An Old School Soul: Ansata Hejazi

So much has already been written about Ansata Hejazi, which includes Born to Reign, a book written by his world famous breeder, Judith Forbis. What can I possibly offer about Ansata Hejazi that hasn't already been said, by people whose experience with this particular horse is so much greater than mine?

What I found fascinating about Ansata Hejazi, is what he represented genetically. I like to call Ansata Hejazi an "old school" Ansata horse, meaning, his pedigree only consists of the foundational elements of the classic Ansata breeding program, as bred by Ansata and used within the Ansata breeding program. There is no blood outside of the original Ansata horses and their descendants in Ansata Hejazi. He is, in the majority of his pedigree, 3 generations of solid Ansata breeding and in the 4th generation, we find 5 lines to the foundational horses that Ansata purchased in Egypt. That's impressive, in terms of genetic consistency and maybe, predictability, in using Ansata Hejazi as a sire. It narrows down the "wild card" aspect of breeding a little more.

Sired by Ansata Halim Shah, an *Ansata Ibn Halima son out of Ansata Rosetta; his dam, Ansata Sudarra, was a daughter of Ansata Abu Sudan and Ansata Delilah. The maternal component of both the sire and dam is noteworthy. It's much more than just saying that both the sire and dam have a tail female line to the EAO mare, Bukra. Each dam is a result of blending Ansata Shah Zaman with the bloodline of *Ansata Bint Bukra. So, at a quick first glance, you can say that we have paternal sisters but the mares are more deeply related than that.  Ansata Rosetta, the dam of Ansata Halim Shah, is a daughter of *Ansata Bint Bukra, while Ansata Delilah is a grandaughter of *Ansata Bint Bukra. Did you catch that? *Ansata Bint Misr  and Ansata Rosetta are maternal siblings, both mares share *Ansata Bint Bukra as a dam. Sameh, who is the sire of *Ansata Bint Misr  is the only line of difference between Ansata Rosetta and Ansata Delilah. Another way to say this, is to point to the percentage influence contributed by each of the Ansata horses, to show you the significance that each ancestor had upon Ansata Hejazi. These would be the Ansata horses like *Ansata Ibn Halima: 31.25%, Ansata Shah Zaman: 25%, *Ansata Bint Mabrouka: 18.75%, *Ansata Bint Bukra: 18.75%, *Ansata Bint Misr: 12.5%, *Ansata Bint Misuna: 12.5* and Ansata Ibn Sudan:12.5%.

The video sequence above, was taken in 1995, when Ansata Hejazi was then, three years old. It is one of my favorite videos. He's not only a beautiful, typey horse, he is charismatic and expressive in his movement, in the way that one expects a correct Arabian horse to move. His tail carriage is unbeliveable! In Authentic Arabian Bloodstock, Volume 2, beloved author, Judith Forbis writes of Ansata Hejazi, "...exceptionally free movement in front and driving well off of his hocks - capable of a breathtaking elevated trot when turned on."  The video underscores what Judith Forbis wrote of Ansata Hejazi, within her landmark book and celebrates the wisdom behind the breeding program of Ansata Arabian Stud.

***Don't miss a wonderful article about the Bukra horses within The Arabian Breeders Magazine, Volume II, Issue II is The Dawning of a New Tomorrow: The Bukra Story***

10 FEET TALL & BULLET PROOF: The Story of an Equine Superhero

Nagsous (Makhsous x Nagliah)

I was looking for something else last weekend, related to the blog about Ansata AlMurtajiz, when I stumbled upon the tragic news that the straight Egyptian stallion, Nagsous, had died in Spring, 2018.  I had to stop for a few minutes, collect my thoughts and regain my composure, as I was not expecting to read the word "died" with the name "Nagsous" written in the same sentence. No horse lives forever, I know, and Nagsous, by virtue of his birth year was 26 years old when he died,  a senior aged horse. Still, that hurt.

