Pashas, Princes & Kings: Thoughts on NK Qaswarah

NK Qaswarah (NK Hafid Jamil x NK Nariman) as photographed by Alaa Youssef Jr.   

It hurts like hell to read that NK Qaswarah has died. He was only 15 years old too!

Ezzain, 12 years ago this past January and 45 or so horses, maybe a little more, approximately half of those horses were sired by NK Qaswarah and of the half that were not sired by Qaswarah, 12 of those horses were sired by a Qaswarah son like Aneesilnefous (x NK Momtaza) and Yaasoob (x NK Nada). If I had not fully understood the critical role of NK Qaswarah at Ezzain, in hindsight, the facts overwhelm me today regarding his importance,  which continues to the present day. 

In Dr. Nagel's most recent book, The Arabian Horse: Nature's Creation and The Art of Breeding, he wrote about NK Qaswarah, 

"NK Qaswarah is producing a very distinctive type with stunning expression and is among those stallions which are strong in producing excellent males and females."

I was recently re-reading a Tutto Arabi article written by Monika Savier at the time of NK Hafid Jamil's death and how his influence will continue, particularly through his get. She mentions NK Qaswarah too,

"This NK Hafid Jamil son was an eye catcher from birth on and left as a young colt for Ezzain Stud in Kuwait. All his life he was surrounded mostly by NK daughters who were, however, of different mare lines‐a unique situation. NK Qaswarah created his own kingdom; nowhere can you see finer Arabians and prettier heads than in this stud."

I cherish many memories from my visit to Ezzain but the most precious were the quiet early morning hours spent alone with the horses, like NK Qaswarah.  With gratitude to Mr. Usamah Alkazemi's generosity; I went to Kuwait having seen many photos of Qaswarah that he shared with me, but it is really different to see the horse, in real life, standing before you. Such was the experience I had with Qaswarah. I was overwhelmed by him despite being familiar with the horse and understanding the significance of all that had been written about him by people I admire, including his breeder.  He was stronger-bodied and more robust than he appeared in photos. In his presence, you felt the strength of his character and, immediately, felt compelled to honor him with respect. He enjoyed to be scratched on his back, especially by the wither and I appreciated the opportunity to engage with him, to touch the living, real horse, the "smilemaker," as Usamah referred to him. I remember that his back was significantly wider and stronger than many horses I had met; I could feel the immense power emanating from every muscle in his body. And yes, he was harmonious, as if every part of his body was made, especially for him. 

As perfect a specimen of the breed as he was, NK Qaswarah was also a consistent sire, equally siring unforgettable stallions and mares possessing his quality, for example, the full sisters: Badrilbdoor and Shamsilshmous (both out of Azhaar), Dorrah and her full brother Aneesilnefous (both out of NK Momtaza), Ekramilbari (out of NK Yasmin), Alttafilbari (out of Ajmal Ibtihaj) and Thettwa (out of Albaheiah). These were my personal favorites. NK Qaswarah defined the Ezzain breeding program with a very unique look that can not be found anywhere else in the world. At the time, I felt that my Arabian horse world had been turned upside down and inside out, never to be the same again but today, I understand all that I saw and  experienced in Kuwait with a new perspective, the spirit of which was also captured with words far greater than my own.

"NK Qaswarah created his own kingdom; nowhere can you see finer Arabians and prettier heads than in this stud."

NK Qaswarah, over his lifetime, has proven to be the type of horse that at one time, inspired Pashas, Princes and Kings. I am none of these men but still, equally inspired by all that you were. I am glad to have known you Qaswarah, in my lifetime.  

Impress Staar CA

 

Impress Staar CA, bred and owned by Chase Arabians and photographed by Nancy Pierce Photography

"It's true that I generally prefer Polish horses, but to be perfectly honest, I was so completely taken with Laheeb, that I didn't care what his breeding was. I already knew his foals, and I realized that I was looking at a major phenomenon." - Raymond Mazzei on Laheeb, from the Tutto Arabi article, written by Tzviah Idan

In the summer of 2005, respected breeder, agent and judge, Raymond Mazzei of Furioso Farm in San Diego, together with Ferlita Arabians, imported the straight Egyptian stallion, Laheeb, bred by Ariely Arabians in Israel. He had leased Laheeb for 2 breeding seasons, 2006 and 2007. Impress Staar CA, foaled in 2007, was one of the Laheeb-sired get that resulted from his stay in America. Impress Staar was bred and is owned by Steve and Mauri Chase, Chase Arabians, Aubrey, Texas. 

