20 March, 2024

Happy Birthday Windy Bey V


I'm not sure that I remember how I managed to get to the Varian Arabians website or what motivated me to click on their stallion page (I don't own a mare, open for breeding) but I am glad that I did it, because there he was, Windy Bey V, a 1999 son of Desperado V (Huckleberry Bey V x Daraska), out of Willow Bey V (S-Shah Bask x Gypsy Mmusic). Do you realize that a horse born in 1999 means that today, in 2024, the 1999 horse is 25 years old? And check out those dapples! WOWOWOW! Back in the day, I understood dappling to be a sign of good nutrition, including nutraceuticals to supplement the horse's diet like collagen, biotin, vitamin E and Omega-3, the absorption of which is greatly improved through regular worming and teeth care.  Not to mention a personal investment of some good old-fashioned, roll-up-your-sleeves, elbow grease via well-managed, consistent, grooming to remove unwanted dirt and loose hair, while stimulating the natural oils present in a horse's body for that deep radiating glow. However, while all of this is true, the predisposition for dappling is passed genetically, no matter how much time you spend currying his coat. However, it's very rare to find dappling, to the extent that we see in Windy Bey V, in senior-aged horses. That's what impresses me, the high level of hands-on husbandry that is obviously practiced by Varian Arabians. In this case, the "fruits" of all their actions speak much louder, than any words that can be used.

A couple other things really stand out, in celebration of this glorious horse. See the man standing on the other side of him? Even with a baseball cap, you can barely see him over the wither. I'm guessing that Windy Bey V is a taller horse, maybe a little over 15 hands, like 15.2 or 15.3? I really like that. 

Do you know that his sire line represents 5 generations of Varian breeding: 

Bay-Abi->Bay-el-Bey->Huckleberry Bey->Desperado V->Windy Bey V 

That's Sheila's vision or rather, her life's work, very much alive and relevant in our Arabian horse community. That's important to say in this day and age, when so many of us miss Sheila. And hopefully, Windy Bey V will sire a colt, worthy of adding yet another link to what is, a long chain of kings. I can't think of a better way to honor her memory. Not to be outdone and equally impressive is the matriline. Windy Bey V, as does his great grandsire, Bay-el-Bey, traces back to the mare Gazella, an 1840 Kuhaylah Ajuz, purchased in Syria by Count Juliusz Dzieduskycki for Jarczowce Stud. Gazella founded one of the most influential families in Polish Arabian horse breeding. What a most wonderful complement to the Varian line of super sires! 

While Windy Bey V's pedigree includes a wide variety of American foundational bloodlines like  the Davenport and Crabbet horses bred by Roger Selby, Frank McCoy and W.K. Kellogg; we also find on a smaller scale, older Egyptian blood via horses like Hallany Mistanny (*Zarife x *Roda), Sabdaan (Faddan x Fay-Sabbah) *Fadl (Ibn Rabdan x Mahroussa) and Gulastra (Astraled x Gulnare); however, with all this said, the majority of the genetic influence comes by way of Poland and a beloved Polish stallion, *Bask. There are four lines to *Bask, one cross on the sire side (Holly Bask) and three crosses on the dam side (Star of Ofir, Gazal Bask & Gwyndalyn). Almost 20% of Windy Bey's pedigree reflects *Bask's influence. Additionally to *Bask, consider the somewhat related lines,  like that of Wierna, the maternal granddam of Bay-Abi, who like Witraz is sired by Ofir, plus the stallion, Nureddin (the sire of Aladdinn), also a Witraz son (paternal sibling of *Bask). Just in case you are wondering, it's not just about finding multiple sources of *Bask in the pedigree, I think its more of how Ofir becomes common ground in the pedigree, combined through his get like Witraz, Wielki Szlem (through Gwara) and *Witez II (through Zarabo).

I'm reminded of a story, one of my favorites, which involves Bogdan Ziertarski and Carl Raswan who traveled extensively in the Middle East. In 1931, both men imported five stallions and four mares. Kuhaylan Haifi, the sire of Ofir, was one of the stallions purchased for Janow Podlaski.

 "Finally I hear a neigh, they guide the stallions... they lead the bay Kuhailan Haifi. My legs buckled under me, it is just the horse I am looking for. Not large, dry, on splendid legs without any trace of cow hocks. A long neck, a noble head, although not very small, with distended, thin and moveable nostrils; a splendid high carried tail. I feel, the first time in my life, that during the purchase of a horse I am fainting."-Bogdan Ziertarski, as quoted in Arab breeding in Poland, written by Edward Skorkowski

Happy Birthday Windy Bey V! 

