Babson Plus

I was thinking of something else, when I stumbled upon a 2009 article, Fine Lines, written by Richard Ernsberger Jr. in Virgina Living magazine. The late Honorable Helen Marie Taylor was 86-years old at the time and was in the process of selling the remaining 23 horses at her farm, named Bloomsbury, in Orange County, Virginia.

The late Helen Marie Taylor & HMT Virginius (The Minstril x AK Narimann), photographed by Jeff Greenough

I didn't realize that Helen Marie Taylor was a native of Waco, Texas, even attending Baylor University, and now, I better understand how a member of a distinguished multi-generational Virginia family becomes connected to Bentwood Farm in Waco, Texas.  This is exactly the catalyst role that our horses play, in bringing different types of people together, to form relationships that may not have developed, if the horse was not at the center of it all. When Bentwood Farm dispersed, she purchased about 20 horses, including the 1977 grey mare, Bint Bint Maarena. She would be yet another horse of this combination of new/old blood to live on the eastern seaboard, as the maternal siblings of her granddam, lived in this part of the mid-Atlantic as well, i.e. Alyce Burgess' Akid Arabian Stud and Barbara Griffith's Imperial Egyptian Stud.

Bint Bint Maarena (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous x AK Bint Maarena), photographed by the late Johnny Johnston

Sired by *Ibn Moniet El Nefous and AK Bint Maarena, I remember meeting this mare in person, when I visited Bentwood Farm in the late eighties. I loved her.  About 12-years old at the time, she was one of several mares representing the older straight Babson Egyptian lines crossed with the new straight Egyptian stallion, *Ibn Moniet El Nefous, whom I had traveled to see in person. Her beautiful chestnut dam was a full sister to Serr Maariner (Ibn Fa-Serr x Maarena) and a maternal sibling to the trio of Maarenas, sired by *Ibn Moniet El Nefous: AK El Zahra Moniet, AK El Malouf & AK Monareena. It was those mares, like Bint Bint Maarena, who made me a fan of the *Maaroufa cross with *Ibn Moniet El Nefous; as I was already a fan of the *Bint Bint Sabbah's combined with *Ansata Ibn Halima. I have to say that meeting these mares in person, remains not only a cherished highlight of my life, it was a turning point for me, in my evolution as a student of the breed. In a previous blog about AK Monareena, I shared my interest in breeding AK Monareena to Serr Maariner, to line breed back to Maarena, which unfortunately did not happen for me. When I visited Bentwood, meeting Bint Bint Maarena is where I developed the idea in the first place, to use Serr Maariner in this way, hoping to further intensify the Ibn Fa-Serr/Maarena cross on the maternal side of the pedigree. 

You know what's funny? At the time that most of this story was happening, the strain of the Babson *Maaroufa horses was recognized as Kuhaylan Jellabi. In a program that was as focused upon the Saqlawi strain, as the Bentwood breeding program was; little did anyone realize at the time that the farm was breeding pure-in-the-saqlawi-strain!

Bentwood bred Bint Bint Maarena to Moniet El Sharaf to produce AK Fa Sharafa in 1984 and AK Maarshafa in 1985. She was then bred to Shaikh Al Badi to produce Princess Maarena in 1986, then bred to Alidaar, a Shaikh Al Badi son, producing a colt in 1989 named Ali Jahmal, followed by the very first foal in 1991 to be named with Helen Marie Taylor's initials: HMT Sukari. The other similarly prefixed horses out of Bint Bint Maarena were HMT Ishmadi, a grey colt by AK Ishmael in 1992, HMT Fabadi, a grey colt by The Minstril in 1993 and HMT Renazz, a third grey colt in 1995, this time by Thee Desperado. 

I found it very interesting to learn that the 1985 daughter, AK Maarshafa, was bred by Dr. Hans Nagel to the Salaa El Dine son, Nejdy, to produce a filly named Fatima XVII in 1992, who then, was bred to another Salaa El Dine son, Nahaman, producing a 1996 black filly named Fasinah El Chamsin, who eventually joined Gestüt Rothenberg, owned by Annette Escher and her late husband, Erwin, who was an amazing photographer. The black stallion, GR Faleeh was the resulting foal in 1996, when Fasinah El Chamsin was bred to Madallan-Madheen. When GR Faleeh was bred to his paternal sister, the cross yielded another beautiful black stallion, whom Anette Escher named GR Moneef. Little did I realize that a global future, within a celebrated black straight Egyptian program like the Rothenberg Stud awaited the progeny of Bint Bint Maarena, when I admired that long ago day in a Bentwood pasture. I only wish that I could go back in time, knowing what I know today, all for the love of an Arabian horse.

1982

"Bentwood Farms has sought to consistently breed Arabians with correctness, athletic ability and the classic elegance which excites the mind and never deceives the eye for beauty."-Bentwood Farm: A Breeding Philosophy, from the 1982 advertisement in Arabian Horse World

For me, the mere mention of the word "Bentwood" is the equivalent of saying "Disneyland" or "Hollywood"

So many wonderful horses....

