22 November, 2019
Sabrah
The Babson Farm experienced success by combining the blood of Fabah (*Fadl x *Bint Bint Sabbah) with that of Fa-Serr (*Fadl x *Bint Serra I), which is EXACTLY how four full siblings were produced by Serrasab (Fa-Serr x Fay Sabbah): the stallion, Bah Sab in 1963 and the full sisters: Sabrah in 1964, Serasabba in 1965 and Serasaab in 1968. All four of these horses were extremely concentrated in the blood of *Bint Bint Sabbah, as they traced to this critical Babson foundation mare in both tail female lines; through the sire and also, through the dam. As a matter of fact, when you look at the pedigree, you will soon realize that it is primarily populated by three of the six horses that Henry Babson imported from Egypt: *Fadl, (43.75% influence), *Bint Bint Sabbah (37.5% influence) and *Bint Serra I (18.75%). The prepotency of this blood, close as it was to the original source horses, influenced these mares and stallions to become the strong and prolific breeding horses that they turned out to be, producing equally outstanding sons and daughters, who have gone on to become influential in both straight Egyptian and straight Babson Egyptian breeding programs. Of the four full siblings by Fabah, I feel that Sabrah was her most successful offspring. If Sabrah had only produced Fa Halima by *Ansata Ibn Halima, we would still celebrate this single accomplishment and rate her as an elite broodmare. However, Sabrah also produced Ansata Sabiha, who became an important foundation mare for Mike and Kiki Case's Glorieta Ranch and the charismatic stallion, SAR Fadl Halim, both horses sired also by *Ansata Ibn Halima. When she was bred to the *Ansata Ibn Halima son, Ansata El Sherif, she produced the mare, SF Khala Zahra, an important broodmare for both Walter Schimanski of Masada Arabians and Marilyn Lang of Fantasia Arabians, who incidentally, has bred deeply within this family of horses, more so than any other breeder, through her foundation mare, Fa Bukra, SF Khala Zahra's daughter by Fa Asar, whose dam by the way is Serasabba, a full sister to Sabrah.
15 November, 2019
The Importance of Fidl Fadl
Fidl Fadl (Ibn Fadl x Fay Khedena) |
Fidl Fadl had an interesting pedigree, the majority of which is populated by three of the six horses Henry Babson imported from Egypt: 50% of *Fadl, 18.75% of *Bint Serra I and 6.25% of *Bint Bint Sabbah. Of these three horses, *Fadl (Ibn Rabdan x Mahroussa) appears four times: as both a paternal and maternal grandsire, in addition to being a maternal great great grandsire twice. And this is where the 25% *Turfa influence fits so nicely, as this mare ushers in fresh outcross blood, to balance the concentrated line breeding to *Fadl and also, *Bint Serra I, who appears twice, in the tail female line of both, the maternal sire (Fay-el-Dine) and dam (Khedena).
