BUTTERFLY

"Across my dreams with nets of wonder,
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love."-Bob Lind, from his song, Elusive Butterfly

There is a superstition about butterflies, which the Japanese believe are the physical representations of a human being's soul, whether dead or living. If a butterfly were to enter your room and light upon a bamboo screen, the person whom you most love, was about to visit you.

Do you love Farasha?

Maybe when I tell you a little more about her, you will. You see, Farasha, a 1951 EAO mare, is also a butterfly. That's what her name means in Arabic.

BUTTERFLY

Farasha is by the El Deree son, Sid Abouhom and out of the Sheikh El Arab daughter, Yosreia. Sid Abouhom's dam is the beautiful mare, Layla, an Ibn Rabdan daughter. The cross of El Deree and Layla resulted in a larger-sized horse, who was very powerfully built. Longer neck, longer back, his immense front end, with his powerful shoulders and the most prominent withers that I have ever seen on an Arabian Horse.

To me, Sid Abouhom's type reminds me of a Thoroughbred racehorse, possessing the body structure that made him successful on the racetrack. He was built for running. While Dr. Ameen Zaher was not fond of this horse and of his subsequent use in the breeding program; General von Pettko-Szandtner felt that Sid Abouhom would correct the overall conformational flaws that he observed in the EAO breeding program. General von Szandtner wanted to breed a more functional horse, closer to the cavalry horses that he managed at Babolna in Hungary. While I can understand Dr. Zaher's feelings, Sid Abouhom was not a pretty horse, as compared to other individuals of his time period;  we would not be talking about beautiful Farasha without him. Farasha's dam, Yosreia, is sired by Sheikh El Arab, a Mansour son, out of Hind, an Ibn Rabdan daughter. In Dr. Nagel's book, Hanan: The Story of an Arabian Mare and of the Arabian Breed, Dr. Nagel shared the following about Sheikh el Arab,  

"...a half brother to Nazeer, produced several excellent mares for El Zahraa. He was a member of the Bukra family and again a sire for type par excellence."

So, we have the union of bloodlines which resulted in some of the finest and most enduring horses ever produced in Egypt: Mansour on Ibn Rabdan. Normally, we see this cross via the Mansour son Nazeer; it is interesting to see this breeding coming through a different horse. Unfortunately, this breeding was only tried once, as Hind was bred to Balance and Awad, for most of her breeding life.

Farasha produced 2 stallions by Alaa El Din: *Farazdac in 1962 and *Faleh in 1964. With Nazeer, she produced a daughter Fardous in 1956, Rabia in 1958 and the son, Galal in 1959. In 1960, the stallion Anter sired her daughter, Nabilahh.

Galal was an extraordinary horse with much influence, however, I would have to say that my favorite Farasha son is *Farazdac, because physically, he was one, if not the most beautiful stallion to ever come out of Egypt. EVER. He was so striking, so different, from the horses of his day. It was as if he stepped out of a painting, as no horse alive could possess such extreme features. He was magnetic. I was a child in the time period that belonged to *Farazdac and watched this horse from a distance, through the pages of Arabian Horse World. He captured my imagination with his beauty. Every photo captured his dramatic look. Lorriee Golanty is a long-time horsewoman and Arabian Horse breeder. She remembered the effect*Farazdac made upon her,

"I saw this horse at Lowes, when he was turned out in an arena and he literally took my breath away. This, after I had seen all *A. Ibn Halima (and sons), *Morafic, *Ibn Moniet el Nefous, and others, and he was so beautiful that he stayed as an image burned in my memory. I cannot say that the others left me with such a memory."

Two of his get are horses that I have long-admired, the Rancho Bulakenyo-bred and now, Shaarawi Arabians-owned mare, Mumtaz Ree, and the stallion, Emir Ibn Farazdac, previously owned by the late Claire Estelle Phifer and now owned by Samantha Wilburn of Blue Pyramid Egyptians in Herriman, Utah. Both horses share common ground in their Babson blood (*Maaroufa tail female) in the dam side of their pedigree. Samantha shared the following about her beloved horse,

"What can't be captured in pictures is the incredible intelligence and 'soul' that is a joy and a privilege to share. Himself is all stallion but doesn't pull on the lead rope even when walking up to the mares. He is always careful of his old handler (me) and takes care not to bump me. He once came running across his pasture to get between me and a construction worker but never threatened, just wouldn't move until the worker walked away, then he went about his grazing. He is a great companion."

