Azhaar Ezzain

If I were given the choice to pick only one mare at Ezzain, I would pick Azhaar, one of the most extraordinary mares in Kuwait. Through her progeny, like the unbelievably gorgeous Shamsilshmous Ezzain (by NK Qaswarah), she has established a beautiful family of horses, to become an influential broodmare within the Ezzain breeding program. To me, Azhaar is a textbook example of the classic Arabian mare, a living standard of femininity and grace. Azhaar’s sire, Ansata AlMurtajiz, is one of the more significant horses to be produced by Ansata, post Prince Fa Moniet. "Murtajiz" is by Ansata Hejazi and out of the premier Ansata broodmare, Ansata Samsara, a pedigree which is concentrated in the blood of *Ansata Ibn Halima, Bukra, and Moniet el  Nefous.  Zahra, Azhaar’s dam, is by KP Nameed and out of Assal, genetically complementing Ansata AlMurtajiz, as she too, carries multiple lines to Moniet el Nefous through *Tuhotmos, the sire of Nana, who produced Nameeza, the dam of KP Nameed, also through Shaarawi, the sire of Adeeb and finally through Ameer, the sire of Ibn Nazeema, who brings in an additional line to Alaa El Din (complementing the line of Hanan, who produced Ameera). Additional sources of outcross blood come through Messaouda, the dam of Motassem, who was sired by the horse who revolutionized the Marbach breeding program, Gharib. *Ansata Ibn Halima is common ground on both sides of the pedigree, as his son,  Ansata Halim Shah appears twice: through his sons, Motassem and Ansata Hejazi. Also, the Nazeer sons, Hadban Enzahi and Ghazal are present in Madkour I, with an interesting twist, which further complements Azhaar's pedigree. Hadban Enzahi sired the stallion Madkour I (the sire of Ameera), while Ghazal sired Madkour's dam, Moheba II, out of Malacha, who traces to the dam of *Ansata Ibn Halima, through the Sid Abouhom daughter, Moheba.

Bedouin Beauty: A Radiant Coat

The pastures surrounding Sharga lake, in Mongolia, are famous for producing strong, tough horses. Similar to Ireland and to the state of Kentucky, USA, there is something in the soil, possibly limestone, which helps to build strong bones in this still wild nation. A mountain range borders the south side of Sharga lake. Mongolians believe the first horses came down from heaven and entered a small lake, located at the top of these mountains. This lake has an underground spring, which feeds clear, cold mountain water into Sharga Lake. The horses sought passage through this spring, to emerge below, in Sharga Lake. From these heavenly horses, the herd of horses grew and grew, spreading the fame of these wonderfully strong, fast and shiny horses all over Mongolia and as Mongolians believe, all over the world.

Have you read THE HORSE BOY by Rupert Isaacson? It's a great book.  I learned that "Sharga" means "shining", as in,  "a horse's coat can be really shiny." I thought of horses whom I have known with naturally shiny coats. Many of the Davenport Arabian horses, like the Tripoli daughter, Fancy Flight, pictured at left, have a radiant sheen to their coats, particularly the chestnut-colored horses. Maybe it is more noticeable in a chestnut, as opposed to the other body colors. It's a deep luster, somewhat metallic, that makes them sparkle and twinkle in the bright day's sun. I was surprised, when I saw pictures of the Arabian Horses in Bahrain, as I saw this iridescent quality in their coats too. My friend, writer and Crabbet historian and breeder, the late Gari Dill-Marlow was able to see the hide of the influential Crabbet Arabian stallion, Skowronek, and his hide, still, after so many years, was so shiny, it glowed. So, when I read the explanation for the name of "Sharga", this great story really got my attention. Is an iridescent coat an ancient indicator of the Bedouin-bred Arabian horse?

