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