Beach Blanket Bingo: Summer Reading 2025

I first learned about the Blue Valley Songbird a few months ago and in that short time, had grown incredibly fond of the pretty bay mare. My best friend from high school had been shoeing horses at Blue Valley Farm, a local Hunter-Jumper stable, when she arrived in a van along with three other horses. "Hey Glenn, would you mind staying a bit longer and checking these new horses for me?" asked Sally, the farm owner.  "I wanted to start working them tomorrow morning, so I can get them ready for the big fall sale. I'll give you something extra, to make up for such short notice. Just watch out for the bay, she's a bit of a smart-ass. Rumor has it that the Smith's found her at one of the BLM lots. Lord knows what she is capable of and I really don't want you to get hurt. Not on my place. I'm not losing everything I've worked for, all these years. Not at all." she said, as she walked away, typical busy Sally, always doing a million and one things, all at the same time. So Glenn led the bay mare cautiously out of her stall and clipped the cross ties quickly onto her halter. A sigh of relief escaped his lips. A little bit wary of the mare, Glenn soon learned that she was none of the things that Sally had said. On the other hand, she was  kind, generous and surprisingly, a level-headed, smart mare, unfazed by anything that came her way. "What was Sally talking about?" he wondered.  Glenn became her biggest fan and looked forward to visiting with her, every time he went to Blue Valley. That's when Glenn started to tell me about the bay mare. "Hey Julie, I saw the bay mare today. "Bay mare? What bay mare?" I asked. 

You know, the new horse that I have been telling you about? I think you should check her out. Sally's been working her, trying to get her ready for the big sale. I think you might be able to score a deal with Sally. I don't think she likes her very much and would be happy to get rid of her." Glenn knew that I had wanted a horse for a long time and he felt that the bay mare would be a good match for me. I was a bit hesitant, as I knew my budget was tight but Glenn was persistent and it was time to make this dream, a reality anyway. Blue Valley Songbird, a 16-hand dark bay mare with a white star on her forehead was sired by a recently imported Arabian stallion, who cleverly escaped from his handler's grasp, to stand in a dry paddock with an amorous BLM-adopted mustang mare named "Birdie." The Blue Valley Songbird was foaled a year later, making the US National Champion stallion a proven sire. Elegant and refined, the Blue Valley Songbird had big, hard, black feet, clean tendons and hard, dense bone. Sally had purchased her because she looked more like a Thoroughbred hunter and thought she could be extremely competitive in the hunter classes and of course, the top selling horse at her big fall sale. I liked the bay mare because she looked sturdy and dependable, with a temperament that was unflappable, just perfect for a trail horse. Her back was strong and built to carry a western saddle. Glenn agreed with me. He didn't believe that the mare had it in her to be a hunter. Watching Sally work with her in the ring, all the while whipping her tail from side-to-side, conveyed to Glenn how much she disliked the discipline. "Julie, this mare belongs with you. She's not made for the hunter ring. I don't know how long it will take Sally to figure this out. You will give her the quiet life she desires and the relationship with a human that she is craving" Glenn said. So, with the few bucks that I had saved, I went down to Blue Valley Farm, to make a deal with Sally. Except that Sally wasn't going for it, not one bit. "You know Julie, you are starting to piss me off. Where do you get off thinking that $750 is enough money for this mare?" asked Sally. I stared at her blankly, while trying to hold down the glow of embarrassment, as Sally, now in attack mode, continued, "She cost me double that amount of money at the auction. Plus, what about all the money she's cost me since? No ma'am, $750 doesn't rest well with me. For this horse? She's going to be my top seller at the fall sale. I swear to you that she will. She's exactly what everyone wants for the hunter ring.  Come back and talk to me when you have 10 times that amount. Maybe by that time, I'll have another horse like Songbird to sell you." With that Sally walked away, mumbling under her breath about the cost of hay and feed, while expected to sell horses for next-to-nothing. Julie, on the other hand, despite her disappointment, was more determined to purchase the Blue Valley Songbird, than she was when she first set foot in Sally's barn. But $7,500! WOW! Where would she get that kind of money? She dialed Glenn's number, "Hi this is Glenn, leave your name and number...BEEP." I swallowed hard and heard myself, as weakly, I whispered into the receiver, "Glenn, this is..."

