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!
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