying attention to let the whole lot dribble either down my front or over my shoulder. I have told him that I am onto him and try to watch him like a hawk, but he is a patient horse and will hold that water for fifteen to twenty minutes until I am distracted (and the water is all warm and slimey) before nailing me. He is my darling, darling friend and I love him to pieces."

After a successful show and breeding career, he was able to enjoy the end of his life in peace, in comfort and this horse died with dignity. I envy the opportunity that Anne-Louise received from Barbara Griffith and Beverly Sziraky, to not only care for *Ibn Safinaz but also to know one of the greatest stallions of our breed, on a more personal basis. For me, there needs to be no further sign to let me know what a good person Anne-Louise is, as this would not have happened to just anyone!!! Although I feel very sad that *Ibn Safinaz is no longer in this world; I can't imagine what it will be like for Anne-Louise, as she will have to learn to live each day without him. From the above description and everything Anne-Louise has told me about "Saff", he was a charming horse. Oliver Wibihal, the owner of the widely-popular website dedicated to the Egyptian Arabian Horse: StraightEgyptians.com and my "soul brother", as more often than not, we share common feelings for the same horses, said the following about *Ibn Safinaz:

"Aside from being an influential sire, the ultimate show horse and an inspiration for many of us who saw him in the ring or are the owners of his get and grand get, the soul of this horse was a golden one. He was blessed with a spirit that reached out to all who got in contact with him. His inner beauty outshined his outer appearance. For me he was the very essence of the word 'gentleness'. Never will I forget the day when I saw and touched him --and how this stallion touched me with those calm eyes that looked as if they never saw anything bad in life."

The picture that was taken by Scott Trees is one of my favorite pictures of *Ibn Safinaz and this is how I would like to remember him, as a United States National Top Ten Champion Stallion, at his peak, with a powerful shoulder, long forearms, short cannons, a strong top line, coming out of well-pronounced withers, a deep heart girth, a strong and masculine neck and yet, I could walk right up to him and scratch him on his wither and he would turn his head to nuzzle me on my shoulder, wrapping his head around my body, hugging me in gratitude. This is my idea of a perfect horse and a perfect memory that will last my lifetime. Goodbye my dear friend, goodbye.

"If I could steal one final glance, one final step, one final dance with him, I’d play a song that would never, ever end" - Luther Vandross, from the song, Dance With My Father

Enjoy your horses,

Ralph

02 June, 2008

The Romance came back...*Al Lahab


I like this stallion Al Lahab quite a bit. Thanks to people like Oliver Wibihal, Aleksi Busch, Erwin Escher, Nicole Sachs and Gigi Grasso, I have been able to follow the development of a really cute colt into a classically beautiful, take-your-breath-away, timeless stallion. As a very young horse, in 2000, Al Lahab was named the Junior Champion Colt at the Asil World Cup in Germany. Erwin Escher is responsible for the picture that first grabbed my attention. Not only is Al Lahab a typey, beautiful horse but his movement is "oily", indicating a freedom of the shoulders that allows a horse to really reach out and cover alot of ground. In 2001, at the European Egyptian Event, Al Lahab was once again named the Junior Champion Colt and at the All Nations Cup in Germany, Al Lahab was the Reserve Junior Champion Colt. In 2002, one of my favorite photographers, Nicole Sachs, who has captured on film, the very soul of another German-bred Egyptian horse, El Thay Mameluk, presented this photo of Al Lahab at the Friedmann family farm in Germany.

Bred by Ariely Arabians in Israel, Al Lahab has a very interesting tail female line and I felt compelled to point it out to you. The Vision HG is by Thee Desperado and out of a mare named Belle Staar. In America, whenever we see the name "Belle" attached to the name of an Arabian horse, it signifies OLD EGYPTIAN breeding, a horse that is the combination of Sirecho and Babson breeding. For example, Belle Echo who is by Bel Gordas (Sirecho x Habba) and out of Faarecho (Sirecho x Faara). Or Masada Bellesabah, Belle Echo's daughter by the Babson stallion, Lothar. Or Belle Echo's full sister, Belle Fayama. However, in the case of Belle Staar, the pedigree is NOT Sirecho and Babson,

