all for the love of a horse...: Prince Hallany++

07 September, 2025

Prince Hallany++

Prince Hallany++ at the 1963 Scottsdale show, photographed by George Axt

Prince Hallany++, whose name refers to a sensitive, quick-natured prince, was a 1957 bay stallion by Hallany Mistanny (*Zarife x *Roda), out of Rodanna (Ferdin x Rafa), bred by Lenora P. Gilkey, Rafa Farm Arabians, Corcoran, California.

Hallany Mistanny, although bred in America by General Dickinson of Travelers Rest in Tennessee, was out of *Zarife and *Roda, who were 100% Egyptian horses, bred by Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik and imported from Egypt by W.R. Brown. Uniquely bred, Hallany Mistanny's pedigree was completely free of the Blunt ancestral elements like Kars, Queen of Sheba, Azrek, Jerboa, Rodania and Dajania. Despite the volume of material that has been written about the Blunts, their adventures, and the world famous Crabbet Stud; I don't think it is possible to fully understand the far-reaching influence of the Blunt-bred Arabian horses, until one tries to find a pedigree that does not carry the blood of these horses. For this reason, it is interesting to consider his dam, Rodanna, who proves the accuracy of this statement, as she does carry the blood of the desert bred horses like Rodania, Ferida, Queen of Sheba and her son, Astraled, primarily through the stallion, *Ferdin. Although Rodanna was bred by Robert L. Wing of Fresno, California, her sire *Ferdin (Nureddin II x Ferda) was bred by Crabbet; her dam Rafa (*Raseyn x Amaana) was bred by W.K. Kellogg in Pomona, California, combining the 14 horses, including *Raseyn, that Carl Raswan had selected in England for W.K. Kellogg plus the horses that Carl Raswan had selected for Chauncey Clarke. It was at the Desert Arabian Stud in Indio, California, where Carl Raswan met W.K. Kellogg for the first time. Out for a drive, looking for something different to do, Kellogg and a doctor friend were led to Clarke's ranch for a visit. Kellogg became interested in the horses and made subsequent visits to Chauncey Clarke's ranch. When Chauncey Clarke became ill, W.K. Kellogg purchased the 11 or so Arabian horses belonging to Clarke. Included in that purchase was Amaana's sire and the co-star of Rudolph Valentino's silent movies, Jadaan (Abbeian x Amran) and the mare, Amham (Hamrah x Dahura), the dam of Amaana. While most of the horses that Chauncey Clarke purchased came from Peter Bradley's Hingham Stock Farm, Masachusetts, the horses were of Davenport breeding. For example, Jadaan's maternal granddam was the mare, *Wadduda.

Prince Hallany++, age 19

Despite any genetic contributions made by the horses who make up Rodanna's pedigree, it is my opinion that Prince Hallany++ was deeply influenced by Hallany Mistanny. He looks like his sire. If you believe in the coat color following the phenotype, then a bay father-to-son relationship is further proof of the phenotype familiarity in both horses. Also, Hallany Mistanny's pedigree reflects a little bit of line breeding to the mare, Negma (Dahman Al Azrak X Bint Yamama). Her daughter Mahroussa, is the dam of *Zarife and a maternal sister to *Roda, the dam of *Hallany Mistanny, while there is no Ibn Rabdan blood in Hallany Mistanny's pedigree (he is usually credited as the source of the circular lines), you will find individuals like Dahman Al Azrak, the sire of Rabdan Al Azrak, who just happens to be the sire of Ibn Rabdan. Perhaps Dahman Al Azrak is from where the circular influence comes from in these horses.

Prince Hallany's pleasing conformation, short back, smooth topline, deep heart girth were strong qualities that won him fans wherever he was shown. In 1961 and 1962, he was shown locally in Del Mar, Santa Barbara, Fresno, San Fernando Valley and the Cow Palace. In 1963, he was named a Reserve Champion stallion in Scottsdale. Later in the same year, trained by Jeff Wonnell, he was not only a United States National top ten stallion in halter, he also earned a national top ten park horse title. The following year, he was in the top 5 champion stallions at the Pacific Slope show. His national wins, combined, with his class A show wins helped Prince Hallany++ earn the most prestigious honor a show horse can win, his legion of merit award in 1964.

A proven sire with 152 purebreds and 9 Half-Arabians to his credit, his get, like W.A. Apollo and Ibn Rafa++ among others, went on to earn national wins too furthering the successful legacy of Prince Hallany++. He was a good horse for the breed.

***Many thanks to JMarie Hamilton and her group, Out of the Past Arabians, Teri Boese Cox and the post she made in Arabian Horse Shows: The Good Old Days and PG Gregory and the post made in the same group as Teri. Without any of these 3 people, there would not be a blog today about Prince Hallany++. Also, I continue to be grateful to Mary Jane Parkinson and her book, The Kellogg Ranch - The First Fifty Years. It's one of the best books I have ever purchased about 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.

07 September, 2025

Prince Hallany++

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