Bashar al Kamar (Imperial al Kamar x Binte Aziza MH), bred and owned by Jody Cruz of Rancho Bulakenyo, he traces in his tail female line to El Kahila |
The lack of a substrain name is not unusual for horses of Saudi origin and possibly, was done intentionally, to avoid using references that are so intertwined with Bedouin history. In trying to build and modernize his great Arab nation, King Ibn Sa'ud feared that strong memories in the face of change, might influence the Bedouin to return to a more familiar life in the desert. The Mutayr tribe, as led by Faisal al-Dawish, had rebelled against King Ibn Sa’ud, shortly after the conquest of the Hejaz in 1924. King Ibn Sa’ud defeated the rebels at the battle of Sabilla in the Nejd and eventually, Faisal al-Dawish was captured, imprisoned and later, died. In trying to gain control of the Bedouin, the King had to suppress every means, including the mention of the substrain of horses used in desert warfare against him and all he envisioned.
History tells us that the Kuhaylan Kurush horses were extraordinary horses, self-confident and possessing a fiery inner spirit that one would expect of a warrior’s horse. Breeders of the Kurush horses today will tell you that the horses have not changed. One of my favorite quotes about the strain was made by Philippe Paraskevas in the second volume of his world-famous book, The Egyptian Alternative, “in movement, under the saddle Krushans reveal their inner identity as war horses.”
Bred by the clan of al-Dawish, within the Mutayr Bedouin tribe, who originally, were from the highlands of the northern Hejaz, but by the 20th century, had migrated to Eastern Arabia, near Kuwait; the Kuhaylan Kurush horses were highly prized for their athletic ability, their boldness, fearlessness, heightened sensitivity and perceptive ability.
In Egypt, El Kahila was bred to El Deree, an impressively built stallion with a strong, compact body and powerful laid-back shoulder, who competed as a race horse in Egypt from 1924 through 1927. Their daughter, El Zabia was 100% desert bred and brings the source of desert breeding much closer, as compared to other families, whose desert blood may be found further back in the pedigree.
El Zafir (Awad x Bint Dalal) |
***I don't think I could have written this blog without Edouard Al-Dahdah, through his blog, Daughters of the Wind, so I must credit him for much of what I have written here. He has written many blogs on the strain of Kuhaylan Kurush and I recommend his site, as a source of the most accurate and profound information on the asil horse. Thank you Edouard. Also to Mr. Joe Ferriss, for all that you have written to keep the name of El Kahila relevant in today's breeding culture and Philippe Paraskevas, whose book, The Egyptian Alternative, Volume II, is a treasure, worth it's weight in gold (and more). And Christine Emmert, who took the photo of Bashar al Kamar. She's a great photographer. And finally, a special note of thanks to Jody Cruz, who singlehandedly has created a breeding group of the Kuhaylan Kurush horses, through the mare BintAzizaPrincess, preserving the legacy of El Kahila within American Straight Egyptian breeding.
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