The Lion of Thuringia

NK Hamza (NK Kamar El Dine x Andorra Bint Asfoura), Lena Panholzer photo

What does it mean to love horses? Most people will see a picture of a horse and say, "what a beautiful piece of art, I love it." They might be driving on a country road and pass a pasture with horses grazing and say, "Isn't that beautiful? It's just like a painting, I love it." How about the heartwarming Budweiser television commercials broadcast during the Super Bowl and a person will say, "that was so touching, I love it."  For most people, the admiration felt for and any interaction with horses is kept at an arms distance, safe, without a personal cost but alas, engagement with the horse, who has so much to offer us, is lost. Not so for those whose appreciation for horses, has crossed from enthusiasm, into passion. Horses dominate our time, our activities and thoughts while we are awake and during our sleep, horses are still present, running wild and free in our subconscious mind. Linda Kohanov, the author of The Tao of Equus among other books, in a conversation with Warwick Schiller (Journey On Podcast), acknowledged an intelligent creative life force, somewhat mystical, that she explained as "the collective wisdom," "collective memory" or "collective consciousness" that desires to express itself in our world and chose the form of the horse to do just that: 

"the wisdom that gives rise to the form of the horse." - Linda Kohanov

While our ancestors may have been more in tune with this collective wisdom, we, on the other hand, immersed within a more urban lifestyle, have not only lost the ability to connect to it but also, to even recognize it!

"The good fortune of horses  is in their chestnut coloring, and the best [swiftest] of all horses is the chestnut horse." - Islamic tradition, credited to the Prophet (PBUH), as curated by Judith Forbis in her landmark book, The Classic Arabian Horse

I remember the minute that I saw the photo of NK Hamza for the first time. His image is one that I will never forget and reminds me of the experience, years ago, when I saw a photo of El Thay Mameluk for the very first time. That particular photo, remains an image wrought with emotion, a reminder of what we are able to accomplish in this world, breeding Arabian horses. I had read an interview between Monika Savier and Dr. Hans J. Nagel, where he mentioned an impressive chestnut stallion. So, I was looking for that horse, whom I didn't find but in the process of using Google,  I stumbled upon a photo of NK Hamza, posted on Instagram by his owner, Sabine Klee. I was surprised to find a horse so reminiscent of El Thay Mameluk and in that moment, nothing mattered more to me, than learning the identity of this horse.

NK Hamza (NK Kamar El Dine x Andorra Bint Asfoura), Lena Panholzer photo

Foaled in 2011, NK Hamza is sired by NK Kamar El Dine, a stallion resulting from the 4th generation of Dr. Nagel's closed breeding program. This is the generation that established the significance of NK Hafid Jamil, the chief breeding stallion at the time and NK Kamar El Dine was one of 3 sons retained by Katharinenhof, along with his full brother, Jamal El Dine, both horses are out of Ansata Ken Raya (*Jamil x Ansata Prima Rose). In a 40-year period, Dr. Nagel's program produced 130 colts or so. Of that number, 10 or 11 of those colts matured into stallions worthy of the roles that they had been bred for. It is important, here, to say that NK Kamar El Dine, was one of those horses. I was impressed by Dr. Nagel's assessment of NK Kamar El Dine, written within his latest book, The Arabian: Nature's Creation and the Art of Breeding, published by Nawal Media. 

"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." 

NK Hamza's dam is the 2001 Adnan daughter, Andorra Bint Asfoura, out of the Ansata Halim Shah daughter, Asfoura, whose dam, Ameera reflects the very beginning of the Katharinenhof breeding program: Madkour I bred to Hanan. Asfoura is one of the Katharinenhof mares, who took the influence of Katharinenhof farther in the world, to England, where she created her own family of horses at Briery Close Stud. Asfoura's  daughter, NK Hallah (by Adnan), produced NK Hebbatollah by Ibn Nejdy, an important mare in the Ezzain Arabians breeding program. 

If you look carefully at the pedigree, you will realize that it is Ansata Halim Shah (via his son and directly, by himself), top-crossed onto a Hanan daughter, sired by a carefully picked outside breeding stallion. Like many of Dr. Nagel's horses and in keeping with the format of his breeding program, Salaa El Dine exerts a strong impact genetically, approximately 35%. In matriline, NK Hamza traces throught the Inshass program to El Shahbaa, a 1925 mare purchased by King Farouk in 1931. NK Hamza is Abeyyan, in strain.