all
    in
      one
           place

I don't know if people new to Arabian Horses, in these post-Bentwood years, will understand what Bentwood meant and for me and many other people, still means. At the time, Bentwood Farms had the largest and most diverse collection of Egyptian Arabian Horses, assembled in one location, not only in the United States but in the world. Bentwood Farm was a very HUGE place, so big, you had to drive a car, to get from one part of it to another. Almost 20 years later and Bentwood's acreage still shocks me, as much as it did back then. The resources that made managing a farm like Bentwood possible, also made it possible for horses to be bred in unique combination of bloodlines. For a small breeder, with limited resources, it was not financially possible to do such things. Bentwood was able to arrive faster in a multi-generational program, without the aid of AI or embryo transfer and in the process give the entire community a bit of diversity, through these breeding combinations. What this farm was able to accomplish, with treasured Egyptian Arabians, remains significant. I am forever grateful to the dream that made Bentwood possible. Bentwood made it possible to have horses with Sirecho, Babson and Halima lines blended with Moniet el Nefous, Anter combined with Babson lines, *Ibn Hafiza bred with Babson lines; just to point out a few of the crosses that the farm tried. If it were not for Bentwood breeding, many of the influential farms of today, would not have the horses that have made their programs noteworthy. For example, Ariela Arabians in Moshav Bnei Zion, Israel, purchased the mare, AK Latifa (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Siralima) a Bentwood-bred mare foaled in 1977. AK Latifa produced four foals for Ariela, the most famous of which is the stallion Laheeb by Imperial Imdal. Laheeb is one of the most influential sires, world-wide in the entire breed community. In 1998, Laheeb traveled to Poland, to become the chief sire for the Janow Podlaski and Michalow state studs. Because of Laheeb, we enjoy in the show ring, Polish-influenced Arabian horses like Poganin and Emira. Laheeb was so successful in Poland, that he returned 10 years later. In Israel, Laheeb produced a World Champion, the handsome and popular straight Egyptian stallion, Al Lahab, now owned by the Friedmann family in Germany. Like Laheeb, Al Lahab traveled to America and stood at stud at the world famous Om El Arab International in California. Al Lahab is spreading Laheeb's influence even farther. This is one example...ONE...AK Latifa is just one of many Bentwood horses, to illustrate the powerful influence that Bentwood breeding still has upon the Arabian Horse community, to this day. It is rare to look at the pedigree of an Egyptian arabian Horse and not find a Bentwood horse, somewhere in the pedigree.
Bentwood indeed was a magical place, filled with the horses that I had read about and saw pictured in all the books dedicated to Egyptian Arabian Horse breeding and also in the leading magazines dedicated to the community. In the early 1980's, after the death of *Ibn Moniet el Nefous, some of the stallions standing at Bentwood Farm were The Egyptian Prince, Ansata Abbas Pasha, Ansata el Sherif, *Refky, Fadl Dan, Ansata El Arabi, *Nagid and *Ibn Alaa el Din. The mare collection was impressive. Outside of the EAO, there was no other place in the world with a herd this large. As a matter of fact, there was no place in the world, even at the EAO, that had a collection as complete as Bentwood's mare herd, with the Babson lines. For straight Babson Egyptian fans, Bentwood Farm owned the largest collection of Babson Egyptian mares, outside of the Babson Farm in Illinois. This was the home of Maarena, Bint Fada, Henrietta, Fa Dena, Aarouser, Roufah, Maar Kamalla, Sabrah, Serrasab, to name a few of the names. Bentwood presented the mares in a format similar to the Egyptian Reference Handbooks, cataloguing the mares by strain. While Bentwood had mares from every one of the major strains (Hadban, Kuhaylan Rodan, Kuhaylan Jellabi, Dahman Shahwan, Saqlawi and Abayyan), the wealth of the collection was found in 2 strains: the Saqlawiyah and the Dahmah.

I had the opportunity, a few years ago to purchase a copy of an early 1980 edition of a popular Arabian Horse magazine. In 1982, when this list was published in the magazine, I was overwhelmed. I could not comprehend what it would be like to have all of these mares assembled in one place. When I visited Bentwood 6 years later, this feeling did not vanish, it was MAGNIFIED. Seeing all the names on paper was overwhelming...seeing many of these mares, with my eyes and touching their coat split me in two. While Bentwood was blessed to have many of the top Egyptian stallions on the farm, the bigger blessing, the treasure, the prized jewels of Bentwood, were the mares that Bentwood owned and leased.

THE BENTWOOD MARE CATALOG

"The enduring quality of any breeding program rests with the female lines which were its foundation. Stallions receive more notoriety, but in fact, the finest and most prepotent stallions are never from anything but the finest mares. At Bentwood Farms, we have placed particular emphasis on mare lines and their strains. With any pedigreed bloodstock, the female line most often contributes more to the genetic makeup of the individual. The tail female line in the pedigree is of particure importance in breeding decisions. We have engaged in the most tedious research and have spared no effort or expense to bring together the finest and most prepotent group of foundation mares possible. Bentwood Farms has been noted for the quality of their mares, evidenced by 13 National Top Ten awards, two Reserve National Championships and one National Championship awarded in mare halter classes in North America. Bentwood mares have won three Reserve International Championships in England and in Europe in the past several years. More importantly, these mares are producing foals which are elegant, refined and prepotent themselves..."-from the 1982 Bentwood Farms brochure

HADBAN STRAIN

*Nabilahh (Anter x Farasha

Lohelia (*Morafic x *Nabilahh)

Bint Masarra (*Tuhotmos x *Masarra)

*Dawlat (Anter x Sheherazda)

*AK Dalia (*Ibn Hafiza x Aziza)

*AK Jaheena (Waseem x Mahbouba)

*Baheia (Shariar x Hemmat)

ABAYYAN STRAIN

*Magidaa (Alaa el Din x Maysa)

*Higran (Seef x Hodhoda)

SAKLAWI STRAIN

Bint Bint Moniet (*Rashad Ibn Nazeer x *Bint Moniet el Nefous)

Raya Del Sol (*Rashad Ibn Nazeer x *Bint Moniet el Nefous)

Monisa RSI (*Rashad Ibn Nazeer x *Bint Moniet el Nefous)

Muniet Nefous RSI (Umi x *Bint Moniet el Nefous)

AK Bint Monisa(*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Monisa RSI)

Bint Binte El Bataa (Emam x *Binte El Bataa)

Sittana (*Morafic x *Bint Binte El Bataa)

Bataasha (*Tuhotmos x *Bint Binte el Bataa)

Saqlawia Jedraniya (*Morafic x *Bint Binte el Bataa)

Bint el Rih (*Farazdac x *Bint Binte el Bataa)

Bint El Hadiyi (El Hadiyi x Saqlawia Jidrania)

Fathia (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous x Muniet Nefous RSI)

Bint Bint Mona (*Morafic x *Bint Mona)

*Hoyeda (*Morafic x Mona)

*Hayat (Anter x Tanta)

*AK Karama (Alaa el Din x Tanta)

*Sallama (Seef x Fayrouz)

AK Shahmona (*AK Shahm x Bint Bint Mona)

Dafeena (Dakmar x Farsa)

Kieshta (*Tuhotmos x Farsa)

AK Fariha (Ibn Morafic x Gasaara)

AK Khalifa (Ibn Morafic x *Gamilaa)

AK Bint Korima (Nawaf x Korima)

Serenity Galala (Serenity Osiris x Serenity Bint Montaha)

Zaenap (*Ibn Hafiza x *Hoyeda)

*Gamilaa (*Morafic x *Bint Hanaa)

*Bint Hanaa (El Sareei x Hanaa)

AK Anzar (El Sareei x Hanaa)

*Habeeba ( El Araby x Bint Hanaa)

*Maymouna (Akhtal x Mahlaha)

Fa Dena (Fa Serr x Khedena)

Il Bint Khedena (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Fa Dena)

Bint Fa Dena (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Fa Dena)

*Hayam (Mashour x Tahia)

Gasaara (*Faleh x *Hayam)

Ansata Salome (*Ansata Ibn Halima x *Ansata Bint Nazeer)

Bint Moftakhar (*Moftakhar x Ansata Fatima)

Iziza (Ibn Hafiza x Izees)

Sahrah (*Zaghloul x *Sooma)

KUHAYLAN STRAIN

Maarena (Fabah x Fada)

Maar Kamalla (Maar Rab x Maar Jumana)

Bint Fada (Fa Serr x Fada)

Aarouser (Fa Serr x Aaroufa)

Monaaroufa (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Bint Aaroufa)

Ahroufa (Ibn Fa Serr x Bah Roufa)

Roufah (Ibn Fa Serr x Bah Roufa)

AN Mon Ami (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Bint Fada)

AN Monica (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Bint Fada)

