The cross of *Ansata Ibn Halima with the *Morafic daughter, *Hoyeda, yielded two mares (full sisters): the grey Farsa in
1970 and the bay Nehaya in 1971. While their beginnings were similar, both mares were bred by Gleannloch Farms; each mare established breeding careers for separate breeders.
George Wright had initially purchased Farsa in 1971 from Gleannloch. He bred the mare for one foal, the 1974 chestnut mare Dafeenah, by Dakmar, an *Ansata Ibn Halima son out of *Gamilaa (*Morafic x *Bint Hanaa).
Farasha JLR (Bellagio RCA x Bint Bint Farsa)
Farsa was then owned by Bill and Janet Lowe, who bred her to *Farazdac, resulting in the mare, Firih, in 1976, followed by the *Tuhotmos daughter, Kieshta in 1977. Eventually (1978), Farsa was purchased by the Hacklanders of Hadaya Stud, producing Hadaya Anisa by *Fakher el Din in 1979, Farazdac Magic by *Farazdac in 1980 and the stallion, Dal Halim by Dalul in 1982. Farsa remains relevant today, for example, the bay mare.Farasha JLR, by Bellagio RCA and out of Bint Bint Farsa is a great-great granddaughter! She traces to Farsa through Kieshta!
Although Bob Cowling purchased Nehaya in 1973, she became an important broodmare within the Bentwood Farm breeding program, producing foals who would mature into significant breeding horses for other breeders like Dorian Farm (AK Na Moniet):
AK El Hameed, 1975 grey stallion by *Ibn Moniet El Nefous
AK Na Moniet, 1979 chestnut stallion by Na Ibn Moniet
AK El Azaal, 1980 grey stallion by Na Ibn Moniet
AK Safara, 1981 chestnut mare by Na Ibn Moniet
AK Dimaar, 1982 chestnut stallion by *Refky
Zaki Yamani, 1983 bay stallion by Moniet El Sharaf
Nehaya (*Ansata Ibn Halima x *Hoyeda)
Although Bentwood Farm is credited as the "breeder" by the Registry of two of Nehaya foals, JKB Bint Nehaya by *Ibn Moniet El Nefous, was actually bred by Jean Kayser, who leased Nehaya for a breeding season. Eventually, the JKB mare was leased by Ansata, producing several foals for their breeding program, including Ansata Narjisa who was sold to Al Shaqab in Qatar. The other foal, Zahara Keela, was bred by Lyle Bertsch of Zahara Arabian Stud and eventually, would become an important mare at Rancho Bulakenyo, as Dr. Cruz tried to incorporate Nehaya into his program.
I found it interesting how the breeding careers of these two sisters kept intertwining, as some of Nehaya's progeny also ended up at Hadaya, the same farm where her sister Farsa was residing. While the direction of Nehaya's breeding career appeared to focus on increasing the percentage of Moniet el Nefous' influence, Farsa was bred to under utilized stallions like *Farazdac and *Fakher el Din, creating outcross opportunities for breeders to work into their programs.
Nehaya MH (Richter MH x Zahara Keela) bred by Joseph Cruz and photographed by Jeff Little
Dr. Joseph Cruz, while visiting Bentwood Farm, was profoundly impressed by the bay mare Nehaya, an *Ansata Ibn Halima daughter out of *Hoyeda (*Morafic x Mouna).
"Nehaya really stuck in my mind. Of course, shewas not to be bought. But down the road I found her daughter Zahara Keela which is another long story in and of itself. I was able to finally lease Keela and bred her to Richter and produced Nehaya MH. She was a 'drop dead,' gorgeous filly."
Zahara Keela, a 1984 bay mare, was by TheEgyptianPrince and out of Nehaya. TheEgyptianPrince is a maternal grandson of Mouna, a Moniet El Nefous daughter by Sid Abouhom, who is the same individual who produced *Hoyeda, by *Morafic. Moniet el Nefous represents 25% of TheEgyptianPrince's pedigree, while Moniet el Nefous is 37.5% of *Hoyeda's pedigree.
The cross with Richter MH (El Halimaar x Fasarra) further intensified the influence of Moniet el Nefous blood, through *Tuhotmos, her son by El Sareei, who also, does not carry Sid Abouhom blood like the Moniet El Nefous daughters (Mabrouka and Mouna) do.