17 March, 2024

Storm Clouds on the Horizon

Over the weekend, I discovered a fascinating interview that Gudrun Waiditschka had with Andreas Perner, who is head of the Research Institute for Organic Animal Breeding and Land Use, since 2018. The interview is titled, Are We Still Breeding or Are We Just Multiplying? The article appears within the online version of Arabische Pferde In-the-Focus magazine, published on Valentines Day (02/14/24). It's a deeply provocative article and while I try to stay away from anything which invites criticism of our horses, breed community and  current practices (there are other places online where you can engage in these discussions) and yet, I feel compelled to encourage you to read the interview, which identifies problematic issues facing the cattle industry, which run parallel to challenges we face in the  equine industry and specifically, with our beloved Arabian horses. 

11 March, 2024

Seeds of Inspiration


A long time ago, I kept my mare in a field with a couple Thoroughbred racehorses. There was one mare in particular, Rocky, who took my breath away whenever I saw her run. The other horses tried to keep up with her and pretty soon, Rocky would lap them once, twice and then, three times. Adrenaline coursing through my body, I felt the sheer power of Rocky's massive body. In her joy and freedom, she wasn't holding anything back. She was invincible. Run, Rocky, run! 

I had blogged about Pepita a few years ago, in 2019. Bred by Janow Podlaski stud, Pepita is a 2005 Ekstern daughter out of Pepesza (*Eukaliptus x Pestka), which includes a matriline that runs all the way back to the 1810 mare, Szamrajówka, bred by one of the oldest of the Polish studfarms, Count Branicki's Biala Cerkiew Stud. Pepesza's maternal granddam is the *Bandos daughter, Pentoda, out of Piewica, a Priboj (Piolun x Rissalma) daughter out of Wlodarka, by Ofir. Piewica was bred by the Tersk Stud and exported to Albigowa Stud in the fifties. At Janow Podlaski, Piewica was credited as the root or source mare of the highly esteemed "P" line of horses.

Pepita is the mare that generated such a "buzz" in and out of the Arabian horse community when she was sold in the 2015 Pride of Poland sale for a record price of $1.4 million Euros. A mature mare, already 10-years old, she was in foal to the stallion, Pogrom, at the time of her sale. The year prior, 2014, Pepita was named the Polish National Champion mare. However, back in 2019, when I watched Pepita, turned loose and running in her paddock, none of this was so important. These "factoids" are like static on the radio, preventing the beautiful music from being heard! All I could think of as I watched the video, was that day long ago, standing by the fence, ground shaking and watching Rocky morph into the Queen of the Thoroughbreds! Today, it's a new Pepita video, this time by Arabian Insider, and Pepita, is still so breathtakingly beautiful. Her beauty and her spirit inspire me. What must it be like to be a horse? To be brave, joyful and free to show the world just who you are, without worry. Congratulations to Akmal Stud and thank you; Pepita reminds me that I knew a Queen once. 

****I am so grateful to Arabian Insider for these videos. You make my world so much better!***

09 March, 2024

TRULY NOBLE

NK Nadeer (NK Hafid Jamil x NK Nadirah), as photographed by Joanna Jonientz

This past week, Tutto Arabi released their April-May Edition, which includes an article written by Dr. Hans J. Nagel. His stallion, NK Nadeer (NK Hafid Jamil x NK Nadirah) recently died. I was touched by Dr. Nagel's use of the word "noble" to describe his beloved horse.

"This was NK Nadeer; a truly noble horse, trusting, with a kind character, without falseness, full of temperament and fiery when given the opportunity." 