I wrote a short email to express my condolences to his longtime owner, which generated a surprise reply from Tina Penniman, who said,  "having Nagsous in our lives brought great joy indeed. I got very close to him in his last several months and the bond made it very difficult to see him go." Such was the power that one horse had on the people who loved him, appreciated his value and realized comfort in his company.  Over the years, I have missed almost magical opportunities to own and breed some truly wonderful horses but Nagsous was like the "last chance Texaco" for me. I believed that someday, I would not only meet him, I would also have the opportunity to breed a mare to him, to produce a daughter similar in quality, to the daughters he had consistently sired for Treff-Haven Arabians. If Superman was engaged in "a never ending battle for truth, justice and the American way", then why not Nagsous, as the equine superhero in what certainly feels like a never ending battle to hold onto all of my dreams? As old as I am now, you would think I would already know that you never have as much time as you think you have, until the day you finally realize you don't have any time left at all.

Nagsous (Makhsous x Nagliah)

Nagsous was a spectacular 1992 bay stallion, a son of the dazzling white stallion, Makhsous (*Sultann x Nabda) out of the beautiful bay mare, Nagliah (*Ibn Hafiza x *Nabilahh), bred by Gleannloch Farms. Nagsous was purchased by Homer and Tina Penniman of Treff-Haven Arabians in Waldron, Arkansas at the Gleannloch Legacy Sale. Nagsous was an important sire, right up until his death, in the Treff-Haven Arabian's breeding program, which focuses on straight Egyptian horses with reduced percentages of Nazeer, or no Nazeer blood at all. Nagsous, by virtue of his pedigree had 6.25% Nazeer blood, through the stallion *Morafic (Nazeer x Mabrouka) and the mare, Kamar (Nazeer x Komeira), both appearing in the pedigree of Nabda, the dam of Makhsous.

Nagsous (Makhsous x Nagliah)

If I had to very quickly, list what impressed me most about Nagsous, it would have been his strength of body and correct conformation. His shoulders, his neck set, broad chest and pronounced wither were about the best that I have ever seen on an Arabian horse. Power and extraordinary strength flowed through his body, as well as the freedom to express it. He had a well-sprung rib-cage, with appreciable depth in the heart girth. His hind end was equally powerful, well-muscled right down into the gaskins. The elasticity in his hocks were typical of horses influenced by Sameh (El Moez x Samira) and he was able to get way under his belly, using the muscles in his back to drive his powerful body forward.  It is interesting to point out that Nagsous carries 25% of Sameh's influence in his pedigree, as Sameh is the paternal grandsire, on both sides of the pedigree, through his sons, *Sultann and *Ibn Hafiza. In the third act of Henry V, at the French camp near Agincourt, a conversation about horses takes place between the Constable of France, Orleans and Dauphin, who says of his horse, "When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air. The earth sings when he touches it, the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes." I feel that Shakespeare was psychic, when he wrote this scene, as he must have seen into the future and wrote of the horse that we knew as Nagsous.

Treff-Haven Nia, sired by Nagsous and out of  Treff-Haven Aashea

What's even more note-worthy is that he passed his strength of body and electriying movement forward. His chestnut daughters like Treff-Haven Nia, Treff-Haven Salina, Treff-Haven Lakiya and Treff-Haven Leina are absolutely gorgeous mares, who competed successfully in Class A shows and named Champions, Reserve Champions and Most Classic Head. While I am partial to the color chestnut, it would be a travesty if I didn't mention his bay daughters like Treff-Haven Savana or Treff-Haven Salma, full sisters of Treff-Haven Salina and equally lovely mares, who are all out of Alidance, an important foundation broodmare for the Treff-Haven program and a Prince Ibn Shaikh daughter out of an Alidaar daughter.