"A Mare of Excellent Type and Overall Quality." - Mauri Chase

A straight Egyptian mare, Impress Staar CA is out of The Blessing HG (Thee Desperado x Belle Staar). She is a full sister-in-blood to Al Lahab (Laheeb x The Vision HG), as her dam, The Blessing HG, and The Vision HG are full sisters, both bred by Marilyn Geurin of Arizona. What is super interesting about the pedigree of the HG sisters is that the sire of both Thee Desperado and Belle Staar is The Minstril, which makes Thee Desperado and Belle Staar paternal siblings! While the sireline is Saqlawi I (Nazeer); I am more excited over the matriline, which traces back through the Albadeia breeding program to the 1946 Saqlawiyah RAS mare, Zaafarana (Balance x Samira) and all the way back to the celebrated Ali Pasha Sherif mare, Bint Helwa (the Crabbet Stud broken legged mare) and from there to the world famous Ghazieh, the desert-bred mare imported to Egypt in the mid-1800s for Abbas Pasha. It is a matriline that remains to this day, unforgettable for its brilliance and showiness. Combined with Laheeb, the results are consistently magical.

NK Kamar El Dine

NK Kamar El Dine (NK Hafid Jamil x Ansata Ken Ranya), photographed by Arlette Studer

NK Kamar El Dine is a bay stallion from the 4th generation of Dr. Nagel's closed breeding program. This generation established the influence of NK Hafid Jamil, the chief breeding stallion at the time. NK Kamar El Dine, along with his full brother, Jamal El Dine, were 2 of 3 NK Hafid Jamil sons retained by Katharinenhof for the breeding program. 

Dr. Nagel, in his newest book, The Arabian: Nature's Creation and the Art of Breeding, published by Nawal Media, writes of NK Kamar El Dine,

"As a bay horse, he seems to be stamped by other genes in his genetic make-up. He stands on shorter legs which are typical for a Dahman Shahwan, he is longer build than his full brother, but also has the fine and elegant neck and shoulder combination. His topline and hindquarters as well as his hindlegs are obviously better than those of Jamal El Dine and, in fact, are almost perfect." 

Over a 40-year period and approximately 130 colts produced within this time, Dr. Nagel will cull down to 10 colts. His criteria? Colts who will mature into stallions, worthy of the roles that they had been bred to assume.  This typey bay stallion, NK Kamar El Dine, was one of the 10 colts chosen by Dr. Nagel. You will remember from a previous blog, that he is the sire of NK Hamza , the Lion of Thuringia.

He's Gone

Al Lahab as photographed by Ahmed Taha

I was afraid of the answer that I would receive, if I asked Google the question that I feared to even utter, much less type. So, I didn't ask, since you can't be afraid of something you don't know, right?  Today, I summoned what little courage I could find, despite it being a dark, rainy, cold Monday and seconds later, the answer that I feared, appeared on my screen:

I blogged about Al Lahab for the first time in 2008, when this blog was barely 2 years old. I really didn't know what I was doing back then, in terms of blogging,  but I was sure of one thing-I loved Al Lahab. As a very young and attractive colt, before he went to America and the Middle East, before he sired a legacy of champion sons and daughters, Al Lahab was named the Junior Champion Colt at the Asil World Cup in Germany. The following year, in 2001, at the European Egyptian Event, Al Lahab was once again, the Junior Champion Colt and at the All Nations Cup, Al Lahab was the Reserve Junior Champion Colt. That's when I started to follow Al Lahab, thanks to Oliver Wibihal and Aleksi Busch of Straight Egyptians dot com and the late Erwin Escher for all the beautiful photos of Al Lahab he supplied to Oliver & Aleksi's website. Without any of these 3 men, I would not have known Al Lahab back then.

