Love is in the Air

We are a couple of days past Valentine's Day but love, still lingers in the air. Which reminds me of the greatest equine love story that I know. 

Love Is In the Air 

Everywhere I look around (I look around...) 

Love Is In The Air 

Every sight and every sound (and every sound...) - lyrics from Love is in the Air, written by Harry Vanda & George Young

In the mid-60's, *Ansata Ibn Halima went to Gleannloch Farms to be shown and also, to breed the mares that the Marshalls had already imported from Egypt, before the arrival of *Morafic. In Judith Forbis' charming book, The Gift; she writes in the voice of her horse, touching upon the relationship that *Ansata Ibn Halima shared with one of the imported Gleannloch mares, *Bint Maisa El Saghira (Nazeer x Maisa): 

"My favorite traveling companion was Bint Maisa El Saghira, who often told me to calm down and relax. She became a very stabilizing influence during my show career. A tall bay mare beloved for her beauty and charm, she won admirers wherever she went. She too collected many halter championships as well as performance championships in English pleasure. Together we were wonderful ambassadors for the Egyptian Arabian horse because we were kind, handsome and athletic." 

Dahmah Shahwaniah was the result of the affection that both horses shared for each other. I don't think a greater love story exists in any breed, let alone the Arabian breed, across all bloodlines. Like her parents, Dahmah Shahwaniah was a sweet mare. I met her at Bentwood, well before the dispersal of the horses via the Sotheby sale, when she and her son, Ibn Dahmahn were sold to Count Federico. An aged mare, she was one of my favorites at Bentwood, now 35 years since that visit.  Dahmah Shahwaniah was physically, very Dahmah in her appearance, thereby, her name and it made sense to me to breed her to a concentrated Saqlawi horse, like TheEgyptianPrince, who would nick well with her, producing what my friend Oliver Wibihal called "Dahmah Shahwaniah's masterpiece", the mare, AK Nawaal.  Her German-born son by Maysoun, Authentic Ibn Nawaal, bred by Rosi Kolster, was part of the breeding program at Al Waab Stud in Qatar and now, makes his home in America. Dahmah Shahwaniah was bred a second time to TheEgyptianPrince, producing a full sister to AK Nawaal named Dahmah Reshan, the dam of the stallion, Ali Reshan, by Ruminaja Ali. 

A Ali Riyah (Ali Reshan x SES Abkara) as photographed by Moffat Photography

My friend, longtime SE breeder Marilyn Lang, currently has a beautiful 2007 Ali Reshan daughter-A Ali Riyah (out of a SES HalimasLegacy daughter) that she is offering for sale, open (not bred). A proven broodmare, she produced a spectacular filly by Fa Ali Bey in 2021: Fa Ali Aliaa.  Had *Ansata Ibn Halima and *Bint Maisa El Saghira not fallen in love, all those years ago, then this beautiful and typey mare would not exist! This is your opportunity to be part of a romantic story, all for the love of an Arabian horse.