The Visual Acuity of the Falcon

*Sakr +++(*Sultann x Enayat) with Tom McNair

Do you know what I find really interesting about *Sakr+++? In tail female line, he traces to Bint Rissala, one of two sources of the Rodania bloodline in Egypt. So, needless to say, he is Kuhaylan Rodan in strain:

*Sakr-->Enayat-->Ameena-->Yaman-->Yaquota-->Bint Rissala

However, if I go out to the third generation, that is, the generation populated by his eight great-grandparents, we get a completely different story about strain and influence. Five of the eight horses are Saklawi by strain, representing 62.5% of the pedigree and despite that by virtue of his tail female line, *Sakr is Kuhaylan; he is overwhelmingly influenced by the Saklawi strain. The Kuhaylan Rodan strain, on the other hand, only represents a fraction of influence, at 12.5%, which is as much as the Hadban and Dahman strains contribute. And, I think you will agree that *Sakr does not possess the body type that we associate with Dahman or Hadban horses. Another point to consider is when you study the pedigree of Yaman, his great grand dam, you will immediately notice that she was sired by a Saklawi stallion, El Moez, so really, the Kuhaylan Rodan percentage that she brings forward in the pedigree is reduced in half, approximately 6.25%!

How to further explain the Saklawi influence? *Sakr's dam, Enayat, was a daughter of the most famous of all Saklawi stallions, *Morafic. Her dam, Ameena, was also sired by a Saklawi stallion, the Inshass-bred Hamdan. Yaman as we have said, was sired by El Moez, a Saklawi stallion. On the paternal side, the stallion *Sultann, is approximately 75% Saklawi, as sired by Sameh (El Moez x Samira) and out of Lubna (Sid Abouhom x Moniet el Nefous).

Despite the fact that *Sakr+++ was a grandson of Sameh, a stallion who was recognized for possessing Kuhaylan type (and passing it on), *Sakr was stretchy and elegant. One of the qualities of the Saklawi strain is length, i.e. longer back, longer neck, longer legs and longer head.  In the photo of *Sakr+++ published within The Pyramid Society's Reference Handbooks, we observe the added length in *Sakr's body; which is the direct opposite of Kuhaylan type, noted for horses embodying a compact, closer-coupled frame.  While *Sakr may not have inherited the Kuhaylan type from his grandsire, Sameh, he most certainly did inherit the freedom up front in his shoulders, combined with the elasticity and power in the hocks that Sameh was known for passing on to his very athletic get, i.e. *Serenity Sonbolah.

Another interesting point to make about *Sakr+++ is his name. Do you know that "Sakr" means - "falcon"? And do you also know that falcons are recognized for having exceptional powers of vision? The visual acuity in some species of falcons was measured at 2.6 times that of a human!   Dr. William Hudson, a straight Egyptian breeder in Georgia, whose breeding program is prefixed with the name,  "Zandai,  recently concluded a mtDNA study, focused solely on the EAO matrilines. He published the results in an online science journal, PLOS ONE and he has also published the results of the study, along with other material, in book form. While the study (which included 126 horses, representing 14 matrilines), confirmed the reliability of the EAO Stud Book records; science does not concur with Bedouin breeding practices, that is, characteristics unique to strain designations, inherited through the maternal line, i.e. dam to granddam to great-grandam, etc. The study shed light on a few individuals, from different families possessing the same haplotypes, suggesting a common ancestress from long ago. This is where I find myself now, thinking about falcons, improved vision and a new focus or understanding, in the face of tradition, culture and of course, the horse with an ancient heritage, as developed by the Bedouin, out of necessity, to suit his needs.