With many thanks to:

 *Photo credit of the blue trim barn: Karrie Bickett, Muse Marketing & Design

*Photo credit of the bay mare: Redbud Ranch, Browns Valley, CA

597 Intangible Glory

Sometimes, a horse will touch you emotionally, in a most unexpected way. The horse will catch your attention long enough, that this exchange between the horse and you will remain forever etched in your mind. This moment can become like a point of transformation, where mind, heart and soul intersect to push you forward into new growth, despite the discomfort of change. In this particular story, Shanghai EA, in the summer of 2019, in Menton, had just made one of the most riveting presentations that an Arabian horse could ever make, for the intangible breed attributes which make this breed so unique in the world of horses.  Yes, Shanghai is really beautiful on the outside but it's the inside of Shanghai, the invisible Shanghai, the thinking, feeling, willing and generous Shanghai that charms everything out of you, to engage you on a very personal level, causing you to fall deeply head-over-heels in love with him. That's what happened to me, Menton 2019. My summer's greatest lesson, after spending many summers chasing Carl Raswan looking for that one thing that he spent so much time searching for, only to discover that I would find it in Menton, a steady gaze combined with the licking and chewing of an Arabian horse. 

Hercules EA (Excalibur EA x Electra EA), as photographed by Javan Schaller

All these years later, that Shanghai experience comes to mind, when I stumbled upon his grandson, Hercules EA a 2016 stallion, also bred by Shanghai's breeder, Albert Sorroca of Equus Arabians. Now owned by Manny Vierra of Valley Oak Arabians in California, Hercules EA is a 2016 son of Excalibur EA, out of Electra EA.

Nazeer

Hercules EA's pedigree is interesting, as it is a full brother to sister mating. Both Excalibur and Electra share the same horses: Shanghai EA crossed with Essence of Marwan EA. The Egyptian elements we noticed in Shanghai EA's pedigree are still there but now are doubled, such as lines to Aswan, Shaker el Masri, El Hilal, Ansata Sinan and Mohssen plus, through Essence of Marwan, he carries a line to Anaza El Farid via Gazal Al Shaqab, as well as additional lines to Hadban Enzahi (via his son Malik), the EAO stallion, Hindi (Korayem x Hindia) and of course, Shaker el Masri, the sire of *El Shaklan. The similarity to Nazeer's phenotype still exists, no surprise, due to the ancestral connection to Nazeer that the Egyptian horses possess. However, there was something else just under the surface that kept nagging at me, like deja vu. I had seen this horse before but where? I searched and searched and searched and that's when I recognized the similarity in phenotype to the world champion maternal siblings out of Navarrone-P: Eternity and Escape. Try as I may, I could not get past the resemblance that Hercules EA shares with them! One can also say that this familiarity in the silhouette extends to Khidar, who is in the pedigree of Shanghai EA, as well as Ansata Sinan, Khidar's sire. Perhaps, Nazeer is the common denominator in all of these horses, and the resemblance, is only a visual representation of the genetics involved, meaning, the resemblance among unrelated horses has more to do with one individual who serves as "common ground" for all. Makes sense?

 

It is also important to recognize the matriline, which goes back to the 1835 mare Sahara, who was purchased in Saudi Arabia by Count Juliusz Dzieduszycki, as a replacement for Zulejma, who had become injured and would not be physically able to make the long trip back to Poland. Sahara would eventually become the foundress of a significant line in Polish Arabian horse breeding. 

Hercules EA (Excalibur EA x Electra EA), as photographed by Javan Schaller

In the past, I have written about straight Egyptian stallions who have created a desire within me to own a mare, just so I could breed to them. Egyptian horses have been my life experience; it's the bloodline I understand best. When I visited Ezzain Arabians in 2013, I felt that I had reached the similar place of understanding that Raswan had reached, when he recognized Ghazal as the authentic horse he had been searching for. The Ezzain horses had turned me upside down and inside out, inspiring me with a new standard for beauty previously unknown to me. Hercules EA creates a similar desire to breed, however, with mares who complement him, regardless of bloodline. That's the difference this time, these particular horses are pushing me to consider the world of Arabian horses without borders, far outside of Egyptian lines. If the name of Hercules means courage, then it is somewhat courageous for me, to consider the full palette of colors available in the community of Arabian horse breeding, to paint a physical masterpiece, sound of body, mind and spirit. This is all thanks to a long ago thinking stallion, who stood upon the sandy beaches of Menton, licking and chewing, as he focused his attention on his person, standing before him.

