Waheed Al Azhaar RZ

Waheed al Azhaar RZ (Amer Azhaar x Desired Millicent) as photographed by Jennifer MacNeill

Three years ago, when the privacy issues of Facebook started to become better known, I decided to delete my Facebook account. It took a few months and in the beginning, it wasn't easy to live through social media withdrawal and the overwhelming urge to put an emoji on something. In the very beginning, I did miss all the sources of equine information that Facebook provided but I soon figured out that I could still read the posts made within my favorite Facebook page,  Al Khamsa Arabian Horse Breeders with limitations; I am not able to click on the "like" button or even, comment in the discussions. The last few weeks have been extremely busy and I haven't had the opportunity to keep up with the new material posted to the Al Khamsa facebook group,  until yesterday, when I unexpectedly stumbled upon a photo posted by Angela White of Roze Arabians in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. The photo, taken by Jennifer MacNeill, is of Angela White's 2015 stallion, Waheed Al Azhaar RZ. He is sired by the late Yorklyn Arabians stallion, Amer Azhaar, a Laheeb al Nasser (Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Bint Saida al Nasser) son out of the Dorian Weil-bred mare, Dorian BintHadidi (Hadidi x Dorian Fa Halima). His dam, Desired Millicent, was bred by Kendra Wells and is by her late stallion, Desperados Getaway (Thee Desperado x ImperialBtKalilah) and out of Menouthis, a mare bred by Melissa Huprich, who traces through Bint Moftakhar to Ansata Fatima and from there, to *Ansata Bint Zaafarana.

I have always felt odd and just out of step, in this world of Arabian horses, which is so dominated by the influence of the show ring and the artificiality employed, to show horses in that all defining, singular fairy-tale moment, which makes all of our hair stand on edge and jaws drop in awe and wonder. It wouldn't be so bad, if we could just show horses in a relaxed manner, confident, happy and not well, frightened, stiff and hollow-backed, who at any moment will have their eyes explode like balloons, as they jump out of their skin. How did we ever let anyone convince us that a horse is more beautiful when in this heightened sense of fear and panic?

So, here's this refreshing photo of this beautifully moving and very attractive horse, using his back, showing freedom in the shoulders and elasticity and driving power in his hocks! His muscular development tells a great story, which is best explained through a quotation made by Alois Podhajsky in My Horses, My Teachers,

"Correct work had made him more beautiful, his muscles had developed, and he moved cheerfully and powerfully in balance and harmony. He was convincing proof that systematic and methodical work will result in the increasing beauty of the horse."

In 2017, Waheed Al Azhaar RZ was named a Reserve Champion Sport Horse in Hand, both at Region 15 and at the East Coast Championships. The following year, he returned to the East Coast Championships and was named Champion Sport Horse in Hand. A proven sire, his 2019 daughter, Jassirah RZ, out of the MB Mistaz daughter, Mistazah, went to the world famous show, Dressage at Devon, where she was named Champion in the individual breed class, as well as reserves in the pony championship classes.

A closer look at function, form and beauty by Jennifer MacNeill Photography

Genetically, what I found interesting about Waheed Al Azhaar RZ is his tail female line, which runs back to one of my favorite horses of all time, the 1946 mare, Zaafarana (Balance x Samira), bred by the RAS. Zaafarana was celebrated in her time for her brilliant action and presence. She must have been electrifying, when moving. She captivated all who watched her, including Judith Forbis who said, "she was a mare of exceptional quality and brilliant action." Zaafarana was an excellent producer, passing on her athleticism to her sons *Talal (by Nazeer) and Amrulla (by Sid Abouhom), who became champions and much loved racehorses in Egypt.

On the flip side, the sire line of Waheed Al Azhaar RZ is one of the most popular, that of Saklawi I:

Waheed Al Azhaar >Amer Azhaar >Laheeb al Nasser >Al Adeed al Shaqab >Ansata Halim Shah >*Ansata Ibn Halima >Nazeer >Mansour >Gamil Manial >Saklawi II >Saklawi I

In straight Egyptian breeding, this sire line dominates our gene pool, as widespread as the sire line is today, primarily through the stallion, Nazeer.