EnJOY,
Ralph

Belle Staar

Belle Staar with Mauri Chase

As a very young horse in 2000, before he went to America and the Middle East, before he sired a legacy of champion sons and daughters, Al Lahab was named the Junior Champion Colt at the Asil World Cup in Germany. The following year, in 2001, at the European Egyptian Event, Al Lahab was once again, the Junior Champion Colt and at the All Nations Cup, Al Lahab was the Reserve Junior Champion Colt. Bred by Ariely Arabians in Israel, Al Lahab's very bright star, even in the early days of his career, reflected a strong, vibrant and interesting maternal bloodline. Al Lahab's dam is The Vision HG, by Thee Desperado and out of a mare named Belle Staar. In America, whenever I see the name "Belle" attached to the name of an Arabian horse, I think of Old Egyptian breeding, for example, the Bel Gordas daughters like Belle Echo, Belle Fayama and Belle Yaana or even, Belle Echo's daughter, Masada Bellesabah. However, in the case of Belle Staar, the pedigree is not old, it is new and that of The Minstril, crossed with Alia-Aenor, a daughter of The Egyptian Prince and out of an AlBadeia-bred mare named *Hasna Al Badeia, a granddaughter of the 1946 EAO mare, Zaafarana. Sired by Balance, Zaafarana was out of the mare Samira (Ibn Rabdan x Bint Radia) a full sister to the important stallion Shahloul and Hamdan, a chief sire for Inshass. In tail female, she traces to the mare Bint Helwa, whom Lady Anne Blunt had purchased from Ali Pasha Sherif. Zaafarana is a Saqlawiyah Jedraniyah of Ibn Sudan, one of the most loved strains of all Arabian horses, going all the way back to Abbas Pasha, who had obtained the Saqlawi horses from the Ruala Bedouin. Zaafarana was celebrated in her time for her brilliant action and presence. She must have been electrifying, when moving. She captivated all who watched her, including Judith Forbis who said, "she was a mare of exceptional quality and brilliant action." Judi had imported Zaafarana's daughter by Nazeer, *Ansata Bint Zaafarana, who became an important broodmare for Ansata. Zaafarana was an excellent producer, passing on her athleticism to her sons *Talal (by Nazeer) and Amrulla (by Sid Abouhom), who became champions and much loved racehorses in Egypt. This is the exciting legacy that is at the very heart of the genetic fabric that made a wonderful mare like Belle Staar possible. Belle Staar produced 12 foals in her lifetime, including four other full siblings to The Vision HG, as well as foals by Hadidi, *Mishaal HP, Makhnificent KA and Ansata Malik Shah. And now, in these wonderful days of the Bronze World Champion stallion, Al Ayal AA, our world watches, as this legacy of maternal influence continues to unfold, thanks to the progeny of Belle Staar, who have spread her influence, all over the world. 

Shamsilshmous Ezzain

The  Ansata AlMurtajiz daughter, Azhaar Ezzain,  when bred to NK Qaswarah, produced Shamsilshmous, whose name means “the best of all suns”. From her dam, she has retained all of the qualities that Ansata AlMurtajiz daughters are known for, like luminous, deeply black, large, expressive eyes, set within a dry, elegant head, accentuated by a pronounced jibbah, a fine, shapely neck, well set on her shoulders, with a flowing line from the wither to the poll and her self carriage, expressed with much lightness and an airy way of going. She possesses an overall smoothness and yet, she has been richly influenced by the elegance and refinement for which NK Qaswarah is known the world over.  She really does take your breath away. The quality of her skin is so fine, that her veins look like they are popping out of her face. Her muzzle is not thick or meaty and her unique, desert look is accentuated by nostrils which are so elastic, they become very large and always, of extraordinary shape. I could go on an on about this mare, all true statements of course and yet, I would fall short in truly conveying how lovely she really is. Such is the wisdom of Usamah Alkazemi in selecting these horses and combining the bloodlines to produce a very unique look, now recognized the world over as the Ezzain Arabian horse.

Mohhareb Ezzain

Mohhareb Ezzain is a stallion, born in 2011, sired by NK Qaswarah and out of Ajmal Ibtihaj (Adnan x Alijamila).  I met him when he was two years old and already, he possessed a high level of elegance, like a beautiful neck, well-set on his body, which met the head at a perfect angle, forming one of the finest mitbahs that I have ever seen. His head is short, wide and very clean, with no heaviness. While gracefully curvey in his proportions and smooth of body, he is not heavy, thick or even short in his proportions. He is a balanced horse. He has sired quite a few horses, out of the finest young mares at Ezzain, like Alamirah, Dorrah, Mardeiah and Bahilla. His son Nimran (out of Nafeisah Ezzain) owned by Ghazi Al Taher has been a successful show colt. One of  the most endearing things about Mohhareb is his personality. He is a very sweet horse, who loves human attention. As you approach his stall, he will stick out his tongue and ask you to caress it. The first time he did this, I was not so sure of what he wanted me to do. The look on his face was priceless. When I finally figured out what he was asking me to do, he was thrilled. I laughed so hard. I'll never forget him, no matter where I go in life.