Given that we all understand the straight Egyptian ancestral elements that are at the core of the Katharinenhof breeding program; what does it mean, when a horse is called noble? Is "noble" a descriptive term for an intangible quality of character like courage, kindness or generosity of spirit?  Is "noble" more appropriately used to describe an impressive outwardly appearance? Dr. Nagel, not only within the article but also, in his newest book, The Arabian Horse, Nature's Creation and the Art of Breeding, has written, "He is the most beautiful stallion ever born or used at Katharinenhof." A few sentences later in the same book, Dr. Nagel also writes, "NK Nadeer is also gifted with an outstanding docile and pleasant temperament." Can the word "noble" describe both spiritual and physical qualities?  Within the article, Dr. Nagel, in describing the chain of sires having had the most impact within his program, compares NK Nadeer with the 4 grey stallions who preceded him (*Jamil, Ansata Halim Shah, Salaa el Dine & NK Hafid Jamil): "It is certainly permissible to say he was the gentleman among them, truly a distinguished horse and the one with the most refined and benign demeanor; calm in breeding, neither wild or impetuous, and when presented to visitors, he seemed to enjoy such a presentation and always kept himself under control." Perhaps, "noble" is a term we use, when we are overwhelmed by the entire being who stands before us and engages our senses?  In this joyful "paralysis" of mind and mouth, when all words become elusive and "noble" is the only word that remains on our tongue, maybe, "noble" is the only word that can successfully capture the feeling of awe and wonder we experience, when we are with such a horse we admire? And what about the horses whom we cherish, to the point of loving? Is the use of "noble" then, like a term of endearment?  Maybe "noble" is the word that crosses all language barriers to convey the myriad of feelings we experience, when we are present with such a horse. In further describing NK Nadeer within the article, we can observe first hand how Dr. Nagel feels about his horse, "NK Nadeer impressed with his typical Arabian head shape; a slightly curved, noble profile, classic and elegant...He had small ears and a strikingly small mouth with large wide nostrils; this stallion could have drunk sweet tea from a cup, as the Bedouins once claimed of their horses." 
I am not certain that I have offered a proper definition of the word for you, dear reader, as it appears that the word can describe both spiritual and physical qualities. Also keep in mind that "noble" can also mean an individual who belongs to an esteemed or distinguished family, for example, his dam, NK Nadirah, is a full sister to NK Nada, bred by Dr. Nagel, owned by the late Usamah Alkazemi of Ezzain in Kuwait and purchased by Al Waab.  NK Nada was one of the most beautiful mares I have ever seen. There is an old British poem, Ode to the Horse, written by Ronald Duncan in 1954,  which is relevant to this discussion and, I feel, will help you to better understand the use of the word to describe the long-lasting memory of a particular horse and how, through this word "noble", we  can connect our mind, heart and even, our souls, all for the love of a horse.

"Where in this wide world can 
man find nobility without pride, 
friendship without envy 
or beauty without vanity?  
Here, where grace is laced with muscle, 
and strength by gentleness confined. 
He serves without servility; 
he has fought without enmity. 
There is nothing so powerful, 
nothing less violent, 
there is nothing so quick, 
nothing more patient.  

England’s past has been borne on his back. 
All our history is his industry 
we are his heirs; he our inheritance."

***With many thanks to Alim Editrice and Tutto Arabi for making this wonderful magazine available. It is always a highlight for me when I see your email in my inbox. Without you, this blog is not possible.***

***It is hard to believe that Dr. Nagel's breeding  program has been extant for 53 years and of that time, 38 years as a closed breeding program, without the edition of outside blood. NK Nadeer ushered a new era at Katharinenhof, exemplified by his son, NK Nabhan, whom I wrote about previously. If you don't own a copy of The Arabian Horse, Nature's Creation and the Art of Breeding, published by Nawal Media, I encourage you to purchase it. In the meantime, the Tutto Arabi article is a great place to start, to get a sense of NK Nadeer and the breeding program he is part of.****

03 March, 2024

BELIEVE IN MAGIC

D Khair (BS Raeed x Magic Mon Amour)

I was looking through the Jadem Arabians Stallions Guide, which is a beautiful publication by the way, as published by Tutto Arabi this past week. The Jadem facility is impressive, as are the many services offered to the prospective breeder. There are 17 stallions presented in the Guide, including the spectacular Emerald J (QR Marc x Emandoria). However, it was the 13th stallion in the book that was an unexpected but joyful surprise for me: D Khair (BS Raeed x Magic Mon Amour), owned by Alhmoud Stud. Do you know that he's a maternal sibling of the black beauty, Magic Magnifique?