It's always interesting to determine the strain of influence and Waheed Al Azhaar's pedigree is very interesting in this regard. By virtue of his tail female line, he is Saqlawi, in strain. However, do you know that through horses like Laheeb Al Nasser (pure-in-strain Hadban), Thee Desperado (pure-in-strain Hadban) and Hadidi's sire, Norus (through Souhair and Hadban Enzahi), Waheed Al Azhaar RZ is almost 70% Hadban? Originally, the horses of the Hadban strain were called "Hadban", because they descended from a mare who had a long, bushy and thick mane, so profuse, that it covered her withers, her shoulders and ran down to her forearms. Hadban strain horses are a substrain of the Kuhaylan strain and physically, these horses show their Kuhaylan influence as they are strong and balanced horses, not extreme in their characteristics and combine well with horses of other strains.  As interesting as it is, to learn of the influence of the Hadban strain in Waheed Al Azhaar's pedigree, what I also found interesting is the presence of two other pure-in-strain horses: the Dahman BKA Imeer (Ansata Imperial x Imperial Mistic) and the Saklawi, Reg Madaha (TheEgyptianPrince x AK Nasula). Along with the Kuhaylan Rodan strain (Imperial Sonbesjul and Dorian Shahwaniyah), these 3 strains represent the 30% of his pedigree, after the Hadban strain.

Historically, summer has been the time of year where I try to experience personal growth, finding ways to push myself out of my comfort zone, in the hope that when autumn returns, I will be that much closer to living the best version of myself. Most summers, I have chased after Carl Raswan,  trying to recapture something that I lost along the way. Here we are, almost at the end of yet another summer and I still haven't caught Raswan and somewhere in the process, I am older and wiser in the ways that I wish that I wasn't, trying to find my way in a world that feels so strange. Yet, it is largely because of horses like Waheed Al Azhaar RZ that I continue to harbor hope that maybe one of these summers, I will find that place I am searching for, where I will finally put all the broken pieces back together and the questions that remain unanswered, will no longer remain as questions but answers, bringing clarity and direction.

Farid El Asil

While searching for a particular photo of Ansata Abbas Pasha, I stumbled upon the photo of this striking 2008 stallion named Farid El Asil. Bred by Christian Moschini of Italy; he is now owned by Sheikh Mohammed Al Ali Alsobah of AlHaddar Stud, Kuwait. This very charming straight Egyptian stallion is a son of Al Whaid El Dine (Salaa el Dine x Gioia APS) and out of the mare, Farida El Asil (Coaltown x Abbas Pasha I-6), hence, the source of the name, Farid El Asil. Although, if I can just direct your attention to the tail female line of his maternal great grandsire, Abbas Pasha I, who traces to the celebrated mare, Farida (Saklawi II x Nadra el Saghira), so one can argue that the source of the "Farid" and also, the "Farida" in his dam's name, may actually pay tribute to one of the greatest Dahmah mares of all time, Farida.

Farid El Asil is Kuhaylan Rodan in strain, as he traces in his tail female line to Rodania, a Kuhaylah Rodaniyah, bred by the Ruala tribe of the Anazeh Bedouins. Rodania was captured by Tais Ibn Sharban of the Saba'ah tribe, from Sheikh Sattam Ibn Shalan in 1880. Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt eventually purchased the mare from Tais Ibn Sharban and imported Rodania to their Crabbet Park Stud in England, circa 1881. Rodania is present in Egyptian breeding primarily through the family that her daughter Rose of Sharon founded. Rose of Sharon was a daughter of the desert-bred stallion, Hadban. She in turn, was bred to the Ali Pasha Sherif stallion, Merzuk and produced the mare Ridaa. When Ridaa was bred to the Ali Pasha Sherif stallion named Mesaoud, she produced the mare Risala. Risala's daughter by Ibn Yashmak, Bint Risala (a great-great granddaughter of Rodania) is one of the two Rodania descendants incorporated into the RAS breeding program and the source of the Rodania line in Farid El Asil's pedigree.