*Farazdac sired a record number of horses, approximately 460+ horses, from 1974 to 1991. Unfortunately, a small number of horses were straight Egyptian. Dr. Nagel in the Hanan book, said that Alaa El Din was a good sire of broodmares but not of stallions. He believed that Alaa El Din never produced a son who was an equal to his influence or who emerged as an important sire in the EAO breeding program.  What about *Farazdac? He sired a son named Ikhnatoon in 1974, who remains his most influential son, impacting the EAO program considerably, which has in turn, influenced the breeding programs of private breeders in and out of Egypt. However, mention must be made of some of the daughters. Fasarra, foaled in 1980 out of the *Tuhotmos daughter, Massara, when bred to El Halimaar, produced the popular stallion, Richter MH. Bint Farazdac, when bred to The Egyptian Prince son (out of RDM Maar Halima) produced SH Say Anna. This mare produced two Ansata mares: Aniq (sired by Ansata Manasseh) and Anna Maria (sired by Ansata Hejazi). I was recently on the Dynasty Egyptian Arabian Farm web site, owned by Donna Aldrich and was delighted (actually, I fell out of my chair) when I saw a *Farazdac daughter out of the Pritzlaff mare, Desert Song RSI: RG Desert Storm. What a fabulous mare, she is really gorgeous.

One of the qualities that breeders did not appreciate in *Farazdac's phenotype was his narrowness or rather, a perceived lack of substance. Most breeders wanted a little more substance. Although*Farazdac was built like a racehorse, he had a long distance runner's conformation. He was elegant, in the same way that you would find an athlete elegant. There was a cat-like grace in every one of *Farazdac's strides. In silhouette, *Farazdac had a radiator-type shape, long and lean, the kind of body that may have suggested endurance potential. I am sure that his pulse and recovery rates, had he been tested in this discipline, would have been amazing. Hansi Heck-Melnyk, a long-time breeder of straight Egyptian Arabians, saw *Farazdac in Cairo after the horse had finished running in a race.

"Farazdac was a fabulous horse, wanted to buy him, was then not for sale. A super flat racer too and an excellent producer. I wish you had seen Farazdac as I did in Cairo. He just came back from his "winning" race, absolutely breathtaking gorgeous. Prancing, like if he had just walked around the block. He had a beautiful long and well befitting to his body neck, elegant, and clean. There was also something very regal about him."

While Dr. Ameen Zaher was hesitant in using an off-type horse like Sid Abouhom, I wonder if an extraordinarily typey horse like *Farazdac would have changed his mind? *Farazdac, in my eyes was a super refined version of Sid Abouhom. I wonder, as time passes, if *Farazdac will become more like his sire with a growing influence through his granddaughters and great granddaughters?

*Nabilahh was my favorite of the Farasha daughters, as I believe she was a very consistent producer of horses that in turn, created influential families. Gleannloch imported ten Anter daughters from Egypt. One of these ten Anter daughters was the mare, *Nabilahh. I can't think of a more powerful statement, that would underscore the importance of Anter and his daughter, *Nabilahh, than a foundation breeder like Gleannloch purchasing a large number of these horses. So, how is Farasha available to breeders today, through this daughter *Nabilahh? Nabilahh produced 8 daughters:

Bint Nabilahh in 1970
Lohelia (*Morafic) in 1971
Nagliah in 1972
Neama in 1976
AK Aliha (*Sakr) in 1977
AK Bint Nabilahh (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) in 1979
AK Rafaayah (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) in 1980
Frabilahh (The Egyptian Prince) in 1984

It is interesting to point out the Bentwood-bred mare, AK Bint Nabilahh, who produced Classic Aisha by the Ruminaja Ali son, Alidaar (who provides an additional line to Farasha through his dam, Bint Magidaa) and SF Egyptian Dove, sired by ET Crown Prince. I never have seen this mare SF Egyptian Dove but I am curious to see how much she may resemble Maar Bilahh, as she has the line to Maar Hala through her sire, as well as a double does of *Nabilahh. SF Egyptian Dove has produced 3 mares that I know of: Ghazalat Bouznika by Imperial Imdal and two daughters by Imperial Mashhar (this stallion has Imperial Fanniya in his dam line, who was sired by *Faleh, a Farasha son and through the sire, Imperial Madheen, has an additional line to Farasha, through Galal and a line through Yosreia through Mohga): Mouniat Bouznika and Nabilah Bouznika, who should be somewhere around 10 years of age by now. The mare AK Rafaayah, was bred to the *Farazdac son, Shah el Sun to produce the mare N-Amora in 1992. This is an interesting mare to consider, as she carries Farasha on the top of her pedigree and the tail female. She in turn was bred to the predominantly Dahman stallion, Shaikh el Shamal, to produce the mare Nabilat el Sheruk, 10 years ago.

