28 April, 2025

A Different Kind of *Raffles Story


There was a time, not so long ago, when it seemed that *Raffles was everywhere and wherever he was, he also existed in multiples like double *Raffles, triple Raffles, all the way to Celestial percentages like 87.5%! *Raffles so dominated Arabian breeding in my youth (when I knew next to nothing), that I began to think of *Raffles as the Arabian version of Figure, the foundation stallion of the Morgan horse breed.

In my blog, 2 Questions, I referenced an article written by Dr. Hans J. Nagel, The Story of the Noble Mares of the Katharinenhof: Breeding with Criteria, published by Tutto Arabi. Do you know that somewhere in the sixties, Dr. Nagel was invited by the Minister of Agriculture in Egypt, to advise the Egyptians on a national poultry production program? It was on this trip that Dr. Nagel would meet Dr. Ameen Zaher, the Deputy minister, who would end up working closely with Dr. Nagel on this poultry project. Dr. Ameen Zaher was also the breeding advisor to the EAO and when he learned of Dr. Nagel's interest in Arabian horses, he invited Dr. Nagel to tour El Zahraa. It would change Dr. Nagel's perspective of the Arabian horse forever. The 2 men formed a close relationship, which eventually  would impact Arabian horse breeding at the Babolna State Stud, Marbach State Stud and Katharinenhof. In the article, Dr. Nagel calls Dr. Zaher, "a very likable person."  

In April of 1947, way before the time when Dr. Zaher and Dr. Nagel first met, Dr. Zaher visited several Arabian Horse breeding farms in the United States. One of the farms he visited was Selby Arabian Stud, near Portsmouth, Ohio. Dr. Zaher, recorded his impressions from the visit in book form, Arabian Horse Breeding and the Arabians of America, published by Cairo University Press. Within the book, Dr. Zaher shared his impression of *Raffles,

"Raffles, though smaller than the average Arab, yet he is one of the best classical type Arabs I ever saw. With the exception of a slightly bigger nose, Raffles has a classic type of Arabian head."

In his most recent book, The Arabian: Nature's Creation and the Art of Breeding, published by Nawal Media, Dr. Nagel writes that *Raffles introduced elegant Saqlawi type in America, producing spectacular results when combined with the existing population of Arabian horses and establishing an enduring legacy in breeding programs, like that of Al-Marah Arabians and Gainey's Fountainhead Arabians.   

Both Dr. Nagel and Dr. Zaher share an appreciation for the horses bred by the EAO during the 1950s and 1960s.  How would the influence of *Raffles, whose popularity during this time period was also at its zenith, combine with the Egyptian lines?

  • 1943: Aaraf (out of Aarah by Ghadaf)
  • 1944: Aarafa (out of Aarah by Ghadaf)
  • 1945: Aaraq (out of Aarah by Ghadaf)
  • 1946: Aarief (out of Aarah by Ghadaf)
  • 1947: Aarafla (out of Aarah by Ghadaf)
  • 1946: Tut Ankh Amen (out of *Roda)
  • 1947: Star of Egypt (out of *Roda)
  • 1948: Joye (out of *Roda)
  • 1949: Faraff (out of Natafa by Farrab)
  • 1951: Bint Aziza (out of *Aziza)
  • 1951: Victor Hugo (out of Gazyya by *Zarife)
  • 1951: Rose of Raswan (out of Zareyna by *Zarife)
  • 1953: Freni (out of Dahama by Fad Zarka)
  • 1953: Sotep (out of Zareyna by *Zarife)

I found the 5 full siblings out of Aarah, a Ghadaf daughter (he is a maternal sibling to Gulastra), to be interesting, as were the two Babson stallions, who combine *Fadl with *Bint Bint Durra (a mare whose influence is more scarce) with additional Skowronek blood on the mare side of the pedigree. 

It's also interesting to consider that the top-crossing of *Raffles onto the non-straight *Zarife daughters like Zareyna and Gazyya, hugely successful, yielding individuals who would become important breeding horses for other breeders like the Munsons and Rose of Raswan, Sotep and Jeanette Morrill of Bear Claw Ranch, James Rooker, the Clark family of JB Farm and Don Ford of Lancer Arabians and Victor Hugo with George Iverson and Paul & Birdie McDannald.

