American Gazelle - The Story of *Ghazalahh

*Ghazalahh (Mashhour x Bint Farida) with Rhita McNair

Ghazala, as she was known in Egypt, was a 1951 grey mare, bred by the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS). She was sired by Mashhour (Shahloul x Bint Rustem) and out of Bint Farida (Mansour x Farida). In tail female line, she traced to the Ali Pasha Sherif-bred mare, El Dahma. By virtue of the tail female lines of the eight horses in the third generation of her pedigree (great grand sires and dams), Ghazala is equal parts Hadbah, Saqlawiyah, Kuhaylah (Rodaniyah and Mimrihiyah) and of course, Dahmah. If we believe, as the Bedouin believed, that the maternal line imparts the most influence upon the foal, then her maternal granddam, Farida (Saklawi II x Nadra el Saghira), a pure-in-the strain Dahmah Shawaniyah, tracing to El Dahma in the tail female line of both, her sire and dam, exerts the most influence upon *Ghazalahh. In everything that has been said about *Ghazalahh, we know that everyone agrees that as an individual, she was a classic representation of all the attributes that we recognize as part of "Dahman type".

*Ghazalahh (Mashhour x Bint Farida) 

Ghazala was purchased by Douglas Marshall of Gleannloch Farms in Texas and imported to America when she was 14 years old. By the time of her purchase, she had produced 2 foals: *Bint Ghazalahh by Sid Abouhom in 1959 and Inas by *Morafic in 1961. When she was registered in America, Gleannloch added two more letters to the end of her name (h) and the "Egyptian Gazelle" became an American citizen, forever to be known as *Ghazalahh. Regardless, of the "h", the name "Ghazala" means "gazelle". However, in America, we are more familiar with white-tailed deer than gazelle, so, the next time that you are driving and see a deer alongside of the road, think of *Ghazalahh, who possessed as much grace and elegance, as nature has endowed the deer, the natural inhabitants  of the continually-growing American suburban landscape.

Judith Forbis had seen *Ghazalahh in Egypt, in the years prior to *Ghazalahh's importation by Gleannloch Farm. Judi appreciated the bloodline of Farida, as she felt that Farida and her progeny represented the classic, old world type made famous by the horses of the Dahman Shahwan strain. Judi was impressed by *Ghazalahh as an individual, calling her "exquisite" and "superb" but perhaps the most significant appraisal concerning *Ghazalahh's quality was best said within an early 1960's article, "typical Abbas Pasha type in our time."

*Ghazalahh (Mashhour x Bint Farida)  with Tom McNair

In the herd book that he kept, General Tibor von Pettko-Szandtner wrote that *Ghazalahh was "noble", that she possessed "large, lively eyes" and had "excellent movement". In looking at the conformation photo taken of her at Gleannloch, one can see many of the qualities that I feel, are inherent to the Farida line horses, for example, a silhouette comprised of circular lines, an arched neck that is in proportion to the rest of her body and well-set with a nice underline, laid back shoulders, pronounced withers, deep heart girth, strong and smooth topline, including a wide back, good loins, croup and deeper hips. She was not extreme in any of her features, yet she was dry and elegant, a timeless representative of the classic, desert horse.

*Ghazalahh (Mashhour x Bint Farida)
 

In an article written by Dr. Erwin A. Piduch and published by Arabian Horse World in the May 1984 issue, Douglas Marshall was quoted as saying of *Ghazalahh, "She was indubitably the most beautiful mare in Egypt, and perhaps, the world. She was rather old, not in foal and not expected to become pregnant. We imported her to preserve her and her exceptional beauty regardless, because she would continue to provide our eyes with the ultimate to strive for in our breeding program. We regret that she could have no more foals, but our purpose was fulfilled. We are grateful that she lived a very happy, long life with us and furnished an inspiration to continue to breed her type."

