It's Going to Make You Feel Good

Something different, as I jump in mid-week for a surprise blog post. I had a couple of ideas that I was going to work on later and I usually don't post a blog until the weekend but the news this week has been so grim, and maybe, just maybe, you need a break from the stress with something sweet,  something to really make you happier, if only for a few minutes? 

Six years ago, on February 27, 2019, I published a blog concerning Dr. Joseph Cruz's premier broodmare, Binte Aziza MH (Richter MH x BintAzizaPrincess). Within the blog, I wrote the following,

"When Binte Aziza MH was bred to *Lebinon Al Shaqab she produced three full sisters: Princess Aziza MH, who was sold to Al Shaqab in Qatar, Amaya Princess RAF and Johara Princess RAF, both of whom are owned by Jamie Zissis of Rosehaven Ranch LLP, to incorporate in her program, which focuses on the bloodline of the mare, 9 Tamria." 

Imagine being embraced by such a beautiful mare. The weight of her head resting on your shoulder. Her very fine and silky mane swipes the side of your cheek. Her warm and gentle fragrance fills the air about you. Is there anything more perfect than being loved by a horse?

 My eyes were immediately drawn to the above photo, when I accidentally stumbled upon it on Instagram. It's just one of those heartwarming photos that make you feel good, from head-to-toe. You know who the mare is? That's one of the 3 full sisters mentioned in the above excerpt, Johara Princess RAF, by *Lebinon Al Shaqab and out of Binte Aziza MH, all grown up now. After producing several colts, she very recently foaled a new filly by Fayad Al Shaqab (Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Exotic Tremor). Congratulations and thank you to Jamie Zizzis of Rosehaven Arabian Farm and Dr. Joseph Cruz of Rancho Bulakenyo. And here's to you dear readers, my wish for you is a better day, all for the love of an Arabian horse.

The Blind Spot

Did you ever wonder where names/sayings like "knucklehead," "thick-headed," "meathead," "low brow," "dumb ass," "can't see the forest for the trees", "hit you over the head with a 2 x 4", "explain it to me like you would to a 5-year old," or even, you wouldn't know it until it bites you on the ass" originated? Are all these barbs (and more) born out of frustration, when someone doesn't immediately understand something that is glaringly obvious? Whose problem is it anyway? The person who doesn't get it or the person who lost all patience and decorum?

In the first few chapters of Drinkers of the Wind, after vacationing  in Greece and discovering Lady Anne Blunt's book, A Pilgrimage to Nejd, a young Carl Raswan finds himself in Egypt, on the threshold of what was to be, the greatest adventure of his life. Out riding one day, he meets a Bedouin-bred chestnut stallion, Ghazal. It's interesting to observe  Raswan's curiosity for the horse, however, despite his fascination, Raswan does not have a favorable opinion of him, as he writes, 

"In Ghazal, the rough emaciated little desert stallion, I had not found the realization of my dreams, but he established for me a contact which I had eagerly looked for. He showed many points of conformation to Arabian characteristics which might be found in greater quality in animals of his breeding among the tribes. I admitted to myself that my quest was perhaps only kindled by a romantic impulse in my young soul, that possibly the horse of perfection might no longer exist."

Raswan's disappointment is strongly felt as you navigate through this part of the story. If you have ever been fortunate to know a chestnut Arabian, whether personally as an owner or as an enthusiast/observer in your life, this part of the story is made a little more personal, as you swap the place of Ghazal with the chestnut Arabian you know from your life. Having recently written a blog about NK Hamza (NK Kamar El Dine  x Andorra Bint Asfoura), I could not get his photographic image out of my mind, as I re-read this beloved story.

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

Towards the end of the book, we find a different voice, a Raswan whose eyes had been opened to discover the marvelous horse that had always been Ghazal. He enthusiastically writes,

"I had no doubt that I had found the horse of my quest. His head with its gazelle profile was fairly short. As he tossed it up and down and neighed in high spirits, playing with the bright colored tassels of his halter, his mouth, with its small, firm lower lip, revealed teeth of gleaming ivory. His large, thin wide-open nostrils were like petal tips of a rose or like delicate pink shells. Above the dark fire of his eyes, with their long, shining black lashes, rose high and shielding the bold, expressive forehead bearing the silvery-white star. His head was wide between the jaws and had the afnas, a concave indenture of the whole nasal bone, whereby distinguished ancestry is recognized. The curve of the windpipe culminated in a wonderfully arched throat. The contour of the neck resembled an elongated wave, from which floated in brilliant ripples the silken mane. His small, straight, inward-pointing ears quivered like 'lilies trembling in flowing water.' His whole body swayed, lithe and slender with supple strength. His breast was deep and majestic, and his sloping shoulders had the characteristic 'swimming  motion.' His back, short, wide and distinctly seamed, was ideal for the saddle. The muscles of the level croup were strong, the secret of his ability to 'soar' and 'poise,' as the Bedouin says. The tail of fine hair, carried in perfect arch, had grown again, tapering at the tip. His thighs, like those of an ostrich, were  muscular; his legs light, but cleanly modeled and firm, with elastic pasterns, long and strong, and hoofs hard as rock. His short, fine, silky coat shone like a mirror. He was of flawless proportions and balance."

Quite a difference from "the rough emaciated little desert stallion" that he described earlier in the story, right?  Raswan's metamorphis of appreciation for Ghazal is not only a story that powerfully explains the charm of an Arabian horse but also, it remains for me, the best description of an Arabian horse that I ever read. I hope that it will become yours too, all for the love an Arabian horse.

