Rose of Egypt

Rose of Egypt, a very dark bay, almost black 1958 straight Babson Egyptian mare was a result of combining the first generation of horses (from imported parents) bred by The Babson Farm, that is Fa-Serr (*Fadl X *Bint Serra I) with Fa-Abba (*Fadl x *Bint Bint Sabbah). In Authentic Arabian Bloodstock II, beloved author, breeder and noted Egyptian Arabian horse authority,  Judith Forbis said of  Rose of Egypt, "out of Fa-Abba, a full sister to Habba, Fa-Habba and Fa Saana, provided a line to Fa-Abba, who was prettier and more refined than her full sister, Fa-Habba, but not as compact." Rose of Egypt was owned by Milton V. and Virginia Thompson for most of her life, who are also the recorded or listed breeders for many of her foals. Her progeny includes 8 mares and 4 stallions:

• Little Egypt, 1962 bay mare, sired by Trojan (Tobruk x Rulyna)
• Ozark Rose, 1963 chestnut mare sired by Tobruk (Sulejman x Fazala)
• Serr Bruk, 1964 bay stallion sired by Tobruk (Sulejman x Fazala)
• Fadl Witez, 1965 bay stallion sired by Tante Witez (Witez II x Tanezah)
• Rosebud, 1966 bay mare sired by Tante Witez (Witez II x Tanezah)
• Star of Tobruk, 1967 mare sired by El Tobruk (Tobruk x Rosebruk)
• Tobruks Dancer, 1968 mare sired by El Tobruk (Tobruk x Rosebruk)
• Egypts Rose, 1971 bay mare sired by Iszi (Islam x Zadena)
• Egypts Al Metrabbi, 1973 chestnut stallion sired by Al Metrabbi (*Morafic x Sammara)
• Anchor Hill Aziz, 1975 grey stallion sired by Al Metrabbi (*Morafic x Sammara)
• Anchor Hill Alsah, 1976 grey mare sired by Al Metrabbi (*Morafic x Sammara)
• Rose of Masada, 1979 grey mare sired by AK Waseem Montaal (Amaal x Al Nahr Moroufa)

Rose of Egypt with her 1973 colt, Egypts Al Metrabbi

While a Dahmah Shahwaniyah by strain, as she traces to the mare Bint Sabah in her tail female (the same mare that is also found in the tail female line of Sheikh El Arab, Sid Abouhom and Bukra, by the way); in the "old days", before mitochondrial DNA testing and analysis, Rose of Egypt would be considered to be 50% Kuhaylan Jellabi and 25% each, of the Saqlawi and Dahman strains. Today, we consider her to be 75% Saqlawiyah and 25% Dahmah (and no Kuhaylan Jellabi).

Rose of Egypt (Fa-Serr x Fa-Abba)

Rose of Egypt, sometime after foaling her Al Metrabbi daughter, Anchor Hill Alsah, became a difficult mare to breed.  However, Walter Schimanski had loved the mare and the family of horses she belonged to. Realizing her great value and hopefully, her potential in his program, Rose of Egypt was purchased (in a partnership formed with John Fippen). Both men secretly hoped of breeding her to Walter's beloved stallion, Lothar, a 1955 son of the imported stallion, *Fadl and out of Habba, a full sister to Fa-Abba. It would be an opportunity to produce a foal whose influence would come from only three of the six horses imported by Henry Babson in 1932, that is,  62.5% *Fadl, combined with 25% *Bint Bint Sabbah and 12.5% *Bint Serra I.

Lothar (*Fadl x Habba)

Unfortunately, through a grave error, Rose of Egypt was mistakenly bred to AK Waseem Montaal, a triple Moniet el Nefous stallion, whose tail female line went back to the 1932 Babson import, *Maaroufa (Ibn Rabdan x Mahroussa).

AK Waseem Montaal (Amaal x Al Nahr Moroufa)

The supposedly "barren mare" settled to AK Waseem Montaal, producing a grey daughter, Rose of Masada, who was incorporated into John and Betty Fippen's breeding program. The following October, Rose of Egypt was sold to Judith Forbis of Ansata Arabian Stud. Judith Forbis, in her celebrated book, Authentic Arabian Bloodstock II, said, "We had seen her when she was a young mare at Milt Thompson's and liked her very much, but she took on the heavier Fa-Serr look as she aged." She was bred to *Ansata Ibn Halima from 1979 to 1981 but did not settle to him. Rose of Egypt died in 1982, without producing any more foals. What a foal by *Ansata Ibn Halima that would have been!

***This blog post is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Ms Rose, Rose of Masada's only daughter and my best friend, for 20 years. Unfortunately, she did not produce any foals. She died in my arms at age 25, the morning of Monday, January 14, 2013.***