A Case of Mistaken Identity

Badia (Ibn Rabdan x Zareefa), from the book, The Arabian Horses of El Zahraa by Dr. Erwin A. Piduch, George Olms, Publisher

In 1910, Bint el Bahreyn foaled a Jamil filly, whom Lady Anne Blunt named Dalal Al Hamra. Lady Anne Blunt was delighted with this filly and had recorded that she had "a beautiful, gazelle-like head". Dalal Al Hamra was bred to a desert-bred Abeyyan stallion named Saadoun, whom Lady Anne Blunt had purchased from Shaikh Mishari Ibn Sa'dun of the Muntafiq in 1911.  The breeding resulted in Durra, a 1917 mare, who when bred to Kazmeen, produced Zareefa, the dam of Badia. For many years, the Bint el Bahreyn horses have been considered to be Dahman Shahwan, by strain. However, further study of the unpublished notes recorded by Lady Anne Blunt in her collection of journals, housed at the National Library of the UK, point to a completely different strain, that of Kuhaylah Rabda. As a long time student of the breed,  I learned to accept the Dahman strain classification, despite the fact that these horses did not resemble Dahmans, they appeared to favor Kuhaylan strain horses. I appreciated the strong-bodied confirmation of a beautiful mare like Badia, giving credit to the desert sources for the strength and substance I saw in her body. I considered the Bint el Bahreyn horses to be like an outcross, because of the higher percentage of  desert sources, found closer up in the pedigree.  When one adds Badia's son to the mix,  it becomes a visually stunning misalignment and the strain pleads to be reconsidered. 

Gassir (Kheir x Badia) as he appears in a photo included in General Von Szandtner's herdbook

I noticed that Gassir appears multiple times in Judith Forbis' Authentic Arabian Bloodstock (the blue book), more times than many of the other horses listed in the book. Do I take this as a sign that she likes the horse...alot? Judith Forbis also describes Gassir as being "extremely handsome", "masculine", "stocky build" and "powerfully built",  all qualities that in my opinion, are interchangeable with the phenotype we have learned to associate with horses of the Kuhaylan strain. 

Genetically sleuthing for a reason, I found that Ibn Rabdan appears once in the pedigree, as a maternal grandsire. I was looking for him specifically, as I have learned to recognize the curvey lines, that even across multiple generations, he passes on. However, with all that said,  I must also point to his paternal siblings, who are in the pedigree as well, Samhan and Nafaa el Kebira, sired by Rabdan el Azrak (Dahman el Azrak x Rabda). This particular stallion represents 22% of the pedigree. Does the phentoype of Gassir have more to do with the intensification of Rabdan el Azrak's genetic influence and less to do with a mistaken strain identity? One of the most powerfully moving statements (pun intended) that I have ever read, connecting Ibn Rabdan with his grandson, Gassir, appears in Philippe Paraskevas', The Egyptian Alternative, Volume 2, "Like all Rabdans, Gassirs can certainly move and when they do so in earnestness, a charging rhino is hardly more intimidating." I also found it interesting that Philippe wrote of the Bint el Bahreyn horses as "...one of the most Kohailan-in-type of all strains" and to further underscore the influence of desert breeding, Philippe also wrote, "...the composition of the terrain of Bahrain is thought to have had something to do with the identity of this bloodline, one defined by ample bone and superb frames." Later in the chapter, Philippe adds, "Gassirs are routinely deep of girth; they sport wide and powerful chests, and their tail carriage is evocative of nothing but raised flags." 

In Authentic Arabian Bloodstock II (the gold book), Judith Forbis includes Von Szandtner's notes on Gassir,  which correspond with much of what Philippe Paraskevas has written about the horse. Judith Forbis also includes an interesting observation in the same book; she tells us that Gassir was the favorite stallion of Dr. Mohammed Marsafi, the Director of the EAO. For me, this is a powerful endorsement of the horse, made by someone who was surrounded at the time by several majestic horses, any of which could have been a favorite and no one would disagree. Yet, of all these legendary horses, Dr. Marsafi chose Gassir above all. Also, within this book, Von Szandtner's use of the word, "noble" as in "sufficiently noble" which he repeats, "sufficiently noble head" , as if to make certain that the reader understands clearly the special qualities that this particular horse possessed. Combined with Judith Forbis' following statement, "is an extremely handsome stallion..." heightens the curiosity and interest I feel for this horse. He really must have been special.

While Gassir remained in Egypt, as did his sons, Sabeel (x Shahbaa) and the prolific king maker, Mourad (x Mabrouka), Gassir's sons *AK Shahm (x Shahbaa) and *Zaghloul (x Gharbawia) were exported from the EAO to America. Sabeel sired *Lancer's Sahm (x Aziza), who also was exported, siring PH Safina (x Noufina), the granddam of Imperial Baarez and an important broodmatron for Imperial  Egyptian Stud. *Zaghloul sired a black stallion named Ibn Zaghloul (x *Bint Mona) but his bay daughter, Asmarr, changed the world of straight Egyptian breeding forever through her grandson,  Thee Desperado. Through these horses and others, the influence of Gassir remains vibrant and relevant in this modern age. Let's hope that if the strain of these horses is truly Kuhaylan Rabda as suspected, that a mtDNA test will reveal their true identity.

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***Many thanks to Edouard Al-Dahdah, for all of the knowledge he shares on his blog, Daughters of the Wind. It's my favorite place to visit and read. My Arabian horse life would be vastly different without the influence of Judith Forbis. All I know and understand is because Judi said it first and then, I read it in her books. Philippe Paraskevas, Volume II continues to inspire me. Your words enrich my life. Thsnks to my friend, Joe Ferriss and an insightful article he wrote for Arabian Essence in March of 2022, What Did Not Get Away? - Part 2 Musings on what still can be. And finally, Dr. Erwin Piduch, 40 years later on this journey, only to find that the road would one day winds its way back to you and The Arabian Horses of El Zahraa.