Bint Mon Ami (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x AN Mon Ami)

AK Bahiya (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Aarouser)

AN Moroufa (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Bint Aaroufa)

Nefousah (Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Maarifah)

Bah Rouse (Ansata Abbas Pasha x Bah Roufa)

Talnoa (*Talal x Noha)

*Nazzli (*Tuhotmos x Nagda)

Hamaama (Ibn Anter x *Hekmat)

*Omnia (Alaa el Din x Ameena)

Bint Omnia (*Morafic x *Omnia)

*AK Mayaada (Aseel x Madiha)

*Takwa (Aseel x Rawayeh

*Thawra (*Sultan x Rawayeh)

*Sanaa (Sid Abouhom x Yashmak)

Rabeeah (*Sakr x Romanaa II)

Bint Samim (Samim x Il Durra)

DAHMAN STRAIN

*Nagat (Anter x Abla)

*Somaia (Anter x Abla)

*Ein (Anter x Abla)

Serroya (Fa Serr x *Nagat)

AK Nashahma (*AK Shahm x *Nagat)

AN Mona Lisa (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x *Nagat)

AK Serrmonietta (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Serroya)

Sadaa (*Morafic x Somaia)

Sabrah (Fabah x Serrasab)

Serasaab (Fabah x Serrasab)

FA Halima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Sabrah)

Serr Halima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Serrasab)

Asal Sirabba (Sirecho x Habba)

Sirhabba (Sirecho x Habba)

Siralima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Asal Sirabba)

Raalima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Asal Sirabba)

AK Nadira (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Asal Sirabba)

Sirhalima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Sirhabba)

AK Shahlima (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Raalima)

AK Bint Sirhabba (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Sirhabba)

AK Faiza (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Faarecho)

AK Yamaama (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Faarecho)

Dazeeralima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Dazeera)

AK Monazeera (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Dazeera)

Henrietta (Ibn Fa Serr x Faaba)

AK Bint Henrietta (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Henrietta)

AK Jaleel Amaan (Ansata Abbas Pasha x Henrietta)

AK Amaana Moniet (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x AK Jaleel Amaan)

*Bint Sharara (Galal x Sharara)

*Hegrah (Alaa el Din x Hagir)

Masada Safaana (Saafaddan x Mist Aana)

Masada el Aba (Saafaddan x Daal Aba)

AK Fataana (Ra'adin Inshallah x Rafaana)

Jazana Moniet (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Jazala)

Fa Saloul (Rafaar x Faarecho)

*AK Komeira (Ibn Galal II x *Pharrah)

Morajisa (*Morafic x Narjisa)

*Asilat Al Badeia (Seef x Atfa)

*Gazbeya (Shahriar x Hagir)

*Soheir II (Fagir x Tifla)

Ramses Ghazalahh (*Ramses Fayek x *Bint Ghazalahh)

*Bint Ghazalahh (Sid Abouhom x *Ghazalahh)

Rannana (*Soufian x Rahmaa)

Dahmah Shahwaniah (*Ansata Ibn Halima x *Bint Maisa el Saghira)

AK Layla (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x *Azzar)

Akid Danzarra (Hamdan II x *Azzar)

*Azzar (Nazeer x Ahlam II)

AK El Sanaa (Mosry x *Deenaa)

AK Fanniya (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Narimaan)

Narimaan (*Morafic x *Deenaa)

*Nasra (*Morafic x *Zobeya)

*RH Desert Elan (Ghalion x Kayad-1)

AK Molly Moniet (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x AN Janie)

Hannah (Fabah x Fasera)

In the late summer of 1988, I had an opportunity to visit Bentwood Farms. My memories of the grandeur of Bentwood had been formed many, many years before my visit. Little did I know or even understand, that the sun had started to set for this most amazing place. I hardly slept the night before I was to visit the farm, thinking about the horses that I would finally get to meet. I set out early and I was so impatient, as the drive from Dallas seemed to never end. When I pulled up in front of the stallion barn, there was a beautiful, gleaming, silvery-white horse, turned out in a metal pipe corral, in front of the stallion barn. He was a little "hint", a preview if you will, the "opening act", for all of the beauty which I was soon to encounter. Later, I would learn that this horse was Prince Fa Moniet. Yes, the Prince Fa, who would eventually go to Ansata. I look back to this one day, a brilliant day, a beacon in my life, still shiny and bright in the "fog of the past", which enables me to write of this farm and somehow, help to perpetuate these treasures of the past. I wonder if I fully realized how significant, how precious, how priceless this day really was and how I would look back, still, in wonder and amazement. I am grateful for the experience to have visited this farm and for the generosity of the people at Bentwood, to show me all the horses.

"As with all desert creatures, authentic Arabian horses possess an elegance and refinement which is unique." -Bentwood Farm: A Breeding Philosophy, from the 1982 advertisement in Arabian Horse World

Enjoy your horses,
Ralph

Maarena

Maarena, a chestnut straight Babson Egyptian mare was a daughter of Fabah, out of the mare Fada.  Maarena was bred twice to Ibn Fa Serr, and from this breeding, Serr Maariner and his full sister, the chestnut AK Bint Maarena were produced. In the brochure for the Pyramid Society Breeder's Sale I, held in 1982, Homer Watson wrote:

"When we sold Maarena in 1972, they wanted to choose a mating which I felt would produce a foundation-quality mare or a stallion prospect. It took me about two seconds to decide on Ibn Fa Serr. He's been so great on Fabah daughters. Bint Maarena was the resulting foal. David Gardner took Maarena out one time, showed her to Champion Mare, and turned her back out. It didn't surprise me that she won. She was carrying Bint Maarena at the time."

In addition to the 2 full siblings (Serr Maariner and AK Bint Maarena) sired by Ibn Fa-Serr, Maarena was also bred to the new Egyptian stallion, *Ibn Moniet El Nefous  and produced the full siblings:  AK El Maalouf, a gray stallion that went to Deep Meadow Farm in Virginia, the chestnut, very Babson-like, AK El Zahra Moniet, who also went to Virginia, to Akid Arabian Stud and the grey AK Monareena whom I met on a late winter's day, in Pennsylvania at the farm of Dr. David Newcomer. I had loved this particular mare, since she was consigned by Imperial Egyptian Stud to the Bluebonnet sale in the mid-eighties.

AK Monareena

She was 18 years old when I met her, even more beautiful than I remembered. She had a most expressive head with large eyes, fully and deeply black. Her body was of good proportions, as she had the substance that Babson horses are known for and yet, she was elegant because of the refinement that *Ibn Moniet El Nefous contributed to the cross. She was harmonious because everything looked like it belonged on her body. There was a point when I handed the lead rope over, watching her walk away from me and I was overwhelmed with the view from behind. Even though she had foundered, she had such elegant movement, underscored by her tail carriage. She was one of the most beautiful mares that I ever remember meeting.

