all for the love of a horse...: GAZAL AL SHAQAB

01 September, 2025

GAZAL AL SHAQAB

Gazal Al Shaqab, painted by Michael Byatt

I was listening to the latest We Love Arabian horses podcast episode with Michael Byatt this weekend, when I heard Paul Kostial use the word "iconic" in reference to the stallions, Gazal Al Shaqab and his son, Marwan Al Shaqab. Massively significant in breeding programs all over the world, the word "icon" does not convey the dominance that these 2 horses have had within our gene pool, to the exclusion of other key bloodlines. I have not thought of these 2 horses in terms of being "icons" and use of the word to describe the intensification of their influence, well, surprised me. Maybe because I think of landmarks like the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower, which have become iconic for their geographical locations or the "golden arches" which are immediately recognizable for the fast food company, McDonalds. These are but a few examples of iconic imagery which not only provokes a strong emotional reaction but possibly, inspires action too. Can one horse become an iconic image for a breed which includes such a wide diversity in phenotype?

Foaled in 1995, Gazal Al Shaqab was the beautiful, more exquisite horse that Al Shaqab had desired to produce, when they purchased Kajora, already in foal to Anaza El Farid (Ruminaja Ali x Bint Deena). A United States National Champion mare in 1982, Kajora (Kaborr x Edjora) was the stretchey, elegant bay mare with a great neck, longer, finer poll and prominent bone in her face. Michael Byatt explained that he wanted to take all the great qualities that Kajora had and breed her to a straight Egyptian stallion to produce a more exotic horse that was not only pretty but athletic, a horse that would offer a little bit of everything to breeders. Al Shaqab, in aligning with Michael Byatt's wisdom, proved to be so ahead of their time, as Gazal Al Shaqab was the successful outcome of all that Michael Byatt had hoped for, when he bred both horses together.

As a sire, Gazal's success in Poland in 2002 and 2003, at both state studs not only proved his great consistency, it yielded many wonderful horses including the trio of breath-taking mares: Pianissima, Pinga and Emandoria. How many tears were shed globally, when the world said goodbye to Pianissima? Enough to fill an ocean? In 2012, the most famous mare within the straight Egyptian community, The Vision HG, produced a bay colt by Gazal, named Al Ghazali AA, now owned by Al Ghanayim in Kuwait. Not even the king of Poland, the beloved Ekstern enjoyed this kind of opportunity!

In the podcast, Michael Byatt impressed me when he said that since 2001, when Marwan Al Shaqab and Gazal Al Shaqab were pinned as World Champion Colt and World Champion Stallion, the relevancy of these 2 horses has never diminished. At the recent GCAT show held in London, 30 years since he was foaled, the Champion Stallion, the Champion mare, the Champion Junior colt, the Champion yearling colt and Champion yearling filly all trace back to Gazal Al Shaqab. The same can be said at the GCAT show in Denver, as the Champion Stallion, Champion Mare and Champion Colt, all share common ground in claiming Gazal Al Shaqab as a recent ancestor. At the Canadian Nationals this past week, Empire Al Shaqab, a Gazal grandson, made history at the show by earning the Canadian National Champion stallion title, in addition to winning the National Champion Junior Hunter, the National Champion ATH Purebred stallion and the National Champion Performance Halter.

Many best wishes and congratulations to Rob Janecki and Joe Alberti for Empire Al Shaqab's historic wins in Canada!

***Without We Love Arabian Horses Podcast with Michael Byatt, this blog would not be possible. So, many thanks to Paul Kostial for all of his efforts to promote our incredible breed of horses! And of course, thanks to Michael Byatt for sharing his insight, which comes from over 50 years, side-by-side with the Arabian horse.***

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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.

01 September, 2025

GAZAL AL SHAQAB

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