However, with the straight Egyptian mare, *Aziza, things were a little different. Alice Payne admired the mare and purchased *Aziza from General Dickinson of Travelers Rest, when *Aziza was already a mature mare, in foal to one of the General's stallions. She lost the foal and Alice Payne bred her to Rasraff (*Raffles x Rasmina) twice, producing the stallion Aziz and Ibn Rasraff, whom Alice believed to be the better horse. When she bought *Raffles from Selby, she bred *Aziza to him, producing Bint Aziza, whom she eventually bred to Rafferty (*Raffles x Masrufa), producing Asil Bint Bint Aziza. Alice must have not been happy with either Bint Aziza and her daughter Asil Bint Bint Aziza because she sold both of them. Bint Aziza went to Tish Hewitt in foal with Asil Rafziza, while Asil Bint Bint Aziza went to the Munsons. Later, Alice would admit to her friends that *Aziza was a disappointment, not the same mare she had admired from afar. 

It's interesting to consider that *Aziza not only came from the same breeding program in Egypt, that of Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik, but she was selected, purchased and imported by W.R. Brown for his Maynesboro Stud, along with the stallion *Zarife and the mares, *Hamida, *Hamama and *Roda, whose beauty was widely acknowledged, earning her a 1933 US Reserve National Champion mare title. Bred to *Raffles, *Roda, like the *Zarife daughters, produced excellent horses of both genders. 

19 April, 2025

A Story of Spring

Sham El-Nessim, which means "inhaling the fresh breeze" is an ancient Egyptian holiday which is still celebrated today, to mark the arrival of Spring. The night before, eggs are boiled and decorated, to be enjoyed with salted fish and green vegetables the next day. Unlike Easter, which is celebrated by Christians to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus; Sham El-Nessim is celebrated by people of all beliefs. While Easter is tomorrow, Sham El-Nessim  falls on the 21st this year.
Julie Koch, in her Facebook group, Reliving Arabian Horse History, has been posting photos from Dr. Edward Skorkowski's book, Arab Breeding in Poland. Recently, she posted this photo of the stallion, Egipto (Wan Dyck x Motasen) taken from the same book, to show Polish horses that were exported to other countries or descended from a Polish stallion. I have always been fascinated by this particular stallion, whose name in Spanish means "Egypt." Even though he doesn't carry any Egyptian blood, in the form of lines to the Egyptian-bred stallion, Ibn Rabdan, his phenotype is very similar, comprised of rounded-lines, within a close-coupled frame. It would be a very easy thing to do, to consider him a member of the Ibn Rabdan family of horses, from sight alone.

His sire, Wan Dyck, was bred in Poland, at the Biala Cerkiew Stud, the first documented Polish Arabian horse breeding farm, founded by Franciszek Ksawery Branicki in 1778. Biala Cerkiew was a tiny piece of a Wan Dyck larger estate, owned by the Branicki family. One of the more interesting things about Biala Cerkiew was the creation of a record book, which chronicled the origin of the horses for over 100 years. Sadly, during the Russian revolution of 1918, the record books were destroyed and all the history contained in its pages.

Wan Dyck (Vasco Da Gama x Hela)
Wan Dyck was imported by the Spanish government in 1908. No surprise that this horse would be immensely popular, given his strength of body and type; he was a proven breeding stallion,  siring over 100 get in his lifetime. That's live cover folks! 
Vasco Da Gama, sired by Woltiyzer
Owned also by the Branicki family, Vasco De Gama (Woltiyzer x Euterpe) was the sire of Wan Dyck. He was named in honor of the Portuguese explorer, credited as the first European to reach India by sea, in 1497.  