In the above paragraph, I mentioned the Alidaar-sired mare Classic Aisha and I must make mention of another Alidaar daughter out of The Egyptian Prince, Frabilahh, who produced Classic Farida. She has produced 2 sons by Ansata Hejazi and a son by the *Ibn El Mareekh son, Baahir.

The mare, Lohelia, has been prolific in her production of daughters, including the Bentwood mare, AK Ahliyeh, who produced a son by *Serag, Ahsen El Serag, owned by Al and Judi Parks of Al Abbasiyah International in Fredericksburg Texas. While there have been horses produced with multiple lines to Farasha or Yosreia, it is interesting to find a stallion with Anter in the sire line, relatively close. AK Ahliyeh, when bred to Imperial Imdal, produced Kirmali in 1988. I saw this mare at the Newcomer's farm, Conestoga Run in Pennsylvania and was awestruck by a statuesque, elegant and wonderfully leggy, nice-moving mare.  I was really surprised by Kirmali and her size, reminiscent of all of the strong points that I mentioned in Sid Abouhom. She was shown with some success in hunter-under-saddle classes. Lohelia also produced AK Rasafah by Ansata Abbas Pasha, RXR Lia Moniet by AK El Zahra Moniet (Maarena blood here on the bottom) and Shahelia by Shaikh Al Badi.

Nagliah, bred twice to *Zaghloul, produced Asmarr and Naheed, Taira by *Soufian, Buukura by Al Metrabbi, Nagiba by Ibn El Hassan and Bint Nagliah by Thee Desperado.

Neama was bred to The Minstril twice, to produce the full sisters: Najimah and Neena, as well as *Soufian, to produce the mare Qastal.

The most outstanding mare of the Farasha family is Maar Bilahh, another Rancho Bulakenyo-bred horse, a daughter of El Halimaar, out of the *Nabilahh daughter by *Morafic, Bint Nabilahh. If Bint Nabilahh had only produced Maar Bilahh, she would have been forever remembered. In addition to "my sweet heart", she also produced two mares by Shaikh Al Badi: Ruminaja Nadia (she in turn produced Mashwara by Bay Halima and Sharifa Moniet by Moniet El Sharaf) and Ruminaja Nahjat.

There are few horses who have the ability to produce equally outstanding daughters and sons. *Nabilahh was such a mare and having produced a collection of amazing daughters, she also produced *Khofo by *Morafic, who would also become influential, like his sisters, mainly through his 1970 daughter *Bint Magidaa, who in turn, produced Ruminaja Ali, by Shaikh Al Badi. The stallion, *Khofo++ was a legion of merit winner, an athletic horse, possessing the versatility that allowed him to be successful in many events, both under saddle and in harness. He was owned from the time of his importation, until his death by Hansi Heck-Melnyk, of Serenity Farms in Citra, Florida, who has bred Egyptian Arabian Horses for approximately 50 years.

"He was imported at the side of his dam and with his sire when barely four weeks old by Doug Marshall. A faultless front end, a beautiful set on neck with that tremendous windpipe and very clean throatlatch, a 74 inch heart girth and well pronounced withers. He stood about 15.2 HH. He had beautiful large eyes, soft and gentle but the fire burning within. He was easy to handle, never hurt anything and a dream to ride."

 Had *Khofo++ only sired Bint Magidaa (she went on to produce a dynasty of stallions who have had a tremendous impact on the breed, both Egyptian and non-Egyptian) he would have been assured a place in history, forever. However, *Khofo++ sired almost 50 other straight Egyptian horses who have gone on to spread his influence, all over the world. With *Serenity Sonbolah, *Khofo++  sired the mare SF Bint Sonbohla (who produced the mares IES Sondusah by Hossny, MCF Nicole and Sonbolah's Song by Ruminaja Bahjat, Serenity Salilah by Serenity Osiris, Sohnbadi by Shaikh Al Badi and Sonbohlah's Dream by Moniet El Nafis) and with *Serenity Sonbolah's daughter by *SF Ibn Nazeer, SF Sonbolah Tu, *Khofo++  sired the mare Serenity Sonbolaa. With *Serenity Sabra (and this is where I get really excited) he sired the mare Serenity Bint Sabra, making it possible for ONE HORSE to carry 2 powerful branches of the Yosreia family in the tail female of the sire (Shahrzada) and dam (Farasha).

"I believe the light that shines on you, Will shine on you forever"-from the song, Father & Daughter by Paul Simon

In ancient cultures, butterflies symbolized rebirth, a new life, like a caterpillar who metamorphoses into a beautiful butterfly, after being inside a cocoon for a long period of time. The principal reasons for why this blog exists, are to raise awareness for special horses, key bloodlines that are on the verge of disappearing, influential mare lines and stallions who have over time demonstrated excellence in siring powerful broodmares. Our butterfly, Farasha, remains an extremely important mare in straight Egyptian breeding and with every new foal that is born of her family, her rebirth is made complete, with her family also remaining as a vital connection to our EAO foundation.

