I try to check in with Marilyn Lang every few weeks to see how she is doing. I have known Marilyn for a long time and am blessed with her friendship. She is one of the people in my inner circle who occupy a role similar to that of a mother, an aunt, a sister, a mentor, a trusted advisor, a teacher, a friend...all rolled into one person. To say that I deeply admire her and respect her, would be an understatement, as Marilyn, through her wisdom and life experiences, has deeply affected my life. When it comes down to Egyptian Arabian horses, whatever Marilyn tells me, becomes my gospel truth. She has been at it for a long time and she has created a multi-generational breeding program which runs deeper than any other program I know of. So, when I dropped her an email on Friday, the last thing that I expected was the tragic news that her most wonderful mare, Fa Carolina Moon, had died earlier in the week. I was devastated. I loved that mare.
Fa Carolina Moon (Halim el Mansour x Fa Bukra)
Some of the most beautiful horses bred by Marilyn include "Moon" in their names; a designation Marilyn uses within her naming convention, to acknowledge the presence of Bukra in the pedigree, along with the influence of RDM Maar Hala, a grand-daughter of Maar-Ree.
FA Carolina Moon, a 2000 bay mare, was a Halim el Mansour daughter. Bred by Rancho Bulakenyo, Halim El Mansour, up until April 12, 2007, was one of the last living sons of the legendary *Ansata Ibn Halima and a full brother to El Halimaar. Jody Cruz, in an interview with Honi Roberts said of RDM Maar Hala, "What many don't realize is that her first five foals were all colts-not what new breeders would normally hope for but what colts they were!" Halim El Mansour will forever remind me of the lesson I learned in quantifying the greatness of a horse. In Halim El Mansour's case, he was an *Ansata Ibn Halima son but as great as being a son of this stallion was, that is not what made Halim El Mansour great. The greatness of this particular horse, was measured by the quality of the offspring which he consistently sired. Carolina Moon was proof of his excellence as a sire. Marilyn said of Carolina Moon, "She is a Halim El Mansour look alike, no doubt. Lovely mare with a very sweet disposition much like her Dad."
Fa Carolina Moon's dam was FA Bukra (Fa Asar x SF Khala Zahra), a mare also bred by Marilyn, who matured into an important foundation mare for her program. Fa Asar was an Ibn Fa-Serr son, out of the straight Babson Egyptian mare, Serasabba (Fabah x Serrasab). While SF Khala Zahra, his half-sister in blood, is a daughter of Ansata el Sherif and out of Sabrah (a full sister to Serasabba), what I like most about Carolina Moon's pedigree are the four lines to the mare Farida, who is found in the pedigrees of the most influential horses to ever leave Egypt.
Fa Carolina Moon (Halim el Mansour x Fa Bukra)
The Farida horses are close-coupled, deep through the heart girth, with well-sprung rib cages, supporting a strong, smooth and level top line, bigger hips, with generous and round, voluptuous hindquarters. Carolina Moon was wider and well-muscled, when viewed from behind. Carolina Moon's hocks were so elastic, she was able to reach far under herself, generating a lot of ground-covering power.
Her strong body also helped her, in transitioning to the breeding herd. An easier mare to settle, she was an easy mare to manage and foal out, as well as a terrific mother to her new foal. Up until last year, she consistently produced colts. Bred to her paternal brother, WK HalimElShakhir, she produced Fa Halim El Nasr in 2007. She was also bred to Shaheen Al Waab, producing her best colt yet in 2015, Fa Amir Ibn Shaheen. A very refined bay colt, he took the strong conformational attributes of his dam, while possessing the refinement of his sire. Carolina Moon was bred to the exciting black stallion, Fa Ali Bey (Justynn x Fa Angelita Rose), producing a beautiful black filly, who was named Fa Bint Carolina Moon. Although black in color, she is very much like her mother, strong of body with the trademark powerful hind end, voluptuous and well muscled, driving her body forward with the same brilliant movement. Marilyn says of Carolina Moon's filly, "Ali Bey gave her a prettier head and even bigger eyes and tail carriage. His signature trait he is passing on to all of his babies is the flag tail carriage." And perhaps, this is where we find some consolation, as no finer tribute can be given to a cherished and beloved mare like Carolina Moon than through the life that will be lived by her daughter, as she matures into an equally important broodmare for Marilyn's program, just as her mother once was.
