all for the love of a horse...: HR Hasims Legacy

19 January, 2011

HR Hasims Legacy

HR Hasims Legacy (Sah Hasim Khabar x Adaah)

HR Hasims Legacy is a 2002 straight Babson Egyptian stallion, bred by Cheryl O'Donnell and presently owned by Kim Cooper of Axiom Arabians, Cape Fair, Missouri. He is sired by the bay-colored Sah Hasim Khabar, a Char Serr son out of the Fabah daughter, Adaah. My friend, Clothilde Nollet of Maarena Arabians in France saw this horse and said,

"Kabar is a Kuhaylan stallion with incredible substance, one of the biggest horses I have ever seen, lots of bone and what a powerhouse. He is quite tall. He has been bred to various type of mares and tends to give very good conformation, large back, chest, long hip, powerful movement, good character, big eyes."

Charr Serr (Negem x Serra)

When I think of the black beauty, Char Serr, I think of a particular photograph which shows the horse performing the Spanish walk, with Wayne Newton astride. Have you seen this photograph? For most people like me, who have had the opportunity to work closely with Babson horses, we are familiar with their good and steady nature, a high level of intelligence and their willingness for trying new things. They are most definitely companion horses, who illustrate powerfully, within day-to-day life, what a Bedouin tent horse must have been all about. Char Serr was bred by Dr. Keith Krausnick of Shar Char Farm, a 30+ year breeding program focused on straight Egyptian and *Turfa-Egyptian horses. Char Serr was a 1964 son of Negem (Fa-Serr x Fay Negma) out of Serra (Fa-Serr x Fad Roufa).

HR Hisams Legacy's dam is a very refined, bay-colored Mahrouf daughter named Mah Bah Roufa, who is out of the Ibn Fa-Serr daughter, Bah Rous Amira.

"Mr. Babson had no qualms about inbreeding, and he was the first American Egyptian breeder to experiment with breeding full brother and sister. Fa-Serr was bred to Fa Deene to produce Ibn Fa-Serr (grey, 1960), who sired 85 foals, including three national winners."-from Arabian Horse World's May 2003 Heritage Horse, Fa-Serr

HR Hasims Legacy's pedigree is interesting, because of the number of times *Bint Serra I appears in his pedigree: 9 times, as compared to the most prolific of the Babson broodmares, *Maaroufa, who appears only 5 times and *Bint Bint Sabbah, who appears 3 times. When Fabo died, we lost the opportunity of breeding to a stallion with a tail female line to *Bint Serra I. With HR Hisams Legacy, we have the opportunity to breed to a stallion who possesses a high percentage of her influence. In an Arabian Horse World article, which appeared in the August 1982 issue, Mary Jane Parkinson wrote,

"Dr. Branch interceded in dealing with Prince Kemal el Dine so that Babson could acquire *Bint Serra I 897 (Sotamm x Serra), who became his favoite of the importation."

While *Bint Serra was his favorite, it is important to point out that Babson actually prized all three of these mares and considered *Bint Serra, *Maaroufa and *Bint Bint Sabbah to be his premier broodmares. So in one horse, we find the influence of these three super mares PLUS *Bint Saada, whose appearance in Babson horse pedigrees is unfortunately, infrequent. *Bint Saada appears twice, through her *Fadl son, Faddan. Over the years, through personal observation, I have noticed that Babson horses carrying lines in their pedigree to *Bint Saada, seem to have "a little extra-something", which is so hard for me to explain, that is, exactly what that "little extra" is all about. In this case, the "irresistible" in HR Hasims Legacy, might be the best way to explain that "little extra-something". The only straight Babson Egyptian of the 1932 importation who does not appear in the pedigree is the pretty chestnut mare, *Bint Bint Durra.