Treff-Haven Salina, a Nagsous daughter out of  Alidance

I found it interesting that Nagsous, through the sire lines of his grandparents (*Sultann, Nabda, Wahag and *Nabilahh), traces to Gamil el Kebir, an 1870 chestnut stallion bred by Ibn Subeyni of the Mhayd Fid'an Bedouin tribe and purchased for Prince Ahmed Pasha Kamal. Sometimes, depending on the historical source that you are reading, Gamil El Kebir, as known in the RAS History book, is also called "Jamil El Kebir" or "Jamil El Ashkar El Kebir". If you follow the sire lines of each grandparent, you will notice two things: first, that the sire line to Gamil el Kebir is brought forward by two Saqlawi strain horses: Sameh (Ibn Fayda)) and Anter (Ibn Rabdan) and second, there is a pattern to the utilization of the sire line, which alternates, that is, Ibn Fayda on top (through the sire) and Ibn Rabdan on the bottom (through the dam). In a breeding community dominated by the sire line of Saklawi I, it is very important, for the health of our Egyptian gene pool, to have alternate sources, like the sire line of Gamil el Kebir.

Nagsous (Makhsous x Nagliah)

*Nabilahh, Nagsous's maternal grand dam was my personal favorite of the Farasha daughters, as I believe she was a very consistent producer of horses that in turn, created influential families. The combination of Anter with Yosreia represented the historic formula of combining Ibn Rabdan with Mansour, which was an esteemed cross that yielded some of the most unforgettable horses Egypt has ever produced. Gleannloch, recognizing the importance of Anter within the EAO program, imported ten Anter daughters from Egypt. One of the  ten Anter daughters was the mare, *Nabilahh. I can't think of a more powerful statement, that would underscore the importance of Anter  within the Gleannloch breeding program and the role that *Nabilahh would have, in furthering his influence. Bred to Zaghloul, Nagsous' dam, Nagliah, who was also a *Nabilahh daughter, produced Asmarr in 1979, who in turn, when bred to TheEgyptianPrince, produced AK Amiri Asmarr, the dam of Thee Desperado. This is the legacy that is part of the genetic fiber of the horse we knew as Nagsous.

Moniet el Nefous produced three chestnut daughters by Sid Abouhom: Mabrouka, Mouna and Lubna. In America, we incorporate the influence of Lubna, primarily through her son, *Sultann or her daughter, Safaa (think of the *Morafic son, Al Fattah and daughter, Muzahrafa). In Germany, Lubna is primarily represented by her son, Ghalion.  In American straight Egyptian breeding, Mabrouka, (through the influence of her son, *Morafic) is the more prevalent way to access Moniet el Nefous in combination with Sid Abouhom (and on a lesser note, that of Mouna). It is interesting that in Nagsous, with his lower percentage of Nazeer blood and a more concentrated source of Sameh, we would also find a source to Lubna, to underscore yet again, how valuable the pedigree of Nagsous was, for all of the outcross opportunities.

Nagsous (Makhsous x Nagliah)

It is uniquely bred horses like Nagsous whom we lament the most when they die, as too late, we realize the genetic potential that a horse like he, offered. His champion daughters are proof that utilizing a low percentage Nazeer horse like Nagsous does not mean that you have to compromise breed type, as some breeders have been led to believe.  Nagsous represents what is really needed to insure the future health of the straight Egyptian Arabian horse, that is, the diversity that results from having a variety of alternative bloodline choices to offer straight Egyptian breeders, outside of the highly-marketed choices.

Before Nazeer, there was Shahloul

Shahloul, as captured in a photo that appeared in a 1948 issue of LIFE magazine

"Shahloul was undeniably the most accomplished sire out of the entire Rabdan line of sires." - Philippe Paraskevas, The Egyptian Alternative, Volume II

Shahloul was a 1931 grey stallion, bred by The Royal Agricultural Society (RAS). He was a son of Ibn Rabdan and out of the mare, Bint Radia (Mabrouk Manial x Ghadia). 

Shahloul's sire line is that of Gamil El Kebir, an 1870 chestnut stallion bred by Ibn Subeyni  of the Mhayd Fid'an Bedouin tribe and purchased for Prince Ahmed Pasha Kamal. In Shahloul, this sire line is expressed as:

Shahloul->Ibn Rabdan->Rabdan El Azrak->Dahman El Azrak->Jamil El Ahmar->Gamil El Kebir

Sometimes, depending on the historical source that you are reading, Gamil El Kebir, as known in the RAS History book, is also called "Jamil El Kebir" or "Jamil El Ashkar El Kebir". 