A Princess Story

Aziza Princess as photographed by Jeff Little

In 2019 and then again in 2020, my end of year countdowns had everything to do with celebrating beloved photos and not so much the most popular blog posts that year. Photos of horses like Serr Maariner and El Thay Mameluk are timeless, and now that these horses are no longer alive, have become engraved upon my heart. These are the images that I see in my mind when I'm thinking "Arabian." One day, not so long ago, Jody Cruz sent the above photo of Aziza Princess and, well, I now have another favorite photo to add to the collection. 

I wrote a blog post on the esteemed Bedouin quality called asalah, which is the prominence of the facial crest bone. The Bedouins believed that the more prominent the bone is, the more authentic the horse. The degree of the flare or protrusion of the facial crest bone, in this particular mare, is really amazing. I am also mesmerized by her larger, deeply black eyes,  placed lower in her head, towards the middle of the skull. Her nostrils are larger in size, deeply pigmented and visually explain why these horses are called "drinkers of the wind." 

Last week, in the blog about Bint Maaroufa, I included a Carl Raswan quote, which explains a few of the attributes that are unique to the Kuhaylan strain horses, which Aziza Princess is. She is Kuhaylah Krushiyah tracing in her matriline to El Kahila, the desert bred mare gifted to King Farouk of Egypt by King Ibn Sa'ud.

"Among the Arabians the KUHAYLAN (masculine type) has the shortest and widest (broadest) head with the most details (fine tracery of veins, wrinkles, 'bumps', bulges, 'tear-bones', etc.) 'engraved' upon its intelligent features." - Carl Raswan, from his article, The Head of the Arabian, published by Western Horseman magazine

And perhaps, that's what I find so intriguing with her photo, the intelligent expression of an all-knowing, intellectually-curious and mentally engaged-with-the-world rosewater mare. 

So who is Aziza Princess anyway, you ask?  Aziza Princess, foaled in 1982, was bred by Bentwood Farm, Waco, Texas and purchased as a yearling by Bill and Georgene Raisner of Temecula, California. The sire of Aziza Princess is the legendary TheEgyptianPrince, a 1967 stallion bred by Douglas Marshall of Gleannloch Farm. TheEgyptianPrince was recognized as an extraordinary sire of broodmares who matured into dams of distinction, creating vibrant families which remain relevant in today’s breeding population. TheEgyptianPrince's genetic influence was concentrated in only a few individuals. Both his sire and dam were sired by Nazeer, while Mabrouka (the dam of *Morafic) and Mouna (the dam of *Bint Mona) were full sisters, by Sid Abouhom and out of Moniet el Nefous. Therefore, *Morafic & *Bint Mona were full-brother and full-sister in blood (not full siblings, there's a difference). In the 4th generation of TheEgyptianPrince's pedigree, the generation of the great-grandparents, normally, the pedigree is populated by eight horses, each horse representing 12.5%. In TheEgyptianPrince's pedigree, one doesn’t find eight horses; there are only four horses, who appear twice, doubling  the percentage to 25% each. It’s that dominating genetic influence and the possibilities that come from working with it, which makes the blood of this specific stallion still so exciting to work with. 

*Bint Shahbaa I (Gassir x Shahbaa)

On the maternal side of Aziza Princess’ pedigree appears the mare, Aziza Samira, bred by Trucilla Enz. Aziza Samira’s dam was the 1960 Shahbaa daughter by Gassir, *Bint Shahbaa I,  a mare who was initially purchased by Ahmed Hamza for his Hamdan Stables. In 1969, she was purchased and exported to America by Trucilla. 