Fabah

The Babson stallion, Fabah, was an influential individual, not only within the straight Babson Egyptian group but also, in straight Egyptian breeding. Think of horses like Mahrouf, The Shah, Fabo, Hadbah, Ahmed Fabah and Fadl Dan, all of whom claim Fabah as a sire. While it is difficult, if not impossible to find a Babson horse without Fabah present in the pedigree; on a greater note, the combination of *Fadl and *Bint Bint Sabbah is also prevalent in the Babson breeding group because these two prolific horses, together, produced nine other foals in addition to Fabah: Fadahma, Fa Saana, Khebir, Habba, Fad Sabbah, Fa Habba, Fa Saab, Faaba and Fa Abba. I have heard the term "Fabah-free" used previously, which is a term that confuses me. For example, the 1974 Saafaddan daughter, Masada El Aba, out of Daal Aba, may have been the last Babson horse without Fabah in her pedigree and yet, she carries lines to Fabah's full sisters: Fa-Habba and Faaba. So what does "Fabah-free" really mean, being that the combination of *Fadl and *Bint Bint Sabbah may exist elsewhere in the pedigree? The Babson Farm used Fabah on the Fa-Serr daughters and Ibn Fa-Serr on the Fabah daughters. For example, Fabah sired Sabrah (out of Serrasab), the dam of the US National Champion Mare Fa Halima and Ansata Sabiha, as well as the son, Sar Fadl Halim. Another Fabah daughter was the mare Aroufina (out of Roufina) in 1969. When Aroufina was bred to the *Ibn Moniet El Nefous son, Fa Noufas (out of the Fabah daughter, Shebaah), she produced Noufina. In turn, Noufina was eventually bred to the Sabeel son, *Lancers Sahm, to produce the mare PH Safina. PH Safina was bred to *Orashan, to produce the mare, BB Ora Kalilah, one of my favorite Imperial mares and the dam of Imperial Baarez (by PVA Karim). Fabah's daughter, Maarqada, produced the full sisters by Ansata Ibn Sudan: Ansata Jasmin and Ansata Jellabia, who in turn produced the stallion, El Hadiyyah. Maarena, bred to Ibn Fa-Serr, produced the dressage stallion Serr Maariner. Much can be written about Fabah, for he was truly an amazing sire of significance.

Amurath Isis

Amurath Isis was a 1972 grey mare, sired by the straight Egyptian stallion, *Ramses Fayek and out of the Plum Grove-bred mare, Amurath Kalahari (Fadi x *Sanacht). Amurath Isis was almost 70% Egyptian in blood and a beautiful mare, earning a Top Ten mare title in both the USA and Canada. She is pictured with her 1984 *Pesniar-sired filly, Amurath Illusion. In what appears, at first glance, to be an outcross pedigree, combining Egyptian, Polish and foundation American lines; when you look deeper, you will find the mare Hathor, a daughter of the stallion, Halef (Enwer Bey x *Kasztelanka) and Jatta, the mare sired by the Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik-bred stallion, Jasir. Jatta is Amurath Isis' great-great grandam. When Hathor was bred to Hadban Enzahi, she produced the extraordinary broodmare, *Sanacht, imported by Paul Loeber, who in turn, was bred to the Fadjur son, Fadi. This cross of Fadi x *Sanacht provided the opportunity to double the blood of the Polish mare, *Kasztelanka and the Egyptian mare, Negma. *Sanacht was bred to Fadi multiple times, producing Amurath Isis' dam and also, her full sisters: Amurath Kasari in 1965 and Amurath Kashmira in 1966.

