#400

Hadiya Al Kamar RB, as photographed by Christine Emmert in August, 2021

Hadiya Al Kamar RB, bred by Dr. Joseph Cruz of Rancho Bulakenyo, Los Osos, California, is a 2021 colt, sired by *Hadban Al Shaqab (Ashhal Al Rayyan x Sundar Alisayyah) and out of Nahjiyah Al Kamar RB, an *Asala Hafid Nahman daughter out of Hassanieh Al Kamar RB (Imperial Al Kamar x EAI Hassimah). You know what is interesting about this colt? The "RB" suffix, which is added to the end of his name. Dr. Cruz, in using this suffix (instead of "MH") is telling us  that there is no RDM Maar Hala (El Hilal x Maar Jumana) blood in this colt. 

In tail female line, Hadiya Al Kamar RB traces to the mare, Bint El Bahreyn (same tail female line of Rancho Bulakenyo's Moon family); while in sire line, he is a Saklawi I:

• via his tail female line, *Hadiya Al Kamar RB is Dahman by strain: Nahjiyah Al Kamar RB->Hassanieh Al Kamar RB->EAI Hassimah->Bint Hassenah->Hassenah->Hebet Allah->*Soheir II ->Tifla->Elwya->Zareefa->Durra->Dalal->Bint el Bahreyn

• via his sire line: Hadiya Al Kamar RB traces to Saklawi I: *Hadban Al Shaqab->Ashhal Al Rayyan->Safir->Salaa El Dine->Ansata Halim Shah->*Ansata Ibn Halima->Nazeer->Mansour->Gamil Manial->Saklawi II->Saklawi I

The Gleannloch Farms breeding program exerts a significant influence in the pedigree of this colt, more than any other breeding program, at approximately 28%; while the Ansata program represents an influence of almost 15%, largely through the stallion, Ansata Halim Shah, who interestingly (and uniquely), impacts 20% of the pedigree through horses born in several countries, namely America and Germany.  

Cell phone pic of Hadiya Al Kamar RB with his dam, Nahjiyah Al Kamar RB

While the focus of this blog is Hadiya Al Kamar RB; this is also a story of how breeding programs, already hugely successful in their consistency year-after-year, remain willing to evolve, as they add to their genetic mix of bloodlines. In the case of the long-term Rancho Bulakenyo program, Dr. Cruz had been searching for an outcross stallion and specifically, a bay-colored horse of Ansata lines, blended with those of Katharinenhof. An advertisement placed by Tanja Lux of Asala Arabians in a popular Egyptian Arabian horse website at the time, caught Dr. Cruz's attention. Foaled in 2008, *Asala Hafid Nahman (DF Malik Jamil x Asra Milahaa) was the promising five-month old straight Egyptian colt described in the ad. Intrigued by both the additional conformation photos that he requested, Dr. Cruz decided to fly to Germany and see the horse in person.  The colt turned out to be everything that Dr.Cruz had been looking for and shortly before he became a yearling, *Asala Hafid Nahman arrived at his new home. In 2013, his first foals started to arrive. Bred to an Imperial Al Kamar daughter, Nahjiyah Al Kamar RB, was foaled the following year. 

Nahjiyah Al Kamar RB, the dam of Hadiya Al Kamar RB, as photographed by Christine Emmert in April, 2021

Nahjiyah Al Kamar RB is unmistakable, for the look of her sire. As a breeding stallion, Dr.Cruz could not have found a horse who sired more like an outcross than *Asala Hafid Nahman was doing. He was very prepotent and his bay-colored get look very much like him, right down to the smaller, sharper pointed ears! Tragically, he passed away while still a young horse and did not sire a large amount of get, as compared to longer-lived stallions. However, what I found impressive, is the larger amount of fillies he sired and perhaps, it will be through his daughters like Nahjiyah, that his greatest legacy will be felt.  Hadiya Al Kamar RB, whose name means "gift" may prove to be just that, *Asala Hafid Nahman's greatest gift, in return for the faith that Dr. Cruz had in him as a breeding stallion. 

Hadiya Al Kamar RB has a full sister, Aleah Naamah, bred by Robin Lee, who had leased Nahjiyah Al Kamar RB from Rancho Bulakenyo. Robin decided to breed her to *Hadban Al Shaqab, sired by Ashhal Al Rayyan (Safir x Ansata Majesta) and out of Sundar Alisayyah (Ruminaja Ali x Imperial Sayyah), a maternal brother to the late Al Adeed Al Shaqab. Ashhal Al Rayyan carries 50% of Ansata Halim Shah blood, through both of his paternal grandparents (Salaa el Dine and Aisha) in addition to his dam, Ansata Majesta. While considered "maternal siblings", the two horses are genetically closer, when you factor Ansata Halim Shah's influence within Ashhal's genetic make-up. It was the beauty of Aleah Naamah, that inspired the repeat breeding to *Hadban Al Shaqab. 

One of the things that I have learned over time is that love seems to always be at the source of life's greatest gifts. If love is missing, life, over time will confirm love's absence and in this emptiness, no one finds fulfillment or satisfaction. The love I feel for this breed has sustained me over these last fifteen years. It hasn't been easy and there have been many sacrifices, some even so challenging, that giving up, crossed my mind. With all that said, here we now are, at what is for me a special milestone, the 400th blog post.  400! Do you know dear reader that the number 400 is associated with "uniqueness", "new beginnings", "determination", "focus" and "building a foundation for the future"? I was impressed to read this, as these are also some of the descriptive things that people say when speaking of a special new-born colt and prospective breeding stallion. I can't think of a better way to mark this special moment, than with the birth of what is a truly extraordinary colt and *Asala Hafid Nahman's special gift to Rancho Bulakenyo - Hadiya Al Kamar RB.