Sabine Klee, in Central Germany, has owned NK Hamza for the past 8 years. The initial impression that NK Hamza made, speaks of the instant connection a horse can make upon a human, who is already passionate about the subject. In this case, Sabine had searched for a long time, for the type of horse that eventually, she found in NK Hamza. Is it an example of the collective wisdom of the world, recognizing that NK Hamza was the horse that Sabine had spent so much time looking for and manipulating people, events and time to lead this horse to Sabine? Linda Kohanov said it best, when she said, "the wisdom that gives rise to the form of the horse." 

NK Hamza (NK Kamar El Dine x Andorra Bint Asfoura) with Sabine Klee, Lena Panholzer photo

For those like Sabine, who accept the horse's invitation to engage, love blossoms and intensifies into an incredible relationship, which earlier, we defined as a conduit for the collective consciousness. This horse, with his long, full mane  and fairy tale appearance possessed the "wow" factor Sabine desired. Still to this day, 8 years later, Sabine remembers the day that NK Hamza arrived, as if it happened minutes ago, an unforgettable day and highlight of her life.

"And then Hamza got out of the truck and I was speechless. Such a beautiful stallion, as if he stepped out of the most classic painting.  His expression, so exotic and his mane! This friendly, open-minded  character of a stallion, I was in love! Hamza has a character made of gold, he is always easy to handle and willing, whether riding, covering or normal handling. He is even ridden by children and always stays cool and confident. This speaks for his unique character, which he consistently passes, as well as his exotic appearance to his get, his award-winning daughters and an approved (licensed) son, K Faysal (x Fiona).

K Faysal (NK Hamza x Fiona)

NK Hamza and his son, K Faysal (out of Fiona, Verbandsprämienstute and a Smaroel's Amgad granddaughter) are both proven breeding stallions, with a number of sired get recorded for each stallion, 

K Azrael (K Faysal x Aladiah)

for example a colt bred by Sabine, K Azrael, out of an Ansata El Salaam daughter, is a grandson of NK Hamza, while a son of K Faysal. Sabine currently has a full brother, K Aariz, for sale. 

K Aariz, full brother of K Azrael, Lena Panholzer photo

Hamza is a masculine Arabic name, one of many names used for "lion". However, the name can also mean strength and steadfastness. There is a story, one of many traditions in Islam, involving the uncle of the Prophet (PBUH), Hamza Ibn Abd al-Muttalib, a strong man, both a wrestler and an archer. It was said that he was unstoppable in battle. His story is included in the Hamzanama, an adventure epic that was written in Persian. Isn't it time for you to rewrite your adventure, perhaps your greatest adventure yet?  Both stallions are standing to the public for this breeding season. Sabine Klee invites your inquiry via Instagram or Facebook

The Same Matriline

I don't remember how I landed on the Rock Creek Arabians website. I joined Instagram a few days ago and I'm all thumbs, fat-fingering everything on the Instagram page, following people I didn't intend to follow and liking photos & reels that I'm not so sure I like. Did my screen get smaller, while my fingers got bigger?

So, when I realized that I wasn't on Instagram anymore, I was a little confused. How did I do that? And then, just like magic, this beautiful horse appeared on the screen before me.  

Elegant RCA (Bellagio RCA x Mishaals Lily RCA) as pictured on the Rock Creek Arabians website

Elegant RCA, a 2017 grey stallion, is lovely and my eyes immediately focused on his impressive hindquarters. I also like the set of his neck and just as Irvinna Al Shiraa, Elegant RCA's neck arches gently up,up,up until it meets his head, establishing added length in the poll, with a clean underline and a fine throatlatch. His topline is level, strong and smooth, with a well sprung rib cage and a deeper heart girth. This horse is correct, strong-of-body and tall. Over 15 hands! 

The Vision HG (Thee Desperado x Belle Staar) as photographed by Bar Hajaj

However, what is most interesting is his matriline because it is the same matriline we find in The Vision HG. Elegant RCA is out of Mishaals Lily RCA, who in turn is out of Desperados Lily RCA, whose dam is Lily Langtry HG (The Minstril x Alia-Aenor). 

The Vision HG is out of Belle Staar, a daughter of Alia-Aenor by The Minstril. Belle Staar and Lily Langtry HG are full sisters. This gorgeous grey stallion shares the same matriline with one of the most globally successful straight Egyptian mares of all time!  I'll let my thumbs do the driving for a while. Can't wait to see where they take us next!