it is that of The Minstril x Alia-Aenor (a daughter of The Egyptian Prince and out of an Al Badeia mare named *Hasna Al Badeia [who is a daughter of Kayed {*Morafic} and El Ameera]). One of the best things about The Egyptian Prince was his ability in siring mares. He sired wonderful, wonderful daughters, who have gone on to be terrific broodmares. Sometime soon, people, if they are not doing that already, will look specifically for horses with The Egyptian Prince on the female side of the pedigree. Belle Staar, a 1990 mare, bay, is a beautiful Saqlawiyah, tracing to Ghazieh, through El Ameera. She was bred by Hamilton Gates and was owned by Mauri Chase of Chase Farm, in Aubrey, Texas. This breeding program is also responsible for an excruciatingly gorgeous black filly, who is a full sister to The Vision HG. Her name is The Blessing HG and let me tell you, she is indeed a blessing. Chase Farm is doubly blessed with both mares on their farm.

Finally, Gigi Grasso, captured the evolution of this most wonderful horse into one of the most breath-taking shots ever captured by a camera. It is an inspiring photograph that encourages the mind to marvel and to contemplate all that is good about the Egyptian Arabian Horse.

08 May, 2008

The True Colours of a Dahmah: Daheda

"I want to keep walking away from the person I was a moment ago, because a mind was made to figure things out, not to read the same page recurrently."-Donald Miller, from his book, Through Painted Deserts


Do you know the mare Daheda? Daheda was foaled in 1987 at Stonebridge Farms in Canada and is a daughter of the United States National Champion Futurity Colt, Dalul and out of the German mare, Nahed. Daheda has two lines to Anter, through Dalul's dam, *Dawlat and through Nahed's dam, Noosa, a Gharib daughter. However, what is exciting and connects this mare with the horses profiled recently, is her tail female line. Noosa's dam was Nadja, a daughter of Nefisa (Balance x Helwa). Nefisa not only produced Nadja, she also produced Bint Nefisaa by Nazeer, who went on to produce some really famous and much loved horses in our community: the stallion El Hilal and the mares Negmaa and Nourah by *Ansata Ibn Halima. By Mohssen, she produced the stallion Nefisaan and the mare, Moynese. By *Morafic, she produced the mare, Nama. And by the stallion Moftakhar, she produced the mare, Narjisa. Nefisa also produced the mare Bint Nefisa by El Sareei, who was imported by Richard Pritzlaff and produced stallions like Snowlion RSI and the mares Perfecta RSI by Monietor RSI and Alfisa RSI by Alcibiades. Nefisa also produced the mare Fayza, who when bred to Nazeer, produced the stallion Ramses Fayek. Nefisa also produced the mare Fatin, by Nazeer. Fatin produced the mare Jehan by Anter. Jehan produced daughters by Tuhotmos, Sultann, Ameer and Nasralla. She also produced sons by Seef and Sultann. So, the great-grandmother of Daheda, Nadja, is a full sister to these mares: Bint Nefisa, Bint Nefisaa, Fayza and Fatin. What a powerful family, when you stop to consider all of the horses that stem from this branch of the Dahman family!!!

Cathy Schaffer owned Daheda (and her daughter, Darada) at one time. She once shared in 2003:

"Daheda is an incredible mare...She is a sweet, gentle mare but does she love to show! Put her in front of people and she will snort and blow with motion that is so powerful (I believe that is her German lines showing) it really does knock your socks off."

Daheda was bred to Ali Valentino and produced the stallion, Ali Romeo. For her next three foals, Daheda was bred exclusively to the stallion, Thee Desperado, to produce the mare Ombre Rose, the stallion True Colours and the mare Darada. Had Daheda only produced True Colours, she would be remembered forever, for this stallion is EXCEPTIONAL. Bred by Fred Waring and foaled in 1997 at Source Arabians in Canada, by the time he reached maturity, the beauty and charisma of True Colours was confirmed and underscored in the show ring: Regional Champion Stallion (region 18), at the Egyptian Event (World Champion of 1997, Reserve Supreme Champion Stallion, Reserve Senior Champion Stallion) at the World Championships at the Salon du Cheval in Paris he was in the top five of the Elite Senior Stallions and World Champion for Most Beautiful Head. At the famous Scottsdale, Arizona Show, True Colours was named a Reserve Champion Stallion of 1996 and 1997.

WOW!

17 judges and an adoring public were mesmerized by a horse who exudes so much quality: in his type, in his structure and in his movement. It will be interesting to watch True Colours' influence grow as a sire, now that he is owned by Fontanella Magic Arabians in Italy and has access to some of Europe's finest Arabian mares.