The maternal line of *Hoyeda to Nehaya to Zahara Keela to Nehaya MH remains relevant through the present day via Nehaya MH's 2004 bay daughter, Abha MH by Haliluyah MH (El Halimaar x RDM Maar Hala), who produced:
2013 daughter named Fashan Staar MH by *Asala Hafid Nahaman
2016 son, Kings Pharoah by Nour Al Kamar MH
2020 daughter, Hadbans Joy by *Hadban Al Shaqab
Fareed Nile Mist, a Nour Al Kamar MH son out of Winddancer Nile Mist (Imperial Baarez x Imperial Kameoh) sired Fashan Staar's 2019 grey son, Fareed Nile Staar. Both Staar of Egypt and her daughter, Fashan Staar, were exported to Israel, pushing the legacy of Nehaya even further, into the hands of breeders who will insure that she continues to impact the lives of other Arabian horse lovers.
The 1972 stallion Sakrou (*Sakr+++ x Bah Rouse) as photographed by Lee Harrison
In May of 1969, three months after purchasing the mare, Sirhabba, Floyd Reid received a phone call from Homer Watson, then, the manager of the Babson Farm. Floyd, who with his wife, Margaret, had visited The Babson Farm in the summer of 1968, saw many horses he liked but unfortunately, the farm would not part with any of them. Homer remembered the visit and wanted to make good on the promise he made to Floyd, should any of the Babson horses become available. So, here he was, like a magician, pulling the proverbial white rabbit out of the hat, except this was no rabbit, it was the chance to purchase the yearling filly, Bah Rouse (Ansata Abbas Pasha x Bah Roufa). Despite a Banker's salary of $9,000 per year, Floyd purchased the mare and never looked back. Floyd bred and raised 6 foals, before selling Bah Rouse to Jarrell McCracken of Bentwood Farm. The first foal that Bah Rouse delivered was the 1972 chestnut son of *Sakr+++, named Sakrou. Floyd, at 6' 1", was a taller-sized man and had grown weary of riding smaller-sized horses, all of whom measured slightly over 14 hands. He decided to breed Bah Rouse a little differently, hoping for a taller horse that he could ride more comfortably. Floyd was impressed with the scope of some of the newly imported Egyptian stallions like *Farazdac, *Darrag, *Thabit, all of whom he considered for Bah Rouse. Ultimately, he was struck by the sight of a 6-foot Tom McNair riding *Sakr+++ in a saddle seat class and so, he chose the stallion *Sakr+++. Having seen another rider with a similar physical frame as his, convinced Floyd that *Sakr+++ would sire the height that he desired for Bah Rouse's first foal and his personal riding horse. It's an interesting cross, that of the Sameh son, *Sultann, crossed with a half Babson mare. It's not a cross that is well represented in straight Egyptian breeding. If anything, the line of *Morafic via Enayat does share common ground with the Moniet el Nefous daughter, Lubna, the dam of *Sultann and *Ansata Bint Mabrouka, the dam of Ansata Abbas Pasha. However, I don't believe that Sakrou satisfied the yearning that Floyd had for a taller horse at the time, as Richard J. Veselovsky of The Abracadabra Farm (Richard also owned the Gleannloch imported stallion, *Thabit), ended up not only with the 3-year old Sakrou but also his maternal brother, Fadl Moniet, Bah Rouse's colt by *Ibn Moniet El Nefous from 1973. It's interesting to consider that of the six foals Floyd bred from Bah Rouse, he kept Bah Rouse's 1975 filly, Shahroussa, sired by Ansata Shah Zaman.
***Many thanks to Brittany N Thompson for posting Sakrou's photo in the Fans of Gleannloch Arabians group***
On the left, the chestnut mare is *Serenity Sonbolah (Sameh x Bint Om El Saad); while on the right, the bay mare is *Shamah (Sameh x Rafica).
If you don't dive deeper into the pedigree, beyond the dams, you will never discover the close familial connection shared by these 2 "sisters". Sure, they are paternal siblings, both mares are Sameh daughters, however, their dams, Bint Om El Saad and Rafica, are Nazeer daughters, out of the mare, Om El Saad (Shahloul x Yashmak). The 2 mares are full-sisters-in-blood. Then interestingly, each "sister" was bred to the same stallion, in this case, Sameh (El Moez x Samira), resulting in a successive 2nd generation of full-sisters-in-blood. Owned by different people, *Shamah by Jim Kline, while *Sonbolah was owned by Hansi Heck-Melnyk initially and then by Barbara Griffith of Imperial Egyptian Stud; neither mare was bred to the same stallion, thus ending a chain of full-blooded-sisters.