Shahbaa (Hamdan x Shahd)

When the socialist revolution led by Gamel Abdel Nasser occurred in 1952 and King Fouad’s Inshass Stud became part of the newly-named Egyptian Agricultural Organization (EAO) at El Zahraa, General Pettko Von Szandtner personally selected the 1951 mare Shahbaa, a Hamdan daughter out of Shahd (El Moez x Shams), along with her daughter Shaheera by Ghazi, who Judith Forbis had called one of the “loveliest Inshass mares”. For many people who have studied the EAO breeding program deeply and are intimately familiar with the EAO horses, it is Shahd, who is regarded as the matriarch of this family, for she possessed an inner beauty and dignity that was indescribable.

Aziza Princess

Therefore, to connect the lines with the Aziza Princess family of horses, it is in fact, this mare Shahd, who is the maternal great-grand dam of Aziza Samira, the dam of Aziza Princess. It is only through the study of these key horses and for their significance within the greater community of straight Egyptian breeding, that one can better understand their critical importance within the Rancho Bulakenyo program, on their own and blended together with the already-established lines of horses like RDM Maar Hala. The fact that the Inshass mares are a rich source of Ibn Rabdan blood through the use of Hamdan, Gassir and El Moez, offers common ground with the Rancho Bulakenyo horses who also carry a concentration of Ibn Rabdan blood, particularly through the combination of the full brother and sister: *Fadl and *Maaroufa, both of whom are sired by Ibn Rabdan and out of Mahroussa. 

Aziza Princess

Impressed by the quality of the offspring that her daughter, BintAzizaPrincess (whom Jody had purchased in 2008 from the Raisners) was producing for him, Jody also wanted to incorporate Aziza Princess into his program. By this time in her life, she had produced 7 foals for the Raisners, including BintAzizaPrincess, now with Dr. Cruz:

• 1987: Pasha Netta, grey mare by AK Radwan Pasha
• 1988: Princess Pashionet, grey mare by AK Radwan Pasha
• 1989: A-Flair, bay stallion by AK El Zahra Moniet
• 1990: AZ Exotica, bay mare by Abenhetep
• 1991: BintAzizaPrincess, grey mare by Abenhetep 
• 1994: A Z Angelique, chestnut mare by Abenhetep
• 1995: Kai-Ann, chestnut mare by Rofann

Unfortunately for Rancho Bulakenyo, Aziza Princess did not produce the foal that Dr. Jody Cruz had desired for his program. Undaunted, Jody sought Aziza Princess’ 1994 & 1995 daughters, namely BintAzizaPrincess’ full sister, A Z Angelique, whom he bred to the El Halimaar son, Jabbaar El Halimaar MH and produced the mare, Azali Princess MH, who was owned by Rosehaven Ranch. Kai-Ann, the 1995 daughter by *Rofann (*Soufian x Bint Romanaa) was also incorporated into the program and bred to El Halimaar, she produced Romanaa Maara MH. Bred to *Hadban Al Shaqab, she foaled Binte Romanaa MH, the dam of Amira Kahila MH who is now part of Jamie Zissis’ breeding program at Rosehaven Arabian Farm.  

It is interesting to note that in straight Egyptian breeding, 2 strains have dominated the attention and focus of straight Egyptian breeders for a long time: Dahman and Saqlawi. Choosing to breed in a different direction, that is, within the Kuhaylan strain is unique. Jody Cruz made a bold choice to not only incorporate but to also make the Kuhaylan Kurush strain a cornerstone of his program. Little did he realize how his decision would influence not only the Rancho Bulakenyo program, but straight Egyptian breeding all over the world.

***Many thanks to Dr. Joseph Cruz of Rancho Bulakenyo fot sharing your knowledge, experiences and understanding with me. You make these stories possible! Also, I wanted to thank Brittany N Thompson for the 2 additional photos of Aziza Princess and for posting the link to the original blog post.***

A Mare Named Bint 596

This is Bint Maaroufa, sired by Fay-El-Dine and out of *Maaroufa, a straight Babson Egyptian mare bred by the Babson Farm. Pictured in the photo as a mature mare, 23-years old, this is the photo which appeared in the Reference Handbook, Volume 2, published by The Pyramid Society. Mike & Kiki Case of Glorieta Ranch had purchased Bint Maaroufa in old age, with the hope that she would produce one more foal, despite having birthed her last foal in 1969.  She had been owned for most of her life by Dr. Robert LaRue, who bred her primarily to *Raffles line stallions. It is interesting to note that Julyan, sired by Julep (Gulastra x *Aziza) was her one and only straight Egyptian foal and how her influence continues to the present day, in straight Egyptian breeding.