Ibn Rabdan, as painted by Mrs. Colmore |
Fidl Fadl (Ibn Fadl x Fay Khedena) |
The Pyramid Society resulted from a very real concern felt for Egyptian bloodlines, which if left unprotected, through outcrossing, could be lost forever, never to be enjoyed in their original form, as imported from Egypt. Unfortunately, for authentic Bedouin-bred horses like Fidl Fadl, who fell outside of the Pyramid Society definition, the marketability of their genetic heritage never approached the level that the straight Egyptian horses enjoyed, once the Pyramid Society was established. Remember, I said "marketability" and not "appreciation". Horses like Fidl Fadl didn't have a similar fraternal marketing organization behind them to provide the financial encouragement (incentive) to insure the perpetuation of the bloodlines, as the Egyptian horses had. Economically, breeding outside the straight Egyptian label did not offer a similar level of return. Had the situation been different and the financial rewards greater, then perhaps, Fidl Fadl would have bred some of the top Egyptian mares of his time, especially when you consider the genetic wealth he offered. Remember, that today, we don't have a tail female line to *Bint Serra I in straight Babson Egyptian breeding and we face a scarcity of this line within straight Egyptian breeding. What makes an Arabian horse great? Is it the physical presentation of overwhelming breed type, athletic ability or consistency in siring/producing influential progeny? Fidl Fadl remains an important lesson, concerning the sources of authentic Arabian breeding and the prepotency the blood has for producing superior results consistently, no matter how this blood is combined with other ancestral elements, whether in straight Egyptian form or blended with desert breeding. I don't know if out of necessity, there will come a day when conforming to being straight Egyptian will mean less, than breeding within specific family groups and restoring lines that are critically endangered, regardless of how they may be combined, before they are lost forever. These are the things that I think about, when I think of an excellent horse like Fidl Fadl, whose appeal touches all enthusiasts, regardless of their bloodline interest. It just does not make any sense to me, that a horse that looked like he did, possessing the bloodlines he had, was not as widely used as he should have been, insuring the survival of key bloodlines like the already mentioned *Bint Serra I, expressed in what is a unique offering which included an authentic Nejdi-bred mare like *Turfa!
So, how did life turn out for Fidl Fadl anyway? Fidl Fadl was enjoyed by Glenn and Geneva Cantwell of Washington, both as a show horse and sire. His son, Twin Fir Elegance+, was a Canadian National Champion in Pleasure Driving, while in the USA, he was a two time US Top Ten in the discipline. His daughter, Live On Morjhaana was a US Top Ten in Dressage, Third Level. Late in Fidl Fadl's life (age 20), he was obtained by Sara and David Jones of Grove Creek Arabians in Illinois. The Joneses were Al Khamsa breeders who also owned similarly influenced Babson-bred mares (at one time, they stood Fadl Starr at their farm). For the Jones, Fidl Fadl sired Al Khamsa recognized horses, like the chestnut mare, Fidl Fadl's Finale. Prior to being with the Jones, Fidl Fadl had sired approximately sixty purebreds and derivatives. The Al Khamsa roster recognizes 23 get, born between the years 1961 and 1990. Through 8 generations, 23 Al Khamsa horses have produced 202 descendants. It is interesting that of these descendants, 141 were born from 1980-1999, with 56% of that number, born before the end of 1989, a record decade in Arabian horse breeding. His most famous son, Ibn Fidl Fadl +/, a legion of honor winner and a truly versatile horse, competed in Dressage, Ladies Side Saddle and trail, as well as Western Pleasure, Native Costume, English Pleasure, Hunter and Show Hack. There really wasn't much that this Fidl Fadl son couldn't do or at the very least, was willing to try for his people, a characteristic that has made our breed so highly regarded, all over the world.
**It is important to state that if it wasn't for The Pyramid Society, how many of the key Egyptian horses we treasure, would have been lost to breeders? This blog post is lovingly dedicated to The Pyramid Society, in gratitude for all they have done to insure the survival of the straight Egyptian horse, in our modern world.
