all for the love of a horse...: *Darrag

19 January, 2022

*Darrag

*Darrag (*Tuhotmos x Nagda) as photographed by the late Johnny Johnston

"It is a great error to believe that desert Arab horses should generally be small."- Count Waclaw Rzewuski, from Concerning Oriental Horses and Those Originating From Oriental Strains, translated by James E. Luck and annotated by Andrew K. Steen

*Darrag was one of 60 straight Egyptian horses imported by Rick & Ann Heber, Evelyn Burton and Bill & Janet Lowe. A 1970 stallion, *Darrag, was also, one of four *Tuhotmos-sired horses purchased by this group (*Masarra, *Sabah El Kheir and *Zaaki were the other *Tuhotmos get), in addition to importing *Tuhotmos (El Sareei x Moniet el Nefous) himself. However, despite the large group of people involved in his initial purchase and importation, *Darrag appears in the index within the second volume of the Pyramid Society Reference Handbook as being co-owned by Rick Heber and Charles Hogan. I am not sure dear reader if you will understand how thinking about *Ansata El Wazir last week, inspired me to think about *Darrag this week but let me try to explain it to you. While both stallions share common ground in their sire,*Tuhotmos; the stallion Nazeer establishes a difference between the two horses. *Ansata El Wazir does not carry any Nazeer blood, while *Darrag carries one line through *Morafic, the sire of Nagda (*Morafic x Kaydahom) and it is interesting to contemplate how the added Nazeer blood changes things up a bit. And if the line to Nazeer isn't enough to differentiate one horse from the other, *Darrag has an additional maternal line to Shahloul (through Moniet el Nefous, the granddam of *Morafic), for a total of 4 lines to Shahloul. However, *Ansata El Wazir's three Shahloul crosses, which are all found in the 4th generation, total 37.5%, while two of Darrag's four lines appear further back-in the 5th and 6 generations, reducing Shahloul's percentage of influence to 34.375%. Can we really count on these percentages as a difference or a similarity? While both horses trace in their sire line to Gamil El Kebir; the real difference between the two is found in their dams. *Darrag is Kuhaylan Rodan by strain and *Ansata El Wazir is Dahman. The influence of horses like Yashmak and Sid Abouhom (neither of which is found in the pedigree of *Ansata El Wazir) had an impact upon *Darrag, as he was a stretchier horse, standing almost 16 hands tall. Even with the one line to Nazeer, *Darrag offered the straight Egyptian breeder a little more diversity, in terms of genotype (87.5% of his pedigree was Nazeer-free) AND phenotype, with his added size. While siring approximately 167 purebred Arabians, I believe that utilizing *Darrag effectively remains one of the missed opportunities of American straight Egyptian breeding. What if both horses had been used within the same program to further concentrate the genetic legacy of a horse like *Tuhotmos, which of course includes Shahloul, while incorporating two very different dam lines and thereby, maximizing the outcross potential that exists between the two horses? John and Melinda Bacot of Mariah Arabians in Arizona, USA in fact, combined the blood of both stallions on a small scale. They bred Ansata Alyssa (Ansata Halim Shah x Ansata Raqessa), a maternal great-grandaugher of *Ansata El Wazir to *Darrag, producing the grey stallion, Ibn El Darrag in 1992, the bay stallion, EM Alydar in 1995, as well as the 1996 grey mare, Darr Bukra (although her dam is an Ansata Alyssa daughter, therefore, *Ansata El Wazir appears further back in the pedigree). The only comfort one can derive is recognizing that *Darrag is still relevant today, represented over the course of 3 generations by 345 Al Khamsa-recognized (tracing to Bedouin-bred horses in all their lines) descendants. That leaves present day Egyptian breeders with some options, to incorporate the unique influence of often overlooked horses like *Darrag into their programs.

***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.

19 January, 2022

*Darrag

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