Nehaya: Off the Richter Scale

Nehaya (*Ansata Ibn Halima x *Hoyeda) as photographed by the late Johnny Johnston

Nehaya, a bay mare bred by Gleannloch Farms, was foaled in 1971.  She was a maternal sibling to Imperial Egyptian Stud's stallion, Moniet el Nafis and the *Ibn Hafiza daughters Zaenap and Foula, among other horses. However, what's really interesting about Nehaya, is found within the pedigree of her dam, *Hoyeda, who was line bred to Moniet el Nefous, through her Sid Abouhom daughters: Mabrouka and Mouna. Moniet el Nefous is significantly represented in *Hoyeda's pedigree, approximately 37.5%. When you consider the multiple sources of El Dahma in Moniet el Nefous' ancestry,  you will appreciate the "common ground" that was established when she was bred to *Ansata Ibn Halima, who traces to El Dahma in his matriline.  Furthermore, we can add additional Dahman sources through Bint Sabah (think Bukra) that come by way of Layla, the dam of Sid Abouhom, a stallion who wields an equal weight of influence as Moniet el Nefous exerts in Hoyeda's genetic mix. The final complementary match between *Hoyeda and *Ansata Ibn Halima is through the use of Nazeer, the sire of both  *Morafic and *Ansata Ibn Halima. If you are a believer in coat color indicating the majority influence of a particular ancestor, then I wonder over the bay coat color of Nehaya, whose immediate ancestry is populated by more grey and chestnut horses, as compared to bays. The few bay horses within the first 5 generations are the mares: Halima, Bint Sabah, Bint Samiha and the stallion, Kazmeen.

Nehaya, who was owned by Bentwood Farm, was a proven broodmare, producing foals by *Ibn Moniet el Nefous (AK El Hameed & JKB Bint Nehaya) and NaIbn Moniet (AK NaMoniet & AK Safara). However, it is her daughter, Zahara Keela by TheEgyptianPrince, who provides a "flashback" for the 3-horse pedigree of *Hoyeda.  TheEgyptianPrince's pedigree, like that of  Hoyeda's pedigree, can also be summarized in 3 horses: 50% Nazeer + 25% Sid Abouhom + 25% Moniet el Nefous, so breeding both horses intensifies the ancestral elements already present in *Hoyeda's pedigree. Dr. Joseph "Jody" Cruz, while visiting Bentwood Farm all those years ago, had the opportunity to see many of the noteworthy Bentwood mares but it would be one mare that made a significant impression upon him.

"Nehaya really stuck in my mind. Of course, she was not to be bought. But down the road I found her daughter Zahara Keela which is another long story in and of itself.  I was able to finally lease Keela and bred her to Richter and produced Nehaya MH. She was a 'drop dead,' gorgeous filly." 

The cross with Richter MH (El Halimaar x Fasarra) further intensified *Ansata Ibn Halima through his sons, El Halimaar and El Hilal, with an alternative source of Moniet el Nefous, this time through *Tuhotmos, her son by El Sareei. 

Staar of Egypt (Imperial Mistaar x Nehaya MH)

The line of *Hoyeda to Nehaya to Zahara Keela and then, through her Rancho Bulakenyo-bred Richter MH daughter, Nehaya MH, remains dynamically relevant for straight Egyptian breeders, through Nehaya MH's 2007 Imperial Mistaar daughter, Staar of Egypt MH and her 2013 daughter Fashan Staar MH, sired by the late *Asala Hafid Nahman. Both mother and daughter were exported to Israel. This pushes the legacy of Nehaya even further in the world, well beyond the American pastures that she once knew.