11 November, 2019
A Nazeer Daughter - Nagdia
Nagdia, pictured in old age with Sayed Marei |
10 November, 2019
The Transformative Power of Kayed
Kayed, pictured with Nasr Marei in 1980 |
The Kayed son, Ameer Albadeia, with Sayed Marei |
*Hadban Al Shaqab (Ashhal Al Rayyan x Sundar Alisayyah) |
09 November, 2019
Kamar Albadeia
Kamar Albadeia, pictured in this Jim Brownfield photo, was a 1978 grey mare, a daughter of the great Albadeia sire, Kayed, and out of Naeema, a Tifla daughter sired by Fayek, before he was purchased by Martin Loeber for his Plum Grove Farm and known forever to the world as *Ramses Fayek. Tifla, is out of Elwya, a daughter of Zareefa by Sid Abouhom. Tifla was one of Albadeia's post war foundation mares, who established a long running family of horses who are a significant part of the 80 year history of Albadeia. In America, Tifla was equally prolific and is represented by beautiful horses, like the chestnut Nabiel daughter, RA Aneesa and World Champion Hadidi, the son of the charismatic, Hebet Allah. The tail female line through Zareefa traces to Bint el Bahreyn, a mare foaled in 1898, bred by Rais Issa Ibn Khalifah of Bahrain. In 1903, she was one of two horses selected as gifts for Khedive Abbas II, the older brother of Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik and Egypt's Khedive until 1914. Four years later, in 1907, Lady Anne Blunt had purchased the mare from Khedive Abbas II for her Sheykh Obeyd Stud. Lady Anne Blunt was familiar with both Bahraini mares and considered Bint el Bahreyn the better horse of the two. She bred the mare to her stallion Jamil, a Saqlawi Jedran of Abbas Pasha breeding. In 1910, Bint el Bahreyn foaled a Jamil filly, whom Lady Anne Blunt named Dalal Al Hamra. Lady Anne Blunt was delighted with this filly and had recorded that she had "a beautiful, gazelle-like head". Interestingly, Dalal Al Hamra is the only source to Bint el Bahreyn; there are no other branches to her. Dalal Al Hamra was bred to a desert-bred Abeyyan stallion named Saadoun, whom Lady Anne Blunt had purchased from Shaikh Mishari Ibn Sa'dun of the Muntafiq in 1911. Like Jamil, she brought this stallion to Sheykh Obeyd Stud to use in her program. From the union of Saadoun x Dalal Al Hamra, was born Durra, a 1917 mare, who when bred to Kazmeen, gave the world of straight Egyptian breeding the mare Zareefa, the dam of El Sareei (by Shahloul). Zareefa is the great great grand dam of Kamar AlBadeia. The story of Bint el Bahreyn very powerfully illustrates the rich and vibrant desert heritage of horses like Kamar AlBadeia and reminds me of what Cynthia Culbertson said, “What we can say about the Straight Egyptian Arabian, very reliably, is that they are so close to that desert source…the only way one could get closer is with a desert bred that stayed in the homeland.” Almost half of Zareefa's ancestral elements are desert-bred horses, bred by different tribes of Bedouin people.
Like most of the Albadeia mares, Kamar is a pretty mare, close-coupled, with a substantial body. She has a strong topline, powerful shoulders and a muscled, rounded hindquarter. Her neck is set higher on her body, creating a wonderfully flowing, uninterrupted line from her tail, to her poll. Her longer forearms are well-muscled and in proportion to shorter cannon bones. Her face is short in length, broad across the forehead with lustrous black eyes, placed lower in her head. The quality of her skin is excellent, which allows for a dramatic prominence of bone in her face. Overall, she exudes an abundance of Arabian horse type in a pleasing and very balanced look.