As special as she is, Daheda is not an easy mare to breed and went from home-to-home, always with the hope that wherever she went, she would bless that owner with a foal, equivalent to the quality she produced in True Colours.

Alison Mehta of Talaria Farm is very partial to mares who carry the blood of Dalul, fairly close in their pedigree. Daheda, a daughter of the chestnut *Morafic son, has the good movement that Alison expects from this particular bloodline. Alison shared the following comment with me about Daheda:

"I think she is a very nice mare, although phenotypically, not exceptional (certainly not elegant nor exceptionally typey). However, she has a wonderful "round" profile, and is a fantastic blowy, snorty mover. I think True Colours' head definitely came from Thee Desperado--but his show-ring charisma and movement, he inherited from his dam, back to Dalul I would venture. Plus, he's not as 'angular' as many of the Thee Desperado horses, and Daheda definitely has a great rib-sprung body and substantial bone."
Alison bred Botswana (who has one of the highest fertility rates that I know of) to Daheda and she settled three times, however, it was not meant to be, as she reabsorbed each pregancy by the third or fourth month. I am a little disappointed, as Botswana's tail female line goes back to Bint Nefisaa and it would have been really interesting, actually, it would have been EXCITING to produce a foal with a very concentrated source of Bint Nefisaa blood, with the added *Morafic and *Ansata Ibn Halima lines. Plus, we know that Thee Desperado was a good cross with Daheda, as evidenced by the three foals she produced. From Talaria, Daheda went to Texas, to the farm of Hank and Sandy DeShazer. The DeShazers had recently imported a young stallion from Qatar, Amaar Al Rayyan and after visiting Talaria, Hank had fallen in love with the mare and wanted to try and breed her by embryo transfer, to his new horse. The pedigree of this stallion is interesting, as it is a heavy Ansata pedigree, with Katharinenhof lines. A lot of Bukra and a lot of Hanan. Again, the DeShazers, after trying for a long time, were not any more successful than Alison Mehta of Talaria.

Daheda has finally found a place to call home, in Fredericksburg, Texas, USA, with Al and Judi Parks of Abbasiyah International. Al and Judi had the Ruminaja Ali son, RA Ali Halim at their farm. This stallion is a son of the *Ansata Ibn Halima daughter, Halima El Hamra. The tail female of this stallion is Moniet El Nefous. One of my favorite articles that Arabian Horse World published, was an article by Dr. Ibrahim Zaghloul about the Influential mares at the EAO. Moniet El Nefous was the first mare he named. I like the statement he made concerning Moniet El Nefous and 20 years later, his words still affect me deeply:

"Moniet's soul was exposed through her kindly eyes and she was proof that the beauty of the universe is indeed 'unfolding as God meant it to'. Her loveliness transcended time."

What I like about this cross, is that we already know the success of combining Daheda with Ruminaja Ali, as we have her son, True Colours as proof. However, the interesting part for me are all the lines to Ibn Rabdan that come through this stallion, the majority of which come through Hamdan, one of the horses that Judi Forbis named as "the fabulous four". I really hoped that this cross would succeed in producing another stellar female replacement for Daheda. However, Al and Judi were not successful in flushing a viable embryo from Daheda. RA Ali Halim left the USA this past spring, for his new home in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I really enjoyed what Judi said about Daheda:

"She is such a beautiful soul that I would love to just turn her out with a stallion and pray that Allah decides that she should have one more foal."

This is the really fun part of studying Egyptian Arabian Horses, even for a few seconds respite, away from the day-to-day worries over the ups and downs in the financial markets, the rising costs of almost everything we purchase, and the job security that is no longer as secure as we believed it was. It is a nice gift, to be able to enjoy such beautiful thoughts. And all because of a grey mare named Daheda and the legacy that she has built for all of us in the straight Egyptian Arabian community. When you meet a mare of this quality, well, you just spend a lot of time wishing that there were more of them.

Enjoy your horses,
Ralph

14 February, 2008

Sometimes, the fingerprint of God is a hoofprint...