When I was writing the blog for D Khattafah, I kept thinking about this young stallion, Nader Al Shamal AA, bred and owned by Ariela Arabians. The more I tried to not think of him and focus on D Khattafah's story, the more I thought of a pasture full of similarly colored horses, that look just like him and D Khattafah.
Sired by Salaa el Dine (Ansata Halim Shah x Hanan); Nader Al Shamal's dam is Insha Sha Latifa (Ansata Selman x Naffada); a top show mare, who earned a National Champion Mare of Israel (in 2009), a Reserve Champion Mare of Israel (in 2008) and a National Champion Filly of Israel (2004).
With five lines to Bukra in his pedigree, one would arrive at the conclusion that Nader Al Shamal is deeply influenced by this particular bloodline, however, Bukra is far enough back in his pedigree (great-great-great granddam and further) that even with multiple lines, her percentage of influence is a little less than 6%. This is what makes the study of pedigrees so interesting, as the paper is only part of the horse's story. One must also consider the phenotype of the horse, as sometimes, the physical appearance of the horse is like the one remaining piece of a challenging jigsaw puzzle. Once you find it, everything falls into place and the picture is easier to see. In the video footage, Nader Al Shamal has a high degree of elasticity in his hocks, which enables him to reach under himself and drive his body forward with his hind legs, just as his dam also does. He has very nice movement, with higher knee and hock action. One of the qualities that I also like in this stallion, is his overall balance and smoothness. His body, comprised of circular lines, can be equally divided into thirds. With an equal number of lines to the stallion, Sameh, I looked to the lower corner of the pedigree and specifically, the combination of Romanaa II, *Faleh and *Deena on the maternal side of the pedigree. In my opinion, these are the horses from where the majority of influence comes from. And it's not just about the chestnut coat color, although as striking as it is, when Nader Al Shamal lifts up his tail, collects himself and starts to trot, the look is unmistakable...it's the look of Sameh.
This young stallion is one of my favorite up-and-coming horses. It's exciting to consider the future, when he fills out and has reached full maturity. He has a beautiful length of neck, well set, flowing out of the wither and when something catches his interest and he stretches his neck forward, the shape of his neck is just beautiful. He has a well-sprung rib cage, a good ratio of longer forearm to shorter cannon length and a strong and smooth top line. He is very hard to fault, especially when he turns to look at you with what can only be the unique expression of a desert horse, enhanced by round, black eyes, large, elastic nostrils and a long, profuse forelock. It's in that moment when I find it hard to think of anything else!
I received an email announcement from Arabian Horse Magazine earlier this week, for the striking liver chestnut mare, D Khattafah, sired by Royal Colours and out of a Marwan Al Shaqab daughter, D Jowan. She will be competing in the Senior Mare classes at the upcoming show in Ströhen. Previously, she was named the Gold Champion Mare (unanimous) at the International B Show at Wels and the Silver Champion Senior Mare at the UAE National. No surprise over her wins, as this particular mare is impressive.
At first glance, you may think she is only 50% Egyptian, with all of the Egyptian lines coming from her sire, Royal Colours (True Colours x Xtreme Wonder) but surprisingly, her dam, D Jowan, contributes additional Egyptian lines through horses like Anaza el Farid, *Ibn Moniet el Nefous, *Soufian and even, *Fadl, raising the percentage of Egyptian blood to 53%.