I think most people will agree that the world, 71 years ago, was a much different place than it is today. Maybe this is an example of what people call "a no-brainer," of course the world is different. What barely remained of innocence at that time, proved that innocence still existed, despite the horrifying events of WW-II which continued to shape the foreign policy between countries. The rising cold war tension felt at this time would eventually climax 10 years later, in the form of the Cuban missile crisis. Discovered the year before, in 1953, the polio vaccine was administered to every child, while Bill Haley and His Comets Rocked Around the Clock. However, in the early spring of 1954, Roy Rogers, the "King of the Cowboys" and his horse, Trigger, "the smartest horse in the movies", toured the United Kingdom for the first time, visiting seven cities over a period of 2 months: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Liverpool, Belfast, Dublin and London. Wherever they went, the visit sparked pandemonium among the masses that had assembled to greet them, very much like the hysteria that the world would experience, 10 years later for the Beatles.
Roy Rogers, who by this time had over 100 films and TV shows to his credit, was at the height of his popularity, through screen, television and radio; his latest role was in the 1952 Bob Hope comedy, Son of Paleface, in which the beloved song and dance number (Roy did the singing, Trigger did the dancing), A Four-Legged Friend, was featured. Roy Roger's theatre tour coincided with Billy Graham's Greater London Crusade, held in Harringay. In a letter that Billy Graham wrote to Roy Rogers, he asked Roy to consider the impact that his presence would make among the many fans that had come to see him, "maybe religion is not for children and old women after all, but it is a real he-man religion." Ultimately, Roy Rogers, his wife Dale Evans and Trigger, attended the crusade, performing at the event and sharing their personal testimonies. In attendance were nearly 40,000 children who had come to see them. In a thank you letter Roy Rogers received from Billy Graham following the campaign, he had written, “You will never know what a great contribution you made to our meetings here. People are still talking about it. A great many people have received Christ as a result of your coming. Almost every night somebody comes to the inquiry room because they heard your testimony.”
Four years earlier, John Rogers saw *Serafix (Raktha x Serafina) for the first time at a show in London. He was immediately impressed with the quality of *Serafix's movement, his brilliance and overall balanced appearance. One could say that the man was charmed by the flaming red horse.
"...he was a gorgeous creature, as light on his feet as a deer, as graceful as a gazelle and had the brilliance of eye to appeal to anyone who loved a horse." - John Rogers
A year later, at another show in England (Red Hills), John Rogers watched as *Serafix was pinned reserve champion, while Grand Royal was named grand champion. John Rogers followed Cecil Covey back to the stalls to inquire about *Serafix, whose price at the time was still more than the amount John Rogers wanted to pay, so he purchased 2 mares instead, *Serafire and *Silver Crystal, with the goal of breeding both to *Serafix, once he purchased the horse. John Rogers was determined but patient, he wanted the horse and he would get him, at his price, in time. In the meantime, at his wife's urging, he purchased Natez, a *Witez II son out of a *Raseyn granddaughter, Nafalla. He would need *Serafix, for the Natez daughters.
On another trip to England in 1954, John Rogers tried once again to purchase *Serafix. A breeder in Australia was also interested in the stallion and like John Rogers, submitted a bid to Lady Wentworth but John Rogers would not have any of that. His price jumped up by 30% more, enough for John Rogers to finally purchase the stallion.
*Serafix, then 5-years old and not saddle trained, spent the next couple of months in training. John Rogers did not want to ship his horse by boat, preferring to ship the horse by air to reduce the level of stress and strain to the horse. Still, he wanted the fitness of the horse improved, so that he could better withstand the hardship of the trip. In many ways, John Rogers, despite the gruffness, was a little ahead of his time in how he felt, treated and cared for his horses.
As luck would have it, Roy Rogers and Trigger were on their way back to America from their 2-month British tour and *Serafix was able to ride along with *Trigger and his trainer, Glenn Randall to New York. Wherever Roy & Trigger went in this time period, thousands of people would show up. As *Serafix appeared in the doorway of the plane, the crowd gasped. Who is this red horse they wondered. Did Roy buy another horse while in England? Will he appear in the next movie? People looked at each other, some laughed, some cheered, some cried and some could not take their eyes off the red horse. As *Serafix walked down the plank of the plane, he remembered what the smartest horse in the movies had told him to do. Keep your head held high, ears pricked forward. You are Arabian! I wonder what else Trigger shared with *Serafix in the hours they spent flying over the Atlantic?