EnJoy,
Ralph

HR Hasims Legacy

HR Hasims Legacy (Sah Hasim Khabar x Adaah)

HR Hasims Legacy is a 2002 straight Babson Egyptian stallion, bred by Cheryl O'Donnell and presently owned by Kim Cooper of Axiom Arabians, Cape Fair, Missouri. He is sired by the bay-colored Sah Hasim Khabar, a Char Serr son out of the Fabah daughter, Adaah. My friend, Clothilde Nollet of Maarena Arabians in France saw this horse and said,

"Kabar is a Kuhaylan stallion with incredible substance, one of the biggest horses I have ever seen, lots of bone and what a powerhouse. He is quite tall. He has been bred to various type of mares and tends to give very good conformation, large back, chest, long hip, powerful movement, good character, big eyes."

Charr Serr (Negem x Serra)

When I think of the black beauty, Char Serr, I think of  a particular photograph which shows the horse performing the Spanish walk, with Wayne Newton astride. Have you seen this photograph? For most people like me, who have had the opportunity to work closely with Babson horses, we are familiar with their good and steady nature, a high level of intelligence and their willingness for trying new things. They are most definitely companion horses, who illustrate powerfully, within day-to-day life, what a Bedouin tent horse must have been all about. Char Serr was bred by Dr. Keith Krausnick of Shar Char Farm, a 30+ year breeding program focused on straight Egyptian and *Turfa-Egyptian horses. Char Serr was a 1964 son of Negem (Fa-Serr x Fay Negma) out of Serra (Fa-Serr x Fad Roufa).

HR Hisams Legacy's dam is a very refined,  bay-colored Mahrouf daughter named Mah Bah Roufa, who is out of the Ibn Fa-Serr daughter, Bah Rous Amira.

"Mr. Babson had no qualms about inbreeding, and he was the first American Egyptian breeder to experiment with breeding full brother and sister. Fa-Serr was bred to Fa Deene to produce Ibn Fa-Serr (grey, 1960), who sired 85 foals, including three national winners."-from Arabian Horse World's May 2003 Heritage Horse, Fa-Serr

HR Hasims Legacy's pedigree is interesting, because of the number of times *Bint Serra I appears in his pedigree: 9 times, as compared to the most prolific of the Babson broodmares, *Maaroufa, who appears only 5 times and *Bint Bint Sabbah, who appears 3 times. When Fabo died, we lost the opportunity of breeding to a stallion with a tail female line to *Bint Serra I. With HR Hisams Legacy, we have the opportunity to breed to a stallion who possesses a high percentage of her influence. In an Arabian Horse World article, which appeared in the August 1982 issue, Mary Jane Parkinson wrote,

"Dr. Branch interceded in dealing with Prince Kemal el Dine so that Babson could acquire *Bint Serra I 897 (Sotamm x Serra), who became his favoite of the importation."

While *Bint Serra was his favorite, it is important to point out that Babson actually prized all three of these mares and considered *Bint Serra, *Maaroufa and *Bint Bint Sabbah to be his premier broodmares. So in one horse, we find the influence of these three super mares PLUS *Bint Saada, whose appearance in Babson horse pedigrees is unfortunately, infrequent. *Bint Saada appears twice, through her *Fadl son, Faddan. Over the years, through personal observation, I have noticed that Babson horses carrying lines in their pedigree to *Bint Saada, seem to have "a little extra-something", which is so hard for me to explain, that is, exactly what that "little extra" is all about. In this case, the "irresistible" in HR Hasims Legacy, might be the best way to explain that "little extra-something". The only straight Babson Egyptian of the 1932 importation who does not appear in the pedigree is the pretty chestnut mare, *Bint Bint Durra.

HR Hasims Legacy (Sah Hasim Khabar x Adaah)

The influence of the Saqlawi strain is evident in the phenotype of HR Hasims Legacy. He is sleek, refined and elegant. Like the finest velvet, these qualities are hard to miss about him. He is very smooth and harmonious. His neck is a bit longer, than you find on other Babson horses and while I would like to see a little more length in the poll, the neck is graceful, with a clean underline. It is also important  to stress that balance in an Arabian Horse is so vitally crucial. So, when I say something like "I would like a little more length...", the flip side of this statement is that a little more length may completely upset the total overall picture of balance in HR Hasims Legacy. So, while yes, a longer poll may be desirable in this horse, I think balance is more important, a quality that is already outstanding in HR Hasims Legacy, that is, the harmony and balance present in his physical body. This is a very nice horse.
HR Hasims Legacy is a closer-coupled, with a strong and smooth topline, framed on one end by a nice, deep hip and on the other end, with a powerful shoulder with a nice, noticeable wither.  Like most Babson horses, this is a horse made for riding. The ratio of forearm-to-cannon is very nice. His head has a very nice shape, short, wide and broad, with very large jowls, small ears and large, elastic nostrils. He has a prominent jibbah, not extreme but noticeable. His eye is soft and black, with no white in them. His eye radiates a sweetness, indicating a horse who is friendly and enjoys being with people. He is a total package of Arabian horse goodness. Kim said the following about HR Hasims Legacy,

