Driving without GPS - Disconnected Thoughts on an Autumn Road

While our trees are not displaying the flaming colors of autumn yet, they are still, for the most part, green; our outside temperatures have been cooler than normal the past week, heralding the arrival of autumn, much to my dismay. As I turned my key in the ignition and surprisingly, the thermometer flashed 38 degrees early Sunday morning (am I seeing that right?), I realize that I can no longer continue to deny that summer 2020 is now, well, officially over and winter is in the neighborhood. Ugh. 

That most wonderful American pop standard, September Song, as sung by Frank Sinatra, is my favorite. I try to listen to the song as much as I can during the month of September, as we transition from one season into the next. The lyrics are especially poignant, at this time of the year: 

"Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame" - Kurt Weill & Maxwell Anderson

And yet, if in your life, you have had to say goodbye to somewhere or someone you really enjoy, like or even love, the songwriters have buried that particular feeling of melancholy, within the song. To me, the song reminds me that the changing seasons of spring, summer and fall mirror one's own life and it is in the autumn of our lives, when we suddenly realize that youth, with all of its promise, has faded. It hits me especially hard this year, as I already feel that my flame flickers like a candle and for certain dreams, well, time may have already run out completely. 

So, despite September Song and the beautiful colors of autumn, do you know that I really don't look forward to the arrival of fall each year? It's not the autumn that is the problem, it's the dreadfully bleak season that comes immediately after fall that I dislike. And this year, in this strange new world that COVID-19 has created for all of us, I am not looking forward to the arrival of the colder weather and the looming danger that threatens our freedom to live life without fear.

Over the weekend, I received an email blast from Arabian Essence, announcing their newest edition: issue 50 of Desert Heritage Magazine  I have embedded the link in the previous sentence and I encourage you to read the magazine, as you will find some great articles about Al Amin Stud in Egypt, the horses of Tarek Hamza and the exciting up and coming stallion, Nadeer Al Rashediah from Bahrain. However, my favorite article would have to be an excellent feature written by Monika Savier, Breeding Like 50 Years Ago for Preserving Tomorrow's Straight Egyptians. Focused on the Katharinenhof breeding program, Monika includes an interview with Dr. Hans Nagel. I enjoy Monika's articles, she is one of my favorite authors and I have found over the years that she asks very thoughtful questions, the kind of questions that I would want to ask, requiring answers that go deep within the heart and soul, to reveal the very essence of the Katharinenhof breeding program, as created by one magical man, from whom, dreams became horses of flesh, bone and blood. 

"I don't deal in percentages. They are a purely mathematical point of view and give no more that a crude reflection of the bigological dimension. My approach is getting to know the true genetic composition of a breeding horse, which is possible and feasible via DNA analysis." - Dr. Hans Nagel, in response to Monika Savier

If you have been following this blog, specifically over the last six months or so, you will have noticed that I have been using percentages more, to determine the influence of particular individuals, their strains, as a tool to better understand a specific horse. Percentages, for me, are only one of many different ways to identify the horses who are consistent, in reproducing the type that I and you appreciate. For example, this weekend, I was studying the pedigree of a mare named Nouriyah RAF (Nour Al Kamar MH x Atiq Dimona), bred and owned by Jamie Zissis of Rosehaven Arabians. 