Jasir

Jasir was bred by Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik and exported to Germany in 1925, where he became an important sire for Weil-Marbach, siring approximately 40 get. His daughter, Jatta, out of the Weil mare, Soldateska (Souakim x Sylphide I) was bred to the stallion Halef multiple times, producing the full sisters: Hathor, Haita, Hajar and brothers-Hussein and Hassan. Halef was a son of the mare *Kasztelanka (Koheilan I x Bialgrodka), whom Henry Babson imported from Poland in 1938 and eventually bred to *Fadl, producing the stallion, Fadheilan. The Halef-sired get out of Jatta and Fadheilan share common ground through their ancestral elements, for example, the Polish mare *Kasztelanka, crossed with the Egyptian horses from Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik's breeding program.  Jasir is by Mabrouk Manial, an influential sire in straight Egyptian breeding, while his dam is Negma,the granddam of *Fadl, the sire of Fadheilan. Jasir established common ground in Germany with the breeding programs in the United States utilizing the bloodlines of horses like Fadjur and Khemosabi, while also offering German breeders an alternative source of Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik breeding, as compared to the sources available in American programs through Babson Egyptian breeding and the older Egyptian programs founded upon the *Nasr sire line like for example, his son Sirecho and the combination of the blood of *Zarife and *Roda, made available through a popular sire like Howard Marks' Hallany Mistanny. Sometimes, it takes horses like Jasir to prove to cloistered Arabian horse breeders that we are more similar, than we are different.

Ramses Judi

Judi was bred in Egypt, by Ahmed Hamza. She is by Fol Yasmeen and out of *Foze, a 1959 Nazeer daughter out of Fathia. She was purchased in 1970 by Martin Loeber for his Plum Grove Farm, then located in Palatine, Illinois; renaming her "Ramses Judi" by adding the "Ramses" prefix to her name. She was not a straight Egyptian horse, as Fol Yasmeen, through his dam, Muneera, traces to a stallion named Registan, a Skowronek son. Her dam, *Foze, a broodmare for Hamdan Stud, generated much interest among Europeans and Americans visiting Egypt, who expressed interest in purchasing her. She was finally purchased in 1971 and exported to Germany, where she was bred to a wide variety of stallions, including the Russian-bred, Salon, a Negatiw son. In America, *Foze is primarily represented in straight Egyptian form through her son, *Fawzan, who was imported by James Kline. Ramses Judi produced 7 foals, most of whom were sired by *Ramses Fayek. In 1977, she produced the stallion, Ramses Pharoah, who was used as a sire within the Plum Grove breeding program.

El Samraa

El Samraa

El Shalyar (*Soufian  x Wafa)

The interesting thing about the 1924 mare, El Samraa, is that we really don't know a lot about her. She was recorded as both a Kuhaylah and a Saqlawiyah in the EAO studbooks. In the Inshass herdbook, her sire is recorded as Hab El Reah (breath of wind) and her dam as Bint El Sheik (pride of her owner) however, both of these names may have resulted from a misunderstanding of Arabic expression, commonly used when speaking about a mare and not necessarily, the real name of her sire and dam. Regardless, El Samraa is a royal mare, having captured the interest of King Fouad, who purchased her in 1931 from Shaikh Umar Abd al-Hafiz of Cairo. She is a relevant mare in Egyptian Arabian horse breeding, as she is the dam of Samira, who produced Sameh, by El Moez and Bint El Samraa, by Mekdam, whose chestnut daughter by Sid Abouhom, *Bint Bint El Samraa was imported to the United States by Douglas Marshall of Gleannloch Farm in 1970. One of the last stallions shown and promoted by Gleannloch Farm was the chestnut *Soufian son, El Shalyar, out of Wafa, *Bint Bint El Samraa's daughter by *Morafic.

