all for the love of a horse...: An Al Rayyan Story

09 July, 2022

An Al Rayyan Story

Nasser Al Rayyan (Sinan Al Rayyan x Nadrah Al Rayyan) as photographed by Alessio Azzali

Did you get the Tutto Arabi email for the new issue of Desert Heritage? This particular publication is one of my favorite magazines and the email blasts announcing the new arrival of each issue are not only welcomed, they are eagerly awaited notifications. As soon as you open issue #58, you will find an impressive 17-page spread for Al Rayyan Farm, with 11 of those pages presenting the current offering of the farm's stallions:

Nasser Al Rayyan (Sinan Al Rayyan x Nadrah Al Rayyan)
Fahad Al Rayyan (Sinan Al Rayyan x Noof Al Rayyan)
Efreen Al Rayyan (Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Sahla Al Rayyan)
Mueer Al Rayyan (Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Sundos Al Rayyan)
Egaab Al Rayyan (Ansata Nile Echo x Nadrah Al Rayyan)
Dukhan Al Rayyan (Sabeh Al Salhiyah x Serene Ciai Dii)
Yazeed Al Rayyan (Farhoud Al Shaqab x Murjanah Elayla)
Afas Al Rayyan (Ezz Aldanat x Sulima Al Rayyan)

I think the Al Rayyan advertising spread is my favorite part of the current issue! The offering of stallions is impressive, as well as interesting, as there are 2 sets of paternal siblings (Sinan Al Rayyan & Al Adeed Al Shaqab) and one set of maternal siblings (Nadrah Al Rayyan). How to choose one stallion over another? Initially, my eyes gravitated towards the two Sinan Al Rayyan sons: Nasser & Fahad, whose dams are the reverse combination of each other. Nasser is out of Nadrah, who is out of an Ansata-bred mare, while Fahad is out of Noof, who is by an Ansata-bred stallion.

Sundos Al Rayyan (Ansata Hejazi x RN Sultana) as photographed by Alessio Azzali

At first glance, I misjudged Mueer Al Rayyan as having too much white in his eye but upon closer study, I realized that my first impression was wrong. That's not white in his eye, those are his eyelashes, which are white!

In 2013, when I was last in Kuwait, one of the things that impressed me the most was the reverence which the Kuwaiti breeders have for Al Rayyan in everything they feel or say. You hear this in the sound of their voices whenever the conversation focuses on a horse bred by the farm. All these years later, I have not forgotten. Its very similar to the reverence that Americans have, when speaking of Gleannloch Farm or Ansata Arabian Stud.

The interesting thing (for me) about Mueer is his dam, Sundos Al Rayyan, an Ansata Hejazi daughter out of RN Sultana, who is by Ansata Halim Shah and out of Dr. Nagel's Ameena, by *Jamil and out of KEN Amal (Mohafez x Hanan). With 50% of her pedigree influenced by Ansata Halim Shah and 12.5% representing the double dose of Hanan, you would believe that one of these two horses made the most impact upon Sundos Al Nasser. I think it is a natural conclusion to assume that. However, Sundos Al Rayyan's body is reminiscent of the phenotype associated with Saqlawi strain horses, so, I started to look for those horses in her pedigree and it is at that precise moment when I realized the impact that Ansata Shah Zaman (*Morafic x Ansata Bint Mabrouka) is exerting upon his 3-time great-great grand-daughter! You will find this stallion twice through Ansata Rosetta, the dam of Ansata Halim Shah and through Ansata Delilah, the dam of Ansata Sudarra. The influence of Ansata Shah Zaman is deepened through the additional line to his dam through Ansata Ibn Sudan and to his sire, through *Ibn Moniet el Nefous. Approximately 25% of the pedigree is influenced by son, sire and dam!

I'm not sure what I like most about Sundos Al Rayyan, whether its the long flowing line (without interruption) that runs from the poll to the dock of her tail, the deeper heart girth or the well-set neck. I think most will agree that she is an extremely pretty mare, as bred by Al Rayyan, who also bred her mother. For everyone in love with the Egyptian Arabian horse, Sundos Al Rayyan is convincing proof for the accuracy of the reverence paid to Al Rayyan, by the Kuwaiti breeders I met, 14 years ago. Al Rayyan has succeeded where others may fail; that is, taking the choicest bloodlines and repurposing them to produce a horse uniquely their own. In turn, their horses go on to establish vibrant programs for newer breeders eager to produce their personal vision of the Arabian horse. Now, the opportunity exists for anyone to utilize the influence of a mare worthy of the honor bestowed upon Al Rayyan Farm, through her son, Mueer Al Rayyan.

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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.

09 July, 2022

An Al Rayyan Story

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