Nouriyah's tail female line, through her dam, Atiq Dimona, as bred by Tzviah Idan and Kuti Aharon of Idan Artiq Stud in Israel, runs to 10 Hosna, one of the more popular lines coming out of Babolna. By virtue of her tail female line, Nouriyah is Hadbah by strain but really and truly, she has a minimal amount of Hadbah strain in her: that of her tail female line plus two other lines through the stallion, *Simeon Shai (Simeon Safanad, who is also 10 Hosna by the way) and the mare, Fasarra (*Farazdac x *Masarra).  What about other strains, you ask? Well, Nouriyah has only four Dahman lines (25%) and of the 25% Dahman influence, *Ansata Ibn Halima is responsible for 15% of that number, however, please consider that in Simeon Sharav, flows the blood of Halima, the dam of *Ansata Ibn Halima, so if you include that line, together with the 15%, the Halima coefficient increases to almost 16%. Over the years, the impact of mtDNA analysis has really changed long held beliefs and whether you accept (or not) the lines that come through Maar Hala and 223 Ibn Galal I as "Kuhaylan Jellabi" or "Saklawi Jedran", will determine the influence of these two strains. If you do count the blood as Kuhaylan Jellabi, then her Kuhayan influence grows to 43.75%, while her Saklawi influence (through the 4th generation aka great-great grandparents) is 0%. If you agree that the previously considered Kuhaylan Jellabi lines are in fact, Saklawi, then her Kuhaylan influence drops down to 31.25%, while her Saklawi influence increases to 12.5%. However, contrary to what Dr. Nagel has said in the interview in Desert Heritage, this is where mathematical analysis, in the form of strain percentages may be helpful, as I think both her body type and the mathematical analysis complement each other, providing the student with a definitive answer and that is,  Nouriyah was more impacted by the Kuhaylan strain, than any other. And what's more, she carries a wide diversity of Kuhaylan blood, as she is 25% Rodaniyah, 6.25% Krushiyah  and 12.5% Jellabiyah. You know what is also interesting? *Morafic...or rather, the absence of *Morafic blood. There is no *Morafic blood in Nouriyah, through the 5th generation. TheEgyptianPrince appears in the 5th & 7th generations and the *Morafic daughter, Nasra, appears also in the 7th generation (through Aziza Samira), Considering how  far back in the pedigree we find *Morafic, we can understand that his influence is minimal, less than 3%. It makes Nouriyah, well, interesting in a breeding program that is trying to hold the influence of *Morafic to a bare minimum. I spoke with Jamie and she is looking forward to starting this mare under saddle in a performance career where her intelligence will continue to prosper and flourish, bringing joy to all who know and love her. 

And maybe, finding joy, as challenging as that may be in these days, is perhaps, the greatest lesson that we can receive from people like Dr. Hans Joachim Nagel and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Their lives provide encouraging inspiration in the form of perseverance, dedication and for lack of a better way to say it, spiritual and physical toughness. Their joy was realized in the great things they were doing. One man, considered to be the greatest breeder of Arabian horses in the world; while one woman is recognized as a great defender of the American Constitution. At an age when most people feel the best in life is over, Ruth Bader Ginsburg at 60, wrote the greatest chapter of her life, as a Supreme Court Justice. Dr. Hans Nagel, at 90, is breeding the best horses of his 50+ year career! Maybe, just maybe, the summer of my life has yet to be discovered and there is still time left for me to breed that one notorious horse of the south!

Happy Fall everyone!

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!***

The Real Beauty of RN Farida

RN Farida, foaled in 1995, is a daughter of Salaa el Dine, an Ansata Halim Shah son out of Hanan. Her dam, Noha, was a Hadban Enzahi daughter, out of Nadja, a Nazeer daughter out of Nefisa (Balance x Helwa). From Nefisa, the tail female line runs through Farida to El Dahma, an Ali Pasha Sherif-bred mare, long considered to be the root mare of the Dahman Shahwan strain. In the case of RN Farida, this maternal line through Farida to El Dahma creates a very interesting phenomenon in the pedigree. The tail female line of Balance, the sire of Nefisa, also runs to El Dahma through Farida. Nefisa, the maternal great granddam of RN Farida is double El Dahma and a pure-in-the-strain Dahmah Shahwaniyah! However, Farida also "frames" the pedigree, top and bottom. How? Ansata Halim Shah is a son of *Ansata Ibn Halima, a son of Halima, a daughter of Ragia, a daughter of Farida.....all the way back to, yes, El Dahma. That's three lines to Farida, who was a 1921 mare and appears farther back in pedigrees, ususally as close-up as the 5th generation. In RN Farida, she is found in the 5th and 6th generations, exerting a 6.25% genetic influence.

The other interesting story in RN Farida's pedigree involves the stallion Nazeer. RN Farida's dam, Noha is the end result of breeding two Nazeer siblings together: Hadban Enzahi and Nadja. You will remember that Noha was also the dam of the stallion, Nasrodin, by Ansata Abbas Pasha. On the paternal side, the line breeding to Nazeer is intensified, through the use of two Nazeer sons: *Ansata Ibn Halima and Alaa el Din. The influence that Nazeer, a 1934 stallion, exerts in the genetics of RN Farida is 37.5%! However, this influence can be considered to be a little more than that, if we acknowledge Hadban Enzahi, who, in addition to being a paternal grandson of Bint Samiha,  has an additional line to her through his dam Kamla.  If we were to combine the influence of both, Farida and Nazeer, plus the added influence of Bint Samiha, that's almost half of the pedigree, concentrated among these two individuals!

