all for the love of a horse...: QR Julio

04 January, 2020

QR Julio

Perhaps you received the same email blast as I did? Normally, I don't even look at them, as I click on the garbage can icon, as I continue working through the list of emails in my inbox. I just get too many of them and on busy days, well, you know how that goes. What was it about this particular email, that moved me from deleting, to reading and then, researching this particular horse, especially when time can be so fleeting? I have to admit partiality, when it comes to chestnut-colored horses. If I had to pick a favorite coat color (if that even exists for me), it would be the color chestnut. Do you know how prevalent the chestnut color is in QR Julio? In the first three generations of his pedigree (sire, grandsire, great grandsire), the color chestnut represents almost 90% of the pedigree! If you are a believer in phenotype following coat color, then the chestnut-colored horses like Kubinec and his sire Balaton, Enzo and Rawhides Amenda become more interesting horses to study, to determine which horses' influence is most significant upon QR Julio. The prominence of his facial crest bone and specifically, the size of his jowl, were motivating reasons to keep reading, as is the pronounced jibbah and the large, fully black, expressive eyes. Not extreme, his head is classic and "dry", like you would expect in a desert horse possessing fine skin. Lastly, the subject line which included the name of *El Nabila B, who is half-Egyptian in pedigree, as his dam, 218 Elf Layla Walayla B, is an Ansata Halim Shah granddaughter, who traces in tail female line to Negma, a mare bred by Prince Mohamed Ali Tewfik. So there, you have it, the 1-2-3 (although, maybe not in that order) which got me to not only open the email but also, to watch his video and then, to do a little research, in order to really learn what he is all about.

Are you interested too?

When researching any horse, the first place that I look is the pedigree and specifically, the tail female line, which in QR Julio, runs from his dam, QR Mint Julep and all the way back to the 1925 mare, *Samirah, a Hamdaniyah Simriyah strain mare, bred by the Sa'ud Royal Family and imported by Albert Harris in 1931. It is interesting to consider that QR Julio descends from the same breeding program that produced esteemed mares like *Turfa and the mare that brought the Kuhaylan Kurush strain to Egypt, El Kahila.

The next thing that I study are the Egyptian lines. That's where my interest lies and those are the bloodlines I know best. As stated above, his paternal granddam is a straight Egyptian mare, a product of Babolna Stud's Egyptian breeding program, which began in the 70's when Dr. Hans Nagel imported horses from the EAO, who were quarantined at Babolna and from which, formed the foundation for the straight Egyptian breeding program which ran to the 2000's. However, QR Julio has more Egyptian lines in his pedigree, beyond the Babolna-bred mare, namely through the stallion Aswan (approx. 6%) and older Egyptian breeding through the maternal side of his pedigree in the form of horses like *Fadl, *Bint Serra I, Gulastra, Gulnare, *Aziza and Julep. So, QR Julio is a little more than 30% Egyptian in his pedigree. It is interesting that in his stud listing, his ancestry is presented as "Polish" but I would not consider this horse Polish, although he does carry Polish lines in his pedigree but he also carries a wide variety of ancestral elements in his heritage. For example, just studying the first few generations (and not going deeper), approximately 40% of his pedigree is comprised of horses who are considered "Russian-bred", like Balaton,*Padron, *Menes, *Muscat, Kilika and Kosmetika. Even his maternal grand-sire, Enzo, who is sired by the Russian Padron's Psyche, carries 40% of Sheila Varian breeding, so just like it would not be correct to say that QR Julio is Polish, he isn't "Russian" either. Maybe semantics, you might say and it would be more appropriate to say "Russian-influenced"?