A 3-Circle Horse

I used this particular term in my last blog and I am not sure that you, dear reader, may be familiar with it, as it is a term used by an older generation of horsepeople. In the Noble blog, I embedded a hyperlink, back to a blog I had previously written concerning the straight Egyptian mare, Tameri Anisah, but you had to scroll to almost the end, in order to find the paragraph and subsequent illustration. Remember the movie scene with Frank Morgan, aka "The Wizard," in The Wizard of Oz? Where is Toto, as it's time to pull back the green curtain to reveal a 3-circle horse. 

I "Googled" the term and the answers are varied, all the way from the 3 Olympic riding disciplines to riding circular patterns you can practice, when riding your horse at home. None of these answers really explain the conformational use of the term, so it was back to Google, where I found the following:

I'm not so sure anymore that Carl Raswan actually coined the phrase but he did use the term frequently and perhaps, he was one of the first to use the term, as applied to Arabian horses. Over the years, this term has been attributed to him. I have written this many times, over the lifetime of this blog. The term 3-circle horse, I believe, was used by the rugged old horsemen in Raswan's time period, to explain a horse whose body was balanced, not too long, not too short, but equally proportioned to his height, weight and structure. 

If you were to divide the body of a horse into equal thirds, from the point of chest to the wither, from the wither to the hip and from the hip to the point of buttock, imagine 3 equally-sized circles, fitting within each section. Makes sense? However, "balance" is a little more than determining whether 3 equally-sized circles can be drawn on the side of a horse, because additionally, you also need to draw a horizontal straight line (east to west) starting at the point of the shoulder and running across the horse's body, all the way back to the point of the buttocks.  Then, compare the length of the horizontal line with the vertical line you drew at the withers, running from the withers to the ground (north to south). The length of the vertical line should equal the length of the horizontal line. Imagine a horse whose back is too long or legs too short, no matter that 3 circles fit perfectly, side-by-side, the vertical and horizontal lines don't match and therfore, despite the 3 circles, the horse is still not in balance. Below, is an excellent drawing which further illustrates the circles and lines used to measure balance: 

The Pyramid Socety's Standard of Excellence, published 2012 

In summary, "3-circle horse", as Raswan used the term, was an attempt to explain, in an easy-to-understand way,  a concept that is challenging to describe with words and may be better understood visually. Remember that a 3-circle horse is never angular in appearance, rather, a 3-circle horse's body is comprised of rounded or better yet, curvey lines, each part of the horse's body in proportion with the other parts of the body, working together to form an overall pleasing picture of a horse we will never forget, despite who coined the phrase.

Most Noble

Yani Ashiraf (Amir Ashiraf x Doris Noir), Soheil Gholami photo

Hot on the heels of the Lion, comes Yani Ashiraf, in other words, the most noble one. No kidding, that's what the name of this snowy white stallion means in Arabic. The portion of his name that begins with "Yani" can translate to mean "in other words," "that is to say" or even, "therefore," while "Ashiraf" means "most noble" or "very honorable." A 2015 grey stallion, Yani Ashiraf was bred by Mr. Amir Akbari and is  owned by Mr. Hadi Esfandiyari of Iran.  

Yani Ashiraf, although not straight Egyptian, possesses a significant amount of Egyptian breeding, approximately 35%. A large portion of his Egyptian influence comes via his maternal grandsire, Al Maraam (Imperial Imdal x The Vision HG), with additional lines to the stallions, Aswan, Nil, Shaker El Masri, Hadban Enzahi, El Hilal and Mohssen. 

His sire, Amir Ashiraf is a WH Justice son, out of an Italian-bred mare of Russian lines, Guendalina (Valentyno x Beauty Odessa). His dam, Doris Noir, is an Al Maraam daughter, out of a Ganges daughter, her dam a Probat daughter. And this is where it gets really interesting, as the matriline travels back through several breeding programs like Michalów, Klemensów and the Babona State Stud, before landing in Syria with the desert-bred 216 Semrie, the 1896 mare purchased by General Michael Fadlallah el-Hedad for Babolna. She is the foundress of the 216 Semrie family at Babolna, then Poland, having foaled 5 foals: Koheilan IV-11, 112 Koheilan Rashid, 29 Mersuch, 6 Koheilan IV and Siglavy Bagdady II. Sired by a Kuhaylan  and out of a Kuhaylan Um Urkub mare, 216 Semrie is Kuhaylan, by strain.

Yani Ashiraf is a proven breeding stallion, having sired get out of the daughters of stallions like Marajj, ZT Marwetyn, Nesj El Jarash and Muranas Hacin, the majority of which have been fillies. 

Physically, Yani Ashiraf is a lovely specimen of the Arabian breed, his impressive appearance is well-suited to the use of the word noble as an adjective. His image is one that I was delighted to find and my eyes were immediately drawn to his generously-muscled hindquarters, a well-sprung rib cage, and deeper heart girth. He is amazingly close-coupled, the curvey lines not only soften the rounded silhouette more, it also enhances the tremendous balance throughout his body. He is visually representative of the term used by Carl Raswan often: a 3-circle horse. His skin quality is fine, pigmented, enhancing an elegantly sculpted look, as if he were cast from the finest marble. His head is short, wide, with large, luminous black eyes, intensifying the dramatic look of a desert horse. No one will mistake him for anything else!

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.