"Grace comes into the soul, as the morning sun into the world. First a dawning; then a light; and at last the sun in his full and excellent brightness." - Thomas Adams

Having owned two mares, who both lived deep into their mid-20's, I learned, through daily experience to cherish the changes that happen in horses as they mature and reach their senior years. It is a very special time to be in their company, to care for their special needs and experience the softness in their touch and within their eyes, always a noble presence and conveying a profound understanding of who they are and their place in this world, shaped by their life experiences as show horses, mothers, athletes and beloved companions. There's an elegance that gradually intensifies, like a flower that slowly unfolds her petals, to finally bloom in all of her majesty. The head of a senior age Arabian horse reaches a level of dryness that enhances the prominence of the bone and veins, as well as the skin quality or rather, the more noticeable black skin, due to possibly, the shedding or thinning of the coat hairs about the face. Despite the sunken hollows that appear above the eyes, the loss of the fat tissue in the face underscores the desert qualities of the horse. It's a different kind of beauty, as this outward appearance also relies heavily on the extraordinary beauty of the inward spirit. That's why I love this photo of RN Farida, as I see many of these things in the picture but more importantly for me, she reminds me of the special time spent with my own horses in the last years of their lives.

"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible. Things will happen. Don't be afraid." - Frederick Buechner

When RN Farida was young and her fame was increasing, there was much discussion about her on the internet. In those days, there was no social media in the form of Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to fuel discussions, however, it seemed that many people had an opinion of RN Farida's "exotic" or "extreme" look and wasted no time posting their feelings in forums and wherever horsepeople congregated in those days to trade opinions.

This particular photo, taken by beloved journalist and photographer (and fellow Arabian horse lover), Susanne Boesche, as part of a feature article presented on an extremely popular website of the time, caused a fire storm of controversy, as people referred to this beautiful mare as a "freak" and representative of what was really wrong with the Arabian breed and the direction that breeders were going in. Some, without meeting this horse in person, suggested breathing problems! How would they know that from a photo? It was very frustrating, as enthusiasts took this photo out of context, forgetting that photo angles may create a look that does not really exist in real life and more importantly, young horses evolve and change, as they mature and age. Without wasting any more words on this subject, the fact is that the real RN Farida did not really look like this!

RN Farida, despite the unfair criticism, became an important broodmare for Al Rayyan and for breeders around the globe. Bred to top stallions like Ansata Nile Echo, Alidaar, Ansata Hejazi, Al Adeed Al Shaqab and Ansata Nile Pasha, she produced sons and daughters who have matured into significant breeding horses for other programs. Think of sons like Alzeer Al Rayyan, Farhoud Al Shaqab and of daughters like Noof Al Rayyan (the dam of Fahad Al Rayyan), Furat Al Rayyan or Naifah Al Rayyan to name a few of her progeny. RN Farida's many achievements, as great as they may be, pale in comparison to the joy that she has brought to people she will never meet and yet, are humbled by her very real and noble beauty. Like a flower, she has bloomed, inspiring hope, in all who know her by name.

Mustafa Down Under

Mustafa (Hadban Enzahi x Masarrah)

The grey stallion pictured above, also named Mustafa, was foaled in 1969, a son of Hadban Enzahi (Nazeer x Kamla) and out of Masarrah (Haladin x Moheba). Bred by The Marbach Stud in Germany, Mustafa is not a straight Egyptian horse, because of the presence of Haladin (Halef x Jadine), however, he does possess a very high percentage of Egyptian breeding, approximately 81.25!

Halef, bred by Janow Podlaski Stud, was sired by Enwer Bey (Abu Mlech x Koalicja) and out of  *Kasztelanka (Koheilan I x Bialgrodka), one of the Pure Polish horses imported by Henry Babson in the late 1930's. Bred to *Fadl, she produced the stallion, Fadheilan, a stallion of great significance in American bloodlines, through beloved horses like Fadjur and Khemosabi.

Haladin's dam, Jadine, is a daughter of the stallion, Jasir, a straight Egyptian horse sired by Mabrouk Manial, an influential sire in Egypt, while his dam is Negma, a significant broodmare for Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik and the granddam of *Fadl, the sire of Fadheilan. Jasir established common ground in Germany with the breeding programs in the United States utilizing the bloodlines of horses like Fadjur and Khemosabi, while also offering German breeders an alternative source of Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik breeding, as compared to the sources available in American programs primarily through the Babson breeding program and the older North American programs founded upon the *Nasr sire line.