Kamar Albadeia was a spectacular broodmare for Nasr Marei, producing seventeen foals in her lifetime. Eleven of these foals were female, so she produced a very high percentage of daughters, as compared to sons. She was bred to a variety of stallions, thirteen to be exact. She had multiple foals with Ameer Albadeia and produced a son named Omar in 1989 and two daughters: Rihanat in 1981 and Shahirat in 1982. Shahirat remained in the Albadeia program and produced a daughter named Nawarat by the El Araby son, Emad. Two years later, a son named Lail Albadeia was produced by breeding Shahirat with a son of Emad (out of the Shaarawi daughter, Baheera) named El Walid. Kamar herself would be bred to this stallion, producing a bay daughter named Sodfat Albadeia, who produced 7 foals, before being sold to Ajmal Stud. The combination of Ameer Albadeia with Kamar is tried again, with a slightly different twist, this time using a son named Mansour Albadeia, resulting in a son named Ibn Kamar in 1991 and a daughter, Zomoradat in 1997. Kamar was bred to the EAO stallion, Adl, an Ikhnatoon son out of the Adaweya daughter, Enayah. Kamar produced a daughter named Zaghroudat in 1994, who is part of the Albadeia breeding program, producing 4 daughters and 2 sons, which includes one of the most cherished show mares, Isaad Albadeia, a two time Junior Champion filly of Egypt and the senior champion mare at the 2005 Egyptian National Championships, as well as a Dutch National Champion and one of the top ten mares at the World Championships in Paris. Bred to a variety of outside stallions, Isaad is also producing well for Albadeia, giving birth to 2 daughters: Ghandoura Albadeia by Al Rayyan and Zahda by Laheeb and 1 son by Al Adeed Al Shaqab, Saad. A son named Sonbol, who like Zaghroudat, is sired by Ad, was born from Kamar in 1996. In 2001, Kamar foaled one of her last foals, a filly by the Farid son, Inshallah Albadeia (out of Ibtehag) named Kamarain. In 2014, at the AHO Breeders Championships, this very exquisite filly, a former Junior National Champion filly of Egypt, matured into one of the most beautiful mares and was named a top ten, together with “cousin”, Isaad, at this prestigious show. Kamarain produced a wonderful filly and future broodmare prospect by Magd Albadeia, named Amoora. What an impressive production record for this mare named Kamar Albadeia.
07 November, 2019
Nour Al Kamar MH
"Inspiration is a spark, from the bonfire of love." - Ruth MowryWhen I start to write these blogs, my mind is busy, full of ideas, thoughts and feelings. I'm overwhelmed by the responsibility of presenting a good story, while honoring the memory of a beloved horse and also, the dreams of the people who stood behind him. Most times, I am able to sort through all the clutter, finding just the right words to bring clarity to the unique and interesting story I want to tell.
This was NOT the blog that I planned to write about Nour Al Kamar MH, a full brother to Bashar Al Kamar MH. But something happened when my friend Christine Emmert sent me this touching photo of Nour and his friend, Joaquin, and a different story started to unwind.
Through El Hilal, Imperial Al Kamar (Nour's sire) was a paternal grandson of *Ansata Ibn Halima and through Hossny, the sire of his dam, Imperial Sonbesjul, Imperial Al Kamar was also, a maternal great-grandson of *Ansata Ibn Halima. Nour's dam, Binte Aziza MH, was sired by Richter MH who adds two more lines to *Ansata Ibn Halima, through El Halimaar. Binte Aziza's great grand dam, Aziza Samira, a daughter of Nazim Pasha, is the source of the final *Ansata Ibn Halima line. That's a total of 5 lines, all in the 4th, 5th and 7th generations. Like Bashar, Nour Al Kamar carries a hefty percentage of *Ansata Ibn Halima's influence.
The Mansour son out of Bint Sabah, Sheikh el Arab |
With all that said, I think it is significant to point out the influence of Sheikh el Arab, a noted broodmare sire for the RAS, having sired Halima and Yashmak, both of whom appear twice on the Imperial Al Kamar side of the pedigree.
Digging a little deeper, on the dam side of the pedigree, we find nine additional lines to Sheikh el Arab, from Halima and other sources like the influential mares Wanisa and Yosreia. Sheikh el Arab was a Mansour son out of Bint Sabah and was foaled in 1933; so even though we find thirteen lines to Sheikh el Arab, he is so far back in the pedigree, that the percentage of his influence is low, less than 12%. But genetics works in mysterious ways and I am no geneticist. While a distant ancestor, Sheikh el Arab is still a very real part of Nour's pedigree and thusly, his genetic fiber. No surprise that he would exert something in the way of his influence to Nour Al Kamar MH.
