Nader Al Shamal AA

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!