HR Hasims Legacy

HR Hasims Legacy (Sah Hasim Khabar x Adaah)

HR Hasims Legacy is a 2002 straight Babson Egyptian stallion, bred by Cheryl O'Donnell and presently owned by Kim Cooper of Axiom Arabians, Cape Fair, Missouri. He is sired by the bay-colored Sah Hasim Khabar, a Char Serr son out of the Fabah daughter, Adaah. My friend, Clothilde Nollet of Maarena Arabians in France saw this horse and said,

"Kabar is a Kuhaylan stallion with incredible substance, one of the biggest horses I have ever seen, lots of bone and what a powerhouse. He is quite tall. He has been bred to various type of mares and tends to give very good conformation, large back, chest, long hip, powerful movement, good character, big eyes."

Charr Serr (Negem x Serra)

When I think of the black beauty, Char Serr, I think of  a particular photograph which shows the horse performing the Spanish walk, with Wayne Newton astride. Have you seen this photograph? For most people like me, who have had the opportunity to work closely with Babson horses, we are familiar with their good and steady nature, a high level of intelligence and their willingness for trying new things. They are most definitely companion horses, who illustrate powerfully, within day-to-day life, what a Bedouin tent horse must have been all about. Char Serr was bred by Dr. Keith Krausnick of Shar Char Farm, a 30+ year breeding program focused on straight Egyptian and *Turfa-Egyptian horses. Char Serr was a 1964 son of Negem (Fa-Serr x Fay Negma) out of Serra (Fa-Serr x Fad Roufa).

HR Hisams Legacy's dam is a very refined,  bay-colored Mahrouf daughter named Mah Bah Roufa, who is out of the Ibn Fa-Serr daughter, Bah Rous Amira.

"Mr. Babson had no qualms about inbreeding, and he was the first American Egyptian breeder to experiment with breeding full brother and sister. Fa-Serr was bred to Fa Deene to produce Ibn Fa-Serr (grey, 1960), who sired 85 foals, including three national winners."-from Arabian Horse World's May 2003 Heritage Horse, Fa-Serr

HR Hasims Legacy's pedigree is interesting, because of the number of times *Bint Serra I appears in his pedigree: 9 times, as compared to the most prolific of the Babson broodmares, *Maaroufa, who appears only 5 times and *Bint Bint Sabbah, who appears 3 times. When Fabo died, we lost the opportunity of breeding to a stallion with a tail female line to *Bint Serra I. With HR Hisams Legacy, we have the opportunity to breed to a stallion who possesses a high percentage of her influence. In an Arabian Horse World article, which appeared in the August 1982 issue, Mary Jane Parkinson wrote,

"Dr. Branch interceded in dealing with Prince Kemal el Dine so that Babson could acquire *Bint Serra I 897 (Sotamm x Serra), who became his favoite of the importation."

While *Bint Serra was his favorite, it is important to point out that Babson actually prized all three of these mares and considered *Bint Serra, *Maaroufa and *Bint Bint Sabbah to be his premier broodmares. So in one horse, we find the influence of these three super mares PLUS *Bint Saada, whose appearance in Babson horse pedigrees is unfortunately, infrequent. *Bint Saada appears twice, through her *Fadl son, Faddan. Over the years, through personal observation, I have noticed that Babson horses carrying lines in their pedigree to *Bint Saada, seem to have "a little extra-something", which is so hard for me to explain, that is, exactly what that "little extra" is all about. In this case, the "irresistible" in HR Hasims Legacy, might be the best way to explain that "little extra-something". The only straight Babson Egyptian of the 1932 importation who does not appear in the pedigree is the pretty chestnut mare, *Bint Bint Durra.

HR Hasims Legacy (Sah Hasim Khabar x Adaah)

The influence of the Saqlawi strain is evident in the phenotype of HR Hasims Legacy. He is sleek, refined and elegant. Like the finest velvet, these qualities are hard to miss about him. He is very smooth and harmonious. His neck is a bit longer, than you find on other Babson horses and while I would like to see a little more length in the poll, the neck is graceful, with a clean underline. It is also important  to stress that balance in an Arabian Horse is so vitally crucial. So, when I say something like "I would like a little more length...", the flip side of this statement is that a little more length may completely upset the total overall picture of balance in HR Hasims Legacy. So, while yes, a longer poll may be desirable in this horse, I think balance is more important, a quality that is already outstanding in HR Hasims Legacy, that is, the harmony and balance present in his physical body. This is a very nice horse.
HR Hasims Legacy is a closer-coupled, with a strong and smooth topline, framed on one end by a nice, deep hip and on the other end, with a powerful shoulder with a nice, noticeable wither.  Like most Babson horses, this is a horse made for riding. The ratio of forearm-to-cannon is very nice. His head has a very nice shape, short, wide and broad, with very large jowls, small ears and large, elastic nostrils. He has a prominent jibbah, not extreme but noticeable. His eye is soft and black, with no white in them. His eye radiates a sweetness, indicating a horse who is friendly and enjoys being with people. He is a total package of Arabian horse goodness. Kim said the following about HR Hasims Legacy,

HR Hasims Legacy (Sah Hasim Khabar x Adaah)

"Legacy is super sweet and well-mannered. He is very friendly and comes right up to you. He is always looking to see me and greet me."

HR Hasims Legacy is a proven sire, as he has sired one colt and one filly to date. The colt is out of DU Faaissa, a Babson-Sirecho mare and unfortunately, the filly out of Char Iswid Malaka died. Kim is planning to have shipped semen ready for spring. Is there a hint of a broodmare sire in the making? Of the nine lines to *Bint Serra I, four of those lines are through her son, Fay-el-Dine. Fay-El-Dine was recognized as an excellent sire of daughters.

"At Babson Farms, *Bint Serra I produced eight *Fadl foals, the first the noted Fay-El-Dine, one of Mr. Babson's favorites."-from Arabian Horse World's May 2003 Heritage Horse, Fa-Serr

HR Hasims Legacy is a very intensely in-bred Babson horse, I almost think of HR Hasims Legacy as an outcross, especially for the very heavy Nazeer lines. We know from history that the Mansour lines cross exceptionally well with the Ibn Rabdan lines.

"Some breeders have shown an interesting example by early on sorting their program out into subgroups for later crossing with each other, while each subgroup in its own way, is something of an outcross to the other."-Joe Ferriss 

Some of the most beautiful straight Egyptian horses ever seen, resulted from crossing the straight Babson Egyptian horse back onto the newer Egyptian lines. I sincerely hope that an owner of a newer Egyptian line mare, who may be reading this blog about HR Hisams Legacy will be moved to try something a little different, for the love of a horse.

Hoofbeats On My Heart

"I don't know what it is, or rather, I don't know how to put into words that indescribable air of distinction which marks the horses and mares of Ali Pasha Sherif's, or rather I would say of Abbas Pasha breeds…So it is, however, the movement one sees other horses beside them - when moving one sees the style of the Abbas Pasha collection." Are the words that Lady Anne Blunt used to describe the horses she saw and later bought in Egypt, after founding the Crabbet Arabian Stud in the late 1800's.

