Above, is a new photo taken by Bar Hajaj of Ariela Arabians colt, Nile Amir AA (Al Ayal AA x Nile Massa AA). Do you see the colt's feet? All 4 hooves are off the ground! Bar Hajaj skillfully caught that moment of suspension, when the horse strikes off the ground and for a fraction of a second, is airborne. This moment remains fascinating to me, no matter how many times I see it.
In his matriline, this young colt traces to the Babolna-bred mare, Al Hambra B, an exquisite Salaa El Dine daughter, who was named the Senior Champion mare at the 2006 Israeli Egyptian Event. She was imported and owned by my friend, Tzviah Idan and Im happy to say that she remains a key component in Tzviah's program, as well as Ariela's program. Further back in the pedigree, further back from Al Hambra B, the matriline finds its way to the celebrated foundational mare, Bint el Bahreyn, a key mare in many of the pedigrees of our legendary straight Egyptian horses, like *Bint Maisa el Saghira as an example.
***You have no idea of the kind of week it has been. OUCH! With one photo, you changed my outlook on life! Many thanks to Bar Hajaj and Ariela Arabians, for being the "911" in my life through a fabulous colt like Nile Amir***
In Spanish language, "Anuncia" means "announcement", like when you want to share joyful news, for example, a wedding or a new baby. I am not fluent in Polish but I imagine that "Anuncja" means similarly, for example, a special filly, representative of the Janów Podlaski stud farm, soon to make her official debut, as she goes out into the world-wide community of Arabian Horse breeding, leaving Janów Podlaski behind. Oh my.
Anuncja is sired by Borsalino K, the late Ali Jamaal son bred by Murilo Kammer of Haras Aratinga, Brazil. However, it is Borsalino's dam, the Varian-bred, Keepsake V, a Huckleberry Bey++ daughter out of a Khemosabi daughter, who is at the center of this story. In her matriline, Keepsake V traces to the celebrated Queen of Sheba, an Abeyyah, purchased in the Syrian desert by the Blunts; while her *Mirage sire line includes 3 generations of Varian stallion power: Huckleberry Bey++->Bay-El-Bey->Bay-Abi. Keepsake V, when outcrossed with *Sanadik El Shaklan, produced the prolific broodmare, La Kelila, who produced horses like Lalique V, Lily Dancer V and Latigo V, all sired by Desperado V. Combined with Encore Ali, an Ali Jamaal son, the cross is similar to Sheila's use of *Jullyen El Jamaal in her program.
Anuncja is lot 2 in the forthcoming Pride of Poland Summer sale. Recognizing that approximately 25% of her genetic influence comes from the Varian program, imagine crossing her with Major Mac V, a 2012 dark bay stallion, sired by Maclintock V (Desperado V x Marigold V) and out of Majors Tiffany GA (DS Major Afire x Sabrina GA). While the blood of Queen of Sheba courses the matriline of Keepsake V; the blood of Rodania, another of the Blunt desert purchases runs through Major Mac's tail female line. Major Mac also intensifies the cross of Huckleberry Bey++ with Khemosabi, through Maclintlock V's grandam, Moska, a Khemosabi daughter, whose own daughter, Marigold V, was bred to the Huckleberry Bey son, Desperado V.
And finally, there is the matter of Angora, the dam of Anuncja. She is sired by the Monogramm son, Ganges and out of the Gazal Al Shaqab daughter, Anarchia. In tail female line, she descends from Gazella, an 1840 Kuhaylah Ajuz mare, purchased in Syria by Count Juliusz Dzieduskycki for Jarczowce Stud. Gazella founded one of the most influential families in Polish Arabian horse breeding and it is really something to realize her influence, in the same pedigree with Rodania and Queen of Sheba.
It is mares like Anuncja, who really surprise you, when you take the time to learn who they are and the opportunities they offer a prospective breeder, new or old. Many good wishes sent to all the attendees of the show and sales for the Pride of Poland Arabian Horse days, coming up this weekend.