Shahloul's tail female line is equally exciting, as he traces to Ghazieh, an 1850 grey mare, bred by Ibn Sudan of the Saba'ah Bedouin tribe and purchased for Abbas Pasha, prior to 1855. Many say that it was this mare that inspired Abbas Pasha's love for the Saqlawi Jedran strain horses and led him to collect as many of these horses as he eventually did. In Shahloul, the tail female line is expressed as:

Shahloul->Bint Radia->Ghadia->*Ghazala->Bint Helwa->Helwa->Horra->Ghazieh

The asterisk in front of Ghazala's name signifies that this Ali Pasha Sherif-bred mare (and the great grand dam of Shahloul) was purchased and imported to America by Spencer Borden, producing mares like Guemura and Gulnare. Incidentally, her dam, Bint Helwa, was the famous "broken-legged" mare of Crabbet Stud, whom Lady Anne Blunt listed first, above all the other horses in her herdbook, indicating how she felt about the mare. Spencer Borden said of Bint Helwa, "were it not for her injury, she would be a beauty, pure white, with a head such as Schreyer would seek as a model."  In Egypt, *Ghazala produced the mare Jemla, the dam of Serra, who foaled the Babson import, *Bint Serra I by Sotamm. The most interesting story of Shahloul's pedigree is that the majority of his pedigree is comprised of Ali Pasha Sherif-bred horses, approximately 16 horses (some of whom like Saklawi I, El Dahma & Farida Dabbani appear more than once) brought forward through the breeding expertise of Lady Anne Blunt, Ahmed Pasha Kamal, Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik and Khedive Abbas II.  Also, the desert sources are closer up in Shahloul's pedigree, in some cases, only three to four generations removed. It reminds me of something I heard Cynthia Culbertson once say, “What we can say about the Straight Egyptian Arabian, very reliably, is that they are so close to that desert source, the only way one could get closer is with a desert bred that stayed in the homeland.”  A more royal history could not be had by any horse, especially by one who would exert his significance and influence in the breeding program of the RAS, in the way that Shahoul has magnificently done. In my mind, the quality of his genetic history is like a harbinger of the greatness that was still to come. Shahloul's full brother was the stallion, Hamdan (the sire of Anter) and his full sister was Samira (the dam of Zaafarana), proving a breeding nick or "nickabiity" that existed between Ibn Rabdan and Bint Radia. Further underscoring the almost magical cross of these two horses, noted breed historian and authority on the Egyptian Arabian horse, Judith Forbis, coined a name for the full siblings sired by Ibn Rabdan and out of Bint Radia. She called them "the fabulous four".

Shahloul (Ibn Rabdan x Bint Radia)

In almost every book written, we know that Shahloul was a beautiful horse, possessing many of the unique hallmarks which make this breed famous and different from all other breeds of horses, like large, black expressive eyes accentuating the look of intelligence in a noble head, a well-set longer neck, fine, thin skin and very high tail carriage. Dr. Ameen Zaher in the EAO herdbook wrote, "best eyes, head and neck which was arched and very lovely." However, Shahloul was also criticized for weaknesses in the legs, a flaw that was also mentioned in the herd notes written by General Von Szandtner and Dr. Mohamed Marsafi. You can read these comments in the celebrated second volume of Authentic Arabian Bloodstock, written by beloved author, Judith Forbis.