I wanted to post the Menton video for a couple of reasons, the first of which is her spirit and attitude. From the moment she entered the ring, she exuded confidence and control over her emotional state. She was alert and curious, with her head held high, looking at everything that surrounded her, like you would expect from an Arabian horse. Her movement was forward and even, with more length to her stride and did not reflect the mind of a frazzled horse, moving without direction in short, erratic steps. In my lifetime, I have found chestnut colored horses to be a little different, a little more sensitive, as compared to horses of other coat colors. So, in the Menton video, I was impressed with her handler, as he did two things: he was respectful with the lead, not only with the amount of lead that he gave her but he also didn't pull or yank on her head. The second thing that he did was to touch the mare, before he asked her to do something, reassuring her. You'll see this throughout the video, as it is not an isolated event. I recognize that what I am commenting on, has more to do with showing style, than with D Khattafah herself, but the respect for the horse within the showing style boosted the stability of her mind, which relaxed her body and allowed for her beauty to radiate out to all who saw the performance. In a few sequences of the video, we get to observe that marvelous trot with the momentary suspension that creates the floating movement that enchants all who see it (check about :50). So, my compliments to her handler for the compassion he showed to this beautiful mare, allowing her to present herself with confidence, as opposed to fright.
This mare exudes so much femininity, elegance and grace. She has a strong, smooth top line with great tail carriage. She carries her tail high, even when she isn't moving. She has a beautiful length of neck, which is well set, with a clean throat latch and her head is not extreme but it is dry, with excellent skin quality, accentuating the prominence of the bone in her face, underscoring the look of a desert horse. I was a fan of this mare going into the show and post-Menton, I appreciate her beauty, both internal and external, even more. I'll be looking forward to watching her video, as soon as Arabian Essence TV uploads it to their You Tube channel.
Nawaal Al Rayyan is a 2012 grey straight Egyptian mare. She is sired by a chestnut colored stallion named Ansata Sokar (Imperial Madheen x Ansata Samantha) and is out of a grey Al Rayyan-bred mare named Nadrah Al Rayyan (Ashhal Al Rayyan x Ansata Nefer Isis). If you search for her on line, you will find wonderful articles written by Denise Hearst, Jeff Wallace and Betty Finke. So, I was a bit reluctant to also write about this mare, as what can I possibly add to all that has been written about her, especially by people whom I not only deeply respect and admire but whose knowledge and experience far outweigh mine?
Well, I went into the whole Menton experience (with many thanks to Arabian Essence TV) because of Nawaal. She was the motivating reason for my interest in the show this year. You see, in 2015, as a 3-year old filly, she traveled all the way from Qatar, to the American Egyptian Event, then held in June. She was named the Gold Champion Junior Filly and Most Classic Head Junior Filly. She impressed me, as she was breathtaking, a classic type of Arabian horse that not so long ago, was more common in the USA than it is today and I have not forgotten her. I didn't expect to see her again, once she returned to Qatar, as I assumed that she would take her place of honor within the broodmare band at Al Rayyan, where her show wins would pale in comparison to the legacies she would create for this esteemed breeding farm.
When the Arabhorse.com email blast dropped in my inbox, I couldn't believe my eyes. At first, I didn't realize that it was the Al Rayyan filly from 2015. The way in which she is standing in the photo, with her puffed up chest, head held high and that "I'm going to rule the world" look of self-confidence, she looked more like a King and less like a Queen! She is the type of mare that I prefer, as she is strong of body, a very correct mare, with no compromise in breed type. She is taller, with an equal distribution of her body mass, meaning, she has a powerful front end and an equally powerful hind end. One is not more massive than the other, in this day and age of front-end horses. She is smooth and her neck is beautiful, well set, flowing out of the wither and when it meets her head, it forms a very nice mitbah. She is just beautiful, not exotic or extreme, just clean and dry, a horse born of the desert. In the article appearing in Arabian Horse World, written by Denise Hearst, Sheikh Hamad says of Nawaal, "she is a complete mare." And when she entered the Menton arena, calm and confident, despite the new sounds, sights and smells all around her, she proved the accuracy of Sheikh Hamad's words.
