all for the love of a horse...: *Nebras Al Rayyan

10 January, 2021

*Nebras Al Rayyan

*Nebras Al Rayyan (Ansata Hejazi x Naama Al Rayyan) as photographed by Brandy Phillips

There really isn't another horse bred quite like *Nebras Al Rayyan in North America. He is a son of the "King of Kuwait", Ansata Hejazi (Ansata Halim Shah x Ansata Sudarra) while his dam, Naama Al Rayyan (Safir x Ansata Majesta) was a full sister to the multi-champion and beloved Qatari-bred stallion, Ashaal Al Rayyan. Genetically, *Nebras Al Rayyan offers the straight Egyptian breeder a pedigree that is somewhat different and increasingly rare in our community - that is, in a post-Ansata age, *Nebras Al Rayyan is primarily an Ansata-bred stallion (75% Ansata breeding) with NO Prince Fa Moniet blood! Therefore, one of the most important things that I can say in this blog about *Nebras Al Rayyan is that in one horse, the majority of the pedigree represents the Ansata foundational bloodlines: *Ansata Ibn Halima, *Ansata Bint Bukra, *Ansata Bint Misr, *Ansata Bint Mabrouka and *Ansata Bint Misuna. The 25% of *Nebras Al Rayyan's pedigree that falls outside of the Ansata foundational bloodlines reflects the breeding programs of Dr. Hans Joachim Nagel, Katharinenhof in Germany (18.75%) through the horses - Salaa el Dine & Aisha; plus the sire of Ansata Malika: *Jamil, while the dam of Ansata Malika, JKB Masouda (Madkour x Maymoonah), was a mare bred by Jean Kayser of Belgium, who was leased by Ansata. She contributes the remaining 6.25% of influence in the pedigree.

*Nebras Al Rayyan, as photographed in January 2015 by Diana Cantey

The name "Nebras" in Arabic means "light", as in the electromagnetic radiation perceived by a human eye or simply said, a source of energy harnessed within the flick of a switch, the flame of a candle or the rays of the rising sun to brighten what once, was dark or absent of light. It's especially significant to me that this particular horse's name translates to "the light of Al Rayyan Farm". Think about this for a second. His name reflects the feelings that he inspired within his breeder at birth. I can use a million words to describe the significance of *Nebras Al Rayyan and yet, all my words would fall short of the transforming power held within the meaning of his name. Foaled in 2006, *Nebras Al Rayyan is now 15 years old. When so many of the Hejazi sons have been sold overseas and are now, out-of-reach for American breeders; it is somewhat of a miracle for American breeders to have access, on our shores, to a breeding stallion who also incorporates the bloodlines of many of the American-bred Ansata mares who are not as available to American breeders, as they once were.

*Nebras Al Rayyan, as he appeared on the Arabian Horse World cover in October 2011, Carol Maginn photo

As previously stated, *Nebras' maternal grand-sire is the Salaa El Dine son, Safir, out of the Ansata Halim Shah daughter, Aisha, a Ghazala (Ghazal x Hanan) daughter. When Safir matured into a marvelous breeding stallion, surpassing the expectations that had been held for him, Al Rayyan incorporated four of his daughters into the breeding program: Mabrouka Al Rayyan, Turkiya Al Rayyan, Al Wajba Al Rayyan and Naama Al Rayyan, the dam of *Nebras. In the December 2002 issue of Arabian Horse World magazine, Susanne Boesche, in her feature for Al Rayyan Farm, described Safir as:

"Big, dark eyes in a chiseled face, he is attentively watching the surroundings, his neck is proudly arched, his tail carried high, and small, hard hooves are stamping, self-assured on the ground - an appearance that he might have inherited from his father, Salaa El Dine (Ansata Halim Shah x Hanan)."

The maternal lines of both the sire and dam in Ansata Hejazi's pedigree are noteworthy. It's much more than just saying that both the sire and dam have a tail female line to the EAO mare, Bukra, although in our breed, it is our tradition to honor the influence of our horses, through the lineage of their dams. In Ansata Hejazi's pedigree, each dam (maternal and paternal) is a result of blending Ansata Shah Zaman (*Morafic x *Ansata Bint Mabrouka) with the bloodline of *Ansata Bint Bukra. (Nazeer x Bukra). In the case of Ansata Rosetta, it is *Ansata Bint Bukra herself, while with Ansata Delilah, she is a result of breeding Ansata Shah Zaman to *Ansata Bint Misr (Sameh x *Ansata Bint Bukra). Combining Ansata Hejazi with Naama Al Rayyan, multiplies the lines to *Ansata Bint Bukra, who now, appears 5 times in *Nebras Al Rayyan's pedigree. A 6th line to Bukra comes by way of the stallion Ghazal, the maternal great grandsire of Safir. Ansata Hejazi offered breeders a very concentrated source of blood to Bukra. Now, it is only through his sons and daughters, like *Nebras Al Rayyan, that we are able to tap into this rich resource of Bukra blood.