If Moniet el Nefous was the only horse that Shahloul sired, his historic influence as a sire of great renown would still be assured. However, the mark of a really great sire, is found in the quality of his get and Shahloul sired influential daughters and sons. Think of key mares like Kateefa, the dam of Alaa el Din, Bukra, the dam of *Ansata Bint Bukra, Maisa, the dam of *Bint Maisa el Saghira and Om el Saad the dam of Bint Om el Saad.  Shahloul also sired sons who matured into influential stallions like Mashhour, who sired Seef and of the stallion, El Sareei, who sired *Tuhotmos. It is as Philippe Paraskevas wrote in his book, "On a get-of-sire basis, Shahloul's track record is outstanding. It is easily correlated to his achievement of a high degree of balance between Saklawi and Koheilan attributes, along with balancing Rabdan influence. In view of his accomplishments we can only wish that he had been bred more at the E.A.O. where the Shahloul legacy was an inspiration."

So, maybe you are reading this blog and feel that my praise of Shahloul is misplaced and more deserving for Nazeer? Without Shahloul, Nazeer could not have enjoyed his tremendous success as a sire. There would not have existed the foundation that Shahloul established, thereby enabling Nazeer to build upon it. Shahloul, most especially through his daughters, proved that a greater stallion would be hard to find and that the success of the Saklawi I sire line within the EAO breeding program in later years was because a horse like Shahloul came first, used as judiciously as he was in the program and therefore, clearing the stage for horses like Sheikh el Arab and Nazeer to enjoy the runaway success that they did.

***This blog is lovingly dedicated to Philippe Paraskevas in gratitude for the volume of work he has written, in celebration of the still relevant, dynamic and vibrant horses of Egypt past, like Shahloul, who remain the very heart of the EAO breeding program.***

*Habeebaa

 

When I visited Kuwait in 2013, I was impressed with the kindness and respect that Kuwaitis extended freely to one another. There was a particular word that I soon started to recognize in conversation...Habibi. It seemed to be a very special word, used affectionately, like a term of endearment. It sounded sweet, in a most touching way and I soon learned that Habibi was used in the same manner that we use the words "beloved", "darling" or even, "sweetheart". The name, Habeebaa, is a variant of Habibi. One look at *Habeebaa, with her big, black eyes and kind, soulful expression and I understand why she was named with so sweet a name. *Habeebaa, a 1969 mare, was sired by El Araby (*Morafic x Hafiza) and was out of *Bint Hanaa (El Sareei x Hanaa). Like her sire,  dam, granddams (Hanaa & Hafiza) and great granddams (Zareefa & Mahfouza) she was bay in colour. *Habeeba was one of only five foals sired by El Araby.

In 1968, Gleannloch Farms imported *Bint Hanaa, in foal with *Habeeba and *Gamilaa, *Bint Hanaa's daughter by *Morafic.

 *Habeeba's maternal great granddam is a mare named Hind. This is not the same Hind (Ibn Rabdan x Bint Rustem) that we find in the pedigree of the Sheikh el Arab daughter, Yosreia. Like the mare, El Kahila, this mare, Hind, was a gift made in 1945 by King Ibn Sa'ud to King Farouk. Hind was sired by Obeyan El Safi but we know absolutely nothing about her dam. In a later edition of the Inshass Herdbook, published in the early 70's, Hind is listed as a Saqlawiyah. When Hind was given to King Farouk, Hind was three years old at the time.  Three years later, she produced Hanaa by El Belbesi, a son of the Dahman Shahwan stallion, El Zafir (Awad x Bint Dalal) who traces in his tail female line to the mare, Bint el Bahreyn, imported to Egypt in 1903 from the stud of Rais Issa Ibn Khalifah as a gift for Khedive Abbas II.

*Habeebaa did not live a very long life, she died at age nine. She produced the dark bay mare Gemaal in 1973, a prolific mare for Bentwood Farm and a grey stallion, Habib Al Kol in 1975, both sired by *Sakr. 