Of great significance in straight Egyptian breeding is the EAO-bred mare, Moheba (Sid Abouhom x Halima), the dam of Masarrah, Mustafa's dam.  A maternal sister of *Ansata Ibn Halima, when bred to El Sareei (Shahloul x Zareefa), she produced the mare, Malacha, who in turn, was bred to Ghazal (Nazeer x Bukra), producing the full siblings: Moheba II and Malikah. Both mares, like their dam, have great influence in German straight Egyptian breeding, as Moheba II crossed with Hadban Enzahi produced the stallion Madkour I, a noteworthy sire of many horses, including the stallion, *Jamil. Malikah is the dam of Maymoonah, also by Hadban Enzahi. When bred to Madkour, she produced Messaoud, the sire of horses like *Orashan, Imperial Madheen and Mesoudah M (the dam of *Mishaal HP).

Haladin, is the horse pictured on the left side of the Marbach team and on the right, is the Nazeer son, Ghazal (out of Bukra)

It's also interesting that Moheba II's daughter, Molawa, is sired by Haladin, the sire of Masarrah! She was also bred to Hadban Enzahi, producing daughters like Magda, Mabrouka and Maroufa, as well as sons like Monrad and Masan, all of whom produced progeny. This is the rich genetic background that exists in horses like Mustafa and the genetic potential they can offer breeders. For this reason, Mustafa's story needs to be told, so his memory will live on and remind us all of what is possible with these horses!

Mustafa (Hadban Enzahi x Masarrah)

Mustafa was a pioneer and a trail-blazer, in a country far different from the one in which he was bred and raised, as he was one of the earlier Egyptian-influenced horses to be imported into Australia, which up until that time was predominantly representative of Crabbet Park and Old English bloodlines. In a stallion ad of the period, he was advertised at stud by Mrs. E. Baltis of Dural in New South Wales. He was bred across a wide variety of bloodlines and sired an impressive number of daughters. His type, as well as the success of his get in the show ring and in endurance competitions, made him a popular sire in Australia and inspired breeders with his beauty, enabling the importation of more Egyptian blood into the country.

Nefisaan

Nefisaan (Mohssen x *Bint Nefisaa)

Nefisaan was a 1972 grey stallion, sired by Mohssen, an *Ansata Ibn Halima son out of *Bint Nefisaa, a Nazeer daughter.  His great granddam, Helwa, is a maternal sister of *Ghazalahh, so, in tail female line, he traces through Farida to El Dahma. He is part of the family of horses which include the stallion, El Hilal and the mares: Moynese (his full sister), Nama (*Morafic), Narjisa (*Moftakhar), Nourah and Negmaa (*Ansata Ibn Halima). Genetically, he represents the first generation of the newer EAO horses, imported to America by Gleannloch Farm and Ansata Arabian Stud. In his landmark study of the EAO Arabian horse (and one of my favorite books), The Egyptian Alternative, Volume 2, noted author, Philippe Paraskevas said of Nefisa, the maternal granddam of Nefisaan,

"So Farida was pure in the strain, double Dahman Shahwan, double El Dahma; Nefisa, the exit mare to many modern-day Dahmans was again pure in the strain, double Dahman Shahwan, double El Dahma, double Farida. It is note-worthy that this kind of 'pure-in-the-strain' inbreeding (generally accepted to mean that both sire and dam trace back to the same root mare) occurred, here in Egypt, before Western breeders pioneered the practice of inbreeding the Dahman/Saklawi blend and well before the subsequent worldwide rush to further inbreed together Dalal Saklawis and Farida Dahmans, many times over, continuously, to the present day."

In this day and age, when the science of mtDNA studies does not support the strain designations that are based upon Bedouin breeding practices, it seems silly to discuss whether this horse is Dahman or Hadban, however, I grew up in this community learning strain theory and it is challenging for me, at this point in my life, to disregard it or its importance within our culture. With regard to Nefisaan, it is interesting to study the strain designations within his third generation, that is, the generation of his eight great-grandparents. Nefisaan was equal parts Hadban, as he was Dahman, 37.5% of each. He also was equal parts Kuhaylan and Saqlawi, 12.5% of each. I think it was very clever to breed that level of balance within a pedigree and I believe, Nefisaan's body shows the strength and balance promised within his pedigree.  I also found it interesting that out of all of his ancestors, the stallion Nazeer, a horse born in 1934, represents 50% of his pedigree, a percentage equivalent to the influence a sire has upon his foal, however, Nefisaan was foaled 38 years after Nazeer was born!

