all for the love of a horse...: My Cowboy's Getting Old

21 May, 2021

My Cowboy's Getting Old

Ekstern, now 27 years old, with Lucjan Kulczynski, as photographed by Karolina Misztal

I think I found the most recent photos of Ekstern on the Michalow Facebook page. Today, the photos have been shared and reposted several hundred times, on a variety of different pages, each post resplendent in an amazing collection of emojis. Ekstern possesses an amazing amount of charisma, enchanting Arabian horse lovers all over the world!

In 1965, Frank Sinatra released the album titled, The September of My Years. At the time, Sinatra, about to turn 50, was at the height of popularity and this album, reflective in nature, explores the inner dialogue a man has, as he enters middle age. There is a song in the album, Last Night When We Were Young, and within the middle of the song, the lyrics say:

"Today the world is old
You flew away and time grew cold
Where is that star
That seemed so bright?"

I couldn't stop thinking of this song as I looked at the photos that Karolina Misztal had taken. I was happy to see Ekstern but at the same time, I was sad because the photos do not lie, in the same way that I do, in order to gain a few years here and there, despite the graying hair, wrinkles and saggy skin. I'm old and no number will change that fact. Ugh. The new Ekstern photos are very real and present the reality of where we are in this moment. Ekstern has aged, just as I have aged and many others have aged. I mean, Ekstern looks great for 27 years and he is still the charismatic Arabian dream horse but he is not the horse that trots and prances in the Horsefly video that I love so much. That's the horse that I want to see, in the same way that I want to see the man on the other side of the glass that I used to know. It took a very long time to be able to look at the photos without tears welling up in my eyes. I want Ekstern to live forever, like the family in that book I read once, Tuck Everlasting.

Ekstern, now 27 years old, with Lucjan Kulczynski, as photographed by Karolina Misztal

In my opinion, Ekstern is one of those rare Arabian horses who appeal to a variety of people, regardless of bloodline. He is beautiful and for many people, the type of horse who immediately comes to mind, when you think, "Arabian". As a show horse, Ekstern exuded charisma, winning the love of the audience, wherever he was shown. He was the Polish National Junior Champion in 1995, Polish National Senior Champion, All Nations Cup Champion and World Champion, all in 2000. Ekstern possesses unbelievable breed type, in a most harmonious way. He is close-coupled with a strong and smooth top line. He is well muscled, with a circular body that delivers the power for his electrifying movement. His head is short and wide, dry and elegant with the biggest, blackest eyes I have seen in a very long time, also with a inner sparkle that hints of an abundant joy that resides deep within this horse. He has great tail carriage, very fine, black pigmented skin, elastic nostrils that maintain a beautiful shape when fully dilated and short, tippy ears. He is a most photogenic horse but to capture the full essence of Ekstern, one must see him at liberty, where his physical beauty, his brilliant movement and engaging personality all come together in a most overwhelming way.

Despite a very pronounced Saklawi phenotype, in sire line, he is Kuhaylan, tracing from Monogramm-to-Bask-to-Witraz-to-Ofir, the Kuhailan Haifi son taken from Poland as a six year old. In tail female line, Ekstern traces through his dam, Ernestyna (Piechur x Erwina) to the *Naborr daughter, Estebna and from her, all the way back to Milordka, bred by the Sanguszko family of Slawuta Stud and foundress of Polish female family number 5. As Monogramm restored the *Bask line for Poland, *Naborr did the same for the Ibrahim sire line and it is especially touching to find both of these horses together, in what I feel is a unified Polish pedigree (pre-war & post-war). It is also interesting to consider that Dr. Edward Skorkowski, who strongly believed in maintaining a balanced breeding program to insure the survival of distinct strain types, considered Milordka a Saklawi strain mare, because she strongly embodied the characteristics of the strain. No surprise that her descendant, Ekstern, would also embody strong Saklawi type, as she did.

Ekstern, now 27 years old, with Lucjan Kulczynski, as photographed by Karolina Misztal

As a sire, Ekstern has proven to be exceptional, with a record number of excellent daughters produced. Ekstern, in my opinion, despite siring Esparto, is one of the great broodmare sires, that is, a smaller number of genetically unique stallions, who only come once in a while and establish their influence through their daughters. Again, in my opinion, it is through the maternal side of the pedigree, where Ekstern will continue to exert his influence, long after he is gone from this earth. His daughters are unmistakably like him in phenotype, movement and spirit, with that "look-at-me" attitude. In 2016, the Ekstern daughter, Pepita, a very beautiful fleabitten mare, was sold at auction for $1.4 million Euros, a record price, at a time when horses are not selling easily. Other daughters that come to mind are Wilga, Palanga, El Emeera, Wieza Roz, El Ghazala, Laranda and Cenoza. It is almost impossible to capture all of his get within the limited amount of space in a blog. However, with that said, mention must also be made of his daughter, Ekliptyka, who produced the very exciting Champion stallion Equator (by QR Marc), an extremely popular horse who has dominated the show ring globally, through winning the affection of many people all over the world, including myself.

***I've gotten more than a few emails about the title of this blog and I felt the need to clarify. My Cowboy's getting old is the title of a Tanya Tucker song. It's one of my favorite songs, as she shares the moment when she realized that her father was aging. My Dad, who is no longer alive, was my hero. He was larger-than-life and there was nothing that my Dad couldn't do, fix or make better. Seeing your Dad in a different way than that, can turn your world upside down. Same thing with Ekstern. In my mind, he will always be the perfect horse, the horse that I would wish for and the "Superman" of all horses. To come to the realization that he doesn't possess super powers to protect him and well, aging can affect him too, as it affects all of us; rips me apart inside because I know that the day is coming, when he will no longer be in this world. I apologize if you were offended, because you did not understand the meaning.***

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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.

21 May, 2021

My Cowboy's Getting Old

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