Do you know that when Sheikh el Arab was alive, he sired less than 20 get and of this number, only 5 were male? General Von Szandtner believed him to be so outstanding as a sire, that his daughters were crossed with Nazeer (double Mansour) to form one of the founding breeding principles at the core of the RAS program, producing the best horses of the General's tenure at El Zahraa. In Judith Forbis' Authentic Arabian Bloodstock, Volume 2, she includes Dr. Mohamed El Marsafi's herd book notes as well, which include his appraisal of Sheikh el Arab, whom he believed was more elegant than Nazeer. Sheikh el Arab possessed a strong and smooth croup, good legs and excellent tail carriage. Although Dr. Marsafi's words were written well over 75 years ago, they remain relevant and one could say they are a fitting description of Nour Al Kamar.
Out of curiosity (and more to prove a point), I fact-checked the resources that are currently available to me. Of the 25 get sired between 2015 and today, Nour has 14 daughters to his credit, a little more than half of his get are female. I know that it is a little too early in his breeding career to call Nour a broodmare sire but studying his pedigree and reviewing his stats, this thought has already captured my attention...he's on my radar and he should be on yours too. How important is Nour Al Kamar MH to Rancho Bulakenyo? Of the mares that make up the breeding herd at Rancho Bulakenyo, a quarter of the mares carry the blood of BintAzizaPrincess and the ones that don’t, will be bred to one of Binte Aziza’s sons, like Nour.
What can Nour offer straight Egyptian breeders? Jody says of Nour, "he sires lots of front end, necks, super bodies, tail and trot." And also, like his brother, Nour is of the highly esteemed Kuhaylan Kurush strain, a source of outcross blood in a gene pool that is limited in this way. In tail female line, Nour traces to El Kahila, the Sa'ud mare who brought the strain to Egypt, when gifted to King Fouad for his Inshass Stud. This makes Nour Al Kamar very unique, in the world of straight Egyptian Arabian horse breeding. Even though I understand that individually, genes are expressed uniquely, I still find it very interesting how different, full brothers can be from one another and in the case of Bashar and Nour, it is more than the difference found in their respective coat colors. As breeding stallions, Bashar and Nour also contribute different qualities; however, neither horse is more important than the other, each has a specific role within the breeding program. However, Nour Al Kamar has stepped into the role that his sire, Imperial Al Kamar, once enjoyed at Rancho Bulakenyo and also, in the void that Kamar left in Jody's heart, when he died. Nour has even moved into Imperial Al Kamar's stall at the farm, a sure sign for all, of the high expectations that Jody has for his beloved stallion, Nour Al Kamar MH.
05 November, 2019
Anhar Albadeia
Anhar Albadeia, as pictured in this Nasr Marei photo, is a radiant white daughter of Bint Bint Yosreia (Yakout x Bint Yosreia) by Ameer Albadeia. Her maternal grand dam, Bint Yosreia is a full sister to Aswan, the horse who revolutionized Arabian horse breeding in Russia. She is an ethereal daughter of the desert, as her sparkling white coat is enhanced by heavily pigmented dark skin. Her body is a celebration of curves and circles, which together create a voluptuous beauty. Elegance oozes from every pore in her body. She is a magnificent, pure-in-the-strain Hadbah Enzahiyah. Her sire, Ameer AlBadeia is also Hadban Enzahi, tracing in tail female through the Nagdia daughter, *Malekat El Gamal to Hadba, a daughter of Venus.
The breeder of Ameer AlBadeia, Nasr Marei, said, “Ameer Albadeia is considered a milestone in the breeding program of Albadeia. His sire, Kayed (son of Morafic) has started a new era at Albadeia and Ameer just took it several laps further. Most of my current mares and stallions are his get or grandchild. His Grand daughter out of Anhar Albadeia is Gelgelah Albadeia ..Won Several championships in Egypt and in Europe and last year won the European and the World champion mare titles . So Ameer produced at least two World Champions Al Adeed Al Shaqab and Gelgelah Albadeia. To me he was and is more valuable than any horse I ever had.”