Nefisaan in an advertisement that ran in Arabian Horse World magazine

I believe Nefisaan sired somewhere around 60 horses in his lifetime and the majority of these horses were not straight Egyptian but an overwhelming number were female, indicating that Nefisaan may have been yet another stallion who over time, proved to be a stronger sire of broodmares than stallions. How did he escape us without our capturing more of his influence? Unfortunately, here is another of those hard lessons that hindsight tries to teach us! With all that said, I remember his son, Nazkaro, a 1982 grey stallion, bred by George R. Wright, who also owned *Bint Nefisaa, Nefisaan's dam. What I found really interesting in Nazkaro is the relationship between Nefisaan and the 1974 mare, Laila Gina, who was sired by Dakmar, an *Ansata Ibn Halima son and paternal sibling of Mohssen and out of Nama, a maternal sibling of Nefisaan. So, Laila Gina and Nefisaan were very closely related, more so than just saying they were maternal siblings, as *Bint Nefisaa made up almost 40% of Nazkaro's pedigree and *Ansata Ibn Halima represented 25%. Between both horses, they commanded 65% of the pedigree, an extraordinary genetic influence upon Nazkaro! Imagine having such a super-concentrated Dahman influence, brought forward by a minimal number of horses, to breed back into your Dahman-focused breeding program today. One can dream, can't he?

Hamida Ivey

Haraka (Kenur x *H.H. Mohamed Ali's Hamida) the maternal granddam of Hamida Ivey

Hamida Ivey was a 1985 grey mare, sired by the 1968 stallion, Karimkhan (Dhamida x Hamara) and out of Mistara (Mista-Bin x Haraka). Hamida Ivey carried four lines to the Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik-bred mare, *Hamida (*Nasr x Mahroussa), close up in her pedigree, as close as a great granddam (through Haraka).

Bint Hamida (Kenur x *H.H. Mohamed Ali's Hamida) full sister of Haraka & dam of the stallions: Dhamida & Mista-Bin

While she carried 25% Hallany Mistanny blood; her percentage of Hamida blood is a bit higher at 31.25%, as *Hamida is represented in all four tail female lines. When you add the percentages of *Hamida and Hallany Mistanny together, plus the percentages from the other horses bred by Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik, like the alternative source of *Nasr (through Sirecho) and the Babson import,*Fadl, the percentage of the Prince's breeding program increases significantly, exceeding 60%! A large part of this percentage is a result of the celebrated broodmare, Mahroussa (Mabrouk Manial x Negma), as there are seven lines to her in the pedigree. However, Mahroussa's granddam, Bint Yamama and her daughter Negma, also appear multiple times through *Nasr (Rabdan el Azrak x Bint Yamama) and *Roda (Mansour & Negma), which makes this particular pedigree a rich source of the Ghazieh tail female line, a Saklawiyah Jedraniyah of Ibn Sudan, purchased by Abbas Pasha, circa 1855!

If it wasn't for the Saudi sources through *Turfa and the Albert Harris-bred Kenur (*Sunshine x *Tairah), Hamida Ivey would qualify as straight Egyptian, reconciling the high percentage of Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik breeding, as well as the percentage of Abbas Pasha breeding, with the Egyptian classification. However, without the Saudi bloodlines, we would lose the dynamic vigor that the infusion of desert breeding brings to the offering and we wouldn't have a horse as unique as Hamida Ivey was.

“The blood is prepotent! That is the thing about the other key horses way back in the pedigrees that were picked out for W.R. Brown.”-Ginny Garrett

Sadly, the bloodline of *HH Mohamed Ali’s Hamida has been lost to straight Egyptian breeding, however, combined with other sources of desert breeding, *Hamida is still extant in the gene pool and Hamida Ivey is one of the *Hamida sources, thanks to Lynn and Ginny Garret of El Hallany Arabians, who purchased Hamida Ivey when she was eleven years old and still, a maiden mare. She was bred to Ru Ibn Roda and Hamida Ivey produced a colt the following year. Eventually, she produced three lovely fillies: ELH Haraka, ELH Qumiza and ELH Karima. Tragically, ELH Karima died as a yearling but both ELH Haraka and ELH Qumiza remain within the Hallany Mistanny breeding group...but time continues to tick away, as it does for all of us.