Moaiz Al Baydaa

Moaiz Al Baydaa (Ezz Ezzain x Magda Sakr), photographed by Bar Hajaj

When I think of the stallion, Ezz Ezzain, I think first of the late Usamah Alkazemi and then, of Mohammed Al Mubaraki, the owner of Mubarak Arabian Stud, where seven years ago, I met Ezz Ezzain for the very first time.  Without either man, I would not be able to write these words today, and my life experiences within the world of Arabian horses would be so much smaller. I am grateful to both men and want to acknowledge my appreciation for all that they have done for me.

Moaiz Al Baydaa is a son of Ezz Ezzain, who is sired by Ansata AlMurtajiz, an Ansata Hejazi son out of Ansata Samsara, a Prince Fa Moniet daughter out of Ansata Samantha. In the early 90's, Usamah Alkazemi visited Ansata Arabian Stud, where he met and selected Ansata AlMurtajiz. While we can say that NK Hafid Jamil, through his son NK Qaswarah is a cornerstone of Ezzain, so too, we can say that Ansata Hejazi, is important, through his son, Ansata AlMurtajiz, who is one of the most remarkable of the modern Ansata-bred horses, siring influential  horses not only at Ezzain but also, throughout Kuwait and from there, all over the world. Ansata AlMurtajiz is important because he was the first step, establishing a level of quality and consistency that made it possible for  NK Qaswarah to create the "Ezzain type", which is unique in the world of straight Egyptian Arabian horse breeding. One of my favorite mares in the breeding program is an Ansata AlMurtajiz daughter named Azhaar, a mare of great influence, having founded a vitally important family. The other daughter is Alamirah, who carries much significance personally for Usamah Alkazemi. However, the influence of Ansata AlMurtajiz is intensified through his sons, Suror and Nooreddine, who have sired two daughters who are active broodmares in the program. But what is amazing about the Ansata AlMurtajiz sons is that as maternal grandsires, their influence continues to be felt! At the time of my visit, Nooreddine was represented by five horses, while Suror was represented by six! I don't believe that a more compelling statement can be made, as to why Ansata AlMurtajiz remains so significant within the Ezzain breeding program

The dam of Ezz Ezzain is a mare named Najeiah, a most intriguing mare, as Nahaman, her sire and Nour, her dam are almost full blood siblings, both sired by Salaa el Dine (Ansata Halim Shah x Hanan). While Nahaman is out of Ameera (Madkour I x Hanan), Nour is out of  Ameera's daughter, Assal by Ibn Nazeema! It's very clever, as Ibn Nazeema (Ameer x Nazeema) brings in outcross blood to the mix, although some common ground is established by Nazeema, who is sired by Alaa el Din, also the sire of Hanan!

The dam of Moaiz Al Baydaa is Magda Sakr, a daughter of the stallion, Tallahsman, an Imperial Madheen son, out of Bint Atallah, a Ruminaja Ali daughter. The maternal line of his dam traces through the Bentwood-bred, AK Atallah, an *Ansata Ibn Halima daughter out of Al Nahr Mon Ami, an *Ibn Moniet El Nefous daughter and a granddaughter of the chestnut mare, Fada (Fadaan x Aaroufa). One of the most amazing qualities of Tallahsman, in my opinion, was his consistency in siring beautiful daughters, who like Magda Sakr, have matured into strong and significant broodmares for not only Omar Sakr but other breeders as well.

Farida Sakr, the dam of Magda Sakr, although bred by Omar Sakr, is representative of the straight Egyptian horses that I remember being bred in America, in my youth. She is sired by El Habiel, an El Hadiyyah son out of the Nabiel daughter, Bint Bint Hamama. Farida Sakr is out of Zandai Arabia, an Ansata Halim Shah daughter out of the gorgeous Ansata-bred mare and *Jamil daughter, Ansata Exotica. In her tail female line, she traces to *Ansata Bint Bukra, one of the most significantly profound mares in all of straight Egyptian breeding, as she is the foundress of a blood line that has grown into many dynamic branches or families that continue to transition forward into the future.

I just love the flowing lines of Moaiz Al Baydaa's body. They just flow gracefully, from one line to the next. There exists a familiarity in the body of Moaiz Al Baydaa, like a word that exists on the tip of my tongue but my mouth can't pronounce yet, as it hesitates for a few seconds while "buffering" and so, I went to where I usually go first and that is, the study of the pedigree and where I found my answer --> Ansata Halim Shah (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Ansata Rosetta)!

Before I say any more about Ansata Halim Shah, I wanted to point out that the pedigree of Moaiz Al Baydaa represents 43.75% of the 60-year plus program of Ansata Arabian Stud. That's almost half of his genetic fiber! So, no surprise that the familiarity that I feel exists in Moaiz Al Baydaa is because he reminds me of all the horses, that for so many years of my life I adored. Of the 43.75%, Ansata Halim Shah, as an individual, represents 18.75%, so the balance that we see throughout the body of Moaiz Al Baydaa is deeply influenced by this ancestor, who single-handedly established this new standard of balance, now almost 40 years ago!

And while I acknowledge the presence of Ansata Halim Shah, I also recognize the presence of other horses like Nabiel (*Sakr x Magidaa), a big stallion, who was not only tall, he was also substantial, comprised of rounder lines and Nahaman (Salaa el Dine and Ameera) who like Nabiel was also taller, with a fine skin quality that was heavily pigmented. I think that's what I appreciate most in Moaiz Al Baydaa, is that sense of "scope" or "stretch", incorporated into his beautiful body. There is nothing short, thick or chunky about him! I love the set of his neck, on shoulders that are deep and angled nicely, while the ratio of his longer forearms to his shorter cannon bones is one of the best that I have seen in a long time. I also offer the longer line of his poll and the fineness of his throatlatch, therefore, acknowledging the presence of Prince Fa Moniet. Thanks also to the influence of this ancestor, the length of his neck is in proportion to his body. Also, in this day and age of "front-end horses", it is very nice to see a hindquarter that is plump, round and equal to the power and muscling of the front-end.  It is horses like Moaiz Al Baydaa that remind me of why I fell in love with Egyptian Arabian horses specifically, at an age in my life when most kids are riding bikes, playing sports or hanging out with close friends. 40-to-45 years later, Egyptian Arabian horses are still as exciting, as when I discovered them within the pages of The Classic Arabian Horse, written by Judith Forbis!

****This blog is lovingly dedicated to my wonderful friend, Tzviah Idan of Idan Atiq Arabian Stud, who first told me about Moaiz Al Baydaa. It was her enthusiasm for this particular stallion that sparked the curiosity to find him and learn more about him. Thank you Tzviah!***