*Jamil was the first born son of Madkour I, out of the celebrated Alaa El Din daughter, Hanan, the elite broodmare of Dr. Nagel's esteemed breeding farm, Katharinenhof. One of Hanan's greatest admirers was Dr. Rudofsky, the stud director at Radowce, who said: "You have found an exceptional dam for producing stallions, take good care of her, she is a rarity." After the sudden death of Ghazal, Dr. Nagel was charmed by the Ghazal grandson: Madkour I (through his dam, Moheba II) and chose this stallion as the replacement for Ghazal, breeding Hanan to this horse and that's how *Jamil was born. One of the greatest events to occur for American Arabian breeders was the arrival of *Jamil at Ansata Arabian Stud. The broodmare band at Ansata consisted of the finest Dahmah Shahwaniyah and Saqlawiyah Jedraniyah mares, of a quality not seen since the time of Ali Pasha Sherif. *Jamil was magnificent, with large, black, lustrous, soulful eyes. Looking at *Jamil's face, with his tiny, tipped ears, you just fell head-over-heels in love with him. He was refreshing in his unique features and yet, timeless, as he possessed that old world charm. In Jamil, all of the classic features that made him unique, were even more enhanced by the fineness of his skin. When Dr. Nagel was asked about *Jamil, he said, “Jamil was the most flawless of Hanan’s foals, in my opinion - as an individual. But Salaa El Dine was to be her most significant offspring. If I compare the two horses as individuals, Jamil was the better.” As a sire, Jamil's glory will be forever remembered through the power of his daughters.

Each *Jamil daughter is a gift and a fragment of his bright light. The accomplishments of this stallion's daughters are enormous. For example, *Jamil's daughter, Ansata Gloriana, when bred to Jamil's half-brother, Salaa El Dine, produced Helala, a haunting Hanan look-a-like and the dam of the esteemed stallion: NK Hafid Jamil, who is revered throughout the world of Egyptian Arabian Horse breeding, for his ethereal type and his ability to pass it on.

Mr. Usamah Alkazemi of Ezzain Arabians in Kuwait, has purchased a number of horses from Katharinenhof. He has great esteem for Jamil's daughter, Amarilla (out of Ghazala) and this mare's influence figures prominently in his breeding program, through the daughters and son of NK Nariman: NK Jurie, NK Alamirah, NK Lolowah and NK Qaswarah.

The *Jamil daughter, Ansata Justina, when bred to Ruminaja Ali, produced a rare black pearl: Alijamila, owned by the Ajmal Stud in Kuwait, however, while in America, she produced (by Thee Desperado) the popular black stallion, Al Baraki, as well as The Atticus (by The Minstril). Her daughter, Bint Alijamila is owned by Source Arabians in Canada, who also own a grey stallion named Musalih, a 1996 National Champion Colt in Israel, who traces to *Jamil through his mother: the Malik daughter, MUSALIHA, an Israeli Reserve National Champion Filly and a daughter of Jamil's Nil Nour. The interesting thing about Musalih, is that he is not the only champion in this family, he has a full brother, Mosalli, owned by Ariela, who was a Junior Champion Colt at the 1996 Middle East Championships, as well as the Supreme Champion Stallion at the European Egyptian Event in 2000 and 2003! Ezzain owns the Alijamila daughter bred by Ajmal Stud, Ajmal Ibtihaj, a beautiful mare who figures prominently in the Ezzain breeding program. Mention must be made of the influence that Imperial Mistilll has made throughout the world. Her son, Imperial Saturn (by *Ibn Safinaz) is a bay beauty who was named a Top Ten Futurity Stallion, at the US Nationals in 1994. He has also done well in performance classes, shown in a variety of disciplines such as Country English Pleasure, Western Pleasure and Hunter. His daughter, MB Sashali, when bred to Ali Bayfire, produced Mia Bint Bayfire, who has been trained for racing and has been successful on the racetrack. Donald Duke purchased Imperial Mistill's son (by Imperial Al Kamar), who captures hearts, wherever he is shown, with his elegance and refinement. Kamill's daughter, tracing back to the Imperial foundation mare, *Pharrah, is as electrifying in her trot, as was her mother. She and Sahra Janillah (who traces to the Sameh daughter, *Deena) carry on Kamill's influence in America.The cross of Ansata Halim Shah with *Jamil, has been extremely successful in producing horses that are not only elegant and refined but extremely prepotent in producing the same qualities. The *Jamil daughter, Ansata Malika, when bred to Halim Shah produced the beautiful mare, Ansata Majesta . Sold to Qatar, to Al Rayyan, this mare, when bred to the double Ansata Halim Shah grandson, Safir (Salaa El Dine x Aisha), produced the influential stallion, Ashhal Al Rayyan, who sired progeny not only in Qatar but in Germany as well. Ashhal Al Rayyan's list of progeny is like a WHO'S WHO of Arabian Horses, with many champions and horses who are proving their significance in other breeding programs. Ansata Aliha, a *Jamil daughter out of Ansata Regina, produced a stallion (by Ansata Halim Shah) that reminds us of the versatility of the purebred Arabian Horse. His name is Ansata Manasseh, who has competed and won prizes in Country English Pleasure, Western Pleasure and Native Costume, as well as being a fun and reliable trail horse. He is not only the cornerstone of Cynthia Culbertson's El Miladi but her heart as well.

