22 October, 2011

Remembering Ansata Halima Son

Ansata Halima Son was a 1977 grey stallion, by *Ansata Ibn Halima, out of Ansata Damietta, a daughter of the *Morafic son, Ansata Shah Zaman and out of the Sameh daughter, Ansata Bint Misr. In his tail female line, Ansata Halima Son traces to the Dahmah Shahwaniyah mare, Bukra. I knew of Ansata Halima Son because he was the sire of Pri Asali Halim and Pri Gamil Halim, both stallions out of Princeton Gamila, the dam of my mare, Princeton Maarena. Although I never saw Ansata Halima Son in person, I was impressed over the consistency of the horses he sired, horses which I knew personally. Another son, Ansata Ibn Aziza, out of the Ansata Bint Zaafarana daughter (tail female line to Farida) Ansata Aziza, became an important sire for Dr. William M. Hudson, Jr. of Zandai Arabians. His most influential daughter, Ansata Jumana, through Ansata Judea, her dam, traces to the Sameh grand daughter, Ansata Jamila. Ansata Jumana was a prolific broodmare, producing many daughters who matured into successful broodmares for Ansata and other breeding programs around the world. She also produced by Asjah Ibn Faleh, the beautiful and athletic black stallion, Ansata Exemplar, who was exported overseas and earned a gold medal at the German Stallion Show. And for me, that is the most amazing fact about this horse, that bred to a reduced number of mares, his influence has spread far and wide in the world-wide community of straight Egyptian Arabian horses.

EnJOY,
Ralph

14 October, 2011

Burlap & Satin

We rounded the corner, and as we walked back towards the main barn, we came to a smaller-sized pen, with an older, black mare inside. "Who is that?" I asked. "That's Black Satin" Gail replied.

BLACK SATIN

She was Gail's beloved foundation mare, one of the most critically important mares at Princeton Arabians. With 13 foals produced, ten of which were daughters,  she was an excellent broodmare. I remembered Black Satin. The last time that I had seen her, Gail had been trying to get her in foal and her body was comprised of rounded and smooth-flowing lines. When she moved at liberty, she took your breath away, with her bright, ground-covering trot. She was an old-time horse, Rubinesque in build and her deep black coat, enhanced her look and made it much more dramatic, lending an air of exciting mystery, full of promise and romance. She was the kind of horse you can never forget.

"Can I go in and say hello? I haven't seen her in a long time."

I walked up to her slowly and talked to her. I told her how pretty she was. She looked toward me, a bit unsure, her eyes worried-looking and I could tell that she was trying to catch my scent. She knew that I was there, she just didn't know what, I was. I turned my head to look at Gail and she said, "she's blind now and, she has no teeth. She is 30 years old."
"Trust and respect are two-way streets. We want the horse to accept us as leaders of the herd, to guide them safely and to provide protection and comfort. In return, they will give us their respect, and willing submission to our ideas about what to do next, and when and where. But this respect can only be based on well deserved trust."-Walter Zettl
How did that happen? How did that much time pass by? I continued walking towards her, talking softly and when I got to her side, I placed my palm carefully on her shoulder, to let her know that I was there. She stood like a statue, as I wrapped my arms around her neck, burying my face deep inside her wonderful, black, silky coat, her long and silky mane hairs touching my face. "Gosh, I really miss being around horses." I thought. I breathed in deeply. She smelled wonderful."I think you are even prettier than I remember." And it was true. Something had happened to Black Satin, since I last saw her. The definition of bone had become more pronounced. Her face appeared sculpted, chiseled, imparting a dry elegance, unique to elderly Arabian horses. "When did your jowls start growing...they are so huge!" I exclaimed in wonder. I was amazed and...enchanted. We stood like this for a long while, basking in the soft glow of a special horse, while asking Gail tons of questions, which she patiently answered. Sometime during our conversation, I realized that Black Satin was resting her head on my shoulder and her nostrils were blowing warm air onto my face. I was thrilled to the very core of my being.