Her dam, *Maaroufa, was incredibly prolific, having produced the following daughters, all sired by Fay-El-Dine  for The Babson Farm:

• 1937: Fa El Maar (grey)
• 1938: Fay Negma (grey)
• 1939: Fay Roufa (grey)
• 1944: Kamama (grey)
• 1947: Maardina (grey)
• 1948: Maarou (grey)
• 1949: El Maar (grey)
• 1950: Fay Ufa (grey)
• 1952: Aaroufa (grey)

With as many mares produced from crossing Fay-El-Dine with *Maaroufa, one can better understand why a beautiful mare as Bint Maaroufa could be sold to another breeder. They didn't need her, as they had ample sources of the cross for the program.  However, Bint Maaroufa was uniquely different in 2 ways, as compared to her full sisters:

• Her chestnut color
• The shape of her head

You would think that these reasons were important enough,  to warrant a replacement filly. To give you an idea, as to how she could produce, Dr. LaRue bred her to the stallion, La Flag (Aaraf x Flaiga), which resulted in the stallion, Golden Pharo, who became an important sire for Phara Farm, reproducing his golden color.

Two years prior to the birth of Golden Pharo, in 1962, Bint Maaroufa, bred to La Flag, resulted in La Ruh, a full brother, also chestnut, who was retained for Dr. LaRue's program. Bint Maaroufa also produced a full sister to the stallions, La Flagette, in 1963.

When Walter Schimanski and Judith Forbis published The Royal Arabians of Egypt and The Stud of Henry B. Babson, they included what I believe, is a much better photo of Bint Maaroufa, closer to what the mare looked like in real life.

The photo, taken by the LaRues, shows Bint Maaroufa, pictured in her youth, at a photographic angle that is better suited for capturing the mare's real beauty.  In a Western Horseman article, Carl Raswan explained, 

"Those 'fanatics' among the desert people who breed Arabian horses for 'Purity' only-for the love of seeing the finest blood perpetuated-judge  a horse from its HEAD first."

 In this particular photo, her head appears much shorter in length, as compared to the color photo. Also, she has a pronounced (noticeable) bulging jibbah, which creates the illusion of a "dish" face. Don't be fooled. Without the jibbah, the nasal profile line would appear straighter and not concave. The placement of her eyes are set a little higher than I would like to see  but the eyes are oval shaped (not round) and larger in size, possessing a deep luster, which gives them the 'liquidy' look. Her nostrils are also larger in size, and cover a large area of the muzzle, accentuating the smaller size of her lower lip. She is a true drinker of the wind. The width of her facial crest bone is impressive, a characteristic known as asalah, which the Bedouin also esteemed in the head of the horse, as it spoke volumes of the authenticity of race in the individual. In Raswan's day, this mare was considered Kuhaylah Jellabiyah, however, today, thanks to the advancement made in genetic science, we know that this mare and the family that she descends from is Saqlawiyah. Still, the description that Raswan offers for qualities unique to the Kuhaylan strain, are more appropriate for what we see in the photos depicting the head of Bint Maaroufa.

"Among the Arabians the Kuhaylan (masculine type) has the shortest and widest (broadest)  head with the most details (fine tracery of veins, wrinkles, 'bumps', bulges, 'tear-bones', etc.) 'engraved' upon its intelligent features."

In some ways, I mourn the loss of her genetic influence, in straight Babson Egyptian form, as she was unique enough, to make a difference within the bloodline. I am still trying to wrap my brain around it, to better understand how a mare of this quality is purged from the program. But maybe her type represented something else to the Babson Farm and a direction that the Farm did not want to pursue. Maybe all the grey mares better represented the ideal Arabian horse that the farm preferred. And, we still have the Babson Brown source through Julyan available as an option, in straight Egyptian breeding. That's something to celebrate, all for the love of a horse.