Shaheen Al Waab

In addition to *Foze, Fathia (Sid Abouhom x Shams) also produced a full sister named Bint Fathia. She was bred to Yasir, a Nazeer son out of Yosreia, to produce a mare named Manal. Sayed Marei of AlBadeia then bred Manal to Alaa El Din, producing the mare Amal, who was purchased by Martin Loeber for his Plum Grove Farm and renamed Ramses Amal. A phenomenal broodmare, she produced by *Ramses Fayek, the full brothers, Ibn Fayek and Keyaf. However, it would be a daughter, Anaza Dinneekha, by Ibn El Mareekh (El Mareekh x Bint Deenaa), who would take her mother's influence, forward into the future. Anaza Dinneekha was bred to Anaza Bay Shahh, adding more of that wonderful mare, Bint Deenaa (*Ansata Ibn Halima x *Deenaa). Shahneekha, the mare produced from this breeding was then bred to the Maysoun son, Maydan-Madheen and the result was the much-loved mare Sharuby HP, who then, was bred to Sinan Al Rayyan, an Ansata Sinan son (out of a Safir daughter)
and THAT!
is the tail female line of the 2012 Qatar International Straight Egyptian Unanimous Gold Champion Colt and 2013 Egyptian Event Champion World Class Stallion, 4 & 5 year old, Shaheen Al Waab, who sadly, passed away earlier this year. We are grateful to Al Waab for the life of this beautiful horse and for the legacy he left, through his many beautiful sons and daughters, who will now carry the influence of this vibrant mare family forward, into the future.

Moniet El Nafis

Moniet El Nafis, a 1976 stallion bred by Bentwood Farm in Waco, Texas, was sired by *Ibn Moniet El Nefous, a *Morafic son and was out of the mare, *Hoyeda, a *Morafic daughter. If you compare and contrast his pedigree against the pedigree of TheEgyptianPrince, you will discover that the 2 horses are more similar, than they are different, as both stallions carry 50% *Morafic blood. Moniet El Nafis' pedigree, like the pedigree of TheEgyptianPrince, is concentrated in the blood of primarily 3 horses: Nazeer, Sid Abouhom and Moniet El Nefous. It's the percentage of influence of Nazeer and Moniet El Nefous that is slightly different between the stallions, with Moniet El Nafis carrying 50% Moniet El Nefous blood and 25% Nazeer; while TheEgyptianPrince has 50% Nazeer blood and 25% Moniet El Nefous. No surprise, because when you review the pedigree of TheEgyptianPrince together with Moniet El Nafis' pedigree, you will notice that Nazeer appears one generation sooner in TheEgyptianPrince, than he does in Moniet El Nafis, as, vice versa, the same can be said of Moniet El Nefous within the pedigree of Nafis! She is one generation closer. Also, both stallions carry the same percentage of Sid Abouhom: 25%. I never saw a photo that conveyed the true beauty of Moniet El Nafis. In person, he was surprisingly different from his photos. He was magnificent, in his smooth, strong and radiantly white body. After all, he was a two time Scottsdale top ten halter stallion! He was very much a Saqlawi horse, with longer legs, longer back, longer neck and a head very much like his father-not a wide head but a little more narrow, with a little more length. His body was impressive, with a wide chest, very powerfully muscled shoulders and a strong, well defined wither. He reminded me of the photos that I have seen of Sid Abouhom. I was not surprised that Nafis turned out to be a consistent sire of racehorses, because I always felt he looked like a racehorse himself. He certainly had the powerful structure for racing. In 1978, Doug Griffith selected him for Imperial Egyptian Stud, where he remained a chief stallion and a king for most of his life, before being sold to South America.

Profile of a World Champion

Khidar is an Ansata Sinan son, out of a mare named Elizja, a Belgian National Champion Mare bred by Maghreb Arabians. Do you know that Khidar is 75% Egyptian? Of course, his sire is 100% Egyptian but his dam Elizja is 50% Egyptian through the stallions Malik (Hadban Enzahi x Malikah), Shaker El Masri (*Morafic x Zebeda) and Hindi (Korayem x Hindia). What I found really interesting about Elizja, besides her Egyptian ancestry is her sire, Esta-Ghalil and dam, Aica. They are paternal siblings, as they are both sired by Ibn Estasha (Malik x Estasha). However, both sire and dam are similarly bred, as the maternal lines of each horse include classic, older Polish lines. For example, to find Miecznik (Fetysz x Koalicja) in both maternal lines was a very sweet surprise. The expression of this similarity is expressed magnificently in the phenotype of this wonderful horse. In the early 2000's, Khidar was shown in the most significant venues globally, where he earned many champion titles like Belgian National Champion Stallion, All Nations Cup Senior Champion Stallion, European Senior Champion Stallion and World Champion Stallion. Bred across a wide variety of bloodlines, Khidar's influence continues through sons like Mountassar Al Zobair or a grandson like Shanghai EA.