If belonging to one of the most vibrant and enduring female lines is not a powerful story in of itself, we find the influence of the EAO chestnut mare, Hanadi (Alaa el Din x Rahma), who is also known as "11 Hanadi",  one of the Egyptian horses selected, purchased and imported to The Babolna Stud in Hungary by Dr. Hans Nagel, Dr. Robert Burgert and Dr. Ameen Zaher, circa 1968 - 1970. Bred to another of the imported horses, the stallion, Ibn Galal (Galal x Mohga), Hanadi produced Ibn Galal I,  the sire of Bahila, the dam of Coaltown, who is the sire of Farida el Asil. Coaltown, you will remember is a full brother of The Minstril. However, this breeding combination of Ibn Galal with Hanadi appears a second time, in the tail female line, producing the mare, 201 Ibn Galal, the maternal granddam of Farida El Asil. It's a very clever breeding strategy to double up on specific horses, who when combined genetically, resulted in one of the most beloved and widely used horses, in all of straight Egyptian breeding.

On the sire side of Farid El Asil's pedigree, through the pedigree of the paternal great granddam, the pedigree becomes even more interesting than it already is. It is in this part of the pedigree that you will discover an ancestor, who like Rodania, reveals another, fresh source of desert blood. BSA Nadiaa is out of a mare named Diaa, a daughter of the 1974 chestnut mare, Cedardell Tiffany (Serenity Mankure x *SerenityBintNadia) by Dalul (*Morafic x *Dawlat). In a past Pyramid Society  Breeder's Conference, I remember something that Cynthia Culbertson said, which really impressed me at the time. She 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.” And it is through *SerenityBintNadia's granddam, Nafaa, that the power in Cynthia's words come alive. You see, Nafaa, recorded simply as a Kuhaylah sired by an Abeyyan stallion, was gifted to King Farouk of Egypt by King Ibn Sa'ud in 1945,  also breeders of other desert-bred mares like El Kahila, the source of the Kuhaylan Kurush strain in Egypt, the mare Hind (the granddam of the Gleannloch *Bint Hanaa), the Inshass mare, Mabrouka (*Orashan's great granddam), as well as *Turfa, a mare of great quality and significance in American breeding.

While Farid El Asil's pedigree is representative of today's modern Egyptian horse, through horses like Hanan, Ruminaja Ali  and Ansata Halim Shah; I think it is the more unique ancestral elements that we discussed above, which make him a little different from horses who are similarly influenced and possibly, offer a mare owner the distinct opportunity to incorporate an alternative or outcross bloodline source into their program.

*Urfah

In August of 1906, Homer Davenport arrived in Aleppo, the first stop on his amazing desert journey, to live amongst the Bedouin tribes in the hope of purchasing the very best Bedouin-bred horses for export to America. Ultimately, Davenport would purchase a total of 27 horses, 17 stallions and 10 mares, including *Urfah, a bay Saqlawiyah, of whom, Homer Davenport wrote in My Quest of the Arabian Horse:

"She walked with the grace of a well-bred woman; her tail would gracefully sway from side to side; her ears were ever in motion, and her eyes sparkled." 

*Urfah was a celebrated mare in the desert and the pride of her breeder, Dhidan al-Awaji, who only wanted to show Davenport the high level of quality that her two year old colt (*Hamrah) descended from.

"The mother out of sight, we turned to look at her two year old son. He seemed finer than others we had of the same age. There was an inherited dignity which the others did not have."

And this is where the story of *Urfah gets really interesting.*Urfah's Bedouin owner, a Shaikh of the Wuld Sulayman tribe of the Anazeh Bedouins, never intended to sell the mare to anyone.  *Urfah was the mare that everyone wanted but could never have. However, Davenport was a very lucky man and when he arrived in Aleppo, through some extraordinary circumstances, he met Akmet Haffez, a man who served as the liasion between the Bedouin tribes and the government.

"Then slowly and with a stride like that of of Sir Henry Irving, a noble, elderly looking Arab came forward. Anywhere he would have attracted instant attention."