Black Satin was a daughter of a black stallion named Black Sambo. He was a Mahroun son out of Biroufa. Bred to Diroufa, Biroufa's half-sister, the black beauty named Black Satin was born in 1960. She was a straight Babson Egyptian Arabian horse. In both of her tail female lines, she traced to the Babson import of 1932, *Maaroufa, a Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik-bred mare. Her sire, Black Sambo also traced to *Maaroufa in both of his tail female lines. With eight lines to *Fadl, *Maaroufa's full brother, the pedigree is deeply influenced by the blood of Ibn Rabdan and Mahroussa. No wonder that Black Satin's physique was made up of curves and circles. Together with the four lines to *Bint Serra I and one line to *Bint Saada, Black Satin had a heavy concentration of the Saqlawi strain.

Black Satin was bred to Ansata Ibn Sudan, to produce Pri Sufa Kuhaylah, the dam of Pri Serr Sudan. When Pri Sufa Kuhaylah was bred to her half-brother, the *Soufian son, Pri Rabdan Moniet, she produced Pri Rabda Kuhaylah. This mare, in turn, was bred to The Minstril son, Say Amen and produced the popular mare, Say Si Bon. Black Satin was also bred to the *Mirage grandson, Jaspre, to produce a breath-taking flea-bitten grey mare named Princeton Jaroufa, who was owned by Albert Gilbault of Abitibi Farm in Canada. I knew Princeton Jaroufa and she was gorgeous, really gorgeous. Statuesque and scopey, with a long neck;, Princeton Jaroufa's silhouette was outstanding. Black Satin was bred to the  Fa-Serr son, Faaris, to produce one of the most beautiful black Babson stallions, Princeton Faaris. Black Satin was also bred to the *Raffles grandson, Sarolle, to produce Princeton Nargela in 1966, Princeton Shiga in 1967 and Princeton Sumi in 1968. Black Satin was also bred to the Hallany Mistanny son (and maternal grandson) HMR Hallany, to produce another daughter named Princeton Santeen in 1971. However, it was in 1985 and 1986, when Black Satin was finally bred to Serr Maariner to produce what would be her last foals, a beautiful black-bay mare named Princeton Maaroufa and a chestnut stallion named Princeton Maariner. I loved both horses dearly and never ceased to be amazed by the fact that this mare delivered these foals when she was 25 and 26 years old!

When I left Princeton Arabians, I did not realize that I had just seen Black Satin for the last time. I went back to my busy non-horse filled life and soon, the sight, the feel, the scent of the beautiful horses disappeared, like smoke in the wind and all that I had experienced, was pushed far back in my mind, to be pulled out and revisited, every now and then.
"There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day."-Alexander Woollcot
EnJOY,
Ralph

13 October, 2011

Pri Serr Sudan

Pri Serr Sudan was a 1980 chestnut stallion, who was sired by the straight Babson Egyptian stallion, Serr Maariner, and out of Pri Sufa Kuhaylah, an Ansata Ibn Sudan daughter out of Gail Carmona's beloved foundation mare, Black Satin; hence the "Kuhaylah" in the name. At the time of Pri Sufa Kuhaylah's life, the tail female line of these horses, via the 1932 Babson import, *Maaroufa, was recognized as Kuhaylan Jellabi in strain. However, the academic research into the notes and letters of Lady Anne Blunt, together with the mtDNA study done by Michael Bowling, succeeded in changing our level of understanding about these horses, who have been mistakenly identified as Kuhaylan, when in fact they are Saqlawi. I wonder, had this information been made available during the lifetime of these horses,  would this mare's name change to Pri Sufa Saqlawiyah?