After traveling the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and purchasing horses from the Anazeh, amongst other Bedouin tribes, the superiority of the Abbas Pasha/Ali Pasha Sherif bred horses was admired by the Blunts and incorporated into Crabbet Park. Their daughter, Judith Blunt (Lady Wentworth) loved to recount the merits of horses like Mesaoud, who by 1938, had over 100 champion descendants including 2 world champions, 5 long distance race winners, and winners of many races overseas. He was a celebrated Sheykh Obeyd horse!

The Arabian Horses of Egypt have a long and unprecedented history of strength, courage, and physical might. Without these horses, much of recorded history would not have been the same. In the time period before Christ, the Pharaohs and particularly during the reign of Thutmose, armies mounted on Egyptian horses, drove out invading armies like the Hyksos and the Hittites, established empires, helping Egyptian civilization to prevail into Palestine and Syria, extending as far as the Euphrates. King Solomon, enamored with the horse of Egypt, had a celebrated stud of horses, which led his chronicler, to record: "These horses also were much exercised in order to their making a fine appearance, and running swiftly, that no other could upon the comparison appear either finer or swifter, but they are at once the most beautiful of all others, and their swiftness was incomparable also."

The use of the Arabian Horse as a warhorse flourished throughout these times and far into the future, giving prowess to the Mamelukes who dominated much of the Middle East, including Egypt, from mid 800 AD to 1800 AD. Superb horseman, their skills were made even more overwhelming, a direct result of the superior athletic abilities inherent in their horses. Their ability to train horses for battle, to squeeze out of their horses the ultimate responsiveness, leaving their hands free for the use of weapons made them more formidable warriors, than they ever could be on foot. Without the intelligence, the endurance, the confidence that comes from courage, the tractability of their temperament, much of the world would not have recognized and thereby record, the superb horsemanship skills of these Mameluke warriors.

It would only be natural that the very qualities that made the Egyptian Horse a formidable warhorse, would also make him a horse well suited for sport. From the times of Mohammed Ali the Great to the present, the Egyptian Arabian Horse is favored as an endurance mount and also as a racehorse. The Sheykh Obeyd bloodlines have been especially influential within the blood of Egyptian Arabian Horses. While this article is not an exhaustive study of racing bloodlines, the athletic ability of the Sheykh Obeyd Arabian as a racehorse is significant and the records of the following horses reflect the superior athletic capabilities of these bloodlines. Aiglon, the sire of *Exochorda, raced from 1914 to 1921, a total of 41 races, winning 6 and retiring sound. Ibn Rabdan (Rabdan x Bint Gamila) in 1919 ran 16 races, wining 4 times. Nabras raced in 1924 until 1929, running in 14 races, winning 6. He sired Komeira, out of Layla, a swift running mare that raced 17 times, winning 3 of those races. *Nasr (Rabdan x Bint Yamama) ran 12 races from 1923 through 1924, winning 2 of them. His son out of Bint Obeya, Ibn Manial, raced 3 times in 1933 and won one of the races. Nazeer (Mansour x Bint Samiha) raced from 1937 to 1939, a total of 20 races, winning 3 of them. Alaa El Din (Nazeer x Kateefa) ran 6 races in the 1960-61 race season winning 1 race. Ibn Bukra (Nazeer x Bukra) ran 12 races in 1961 and won three. Talal (Nazeer x Zaafarana), racing under the name "Goni Boy" ran 44 races from 1960 through 1964 winning 6 races. However, the most famous Sheykh Obeyd racehorse of all time, Balance (Ibn Samhan x Farida), ran from 1932 until 1934, a total of 17 races and winning 14 times! In the races that he lost, he placed second twice and third. Balance also sired Amlam, out of the racing mare Komeira, who raced from 1949 until 1952, a total of 5 races, winning 3 of them, and like his father, in the races that he lost, he placed second and third.

The ability of the Sheykh Obeyd horse to gallop and endure over long distances was developed over time, proven on the battlefield and tested on the racetrack. Ultimately, these abilities would prove useful in the sport of endurance racing, where horses are challenged both physically and mentally. Sheykh Obeyd horses, when given the opportunity to participate, have successfully met the challenges. *Fadl and *Bint Bint Sabbah, both sired by Ibn Rabdan and out of Mahroussa, participated in 100 mile rides, with the mare, journalized for her achievements in May of 1937 in The Arab Horse. The following was written about her: "The third prize winner, the Arab mare, *Bint Bint Sabbah emerged a heroine. Weighing little more than 800 pounds, she carried 189 pounds, finishing the half distance in 1 hour 16 minutes in the mud, and walking the second lap so as not to finish ahead of the 3-hour minimum. Her head and tail were always up and she never took a deep breath." *Bint Bint Durra (Ibn Rabdan x Bint Durra) also competed in endurance, finishing the Vermont trail ride in perfect condition. One of the most famous endurance horses was a Doyle bred mare, the 1956 mare Bint Gulida (Ghadaf x Gulida). She went on to establish an endurance dynasty of her own, producing Cougar Rock. Another successful Doyle bred horse is Blarney (Ibn Gulida x Bint Ghadaf), the 1980 US Top Ten Purebred Endurance Arabian.

Lothar (*Fadl x Habba) and Saafaddan (Faddan x Saaba), both under the capable hands of Linda Tellington-Jones, were top endurance winners, before becoming herd sires for Walter Schimanski. Drkumo RSI (Dymoniet RSI x Kumoniet RSI) is a contemporary endurance champion, having won the 1996 AERC National Jim Jones Stallion Award, the 1997 AERC Top Ten Jim Jones Award, and the 1997 Pioneer Award Winner for heavyweight rider.

In America, we have taken the harsh conditions that have fashioned the Sheykh Obeyd Horse into an ultimate warhorse, racehorse, and endurance mount and crafted these qualities to create a show horse supreme. No show horse list would be complete without first mentioning the most famous Sheykh Obeyd Dressage horse of all time, Serr Maariner (Ibn Fa Serr x Maarena). This horse was successful at a period of time, when Dressage was not one of the largest growing disciplines in the IAHA and when Arabian Horses were exceedingly rare in the open divisions. A United States National Champion in Second, Third, Fourth Level, and the first Arabian ever to win a USDF Gold Medal (for which he won at one of the highest levels, Prix St George). He was also the USDF horse of the year, the AHSA/Insilico region 2 Horse of the year, and the Eastern States Dressage Champion for second and third level. Another successful dressage horse, Ibn Sabbah Bedu+ (Serabaar x Shar Sabbah), is a 2001 Scottsdale Prix St. Georges Reserve Champion and 1997 US National Top Ten Winner in Second and Third level. In 1998 Sabbah was the Region VII Reserve Champion at Third Level and the Purebred Working Hunter Champion in Scottsdale. Although not shown, *Rashad Ibn Nazeer was schooled in dressage by Colonel Hans Handler, a former director of the Spanish Riding School.