Mars 595

Long before the Polish State Studs started to incorporate straight Egyptian stallions like Laheeb; the Tersk Stud, through the use of the EAO stallions, Nil and Aswan, had already realized the benefits of using Egyptian bloodlines in its breeding program. In April of 1971, approximately 5 years or so into Aswan's tenure at Tersk, *Mars, an Aswan son out of *Magnolia, was foaled at the stud. This particular cross was so successful, it was repeated several times, yielding, among other horses, the full brothers  *Magnificent, an AERC endurance champion and the Dutch National Champion stallion, *Mag, both stallions were eventually exported to America.

Aswan was credited for adding type and refinement to the Tersk horses, however, I want to believe that his impact as a sire was far more expansive than that, considering that he was a son of Yosreia, who is remembered as one of the most beautiful mares of her time, still to this day. A 1943 Hadbah Enzahiyah mare of the Venus branch; she was a daughter of Hind, a brown mare, out of Bint Rustem (Rustem x Bint Hadba El Saghira) sired by Ibn Rabdan. Like him, *Mars' body could be divided equally into 3 circles. This roundness of body points to Ibn Rabdan's influence, strategically coming from the mare side of the pedigree, enhancing what is already Yosreia's dynamic legacy to impart a harmonious and substantial frame, as well as length of neck and the ability to cross well with a variety of bloodlines.

The mare *Magnolia, although bred in Russia, was entirely Polish in her heritage. Sired by the Klemensow Stud's Arax (x Angara, a Wielki Szlem sired daughter and foundation mare at Michałów), she was out of Mammona, whom many refer to as the Queen of Tersk but really, was an Ofir daughter bred at Janow Podlaski, captured by the Russians and who journeyed for many miles  from Janow Podlaski to Tersk, alongside her dam, Krucica (Farys II x Dora). It is one of those great stories in our breed that we embrace, as it conveys the courageous spirit and endurance of these horses. It is interesting to mention that the matriline goes back to the 1835 mare Sahara, who was purchased in Saudi Arabia by Count Juliusz Dzieduszycki, as a replacement for Zulejma, who had become injured and would not be physically able to make the long trip back to Poland. Sahara would eventually become the foundress of a significant line in Polish Arabian horse breeding. 

Mars, as part of his training, was sent to the racetrack in Pyatigorsk, like his dam *Magnolia. He raced in a few races with moderate success, placing 2nd and 3rd in 2 of 4 races. Later in 1973, he was purchased by Henry and Silvia Garde and exported to Germany, where he was renamed "Marsianin." It is interesting to consider that his sire, who was known as "Raafat" in Egypt, was also renamed. He became "Aswan" in honor of the gift made by Egypt.

In 1975, Howie Kale saw *Magnolia for the first time. A big, brightly colored bay mare, he fell immediately in love with her but she was not for sale. An Amurath Sahib (Amurath II x Nana Sahib) grandaughter, she inherited his big size, along with a beautiful top line and croup.  Figuring that if he couldn't buy the dam*, he would buy the son, Howie Kale along with Ken Guilbeaux purchased *Marsianin, importing him to America in 1978. Despite his training and performance background, he was campaigned exclusively as a halter stallion, reaching the pinnacle of success in 1981, when he was named the United States National Champion Stallion. Syndicated as a breeding stallion, he was credited for strengthening the hip, correcting the legs, adding size and passing a beautiful head. The marketing paid off, as *Marsianin sired 517 get, through the end of 1991, several of whom were also National winners, including Maisa El Mars (x Maisa El Bene), a two time US Reserve National Champion mare (1988 & 1989).

*Marsianin's death is recorded as April 2006, which if you do the math, works out to be 35 years, about 10  years  longer than the age more commonly expected as a long equine life. Three years ago, a poem I had read pushed me into considering what is really possible in life, when we free ourselves from the self-inhibiting limits we impose on just about everything, even breeding horses. A beautiful horse, approaching a level of perfection previously believed to be impossible, is a horse to be celebrated, regardless of ancestry, for as breeders, using all the sources available to us, we have bred the very best horse our breed has to offer. That's the greatest gift that *Marsianin has left us - inspiration through beauty, to help you realize that what you previously believed to be impossible, is really possible after all.

*In 1980, Howie Kale finally purchased *Magnolia, who at 21 years old, was named a Scottsdale top ten mare!