HR Hasims Legacy (Sah Hasim Khabar x Adaah)

"Legacy is super sweet and well-mannered. He is very friendly and comes right up to you. He is always looking to see me and greet me."

HR Hasims Legacy is a proven sire, as he has sired one colt and one filly to date. The colt is out of DU Faaissa, a Babson-Sirecho mare and unfortunately, the filly out of Char Iswid Malaka died. Kim is planning to have shipped semen ready for spring. Is there a hint of a broodmare sire in the making? Of the nine lines to *Bint Serra I, four of those lines are through her son, Fay-el-Dine. Fay-El-Dine was recognized as an excellent sire of daughters.

"At Babson Farms, *Bint Serra I produced eight *Fadl foals, the first the noted Fay-El-Dine, one of Mr. Babson's favorites."-from Arabian Horse World's May 2003 Heritage Horse, Fa-Serr

HR Hasims Legacy is a very intensely in-bred Babson horse, I almost think of HR Hasims Legacy as an outcross, especially for the very heavy Nazeer lines. We know from history that the Mansour lines cross exceptionally well with the Ibn Rabdan lines.

"Some breeders have shown an interesting example by early on sorting their program out into subgroups for later crossing with each other, while each subgroup in its own way, is something of an outcross to the other."-Joe Ferriss 

Some of the most beautiful straight Egyptian horses ever seen, resulted from crossing the straight Babson Egyptian horse back onto the newer Egyptian lines. I sincerely hope that an owner of a newer Egyptian line mare, who may be reading this blog about HR Hisams Legacy will be moved to try something a little different, for the love of a horse.

Simeon Shavit

Simeon Shavit is the dam of Simeon Shifran and Simeon Salit. She is sired by the Shaikh al Badi son, Anaza Bay Shahh and out of the 27 Ibn Galal V daughter, Simeon Safanad. It is worth mentioning that Simeon Shavit is a sister to the stallions *Simeon Shai and Simeon Sadik. Simeon Shavit has also produced by Asfour two more sons: Solel and Shumar plus, a daughter, Samra. When bred to Imperial Madaar, she produced two additional sons: Seeon and Sadaar.

When I opened her photo for the very first time, I was surprised, as she looks so much like *Deena! However, in this Scott Trees' photo, what do you think stands out the most? Her nostrils...not only for their size but also for their elasticity. The photo appears to have been taken while Simeon Shavit was moving, as her mane seems to be "bouncing" on her neck. This is fantastic for this study, as we can see how the nostrils change, when the horse is utilizing them more. Without resorting to using cliches like "drinkers of the wind"; one gets an appreciation or rather, the "full flavor" for what this over-used and casually dropped description really describes. What I also noticed is the upper ridge of bone, the facial crest bone located at the top of the jowl, which is unbelievably wide. Do you see this?  The Bedouin called this characteristic, asalah, and considered it to be an indication of the horse's purity.

Her pigmentation is excellent, as evidenced by the black skin of her points. I can now understand the black pigmentation of the skin on Simeon Shifran and Simeon Salit and from where it comes from, the dark bay colored Anaza Bay Shahh, who in turn got it from *Bint Maisa el Saghira, Halima, *Deena and Zareefa, who were also dark colored horses. Thinking about the importance of pigmentation, reminds me of my friend, Egyptian Arabian Horse breeder, Marilyn Lang, whose program produces consistently, heavily-pigmented horses,

"I think in order to avoid lost pigmentation and white in the eye, you must inject color into your program, at least once every generation."

In the same article, Marion Richmond, the breeder of Simeon Shavit also expressed the importance of skin pigmentation,

"They are desert animals and should have little white and must have black skin."

Both women are long-time Arabian Horse breeders, having bred many wonderful horses. I admire them because they remain strong and unwavering, in their beliefs for what is important in Arabian Horse type and for the type of horse they breed, which reflects their wisdom and loyalty to the unique characteristics of the Arabian horse breed. It is a lesson for all of us, in trying to understand the importance of skin pigmentation, in an era when so many popular and well-regarded horses show a loss of pigmentation via pink skin, under a grey coat. The dark, fine skin is an undeniable Arabian horse breed characteristic that we cannot afford to lose.