The Shahbaa Sisters

The 1959 daughter, *Bint Shahbaa, Dr. Erwin A. Piduch photo

When the socialist revolution led by Gamel Abdel Nasser occurred in 1952 and King Fouad’s Inshass Stud became part of the newly-named Egyptian Agricultural Organization (EAO) at El Zahraa, General Pettko Von Szandtner personally selected the 1951 rosewater mare Shahbaa, a Hamdan daughter out of Shahd (El Moez x Shams), along with her daughter Shaheera by Ghazi, whom Judith Forbis had called one of the “loveliest Inshass mares."  It is interesting that the name "Shahbaa" is a feminine Arabic name meaning "gray," which is also used as a nickname for the city of Aleppo in Syria. Perhaps this is the reason why the 2 Gassir daughters are named similarly, they are both gray mares. Shahbaa's 1959 daughter by Gassir, *Bint Shahbaa, was purchased in 1970 by Gustl Eutermoser of the Schieferegg Stud, Austria, where she was bred primarily to the stallion, Mehanna (Galal x Mouna).  

The 1960 daughter, Bint Shahbaa I, photo by Thillo Haake

Shabaa's 1960 daughter, also sired by Gassir, *Bint Shahbaa I, was initially purchased by Ahmed Hamza for his Hamdan Stables, however, in 1969, she was purchased and exported to America by Trucilla Enz, California USA, producing horses named with an "Aziza" prefix, the majority sired by *Adhem (Alaa El Din x Zabia) or Nazim Pasha (*Ansata Ibn Halima x *Nasra). Of particular note is her 1975 daughter by Nazim Pasha, Aziza Samira, when bred to TheEgyptianPrince foaled Aziza Princess, whose daughter, BintAzizaPrincess by Abenhetep, remains a significant cornerstone within Dr. Joseph Cruz's Rancho Bulakenyo breeding program and the principal reason for why the Kuhaylan Kurush strain remains extant in American straight Egyptian breeding. 

White Wonder

Irvinna Al Shiraa is a 2020 mare, sired by AJ Elaf (AJ Mardan x AJ Estrella) and out of Nesj El Miss Kanzi (Kenz Albidayer x Nesj El Khisaya). Her pedigree celebrates the efforts of many breeders, in pursuing an imaginary ideal that is both elusive but at the same time, inspiring. This is at the very heart of Arabian horse breeding and in the pursuit, we share common ground. We alĺ want the same things we see embodied in this extraordinary mare. If you study the pedigree, at first glance, you will notice the more obvious Egyptian bloodlines like Ansata Sinan, the sire of Khidar or the double dose of Ansata Shaamis, the sire of Shael Dream Desert, who appears twice on the paternal sire of the pedigree. There's also Anaza El Farid, the sire of Gazal Al Shaqab, who has impacted the world of Arabian horse breeding in a way no other horse has. However, if you look a little deeper, you will learn that this mare has a significant amount of Egyptian blood, as much as 40 lines; approximately 45% of her pedigree is genetically influenced by Egyptian horses. The majority of the Egyptian blood comes through the chestnut stallion Shaker El Masri, as the sire of *El Shaklan, as well as Aswan, through some of the Russian lines but if you go back far, approaching 10 generations, you will discover sources of older Egyptian blood like the Babson horses and even, Gulastra. The matriline was a big surprise, as it goes back through programs like Nesj Arabians to Om El Arab, to Gleannloch who imported Cleopatraa from the EAO, all the way back to Bint El Bahreyn.

When I received the email from The Arabian Horse Magazine early Thursday morning, I was overwhelmed with this mare's beauty, particularly her neck, which is lovely in the way it arches upwards towards her head, accentuating the length of poll and the very fine throatlatch. The underline of her neck is outrageous, one of the cleanest that I have seen in a long time. While the photo only shows the front of her body, her neck is well set and she appears to have a laid back shoulder. Her head is short and wide, with larger, black eyes, set low in the head. The prominence of bone and vein, particularly the larger size jowls, intensifies the dry look of the desert only matched by her fine skin, deeply pigmented, as evidenced by the grooming around her eyes and muzzle. 

