A Rose for Kuwait

Dorrah Ezzain (NK Qaswarah x NK Momtaza) as photographed by Bukra Photography, circa 2015

I've been thinking alot about Kuwait lately. Although its been 10 years, I remember the day I left for Kuwait, just like it was yesterday. And while that may sound like a cliché to you, I assure you, it is not. My beloved mare, Ms Rose (Inshalla Imhotep x Rose of Masada) died on the same day that I was leaving for Kuwait. How do you hold your dying friend's head, as she gasps for her last breath and then, move on, with your plans? For many years, I struggled, never really getting past "should've", "could've" and "would've". And yet, on this day, I somehow was able to pack this tragedy in my suitcase, along with my clothes and toothbrush, while focusing on the busy mechanics of the morning and getting ready to leave for the airport at the designated time, without forgetting anything needed or required. I pushed Rosie all the way down, to a place that would keep me from becoming embarrassingly emotional. I felt there was no choice, other than moving forward with the plans made, tickets purchased and people waiting. Besides, I really did not want to be the one to make the phone call to Usamah and explain at the last minute why I couldn't come to Kuwait. While I enjoyed a friendship with Usamah, in many ways he was like a father, an uncle, a brother, combined in one person. Suffice it to say that Usamah was familiar, like family is familiar and we are charged to honor and respect our families, to be of service, always putting their needs ahead of our own.  Not only did I admire the man but I looked up to him, sometimes, overwhelmed by the awe and wonder of his personal success story and all that he created. He brought so much beauty into this world! I had hoped that by spending time with him, I would learn much, that I could put to use in my own life. If I could accomplish one tenth of what Usamah accomplished in his lifetime, I will have done well in this world. Now, Kuwait is forever bittersweet, despite the extraordinary beauty that defines this country, it will never be the same because Usamah is no longer part of it.  

A few weeks prior to my visit, Usamah had sent me a cell phone photo of Aneesilnefous Ezzain. 

I don't think that I fully understood at the time why this particular meant so much to me. Aneesilnefous' expression, for 14+ hours, held me together like glue, in the face of my mare's death. I was falling apart and he gave me hope that things would get better.  It's very weird how things fall together sometimes, suggesting perhaps, divine intervention. Usamah didn't even like the photo and almost didn't send it to me. By the time I landed at Kuwait International Airport, you can imagine the importance that Aneesilnefous Ezzain held in my life. He really did help me to cope with the sadness of my mare's death. 

Its not a surprise then, that Dorrah Ezzain, a full sister to Annesilnefous Ezzain, would also become important to me. She was the unexpected surprise. It seems rather foolish to say with any certainty that one particular horse is a favorite over another, when what I really wanted to say was all of the Ezzain horses are my favorite. But something happened to me in Kuwait. Every morning, before Usamah arrived, I would spend some time with her and Ekramilbari, who was stabled right next to her, an enthralling black shadow in contrast to Dorrah's glowing bay body, proof of her sire’s ability to produce color, even out of grey-colored mares. 

"SHE IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A PERFECT ARABIAN REPRESENTING A TRUE SIQLAWI. TRUE TO EVERY DETAIL OF HER STRAIN'S CHARACTERISTICS" - Usamah Alkazemi, her breeder 

Dorrah's dam is NK Momtaza (Ibn Nedjy x Sanaya), the foundress of a crucially important family for Usamah, as well as the main reason why a Saklawi strain exists at Ezzain Arabians. NK Momtaza is sired by Ibn Nedjy, who traces in his tail female line to the Ghazal daughter, Ghazala (as does NK Qaswarah). The dam of NK Momtaza, Sanaya, brings in the bloodlines of some really spectacular horses as well as the tail female line to one of the most elegant horses who ever lived, Moniet el Nefous. She is sired by Kais, a Bint Om el Saad son, out of Malaka, an Ansata Halim Shah daughter out of Kis Mahiba, a brilliant broodmare, who produced daughters like Maysouna, KEN Bint Bint Mahiba, KEN Malaka, KEN Muniba, Hallah, Mana and Maha. 

Dorrah, just like NK Qaswarah was, is a strong-bodied mare with much substance and yet, she is harmonious, refined and elegant, in all of her bay colored glory. Like the meaning of her name, her femininity glows, in the same way that Christmas lights or even a firefly glows. Like most Saqlawi horses, she has a longer neck, longer back and longer legs. When she moves, she rejoices in the freedom of her shoulders, while her hind end is the motor that propels her forward, as if she were a winged creature and air-borne. She has deep black, luminous  eyes which heighten the look of intelligence and underscore her kindness. The definition in her face accentuates every highlight made by both veins and bones and conveys the desert dryness for which this breed is recognized.  

Once, I tried to define "quality" and I was challenged to find just the right meaning. I thought of quality, as expressed in the fineness of the horse's skin, which accentuates every curve, every bump, every line in the horse's body. That, to me is quality and that is what I thought of, when I met Dorrah. Her muzzle is fine and tapered. It is not meaty or thick and yet, her nostrils, with a delicate curve are large and add to the powerful impression of classic type overall. Her ears are smaller, and very sharp, the points curving inwards. I love smaller sized ears and they complement an already outstanding filly.

Sometimes the light of heaven appears here on earth, if only for a brief second or two. It can appear as a rainbow, a delicate flower, the melodic song of a bird, the ethereal beauty of a horse like Dorrah or in the loving friendship of a horse named Rose. 

• I once had a horse whom I dearly loved...the Lord gives and the Lord takes, blessed be the name of the Lord. 
• I once had a friend who was like a father to me and who loved Arabian horses as much as I do...the Lord gives and the Lord takes, blessed be the name of the Lord. 
• And I once met a mare whose glowing red body, filled my heart, soul and mind with her beauty, at a time when I wasn't ready to accept it...the Lord gives and the Lord takes, blessed be the name of the Lord. 

Little did my friend realize how he saved my life one day, with what he felt was an insignificant photo. I wish he was still around so I could tell him the truth.