all for the love of a horse...: The Raswan Summer Challenge

01 June, 2022

The Raswan Summer Challenge

Carl Raswan astride Jadaan (Abbeyan x Amran), bred by Hingham Stock Farm and purchased by W.K. Kellogg. Jadaan was the favorite horse of the beloved actor, Rudolph Valentino. Not sure who took the photo.

All my life, I have been searching to find a very specific horse, for whom real words will never do justice in fully describing him or convey the significance he holds in my life. So, he remains elusive, living in the back forty of my mind, until just the right word lassos him and makes him real.

"Once you are real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always." - Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

Carl Raswan knew a horse like this too. In these modern times, so unlike the time period in which Carl Raswan lived, you can immediately find information on just about everything, including Arabian horses, all from the hand held device whose primary function used to be a voice telephone. Remember, the AT&T commercial?
Reach out and touch someone.
Now, like Captain Kirk and the rest of the Star Trek crew, we carry this device that can tell us anything we want to know, whenever we want to know it, relegating historically significant words to dusty shelves, waiting to be discovered. Within these old books, Carl Raswan comes alive again, a leading voice at the very core of our breed history. Much of what is said about Raswan concerns the many words that he used to describe the Arabian horse. Raswan is criticized because in his later writings, he contradicts his earlier work. Others feel that his words glorified only the horses owned by his financial supporters and therefore, Raswan could be bought, at the right price. In our very modern (no time to read) and (selective) "hindsight", we can be unfair while sacrificing tolerance, compassion and respect. However, with all that said, it remains challenging to embrace Carl Raswan, his heart, his spirit and his passion, especially when one also considers the Skowronek son, *Raswan. And yet, as difficult as it is to reconcile the man and his responsibility for the tragic death of the horse named *Raswan; it is deep within his writings that I found the passion Raswan had for the Arabian horse.

"But my quest may be for a mythical horse which no longer exists." - Carl Raswan from his book, Drinkers of the Wind

Not only do I find it challenging to use just the right words to describe my perfect horse; my perfect horse is constantly evolving and changing. I learned painfully, that the world of the classic Arabian horse was much broader and diverse than I originally believed. And here I am, having lived a lifetime of incredible horse experiences and I am not any closer to identifying my dream horse than I was last year or even, 40 years ago. Such is the way with words and feelings, journeys and quests, passion and inspiration. They never remain the same because as a person, I am not the same person. I am different today, as I will be next month, next year or even, ten years from now. Why do we have difficulty then with Carl Raswan? Was he any different from you or me?

So what's important about Raswan, you ask?

It's a gradual awareness or awakening to the spirit within Raswan's message. He deeply loved the Arabian horse, despite what happened with the stallion, *Raswan. Carl Raswan, the man, lived every moment of his life, choosing the Arabian horse over everything else. And yes, he was human and he made mistakes but his driving force, his mission, was to improve the overall understanding for the breed and increase admiration for all of the horse's special qualities, as bred by the Bedouin people.

So, will you share my annual summer journey, dear reader? I believe that's where you will find the real Raswan, a very human and fragile Raswan who made mistakes, frustrated and angered people, changed his mind over and over and over, all for the love of the Arabian horse.

***In 1910, Carl Raswan picked up a copy of A Pilgrimage to Nejd and became inspired by the Blunt's story. One can say that this particular book set the course of Raswan's life. Will this be the summer when you find that one book that will change your Arabian horse life forever? Happy Summer! Happy Reading!***

3 comments:

JoeFMonday, August 15, 2011 9:03:00 AM
I understand your quest Ralph. I think to get closer to finding Carl Raswan you must first start by looking in the mirror. I think you share with Raswan a long life of passion for the Arabian horse that was first ignited by the horse itself. In our fueled curiosity we discover people like Carl Raswan whose writings became a catalyst for our own journeys.

Having seen some of Raswan's private correspondence I came to realize that it is not so much about the messenger as it is about the message. His passion for the Arabian horse included its message, its gift to mankind, and it seems that is what he most wanted people to remember in their journey. So he, like you and me, and many others have been given journeys created by the Arabian horse and I think ultimately the one messenger to celebrate is the horse itself. And like Carl Raswan, you have done a magnificent job of it.
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kar120cWednesday, June 25, 2014 12:32:00 PM
Beautifully said, Joe! You and Ralph are the torch carriers for the Arabian breed along with so many others and you all have kept the flame alive and well.
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Ann RienksThursday, June 26, 2014 1:27:00 AM
Well put Ralph! So True, you hit the nail on the head. "In that moment" and to recall the time frame within which he lived. The hardships he and the horses endured. When I started into breeding Straight Egyptian Arabians is when I first heard of Raswan. I have enjoyed and been totally drawn in by his work.
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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.