It seems that many people share common ground in their appreciation of this young mare, as she is highly decorated,  named champion multiple times, both as a filly and now, as a mare. Again, to me, it proves that no matter which bloodline you have at home, we are all united through the beauty of the breed we love. That's the universal appeal of our breed and our duty as enthusiasts, to stand behind it and celebrate it, despite our differences because as you can see from the genetic makeup of Irvinna Al Shiraa, look at the mare that resulted from combining the differences in the pedigree!

***Irvinna Al Shiraa photo credit: Ahmed Taha***

The Magical Tale of Ansata Abbas Pasha

I stood there looking through the bars of his stall. Suddenly, I felt out-of-place, the intensity of the moment was so overwhelmingly surreal, it was crushing me. I was standing in front of the real live Ansata Abbas Pasha, a straight Egyptian stallion I recognized from the many photos I had seen in books and magazines. Yet, here we were, Ansata Abbas Pasha looking at me, as intently as I, was looking at him. As I waited for my guide, I was afraid that someone would tell me that they changed their mind, my visit was cancelled and to get in my car and leave. It seemed like I had been waiting for a long time. Nervously, I tried to distract myself by recalling all the things that I had read about him but it was no use, my mind wandered elsewhere. Perhaps, for another person, the waiting was only a tiny fragment of time, mere seconds tick.tick.ticking away. I tried to rationalize the longer wait, as there would come a day when I would need to remember meeting the prince of the desert, the catalyst of a personal renaissance and subsequent transformation back to the real me, whom I had lost along the way. 

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

Those long ago words echoed through my head, as my fingers slowly traced his silhouette. He was different from the other *Ibn Halimas. His face a bit longer, a bit more narrow and yet, the longer 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, 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. 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. Could he see past the person that was trying to hold it all together, only to discover the red hot mess I was inside? Or was he thinking of places he visited, friends he had made and then, goodbye? Was he thinking of Illinois or Paris? Germany? What other places had he known? In 1966, the Babson Farm purchased Ansata Abbas Pasha, an outcross for their straight 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 only the lines of the horses imported from Egypt 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. 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 strain, a full brother to the nationally acclaimed Ansata Ibn Sudan and a piece of living Egyptian Arabian horse history, his sire and dam arriving in America, the same year of my birth.

“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.” - Judith Forbis

Here I was in Texas, standing in front of her first foal, who had spread her influence throughout America, Europe and beyond. 

In the book, THE GOOD GOOD PIG, written by Sy Montgomery, she shares a story about a local legend involving Amazon River dolphins. 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. 

“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.” 

As I drove away from Bentwood, I kept thinking of  Ansata Abbas Pasha. Almost 40 years have passed since that day and still, I find myself thinking about him. He was an overwhelmingly kind horse, wise as a result of the cultural experiences he lived through. So, no surprise that someone like me would spend alot of time thinking about him. He was, after all, a thinking horse and Encante, that also was him, deep at the core of his being, he was the source of beauty and desire in many people's lives. What a gift his life was!

***I'm really not sure who the photographer was, I want to say it was the late Johnny Johnston, who photographed many of the Bentwood horses in the same style. I love the photo by the way. This is how I remember Ansata Abbas Pasha, as we stood face-to-face in the stallion barn, looking at me, as intently as I was looking at him.***

Celebration++++// RCA

In the previous blog, we learned about the unforgettable Bellagio RCA son, Sentebale SA. Today, it's all about another son, the very impressive dressage stallion, Celebration++++// RCA, owned by Nicole Rowley.

A 2017 stallion, he is by Bellagio RCA and out of Star of Marajj, by Marajj (Marwan Al Shaqab x RGA Kouress) and out of the Padron Psyche daughter, LC Psouthern Star. The pedigree is populated by several stallions like *Eukaliptus,*Gazal Al Shaqab, *Padron, *Aladdinn, Bey Shah, Marajj and Thee Desperado, all of  whom are legendary horses, globally recognized and yet, the matriline goes back through several older American breeding programs like Manion Canyon, Travelers Rest, Huntington, before landing on Haidee, an 1869 desert mare bred by Sheikh Sulayman Ibn Murshid of the Sbaa Bedouin tribe and imported to England as a 5-year old mare in 1874.  Haidee's daughter by Yataghan, Naomi, was a celebrated field hunter, able to clear 7-foot fences. It was she who was purchased by Randolph Huntington and imported to America in 1888. Despite the number of generations that separate Celebration++++// RCA and Naomi, it is interesting to find another talented sport horse buried in the matriline.