Pri Serr Sudan has four lines to the 1932 Babson import, *Bint Bint Sabbah. Two of those lines are through Khebir, the other lines are through Fa Saana and Fabah. Ansata Ibn Sudan, as a son of *Ansata Ibn Halima, has an additional line to Bint Sabah, who was the dam of Sheikh el Arab, the sire of Halima. Bint Sabah was also the dam of *Bint Bint Sabbah. This brings the total to five lines, for *Bint Bint Sabbah. Only *Fadl, with twelve lines, appears more in this pedigree. What I also like about Pri Serr Sudan's pedigree is the presence of *Bint Saada, who is not often found in Babson horse breeding. In the Babson horses that I have liked most, there was always just a little bit of extra special something, that I could not explain with the right words. I still can't. I attribute *Bint Saada with boosting the level of quality in these horses. Pri Serr Sudan has two lines to this mare, through her son Faddan. I also am happy to count the multiple lines to the *Bint Serra I. I counted seven lines. Together with the line to Moniet el Nefous through Ansata Bint Mabrouka and the two lines to *Bint Saada, that's ten sources of Saqlawi blood and don't forget about the seventeen lines previously considered Kuhaylan, which are now Saqlawi. If you add up all of the sources of Saqlawi blood, there are twenty-seven lines to the Saqlawi strain, making this horse predominantly Saqlawi and he looked it. AMAZING!

Pri Serr Sudan was one of my favorite horses at Gail Carmona's farm. I looked forward to seeing him, every time I had a riding lesson. He was stabled in a smaller stallion barn, across from the indoor arena. Serr Maariner was in the middle stall, Sudan was on the left and Ansata Mourad Bey was on the right. It was a champion's barn, a veritable hall of fame and I, in my youth, had little idea of how special this opportunity was for me. "Sudan" was really beautiful and my favorite, with an expressive face, which included his big, black eyes, wrapped in the most beautiful coat color of horses. I enjoyed talking to him and touching him, with his super silky-soft hair, luxuriant to the touch. He was magnificent and I always believed he was Serr Maariner's best son. As beautiful as he was standing still, he was also an athletic horse and Gail took him far in Dressage, all the way to the US Nationals.  I enjoyed watching Gail, with "Sudan" under saddle. He tried so hard for Gail, doing everything she asked,, his face focused and intent on accomplishing the task. I'll never forget the "try" this horse had.

It is amazing to consider the memories of one particular horse, thanks to a long-ago picture. I still have not forgotten this special horse and hope that one day, I am blessed with a beautiful and willing partner, as Sudan was for Gail.

EnJOY,
Ralph

10 October, 2011

The Cross of *Ibn Moniet el Nefous and Maarena

AK El Malouf (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Maarena)
AK El Zahra Moniet (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Maarena)

AK Monareena (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Maarena)

The cross between the new Egyptian stallion, *Ibn Moniet el Nefous and the straight Babson Egyptian mare, Maarena, produced the stallions AK El Zahra Moniet (chestnut), AK El Malouf (grey) and AK Monareena (grey). There was a fourth horse, a gelding by the name of AK Bareem (grey), who was a successful show horse, earning a US Top Ten in Native Costume. In their lifetime, these horses were considered Kuhaylan Jellabi, by their tail female line. I found it interesting that today, thanks to the continued academic research and the mtDNA study by Michael Bowling, these full siblings are now, pure-in-the-strain Saqlawi strain horses, tracing to the mare Ghazieh, in both tail female lines. I always wondered why the Kuhaylan Jellabi  horses became more refined, more elegant, the further they were bred within their strain. Now, I know the reason.

