all for the love of a horse...: 600

08 July, 2025

600

Stuart Vesty captured the beautiful Palanga daughter, Parantella

If you are an Arabian horse lover, then this time of the year is uniquely special, as lazy summer days move slowly towards August while the lots for the Pride of Poland auction and Summer Sale are revealed. Over the years, I have learned that my favorite Polish horses are those who result from Ekstern crossed with *Eukaliptus, particularly when this cross occurs on the maternal side of the pedigree. You know what? There are several horses of this cross in the sale! Back in the day, I felt that the mare, Palanga, was physically representative of how well these two stallions complemented each other. A successful show mare, many other enthusisats agreed too! Palanga is also an elite broodmare, her progeny includes Parantella by Kahil Al Shaqab (Marwan Al Shaqab x OFW Mishaahl) consigned as lot 8 in the Pride of Poland auction. When I received the email from Arabian Horse Magazine, I was stunned by her outrageous beauty, as captured by Stuart Vesty's camera. Sparkling white, her fine skin deeply pigmented, how is it even possible to consistently breed horses of this caliber, one right after another? How many other horses like Parantella exist in Poland? Palanga has been a consistently strong broodmare, her progeny also includes the mares Padrona by El Palacio VO (Al Lahab x El Dorada), Palangija by Alert, Petra de Lafon by Shanghai EA, Proxima White by QR Marc and Padova, by Galba (Plakat x Gza Gza), who sold to Qatar in 2011 for $80,000.00. Her sons include Pointer by Sahm El Arab, Palafit by AJ Azzam, and by QR Marc: Pavorotto KA (now with Rohara Arabians), Panthos, Pinco Arab and Profender KA. Parantella is a proven broodmare, having produced a daughter Praksja by Al Ayal AA and colts by KA Nabras and Erantis.

There are 15 horses consigned to the Pride of Poland auction this year. Parantella is just one of the 12 mares offered this year (additionally, there are 3 fillies). Not to take anything away from Parantella but the unexpected happened to me. As convinced as I was that there was no horse to rival Parantella's beauty, a silent beauty quietly stepped in, to prove that the patent for beauty is not exclusive to Parantella! El Medida is to be adored with the same level of intensity showered upon Parantella.

Stuart Vesty photo of El Medida

The shape of El Medida's neck, including the underline is just, well, impressive. Her neck is longer, well crested, with a fine and roomy throatlatch. Oh my. El Medida, is by the Kahil Al Shaqab son, Morion and out of the Shanghai EA daughter, El Medara. What is really interesting is that both dams, Mesalina and El Emeera, are paternal siblings, Ekstern daughters, meaning that El Medida is double Ekstern and on the dam side, unites Ekstern with *Eukaliptus, through the lovely Emanacja, El Medida's maternal great granddam.

Her name, El Medida, is an interesting choice of names as Medida means "measure" or better yet, a "standard of measure" as in, "the standard by which all horses are measured." Since "Medida" is the feminine form, it really does not make sense to use the masculine form, "El"; instead of using the feminine, "La," as in "La Medida". "El" is more appropriately used with the male form like "Medido" as in, El Medido".

El Medida, is also a proven broodmare, as she produced a colt foal in 2025, by the 2022 Polish Silver Champion stallion and Parmana son, Ptolemeusz. This is a colt that has captured my imagination, as Parmana is a daughter of the beloved straight Egyptian stallion, Al Maraam.

Stuart Vesty photo of Summer Sale lot 26, Wildarosa

The Summer Sale is on Monday, August 11th. I heard Scott Benjamin say to Samantha Mattocks in a podcast that the Summer Sale is basically a reworking of what we once knew as the Silent Sale and offers buyers the opportunity to purchase an affordably priced mare, as compared to the cost of the horses consigned to the Pride of Poland sale. You wouldn't know this from each of the 28 lots offered, which includes 4 stallions. The horses in the sale are top caliber like Perlesa, lot 20, who is a granddaughter of the Al Adeed Al Shaqab sired Pilarosa or lot 26, the Bialka-bred Wildarosa, a maternal grandaughter of Ganges, who was bred to Wilda, a daughter of the Ekstern-sired, Wilga, top crossed by Gazal Al Shaqab. She's bay, she's a taller horse and I appreciate her substance. She has a powerful shoulder, a broad chest and her neck, while not as outstanding as El Medida, is well-set. The classic look of her face is accentuated by the fineness of her skin, which intensifies the prominence of bone, especially the width of her facial crest bone. She looks every much a desert horse!

Dr. Steven Peters, a neuroscientist, who along with Martin Black wrote and published the book, Evidence Based Horsemanship, recently posted on his Facebook profile, the following quote, "When beauty—whether in nature or art—is fully received, when it’s seen, felt, and welcomed into awareness, it can gently alter the brain, leaving a quiet, clear trace that may change who we are." The quotation suggests that through beauty, we can impact the brain in ways we may never have realized and thereby alter the course of our lives. Think of it, any one of these beautiful mares can do this for you.

***2 years ago, I realized an important milestone, 500 published blog posts. Here I am today, having just finished writing and publishing blog number 600! Many thanks dear readers for your support and encouragement over the past 2 years***

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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.

08 July, 2025

600

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