There are two Al Ayal AA daughters consigned to the Pride of Poland summer sale! With special mares like the Ekstern daughters El Dorotella and Wersa, the Al Maraam granddaughter, Ellissima, and the Zagrobla daughter, Zigi Zana, it is really challenging to choose one horse as "favorite". However, the Al Ayal daughters offer the opportunity to build a breeding program combining the genetic outcross power of 2 different breeding programs utilizing Saqlawi-type horses. The Al Ayal daughters, both foaled in 2021, are bred and owned by Michałów Stud and listed in the summer sale as lot 21, the grey mare named Kampala, out of Kasandra, an Ekstern daughter and lot 5, the bay mare, Driada, out of Dolores, a Kabsztad daughter.
Al Ayal AA (Al Ayad x The Vision HG) bred and owned by Ariela Arabians
They are paternal siblings, bound in blood by the same sire, Ariela's outstanding Al Ayal (Al Ayad x The Vision HG). However, there's something else, that is, another close connection that both mares share, strengthening their familial relationship. Do you know what that is?
He is the sire of Poganin, the sire of Kabsztad, who sired Dolores, the dam of Driada but Laheeb is also the sire of Karolina, the maternal great-grandam of Kampala! Between the weight of influence that Al Ayal exerts in the pedigree (50%) and the percentage of influence that Laheeb carries (6.25%), both mares are just slightly less than 60% Egyptian!
The Polish Arabian Days website includes beautifully shot video footage of every horse consigned to the sale. And that's where I lost it. I watched Kampala trot the same fence line that her maternal grandsire once trotted. Yes, a bittersweet experience but grateful that a horse named Ekstern is still, very much alive in this world. His daughter did that for me, all for the love of a horse...and my heart.
Are you familiar with the term "social license" and how it applies to the community of people (aka horse industry) who own, breed, train, ride and care for horses? "Social license" from an equine perspective, is an agreement between the horse industry and greater society, that we will conduct our horse businesses in an ethical and moral manner. Through our activities with horses, we show that we are responsible horse owners, in sync with our horses' welfare, both physically and emotionally. This public trust results in a social license to operate. Although equestrianism and the relationship between horse and human, is ancient, the social license that exists between us and society, is tenuous, at best. For this reason, the recent news concerning beloved British dressage superstar, Charlotte Dujardin, is catastrophic. It comes at a time when society has already suffered through images of broken carriage horses, racehorses who no longer run like the wind and are sent to slaughter and sport horses whose tongues have been cut through abusive training practices. The general public does not differentiate between sport horses and Arabians, dressage, carriage driving and western riding. While vastly different to us, the horse lovers; to the public, it is all the same. Society today, does not absorb the differences. Negative media, results in a loss of public support, which then ushers government regulation and ultimately, a ban on equine sport. Do we really want the government to become involved with horses and mess that up too? There are people who believe that the equestrian disciplines of 3-day event, Dressage and Show Jumping should be banned from the Olympics (PETA announced recently that it has renewed its interest in pursuing this action). There are still others who believe that endurance racing, Thoroughbred racing and rodeo should also be banned. And there are still others who believe that no horse should be ridden, stabled or owned by people as pets and returned to the wild, to run free across the plains. Ugh. Sounds unbelievable, right? Its a mad, mad world. Well, let me remind you of the power that these groups can exert. After the Paris Olympics, show jumping will no longer be one of the 5 components in the sport called Modern Pentathlon. In England, where fox hunting originated, the sport is now banned. In Australia, jump racing is no longer allowed. The world is changing, faster than you think it is and the developments in equine science are amazing. We know today so much more about what horses need from us, as compared to what we knew 10, 15 & 20 years ago. So, if you are not familiar with Social License, I strongly urge you to watch the World Horse Welfare video, presented by their Chief Executive, Roly Owers. The video is a little less than 20 minutes and you will begin to understand one of the most important topics we face, as a horse-owning community. It's not far fetched to imagine that one day, we can lose our social license and then, I am not so sure of the future that will exist for our beloved Arabian horses.
