all for the love of a horse...: Oh Saklawi!

21 January, 2022

Oh Saklawi!

Fadl Moniet (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Bah Rouse) as photographed by Lee Harrison in 1975

This is Fadl Moniet, a 1973 stallion, sired by *Ibn Moniet el Nefous and out of Bah Rouse (Ansata Abbas Pasha x Bah Roufa), as presented within The Pyramid Society's Reference Handbook of Straight Egyptian Horses, Volume II. Two years old at the time, he was co-owned by Richard J. Veselovsky of The Abracadabra Farm (he also owned *Thabit [Alaa El Din x Kaydahom] and a maternal sibling, Sakrou [*Sakr x Bah Rouse]) and John & Anna M. Clay of Kamars Arabians (they also owned Kamars Sharif [Fabah x Roufina], Bint Fay Roufa [Fabah x Fay Roufa] and Kamars Fay Roufeyna [Fa Nefous x Bint Fay Roufa]).

As it usually happens, questions about one horse, will lead me to another horse and, even more questions! While studying the pedigree of Ansata Alyssa (Ansata Halim Shah x Ansata Raqessa), I noticed that she was bred to Fadl Moniet, producing a daughter in 1998, Bint Fadl Moniet for John and Melinda Bacot of Mariah Arabians. Bint Fadl Moniet is line-bred to Moniet el Nefous, predominantly through the Moniet el Nefous daughter by Sid Abouhom, Mabrouka (the dam of *Morafic and *Ansata Bint Mabrouka), as well as additional crosses to Moniet el Nefous through her sons, namely *Ibn Moniet el Nefous and *Tuhotmos. There are six lines to Moniet el Nefous and even though most of the lines are through the same horses; the line through *Ansata El Wazir offers a little diversity. Remember that Moniet el Nefous was foaled in 1946 and Bint Fadl Moniet was foaled 52 years later, which makes the genetic influence of Moniet el Nefous at almost 22% remarkable. While I don't have a photo of Bint Fadl Moniet, I do know that she was grey, which is a different phenotype, as compared to the chestnut Moniet el Nefous horses (Mabrouka, Mouna, Lubna, *Fakher el Din, *Soufian and *Bint Moniet el Nefous) or the bay Moniet El Nefous horses (*Tuhotmos). Bint Fadl Moniet also carries the blood of several Ansata horses who were influential, while also grey in color, so the likelihood that she could have been influenced in her phenotype more, by horses like Ansata Halim Shah, *Ansata Ibn Halima, Ansata Abbas Pasha, *Ansata El Wazir and *Ansata Bint Bukra is very possible! Regardless of coat color influencing the phenotype, what really got me about this mare is that she has no recorded progeny! Her sire, on the other hand, has 43 recorded descendants (Al Khamsa recognized horses) through the present day. For example, the 2018 stallion, BZ Beau Legends (Alfano Vera Star DMF x Alfano Bedda), bred by Pete & Anja Alfano is a maternal great-great-great grandson of Fadl Moniet. He traces to the Fadl Moniet daughter named SKA Naqa, out of HH Salaila, a *Darrag daughter out of Ramses Balyana (*Ramses Fayek x *Hayat).

Another interesting aspect to Fadl Moniet's pedigree is his strain. In his time, he was considered Kuhaylan Jellabi by strain, tracing through the 1932 Babson import, *Maaroufa to Jellabiet Feysul but today, through mtDNA testing and the deep study of Lady Ann Blunt's notes, journal and correspondence, we understand that *Maaroufa actually traced to Ghazieh, a Saklawiyah and so, Fadl Moniet is Saklawi, by strain. A study of his ancestors, whether you go out to the 4th generation (great grandparents) @ 62.5% or 5th generation (great-great grandparents) @ 43.75% reveals a majority Saklawi influence, which is also confirmed by his phenotype and the added length that we see: longer back, longer croup, longer legs and longer head. The Saklawi influence also exists in the sire line, as Fadl Moniet traces to Saklawi I, through his great grandsire, Nazeer.

While there have been a greater number of straight Egyptian horses who have been bred deeply within the bloodline of Moniet el Nefous, it may seem silly to lament the loss of yet another line-bred Moniet horse. However, Ansata Arabian Stud experienced great success in crossing the Saklawi-influenced stallion, Prince Fa Moniet, onto their predominantly Dahman-influenced mares. The cross of Fadl Moniet with Ansata Alyssa, in my opinion, is an alternative cross to Ansata's successful Prince Fa Moniet cross. If anything, think outcross potential and that's about where I get lost with so many unanswered questions.

***This blog was originally published in September 2021***

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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 January, 2022

Oh Saklawi!

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