2 MOONS

In December, we enjoyed a phenomenon in our night-time sky which does not occur frequently, maybe every 2-to-3 years: two full moons, one at the beginning of the month and the second, at the end of the month, which we called a "blue moon".

"Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone,
Without a dream in my heart,
Without a love of my own..."-from the song, Blue Moon, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and music by Richard Rodgers

Majid Alsayegh is the breeder and owner of the 2003 stallion, Badraan Al Majid, who is pictured above. Already the owner of an *Ibn Safinaz daughter, Imperial Safemaa (out of the full sister to El Hilal, Negmaa), Majid wanted to incorporate more of Imperial's influence into his program and leased the Imperial Madheen daughter, Imperial Mahzeera (out of Maar Bilahh) from Anne-Louise Toner. He bred Mahzeera to Imperial Al Kamar, producing Badraan, whose name means two moons.
Two moons, you ask?
Well, Imperial Al Kamar, whose name means "the moon" is a son of El Hilal, whose name means "the crescent moon". Two moons in one horse.

“The moon, like a flower
In heaven's high bower,
With silent delight
Sits and smiles on the night.”-William Blake

I see Maar Bilahh in Badraan and this comforts me, less than a month after her death. Badraan, like his grandmother, has a wonderful temperament. He is a sweet horse, kind and loving. Also like Maar Bilahh and her sire El Halimaar, both of whom were influenced by *Ansata Ibn Halima (he appears 3 times in the pedigree of Badraan: through El Hilal, Hossny and El Halimaar), Badraan's head shape is familiar: short and wide, with very expressive, liquid black eyes. Maar Bilahh's most captivating, most enchanting feature was her eyes. Badraan has that timeless look about him, maybe even, a traditional look. Large, elastic, nostrils frame one end of his head and wonderfully short, sharp, tippy ears frame the top of his head, underscoring all the features which endear sweet-looking horses like Badraan, to a human heart. This is a horse to hug and to whisper promises of wither-scratches and pockets filled to over-flowing with cut carrots. Like Maar Bilahh, he is smooth-bodied, harmonious, with substance, including a muscled chest, which flows into a nice shoulder, topped with a generous wither, testifying to the presence in Badraan's pedigree of strong-bodied horses like Sameh and his daughter, *Serenity Sonbolah. With good, strong legs and hard, round feet, Badraan was conditioned in endurance, doing well in limited distance, up-to-15 miles with good recovery rates.

Majid plans for Badraan to eventually compete in a 25-mile ride. It is important for Majid, that Badraan is tested athletically, before using him for breeding purposes. Majid tells me,

"He has certain qualities that would be an asset to the Egyptian breed such as a good temperament, good strong legs, and well formed, circular feet. The farrier always has good things to say about his feet! Important for a good riding horse!"

Badraan has proven that he possesses the correct conformation and the intelligence to handle a demanding discipline like endurance racing, however, those physical qualities and his temperament are strong reasons why Badraan should be bred to select, straight Egyptian mares. He has much to offer the breeder looking for an authentic Egyptian horse.

Happy New Year,
Ralph