D Khair's dam, Magic Mon Amour (Windsprees Mirage x Al Amyra) is a double granddaughter of Thee Desperado, through Windsprees Mirage (her sire) and BJ Thee Mustafa (the sire of Al Amrya, her dam). In addition to Thee Desperado,  she has several lines to other Egyptian horses like *Ansata Ibn Halima & *Ibn Moniet el Nefous (via Raisuli El Pharo), the Pritzlaff-bred stallion, Rasmoniet RSI (*Rashad Ibn Nazeer x *Bint Moniet el Nefous), as well as three lines to Aswan, through the Russian horses: Nega, Kilimandscharo and Nevada. She also has an additional line to TheEgyptianPrince (through HH El Amir, the sire of Miraabbi), a line to Gulastra (*Astraled x Gulnare) plus a total of 5 lines to the Babson import, *Maaroufa, in addition to *Maaroufa's full sibling, *Fadl, plus the other Babson imports like *Bint Bint Sabbah (FaSaab) and *Bint Serra I, through her sons, Fay-El-Dine and Fa-Serr. The percentage of her pedigree which traces to Egyptian breeding is high, almost 60%!

Bred by Fontanella Magic Arabians in Italy, Magic Mon Amour, foaled in 2004, has been crossed with a wide variety of stallions, producing extraordinary results, consistently.  Think of the stallions, Magic Mon Ami by FS Bengali and the full siblings, Magic Magnifique and Magic Suleiman, both sired by True Colours. Eventually, this amazing mare went to Dubai Stud, where the outcross opportunities were even larger, enabling her to produce horses like the Menton champion, D Shireen by Kahil Al Shaqab, D Gezaila by Gazal Al Shaqab, D Shahira by Frasera Mashar, in addition to D Khair, whose sire is by the Monogramm son, Debowiec and out of the Magnum Psyche daughter, JJ Mona Lisa. What I also found interesting is the dominance of the bay color in her progeny. I found very few horses that are not bay, maybe one or two. However, that should not be a surprise, as the first 3 generations of Magic Mon Amour's pedigree is populated by horses of color, mostly bay and a few black horses and chestnuts. You will find a few greys in the fifth generation, namely Ruminaja Ali and TheEgyptianPrince. If you believe that coat color indicates genetic influence, this is the only reason that I mention this observation, as to why a mare without a concentrated or predictable concentration of genetic influence would prove to be a dominating influence, when mated with stallions who have equally dominated our world of Arabian Horse breeding with their unique influences. I have no doubt in my mind that one day, in the very near future, we will recognize her as one of the elite broodmares of our breed, if we don't feel like that already. I am overwhelmed with wonder and respect for this beautiful mare and her outstanding production record. Truly, there is some truth to the Magic prefix in her name.

01 March, 2024

THE STALLION FROM THE LAND OF MANU

Born to Reign, written by Judith Forbis, came at a time in my life when I was more open to the writings of Carl Raswan. Actually, it was something that Judith Forbis wrote about Ansata Delilah in the book that caught my attention and then held it, long enough for me to connect a dotted line between what she wrote in the book and 2 Carl Raswan articles published by Western Horseman magazine. I was fascinated with the subject, however, life and all that comes with it, soon pushes such things out of my "headspace" and soon, I forget. That is, until this week and  an email I received from Anthony Pontrello. Do you know Anthony? He is an accomplished artist, having studied in Boston and apprenticing in Italy. Arabian horses are featured in his work, many of which are in private collections, all over the world. Me, I know Anthony as the owner of the late stallion, *Nigmh, an Ansata Halim Shah son, out of the Muqatamm daughter, Nasbah. His new work is titled " The Stallion from the Land of Manu". In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Anthony explains, the sun God, Ra, retires every evening in the west or "Manu".

There is something really special about the stallion's expression, captured on canvas for all time. The horse is alert, ears pricked forward, tuned into every sound, while the direction of his focus remains straight ahead, eyeball-to-eyeball on us. He's not sure of us, yet he is overwhelmed by a child-like curiosity to find out who we are, despite the vulnerability which he feels in doing so. 

And that's where Judith Forbis' Born to Reign book, fits in  with the artwork because I found the same expression in many of the photos of the Bukra horses.  At the time, I had wondered about the unique expression I found in horse-after-horse and whether this look could be unique to the Muluq or the timing and skill of an expert equine photographer. I so wanted to believe in the romance of the Muluq, as explained by Raswan. I was thrilled to find mention of "angel horses" written by other people, within other books, not necessarily about horses. It was not just a Raswan thing. And now, strangely enough, along comes a painting inspired by Egyptian mythology. It's like Born to Reign, in this instance, unbeknownst to Judith Forbis, functions as a transcript, to bring closure to what we may not understand through the silence of a painting. 