Prior to Wan Dyck and Vasco Da Gama, in 1836, Count Wladyslaw Branicki, the successor to Franciszek Ksawery Branicki imported a desert bred stallion named Wernet, who was outstanding at stud, siring with great consistency. Wernet's beauty and charisma was admired and beloved in Poland. He really must have been special, as his beauty set him apart from the other stallions used at Biala Cerkiew and it became easy to spot one of his descendants, as they looked like him. Through Vasco Da Gama and Wan Dyck, a father/son combination, the sire line of Wernet was able to survive and remains extant in Spain. However, in the USA this line also exists through the mare, *Menfis, a daughter of the Wan Dyck son, Egipto, bred in Spain by the Marquis de Domecq and imported by James and Edna Draper, *Menfis produced the mare, Jubilema, by Jubilo (Caravan x La Plata). When Jubilema was bred to the *Raseyn son, Sureyn (x Crabbet Sura), she produced Surf, the famous foundation stallion for the early Gleannloch Farm breeding program. Jubilema was also bred to the EAO-bred *Morafic, producing the mare, Ilaha in 1967 and the stallion, The Egyptian Sultan in 1968. She was also bred to *Moftakhar, producing the stallion, Kamil Ibn Moftakhar in 1962 and Bint Jubilema in 1963. As beloved as Wernet was when he was alive, I imagine that through the blending of Egyptian blood at Gleannloch, with desert breeding so close up in the Egyptian lines, the influence of Wernet was made new, to enchant a whole new generation of horse lovers.

****Apologies to all as the date that I originally gave you for Sham El-Nessim was not correct. The holiday occurred this past Monday, April 21st. Also the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrated Easter on Sunday, April 20th, the same day observed by the Western church.****

18 April, 2025

2 Questions

"An Arabian horse corresponding to such a concept can be characterized by these five following features: a very light constitution, an overall dryness, a triangular noble head, a high tail carriage and a firm mental and docile disposition." - Dr. Hans J. Nagel
The Story of the Noble Mares of the Katharinenhof: Breeding with Criteria is an article written by Hans J. Nagel and published by Tutto Arabi magazine within the 2nd Al Shiraa Annual Edition. Approximately 20-pages in length, the article is still available on-line (thank you Tutto Arabi) and I encourage you to read it, especially if you have a strong desire to breed Arabian horses. Dr. Nagel is meticulous in thought and action and through 2 questions, pivotal to this discussion, you will be inspired, to breed as he has, once he began to understand the breed better despite a whirling mass of information, blending theory and opinion concerning historical breed origin, type and authenticity (not only to the Bedouin but also, to itself, as a functional equine). 
  • Acknowledging the wide variety of phenotype that exists within the breed, which type is your favorite?
  • What breeding programme will need to be created, in order to produce the type of Arabian horse identified above, given that the horse originates in a country and culture that is vastly different from your own, be that America, Europe or any country outside of the Arabian peninsula?
How many of us have asked these questions of ourselves? I thought of my own journey, which is still evolving and as I watch the latest You Tube video or turn the page in the latest breed magazine, I feel driven to distraction with the dazzling equine image in front of me! Maybe throughout the life of this blog, you have witnessed this, as I write in-and-out of straight Egyptian bloodlines. It is challenging to determine with any kind of finality a personal favorite, within "a sea" of horses for which any horse can be a favorite! I am reminded by something Dr. Nagel shared, from his experience in licensing stallions for VZAP. Throughout his tenure of 20 years, he came across an interesting variety of stallions, representative of important breeding programmes all over the world. He was in an enviable learning experience to compare each stallion's highlights, as well as the less appreciated attributes. Many times, in judging these horses, he experienced doubts from comparing the best judged of the stallions, against his horses at home. However, the clarity that he achieved from answering the 2 questions helped him to remain steadfast to his choices. Instead, he realized that on most days, his horses compared positively to the best judged stallions of the day and if not, he learned which qualities he needed to improve in his herd. Either way, as we know today, Dr. Nagel's answers to the 2 questions, were the stepping stones for a "concept" that has remained vibrantly relevant for almost 60 years, all for the love of an Arabian horse.