***I am very saddened to learn the recent news concerning Charlotte Dujardin, one of the brightest dressage riders in recent times, who gave the world a most incredible horse named Blueberry. What would life be without Valegro and how he inspired us?There is alot being said about her right now, much of it is opinion based, written by people who only know of her. I just listened to a podcast where it was suggested that piaffe should be banned from the Grand Prix! There are many other places to express an opinion about Charlotte, my blog is not one of those places, so I have turned off comments to keep this respectful.***
I'm really loving Arabian Insider's new video of Al Ghanayim's Razan Al-Rayah (Bahhei Ezzain x Rana Al-Rayah). This exquisite black filly, an Abeyyah, is sired by a stallion I once knew, Bahhei Ezzain. I also knew his sire, the "dream maker" NK Qaswarah and his dam, Dhuha Al Nakeeb. So, for me, while initially a moment of surprise; the video inspires an overwhelming array of feelings for horses, people and the times shared with them. And yet, at the center of it all is pride, similar to how you feel when you attend an event which celebrates the achievement of someone you are connected with. To realize just who Razan Al-Rayah is and to whose origin story she is part of, is also bittersweet. While Mr. Usamah Alkazemi's absence from the community of straight Egyptian Arabian horse breeding is still greatly felt, his death is not final, as his dreams are very much alive and continue forward, as we see in this filly.
Bahhei Ezzain (NK Qaswarah x Dhuha AlNakeeb), as photographed by Jennifer Ogden
Bahhei Ezzain, the sire of Razal Al-Rayah, is a 2010 stallion, bred by the late Mr. Usamah Alkazemi of Ezzain Arabians, Kuwait and now owned by Ms. Nayla Hayek of Hanaya Arabian Stud. He is a son of the paternal siblings, NK Qaswarah and Dhuha AlNakeeb, both horses sired by NK Hafid Jamil. In phenotype, Bahhei is strongly influenced by his dam, more so than his sire.
Dhuha Alnakeeb (NK Hafid Jamil x Sabha Bint Ibn Halima), photographed by Jennifer Ogden
Dhuha, bred by Mr. Hassanain Al Nakeeb, phenotypically, exemplifies the type we have learned to associate with the Dahman strain. She has expressive black eyes, larger nostrils and finely shaped ears which, together with a thicker, longer black forelock, intensifies the dramatic look and appeal of a desert horse. She took my breath away. What is especially interesting about Dhuha is that her maternal grandam, SY Kalila, is double Bint Nefisaa, the dam of El Hilal. She traces to Bint Nefisaa in the tail female line of her sire, Ruminaja Attallah and her dam, Katourah. The dam of Bint Nefisaa is the Balance daughter, Nefisa. In addition to producing Bint Nefisaa, who figures prominently not only through El Hilal but also through her daughters Negmaa and Nourah (both mares appear in Dhuha's pedigree), Nefisa also produced by El Sareei, the mare Bint Nefisa who became an important foundation broodmare for Richard Pritzlaff, of Rancho San Ignacio. Nefisa also produced Fayza by Nazeer, (Fayza is the dam of Ramses Fayek), Nadja, who produced Noha by Hadban Enzahi, the dam of the celebrated mare, RN Farida. This is the powerful legacy that exists within the genetic fiber of Dhuha's pedigree. It is also interesting to consider that the high percentage of Farida blood, as found through the Halima and Nefisa lines, is balanced by the multiple lines to Bukra, via Ghazal and Ansata Rosetta. This is a significant point to underscore, as the majority of Bahei’s pedigree includes the influence of the two most important mares of the Dahman strain.
When I was last in Kuwait, I had the opportunity to visit Rayah Al- Sharg Farm. I'm grateful to Mr. Ala'a Al-Roomi (Al Rayah) and Mr. Talal Al-Nesef (Al Sharg) for their hospitality and incredible generosity. It is because of these two amazing men, that I got to meet Ansata AlMurtajiz, an experience which changed my life forever. While my memory of the time spent visiting Rayah Al-Sharg is mainly focused upon this horse; I do remember their 2004 Ansata Hejazi son, Wadhah Al-Sharg (out of Mouna Al Rayyan), and Reem Al-Rayah, also by Ansata Hejazi and out of the gorgeous mare, Gazalah (Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Nejdia). These are the "parents" of Rana Al-Rayah, the dam of the filly.
