I am grateful that there was a horse like Imperial Mistilll. How many people did she influence around the world? I saw her the last time, winter 2004. For me, it was pure delight and pure magic, to be in her presence. Like standing in the sun light, on a cold day and feeling warm. I felt good. She made me feel better. To this day, I won't forget how she let me stand next to her, while she sniffed every part of my person. I was important enough to Mistilll, that I mattered and she wanted to know who I was and what I was all about. She filled me with happiness, down to the tips of my toes and my soul sang, all the way home. She was kind, gentle and she was everything that I expected. Little did I know that this visit, would be the last. This is a somewhat bizarre time in my life, as all the great horses of my youth are disappearing. I realized that there might be some people who are not familiar with Mistilll and the horses in her lineage. The mare that founded this family at Ansata Arabian Stud is Falima, sired by *Ansata Ibn Halima and out of the Babson mare, FaHabba (a first generation daughter of the 1932 Babson Egyptian imports: *Fadl x *Bint Bint Sabbah). Falima is the dam of important broodmares, like for example, Ansata Nile Mist, who went on to found an important family at Imperial (when bred to Dr. Nagel's *Jamilll, produced Imperial Mistill, who in turn produced horses like Imperial Kamill and Imperial Saturn). When I walked the broodmare barn at Imperial, I discovered the young grey mare, Imperial Baarilllah, by Imperial Baarez and out of Imperial Mistilll. She was stunning and I knew, in the moment that I found her, that Imperial Mistilll will never be that far away.
Enjoy your horses,
Ralph
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