***This blog post is lovingly dedicated to Alim Editrice Publishing, Italy with gratitude for making Tutto Arabi and Desert Heritage magazines available on line. You bring the horse in all of its glory, into our homes with each issue***

06 April, 2025

WINGS

 
Hatan Al Naif (Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Ansata Paloma) as photographed by Gigi Grasso

It's interesting to look beyond the names to the actual meaning of the words used, as "Paloma" is a Spanish word meaning "dove," while Sameh, in Arabic means "one who forgives." Somewhere in the middle of all this is the olive branch, symbolizing peace, unity and the 1994 mare, Ansata Paloma, by Prince Fa Moniet and out of Ansata Jahara (Ansata Halim Shah x Ansata Jacinda). Her matriline continues to *Ansata Bint Sameh,  a 1962 Sameh daughter out of Futna (Shahloul x Farida). This is the mare family that also produced the very special Ansata stallion, Ansata Pegasus (Ansata Qasim x Ansata Jalala) also named for a special winged creature.  Ansata Paloma was bred to a variety of straight Egyptian, Ansata-prefixed stallions like Ansata Iemhotep, Ansata Nile Echo and Ansata Shalim, producing mainly fillies. She was also bred to Al Adeed Al Shaqab, resulting in the beautiful Hatan Al Naif, pictured above, captured by Gigi Grasso in that magic moment when she is airborne, all 4 feet are off the ground.  No matter how many times I see it, this moment remains exciting and thrilling. Hope it creates a similar thrill for you.

02 April, 2025

Pashas, Princes & Kings: Thoughts on NK Qaswarah

NK Qaswarah (NK Hafid Jamil x NK Nariman) as photographed by Alaa Youssef Jr.   

It hurts like hell to read that NK Qaswarah has died. He was only 15 years old too!

Ezzain, 12 years ago this past January and 45 or so horses, maybe a little more, approximately half of those horses were sired by NK Qaswarah and of the half that were not sired by Qaswarah, 12 of those horses were sired by a Qaswarah son like Aneesilnefous (x NK Momtaza) and Yaasoob (x NK Nada). If I had not fully understood the critical role of NK Qaswarah at Ezzain, in hindsight, the facts overwhelm me today regarding his importance,  which continues to the present day. 

In Dr. Nagel's most recent book, The Arabian Horse: Nature's Creation and The Art of Breeding, he wrote about NK Qaswarah, 
"NK Qaswarah is producing a very distinctive type with stunning expression and is among those stallions which are strong in producing excellent males and females."
I was recently re-reading a Tutto Arabi article written by Monika Savier at the time of NK Hafid Jamil's death and how his influence will continue, particularly through his get. She mentions NK Qaswarah too,
"This NK Hafid Jamil son was an eye catcher from birth on and left as a young colt for Ezzain Stud in Kuwait. All his life he was surrounded mostly by NK daughters who were, however, of different mare lines‐a unique situation. NK Qaswarah created his own kingdom; nowhere can you see finer Arabians and prettier heads than in this stud."
I cherish many memories from my visit to Ezzain but the most precious were the quiet early morning hours spent alone with the horses, like NK Qaswarah.  With gratitude to Mr. Usamah Alkazemi's generosity; I went to Kuwait having seen many photos of Qaswarah that he shared with me, but it is really different to see the horse, in real life, standing before you. Such was the experience I had with Qaswarah. I was overwhelmed by him despite being familiar with the horse and understanding the significance of all that had been written about him by people I admire, including his breeder.  He was stronger-bodied and more robust than he appeared in photos. In his presence, you felt the strength of his character and, immediately, felt compelled to honor him with respect. He enjoyed to be scratched on his back, especially by the wither and I appreciated the opportunity to engage with him, to touch the living, real horse, the "smilemaker," as Usamah referred to him. I remember that his back was significantly wider and stronger than many horses I had met; I could feel the immense power emanating from every muscle in his body. And yes, he was harmonious, as if every part of his body was made, especially for him. 

