all for the love of a horse...: Apple Hill Angel

20 November, 2021

Apple Hill Angel

Apple Hill Angel (Ansata El Nisr x Rose Halima) as photographed by Judith Wich

Apple Hill Angel was a 1981 grey mare, not straight Egyptian, as she traced through her maternal great granddam, Kadorzah (Kahar x Dorzah) to non-Egyptian but Al Khamsa recognized horses bred by Paula Fatjo, Albert Harris, WR Brown, the Van Vleet Arabian Stud, Hernan Ayerza and the Hamidie Society, among others. The majority of Egyptian influence in Apple Hill Angel's genetic fiber came by way of her sire, Ansata El Nisr, an *Ansata Ibn Halima son out of *Ansata Bint Zaafarana. Her dam, Rose Halima was a paternal sibling to Ansata El Nisr, as she was also sired by *Ansata Ibn Halima. The influence that *Ansata Ibn Halima exerts upon Apple Hill Angel is 50%, a percentage usually attributable to a sire and not a grand sire. I feel that his influence is unmistakable, as you study the phenotype of this beautiful mare.

The stallion, Hallany Mistanny (*Zarife x *Roda), although bred by General Dickinson of Travelers Rest, was by and out of, horses bred by Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik. Hallany Mistanny is the sire of San Luis Rose of Zarife, the dam of Rose Halima. Hallany Mistanny's sire, *Zarife, appears again in the pedigree as the sire of Dorzah, the dam of Kadorzah (the dam of San Luis Rose of Zarife). However, if you look at the pedigree of Croisedore, the dam of Dorzah, she is sired by the stallion *Nasr, another stallion bred by Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik. The interesting relationship between *Zarife and *Nasr is the mare, Bint Yamama. She is *Nasr's dam and she is the maternal great-granddam of *Zarife! This is the same dam line that we find in the pedigree of *Fadl and *Maaroufa, both imported by Henry Babson from Egypt in 1932. I think it is clever to intensify this wonderful damline, through multiple sources of the same blood: *Zarife, *Roda and *Nasr.

Kahar (Katar x Niht) brings in more Egyptian blood through Gulastra (*Astraled x Gulnare), the sire of Katar. The mare Niht, the dam of Katar is the great grandaughter of a mare named Nonliker, a daughter of the Dahman Shahwan stallion bred by Ali Pasha Sherif and sold to the Blunts.

In 1983, Apple Hill Angel went to the Egyptian Event and was shown in the 2-year old Filly Futurity class which she easily won. I guess the success she achieved in Kentucky inspired her owners to show the mare in the more competitive world of main ring halter, despite that the venue was dominated at that time by the Polish and Russian horses. The photo above, taken by Judith Wich, appeared in the leading breed magazines of the day. Whenever I hear Apple Hill Angel's name, this is the image that immediately pops in my head. I was so happy to find the photo on line, as it is one of my favorites.

Unfortunately, Apple Hill Angel did not produce any offspring, as she died while she was still a young horse. Her dam was bred to Ansata El Nisr and produced the full siblings: Apple Hill Ahkita in 1976, Apple Hill Atari in 1978, Apple Hill Aclsic in 1980 and AppleHillAzourrak in 1982. Apple Hill Aclsic produced a filly in 1990 by RG Joshua (Alcibiades x Faaraa), while AppleHillAzourrak has sired a number of horses, furthering the influence of this family farther in the world.

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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.

20 November, 2021

Apple Hill Angel

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