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.
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