Ansata Majesta (Ansata Halim Shah x Ansata Malika) is the dam of Naama Al Rayyan, a full sister of Ashaal Al Rayyan and the mother of *Nebras Al Rayyan. Ansata Majesta was much loved, as she enchanted everyone with her great beauty. Do you know that at the Qatar International Show, she was named Champion or Reserve, every year from 1991 to 1999!

*Nebras Al Rayyan, at home, enjoying life as a horse

Sometimes, in the fraction of a moment, one horse will remind you of another horse from another place, another time. If you are lucky, you might capture this moment through the lens of your camera. With 4 lines to Ansata Halim Shah (50% of *Nebras' pedigree is influenced by this stallion), no surprise to see that *Nebras Al Rayyan looks alot like his grandsire, great grandsire and twice great-great grandsire.

*Nebras Al Rayyan is a proven breeding stallion and in the resources that I have available to me, I found 16 registered foals (14 American born, 1 Belgium born and 1 Qatari born) which breakdown as follows: 8 mares, 6 stallions and 2 geldings, primarily out of a diverse group of straight Egyptian-bred mares and one Polish-bred mare, Pustynna Tarcza, a Pamir (*Probat x Parma) daughter. Carol Maginn, *Nebras' owner, shared what she feels are *Nebras' strength as a sire and what he personally means for her program,

"Nebras brings to our program extreme exotic type and refinement...He is an exceptionally beautiful stallion with great legs, flag tail carriage and charisma."

Bred to a Halim el Mansour (*Ansata Ibn Halima x RDM Maar Hala) daughter, out of an Ansata el Sherif great-grandaughter, *Nebras Al Rayyan sired a beautiful filly, Fa Bint Savanna Moon, for long-time straight Egyptian breeder, Marilyn Lang of Fantasia Arabians, in 2012. She remains one of my favorites of the *Nebras-sired foals.

Fa Bint Savanna Moon (*Nebras Al Rayyan x Fa Savanna Moon) as photographed by Suzanne Sturgill

As I wrote in the blogs for *Hadban Al Shaqab, Thee Revolution and Fa Ali Bey, no horse lives forever and the same reality that exists for the horses we discussed in November 2020, also exists for *Nebras Al Rayyan, who actually, is a "cousin" to Hadban Al Shaqab. In this community, I have seen too many really good stallions die, underused at stud, only to read breeders quickly express their "if only I had...". Well, here's a "heads-up" from me to you dear breeder...NOW IS THE TIME. Nothing lasts forever. Will you be ready when forever gets here?

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MY FAVORITE WEBSITE

If you want to understand the desert Arabian horse on a deeper level, then you will want to visit Daughters of the Wind, a blog maintained by Edouard al-Dahdah, since 2008. It's my favorite place to visit, on a regular basis. For me personally, the information that Edouard presents is at times so profound, that I find myself weeks, even months later, still thinking about what he has written. I consider him a treasured source of inspiration and for the times that I don't feel like writing anymore, a significant source of encouragement. In one place, you will be able to read of the horses, their heritage; as well as the culture, traditions and the geography of the land, from where they originated. I strongly encourage you to visit his blog to broaden your understanding and deepen your appreciation for the Bedouin-bred horse.

MY FAVORITE WEBSITE X 2

The Horse In Word and Picture is the blog of Rania el Sayed, a very talented photographer, whose equine photography is second-to-none. I still remember when I first learned of Rania, it was all because of the late Dr. Nasr Marei. At the time, Nasr published an article that featured Rania's photography. I was thrilled by the photography and later, "meeting" Rania was one of the highlights of my horse life. I loved her photo of Mangooma and Rania, in an act of kindness never to be forgotten, let me use her photo in my blog. Thanks Rania for all of your support. You'll love Rania's blog and all of the equine topics she covers, including the straight Egyptian Arabian Horse. She really pushes me to think deeply about things that I haven't thought in a while. And you don't have to join Facebook, to read her posts. .

