17 February, 2010

Something in the way she moves....

Taghira B is a straight Egyptian Arabian mare owned by Gigi Grasso and Paolo Damilano of Alfabia Stud in Italy.
Something in the way she moves,
Attracts me like no other lover.
Something in the way she woos me.
I don't want to leave her now,
You know I believe and how.-Lyrics by George Harrison, from the song Something
When I saw this picture that Gigi had taken, I was impressed with the driving power in the hind end and how well she uses the muscles in her back. In this photo,  her back is not hollow and stiff. It's relaxed and connected between the energy in her hind end and in her front end. It curls down, in an arc, from the front end to the hind end, as if her hind end is going to go under her body. Everything that you feel from the photo is of a horse who is moving forward and is supple and creating this power that is really going to get you somewhere. There is no neck shot straight up and a head held so high, that it looks more like a submarine periscope, driving the back down and eliminating any connection between the moving points of her body. When I think of extreme movement, I think of this mare and this most wonderful photo. She is living proof, a confirmation of the quality horse which Babolna has been producing consistently in their breeding program.

Taghira B is sired by El Thay Mameluk and is out of the Zohair daughter, 211 Zohair-2. Taghira B is one of the horses Babolna produced , using El Thay Mameluk for breeding.
The mare, 211 Zohair is by Zohair [Alaa El Din x Zebeda] and out of 28 Farag [Farag x 9 Tamria]). The interesting aspects of Taghira's pedigree are the multiple sources of Kateefa, through Alaa El Din (the dam of this stallion) and the dam of Farag. Also, if you examine the pedigree even farther back, you will see that Layla is also a multiple source mare in the pedigree. Layla was a Dahmah Shahwaniyah and she appears in this mare's pedigree through Farag but also through Kamar (and to further underscore the importance of this mare, Layla is the dam of Sid Abouhom). We also have multiple sources of Moniet El Nefous present in this pedigree, both through the sire lines and through the dam lines.

BUT WHERE DOES THAT OUTSTANDING MOVEMENT COME FROM???
Can we attribute this spectacular movement to Alaa El Din, as he has demonstrated his influence through the female side of the pedigree or is this movement characteristic of the athletic capabilities of the Kuhaylah Rodaniyahs through Kateefa? Something to think and reflect about, on these cold winter days and great horses like Taghira make cold days so much warmer.

Keep wishing, keep dreaming, keep hoping...life is good,
Ralph