True Breeder

*Raffles & Alice Payne

Shortly after the death of Alice Payne, on January 27, 1969, Bill and Mae Munson wrote a memorial, which was published in the February 1969 issue of Arabian Horse News. Within the piece, I found the following, which captured my interest,

"Alice was a true breeder, one who demanded perfection. She picked a type, a bloodline and stuck to them. She had no time for the run-of-the-mill breeder, who vacillated from day to day."

In everything I have read and understood about Alice Payne, *Raffles, was the horse she not only chose; using his genetic influence exclusively, she founded a dynamically unique  breeding program (she called it precision pedigrees). Her son, Bob, said that she looked to *Raffles as "the embodiment of animate perfection" and that in her eyes, "*Raffles fit together perfectly, balanced and he was biologically able to reproduce this." So, why *Raffles? What was it about the horse that motivated her so? Was there another horse that could have garnered the same level of esteem that she felt for *Raffles? Had she met the Egyptian stallion Nazeer, would she have felt similarly? Initially, she purchased a *Raseyn daughter, Rasrah, in foal to Abu Farwa. When Rasrah foaled her Abu Farwa filly (Alice's 1st registered foal), Alice consulted with Herb Reese, the manager of Kellogg Arabians, who recommended that she breed Rasrah to Alla Amarward but Alice soon realized that this match was not going to produce the type of horse that excited her, that created a desire to breed Arabian horses. I think that right here, within the Alice Payne timeline, was the single, most pivotal crossroad Alice ever faced in her whole equine life. It was here that she courageously realized that none of the horses that she had seen and purchased up to this point, fit the mental picture of the horse she imagined. None. It was at this point, she became open enough to try something new, which led her to discover Carl Raswan and all that he was about, because it was through him, that she learned of *Raffles, a paternal sibling of *Raseyn, the only horse she had liked at Kellogg's.  As soon as she saw *Raffles in person, at Selby Stud, she immediately realized that he was EXACTLY the unique horse that she had been looking for and it would be through him that she would finally breed the type of horse she envisioned. She was that sure of it. 100%. This is the moment, when the "true breeder" broke out of the shell, paving the way for the almost 200 horses she would eventually breed, including the mare Celeste, who carried nearly 87.5% of *Raffles' blood and, a daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter, in one individual! Jimmie Dean once said that if Alice could have cloned *Raffles, she would have! 56 years since Alice Payne's life came to an end, we still remember her and we are grateful for all the horses we have come to know and love because of the choices she made so long ago, when she stood  at the crossroads of her life.

***there are a variety of sources that I need to credit like Mary Jane Parkinson's (I love her, been reading her since forever) Foundation Breeder's Series on Alice Payne & family, published in the May 2003 issue of Arabian Horse World, the April 1977 Arabian Horse Journal (Raffles issue) and the 1969 Arabian Horse News issue. And of course, Julie Koch, through her Facebook group, Reliving Arabian Horse History. Without any of these sources, the blog would not have been possible****

My Life was the Message

 

Maar Ibn Ali (Ruminaja Ali x RDM Maar Hala)

"Breed the best to the best and hope for the best" is a principle that is key in the world of horses, more so in Thoroughbred race horse breeding than in any other equine sector. I'm sure, dear reader, that you have heard this quote before. In 1983, when Ruminaja Ali (Shaikh Al Badi x Bint Magidaa) was selected as the United States Reserve National Champion stallion, he was as big as you could find, in straight Egyptian breeding. By this time, RDM Maar Hala (El Hilal x Maar Jumana) had produced ET Crown Prince, Halim El Mansour, El Halimaar and Prince Ibn Shaikh. As a broodmare, she had earned the reputation of a proverbial "king-maker", producing one champion son after another. To combine these 2 horses, both having reached the pinnacle of straight Egyptian breeding, was as some people are fond of saying, a "no brainer". In 1986, the "hope" that results from the union of "best" with "best" was foaled, and given the name, Maar Ibn Ali. By this time, David Gardner was getting ready to leave "the industry" and Ruminaja Ali, now 10 years old, would be soon leaving for Lyle & Virginia Bertsch's Zahara Arabian Stud.