From Rayah Al-Sharg's Farm brochure, photos by Gigi Grasso
Through Gazalah, the Abeyyan matriline traces back through the revered Aisha to the Gazal daughter, Ghazala and then, Hanan, now a globally influential mare within the world of straight Egyptian breeding and a critically important mare in the Ezzain breeding program too. Combined with the blood of her paternal grandsire NK Qaswarah, who shares the same matriline; the Abeyyah influence is expressed in the self-carriage of this 3 year old filly. I'm proud of the far reaching influence of the Ezzain breeding program.
***Many thanks to Arabian Insider for the video surprise of Razan Al-Rayah. If you only knew how many times your videos have not only inspired me but encouraged me to keep going, to keep dreaming. I feel like thank you is a weak thing to say, in return for all you have given me, through the power of your video features and Podcast.***
*Ecaho (*Pepton x Etruria) as photographed by Anette Mattsson
Bred by Janow Podlaski and foaled in 1990, *Ecaho was sired by *Pepton, whose dam Pemba, was out of Penza (a Piewica daughter), sired by Czort (Wielki Szlem x Forta), one of Poland's top racehorses and sire of *El Paso, *Sambor and *Czortan, among others. Why is Piewica important? Piewica was a 1953 mare, bred by the Tersk Stud, and exported to the Albigowa Stud, where she stayed, until the farm closed and then, was sent to Janow Podlaski, where she became one of the most important mares in the breeding program and foundress of the beloved "P" line of horses, like *Penicylina, Pilarosa and yes, Pianissima, that "P" line.
Do you know that *Ecaho was approximately 20% Egyptian in blood? Etruria, his dam, was a daughter of Palas, who was 75% Egyptian, being a son of Aswan (Nazeer x Yosreia) out of the Nil (Sid Abouhom x Malaka) daughter, Panel. You will remember that Nil was known in Egypt as Azmi, before he was exported to Russia.
*Ecaho was also of the celebrated Ibrahim sire line:
and in phenotype, was representative of the type we associate with horses of the Saklawi strain. However, it is very interesting that *Ecaho traces in his tail female line back to Woloszka, an 1810 mare foaled at Slawuta Stud and foundress of the Polish female family #10. Dr. Edward Skorkowski only classified Woloszka as Saklawi, because she embodied the characteristics of the strain to the highest degree. Why is this important? Authentic Saklawi horses are all about length, that is, longer heads, longer necks, longer legs, longer back and *Ecaho, like Woloszka, was loyal to the strain, as this horse was blessed with an amazing amount of scope. Visually, *Ecaho was a celebration for the eyes, as correct conformation and classic Arabian horse type formed a harmonious union.
A Polish National Champion stallion, *Ecaho is also the son of national champions, as his sire *Pepton was a Polish National Champion stallion and his dam, Etruria, was a Polish National Champion mare.
*Ecaho was an important and consistent sire of daughters. He sired handsome sons like Skoroneek IA but it is through his daughters that *Ecaho has and continues to exercise an impact. Think of his beautiful daughter, Emanda (out of the *Eukaliptus daughter, Emanacja). She in turn, when bred to Gazal Al Shaqab, produced the beloved mare, Emandoria. Some of my favorite crosses using *Ecaho, were with the *Eukaliptus daughters like for example, Esklawa, who produced Esturia. And with strong Kuhaylan type horses, *Ecaho sired mares like Palmetta and Alhambra (out of *Fawor-sired mares).
*Ecaho, whose very name honors the European Conference of Arab Horse Organizations, is one of those horses, very few in number, whose appeal is not only universal, his appeal builds bridges and now, since his passing, propels his memory into the consciousness of a diverse group of enthusiasts, regardless of breeding program or preferred bloodlines.
There is a Polish saying, "A man without a horse, is like a body without a soul." *Ecaho gives truth to this statement. Without him, our souls would have been so much poorer. With him, our souls were enriched and deeply blessed.