EnJOY,
Ralph

09 October, 2011

Her Name is Vona...Vona Sher-Renea

Vona Sher-Renea is a 1989 grey mare, sired by the *El Shaklan son, El Sher-Mann out of the Mohssen grand-daughter, Renea. She is Saqlawi Jedran by strain, tracing in her tail female line to the Blunt desert-bred mare,  Basilisk. She has three Egyptian lines in her pedigree, through the *Morafic son, Shaker el Masri and the *Ansata Ibn Halima sons, El Hilal and Mohssen. That's five lines to Nazeer, two lines to Moniet el Nefous and three lines to Farida in this mare's genetic make-up. While the Crabbet lines which incorporate Skowronek and the Spanish lines through *Estopa exclude this mare as an Al Khamsa-recognized horse;  Vona Sher-Renea has a high percentage of Asil breeding, not only through the Egyptian lines mentioned but also, via the multiple lines to the Wadduda grandson, Antez and the Muson son, *Letan, not to mention the high percentage of Blunt desert breeding, throughout the majority of her pedigree..
"Who knows when love begins? Who knows what makes it start? One day it's simply there, a life inside your heart. It slips into your thoughts, It infiltrates your soul, It takes you by surprise, then seizes full control."-from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Love Never Dies
It is difficult not to remember the theme of this year's Al Khamsa convention, which reminds everyone of CONNECTIONS...we are all connected through our horses and I can't think of a better way to celebrate these connections than to spotlight this precious mare, who has produced for our world, the most beautiful stallion of recent times, WH Justice by Magnum Psyche. Preservation cannot just be an end unto itself. There has to be a very real reason why preservation makes sense. Why are we saving these bloodlines, if we don't use these elements together with other essential ancestral elements to breed better horses? There needs to be a motivating reason why Arabian Horse breeders will tap into the rich repository of Asil breeding. And nothing motivates people more than a beautiful, champion Arabian horse! Using preservation breeding, TOGETHER with other Arabian bloodlines makes sense and in this example, of a real live beauty like Vona Sher-Renea and her son, WH Justice; preservation breeding was very necessary, because without preservation, these horses would not exist. As WH Justice continues to color our world with lovely sons and daughters, each foal celebrates the vision and the wisdom of the breeders who came before us and their decision to save a bloodline, for future use

EnJOY,
Ralph

05 October, 2011

Masada Mazal

The straight Babson Egyptian stallion, Masada Mazal, was named a  Top Ten United States National Champion in Show Hack, at the Arabian Sport Horse National Show, held in Lexington, Kentucky this week. Owned by Anita Polk, Masada Mazal was bred by the late Walter Schimanski. A ten year old stallion, he was sired by Fa Asar, an Ibn Fa-Serr son out of Serasabba. His dam is Masada Fa Hannah, a Fabo daughter out of ASF Hannah.

The Show Hack class was well-filled and super competitive, with over thirty horses competing, including horses who had shown and won this class, in other years. This was Masada Mazal's first time competing in a national class and he earned a TOP TEN!

When you look at his pedigree, one thing you will notice is the use of Saqlawi-line stallions, alternating with Dahman-line mares.
"Incorporating the Saqlawi type brings length back to neck and leg, which can be lost with intense use of Dahman and Kuhaylan strain types. It also yields finer bone structure and produces flatter and less prominent muscling. Too much Saqlawi can produce a long back and ears. Dahman type brings back an overall balance and harmony, including more dished heads and larger eyes, and shorter backs, but also has the tendency to produce shorter necks and legs, heavier muscling, and more bone."-Walter Schimanski
For example, on the paternal side of the pedigree, Fa Asar's sire, Ibn Fa-Serr, traces to *Bint Serra I in both of his tail female lines, through Fa-Serr and Fa Deene, while Serasabba, Fa Asar's dam,  traces to *Bint Bint Sabbah in both tail female lines, through Fabah and Fay Sabbah. On the maternal side, Fabo, sired by the *Bint Bint Sabbah son, Fabah, traces to *Bint Serra I through his dam Misimma. ASF Hannah, the dam of Masada Fay Hannah,  traces to *Bint Bint Sabbah through the same mare as Serasabba, Fay Sabbah and yet, something different happens....she introduces different sources of Saqlawi blood through the mares Aaroufa and Fay-Negma. Over and over, the pedigree balances the strains, so no one strain dominates the other. It's a play on equality, masterminded by the breeder, hard at work in the background, behind the control panel. It amazes me...still.

Both in phenotype and in genotype, Masada Mazal proves the accuracy of Walter's vision. Masada Mazal is a living, breathing example of everything that Walter Schimanski believed in, when it came to Babson horses. I don't believe that a finer tribute to his legacy can be made, than by what Masada Mazal has accomplished.

EnJOY,
Ralph