I found QR Julio's maternal granddam, Kouream de Ment a fascinating mare. A 1986 bay mare, she was sired by a stallion named Kouros (Marhaba x Kissie) and out of a mare named Rawhides Amenda (Baghdad of Rawhide x Rawhides Nakota). Three generations later, you find a mare named Tambruk, a daughter of the stallion, Tobruk (Sulejman x Fazala). Do you know that the mare Fazala, is a daughter of *Bint Serra I, by *Fadl? Not a tail female source to *Bint Serra I as I would have loved to find but pretty darn close! Something to think about in this day and age, when it is so challenging to find breeding lines to *Bint Serra I and her celebrated dam, Serra, bred by Lady Anne Blunt at her Sheykh Obeyd Stud in Egypt. Kouream de Ment was picked by Lou and Vicky Doyle and became the foundation mare for their program, Quail Ridge Arabians in Gilroy, California. Do you know that this mare is one of the leading mares in Arabian Horse World's study of key mares who have produced a record number of halter and performance winners? In addition to producing QR Julio's dam, Kouream de Ment is also the dam of the celebrated sire, QR Excel and of the mare Swete Dreams, the dam of QR Marc. When I see a mare like Kouream de Ment, in the hands of breeders who very wisely, combine a variety of influences together, in such a way to produce a stallion of the level of quality we see in QR Julio, well, their astute vision is something to really celebrate, as you would do for an artist who painted a museum masterpiece. QR Julio is that, a living masterpiece, in flesh and bone, with a profound spirit.

A 2009 stallion, QR Julio is now owned by Mark and Betty Jo Browning of Shadow Oak Arabians, near Sacramento, California. A proven breeding stallion, he has been used in an interesting way, bred to daughters of QR Marc, which further concentrates the line of an influential mare like Kouream de Ment. It makes me wonder how and in what form, will this bloodline transition into the future, motivating breeders to incorporate his influence, and that of his diverse ancestry, into their own programs.

QR Julio, as an individual, is substantial in body, with a broad chest, a laid-back shoulder, a deeper heart girth and a neck that is well-set, with a flowing line that runs uninterrupted, from the wither to the poll. He drives off of his hind end well, with elasticity in his hocks and appears to cover alot of ground in a relaxed, forward and supple stride. I find myself thinking of him under saddle, as he is functional in his conformation and in my opinion, in sensitive hands, would excel in the sport horse division, further bolstering the legacy of so many generations of breeders and their dreams, that is, to breed horses of sound mind, body and spirit who bring so much joy to Arabian horse lovers everywhere. Case in point, me, sitting here in New Jersey, cleaning up email only to discover the surprise of a most magnificent horse through an unexpected email in my inbox. Ah, sweet technology, a blessing and a curse, all at the same time.

Happy New Year everyone!

1 comment:

TzviahSunday, January 05, 2020 11:30:00 PM
Very interesting read, Ralph. Nice work.
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MY FAVORITE WEBSITE

If you want to understand the desert Arabian horse on a deeper level, then you will want to visit Daughters of the Wind, a blog maintained by Edouard al-Dahdah, since 2008. It's my favorite place to visit, on a regular basis. For me personally, the information that Edouard presents is at times so profound, that I find myself weeks, even months later, still thinking about what he has written. I consider him a treasured source of inspiration and for the times that I don't feel like writing anymore, a significant source of encouragement. In one place, you will be able to read of the horses, their heritage; as well as the culture, traditions and the geography of the land, from where they originated. I strongly encourage you to visit his blog to broaden your understanding and deepen your appreciation for the Bedouin-bred horse.

MY FAVORITE WEBSITE X 2

The Horse In Word and Picture is the blog of Rania el Sayed, a very talented photographer, whose equine photography is second-to-none. I still remember when I first learned of Rania, it was all because of the late Dr. Nasr Marei. At the time, Nasr published an article that featured Rania's photography. I was thrilled by the photography and later, "meeting" Rania was one of the highlights of my horse life. I loved her photo of Mangooma and Rania, in an act of kindness never to be forgotten, let me use her photo in my blog. Thanks Rania for all of your support. You'll love Rania's blog and all of the equine topics she covers, including the straight Egyptian Arabian Horse. She really pushes me to think deeply about things that I haven't thought in a while. And you don't have to join Facebook, to read her posts. .

MY FAVORITE BOOK

One of the questions that I am asked most frequently is which book(s) do I recommend? Judith Forbis', The Classic Arabian Horse, published in 1976, is MY FAVORITE BOOK...EVER. Prior to the publication of this book, we really didn't have anything that compiled the history, the bloodlines & breeding practices and conformation (including breed type) of the straight Egyptian horse in one volume. You had to dig through multiple sources, sometimes in languages foreign to one's own, to try and develop an understanding of the Egyptian Arabian horse. So, this is my recommendation to you today, especially if you are just starting, this is the most important book you will ever own. You can find the book on Amazon, previously owned, at a very affordable price.