As beautiful as she was, her influence was limited to only the two foals that she produced in Egypt. There were no other progeny. Her daughter by Sid Abouhom, *Bint Ghazalahh, was sold to Albadeia in 1963 and subsequently sold by Albadeia to the American breeder, Martin Loeber of Plum Grove Farm in Palatine, Illinois. She was in foal to *Ramses Fayek and produced a daughter, *Ramses Nefer Tari. The following year, *Bint Ghazalahh produced Ramses Ghazalahh, also by *Ramses Fayek.  Both mares were prolific broodmares within the Plum Grove breeding program and their progeny have bred on, in the hands of other breeders. *Bint Ghazalahh was sold by Plum Grove Farm to Les and Lois St Clair, who bred her to *Tuhotmos, producing a daughter named Ghazalaa Tu. Both mother and daughter were sold by the St Clairs to Bentwood Farm, who owned the pair for only a short time, selling both to Gibson Arabian Stud in California. It is interesting to note that in 1981, Lisa Lacey visited The Babolna State Stud and selected Ibn Galal I-16, a daughter of Bint Inas (her dam was a maternal sister to *Bint Ghazalahh). Her granddaughter, the 1995 mare, HMT Sylvanna, was bred to Al Lahab and produced in 2006, the very popular stallion, Jadoube DMF, bred by Dara Meadows Farm in Virginia. Ghazalaa Tu was bred to *Ibn Moniet el Nefous and produced the mare, GA Monite Monet. She and her dam were bred to the Gibson Arabian Stud's stallions, Glorieta AliSudan (Ansata Ibn Sudan x Ansata Sabiha) and Imperial Imperor (Ansata Imperial x Imperial Mistry), producing several sons and daughters, who have bred on.

It is hard to believe that approximately twenty years ago, I met Ghazalaa Tu, who was with Caryn and Mark Rogosky of Windkist Manor in Pennsylvania. Caryn had bred her to El Mon Moniet, a double *Tuhotmos stallion (and son of the Anter x Abla daughter, *Ein), to produce WK Elsaria Moniet, triple *Tuhotmos and a 1992 grey mare. I was fortunate to also meet her, her daughter by Halim el Mansour, WK Jazelle DeMaar (whom I absolutely loved and was so talented that she could/would do anything) and a son, also by Halim el Mansour, WK HalimElShahloul, who was later gelded and became someone's dear friend and riding partner. I wonder, if at the time, I really realized the significance of meeting these horses and appreciated their connection to *Ghazalahh? I think back to moments like this and well, they remain cherished moments but how did I get so lucky to have crossed paths with such horses?

*Ghazalahh's daughter Inas, remained in Egypt and bred to Sameh, she produced the stallion, Osman in 1965, followed by Aseel in 1967. In 1968, Inas produced a filly by Gassir, Bint Inas, who was sold to Dr. Hans Nagel and became part of the new Egyptian breeding program instituted at The Babolna State Stud. Aseel became an important stallion for the EAO breeding program and his son, *El Mareekh, was purchased and imported by Les and Lois St Clair who had owned *Bint Ghazalahh at one time. Perhaps *Ghazalahh was the motivation behind their purchase of *El Mareekh? Inas developed fertility problems, after producing Bint Inas and the influence of *Ghazalahh, from the maternal side of the pedigree, was forever lost to Egypt. It is only through Aseel that *Ghazalahh's influence is felt at the EAO.

Bint Inas produced well for The Babolna Stud, bred to stallions like Ibn Galal (Galal x Mohga), Ibn Galal I (Ibn Galal x Hanan), Ansata Halim Shah (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Ansata Rosetta) and Ghalion (*Morafic x Lubna). While very few daughters remained at Babolna, most of her progeny was sold abroad and eventually, the line through Bint Inas to Ghazalahh, in straight Egyptian tail female line form, was lost to Babolna, just as in Egypt. However, it is through the progeny of the Bint Inas daughters, i.e., Ibn Galal-19 (who interestingly, is known as "Isis" having been renamed by her owner, Gustl Eutermoser), Ibn Galal I-16 and 2 Ghalion, that Bint Inas can be found in tail female line, all over the world.

*Ghazalahh (Mashhour x Bint Farida) 

*Ghazalahh died in 1982, at the age of 31. At the time, the reproductive legacy of *Ghazalahh may have looked limited or even, grim, however, the good news is that the family has prospered, mainly through the progeny of the Ramses mares: Nefer Tari and Ghazalahh, the *Tuhotmos daughter, Ghazalaa Tu, the EAO stallion Aseel and all of the Bint Inas daughters, as bred by The Babolna Stud, furthering the legacy of a most beloved mare. As Douglas Marshall said so long ago, what legacy can be greater than the joy *Ghazalahh instills in the hearts of man? And so with gratefulness in our hearts, we remember this grand old mare today, the masterpiece we once knew as the American Gazelle.

***This blog was originally published in September of 2020.***