Someone recently posted this photo online, of the stallion, *Carmagnole, a *Camargue son out of the Crabbet mare, Sa'lilah. Instantly, I felt the pain of an old wound re-open. My dear friend Gari, how much do I miss you. I don't remember when I first met the late Gari Dill-Marlow, because in her company, it really felt like I had known her forever. She was familiar, in the same way that a beloved relative is familiar and cherished for it. I think I remember reading messages that she had written in a public internet forum, under the moniker, "Deputy Horse". That was classic Gari and a small example of her delightful sense of humor. Her knowledge of the breed and its history, on the other hand, was vast and so deeply thorough, encompassing all bloodlines. I just had to meet this mysterious "equine deputy". In her company, whether in person, by phone or via email, we could always pick up on our last conversation, no matter how much time had passed. I really miss her, and as the years pass by, I only feel her absence more strongly.
Rosemary Archer with Sa'lilah (Silver Flame x Sunset)
Gari had leased Rosemary Archer's Sa'lilah (Silver Flame x Sunset) for breeding and bred her to the stallion, *Carmargue, hoping for a filly. Sa'lilah, foaled in 1977, was an elite broodmare, having already produced the stallions, Sa'ika and Seffer plus the mare Sema [all 3 by Prince Saraph (Samson x Princess Alia)]. Bred to Silver Scimitar (Bright Shadow x Silver Grey) she produced Seyad; while bred to Silver Blue (Azrak x Silver Sheen), she produced Shail. The opportunity to breed Sa'lilah and to incorporate her blood within her program was super important to Gari. The stallion, Silver Flame, Sa'lilah's sire, was a maternal grandson of Silver Vanity, a Silver Gilt son. Sa'lilah's dam, Sunset, was a Silver Gilt daughter. That's double Silver Gilt and that of her dam, Silver Fire (Naseem x Somra), one of the most beautiful mares ever bred by Crabbet and foundress of the celebrated Silver line. There's also 2 crosses to Naziri, the 1925 Skowronek son out of Nasra, whom Gari was especially fond of. She considered Naziri to be Skowronek's most important son, more so than his full brother, Naseem. To intensify the concentration of Naziri, there are 7 additional lines to Nasra (Daoud x Nefisa), Naziri's dam. That's what I mean about Gari, she just had that ability to make you see and understand things so differently than you had previously believed.
Had Sa'lilah foaled a filly, Gari had every intention of eventually breeding her to the Dutchess of Rutland's stallion, Silvern Idyll (Masjid x Silvern Dream).
*Carmagnole (*Camargue x Sa'lilah)
Instead, a tall, leggy and magnificent bay colt was born, whom she named *Carmagnole (pronounced as carmen-yule). Although *Carmagnole sired a daughter, Caelilly Rose (x WN Sharazada), *Carmagnole had very poor semen, approximately 10% motility. At the time, Gari was boarding *Carmagnole and because she had recently purchased *Rushan, she was trying to reduce her monthly horse expenses, in favor of *Rushan. *Carmagnole had been raced in England and had been shown at the British Nationals. Gari knew of my love for dressage and believed in *Carmagnole's ability to be the kind of partner I needed for the discipline. Gari offered *Carmagnole to me, on one condition, that I geld him and show him.
He was a huge horse, 16 hands and possessing a spectacular temperament (he loved to lick people, it was his favorite thing to do). At the time, with three small children, a sales career that involved commuting to NYC, I was afraid to take on such a responsibility but *Carmagnole could be the perfect Arabian horse to help me realize my USDF dreams. Tentatively, I accepted Gari's offer and started to contact shipping companies for the transport of *Carmagnole to New Jersey from California. However, about a week or so later, Gari called me with the tragic news. *Carmagnole had colicked and tragically, died. I grieved over the loss of all that Gari had told me about him but I felt worse for Gari. Despite her unflappable spirit, it was a setback for her that she could not save him. She was that kind of person. Whatever she set out to do, she was victorious in her ability to carry it out. Gari loved *Carmagnole and there was no doubt in my mind that she would not offer such a wonderful horse to just anybody. I am honored to have shared a friendship with Gari and that she chose to trust me with such an incredible horse as *Carmagnole. I can't even come close to capturing with words, the gratitude that I feel, all because of "Arabdom's" finest lady.
.jpeg)