A NEW FAVORITE BOOK

Many times, I have heard other enthuiasts say, "if only I could get into the mind of this breeder and understand the Arabian horse as he or she does!" Dr. William Hudson, a long-time breeder, weaves together his lifetime of experiences including the latest developments in equine genetic science with the history, art and culture of the Arabian horse. This is not the type of book that you will read, cover-to-cover, in one sitting. You will find yourself turning to this massive 1,500 page, 2-volume set, over and over. If you love Arabian horses and want to understand the breed intimately, on a deeper level, this is the only book you will ever need to own. If you are breeding Egyptian Arabian horses, I urge you to purchase this 2-volume set before you breed one more horse!

MORE FAVORITE BOOKS...

One of the questions that I am asked most frequently is which book(s) do I recommend? Previously, I mentioned Judith Forbis' THE CLASSIC ARABIAN HORSE which is a great introduction to the breed and to Egyptian Arabian horses specifically. But now, you have read that book and are ready to go deeper. So, this is the book that I recommend reading (VOLUME II ) without hesitation. It's fantastic. The depth of this book, within tail female lines, sire lines and strains found in Egyptian (EAO) breeding is not found anywhere else. If you are serious about the Egyptian Arabian horse, whether a breeder, student or enthusiast, you must read this book, at least once!

STILL MORE FAVORITE BOOKS

In the Preface, Dr. Nagel wrote, "Since it is claimed that the Arabian horse breed is one of the oldest on earth, one has to accept that it is also in the crossfire of many opinions which sometimes clash vigorously. There are obviously many doubts and errors, and the advocates of different concepts seem to be not ready to settle on a common stance. It should encourage the reader to think...The refreshing variety of thoughts surrounding this noble member of the great family of horses should not be lost." Whether you agree or disagree with Dr. Nagel, is not what is important but rather, the resulting thought that this book will inspire. I can't even tell you how many times I have read this wonderful book cover-to-cover. It's one of the more provocative books that I have ever read and each time I have read it, a part of the book that had not impacted me previously, will cause me to think deeply for days, weeks and even months at a time. So, dear reader, I recommend this book to you, in the hope that it will inspire you to think deeply about our breed and examine why, you feel the way you do.

"The ideal Arabian type is recognizable at sight to the experienced horseman and novice alike. It falls short of the ideal if it reminds one of another horse or breed. It falls short of the ideal if it is so plain and uncertain of type as to require a sign: 'This is an Arabian horse.' It falls short of the ideal if it is so coarse and masculine as to remind one of a small Percheron, at one extreme, or so highly animated and elf-like as to remind one of a gazelle at the other extreme. The ideal type stands out alone. You know it immediately when you see it."-Ben Hur, from his 1951 Western Horseman article, Type in the Arab

In the summer of 2006, when I discovered Blogger, the last thing on my mind was creating a blog. At the time, I had been participating in a popular Egyptian Arabian horse website and desired to find a website that would allow me to "cut-and-paste" the posts that I had written for future reference. From those humble beginnings, this blog was born. I'm not a professional writer and although I want to say that writing is a hobby; I think it is better to say that I write for the love of the breed. I've had the good fortune to meet a number of horses who are now considered legendary, as well as some really wonderful people, who are equally legendary. Over the years, people have suggested that I charge a subscription fee or pursue paid sponsorships but you know how money changes everything and this blog, after all, is a labor of love. So, there you have it, the story of the blog. Many thanks to the people who make this blog doable, for example, where would I be without any of the photographers, the "visual storytellers" of our breed, who allow me to post their pictures and to the authors of the many books and magazine articles that I have read over the course of 45 or so years, helping to educate a long ago kid, crazy in love with Arabian horses. And finally, an overwhelming amount of gratitude for you dear readers, for coming here to this place, to read, discover and celebrate this common ground we share, all for the love of an Arabian horse.