HR Hasims Legacy (Sah Hasim Khabar x Adaah)

The influence of the Saqlawi strain is evident in the phenotype of HR Hasims Legacy. He is sleek, refined and elegant. Like the finest velvet, these qualities are hard to miss about him. He is very smooth and harmonious. His neck is a bit longer, than you find on other Babson horses and while I would like to see a little more length in the poll, the neck is graceful, with a clean underline. It is also important to stress that balance in an Arabian Horse is so vitally crucial. So, when I say something like "I would like a little more length...", the flip side of this statement is that a little more length may completely upset the total overall picture of balance in HR Hasims Legacy. So, while yes, a longer poll may be desirable in this horse, I think balance is more important, a quality that is already outstanding in HR Hasims Legacy, that is, the harmony and balance present in his physical body. This is a very nice horse.
HR Hasims Legacy is a closer-coupled, with a strong and smooth topline, framed on one end by a nice, deep hip and on the other end, with a powerful shoulder with a nice, noticeable wither. Like most Babson horses, this is a horse made for riding. The ratio of forearm-to-cannon is very nice. His head has a very nice shape, short, wide and broad, with very large jowls, small ears and large, elastic nostrils. He has a prominent jibbah, not extreme but noticeable. His eye is soft and black, with no white in them. His eye radiates a sweetness, indicating a horse who is friendly and enjoys being with people. He is a total package of Arabian horse goodness. Kim said the following about HR Hasims Legacy,

HR Hasims Legacy (Sah Hasim Khabar x Adaah)

"Legacy is super sweet and well-mannered. He is very friendly and comes right up to you. He is always looking to see me and greet me."

HR Hasims Legacy is a proven sire, as he has sired one colt and one filly to date. The colt is out of DU Faaissa, a Babson-Sirecho mare and unfortunately, the filly out of Char Iswid Malaka died. Kim is planning to have shipped semen ready for spring. Is there a hint of a broodmare sire in the making? Of the nine lines to *Bint Serra I, four of those lines are through her son, Fay-el-Dine. Fay-El-Dine was recognized as an excellent sire of daughters.

"At Babson Farms, *Bint Serra I produced eight *Fadl foals, the first the noted Fay-El-Dine, one of Mr. Babson's favorites."-from Arabian Horse World's May 2003 Heritage Horse, Fa-Serr

HR Hasims Legacy is a very intensely in-bred Babson horse, I almost think of HR Hasims Legacy as an outcross, especially for the very heavy Nazeer lines. We know from history that the Mansour lines cross exceptionally well with the Ibn Rabdan lines.

"Some breeders have shown an interesting example by early on sorting their program out into subgroups for later crossing with each other, while each subgroup in its own way, is something of an outcross to the other."-Joe Ferriss

Some of the most beautiful straight Egyptian horses ever seen, resulted from crossing the straight Babson Egyptian horse back onto the newer Egyptian lines. I sincerely hope that an owner of a newer Egyptian line mare, who may be reading this blog about HR Hisams Legacy will be moved to try something a little different, for the love of a horse.

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MY FAVORITE WEBSITE

If you want to understand the desert Arabian horse on a deeper level, then you will want to visit Daughters of the Wind, a blog maintained by Edouard al-Dahdah, since 2008. It's my favorite place to visit, on a regular basis. For me personally, the information that Edouard presents is at times so profound, that I find myself weeks, even months later, still thinking about what he has written. I consider him a treasured source of inspiration and for the times that I don't feel like writing anymore, a significant source of encouragement. In one place, you will be able to read of the horses, their heritage; as well as the culture, traditions and the geography of the land, from where they originated. I strongly encourage you to visit his blog to broaden your understanding and deepen your appreciation for the Bedouin-bred horse.

MY FAVORITE WEBSITE X 2

The Horse In Word and Picture is the blog of Rania el Sayed, a very talented photographer, whose equine photography is second-to-none. I still remember when I first learned of Rania, it was all because of the late Dr. Nasr Marei. At the time, Nasr published an article that featured Rania's photography. I was thrilled by the photography and later, "meeting" Rania was one of the highlights of my horse life. I loved her photo of Mangooma and Rania, in an act of kindness never to be forgotten, let me use her photo in my blog. Thanks Rania for all of your support. You'll love Rania's blog and all of the equine topics she covers, including the straight Egyptian Arabian Horse. She really pushes me to think deeply about things that I haven't thought in a while. And you don't have to join Facebook, to read her posts. .