Rick & Carolyn Cortesi, of Tucson, Arizona, already interested in the Arabian horse breed, had become fascinated with Egyptian bloodlines, both for the beauty of the horse, as well as its rich history. As they carefully studied the Egyptian horse, one fact became amazingly clear to Carolyn, 

"To acquire foundation blood from an impeccable dam line for the ranch outside of Tucson, Arizona we simply started at the pinnacle - RDM Maar Hala - the leading dam of straight Egyptian champions. By producing 8 Class A champions by an amazing 6 different stallions,  Maar Hala's record transcends its lofty title."

Maar Ibn Ali was bred by the late Dr. Felino Cruz of Rancho Bulakenyo. Imagine how Dr. Cruz may have felt, to go from not finding a straight Egyptian mare, to purchasing RDM Maar Hala, and then, to breed her to one of the top stallions of his time. It was surreal, I'm sure!

Invited by Dr. Cruz, Carolyn and her husband visited Rancho Bulakenyo.  It was during this visit that Carolyn met the then 3-year old Maar Ibn Ali and fell absolutely head-over-heels in love with the young stallion. She had to have him, at any cost. Dr. Cruz's son, Jody remembers the visit,

"Really was a very good colt. A very nice lady named Carol Cortesi ended up with him." 

The 1994 Maar Ibn Ali daughter, Sagali, photographed by Brandy Phillips

A proven breeding stallion, he struggled with fertility issues despite siring 20 get, including two Egyptian Event top ten mares:

• 1989: Maar Ptah (x Sahaara by Ansata Abbas Pasha)*
• 1989: VK Maarissa (x Princess Nefisaa by Ruminaja Atallah) produced 3 foals
• 1990: Ali Shaikh (x *Bint Hasanet by Wahag)*
• 1991: Maar Shamali (x Bint Sayaf by *Sayaf) produced 2 foals
• 1991: Maar Xcimene (x Balima El Ajzaa by Balo)* produced 2 foals
• 1991: Voltaren Al Ahraam (x SRA Luiba by Shatal)*
• 1992: Maarisa Ali (x Shaimama by Shaikh Al Badi) produced 1 foal
• 1992: Maartahari (x SRA Bahiya by Ansata Abu Sudan)*
• 1993: DA Maariah (x Balima El Ajzaa by Balo)*
• 1994: Bluewater Alishah (x Bint Sayaf by *Sayaf)*
• 1994: Enchanted Rashaan ( x SRA Luiba by Shatal) Sired 5 get
• 1994: Maar Jaliya (x SRA Bahiya by Ansata Abu Susan) EE TT, produced 3 foals
• 1994: Sagali ( x Bint el Saghira by TheEgyptianPrince) produced 4 foals
• 1994: TR Alimaar (x Shikos Somaliara by Shadar)
• 1994: DK Madahrena (x Mi Satin Doll by Mi Kaborr) EE TT
• 1995:  Bluewater Ireana (x Akid Isleta by AK El Zahra Moniet)*
• 1995: Maar Xcia (x SRA Bahiya by Ansata Abu Sudan) produced 1 foal
• 1995: Maarja Ala (x BSA Naffata by Zeyn Ibn Morafic)*
• 1995: DK Novaar (Mi Satin Doll by Mi Kaborr) sired 1 foal
• 1995: NF Jamaar (x Jewels Jasmine by Ruminaja Bahjat)

* bred by Carolyn Cortesi, Al-Ahraam Arabians

Maar Ibn Ali, Rob Hess photo

Eventually, he was gelded, in favor of widening his impact within what appeared to be a bright multi-discipline show career in both Western Pleasure and Working Hunters under saddle and over fences. In a Facebook comment, Trish Nelson, a horse trainer also from Tucson shares, 

"I had Maar Ibn Ali in barn for years. I showed him to all his wins.  He was a great horse to be around always."

I don't know the circumstances or reasons why Maar Ibn Ali left Arizona but Carolyn Cortesi sold him in 1999 to what would turn out to be, the first (March 1999) of 2 homes (November 2002), both owners residing within the state of Colorado, where it seems that Maar Ibn Ali's life story ends.

***With gratitude, I acknowledge Teri Boese Cox and Brittany N Thompson for the research each person shared on Facebook. I must also thank Dr. Joseph Cruz for all your insight. As always, much appreciated.***