***With many thanks to the following:
The September 1976 issue of The Arabian Horse magazine
Julie Koch of Reliving Arabian Horse History on Facebook
The UK Telegraph article, When Roy Rogers and Trigger brought pandemonium to Britain
The Billy Graham Library, Harringay Remembered
Evie Tubbs Sweeney, When Serafix Flew on a Plane with Trigger
Jim Robbins, We Love Arabian Horses
The Golden Years of the Arabian Horse on Facebook
Without these wonderful sources, this blog would not be possible and I am grateful****
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 (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 (double Monogramm) plus 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***
*Witez II, foaled in April of 1938, is representative of the level of excellence that the Janow Podlaski breeding program had reached, in the 20 years since the end of WWI. A son of Ofir, out of Federacja, a daughter of the mare Koalicja, who was rumored to be a great beauty, possessing "a dry, classical head with soft, expressive eyes."* There has been so much written about *Witez II already, including several books, countless magazine articles and a variety of social media messages and posts. What more can I possibly offer about *Witez II, that hasn't already been written somewhere else? Then, out-of-the-blue, I read The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy, written by M.J. Evans and published by Dancing Horse Press in 2023 and suddenly, this blog started to gradually come together.
The story begins in 1943, approximately 4 years from the start of WWII, in Hostau Czechoslovakia, where we meet Teodor, his mother and father, who has just told his little family that he has joined a resistance movement, to fight the Nazis. Once he leaves, Teodor, 11 years old, and his mother, Agata, will never see him again. With his father no longer supporting his household; Teodor and his mother fall on hard economic times, despite Agata taking on a variety of odd jobs, work that she can do from her home, while raising her autistic son. One day, while walking across the village square, she happens upon a conversation that 2 men are having about the increased number of horses, including a recent shipment of Arabian horses from Janow Podlaski. There have been more horses shipped into the Hostau Stud farm, than there are grooms to care for them. Agata realizes that this may be an opportunity, to better socialize her son, give him a skill set, as well as reducing the burden she felt financially. Strategically, Agata, suggests a walk to Teodor, to see the new horses. It is sheer magic, when Teodor meets *Witez II for the first time.
"Teodor looked into the depths of the horse’s liquid, brown eyes. A link of understanding passed between them that surpassed mere affection. An assortment of intensely strong emotions washed over the boy. It was as if this horse was a long-lost friend, or someone he had been waiting to meet his entire life. His gaze remained locked on the eyes of the horse. This is where he belonged." - The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy by M.J. Evans
Dr. Rudolf Lessing, a veterinarian at the Hostau Stud farm witnesses the encounter between Teodor and *Witez II and promptly decides to hire Teodor as a groom, specifically in charge of *Witez's care. From there, the reader accompanies Teodor on his development as a horseman, as well as *Witez, who matures into the classic Arabian stallion that his ancestry promised him to be.The book, for the most part, is based loosely on historical accuracy, for the events occurring in Hostau Czechoslovakia, as a result of WWII. Like Linell Smith's fictional characters of Stasik and Stacia, written into And Miles to Go; M.J. Evans created the fictional character of Teodor, an autistic boy. However, his character is unique, as autism, in this period of time (1930s and 1940s) was not recognized or even, understood. I don't think the story would be as endearing, if Teodor had been anything other than "peculiar." Throughout the story, I wanted to read of Teodor's successes with *Witez II. Easy to read, I enjoyed the book and recommend it.
Additionally, there are a couple books also published concerning the rescue of the horses captured by the Nazis and stabled in Hostau, Czechoslovakia. Both books are more historically accurate and focus primarily on the Spanish Riding School's Lipizzaner horses, however, the following 2 books weave an equally thrilling rescue of the other breeds of horses kept at Hostau, particularly the Janow Podlaski Arabians and specifically, *Witez II. Elizabeth Letts, published The Perfect Horse, a NY Times Best Seller. The author picks up the story in the last remaining days of the war and while she focuses on the overall story, *Witez II is not only mentioned but appears in the story as well, one of many characters that Elizabeth Letts has assembled for the story.
If M.J. Evans' story is the Steven Spielberg blockbuster and Elizabeth Lett's book is like a History Channel movie dramatization, then Frank Westerman's Brother Mendel's Perfect Horse (as translated by Sam Garrett) is the PBS Nova documentary, as this book delves deeper within the darkness of the time and the genetic engineering that defined the breeding "experiments" under the Hitler regime and the drive to develop a "superhorse" utilizing the Lipizzaner breed. At times, it reads like a thriller and will make your heart race. While the story's primary equine characters are the Lippizaners, you will also be surprised whenever Witez's name appears.
Summer is now upon us, and as we grab that one must have book, to pack with the rest of your summer vacation belongings, maybe anyone of these books will be your summer read of 2025?
Happy summer everyone!
*Many thanks to The Arabian Horse, Poland's National Treasure, written by Zenon Lipowicz & George Zbyszewski, published by Arabian Horse Times, Inc.