Bred by Ariely Arabians in Israel, Al Lahab was the oldest of 5 full siblings, bred from crossing Laheeb (Imperial Imdal x AK Latifa) with The Vision HG, a Thee Desperado daughter out of Belle Staar:

1. Al Lahab in 1999
2. Al Halah AA in 2003
3. Al Hadiyah AA in 2005
4. Al Raheb AA in 2006
5. Al Wahab AA in 2015

In 2019, Al Lahab was 20 years old and I published a happy birthday blog, in tribute of his milestone birthday. Owned by Hansjürgen and Inge Friedmann for most of his life, they wrote on their website,

 "You wouldn't do Al Lahab justice if you only saw him as a show horse or a breeding stallion. This horse is much more than that!" 

Their words created a desire to meet their horse in person but alas, it was not meant to be. I had to be content to worship Al Lahab from afar. A proven breeding stallion, he was recognized as an Elite stallion by VZAP (the German Association for Breeders of Arabian horses) attracting more attention from mare owners, who became fans of Al Lahab's beauty and his ability to pass it on. In later years, Al Lahab traveled to the land of his ancestors, where he stood at stud at Al Babtain and Al Shaya farms, in Kuwait. A star fell from heaven, to mark his passing from one world to the next. May we always remember the flame of love we knew as Al Lahab.

***Many thanks to Ahmed Taha for rekindling the flame of courage, once and for all, finally learning the answer to the question I had feared to ask. Your beautiful photo of Al Lahab brought joy, on a day when joy was absent, nowhere to be found.***

Moniet on Top, Maaroufa on the Bottom

Sometimes, we meet someone, who will offer their perspective, at a most unexpected time. If we are really listening, great but if your mind is starting to wander, you may miss something that is so deeply insightful,  you will forever regret that you did not pay attention.

Such is a phone call I once had with Dr. Arthur Sutfin, the resident veterinarian at Bentwood Farm. At the time, I was interested in a TheEgyptianPrince daughter, in foal to AK Ishmael. 30 years or so later, I have forgotten the mare's name but I still remember the reverence for TheEgyptianPrince in Dr. Sutfin's voice.  He believed that in the not too distant future, others would come to see TheEgyptianPrince as a phenomenal broodmare sire.  His daughters were already becoming some of the most highly sought after Arabian mares in the marketplace.

TheEgyptianPrince was bred several times to the straight Babson Egyptian mare, Maar-Ree, producing mostly colts: RDM Dhahkhar in 1975, Sarmaan in 1976 and MFA Bahahr in 1980 but in 1977 and 1978, Maar-Ree foaled the only 2 daughters from this cross, MFA Maet in 1978 and the year prior, 1977, MFA Maariia Isis, bred by Robert and Jean Middleton. A stellar broodmare, she produced 9 foals of which, 60% (or 5) were female, 4 of those fillies were named with a Khartahl prefix, the name of the breeding program created by Larry and Rebecca Riley: Maaroufa by Alcibiades in 82, Malika by Alcibiades in 83, Mahrousa by Alcibiades in 84 and Cameo by MFA Mareekh Amir in 87. 

The mare without a Khartahl prefix was Bo-Mars Dashira, bred by B.R. Boshell and foaled in 88 is interesting, as far as the sequence of the last couple of blogs, here, at all for the love of a horse. In the Ansata Sinan blog, I mentioned HF Sinanana, the Ansata Sinan daughter bred by Sue Burnham and the late Joan Skeels of Hope Farm. HF Sinanana, a 2003 grey mare, is out of Bo-Mars Dashira by MFA Mareekh Amir. HF Sinanana is now with Al Rashediah Stud in Bahrain.

MFA Maariia Isis' Khartahl -prefixed sons were: Badir by Ansata El Ghazal in 81 and Maarouf by Alcibiades in 85. Bo-Mars Farouk by *Farazdac in 90 and KF Maar Amir also by *Farazdac in 91. I am compelled to remind you that in her time, MFA Maariia Isis was considered Kuhaylah Jellabiyah by strain. Now, with the advances made in genetic science, plus the additional scholarly research into the notes recorded by Lady Anne Blunt, we know differently and these KJ horses are recognized today as Saqlawi by strain. In MFA Maariia Isis' case she is pure-in-the-strain Saqlawiyah, because both her sire and dam are Saqlawi by strain. As a matter of fact, MFA Maariia Isis reflects multi-generational Saqlawi strain breeding, as both matrilines, sire and dam trace back to horses of the Saqlawi strain: TheEgyptianPrince to the Ali Pasha Sherif mare, Roga El Beda, while Maar-Ree to the Abbas Pasha, Ghazieh.

