all for the love of a horse...: August 2021

29 August, 2021

Ansata El Wazir

*Ansata El Wazir (*Tuhotmos x *Ansata Bint Sameh)

Within Robert Vavra's book, All Those Girls In Love with Horses, published by William Morrow in 1981, the reader will discover the straight Egyptian Arabian stallion, *Ansata El Wazir, an important horse in the equine centric life story of Debi Jensen, then the Head Trainer and Manager of Raintree Egyptian Stud.

"Never before have I worked with a stallion that can be communicated with so easily and trusted so much. Wazir possesses an almost human personality, and a very likable one at that! It is easy to see why he draws people to him. People who never particularly liked horses stop and want to touch Wazir. Artists come to paint and photograph him." - Debi Jensen, in her own words, as published within All Those Girls In Love with Horses by Robert Vavra

I recently stumbled upon this photo of *Ansata El Wazir and while I deeply admired him, it has been forty years since I first saw him in Robert Vavra's book. So many horses have come and gone since then! Who was *Ansata El Wazir, you might ask? He was a son of the EAO-bred stallion, *Tuhotmos (El Sareei x Moniet el Nefous) and out of the EAO-bred *Ansata Bint Sameh (Sameh x Futna). Foaled in 1971, he was imported in utero by Ansata Arabian Stud.

via his tail female line, *Ansata El Wazir was Dahman by strain: Ansata Bint Sameh->Futna->Farida->Nadra el Saghira->Nadra el Kebira->El Dahma
via his sire line, he traces to Gamil el Kebir: Tuhotmos->El Sareei->Shahloul->Ibn Radan->Rabdan el Azrak->Dahman el Azrak->Jamil el Ahmar->Gamil el Kebir

Having seen Futna in Egypt, Judith Forbis shared in her remarkable Authentic Arabian Bloodstock, Volume II, that Futna was a tall mare, with a strong and correct body. No surprise that Judith Forbis' description of her daughter, Amal (renamed *Ansata Bint Sameh) would also be like that of her dam,

"a tall, very well-balanced, good bodied, basically correct mare, but plain headed, as one would have expected from this combination." - Judith Forbis, Authentic Arabian Bloodstock, Volume II

Noted breed historian, Joe Ferriss, in his article published by Desert Heritage magazine, El Sareei - A Gift from the Island of Pearls, said,

"Tuhotmos, was an artist's inspiration for his dry, refined beauty." - Joe Ferriss, El Sareei - A Gift from the Island of Pearls

Having known *Tuhotmos, when he was alive, I agree with Joe and believe that it made great sense to breed *Ansata Bint Sameh to a stallion who was known for his dry, expressively-chiseled head.

However, the most fascinating aspect of *Ansata El Wazir's pedigree is NO NAZEER blood. In a time period when the world of straight Egyptian breeding heavily favored horses who were line bred to Nazeer, *Ansata El Wazir offered something a little different to breeders: outcross potential. Additionally, he possessed 3 lines to Shahloul, as his sire *Tuhotmos was a double grandson of Shahloul and his dam, *Ansata Bint Sameh, was a maternal granddaughter. Almost 40% of *Ansata El Wazir's pedigree is represented by Shahloul. In the fourth generation, which is the generation of the great-grandparents, Shahloul presents a unique genetic force, as he occupies three primary places. What should be 8 horses in this generation are actually 6 horses: Shahloul plus Zareefa (Kazmeen x Durra), Wanisa (Sheikh el Arab x Medallela), El Moez (Ibn Fayda x Bint Zareefa), Samira (El Deree x El Samraa) and Farida (Saklawi II x Nadra el Saghira). While Shahloul is remembered for siring daughters like Moniet el Nefous, Om el Saad, Maisa, Kateefa, Futna and Bukra; we must also remember that Shahloul also sired sons who had an impact upon the EAO breeding program like El Sareei (*Tuhotmos' sire) and Mashhour. Within the first volume of Authentic Arabian Bloodstock, Judith Forbis included a description of Shahloul, made by Dr. Ameen Zaher, as

"having the best eyes, head and neck, which was very arched and lovely thin skin." - Dr. Ameen Zaher, as quoted in Authentic Arabian Bloodstock by Judith Forbis

I can't think of a better example that unites in importance, the role that ancestors play in breeding decisions, that is, choosing horses whose ancestors are complementary to each other. In this case, understanding the role that Futna through *Ansata Bint Sameh will play genetically, when crossed with a stallion like *Tuhotmos, who is line-bred to an ancestor (Shahloul) known for producing an expressive, typey head.

Early in his breeding career, *Ansata El Wazir was used within the Ansata breeding program, siring Ansata Nile Ruler ( sold to Sabbath Arabians) and daughters like Ansata Regina (retained by Ansata), Ansata Rhozira (sold to Downing Arabian Stud), Ansata Nile Gem (sold to Jarrell McCracken) and Ansata Nile Joy (sold to the Arheims in Australia). In 1977, *Ansata El Wazir was purchased by Bill and Betty Nottley of Raintree Egyptian Stud, located in Newberg, Oregon, where he became a champion show horse, winning a Canadian Top Ten title in Native Costume, as well as the head sire of their breeding program. *Ansata El Wazir sired approximately 142 horses over his lifetime. What I wouldn't have given to have bred *Ansata El Wazir to the Sameh daughters like *Serenity Sonbolah and *Deena or their daughters, Imperial Sonbesjul and Bint Deena.

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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.