Homer Davenport, a likable personality, quickly established a good relationship with Akmet Haffez, who agreed to also function as Davenport's guide, as he travelled in the desert. It is interesting that the name, "Haffez",  which is a derivative of the name "Hafiz", meaning "guardian", which is exactly the role that Akmet Haffez assumed, over Homer Davenport. The influence of Akmet Haffez amongst the Bedouin was significant and through him, horses possessing a remarkable level of quality, like *Urfah, were presented to Davenport for his consideration. When Akmet Haffez arranged for the purchase of *Urfah's colt, he also intended to purchase his dam and while he may not have initially succeeded in purchasing the mare, the idea of selling the mare at a good price, was planted in the mind of her breeder.  When *Urfah's owner returned with Urfah's yearling colt (*Euphrates), he told Akmet Haffez that he had decided to sell *Urfah. However, on the third day, when he failed to return with the mare,  a messenger arrived with the news that the price for the mare had increased, by an additional 50 pounds. Davenport agreed to pay the new purchase price and a soldier carrying the money was dispatched and soon enough, he returned empty-handed, as the additional money was no longer enough to purchase the mare. *Urfah's breeder had admired a revolver carried by one of the men in Davenport's party and he now also wanted the revolver, as part of the payment. Consumed with anger, Akmet Haffez sent his son, Fairot, accompanied by a soldier, to deliver the revolver and collect the mare. Apparently, "seller's remorse" had set in because when Fairot presented the revolver, *Urfah's owner had decided that he was no longer interested in selling his mare. Fariot had to take the mare by force. Dhidan al-Awaji, outnumbered and facing imprisonment, soon found himself losing a horse that he never really wanted to sell. When Homer Davenport reached Alexandretta, word of *Urfah's sale had spread and many people came out to see her before she left the land of her birth, sorrowful that she had been taken from her owner. Such is the dramatic story of *Urfah, recognized as "the pride of the Euphrates" and together with her son, *Hamrah, would become the most influential horses of the exportation.

How is *Urfah's influence represented in today's population of Arabian horses? One of the top Arabian sires in the world, with a record amount of offspring to his credit, Marwan Al Shaqab (Gazal Al Shaqab x Little Liza Fame) possesses multiple lines to *Urfah in his pedigree, through Kholameh (3 lines), Bay-Abi (2 lines) and Raffoleta-Rose (8 lines).

Another popular breeding stallion, Major Mac V (Maclintock V x Majors Tiffany GA) has approximately 20 lines to *Urfah in his pedigree, primarily through American-bred horses like Sedjur and Sankirah. Both stallions are only two examples of how her blood is brought forward into the present day, as combined with a variety of bloodlines from other countries, like Poland, Egypt, England and Spain.

Fair Sir (Sir x Lady Fair)

However, within the smaller Davenport preservation breeding community, compare Marwan Al Shaqab and Major Mac V with the stallion, Fair Sir, a horse who traced in every line of his pedigree to only the horses imported by Homer Davenport in 1906, including *Urfah, who not only appears 13 times in his pedigree, but is found no farther than the 6th generation of Fair Sir's pedigree!

114 years is a very long time, longer than most people will ever live in a lifetime and one would question *Urfah's relevance in the pedigree of any modern Arabian horse. However, when we celebrate the desert heritage of our horses, it is because of horses like *Urfah, who are the real desert sources in our desert breed's history. Without horses like *Urfah, there would be no desert tagline in this breed. And, don't you find it amazing that when word got around that *Urfah had been sold and arrived in Alexandretta for export, many of the Arabs who knew her story, went to see her before she departed, sorrowful for her owner that she was no longer part of him? That, should be enough to underscore the esteem that people felt for her, in her time!

Marwan Al Shaqab (Gazal Al Shaqab x Little Liza Fame) as photographed by Stuart Vesty

Isn't it interesting, that the genetic influence of *Urfah flows in the veins of an extraordinary stallion like Marwan Al Shaqab, a Qatari-owned stallion who not only restores the blood of *Urfah to the Arab world; he also inspires many people today, as *Urfah herself inspired people like Homer Davenport so long ago. The enormity of *Urfah's story, her legacy and the number of people who are connected through her, overwhelms me and that's why I need to remind you of the title of this blog, "all for the love of a horse". This love of the Arabian horse knows no borders and proves that we have far more in common, than the few things that may separate us.