Anhar has been a wonderful broodmare for Albadeia. If she had only produced the World Champion Mare, Gelgelah, her place in Egyptian Arabian history would be secure with just this one horse but the fact is, that Anhar contributed far more significant horses than just Gelgelah. She produced 2 sons: Ghofran by Hosam Albadeia in 1994 and Attalah by AK El Sennari in 2000. However, it is through her daughters, that Anhar would exert her greatest influence. She produced the full sisters by Imperial Madori: Gelgelah in 1995 and Galagel in 1996. While Gelgelah Albadeia sold to Halsdon Stud in England, her two daughters by Farid Albadeia, Farha and Bashooshah, remained in the Albadeia program. Both mares produced fillies by Magd Al Rayyan, Kenooz and Tasaheel, who like their dams, are promising broodmares, also retained by Albadeia. Galagel Albadeia also joined the broodmare band and her Simeon Sharav daughter, Ghalia Albadeia, is also part of the program and has produced the next generation, a filly, Nefisa Albadeia by Saad Albadeia, while her son, also by Sharav, Haytham, is an exciting young stallion, as correct as Sharav, while retaining the beauty of his dam. Haytham is also a decorated show stallion, earning a reserve Champion Colt at the Egyptian Nationals, Reserve Champion Stallion in Frankfurt and a Champion Stallion at the Lanaken Egyptian Event. With the *Ansata Ibn Halima son, Bar Sama Halim, Anhar produced a daughter named Hozouz in 1997. The stallion, Magd Albadeia sired her 2003 filly named Maymoona. The successful union of Anhar's daughter Galagel with Simeon Sharav, was enough proof for Nasr to try the cross of Sharav with Anhar herself. The wisdom and soundness of Nasr's decision resulted in a gorgeous 2005 filly which he named Tawasol.
Anhar Albadeia provided her breeder with a mare that Nasr Marei feels is his most excellent horse-Gelgelah Albadeia. While it is extremely challenging to pick any one horse as “favorite” at Albadeia, Anhar comes the closest to being just that, a sweet, kind and generous mare with the genetic makeup for producing horses who are world champions, wherever they go in the world.
03 November, 2019
Remembering Farha Albadeia
Three years ago today, I learned the heart-breaking news that the very lovely mare, Farha Albadeia had died during the night, during emergency colic surgery. Farha was one of two daughters (the other being Bashoosha) of World Champion mare, Gelgelah Albadeia, sired by the beloved stallion, Farid Albadeia. She held a place of importance, not only within the breeding program of Albadeia but also in the hearts of many people who were connected to Nasr Marei, through the many photos, videos and words posted, going all the way back to when her dam was being campaigned to her many show wins, including the unforgettable victory at the Salon du Cheval in Paris. Farha, an Islamic name, indirectly mentioned within the Holy Quran, is a joyful name, which when translated, means "a happy occasion" or "a joyous time". It was a very fitting name, as she did bring happiness to many, especially Nasr, who said at the time of her death, "Farha Albadeia was much loved by us and by our visitors and followers. She will be missed like all the others lost over decades of breeding. Each horse has his/her own spot in my heart and will always be remembered. They are family." When Farha died, she had just produced a daughter, Zeinab Albadeia, a two month-old filly by Bariq Al Shaqab. She was the dam of the exciting black, 2011 stallion, Damess Albadeia, who is sired by Al Maraam (Imperial Imdal x The Vision HG). Interestingly, Farha had produced a daughter in 2006 named Kenooz Albadeia (by Majd Al Rayyan), who was also bred to Al Maraam, producing Asalah Albadeia in 2012. Asalah competed in Europe and was named the Bronze Champion filly at the West Coast Cup in Belgium, 2015. Farha also produced sons by Simeon Sharav, Gholam Albadeia in 2007 and by Tabarak Albadeia, Aasef Albadeia in 2015. It's peculiar that I was looking for a photo last night of her maternal grand dam, Anhar Albadeia, when I realized the significance of the day. As special as her dam and her sire were, so too, was Farha Albadeia. Through her progeny and her grand progeny, she will continue to live on.
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