Habib Al Kol (*Sakr x * Habeeba) as photographed by Rob Hess

In 1978, she gave birth to her last foal, the grey mare, AK Jaliya by *Zaghloul. How is *Habeebaa represented in our Egyptian gene pool today, you ask?  Her granddaughters like Asafra (NaIbn Moniet x Gemaal), whose progeny, many of which are sired by The Minstril and Thee Desperado, are cherished as part of the vibrant Arabians LTD breeding program and also, AK Maliya (TheEgyptianPrince x AK Jaliya) whose progeny represent some of the finest horses bred at Kehilan Arabians. Overseas, her great granddaughter, Konouz (Imperial Mahzeer x Imperial Kaliya), when bred to Ashhal Al Rayyan, produced the beloved stallion, Suhal Al Nasser, in demand all over the world.

So, the next time you turn to your special person and call him or her, "darling", stop for a moment and remember that once, a sweet mare named Habeebaa lived.

His Name was *Orashan

Why do some stallions become better sires of daughters than sons? *Orashan was one of these incredibly special stallions.

His most famous daughter, BB Ora Kalilah, produced Imperial Baarez. Another famous *Orashan daughter is Imperial Orianah, who produced Imperial Madori, the sire of the 2019 Bronze World Champion Stallion, Adham Saqr.

Barbara Griffith once said of him, "Perhaps *Orashan's greatest contribution is his ability as one of the great Egyptian Arabian broodmare sires."

*Orashan's dam was the mare Ora (Ibn Shaker I x Omera). This mare, in her tail female line, traces to the Bahraini mare, Bint el Bahreyn, whom we also find in the tail female line of horses like El Sareei and *Bint Maisa el Saghira. Ora, combined with Messaoud intensifies the influence of Zareefa, who appears 5 times in the pedigree of *Orashan: twice through her son, El Sareei, and one time each through her daughters: Maisa, Bint Zareefa and Elwya. The Shaloul son, El Sareei, a crucially important horse for the EAO, sired mares who figured prominently in Egyptian breeding like Bint Nefisa, Malacha, Mohga, Amani, Salomy to name a few. Could Zareefa be the common denominator and thereby the reason why, stallions like El Sareei and *Orashan sired a record number of daughters who matured into broodmares of significance?

The tail female line of *Orashan's sire, Messaoud,  traces to the Halima daughter, Moheba and ultimately, to the Dahmah Shahwaniyah mare, Farida. This is the same tail-female line of the classic stallion, *Ansata Ibn Halima, who sired influential horses of both genders equally. However, *Ansata Ibn Halima daughters were treasured by their owners and many became significant foundation mares for other breeders.

In his latest book, The Arabian Horse – Nature’s Creation and the Art of Breeding, Dr. Hans Nagel says of nickability, "This occurs when a certain sire and a certain mare always produce perfectly nice foals. This is called “good nickability."

*Orashan was a second generation, pure-in-the-strain Dahman Shahwan horse, as both his sire and dam were pure-in-the-strain Dahman horses, who blended in an almost magical way (nickability, as defined by Dr. Nagel in the above paragraph), to produce a strong, consistent broodmare sire and the most wonderful horse we once knew as, *Orashan.

Remembering NK Hafid Jamil

NK Hafid Jamil (Ibn Nejdy x Helala) as photographed by Arlette Studer

Seven years ago, when I visited Ezzain Arabians in Kuwait, I came face-to-face with the profound impact that NK Hafid Jamil had exerted within the Ezzain breeding program, creating a unique horse possessing a level of refinement and elegance that I had never encountered before. Since those glorious days spent at Ezzain, I have not been able to look at Arabian horses in the same way that I had previously. The Ezzain horse, which NK Hafid Jamil was such a large part of, unexpectedly turned my world upside down and inside out and I found myself inspired, with a new vision and a new standard of excellence. There are few stallions who are capable of consistently siring excellent horses of both genders and NK Hafid Jamil, over the course of his beautiful life of twenty three years, matured into a globally influential breeding stallion, siring wonderful sons like NK Qaswarah, Jamal El Dine and NK Nadeer, as well as equally outstanding daughters like NK Nakeebya, NK Al Amirah and NK Aziza.