Anthony Pontrello is currently inviting inquiries from anyone interested in The Stallion from the Land of Manu. You may want to reach out to him, before someone else does and purchases the painting.

28 February, 2024

1-2-3


The Abu Dhabi edition of the GCAT series of shows was held this past weekend, in the Etihad Arena at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The time difference between countries makes watching some of these shows a little more challenging. Many thanks to Arabian Essence TV, who makes the videos from all the shows available on their YouTube channel, thereby providing the opportunity to watch the Senior Mare Championship (SMC) class at a more convenient time.  I have to confess to you that really, the compelling reason to watch this class was all about the charm of the thumbnail photo (taken from the video) which shows  Basmah Al Bidayer with her handler, Raphael Curti, as she exited the ring, after her initial presentation. And that's where this story begins, as Basmah Al Bidayer, led me to Estonia, the mare who preceded her in the ring and also,  Wildona, who immediately followed her. And so, just like that, 1-2-3, the strongest mares (in my opinion), out of a total 15 mares in the class and the last mares to enter the ring Sunday night, one right after the other. And the craziest thing is, if it were not for Basmah Al Bidayer's charismatic expression, I would have missed seeing all 3 mares. 

These 3 mares are more similar than they are different. Not only do they share common ground in their Polish heritage but phenotypically, all 3 mares are closer-coupled, with strong, smooth toplines,  well-sprung rib cages and broad, across the chest and hind end. Outside of these 3 mares, the quality of all the mares in this class was consistently high. I did not envy the judges for the job they must do. How to pick one horse each for gold, silver and bronze, when really, any of these 15 mares could be chosen and no one would disagree.

I have blogged about Estonia (#133) previously and today, I feel the same way about her, as I did 2 years ago, in March of 2022. Of the 3 mares (despite that Basmah Al Bidayer was the driving force to watch the video), Estonia is my favorite, my number 1 choice. I appreciate strong bodied horses, of rounded lines, with overall smoothness and breed type. Estonia is all that, plus, she is a powerful mover, forward, straight and supple, conveying a quiet confidence, no matter where she is. I wish I was more like her. Although she is primarily Polish in breeding (75%); she is a Laheeb granddaughter and when combined with additional Egyptian blood (Aswan and Nil) her total percentage of Egyptian breeding grows to 25%. 

Basmah Al Bidayer (#135) is by Fadi Al Shaqab (Besson Carol x ABHA Myra) and out of Bidayer (Emigrant x Eskalopka).  While the percentage of Polish breeding is a little less than that of Estonia, her dam Bidayer traces to Milordka in both matrilines, that of her dam, the Monogramm daughter, Eskalopka and her sire, Emigrant. You will remember that Milordka was classified by Dr. Edward Skorkowski as Saqlawi, only because he felt that physically, she resembled a Saqlawi horse more than any other strain. Her expression is like witchcraft; she will captivate your imagination and melt your heart. She remains the single reason why I watched this class, all because of a photo.

Wildona (#136) was consigned to the Pride of Poland sale, this past summer. She was one of the high selling lots and sold for $650,000 Euros. Wildona is a Shanghai EA daughter, out of Wilda, by Gazal Al Shaqab, out of Wilga, an Ekstern daughter. While the percentage of Polish breeding is less than the other 2 mares, Wildona traces to the beloved mare, Wizja, an *El Paso daughter and a United States National Champion mare. If you continue to follow the matriline beyond Wizja, eventually you will reach Szweykowska, a Slawuta bred mare and the foundress of Polish family 7. Dr. Skorkowski measured her skull and from her measurements, determined her to be Saqlawi by strain.

As we continue to move forward into what appears to be a more urban future, sometimes the things we treasure of our past need to evolve, as we do. Yes, change is scary, people fear change more than death! But what is even scarier, is extinction and the loss of the one true thing we love most, because we fail to change, to make an effort to remain current and therefore, of interest to others all over the world. Think about it. These mares are a celebration, of many various dreams and ideals of the past, brought forward in a slightly different form, as compared to the  horse the visionaries bred. Today, we speak of the breeders, their programs and their horses, only because the very thing you feared, change, reminded us of who and what they were, once.
***thank you Arabian Essence for making these videos available on YouTube. You make it possible for people like me, thousands of miles away, to still experience the feeling of seeing these extraordinary horses, thereby, making the world a smaller place, uniting all people, as different as we can be from one another, through this common bond of the Arabian horse.***