*Tuhotmos Revisited

The straight Egyptian stallion, El Mon Moniet, was a *Tuhotmos son out of a *Tuhotmos daughter. What I found the most fascinating about this particular horse is the intensification of the *Tuhotmos influence, not only expressed genetically but also, phenotypically. He really looked like *Tuhotmos! The sire of *Tuhotmos, El Sareei, was a paternal sibling of  Moniet el Nefous, as both horses were sired by Shahloul (Ibn Rabdan x Bint Radia). So, the only horses in *Tuhotmos' pedigree (who are different) are the dams - the Kazmeen daughter Zareefa and the Sheikh el Arab daughter Wanisa. You have to wonder whether there is any difference at all when you consider that Sheikh el Arab was a son of the Kazmeen daughter, Bint Sabah. The tail female line of  El Mon Moniet traces back to the mare Farida, through the mare *Ein. Consider that *Ein, the dam of Amira Moniet was sired by Anter, a Hamdan son. Hamdan and Shahloul were full brothers! Also, Nazeer, the sire of Abla, was out of Bint Samiha, a Kazmeen daughter. No longer alive, El Mon Moniet was more of a "thinking man's horse", not for everyone but when used correctly, offered a concentrated genetic source of the most revered horses, representing the very core of the EAO breeding program.

Fa Moniet

Fa Moniet was a 1967 *Ibn Moniet el Nefous daughter out of the straight Babson Egyptian mare, Fada (Faddan x Aaroufa), bred by the Babson Farm. Fa Moniet was a maternal sister to Maarena (Fabah x Fada) who like her dam Fada, was also bred to *Ibn Moniet El Nefous several times, producing the full siblings: AK El Zahra Moniet, AK El Maalouf and AK Monareena. Fada was also the mother of Fadl Dan, a sire for Bentwood Farm and Bint Fada, who was the dam of Al Nahr Montego. If Fa Moniet had only produced Prince Fa Moniet, we would still consider her an influential broodmare but the fact is that she produced other horses like Prince Fa Moniet's full sisters: Akid Bint Ruala and Akid Fa Mona. Fa Moniet also produced Akid Serra Moniet by the Babson/Sirecho stallion, Serr Al Sahih, who in turn, produced a daughter by AK El Zahra Moniet named Akid Hanalei, who when bred to Nabiel, produced Akid Geshan, a Supreme Grand Champion Stallion who like Prince Fa Moniet, traveled to Australia. In her tail female line, Fa Moniet traces to the Babson import, *Maaroufa (Ibn Rabdan x Mahroussa). There is a voluptuousness to Fa Moniet's strong body, an overall harmony influenced by the horses found within the maternal side of her pedigree. The the flowing circular, delightfully curvey lines, all work together to present an old world look, which is unmistakable and point to the influence of Manial Stud and the horses bred by Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik, still relevant after so many years.

Prince Fa Moniet

Prince Fa Moniet was a 1981 son of The Egyptian Prince out of Fa Moniet, a 1967 *Ibn Moniet el Nefous daughter bred by Henry Babson. I met Prince Fa Moniet in person, at Bentwood Farm, before he was purchased by Ansata. He was a most elegant and refined horse, approximately 8 years old. I was impressed with his overall smoothness, as well as the athletic strength that radiated from his body, wither to croup. A very pleasant, cheerful and friendly personality, I stood right next to him with my arm over his back. I was in Texas for business and had set aside time to visit Bentwood, as I really wanted to see the *Ibn Moniet el Nefous/Babson cross mares. And here I was with a grandson, representing this wonderful cross! Prince Fa Moniet carries 40% Moniet El Nefous blood in his genetic makeup and was true to the Saqlawi strain characteristics, that is longer legs, longer neck and a longer back. He had powerful shoulders and behind, he had elastic, powerful hocks that drove his body forward. He had a lot of lift and his trot was not only powerful, it had a momentary suspension, which made him airborne, as if he were gliding over the ground with feet that never touched the earth. I marveled over Prince Fa Moniet's level of engagement, back to front, when moving about the ring. He used his back muscles naturally (instead of his joints) and therefore, he got under himself impressively; that driving power matched up front with freedom in his shoulders, allowing him to cover much ground in few strides. He was so athletic and I marveled over his ability to very effortlessly, within a stride or so, change direction. It was a joy to watch him show off. At the time, I had no idea who Prince Fa Moniet was but years later, I saw an Ansata advertisement which included his picture and I recognized him as the stallion I had met at Bentwood. Meeting Prince Fa Moniet was an impactful experience for me, for which, I am eternally grateful and remains a very cherished highlight in my life.