I also like Shavit's eye, not only the shape and placement of the eye, but how deeply black they are, with no presence of white in the eye at all. The area between her eyes is broad, indicating a large brain cavity. Her facial expression is one of intense kindness and generosity of spirit. It comes through the eyes. Again, Marion Richmond stressed the importance of a black eye in an Arabian Horse,

"...and full dark eye color shows the soul of the Arabian."

Perhaps this is what captivated me most about this particular family, aside from presenting a powerful statement for classic type; the real beauty resides deeply in their beautiful souls. The eyes say it all.

EnJoy,
Ralp

Simeon Salit

Simeon Salit is a full sister to Simeon Shifran. This Stuart Vesty photo shows us many similarities between Simeon Shifran and Simeon Shalit, albeit in a feminine version, but can you see  Simeon Shifran, especially in her most wonderful neck, which meets the head in an angle to form a beautiful mitbah? I find it so deeply moving, when I find horses with a longer neck, as I would say that short, thick necks have become sadly, too common. Her skin is dark, heavily pigmented like her dam but the quality of the skin is such, that every anatomical feature in her head is accentuated. Look at the prominence of the bones in her face, as well as the detailing of her veins. Her jowls are huge, pronounced and complement the shape of her head, which is short and wide. Her eyes are phenomenal, not only for the placement of the eye on the head but also for the shape of the eye. Her eyes are gorgeous, black and lustrous, with no presence of white in them at all. Her nostrils are large and elastic, with not only a delicate shape; they are thin, not thick and meaty. Her mane hairs are long, silky, with a smooth texture. Her chest is wide and nicely muscled, which conveys a mare who is not only stunning for her breed type but also, substantial and built to be functional.  I can only dream of her tail-flagging, electric floating movement.

I looked at her pedigree a little more closely, as I recognized qualities that I have observed in other horses. What is the common ground between Shifran, Salit and some of my most favorite Egyptian horses? 

FARIDA BLOODLINE ALERT!

I realized that Simeon Salit has multiple lines to the mare Farida, through the mares Halima (3 times) and Dahma II. Simeon Salit has an overall smoothness and strength in her neck, which I know comes from this mare. I imagine that her hip is deep and that she is powerfully smooth over the connection of the hip, loins and croup. No surprise to see Farida on both sides of the pedigree. I see the influence of this mare cross over into every generation and she remains relevant, even in the present day.

We have spent some time reflecting on authenticity, over the last few weeks and I can't find a better example to illustrate what authenticity will look like, in a more contemporary version.

EnJoy,
Ralph

The Nejdi Arabian Horse

No other work of art has affected me as powerfully as this lithograph has, by the French artist, Jean Louis André Théodore Géricault, in 1821. The drawing is called AN ARABIAN HORSE. It is my favorite.

The Géricault lithograph was part of the GIFT OF THE DESERT exhibit at the Museum of the Horse in the Kentucky Horse Park, which I visited this past summer and remains one of my favorite memories from my visit. I recognize the special qualities which are inherent to the Nejdi type of horse,  to not only insure its survival within a harsh desert environment but also,  to thrive and prosper:

The Nejd--a province of Saudi Arabia. Area, approximately 1 million sq km. Population, approximately 4 million, 40 percent of which is nomadic. The capital is Riyadh. Comprising a rocky plateau sloping eastward from the mountains of the Hejaz, it is sparsely settled, except for a few fertile oases. The primary occupation of the populace is nomadic stock raising. Agriculture is practiced in the oases, where wheat, barley, durra, dates, pomegranates, peaches, and citrus fruits are grown. Raw agricultural products are processed in the cities and hand-crafted goods are made. There are military-related industrial plants in Harad and a cement plant in Riyadh.In the fifth century and the first half of the sixth, Nejd was ruled by the Kindah, an Arab clan. From the seventh to the ninth centuries it was first part of the Arab caliphate and then of other feudal political formations on the Arabian Peninsula. In the 18th century Nejd became the center of the Wahhabi movement; the Wahhabis established the Saudi emirate, a feudal theocratic state that existed (with interruptions) in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After World War I, the Saudi emirate of Nejd led the struggle for the unification of northern and central Arabia, which led to the formation in the mid-1920’s of a dual kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, known as Saudi Arabia since 1932.-from the free dictionary by Farlex

The landmark study titled Hanan: The Story of an Arabian Mare and of the Arabian Breed by Hans Joachim Nagel, like the Géricault lithograph, has become for me, the most important reference book which I have ever owned. I find myself reading and studying this book, over and over, each time finding something new, that I had missed before. At this point in my life, I see the Hanan book and the Géricault lithograph as inseparable companions, complementary to each other, as the lithograph illustrates all that Dr. Nagel presents in his book concerning the Nejdi type. The lithograph is a strong visual reinforcement of a type which remains elusive and rare. 