***Just a few words of gratitude to the Davenport Arabian Horse Conservancy and the online pedigree roster . I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for Edouard al-Dahdah. Most of what I know and understand about the Asil Arabian horse comes through Edouard's wonderful blog, Daughters of the Wind. Thank you so much Edouard. I owe you so much. Jane Waldron Grutz authored a brilliant article published in the January, 2011 issue of Aramco World, titled Hafiz's Gift. If you don't have time to read Davenport's book,  I recommend the article as an alternative. The quotations that appear in boldface and italics regarding *Urfah, *Hamrah and Akmet Haffez all came from Homer Davenport's book, My Quest of the Arabian Horse, which is a must read for any Arabian horse lover.  And finally, to Charles & Jeanne Craver who have provided so much inspiration and encouragement, through a life lived in honor of the Arabian horse. I am proud to say that Charles Craver is one of my Arabian horse heroes and if I can do one tenth of all that he and Jeanne have accomplished in the Arabian horse world, I will have achieved a great victory in life.***

The Genetic Flame of Laheeb

Asal Sirabba (Sirecho x Habba)

Asal Sirabba, a 1958 grey mare bred by Mrs. John E. Ott, was sired by Sirecho and out of the Babson mare, Habba. By virtue of her pedigree, she is representative of the type of horse that defined the breeding program of Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik (Nasr, Fadl & Mabrouk Manial). When combined with the other horses in the pedigree bred by Abbas Pasha Hilmi II, Ahmed Bey El Sennari, Prince Ahmed Kamal, the percentage of native Egyptian blood reaches almost 98%! Which means that the percentage of Blunt desert breeding was very low in this mare, about 2%. Think outcross power. The only Blunt desert-bred horse appearing in the pedigree is Kazmeen, the sire of Bint Sabah. 

Asal Sirabba produced four daughters: one daughter sired by *Ibn Moniet el Nefous named AK Nadira (1976) and the other 3 daughters sired by *Ansata Ibn Halima: Silima (1966), Raalima (1967) and  Siralima (1971):

• Raalima was a prolific mare for Bentwood Farm, producing daughters by the stallions, *Ibn Moniet El Nefous, TheEgyptianPrince and Shaikh Al Badi. Among those daughters are AK Shahlima, Bint Raalima, Ak Tarifa, AK Zayaadah, Thamin Amira, Latifa Raqqasa and Our Kibriya.
• Silima, when bred to Hadbah, produced the stallion Anchor Hill Halim, who went to Germany and became a successful sire, having produced daughters like Mona I, Moregha, *HS Mayeda amd *Moshana.  
• Siralima was bred primarily to *Ibn Moniet El Nefous and produced AK Monalima, AK Jamila, AK Il Malika and AK Latifa, who was sold with her Imperial Al Kamar filly (Imperial Kalatifa) to Ariela Arabians in Israel. AK Latifa produced four foals for Ariela, who matured to become Israeli National Champion horses!

Imperial Kalatifa, by Imperial Al Kamar, when bred to Imperial Imdal, produced the multi-champion halter mare, Loubna. This wonderful World Champion Mare has earned more prizes, in more countries, as proof of her outstanding beauty. She is now owned by Sheikh Ammar Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi of Ajman Stud.

Laheeb (Imperial Imdal x AK Latifa) in a recent photo taken by Bar Hajaj

However, it is AK Latifa's son by Imperial Imdal, Laheeb, whose name in Arabic means flame, has furthered  the influence of Siralima and Asal Sirabba all over the world; having stood at stud at Janow Podlaski and Michalow Stud in Poland, at Al Badeia in Egypt; as well as in America, at Ferlita Arabians in California and of course at his home, Ariela Arabians in Israel. I can't think of another Arabian horse who established a continuing influence, like Laheeb has done, in so many countries.  For example, in the upcoming Pride of Poland sale, there are three mares carrying the influence of Laheeb in their pedigrees: Lot 3 - Endorfina, a great granddaughter through Eteryka, Lot 14 - Emily, a granddaughter through Poganin and Lot 15 - Atakama, a great-granddaughter through Emira. In 1970, when *Ansata Ibn Halima covered Asal Sirabba, Poland was probably the farthest thing from anyone's minds and yet, it is truly amazing how one horse can make a long ago decision, to combine older Egyptian lines with the newer blood, significantly relevant in today's world.