When I wrote The Blind Spot blog, I included Carl Raswan's appraisal of the chestnut stallion, Ghazal, one of the best descriptions of an Arabian horse that I have ever read. When Larry Riley met Maar-Ree, he described her in colorful language which challenges Raswan's analysis of Ghazal,

"The most notable specific was her excellence of hindquarters (pelvic angle, length of hip, length and levelness of croup). Next, her exceptionally high tail set...She possessed a great heart girth, tremendously powerful shoulders, and pronounced withers, with her neck coming high out of her shoulder. Her neck was clean and well-shaped and extremely fine and delicate at the throatlatch. Her head was perfection, from her sharp, thorn-like ears, pointed as a date flower bud, to her wide-set eyes-black, deeply quiet, and softly expressive, like those of a desert gazelle. A dished profile gave way to a boxy teacup muzzle with high-set, expansive nostrils...She gathered the wind to her in her great flared nostrils and, rising like a leopardess, charged down the fence line in ground-pounding thunder. This bold, cadenced, rhythmic motion of rolling shoulders and driving hocks slowly gave way to a lighter ballet. She was like a deer picking her way through an autumn forest. Teeming with vitality, and feminine in the extreme, she exemplified that which is called beautiful."  - The Ascension of a Queen, published by The Arabian Horse Times, May 1986 and republished in The Babson Influence: A Retrospective

What, you may ask, does a description of Maar-Ree have to do with her daughter, MFA Maariia Isis? 

Everything. 

From what we can see of MFA Maariia Isis in the photo, it's as if Larry, who bred her by the way, is surprisingly describing the daughter as well, not just Maar-Ree,

"...Her head was perfection, from her sharp, thorn-like ears, pointed as a date flower bud, to her wide-set eyes-black, deeply quiet, and softly expressive, like those of a desert gazelle. A dished profile gave way to a boxy teacup muzzle with high-set, expansive nostrils...She gathered the wind to her in her great flared nostrils..."

For me, writing this blog, somewhat feels like my journey to the oasis I knew as Bentwood Farm, all over again. That's a wonderful memory to relive by the way. Thinking about this mare, MFA Maariia Isis, studying her photo, then "seeing" these horses through another person's eyes is like experiencing the wonder, all over again. I promise you Ralph, one day...all for the love of a horse. 

580

The famous Gigi Grasso photo- Is it Ekstern or Ansata Sinan?

I was thrilled to find what I believed was a photo of Ekstern (*Monogramm x Ernestyna), that I had never seen before. When I read the caption and learned the identity of the horse pictured in the photo, well, let's just say that I wouldn't win any prizes on the Jeopardy television show with that answer. It remains a mind-numbing moment of realization, as I learned the identity of the horse is really Ansata Sinan (Prince Fa Moniet x Nefara).

Foaled in 1992, most Arab horse people are familiar with the story of Ansata Sinan, bred by Ansata Arabian Stud. He was one of 3 full siblings who brought attention to the cross of Prince Fa Moniet with the Ansata Halim Shah x Ansata Sudarra daughter, Ansata Nefara (a full sister to Ansata Hejazi). I still remember the moment I found the magazine ad, announcing that Sinan had been sold overseas. "She sold the wrong horse!" I remember shouting to no one in particular. Many years later, I was humbled, when I learned that Ansata Iemhotep reminded Judi of her beloved Ansata Ibn Sudan. And then, I understood.  We all know a thing or two about favorite horses and life can be surprising, this time with a hidden lesson about the unique vision that we all possess, concerning an ideal, shaped by our life experiences. Some prefer Ansata Iemhotep, others like myself, prefer Ansata Sinan. That's just the way it is.