NK Qaswarah (NK Hafid Jamil x NK Nariman)  as photographed by Jennifer Ogden

When Usamah Alkazemi purchased NK Jurie (the first foal sired by NK Hafid Jamil), he became enamored over the cross of NK Hafid Jamil with NK Nariman (one of the most important Salaa El Dine daughters to be utilized in the Katharinenhof breeding program). Of NK Jurie, Usamah explained, "she is the jewel and was the horse that tied me to Dr. Nagel's program." Usamah proceeded to purchase all of the offspring produced by these two horses, including  NK Qaswarah, the primary way in which the influence of NK Hafid Jamil is felt at Ezzain. In 2013, the breeding program included six NK Qaswarah sons and fifteen daughters. While NK Qaswarah represented NK Hafid Jamil through the sire side of the pedigree; Ezzain also had at the time, three NK Hafid Jamil-sired daughters: Dhuha AlNakeeb, Jenan AlNakeeb and the mare that started it all, NK Jurie.

For me personally, NK Hafid Jamil took my understanding of straight Egyptian breeding to another level, well beyond a traditional understanding of selection, based on key conformational traits. I was not a fan of his sire, Ibn Nejdy, namely his pigmentation issues. Ibn Nejdy had a fabulous front end, which included a beautiful neck, well set, with a flowing line that ran gracefully from his wither (with no dip) and all the way to the poll. He had well-muscled shoulders that many horseman would consider ideal. NK Hafid Jamil, conformationally, was like his sire, a front-end horse and a celebration of all the breed characteristics that we cherish. However, from behind, the muscling was not equal, his croup was high and his hind legs were straight.The curvey, upward, gently flowing line of his neck was outrageously beautiful but so was the underline, resulting in a neck that was not heavy, it was elegant, more so than any stallion that I had ever seen before. However, the angle at which his head connected with his neck, also contributed to this look of lightness, by creating an extra-fine throatlatch. The features of his head were equally dramatic, with large, black eyes, placed lower on a head that was clean and dry, with fine skin that accentuated the prominence of bone and vein. His head conveyed what he was, a son of the desert.

The curvey, flowing shape of NK Hafid Jamil's neck was beautiful but so was the underline, resulting in a neck that was not heavy and elegant, more so than any stallion that I had ever seen before.

I once had the opportunity to read a very good, realistic and transparent article about NK Hafid Jamil, published on straightegyptians.com,  which examined all of the horse's strengths, as well as his weaknesses.  Dr. Nagel was not only honest in his assessment; he acknowledged that as an individual, he was like two horses: one horse in the front, the other in the back but it was what he said about a breeder's responsibility to not only recognize the flaws but to work with them, just as you would work with the favorable attributes, in order to breed a foal that is not only more improved than the parent; the resulting foal optimizes all of the outstanding qualities that the parent possesses. Maybe my recollection of the article simplifies the answer into more of a common sense statement but what Dr. Nagel offered me, at this moment in time, was a different mindset, which is, to look at a horse for all that he can offer you, instead of looking at a horse for all of the risks he presents.  But isn't this the way that we should look at all of life, even beyond breeding horses? This is the greatest lesson that came from the horse we knew as NK Hafid Jamil and from the man who stood behind him. And today, as I embrace the tragic news of NK Hafid Jamil's death this past November, this is how I will always remember him, all for the love of a horse and the teacher of a great life lesson.

Rose of Egypt

Rose of Egypt, a very dark bay, almost black 1958 straight Babson Egyptian mare was a result of combining the first generation of horses (from imported parents) bred by The Babson Farm, that is Fa-Serr (*Fadl X *Bint Serra I) with Fa-Abba (*Fadl x *Bint Bint Sabbah). In Authentic Arabian Bloodstock II, beloved author, breeder and noted Egyptian Arabian horse authority,  Judith Forbis said of  Rose of Egypt, "out of Fa-Abba, a full sister to Habba, Fa-Habba and Fa Saana, provided a line to Fa-Abba, who was prettier and more refined than her full sister, Fa-Habba, but not as compact." Rose of Egypt was owned by Milton V. and Virginia Thompson for most of her life, who are also the recorded or listed breeders for many of her foals. Her progeny includes 8 mares and 4 stallions:

• Little Egypt, 1962 bay mare, sired by Trojan (Tobruk x Rulyna)
• Ozark Rose, 1963 chestnut mare sired by Tobruk (Sulejman x Fazala)
• Serr Bruk, 1964 bay stallion sired by Tobruk (Sulejman x Fazala)
• Fadl Witez, 1965 bay stallion sired by Tante Witez (Witez II x Tanezah)
• Rosebud, 1966 bay mare sired by Tante Witez (Witez II x Tanezah)
• Star of Tobruk, 1967 mare sired by El Tobruk (Tobruk x Rosebruk)
• Tobruks Dancer, 1968 mare sired by El Tobruk (Tobruk x Rosebruk)
• Egypts Rose, 1971 bay mare sired by Iszi (Islam x Zadena)
• Egypts Al Metrabbi, 1973 chestnut stallion sired by Al Metrabbi (*Morafic x Sammara)
• Anchor Hill Aziz, 1975 grey stallion sired by Al Metrabbi (*Morafic x Sammara)
• Anchor Hill Alsah, 1976 grey mare sired by Al Metrabbi (*Morafic x Sammara)
• Rose of Masada, 1979 grey mare sired by AK Waseem Montaal (Amaal x Al Nahr Moroufa)

Rose of Egypt with her 1973 colt, Egypts Al Metrabbi

While a Dahmah Shahwaniyah by strain, as she traces to the mare Bint Sabah in her tail female (the same mare that is also found in the tail female line of Sheikh El Arab, Sid Abouhom and Bukra, by the way); in the "old days", before mitochondrial DNA testing and analysis, Rose of Egypt would be considered to be 50% Kuhaylan Jellabi and 25% each, of the Saqlawi and Dahman strains. Today, we consider her to be 75% Saqlawiyah and 25% Dahmah (and no Kuhaylan Jellabi).

Rose of Egypt (Fa-Serr x Fa-Abba)

Rose of Egypt, sometime after foaling her Al Metrabbi daughter, Anchor Hill Alsah, became a difficult mare to breed.  However, Walter Schimanski had loved the mare and the family of horses she belonged to. Realizing her great value and hopefully, her potential in his program, Rose of Egypt was purchased (in a partnership formed with John Fippen). Both men secretly hoped of breeding her to Walter's beloved stallion, Lothar, a 1955 son of the imported stallion, *Fadl and out of Habba, a full sister to Fa-Abba. It would be an opportunity to produce a foal whose influence would come from only three of the six horses imported by Henry Babson in 1932, that is,  62.5% *Fadl, combined with 25% *Bint Bint Sabbah and 12.5% *Bint Serra I.

Lothar (*Fadl x Habba)

Unfortunately, through a grave error, Rose of Egypt was mistakenly bred to AK Waseem Montaal, a triple Moniet el Nefous stallion, whose tail female line went back to the 1932 Babson import, *Maaroufa (Ibn Rabdan x Mahroussa).

AK Waseem Montaal (Amaal x Al Nahr Moroufa)

The supposedly "barren mare" settled to AK Waseem Montaal, producing a grey daughter, Rose of Masada, who was incorporated into John and Betty Fippen's breeding program. The following October, Rose of Egypt was sold to Judith Forbis of Ansata Arabian Stud. Judith Forbis, in her celebrated book, Authentic Arabian Bloodstock II, said, "We had seen her when she was a young mare at Milt Thompson's and liked her very much, but she took on the heavier Fa-Serr look as she aged." She was bred to *Ansata Ibn Halima from 1979 to 1981 but did not settle to him. Rose of Egypt died in 1982, without producing any more foals. What a foal by *Ansata Ibn Halima that would have been!

***This blog post is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Ms Rose, Rose of Masada's only daughter and my best friend, for 20 years. Unfortunately, she did not produce any foals. She died in my arms at age 25, the morning of Monday, January 14, 2013.***