As perfect a specimen of the breed as he was, NK Qaswarah was also a consistent sire, equally siring unforgettable stallions and mares possessing his quality, for example, the full sisters: Badrilbdoor and Shamsilshmous (both out of Azhaar), Dorrah and her full brother Aneesilnefous (both out of NK Momtaza), Ekramilbari (out of NK Yasmin), Alttafilbari (out of Ajmal Ibtihaj) and Thettwa (out of Albaheiah). These were my personal favorites. NK Qaswarah defined the Ezzain breeding program with a very unique look that can not be found anywhere else in the world. At the time, I felt that my Arabian horse world had been turned upside down and inside out, never to be the same again but today, I understand all that I saw and  experienced in Kuwait with a new perspective, the spirit of which was also captured with words far greater than my own.
"NK Qaswarah created his own kingdom; nowhere can you see finer Arabians and prettier heads than in this stud."
NK Qaswarah, over his lifetime, has proven to be the type of horse that at one time, inspired Pashas, Princes and Kings. I am none of these men but still, equally inspired by all that you were. I am glad to have known you Qaswarah, in my lifetime.  

29 March, 2025

Impress Staar CA

 

Impress Staar CA, bred and owned by Chase Arabians and photographed by Nancy Pierce Photography
"It's true that I generally prefer Polish horses, but to be perfectly honest, I was so completely taken with Laheeb, that I didn't care what his breeding was. I already knew his foals, and I realized that I was looking at a major phenomenon." - Raymond Mazzei on Laheeb, from the Tutto Arabi article, written by Tzviah Idan
In the summer of 2005, respected breeder, agent and judge, Raymond Mazzei of Furioso Farm in San Diego, together with Ferlita Arabians, imported the straight Egyptian stallion, Laheeb, bred by Ariely Arabians in Israel. He had leased Laheeb for 2 breeding seasons, 2006 and 2007. Impress Staar CA, foaled in 2007, was one of the Laheeb-sired get that resulted from his stay in America. Impress Staar was bred and is owned by Steve and Mauri Chase, Chase Arabians, Aubrey, Texas. 
"A Mare of Excellent Type and Overall Quality." - Mauri Chase
A straight Egyptian mare, Impress Staar CA is out of The Blessing HG (Thee Desperado x Belle Staar). She is a full sister-in-blood to Al Lahab (Laheeb x The Vision HG), as her dam, The Blessing HG, and The Vision HG are full sisters, both bred by Marilyn Geurin of Arizona. What is super interesting about the pedigree of the HG sisters is that the sire of both Thee Desperado and Belle Staar is The Minstril, which makes Thee Desperado and Belle Staar paternal siblings! While the sireline is Saqlawi I (Nazeer); I am more excited over the matriline, which traces back through the Albadeia breeding program to the 1946 Saqlawiyah RAS mare, Zaafarana (Balance x Samira) and all the way back to the celebrated Ali Pasha Sherif mare, Bint Helwa (the Crabbet Stud broken legged mare) and from there to the world famous Ghazieh, the desert-bred mare imported to Egypt in the mid-1800s for Abbas Pasha. It is a matriline that remains to this day, unforgettable for its brilliance and showiness. Combined with Laheeb, the results are consistently magical.

26 March, 2025

NK Kamar El Dine

NK Kamar El Dine (NK Hafid Jamil x Ansata Ken Ranya), photographed by Arlette Studer

NK Kamar El Dine is a bay stallion from the 4th generation of Dr. Nagel's closed breeding program. This generation established the influence of NK Hafid Jamil, the chief breeding stallion at the time. NK Kamar El Dine, along with his full brother, Jamal El Dine, were 2 of 3 NK Hafid Jamil sons retained by Katharinenhof for the breeding program. 

Dr. Nagel, in his newest book, The Arabian: Nature's Creation and the Art of Breeding, published by Nawal Media, writes of NK Kamar El Dine,
"As a bay horse, he seems to be stamped by other genes in his genetic make-up. He stands on shorter legs which are typical for a Dahman Shahwan, he is longer build than his full brother, but also has the fine and elegant neck and shoulder combination. His topline and hindquarters as well as his hindlegs are obviously better than those of Jamal El Dine and, in fact, are almost perfect." 
40-years and 130 colts later, Dr. Nagel culled the number of colts down to 10. His criteria? Colts who will mature into breeding stallions, worthy of the roles that they had been bred to assume.  This typey bay stallion, NK Kamar El Dine, was one of the 10 colts chosen by Dr. Nagel. You will remember from a previous blog, that he is the sire of NK Hamza , the Lion of Thuringia.