I'm not sure that I know when Ansata Sinan died. Popular opinion places that date within the year of 2011. That's 14 years ago and we are still talking about him. If that date is correct, he would have been 19 years old at the time of his passing. When you realize how short of a time period Sinan's life as a breeding stallion really was, his siring record becomes even more stellar, than it already is.  There's not enough space in this blog to do justice to all the horses he sired, however, with that said, many will recognize the superstar get he sired like *Mishaal HP, Sinan Al Rayyan, Nader Al Jamal, Khidar, AS Sinans Pacha, Eternity Ibn Navarrone D, HF Sinanana, Bint Deladiva, TS Vivian Leigh, Ansata Bint Sinan , Ansata Nile Lace, Ansata Nile Diva among others. He was an amazingly consistent sire of both genders, straight Egyptian and non-straight Egyptian, his get were highly sought after horses, not only in Europe but the Middle East as well. Has there been a horse in recent times who can equal the accomplishments of Ansata Sinan, across all bloodlines? 

More than a few years ago, Keri Wright made it possible for me to own Authentic Arabian Bloodstock Volume II, The Story of Ansata and Sharing the Dream. Since then, it has become a favorite and one of my most cherished books.  Thank you Keri and look what I am able to do now, because of your kindness. Within the book, Judith Forbis describes Sinan for us,

"A very classic and well-balanced individual, with extremely beautiful head, good lively dark eyes, good well-set and nicely formed ears, well-shaped long enough neck and good mitbah, good shoulders, short coupled, strong enough loins; good croup, tailset and tail carriage; well let down behind; wide and deep enough; good clean legs, front legs set on at the corners; correct movement."

And Judith Forbis is not alone, as many other people shared in the appreciation  felt for Ansata Sinan, in both European and American venues like the Salon du Cheval in Paris, the All Nations Cup in Aachen and the Egyptian Event in Lexington. 

We talk about global influence and how stallions like Ansata Sinan have helped to make the world a smaller place, traveling farther than anyone originally believed they would. When a horse becomes popular and sought after, so does the breeding program that stands behind them. You can find Ansata blood in even the most unexpected places now. Maybe it's the universal appeal possessed by both Ekstern and Ansata Sinan, their fairy-tale good looks, so obviously Arabian, which melts hearts and wins friends wherever they may go. Maybe it is this powerful essence, all-at-once miraculous, which makes both stallions more similar, than they are different. Maybe it wasn't so bad to not immediately recognize Ansata Sinan in the photo, as we pause a moment to remember him and celebrate his most wonderful life.

NK Nizam

I saw this incredible photo on Instagram and was captivated by the charming expression of NK Nizam (NK Hafid Jamil x Nadirah). In an article published in Arabian Stallions of the World XI, Dr. Nagel described NK Nizam to Monika Savier,

"He is an elegant bay stallion, who resembles his sire, more than his dam. NK Nizam has a sensational wide head with dark big eyes and white open round nostrils, an ideal topline and exciting movements."

NK Nizam was a full brother to NK Nadeer, an important breeding stallion for Katharinenhof, who died last year. Within the same article, Dr. Nagel adds that NK Nizam does not look like his brother which also speaks of the variation that still exists in his breeding program. There are a couple things that I found interesting in the pedigree of this stallion. One is the mare, Lotfeia (Alaa El Din x Bint Kamla). You will find Lotfeia, all the way at the top, as the dam of the stallion, Nejdy and then again, all the way at the bottom, as the dam of Nashua. As we observed in the pedigree of NK Nizam's son, we see Dr. Nagel's clever use of the stallion, Salaa El Dine (Ansata Halim Shah x Hanan).  NK Nadirah's sire and dam are paternal siblings, both sired by Salaa El Dine, while on the stallion side of the pedigree, the mare, Helala, a Salaa El Dine daughter, was bred not to a Salaa El Dine son but to a Salaa El Dine grandson, Ibn Nejdy.  Almost 45% of the pedigree is dominated by Salaa El Dine and one does not need to wonder over the importance this particular stallion exerts within the Katharinenhof breeding program. He remains a key influence, as the pedigrees of the newer horses show us.