When I find a horse that I am interested in, the first thing I do, is to review the pedigree. I want to know the history or rather, the story of who is in there and how all of these horses came together, to create the horse that is the object of my interest. So, my eyes normally fall to the tail female line and in this case, Ansata Nefertiti by Ansata Halim Shah and out of Ansata Sudarra. She is not only Nawaal's great granddam; she is also Ansata Hejazi's full sister. She was bred to Prince Fa Moniet to produce the beloved mare, Ansata Nefer Isis, who in turn was bred to Ashhal Al Rayyan (Safir x Ansata Majesta) which resulted in Nawaal's dam, Nadrah Al Rayyan. Sheikh Hamad, in the same Arabian Horse World article said, "The Ashhal Al Rayyan daughters inherit his classic aura and have proven to be excellent producers." Again, Nawaal, by her very existence, proves how right Sheikh Hamad is. I see "it".
What is also interesting about this tail female line (which goes back to *Ansata Bint Bukra through her Sameh daughter, *Ansata Bint Misr) is that it is doubled, however, in a slightly different form: that is, via the *Ansata Ibn Halima daughter, Ansata Samantha. Ansata Sudarra and Ansata Samantha were half siblings, both mares are daughters of Ansata Delilah (Ansata Shah Zaman x Ansata Bint Misr).
Another sibling surprise is hidden in the pedigree, equally distributed among the sire and dam. Imperial Madheen, the sire of Ansata Sokar, is a son of the German-bred stallion, Messaoud (Madkour x Maymoonah), while Ashhal Al Rayyan is a maternal great grandson of JKB Masouda, a full sister of Messaoud! This influence represents 30% of the pedigree! Sheikh Hamad says that Nawaal is a very nice horse to be around and Messaoud was also known to be pleasant in character, seeking and enjoying the company of human beings. Having known both *Orashan and *Imperial Madheen, I agree.
It's a very clever pedigree, drawing mainly on the influence of the Ansata breeding program, approximately 65% of the pedigree is representative of these horses. There is a breeding nick I wanted to point out and that is, using Ansata Hejazi, on the Prince Fa Moniet daughters but in Nawaal's pedigree, we see this "nick" uniquely expressed but in reverse, Prince Fa Moniet used on the combination of blood which produced Ansata Hejazi, who incidentally, does not appear himself in the pedigree, although his sire is represented in approximately 20% of the pedigree!
You know what I noticed? Having known Prince Fa Moniet in person, the familiarity of Nawaal can only mean that it is from this corner of the pedigree, that is where we find Prince Fa Moniet and Ansata Nefer Isis-Ansata Nefertiti-Ansata Sudarra, combined together with Ashhal Al Rayyan, to impact the body and type of this most gorgeous mare.
Nawaal has been bred to Al Adeed Al Shaqab, producing a filly who was named Nawar Al Rayyan. She also produced a colt (Barraq) by the same stallion. A photo of her very lovely filly appears in the Arabian Horse World article written by Denise Hearst. To see a beautiful mare exhibited in a major show like Menton, knowing that she is a proven broodmare, is fantastic, as it reinforces what these shows should be, breeding classes.
So, dear reader, these are all the compelling reasons why, despite feeling that an additional article on Nawaal was not necessary, I was inspired to tell you her golden story, a journey that has taken her from the desert to the bluegrass and across the ocean to the sandy shores of the French Riviera, Menton 2019!
At first glance, you may believe that Atius O is only half Egyptian, as his sire, Shahim Al Nakeeb is of 100% Egyptian blood. However, his dam, Atia oOne (Johann El Jamaal x Fhelka Serondella), carries many Egyptian lines in her pedigree, particularly, a concentrated influence of Ruminaja Ali, through his son, Ali Jamaal. How prevalent is the presence of Ruminaja Ali? Atius O is approximately 75% Egyptian and of the 25% Egyptian blood that comes from his dam, Ruminaja Ali represents 14%! I think his phenotype conveys what his paperwork confirms, regarding the genetic influence of Ruminaja Ali.
Earlier in June, I published a blog on the *Ansata Ibn Halima daughter, AK Fanniya. Her 1983 daughter, AK Shahniya, by AK Shah Moniet, produced a daughter named Shameerah, by MFA Mareekh Amir. When bred to NK Hafid Jamil, Shameerah produced a son named Shahim Al Nakeeb, the sire of Atius O. Here, in this real, live, present day show horse, is how a mare like AK Fanniya remains relevant in today's breeding culture, as she is a paternal great-great grandam of Atius O!