Hannah...Full of Grace

The 1963 bay mare, Hannah, was a Fabah daughter out of Fasera, a Fa-Serr daughter out of Fa-Abba (Fabah's full sister). The name Hannah, is based on the Hebrew name, Channah, meaning "favour" or "grace". In the Bible, Hannah was the mother of the prophet, Samuel. It was the Puritans who popularized the use of the name in the 17th century. Hannah was representative of the cross that the Babson Farm practiced, top-crossing Fabah on the Fa-Serr daughters. The caption in the photo above says that Hannah's 1968 filly "Janie" is an *Ibn Moniet El Nefous daughter but she was not. She was an Ansata Abbas Pasha daughter, who was bred to *Ibn Moniet El Nefous and produced the daughters: AN Molly Moniet in 1972 and Janidah in 1977. Hannah was primarily outcrossed to new Egyptian blood but she was bred to Ibn-Fa-Serr and produced the straight Babson Egyptian mare, Bint Hannah, who was then bred back to Fabah and foaled the chestnut stallion, Bah Dan in 1973.

A Black Mare Study

The Vision HG (Thee Desperado x Belle Staar)

Alttafilbari Ezzain (NK Qaswarah x Ajmal Ibtihaj)

It's funny how one photo can inspire a series of disconnected thoughts, which actually, end up working together, pushing your mind into a higher level of understanding and an appreciation for close genetic connections, beyond what may at first appear as only a common coat color, in photographs of similarly-moving horses. The late Vision HG is sired by a Minstril son and out of a Minstril daughter...paternal half-siblings, right? Think again, as they are more closely related than that. Both Thee Desperado and Belle Staar are out of mares that are also paternal half-siblings; each mare sired by The Egyptian Prince (*Morafic x *Bint Mona). Think of these close connections in another manner and that is, in the generation of the great grandparents, the pedigree is made up of eight individuals. In The Vision's pedigree, three of these eight individuals appear twice (Ruminaja Ali, Bahila, TheEgyptianPrince), so in essence, eight individuals become five individuals, with three of the individuals having a higher percentage of influence (25% each) than the other two (12.5% each). The horses in this generation who are different from the others are the mares Asmarr (*Ibn Hafiza x Nagliah) and Hasnaa AlBadeia (Kayed x El Ameera). However, a closer look at these two mares reveal that the outcross blood comes through Asmarr, Kaydahom (Azmi x Om El Saad) and Zaafarana (Balance x Samira). When I saw this photo of The Vision at liberty, a feeling of deja vu swept over me. I had seen this type of horse before...but where? I thought and thought for a long time. The more I thought about it, the more I thought about a paradise I know and call Ezzain, where another black horse lives. Alttafilbari Ezzain (NK Qaswarah x Ajmal Ibtihag) at first glance, may not appear to have any connection with The Vision HG but wait, a second glance at her pedigree will reveal that her granddam Alijamila was a Ruminaja Ali daughter, which makes Alttafilbari a great-granddaughter of Ali, just like The Vision, who is not only a great granddaughter, she is a double great-granddaughter of Ruminaja Ali! However, dig a little deeper and follow the tail female line that runs from Ansata Justina to Ansata Bint Sameh, where you will find the stallion Sameh (El Moez x Sameera), who also appears in The Vision's pedigree, as the sire of *Ibn Hafiza. Sameh was a phenomenal broodmare sire, expressing his influence from the mare side of the pedigree. No surprise to find him here, represented in the strong bodies of two mares who channel their energy through the muscling of their backs and not through their joints, tails held high, nostrils fully dilated...very much a Sameh-line horse for sure! It's that inborn joy and confidence, combined with a look-at-me, I-am-really-pretty attitude that has charmed many breed enthusiasts with what is, a unique expression of that unmistakable Sameh-type. 