*Jamil's influence is so widespread, that it can be overwhelming to consider his continuing influence through his get, grand-get and great grand-get, all over the world. I am confident that in the future, we will still be talking about his contribution, in the creation of tomorrow's classic Arabian Horse. The following is an incomplete listing of the*Jamil progeny, with his daughters listed in boldface type:

1978:
SEHNAB, bay mare out of Sabah (Ibn Galal x Mahiba)

1979:
BINT MARAH, bay mare out of Marah (Galal x Maysa)

1980:
VISION, chestnut colt out of Euni (*Bandos x Eunice)
TAMARA, bay mare out of Taghreed (Shaarawi x Naama)
AFIFA, grey mare out of Ghazala (Ghazal x Hanan)
BUSHRA, bay mare out of Marah (Galal x Maysa)
IBN JAMIL, grey colt out of Ashraff (Mohafez x Hanan)
IBN JAMIL, grey colt out of Animah (Mahomed x Afifa[*Morafic x Hemmat])

1981:
ALIFA, grey mare out of Ghazala (Ghazal x Hanan)
BURKAN, grey colt out of Marah (Galal x Maysa)
FAYROOZ, grey mare out of Fernaz (Galal x Looza)
KAPRIOLE, chestnut mare out of Kapelka (Aswan x Kapel)
MA JAMILA, mare out of Mastura (Saher x Molesta)
NIL NAFIZA, chestnut mare out of Naya (Kaisoon x Nana)
SIMEON SABRA, grey mare out of Nadira (Aswan x Napersnita)
SIMEON SAMUEL, bay colt out of Novina (Aswan x Nemezida)
TIFFAHA, grey mare out of Tagreed (Shaarawi x Naama)

1982:
MEGAD, colt out of Metelica (Aswan x Madera)
NAHBAY, grey colt out of Nika (Aswan x Norka)
NIL JAZIR, bay colt out of Naya (Kaisoon x Nana)
SIMPATICA, grey mare out of Sena (Aswan x Simpatika)

1983:
235 JAMIL, grey mare out of 207 Farag II (Farag II x 26 Ibn Galal)
ADNAN, grey colt out of Ameera (Madkour I x Hanan)
ALIA, grey mare out of Hanan (Alaa El Din x Mona)
AMEENA, grey mare out of KEN Amal (Mohafez x Hanan)
AZIZ, bay colt out of Ghazala (Ghazal x Hanan)
BESHIRA, bay mare out of Bushra (Jamil x Marah)
MARANAH, grey mare out of Bint Marah (Jamil x Marah)
MATALA BINT MARAH, grey mare out of Marah (Galal x Maysa)
NIL NOUR, grey mare out of Naya (Kaisoon x Nana)
ZAMILLA, grey mare out of Zambia (Zareef x Flamenca)

1984:
ANSATA ALIHA, grey mare out of Ansata Regina (*Ansata El Wazir x *Ansata Bint Bukra)
ANSATA JUSTINA, bay mare out of Ansata Judea (Ansata Abu Sudan x Ansata Jamila)
ANSATA SAMARRA, bay mare out of Ansata Samantha (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Ansata Delilah)
DELTA VENUS, grey mare out of Venezuela (Ansata Ibn Sudan x Lamees)
EL THAY TOHFA, bay mare out of Tamara (Jamil x Tahgreed)
IMPERIAL MISTILLL, bay mare out of Ansata Nile Mist (Ansata Ibn Sudan x Falima)
JALILLA, grey mare out of Il Durra (*Morafic x *Hekmat)
SN SUDANI, grey mare out of Monieta S (AK Khattar Moniet x Malika S)
ZT MALIKA JAMILA, chestnut mare out of Imperial Ajmalika (Ibn Morafic x *Malekat El Gamal)

