all for the love of a horse...: THE IMMORTAL

20 May, 2023

THE IMMORTAL

Al Khalid as photographed by Rob Hess

I wasn't planning to write a blog on Al Khalid, although his dam is one of my favorite horses. I was looking through an older issue of Arabian Horse World Magazine and when I turned the page, there he was. The ad was placed in the May 1981 issue, announcing that he was available for breeding nationally. In October, his dam was named a National Champion Mare in Louisville and if there ever was a good time to advertise the straight Egyptian son of a National Champion, placing the ad in World's Annual Egyptian issue was strategically, the smart thing to do. Standing on this side of 1981, little did anyone realize at the time that the photo would one day function as an historical placeholder, a barometer of the health of our breed community (at this time) via the stallions (and bloodlines) marketed to breeders, and the breeding trends that they inspired.

A beloved mare, Fa Halima was bred multiple times to Bentwood's chief stallion, *Ibn Moniet el Nefous (*Morafic x Moniet el Nefous). She produced a daughter in 1978, AK Bint FaHalima and 2 sons: Al Khalid in 1976 and AK Nazaar in 1982. At the time, Bentwood Farm was focused upon breeding horses of the Saqlawi strain and Al Khalid and his siblings represented how vitally important *Ibn Moniet El Nefous was to the farm, as a breeding stallion.

While some enthusiasts may argue that *Ibn Moniet El Nefous was bred to mares whether it made sense or not; I am reminded of what Walter Schimanski once said about breeding successfully within the Dahman strain:

"incorporating the Saqlawi type brings length back to neck and leg, which can be lost with intense use of Dahman and Kuhaylan strain types. It also yields finer bone structure and produces flatter and less prominent muscling. Too much Saqlawi can produce a long back and ears. Dahman type brings back an overall balance and harmony, including more dished heads and larger eyes, and shorter backs, but also has the tendency to produce shorter necks and legs, heavier muscling, and more bone."-Walter Schimanski

In Rob Hess' photo, we see the influence of the Saqlawi strain expressed through Al Khalid's longer but elegant head, a prominent facial crest bone (tear bones) and jowls, nostrils that are a bit more elongated, longer ears, a larger eye placed a little higher on his head and a longer neck, including added length in the poll. Genetically, Al Khalid's sire,*Ibn Moniet El Nefous, is a result of a grandson (*Morafic), bred to his granddam (Moniet El Nefous). Mathematically, 62.5% of the genetic influence within *Ibn Moniet El Nefous' pedigree belongs to one individual: Moniet El Nefous. Compare *Ibn Moniet El Nefous with another *Morafic son, Ansata Shah Zaman, out of *Morafic's full sister, *Ansata Bint Mabrouka. While Moniet El Nefous is the maternal granddam of both sire and dam, her genetic influence is slightly lower than we find in *Ibn Moniet el Nefous, at 25%. Why is it important to mention Ansata Shah Zaman? I think it is important to point out the parallels between two similarly bred horses, produced by two different breeding programs. Ansata Shah Zaman was successfully bred to daughters of *Ansata Ibn Halima, out of Babson bred mares. Of particular interest is the mare *Bint Bint Sabbah. Her dam, Bint Sabah is also the dam of Sheikh el Arab, the sire of Wanisa and Halima, deepening the intensity of the relationships shared by the newer Egyptian blood (*Morafic & *Ansata Ibn Halima) and the older Egyptian blood (*Fadl, *Bint Serra I & *Bint Bint Sabbah). The 1972 mare, Ansata Nile Star (Ansata Shah Zaman x Falima) and her full brother, the 1971 stallion, Ansata Nile King are similarly bred to Al Khalid, as is the 1974 stallion, Ansata Shah Zam (Ansata Shah Zaman x Ansata Sabiha) These horses are but a few examples of the cross to illustrate the popularity of combining these particular bloodlines.

Al Khalid, despite the fact that his name in Arabic means "immortal" lived only a short time on earth. He was 8 years old when he died in 1984. Despite his short life, Al Khalid was a proven breeding stallion, having sired both sons and daughters, who have furthered the legacy of Al Khalid (and that of his ancestors) to the present day, underscoring the eternity hidden within his given name:

1979-Khady (x AK Tahara)
1979-Monakhali ( x AN Monica)
1981-Saeed (x AK Tahara)
1982-LS Farasa Moniet (x AK Rafah)o
1983-Al Farafic (x Sar Rafah)
1983-Al Khanada (x AK Shanaada)
1983-Moniet Al Khalima (x AK Tahara)
1983-Moniet Fayama (x Belle Fayama)
1984-Bint Khalida (x *Gameerah)
1984-Hafaz Ibn Manal (x *Hafaz Manal)
1984-Ibn Al Khalid (x Belle Fayama)

While there are several horses in the above list who capture my attention, it is Al Khalid's 1982 daughter, LS Farasa Moniet, whom I find to be very interesting, bred as she was. Her dam, AK Rafah and Al Khalid are more similar to each other, than they are different. Sired also by *Ibn Moniet El Nefous, AK Rafah's dam, Serr Halima is an *Ansata Ibn Halima daughter out of Serrasab (Fa-Serr x Fay Sabbah), Fa Halima's maternal granddam. LS Farasa Moniet was bred to Ansata Shah Zam (Ansata Shah Zaman x Ansata Sabiha), a stallion who was also very similarly bred to Al Khalid and AK Rafah, further concentrating the sources of Nazeer, Moniet El Nefous, Halima, plus the Babson horses. LS Farasa Moniet produced a son in 1986 by Ansata Shah Zam, Shaa Tir Kabreet. In the records that I have available to me, it doesn't appear that this particular stallion has bred on, which is somewhat of a shame, considering the concentration of select key ancestral elements in his genetic makeup. However, as I have pointed out using Ansata Shah Zaman as an example, the combination of Nazeer, Moniet el Nefous, Halima and the *Bint Bint Sabbah horses continues to be a popular mix of bloodlines, still available in our gene pool, through a number of different horses.

No comments:

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 May, 2023

THE IMMORTAL

No comments:

Post a Comment