TheEgyptianPrince

TheEgyptianPrince, a 1967 stallion, bred by Douglas Marshall of Gleannloch Farm, was a *Morafic son out of *Bint Mona. His pedigree is very interesting to study, as he is one of those rare horses whose genetic influence is concentrated in the blood of only a few individuals. Both his sire and his dam were sired by the great Nazeer, so immediately, you will notice that these 2 horses are paternal siblings. However look closer, as *Morafic and *Bint Mona were more than paternal siblings and this is where it gets so interesting and the connections become even closer. You see, Mabrouka, the dam of *Morafic and Mouna, the dam of *Bint Mona, were full sisters; both mares sired by Sid Abouhom and out of Moniet el Nefous. Therefore, *Morafic and *Bint Mona were actually, full-brother and full-sister in blood! I'll put it another way for you, in the 4th generation of TheEgyptianPrince's pedigree (the great-grandparents generation) the pedigree is made up of only 8 horses, each horse contributing 12.5% of their influence to TheEgyptianPrince. In TheEgyptianPrince's pedigree, these 8 horses are actually, 4 horses who appear twice, in this order, top-to-bottom: Mansour, Bint Samiha, Sid Abouhom and Moniet El Nefous, the genetic influence of each horse doubled to 25%. TheEgyptianPrince has been long-recognized as a consistent broodmare sire. His daughters, for the most part, matured into excellent broodmares, who have taken his influence further into our breeding community. Exploring his genetic makeup, allows us to better understand him and the role he continues to play in modern Egyptian breeding.

Bukra

One of the most important mares in straight Egyptian breeding possessing the El Dahma tail female line, is Bukra, a mare whom the late General Tibor Pettko Von Szandtner (the stud director of the Egyptian Agricultural Organization's El Zahraa stud farm from 1949 to 1959) described as "a very noble mare." Reading the herd book notes written by him and forever preserved by Judith Forbis within her monumental tome, Authentic Arabian Bloodstock II, you immediately realize that Bukra was a mare who was held in high regard by Von Szandtner. Within The Classic Arabian Horse, published in 1976, Judith Forbis stated that the General considered her “a first class, Saqlawi-type mare”. While the photography from this time period does not fully capture her beauty; she really must have been a breathtakingly beautiful mare in her prime to have been rated first-class by a cavalry officer, who valued utility in horses, above all else.

The pedigree of Bukra is classically beautiful, as the majority of her ancestry reflects the Egyptian breeding programs of Abbas Pasha, the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS), Ali Pasha Sherif, Khedive Abbas Hilmi II, Prince Ahmad Pasha Kamal and Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik. Her sire, Shahloul (Ibn Rabdan x Bint Radia), despite producing an influential son named El Sareei, was a phenomenal sire of broodmares: Futna (Farida), Kateefa (Bint Rissala), Maisa (Zareefa), Moniet el Nefous (Wanisa) and Om el Saad (Yashmak). All of these mares have exerted a profound influence upon our breed, producing sons and daughters who in turn, continued to significantly impact the breed and remain genetically important and vital, up to the present day.

Bukra's dam, Bint Sabah, was sired by Kazmeen (who brings in the outcross blood of the Blunt desert horses like Queen of Sheba, Dajania and Azrek) and out of Sabah (Mabrouk Manial x Bint Obeya). Bint Sabah was a critical mare in Egyptian Arabian horse breeding; as she produced the mare Layla (by Ibn Rabdan) who went on to produce the stallion, Sid Abouhom by El Deree. She also produced the mare *Bint Bint Sabbah by the RAS stallion Baiyad, who was later purchased and imported by Henry Babson and the stallion, Sheikh el Arab (by Mansour), an extremely important sire for the EAO programme who sired daughters like Halima, Yosreia, Wanisa and Yashmak.

***Don't miss a wonderful article about the Bukra horses within The Arabian Breeders Magazine, Volume II, Issue II is The Dawning of a New Tomorrow: The Bukra Story***