The show ring wins of many Sheykh Obeyd horses are numerous. In the 1950's, the beautiful show mare, El Maar (Fay el Dine x Maaroufa) dominated the show rings with her type and balance. Fabah (Fadl x *Bint Bint Sabbah) met with tremendous success in the show ring and passed on his performance abilities to his son, Hadbah, out of Fa Deene, who won many championships for his owners, Anchor Hill Farm. The Hadbah son, out of Silima, Anchor Hill Halim was a successful multi-champion stallion in Germany, and a winning endurance horse. The 60's and 70's ushered in an Egyptian explosion in the United States, as the ethereal beauty of the imported Egyptian horses captivated people. As these horses made their way into the show ring, the horses of Sheykh Obeyd bloodlines were among the stars. One of the most successful Sheykh Obeyd performance show mares was the lovely and talented *Bint Maisa El Saghira, not only a top ten halter winner in 1965 but also in the same year, scored top ten wins in English Pleasure and Park. In 1968, the talented Sirecho son, Joramir, out of Fad Roufa, won a National Top Ten in English Pleasure and Native Costume, the crowning achievements to a career that included 20 Class A championships in halter and performance. The gray Babson stallion, Roufas (Fa Serr x Aaroufa) was a 1974 Reserve National Champion English Pleasure Champion and also a top ten winner in Park and Formal Driving. As a matter of fact, Bentwood Farms took the Babson mares Maarena, Roufah, Aarouser, Ahroufa, and Bint Aaroufa and successfully campaigned these mares to championship wins. Bint Aaroufa, the most successful performance mare of the group, went Top Ten Park. *Ansata Ibn Halima, the beautiful Nazeer son out of Halima, imported by Ansata Arabian Stud, was the winner of many championships in Park and English Pleasure, in addition to his National Halter top tens. *Ansata Ibn Halima is the only Sheykh Obeyd stallion to sire both a National Champion stallion, mare and 14 other national winners. His beautiful daughter out of Sabrah, Fa Halima, inherited her father's good looks and even disposition and used these qualities to win 1980 US National Champion Mare, in addition to Reserve Champion wins in Canada and at the Salon Du Cheval in Paris.

The *Ansata Ibn Halima son out of Allah Ateyyah, Ra'adin Inshalla, was also a frequent English Pleasure champion like his father, in addition to his halter wins. *Moftakhar (Enzahi x Kateefa) a successful racehorse in Egypt, was imported to America, and was shown to multiple championships in Native Costume, English Pleasure, Western Pleasure, and Driving. Owned by Gleannloch Farms, his beauty changed the course of breeding and inspired Gleannloch to import horses, which would play a significant role in the development of Egyptian breeding, including 19 Sheykh Obeyd horses. The mare *Dawlat (Antar x Shahrzada) was one of these 19 horses and was an English Pleasure champion and the dam of the successful racehorse, Asjah Ibn Faleh. Unfortunately, her blood is no longer available in Sheykh Obeyd. *Talal, a proven racehorse in Egypt came to America and started a new career as a premier show horse, winning Scottsdale Reserve Champion Stallion and US National Top Ten Stallion.

In many backyards, in many a quiet barn, resides a horse of Sheykh Obeyd bloodlines that does not win ribbons, trophies, or National titles. Always a beautiful horse, the Sheykh Obeyd horse waits patiently for his owner, his friend, his companion. This is the horse that meets any challenges that his owner encounters on an impromptu ride through field or forest. This is the horse that can courageously take a three or four foot jump, cross through any amount of water, attend a weekly riding lesson with his owner, who only wishes to improve her seat and ride her horse better, in the quiet moments of her life. This Sheykh Obeyd horse becomes increasingly important in a world of deadlines, budget cutbacks, missed school buses, orthodontic appointments, overtime and frequent grocery trips. This is the confidante that knows well the salt in our tears and the fast beat of a heart that is hidden within a laugh. This is the consoling friend who welcomes his owner with a nicker of recognition and rests his head on the shoulder of a friend, at a time when it is needed most. This is the companion that helps us to manage our lives better in an unreasonable world. And this is the trusted friend that day in and day out, is the hero of our lives.

Whatever your discipline, whatever your choice for pleasure on the back of a horse, there is an athletic Sheykh Obeyd horse waiting for you! Whether you value speed, courage, agility, kindness, intelligence, consistency….or just a companion that you can trust and depend on, you will find these qualities wrapped in the utter and absolute beauty of a Sheykh Obeyd Horse.


** I wrote this piece for the Sheykh Obeyd Foundation International in 2001.  The essay appears at the SOFI website: www.sheykhobeyd.org
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The horse pictured is Serr Maariner (Ibn Fa Serr x Maarena) with Gail Hoff-Carmona astride.