MY FAVORITE BOOK

One of the questions that I am asked most frequently is which book(s) do I recommend? Judith Forbis', The Classic Arabian Horse, published in 1976, is MY FAVORITE BOOK...EVER. Prior to the publication of this book, we really didn't have anything that compiled the history, the bloodlines & breeding practices and conformation (including breed type) of the straight Egyptian horse in one volume. You had to dig through multiple sources, sometimes in languages foreign to one's own, to try and develop an understanding of the Egyptian Arabian horse. So, this is my recommendation to you today, especially if you are just starting, this is the most important book you will ever own. You can find the book on Amazon, previously owned, at a very affordable price.

A NEW FAVORITE BOOK

Many times, I have heard other enthuiasts say, "if only I could get into the mind of this breeder and understand the Arabian horse as he or she does!" Dr. William Hudson, a long-time breeder, weaves together his lifetime of experiences including the latest developments in equine genetic science with the history, art and culture of the Arabian horse. This is not the type of book that you will read, cover-to-cover, in one sitting. You will find yourself turning to this massive 1,500 page, 2-volume set, over and over. If you love Arabian horses and want to understand the breed intimately, on a deeper level, this is the only book you will ever need to own. If you are breeding Egyptian Arabian horses, I urge you to purchase this 2-volume set before you breed one more horse!

MORE FAVORITE BOOKS...

One of the questions that I am asked most frequently is which book(s) do I recommend? Previously, I mentioned Judith Forbis' THE CLASSIC ARABIAN HORSE which is a great introduction to the breed and to Egyptian Arabian horses specifically. But now, you have read that book and are ready to go deeper. So, this is the book that I recommend reading (VOLUME II ) without hesitation. It's fantastic. The depth of this book, within tail female lines, sire lines and strains found in Egyptian (EAO) breeding is not found anywhere else. If you are serious about the Egyptian Arabian horse, whether a breeder, student or enthusiast, you must read this book, at least once!

STILL MORE FAVORITE BOOKS

In the Preface, Dr. Nagel wrote, "Since it is claimed that the Arabian horse breed is one of the oldest on earth, one has to accept that it is also in the crossfire of many opinions which sometimes clash vigorously. There are obviously many doubts and errors, and the advocates of different concepts seem to be not ready to settle on a common stance. It should encourage the reader to think...The refreshing variety of thoughts surrounding this noble member of the great family of horses should not be lost." Whether you agree or disagree with Dr. Nagel, is not what is important but rather, the resulting thought that this book will inspire. I can't even tell you how many times I have read this wonderful book cover-to-cover. It's one of the more provocative books that I have ever read and each time I have read it, a part of the book that had not impacted me previously, will cause me to think deeply for days, weeks and even months at a time. So, dear reader, I recommend this book to you, in the hope that it will inspire you to think deeply about our breed and examine why, you feel the way you do.

"The ideal Arabian type is recognizable at sight to the experienced horseman and novice alike. It falls short of the ideal if it reminds one of another horse or breed. It falls short of the ideal if it is so plain and uncertain of type as to require a sign: 'This is an Arabian horse.' It falls short of the ideal if it is so coarse and masculine as to remind one of a small Percheron, at one extreme, or so highly animated and elf-like as to remind one of a gazelle at the other extreme. The ideal type stands out alone. You know it immediately when you see it."-Ben Hur, from his 1951 Western Horseman article, Type in the Arab

In the summer of 2006, when I discovered Blogger, the last thing on my mind was creating a blog. At the time, I had been participating in a popular Egyptian Arabian horse website and desired to find a website that would allow me to "cut-and-paste" the posts that I had written for future reference. From those humble beginnings, this blog was born. I'm not a professional writer and although I want to say that writing is a hobby; I think it is better to say that I write for the love of the breed. I've had the good fortune to meet a number of horses who are now considered legendary, as well as some really wonderful people, who are equally legendary. Over the years, people have suggested that I charge a subscription fee or pursue paid sponsorships but you know how money changes everything and this blog, after all, is a labor of love. So, there you have it, the story of the blog. Many thanks to the people who make this blog doable, for example, where would I be without any of the photographers, the "visual storytellers" of our breed, who allow me to post their pictures and to the authors of the many books and magazine articles that I have read over the course of 45 or so years, helping to educate a long ago kid, crazy in love with Arabian horses. And finally, an overwhelming amount of gratitude for you dear readers, for coming here to this place, to read, discover and celebrate this common ground we share, all for the love of an Arabian horse.

19 January, 2011

HR Hasims Legacy

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