MY FAVORITE BOOK

One of the questions that I am asked most frequently is which book(s) do I recommend? Judith Forbis', The Classic Arabian Horse, published in 1976, is MY FAVORITE BOOK...EVER. Prior to the publication of this book, we really didn't have anything that compiled the history, the bloodlines & breeding practices and conformation (including breed type) of the straight Egyptian horse in one volume. You had to dig through multiple sources, sometimes in languages foreign to one's own, to try and develop an understanding of the Egyptian Arabian horse. So, this is my recommendation to you today, especially if you are just starting, this is the most important book you will ever own. You can find the book on Amazon, previously owned, at a very affordable price.

A NEW FAVORITE BOOK

Many times, I have heard other enthuiasts say, "if only I could get into the mind of this breeder and understand the Arabian horse as he or she does!" Dr. William Hudson, a long-time breeder, weaves together his lifetime of experiences including the latest developments in equine genetic science with the history, art and culture of the Arabian horse. This is not the type of book that you will read, cover-to-cover, in one sitting. You will find yourself turning to this massive 1,500 page, 2-volume set, over and over. If you love Arabian horses and want to understand the breed intimately, on a deeper level, this is the only book you will ever need to own. If you are breeding Egyptian Arabian horses, I urge you to purchase this 2-volume set before you breed one more horse!

MORE FAVORITE BOOKS...

One of the questions that I am asked most frequently is which book(s) do I recommend? Previously, I mentioned Judith Forbis' THE CLASSIC ARABIAN HORSE which is a great introduction to the breed and to Egyptian Arabian horses specifically. But now, you have read that book and are ready to go deeper. So, this is the book that I recommend reading (VOLUME II ) without hesitation. It's fantastic. The depth of this book, within tail female lines, sire lines and strains found in Egyptian (EAO) breeding is not found anywhere else. If you are serious about the Egyptian Arabian horse, whether a breeder, student or enthusiast, you must read this book, at least once!

STILL MORE FAVORITE BOOKS

In the Preface, Dr. Nagel wrote, "Since it is claimed that the Arabian horse breed is one of the oldest on earth, one has to accept that it is also in the crossfire of many opinions which sometimes clash vigorously. There are obviously many doubts and errors, and the advocates of different concepts seem to be not ready to settle on a common stance. It should encourage the reader to think...The refreshing variety of thoughts surrounding this noble member of the great family of horses should not be lost." Whether you agree or disagree with Dr. Nagel, is not what is important but rather, the resulting thought that this book will inspire. I can't even tell you how many times I have read this wonderful book cover-to-cover. It's one of the more provocative books that I have ever read and each time I have read it, a part of the book that had not impacted me previously, will cause me to think deeply for days, weeks and even months at a time. So, dear reader, I recommend this book to you, in the hope that it will inspire you to think deeply about our breed and examine why, you feel the way you do.

"The ideal Arabian type is recognizable at sight to the experienced horseman and novice alike. It falls short of the ideal if it reminds one of another horse or breed. It falls short of the ideal if it is so plain and uncertain of type as to require a sign: 'This is an Arabian horse.' It falls short of the ideal if it is so coarse and masculine as to remind one of a small Percheron, at one extreme, or so highly animated and elf-like as to remind one of a gazelle at the other extreme. The ideal type stands out alone. You know it immediately when you see it."-Ben Hur, from his 1951 Western Horseman article, Type in the Arab

In the summer of 2006, when I discovered Blogger, the last thing on my mind was creating a blog. At the time, I had been participating in a popular Egyptian Arabian horse website and desired to find a website that would allow me to "cut-and-paste" the posts that I had written for future reference. From those humble beginnings, this blog was born. I'm not a professional writer and although I want to say that writing is a hobby; I think it is better to say that I write for the love of the breed. I've had the good fortune to meet a number of horses who are now considered legendary, as well as some really wonderful people, who are equally legendary. Over the years, people have suggested that I charge a subscription fee or pursue paid sponsorships but you know how money changes everything and this blog, after all, is a labor of love. So, there you have it, the story of the blog. Many thanks to the people who make this blog doable, for example, where would I be without any of the photographers, the "visual storytellers" of our breed, who allow me to post their pictures and to the authors of the many books and magazine articles that I have read over the course of 45 or so years, helping to educate a long ago kid, crazy in love with Arabian horses. And finally, an overwhelming amount of gratitude for you dear readers, for coming here to this place, to read, discover and celebrate this common ground we share, all for the love of an Arabian horse.

10 January, 2021

*Nebras Al Rayyan

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