all for the love of a horse...: Tarambana Qahira

09 December, 2022

Tarambana Qahira

"...seek out the old, pure spanish lines with their dark black eyes, curved necks, fantastic toplines and strong legs with superior movements." - Martina Minhard

Tarambana Qahira (Estopasan x Mel Sirilla) as photographed by Alessandra Sarti

Sometimes, life can be well, surprising, in a very unexpected way. On a rainy Saturday morning, I stumbled upon the Facebook page of the Spanish-bred stallion, Ojinegro Qahira (Ghandour x Bel Princess), where I found photo-after-amazing photo of this stallion, sailing over jumps, with his front legs tucked close to his chest. A few more clicks and I ended up on the web page of his breeder, Martina Minhard, Al-Qahira Stud Farm, Austria. I know Martina. Many years ago, she participated in the same Egyptian Arabian horse forum that I did and I enjoyed exchanging messages with her, not only within the forum but also, by email. I remember that Martina is a driving enthusiast and owned an Arab-Haflinger cross, before purchasing Spanish-bred Arabian horses. In those early days, during the second half of the 1990's, Martina slowly built her breeding program. The Arabo-Haflinger was joined by L.M. Libretto (Drago x Dadobia) and then, the Spanish mare, Shamal (ABHA Harim x ABHA Saira). From these beginnings, Martina has built a formidable breeding program, which includes European and Austrian champions, in halter and performance. A few years ago, I was really lucky to meet Andrew K. Steen and to purchase from him, a copy of En Busca Del Caballo Arabe by Captain Luis Azpeitia De Moros. What struck me most about the story was how many horses the Captain and his team had seen during their multi-country journey (well into the hundreds) but only purchased 23, their selection standards being so strict. The Captain's focus in selecting horses for the Cria Caballar, reflects the attributes which are important to generations of Spanish breeders like Martina, that is, refined, elegant horses who possess functional conformation and sound minds.

Tarambana Qahira, a 2003 Estopasan daughter, is one of the current broodmares of the program, bred by Martina. She is out of Mel Serilla, a 1989 mare bred by Melissa Stal of the Netherlands. She is sired by Calero (Kadi x Nayade) and out of Mel Orilla (Pintor x Mel Hazana).

*Rastano (Jaguay x Arilla) as photographed by the late Johnny Johnston

What's interesting is the relationship between *Rastano, the sire of Estopasan and Pintor, the sire of Mel Orilla. They are full brothers, sired by Jaguay (Zancudo x Zalema) and out of Arilla (Malvito x Kayan), bred by Don Miguel Osuna Escalera, who also bred the globally influential mare, *Estopa. What makes this fact even more interesting, is that this breeding combination of Zancudo (Congo x Yaima) top-crossed onto a Malvito (Gandhy x Egina) daughter is repeated in the mare Nayade (Zancudo x Comedia II). In my opinion, these two sires nicked well with each other and you can see their continuing influence alive in this mare's smooth body. Another point is that the stallions, Galero and Jaguay were full brothers, both by Zancudo and out of Zalema. While there are a number of crosses to Jaguay in Tarambana Qahira's pedigree, there are no crosses to Galero. Why can this be important? Outcross. One of my regrets is that I was never able to meet *Rastano in person, before being sold and exported to Brazil. His son, Estopasan, was also a horse that I admired and not only wished to meet him in person but also, to own a daughter. To me, he was everything I could wish for in a horse. His daughter, Tarambana Qahira, also creates the same feeling. I still remember talking with Sigi Siller on the telephone, having reached out to her about breeding my straight Egyptian mare to *Sanadik El Shaklan, whose book, I learned, was unfortunately closed at the time. Om El Arab also had Estopasan, who combined with my "Rosie" would be like Sigi's "golden cross" in reverse and the temptation to possibly, produce a female version of *El Shaklan was really tempting! Little did I realize at the time, that somewhere in the distant future, I would find a photo of an Estopasan daughter and remember all of this "stuff" once more. Yes, life can be most surprising, in the most unexpected ways.

Tarambana Qahira is a proven broodmare, having produced several foals for Martina, including a son, Banderin Qahira, sired by Ojinegro Qahira, the horse who initially captured my attention and charted the course of this rainy day journey. However, she appears to be a formidable producer of daughters, having foaled the full sisters (by Valeroso Qahira): Dinerada Qahira in 2008 and Narcissa Qahira in 2020, the full sisters (by L.M. Libretto) Niloofar Qahira in 2011 and Quiniela Qahira in 2017. It is wonderful to see that a mare of her caliber has matured into an important and vital part of a pure Spanish breeding program, her sons and daughters will inspire a new generation of horse lovers and fuel their passion for the Spanish Arabian horse.

***with many thanks to my friend Arlene Magid Williams. It was Arlene's FB post that led me to Ojinegro Qahira. I appreciate Arlene's unique and insightful perspective and encourage you, to contact her for more information on her services.***

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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 December, 2022

Tarambana Qahira

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