I'm really loving Arabian Insider's new video of Al Ghanayim's Razan Al-Rayah (Bahhei Ezzain x Rana Al-Rayah). This exquisite black filly, an Abeyyah, is sired by a stallion I once knew, Bahhei Ezzain. I also knew his sire, the "dream maker" NK Qaswarah and his dam, Dhuha Al Nakeeb. So, for me, while initially a moment of surprise; the video inspires an overwhelming array of feelings for horses, people and the times shared with them. And yet, at the center of it all is pride, similar to how you feel when you attend an event which celebrates the achievement of someone you are connected with. To realize just who Razan Al-Rayah is and to whose origin story she is part of, is also bittersweet. While Mr. Usamah Alkazemi's absence from the community of straight Egyptian Arabian horse breeding is still greatly felt, his death is not final, as his dreams are very much alive and continue forward, as we see in this filly.
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| Bahhei Ezzain (NK Qaswarah x Dhuha AlNakeeb), as photographed by Jennifer Ogden |
Bahhei Ezzain, the sire of Razal Al-Rayah, is a 2010 stallion, bred by the late Mr. Usamah Alkazemi of Ezzain Arabians, Kuwait and now owned by Ms. Nayla Hayek of Hanaya Arabian Stud. He is a son of the paternal siblings, NK Qaswarah and Dhuha AlNakeeb, both horses sired by NK Hafid Jamil. In phenotype, Bahhei is strongly influenced by his dam, more so than his sire.
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| Dhuha Alnakeeb (NK Hafid Jamil x Sabha Bint Ibn Halima), photographed by Jennifer Ogden |
Dhuha, bred by Mr. Hassanain Al Nakeeb, phenotypically, exemplifies the type we have learned to associate with the Dahman strain. She has expressive black eyes, larger nostrils and finely shaped ears which, together with a thicker, longer black forelock, intensifies the dramatic look and appeal of a desert horse. She took my breath away. What is especially interesting about Dhuha is that her maternal grandam, SY Kalila, is double Bint Nefisaa, the dam of El Hilal. She traces to Bint Nefisaa in the tail female line of her sire, Ruminaja Attallah and her dam, Katourah. The dam of Bint Nefisaa is the Balance daughter, Nefisa. In addition to producing Bint Nefisaa, who figures prominently not only through El Hilal but also through her daughters Negmaa and Nourah (both mares appear in Dhuha's pedigree), Nefisa also produced by El Sareei, the mare Bint Nefisa who became an important foundation broodmare for Richard Pritzlaff, of Rancho San Ignacio. Nefisa also produced Fayza by Nazeer, (Fayza is the dam of Ramses Fayek), Nadja, who produced Noha by Hadban Enzahi, the dam of the celebrated mare, RN Farida. This is the powerful legacy that exists within the genetic fiber of Dhuha's pedigree. It is also interesting to consider that the high percentage of Farida blood, as found through the Halima and Nefisa lines, is balanced by the multiple lines to Bukra, via Ghazal and Ansata Rosetta. This is a significant point to underscore, as the majority of Bahei’s pedigree includes the influence of the two most important mares of the Dahman strain.
When I was last in Kuwait, I had the opportunity to visit Rayah Al- Sharg Farm. I'm grateful to Mr. Ala'a Al-Roomi (Al Rayah) and Mr. Talal Al-Nesef (Al Sharg) for their hospitality and incredible generosity. It is because of these two amazing men, that I got to meet Ansata AlMurtajiz, an experience which changed my life forever. While my memory of the time spent visiting Rayah Al-Sharg is mainly focused upon this horse; I do remember their 2004 Ansata Hejazi son, Wadhah Al-Sharg (out of Mouna Al Rayyan), and Reem Al-Rayah, also by Ansata Hejazi and out of the gorgeous mare, Gazalah (Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Nejdia). These are the "parents" of Rana Al-Rayah, the dam of the filly.
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| From Rayah Al-Sharg's Farm brochure, photos by Gigi Grasso |
Through Gazalah, the Abeyyan matriline traces back through the revered Aisha to the Gazal daughter, Ghazala and then, Hanan, now a globally influential mare within the world of straight Egyptian breeding and a critically important mare in the Ezzain breeding program too. Combined with the blood of her paternal grandsire NK Qaswarah, who shares the same matriline; the Abeyyah influence is expressed in the self-carriage of this 3 year old filly. I'm proud of the far reaching influence of the Ezzain breeding program.
***Many thanks to Arabian Insider for the video surprise of Razan Al-Rayah. If you only knew how many times your videos have not only inspired me but encouraged me to keep going, to keep dreaming. I feel like thank you is a weak thing to say, in return for all you have given me, through the power of your video features and Podcast.***
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