The Straight Babson Egyptian Arabian Horse

What does the term straight Babson Egyptian mean? Have you heard someone say this before and wondered over the answer? Babson Horses are one of the longest running, closed-herd breeding groups in the entire Arabian Community. A Straight Babson Egyptian Arabian horse (SBE) would be a horse that traces, in all of its bloodlines, to a combination of the 6 horses imported from Egypt by Henry Babson in 1932 (notice that I have emphasized the words "from Egypt" which is critical in understanding Babson breeding, as Henry Babson also imported horses of Polish, Crabbet and Desert breeding, which are NOT Egyptian).
IMPORTANT: For a horse to be considered STRAIGHT BABSON EGYPTIAN, the horse must trace ONLY to the horses that Henry Babson imported in 1932, from Egypt:
MARES:
1) *Maaroufa (Ibn Rabdan x Mahroussa)-produced 15 Egyptian foals
2) *Bint Bint Sabbah (Bayyad x Bint Sabbah)-produced 13 Egyptian foals
3) *Bint Serra (Sotamm x Serra)-produced 10 Egyptian foals
4) *Bint Saada (Ibn Samhan x Saada)-produced 3 Egyptian foals
5) *Bint Bint Durra (Ibn Rabdan x Bint Durra)-produced 5 Egyptian foals
STALLION:
1) *Fadl (Ibn Rabdan x Mahroussa)-sired 34 straight Egyptian foals
There was an additional horse that was imported, *Metsur, a chestnut colt out of *Bint Serra (sired by Rustem) but he died shortly after importation and was never used at stud.
Henry Babson did try, many times, to incorporate the blood of other Arabian Horses into his breeding program. He was very open-minded, he had vision, and he recognized and appreciated Arabian Horses, from all countries, from all bloodlines. For example, from Poland, he imported 4 mares and 2 stallions:
*Azja IV (Landsnecht x Asra)
*Rybitwa (Almanzar x *Jasolka II)
*Kostrewza (Koheilan I x Dziewanna)
*Kasztelanka (Koheilan I x Bialogrodka)
*Sulejman (Fetyz x Fasila)
*Warsaw (Ofir x *Kasztelanka) imported in utero
*Kasztelanka, when bred to *Fadl, produced Fadheilan, the sire of Fadjur. And we can’t forget the Khemosabi connection in this story. Khemo's dam was Jurneeka who was by Fadjur (Fadheilan x Bint Sahara) and out of Fadneeka (Fadheilan x Raneeka). Khemosabi was almost 45% Egyptian in blood.
The mare, *Turfa, was bred by King Ibn Saoud of Arabia and was presented to King George VI of England as a coronation gift. In 1941, Henry Babson purchased her and used *Turfa at the farm, breeding her to the great Egyptian stallion, *Fadl with a lot of success. The progeny of *Fadl/*Turfa were kept within the Babson breeding program. One of the most famous (because he was the one that was used a lot) was the stallion, Ibn Fadl. The horses that were produced in the Babson/Turfa program were high percentage Egyptian but NOT straight Egyptian, since *Turfa herself was not a straight Egyptian horse. Like all the other non-Egyptian bloodlines that were introduced at the Babson Farm, the *Turfa program was dispersed, in favor of the straight Egyptian blood. In later years, Homer Watson would share his regret over the *Turfa horses. He liked the *Turfa horses and felt they were exceptional and felt that the *Turfa breeding program should have continued. From all that I have ever read and been told, this mare was an exciting horse, with one of the most exceptional trots seen in Arabian Horses in the 1940's. Since the *Turfa blood has been diluted by the Babson blood, it is hard to really see a real physical difference in the Babson *Turfas from the straight Babson Egyptians. However, sometimes, you see a Babson *Turfa horse move in this BIG trot and then you know, *TURFA!!!
Babson also imported the stallion,*Aldebar (Dwarka x Amida) who was bred by the Prince of Wales and the stallion, *Nimrod (Champurrado x Nautch Girl) an Irex grandson, bred by Musgrave Clark.
There were other Egyptian Horses, of newer bloodlines, used in the program as well. For example, Ansata Abbas Pasha (he was actually owned by the Babson Farm) and *Ibn Moniet El Nefous. I personally believe it was a major feat that Henry Babson was able to use Sirecho in his program, given the difficulties that people experienced, developing a relationship with the Otts. Sirecho was a significant horse, a son of *Nasr, who contributes another source of Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik breeding, which is already present through*Fadl and *Maaroufa. Current research suggests that the dam of Sirecho, *Exochorda, was bred by Prince Kemal el Dine. I find it especially fascinating that in one horse, we have a combination of the breeding programs of two Princes, from a time period which was like a renaissance in Egyptian Arabian Horse history. Other than the Brown Arabian Horses, I can not think of a horse who was better suited for the Babson program than Sirecho. However, like the Arabians from other bloodline programs, the progeny of these horses did not remain in the program, much to my regret, as many of these horses added a little something that could not be found in straight Babson horses. In the twilight years of the farm, newer Egyptian blood was tried again, for example, a son of *Asadd, the lion of Egypt, by the name of Sahadi Shikari (out of the mare *Kameela, who traces to the Kuhaylah Rodaniyah mare, Bint Bint Riyala through Malaka in both tail female lines) was used. But again, in order for a horse to be considered straight Babson Egyptian, the horse must trace in all lines of its pedigree to only the 6 Egyptian horses imported in 1932 and not the newer Egyptian bloodlines. The horse is straight Egyptian but not straight Babson.
All of the above horses were added to the Babson breeding program and then, were dispersed, as Henry Babson kept returning to the bloodlines of the Egyptian horses he imported in 1932. There was no incentive at the time to do this. There was no straight Egyptian breeding concept, there was no Al Khamsa, there was no Pyramid Society. What was it about the horses he imported from Egypt in 1932, that captivated him, to the exclusion of everything else from his program? It's a question that I have always wanted to ask him, if he were still alive. I believe Henry Babson was "a true pioneer", as he really was a straight Egyptian breeder, at a period of time when this philosophy did not exist.
Preferences are just that, some people are going to like the straight Babson horses for what they are (and what they are not) and some people are going to like a diluted Babson horse. For example, the stallion FABAH (*Fadl x *Bint Bint Sabbah) sired 67 horses and this sire line is so appreciated that those 67 horses produced over 700 horses. Like the diversity we find in all Arabian Horses, so too, you will find this diversity (in a more concentrated form) in the Babsons. Since the numbers are smaller for this breeding group, a problem seen in a few horses will give the illusion that the whole group is affected, when it is only a smaller percentage of the already small number of the Babson group. I can't think of a better-tempered horse. At Princeton Arabians, you could go out in the field and walk around in a group of 20 or more mares and not fear for your life (just fear being licked, smelled and sniffed to death). Babsons, on the whole have PHENOMENAL minds. They are sane horses, focused, willing, devoted horses. When you work with horses, one-on-one, this is crucially important and very much appreciated. If you ever come across a bad-tempered Babson horse, then look closely at the owner or the owner's trainer, as these horses are not naturally this way. If you have an angular looking horse, then try Babson breeding, to bring the "curves" back into your program. No doubt about it, Babson horses are three-circle horses (a term that Carl Raswan used frequently). Fadl Dan, a chestnut Babson Kuhaylan Jellabi was the epitome of this type. He had very rounded lines, muscular, wider chested, well-crested neck, larger jowls, with larger, softer eyes (as I remember him). No horse is perfect and I will agree that a thicker throatlatch is a common "flaw" in straight Babson breeding, as well as a shortened neck. Some people don't like this type of stockier, more compact horse; preferring the stretchier show ring horse. The late Mah Deluque, a Dahman Shawan stallion, was more like a willowy horse, very unlike the type of horse, most people would associate with Babson breeding. And while people complain of the smaller stature, there are Babson Horses who are tall and I remember a gelding, Mahrou, who stands close to 15.3 hands. So, not all the Babsons are small. I will agree that sometimes, the presence of a "club foot" does appear but I see these things happening in Arabian Horses of other lines too, so is it fair to restrict these "flaws" only to Babson breeding? However, let me remind everyone reading, that despite some of the "flaws" that may crop up in heavily bred Babson horses, the fact that this bloodline, over 70 some odd years is still vigorous and can still produce some outstanding horses, is nothing short of miraculous. For this very fact, we need to celebrate the Babson Horse, in spite of the "imperfections".
I am not sure where or how the athletic/unathletic comment regarding Babson Horses originated. For a teeny-tiny group of horses, the accomplishments under saddle are significant. In my late teen-early adult years, I enjoyed lessons from Hector Carmona and Gail Hoff-Carmona. I loved spending time at Princeton Arabians and Los Alamos Dressage Center and found every opportunity to do so. Thanks to Gail Hoff-Carmona, I learned about the Babson horses in ways that are not possible from a book, magazine or video. I learned about the positives and I also learned of all the shortcomings. All of these horses were used on the farm and even the broodmares were tested in basic dressage training. They were school-horses; they participated in clinics, in schooling shows, in class "A" shows, in USDF sanctioned shows. I had the opportunity to see Serr Maariner on a very regular basis. His body build, post-dressage, was dramatically different than his body build before starting dressage training. Despite the "textbook" depictions of "perfect" conformation, Serr Maariner lived a long life and was a very athletic, a very willing, and focused dressage horse. Serr Maariner was also a good sire and I believe that his son, Pri Serr Sudan, out of the mare Pri Sufa Kuhaylah (an Ansata Ibn Sudan daughter) was better than he.
Some of the most beautiful horses in the world are a combination of the Babson bloodlines, mixed with the bloodlines of the more recently imported Egyptian Arabian Horses like *Morafic or *Ansata Ibn Halima. I saw them at Bentwood Farm (who incidentally had one of the largest Babson collections, outside of the Babson farm). For example, Serr Maariner’s dam, Maarena was bred to *Ibn Moniet El Nefous three times to produce the very exquisite, grey, AK Monareena who sold in the Bluebonnet Sale for $385,000, AK El Maalouf, a gray stallion that went to Deep Meadow Farm in Virginia, and the chestnut, very Babson-like AK El Zahra Moniet, owned by Alyce Burgess of Akid Arabian Stud. Would any of these superior-crossed horses exist if someone, somewhere, did not have the foresight to preserve the straight Babson horse?
With the heavy Mansour lines of our heavily bred Nazeer horses, the rich repository of Ibn Rabdan blood that is present in Babson breeding, offers today's breeder the opportunity to employ the "magic formula" used in Van Szandtner's day. Think of the opportunities to concentrate Ibn Rabdan, when combining a heavy *Bint Bint Sabbah horse with the blood of say, Salaa El Dine (both Bukra and Farida [El Dahma] through Ansata Halim Shah and Layla through Hanan). The lines of Moniet El Nefous combine well with the lines present in *Bint Serra and *Bint Saada, since these mares all trace to the same Saklawiyah source of Ghazieh, so don't be so quick to dismiss the Babson blood, as they offer a rich, concentrated source of the same blood present in newer Egyptian breeding, albeit different branches.
For more information regarding Babson Horses, please check out the new book: THE BABSON INFLUENCE: A RETROSPECTIVE, soon to be published by The Institute for the Desert Arabian Horse (link to the site can be found to the right).
Enjoy your horses,
Ralph
The mare pictured in harness, in the opening photo is the lovely Roufah, an Ibn Fa Serr daughter out of Bah Roufa.