Up until the 19th century, the Bedouin tribes in Central Arabia lived in isolation, from the rest of the Middle East. The long-term effect on the breeding population of the Bedouin horses was significant, as the qualities that enabled a horse to survive in this challenging environment, as well as for the traits selected by man, over thousands of years, became the unique characteristics that this horse would become known for. When Mohamed Ali the Great invaded the Nejd, the horse became a prize of war and taken to the stables of the viceroy, in Egypt, spreading the influence of the Nejdi horse farther and wider in the world.

This is the horse that I have been chasing all of my life and the type of horse that I remain steadfast and loyal to, for this horse, the Nejdi type, is the original, authentic and representative for all of the traits that the Bedouin admired and selectively bred thousands of years ago to insure its survival in the desert. This is the horse which turned the heads of people like Abbas Pasha, Ali Pasha Sherif, Lady Anne Blunt and Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik a long time ago. This is the horse who has been admired on canvases all over the world. I am grateful for the wisdom to understand this, so that I could not only recognize this type of horse for my own self but to also help others, to understand the significance of the Nejdi horse, in the hope that I can be a very small part in the perpetuation of this classic type. And so, this blog continues to evolve in its mission, as we search for the classic Nejdi horse, all for the love of a horse.

Happy New Year,
Ralph

A LOOK BACK: ENCHANTMENT

I stood there looking through the bars of his stall. Suddenly, I felt awkward, the intensity of the moment building up to a climax of epic proportions. I wasn't expecting the mind-numbing, physically-paralyzing emotion of this moment. I could not believe that I was looking at the real Ansata Abbas Pasha.

Me.

At the world famous Bentwood Farm.

THE BENTWOOD FARM.

Inside the stallion barn where the great *Ibn Moniet El Nefous had once lived and where, his empty stall, like a perpetual shrine, reminded everyone that once, a king lived here.

In Waco.

In Texas.

Of all people,

me.

I had seen his pictures in books and magazines a million times; I was familiar with his accomplishments and the horses he sired. And here we were, Ansata Abbas Pasha looking at me, as intently as I, was looking at him. And my mind wandered, to words that had been forgotten but somehow, were still present in my heart, bubbling to the surface of recollection, contributing to this magic moment, which now is forever cast in a dreamy haze. This was a moment in time, the seconds frozen and saved for those dark moments in life when I would need to remember. A moment so unforgettable, proof that I shared a mental communion with another living being: Ansata Abbas Pasha, whose home was my pilgrimage and the catalyst for my own journey of transformation, my renaissance moment of understanding...my own private Paradise.

My Beautiful! My Beautiful!
That standest meekly by,
With thy proudly arched and glossy neck,
And dark and fiery eye…

Those words echoed through my head, as my fingers slowly traced his outline, his silhouette. He was different from the other *Ibn Halimas. His face a bit longer, a bit more narrow and yet, the lines flowed, uninterrupted, harmoniously from one to another. The head, meeting the elegant neck, set at an angle to form the mitbah, clean, roomy and graceful…flowing, flowing, flowing…the line of his proudly arched neck flowing down like a gentle river, reminding me of a refrain: "somewhere the river of happiness flows", until it was met with the pronounced bump of his wither, drawing attention to his laid-back shoulder and his deep and powerful chest and finally to the place of magic on his back, the place where a saddle would sit, a throne for one worthy to sit upon his back. Winston Churchill once said, "when you are on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have."

He studied my every move, with great interest. Was he studying me? Was I worthy of his intense focus? What was he thinking? He was, after all a stallion, no surprise that he might be alarmed at the stranger that had invaded his territory. Was he thinking of places he visited, friends he made and then had to say goodbye, was he thinking of Illinois, was he thinking of Paris or Germany…all the places that he had traveled to and known?