1985:
ANSATA DAMITHA, grey mare out of Ansata Dia Halima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Ansata Damietta)
ANSATA FAY JAMILA, chestnut mare out of Faye Roufa (Ansata Abbas Pasha x Bint Fay Roufa)
ANSATA HAJI JAMIL, grey colt out of Ansata Delilah (Ansata Shah Zaman x Ansata Bint Misr)
ANSATA MALIKA, grey mare out of JKB Masouda (Madkour x Maymoonah)
ANSATA PRIMA ROSE, grey mare out of Ansata Rosetta (Ansata Shah Zaman x Ansata Bint Bukra)
ANSATA SAMARIA, bay mare out of Ansata Samantha (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Ansata Delilah)
ANSATA SERENADA, grey mare out of Ansata Serena (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Ansata Regina)
BASH TANTANA, mare out of Belladonna Halima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Macdonna)
BKA DAMILL, grey colt out of Ansata Damietta (Ansata Shah Zaman x Ansata Bint Misr)
EL GAMILL, grey colt out of Akulah (El Hilal x Adam Kheir)
EL JAMIL, grey colt out of Fa Roufina (Ansata Abbas Pasha x Roufina)
HS MORGANA, mare out of Moshana (Anchor Hill Halim x Mofeedah)
MI TY JAMILLLA, grey mare out of Imperial Nasamada (Moniet El Nafis x Samiha)
ZT JAMARA, bay mare out of Ambrosiaa (El Hilal x HM Amber Drift)

1986:
ANSATA CHANDRA, grey mare out of Ansata Bint Sudan (Ansata Ibn Sudan x *Ansata Bint Bukra)
ANSATA EXOTICA, grey mare out of Ansata Ghazala (Ansata Ibn Sudan x Ansata Rosetta)
AF FA HALIMA, mare out of Bint Hamda Halima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x JKB Hamda)
ANSATA GLORIANA, grey mare out of Ansata Ghazia (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Ansata Ghazala)
ANSATA JULNARA, bay mare out of Ansata Judea (Ansata Abu Sudan x Ansata Jamila)
ANSATA KAMRIYA, bay mare out of Ansata Raquessa (A*Ansata Ibn Halima x Ansata Regina)
ANSATA MALIHA, grey mare out of Ansata Malima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Mawaheb)
ANSATA MISRIYA, grey mare out of Ansata Bint Misr (Sameh x *Ansata Bint Bukra)
ANSATA NILE MAGIC, grey mare out of Ansata Nile Rose (Ansata Ibn Shah x Ansata Nile Charm)
ANSATA NILE PASHA, grey colt out of Ansata Nile Dream (Ansata Ibn Sudan x Ansata Nile Queen)
ANSATA NILE SHEIK, grey colt out of Ansata Nile Charm (Ansata Ibn Sudan x Ansata Nile Queen)
ANSATA SPLENDORA, chestnut mare out of Ansata Sabrina (Ansata Ibn Sudan x Ansata Sabiha)
BINT FLO-REITTA, grey mare out of Stonehedge Shatifa (*Farazdac x Shahliel)
BINT JAMILLA, grey mare out of Monisa Halima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x AK Monisa Moniet)
ESPRIT DE JAMILLL, grey mare out of Esprit de Zaghloul (*Zaghloul x Esprit des Eagle)
JASIR IBN JAMIL, grey colt out of Aida (Ansata Abbas Pasha x Ameera) KEMILLL, grey mare out of Keoki (Ansata El Nisr x Raqis)
NINA MARIA, grey mare out of Amira El Hadban (Ibn Galal x Amara)
ZT JAMDUSAH, bay mare out of IES Sondusah (Hossny x SF Bint Sonbohla)
ZT JAMILLAH, grey mare out of Imperial Rasilah (Hossny x Rahnda)

1987:
AMARILLA, grey mare out of Ghazala (Ghazal x Hanan)
IBN JAMIL, bay colt out of Ashraff (Mohafez x Hanan)
JADE PRINCESS, grey mare out of The Egyptian Princess (The Egyptian Prince x AK Kastana)
MAJILA AL SCHORAFAA, grey mare out of Madinah (Masir x Gazeera)
SABLA, grey mare out of Selmah (Shakhs x Sappho)

An amazing horse with a most amazing life, he was like a candle, perpetually brilliant, no matter how hard the wind blew to extinguish his light. "Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did." - Elton John

EnJOY,
Ralph