At first glance, you may think that Celebration++++// RCA is half-Egyptian but he is a little more than half, almost 60%, as he carries a line to Anaza El Farid through Gazal Al Shaqab, the sire of Marwan Al Shaqab and a couple lines to Gulastra through Little Liza Fame, there's double Aswan through Kilika, the dam of Padrons Psyche and a line to Ansata El Nisr, through D-S Aatifa. Like Sentebale SA, he is a dark bay, however, with a profuse mane. My horses had sparse forelocks and secretly, my passion is for long, fairy-tale style forelocks, oh my, as shown in the below photo of Celebration++++// RCA. 

Celebration++++// RCA

In my more recent past, I had the opportunity to meet Bellagio-sired horses. Their disposition surprised me, as more often than not, they were kind, steady and reliable horses. I really enjoyed being around them because the more you gave them, the more they gave you back in return. When I saw the photos of Celebration++++// RCA, it really created a deep desire for the experience of owning a horse just like him. 

He is a successful dressage horse and a multi-national champion, both under-saddle (1st, 2nd & 3rd levels) and in-hand, in addition to Scottsdale and Region 5 wins for Sport Horse Dressage type in hand and under-saddle . The symbols that appear after his name: ++++//  signify that he has earned the prestigious Legion of Masters and Legion of Excellence, which I believe are the highest honors a horse can win and speaks powerfully of Celebration's immense talent.

 

When you work a horse in dressage, his level of fitness will show in the more developed muscling of his body. Combined with Arabian breed type, the overall look is dramatically different from what we are used to seeing in the main ring, as we see below in this wonderful conformation photo. I am reminded of a passage from My Horses, My Teachers, written by Alois Podhajsky, 

"Correct work had made him more beautiful, his muscles had developed, and he moved cheerfully and powerfully in balance and harmony. He was convincing proof that systematic and methodical work will result in the increasing beauty of the horse."

Celebration++++// RCA 

He is a proven breeding stallion as well, having sired a few foals including the 2023 filly, Prima Celebration (out of the KWPN mare, Mokabria KF) who was pinned Reserve Champion in the Half Arabian 2 and under Sport Horse Jackpot at the 2024 Region 5 Arabian and Half Arabian Sport Horse Championships. Celebration++++// RCA stands at stud, for the 2025 breeding season at Windy Creek Ranch, Ellensburg, Washington.  Why don't you contact Nicole Rowley? Time flies and breeding season will be over before you know it.

Sentebale SA

Sentebale SA (Bellagio RCA x Kareena RCA) owned by Sharon Redman, Sharmel Arabians, photographed by Nancy Pierce Photograpy

Sentebale SA, a 2018 straight Egyptian stallion sired by Bellagio RCA (Alixir x Rhapsody in Black), out of Kareena RCA (Thee Desperado x Kareeka RCA) is owned by Sharon Redman of Sharmel Arabians, Texas. His daughter, Nailah SA, out of Nadia SA (Audacious PS x WC Brittany Bey), is competing in Scottsdale and doing very well too, as she has already placed 2nd in Arabian Mares AAOTH, presented by Mike Wilson.  The photo of Sentebale SA appears in the lower left corner of the ad for Nailah SA that I received by email, from The Swift Runner. As exciting as this news is, what caught my attention was the "SA" after the name of stallion, mare and granddam, indicating a multi-generational breeding program. 

At first glance, we find on the sire side, the stallion Alixir (The Elixir x The Prevue) crossed onto a Thee Desperado daughter, while on the maternal side, we find the opposite, Thee Desperado crossed onto an Alixir daughter! Its like the "ying" and "yang" of horse breeding. How clever this is! As equally interesting is the use of The Minstril, Maali RCA, Aliashahm RA and Magidaa's Image to concentrate the genetic impact of Ruminaja Ali, calculated at over 30%.  The line of Bint Magidaa, the dam of Ruminja Ali, is genetically represented in the pedigree 8 times (which includes the matriline), approximately 14% of the pedigree. 

Physically, he is an eye-catching stallion, his ebony coat intensifies his overaĺ smoothness, while his gracefully arched neck, well-crested, the clean underline joins what is, a fine throatlatch. Breeders will appreciate the picture of elegance he presents.

"Sentebale" in the Sesotho language which is spoken in Lesotho, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana means "forget-me-not." For people like me, who dream of producing horses who go on to be successful in the show ring and in breeding programs, Sharon Redman's success is both hopeful and inspiring, never to be forgotten!