In 1966, the Babson Farm purchased this horse, an outcross for their Egyptian breeding program, made up entirely of the horses that were imported in 1932. For 10 years, Ansata Abbas Pasha lived the life of a breeding stallion, in the charmed, almost magical, serene setting that was the Babson Farm. Jarrell McCracken, who had purchased a number of Babson Horses, started to inquire about Ansata Abbas Pasha and for 5 years, he persevered, until 1970, when the farm, returning to the lines of the horses imported in 1932, sold Ansata Abbas Pasha to Bentwood Farm. In 1976 Dr. Nagel of Katharinenhof, accompanied by Dr. Nagy of Babolna, went to Bentwood Farm to purchase Mohafez (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous x Ahroufa), a nine month old colt for Dr. Nagel’s breeding program. While they were at Bentwood, they saw Ansata Abbas Pasha and immediately loved the horse. However, Ansata Abbas Pasha was a highly valued source of Saqlawi Jedran blood for the Bentwood breeding program. Shortly thereafter, Ansata Abbas Pasha was invited to compete at the Salon Du Cheval, and in 1979, Bentwood sent Ansata Abbas Pasha to Paris, where he was named the Reserve International Champion of the show. Recognizing the European interest in the horse, Dr. Nagel, together with Marbach and Babolna, leased Ansata Abbas Pasha for a period of 6 months. In 1981, Ansata Abbas Pasha went to Germany, to Katharinenhof to breed a limited number of mares for Dr. Nagel, Marbach and Babolna. In the following year, the world had new horses to marvel over: Mameluk, Sherif Pasha, Farid, Nasrodin, Abbas Pasha I, Maha, Aida, Simeon Savion, Mubarka, Nasra, 229 Abbas Pasha.

And so, here I was, in front of this majestic horse, a living, breathing poem of the Saqlawi horse, a full brother to the nationally acclaimed Ansata Ibn Sudan. A piece of living Egyptian history, connected with my own personal history, his parents arriving in America, the same year of my birth. We shared common ground. I remember what Judi Forbis had said about his mother:

“Ansata Bint Mabrouka was one of the great mares of all time. Perhaps I’m prejudiced, but I think those who saw her, would have to agree.”

In her short life, Ansata Bint Mabrouka produced three colts, the full brothers Ansata Abbas Pasha and Ansata Ibn Sudan and the *Morafic son, Ansata Shah Zaman. And here I was, standing in front of her first foal, which had spread her influence, all over the world. Ansata Abbas Pasha, in his life, had underscored Judi Forbis' words about the great mare and made her influence perpetual. In Sy Montgomery’s book, THE GOOD GOOD PIG, she shares a story about Amazon River dolphins and the local legend about them. Assuming the disguise of a human, these dolphins, shape-shifters, would seduce real humans to follow them back to the enchanted world called "Encante", at the bottom of the river. A place so beautiful, that all who visited, chose never to leave. Sy Montgomery’s words, captured the sense of enchantment that had filled my heart to bursting, as I stood captivated by Ansata Abbas Pasha:

“I wanted to follow them back, down, deep into the watery womb of the world, to the source of beauty and desire, to the beginning of all beginnings-and through their story, to show again the power of animals to transform us, to lead us home to Eden, and to remind us we can always start anew.”

Life, in all of its challenges, in its unexpected moments, seems to rewrite our dreams, our goals, with seriousness and the adult pursuit of moments and accomplishments that happily take us farther away from our wishes and desires. Drunken with new-found glory in my career and family life and the resulting bliss of these moments, I somehow, lost touch with something important, something dear, something that had been written into the fiber of my very being, that now seemed to be like the books I had collected, dusty and abandoned on the shelves. In those moments with Ansata Abbas Pasha that are forever seared into my memory, I experienced what Sy Montgomery had expressed, when she learned about the River Dolphin legend. I had reached Encante and Ansata Abbas Pasha was my guide.

Several years later, I would cross paths with Ansata Abbas Pasha again, through his grandson, Ansata Ali Abbas. When Ansata Abbas Pasha was owned by the Babson Farm, he sired a 1973 chestnut mare named Faye Roufa (out of Bint Fay Roufa). Eventually, this mare went to Ansata and became part of their herd. When she was bred to *Ansata Ibn Halima, the colt, Ansata Ali Abbas was born. When I saw Ansata Ali Abbas, as an older horse, he was at Hope Farm, then located in Mendham, NJ. He had previously been leased by Grove Hill Farm in Maine. Hope Farm was the home to two Ansata stallions: the powerful, masculine, ten-feet-tall and bulletproof, eat-up-the ground-with-his-movement Ansata Shah Zahir and the quiet, regal, calm, elegant, classical Mohamed Aly Tewfik-type horse, Ansata Ali Abbas. A picture of grace, refinement and harmony. Similar to the experience that I had had with his father, my fingers followed the familiar outline of harmony, elegance and grace. And in that moment, my mind and body shivered as I remembered a long-ago great horse that I once knew.

I never did get to breed a mare to Ansata Abbas Pasha or his maternal grandson, Ansata Ali Abbas, in order to produce my very own Abbas Pasha but I did embark on a journey of rediscovery, which has allowed me to arrive here, within this place, and share a moment with a very great horse, who helped me to understand the transforming power of enchantment.

Happy New Year,
Ralph