Yashmak

Yashmak (Sheikh el Arab x Bint Rissala), an RAS mare foaled in 1941, traces in tail female to the important desert-bred mare, Rodania. The name Yashmak is derived from the Turkish word, yaşmak, which means to "cover up" or "hide" with a veil. A yashmak is a type of veil made from combining two pieces of muslin, one piece which goes across the face, just under the nose, while the other piece covers the head. Some yashmaks even incorporate horsehair at the temples, to further cover the face. In Judi Forbis' landmark book, The Classic Arabian Horse, she tells us that, "Yashmak was a big, tall, graceful bay mare with a long supple neck, longish head, well-shaped with huge black eyes, and much improved in type over her dam." Have you noticed the adjectives that Judi uses in her description of Yashmak?
BIG
TALL
LONG
HUGE
Yashmak must have been a very solid, big-bodied (think substance) mare because Judi also tells us that the Saudi Princes, when visiting El Zahraa were struck by her size, as compared to the other mares, who were noticeably smaller in stature. Within the context of who she was and the powerful mare family that she belonged to, I can understand the meaning of her name better. It is an appropriate name. I can't emphasize enough how powerful the Rodania family is, their consistency (dominance) for producing their own phenotype (especially when they are chestnut in color), almost as if they are "hiding" or "covering" any influence another horse can make. A high percentage of United States National Champions can be traced through the tail female line to Rodania. Yashmak, as a member of the Rodania family, was an incredible broodmare, having produced an influential family of horses. For example, by Shahloul, she produced the mare Om el Saad, whose daughter, Bint Om el Saad would become the dam of the much loved 1971 United States National Champion Mare, *Serenity Sonbolah. Yashmak also produced Sanaa, by Sid Abouhom, the dam of the stallions Mosry+++ and Hossny. By Mashhour, Yashmak produced Rahma, the dam of Rawayeh, who when bred to Aseel, produced the very exciting and promising stallion, El Mareekh. Yashmak was also the dam of *Rashad Ibn Nazeer, by Nazeer, who became an important stallion for Richard Pritzlaff. And that, is a very small look at the progeny of Yashmak. There are lots more. I invite you to dig deeper and learn about this most awesome mare and her role in furthering the influence of Rodania.