all for the love of a horse...: A HORSE OF TITANIC PROPORTIONS

30 October, 2022

A HORSE OF TITANIC PROPORTIONS

Titanic (Heleno x Kenya) as photographed by Pilar Capi

I am a fan of Todo Caballo, a weekly television show exclusively focused on topics of interest for Spain's horse community, as presented by the host of each episode, Juan Ramón Romero. Several years ago, Titanic, a 1998 stallion bred by Nicolás Domecq Ybarra, appeared in a segment of Todo Caballo. My mouth gaped open, every hair on my head stood on edge and my heart raced with excitement, as Titanic, a radiant vision in white, pranced all over my television screen. Here was a near perfect Arabian horse, a visual representation of the horse that I dream about, and up until a few minutes before, I didn't even know he existed! Possessing all of the qualities that are important to me, he was strong and smooth of body, substantially curvey and compact, with large, dark eyes, set low on a short, broad head. I was fascinated by him and quickly, tried to learn everything I could. Twice a National Champion (2000 Spanish National Champion Junior Colt and 2004 Spanish National Champion Stallion), Titanic is Kuhaylan Rodan in strain, his matriline traces back through Reyna (one of the 5 Skowronek daughters purchased by the Duke of Veragua) to Rodania, while his sire line traces to Seanderich, a 1902 Saqlawi stallion, imported from Istanbul in 1908. In Spanish Arabian breeding, there are 2 major sire lines, that of Seanderich, a desert-bred; while the other is the Polish-bred Ursus (Dahman-Amir x Hagar). Titanic possesses the blood of both horses but his sire line is that of Seanderich.

So fast forward to 2022 and the AECCA show held in Cordoba, Spain approximately 2 weeks ago. AECCA is the Asociación Española de criadores de caballos Árabes or loosely translated, "Spanish Association of Arabian Horse Breeders". Their show, only open to horses of Spanish lines, ran in conjuction with the Spanish Nationals, held on the same weekend.

Thanks to Arabian Essence, who made the videos from the show available, one particular mare stood out from all the others and that was Basara PE, #99, a 2015 mare, who earned the top spot in Class 5, Mares 7+ years old. Eventually, she was also named the Senior Gold Champion Mare of the show. Do you know who her sire is? Yes, that's right, TITANIC (x Reina Cid)!

In Class 7, for stallions who are 7 years old and older, I found # 111, Lanceador, a 2011 chestnut son of Eclipse, who is sired by TITANIC (his dam, Ukola, is sired by Olimpico, who is also sired by Heleno, the sire of Titanic)! Lanceador was named the Gold Senior Stallion Champion, while his son, Fuego FS (x Filula) was named the Bronze Senior Champion Stallion.

Titanic (Heleno x Kenya) as photographed by Wojciech Kwiatowski

Sadly, I learned that the beautiful Titanic died just this past March.The memory of that long-ago Todo Caballo episode flooded my mind, as I realized his role in the pedigrees of Lanceador and Basara. How I wish that I had the opportunity to meet Titanic, an exquisite, shimmering white, fairy-tale stallion come to life. It is comforting to know that his get and grand-get continue to further his legacy in our world and maybe, the fairy tale will live once again...once upon a time.

***Many thanks to Arabian Essence TV for their coverage of both the 2022 Spanish Nationals and the 2022 AECCA Arabian Horse of Spanish Lines Show, Cordoba, Spain.***

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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.

30 October, 2022

A HORSE OF TITANIC PROPORTIONS

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