*Nabilahh

*Nabilahh was my favorite of the Farasha daughters, as I believe she was a very consistent producer of horses that in turn, created influential families. Gleannloch imported ten Anter daughters from Egypt. One of these ten Anter daughters was the mare, *Nabilahh. I can't think of a more powerful statement, that would underscore the importance of Anter and his daughter, *Nabilahh, than a foundation breeder like Gleannloch purchasing a large number of these horses.

Nabilahh produced 8 daughters:

• Bint Nabilahh in 1970
• Lohelia (*Morafic) in 1971
• Nagliah in 1972
• Neama in 1976
• AK Aliha (*Sakr) in 1977
• AK Bint Nabilahh (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) in 1979
• AK Rafaayah (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) in 1980
• Frabilahh (The Egyptian Prince) in 1984

It is interesting to point out the Bentwood-bred mare, AK Bint Nabilahh, who produced Classic Aisha by the Ruminaja Ali son, Alidaar (who provides an additional line to Farasha through his dam, Bint Magidaa) and SF Egyptian Dove, sired by ET Crown Prince. I have not seen this mare SF Egyptian Dove but I am curious to see how much she may resemble Maar Bilahh, as she has the line to Maar Hala through her sire, as well as a double does of *Nabilahh. SF Egyptian Dove has produced 3 mares that I know of: Ghazalat Bouznika by Imperial Imdal and two daughters by Imperial Mashhar (this stallion has Imperial Fanniya in his dam line, who was sired by *Faleh, a Farasha son and through the sire, Imperial Madheen, has an additional line to Farasha, through Galal and a line through Yosreia through Mohga): Mouniat Bouznika and Nabilah Bouznika, who should be somewhere around 10 years of age by now. The mare AK Rafaayah, was bred to the *Farazdac son, Shah el Sun to produce the mare N-Amora in 1992. This is an interesting mare to consider, as she carries Farasha on the top of her pedigree and the tail female. She in turn was bred to the predominantly Dahman stallion, Shaikh el Shamal, to produce the mare Nabilat el Sheruk, 10 years ago.

In the above paragraph, I mentioned the Alidaar-sired mare Classic Aisha and I must make mention of another Alidaar daughter out of The Egyptian Prince, Frabilahh, who produced Classic Farida. She has produced 2 sons by Ansata Hejazi and a son by the *Ibn El Mareekh son, Baahir.

The mare, Lohelia, has been prolific in her production of daughters, including the Bentwood mare, AK Ahliyeh, who produced a son by *Serag, Ahsen El Serag, owned by Al and Judi Parks of Al Abbasiyah International. While there have been horses produced with multiple lines to Farasha or Yosreia, it is interesting to find a stallion with Anter in the sire line, relatively close. AK Ahliyeh, when bred to Imperial Imdal, produced Kirmali in 1988. I saw this mare at the Newcomer's farm, Conestoga Run in Pennsylvania and was awestruck by what was for me,  a statuesque, elegant and wonderfully leggy, nice-moving mare. I was really surprised by Kirmali and her size, reminiscent of Sid Abouhom. She was shown with some success in hunter-under-saddle classes. Lohelia also produced AK Rasafah by Ansata Abbas Pasha, RXR Lia Moniet by AK El Zahra Moniet (Maarena blood here on the bottom) and Shahelia by Shaikh Al Badi.

Nagliah, bred twice to *Zaghloul, produced the stong-bodied Asmarr and Naheed, Taira by *Soufian, Buukura by Al Metrabbi, Nagiba by Ibn El Hassan and Bint Nagliah by Thee Desperado.

Neama was bred to The Minstril twice, to produce the full sisters: Najimah and Neena, as well as *Soufian, to produce the mare Qastal.

For me, the most outstanding mare of the Farasha family is Maar Bilahh, another Rancho Bulakenyo-bred horse, a daughter of El Halimaar, out of the *Nabilahh daughter by *Morafic, Bint Nabilahh. If Bint Nabilahh had only produced Maar Bilahh, she would have been forever remembered,however, she also produced two mares by Shaikh Al Badi: Ruminaja Nadia (she in turn produced Mashwara by Bay Halima and Sharifa Moniet by Moniet El Sharaf) and Ruminaja Nahjat.

 

Catalyst

Julie Koch recently posted the above ad in her popular Facebook group, Reliving Arabian Horse History. The ad was originally published in the May 1975 issue of the Arabian Horse Breed Journal. What grabbed my attention was not so much the photo of *Lewisfield Magic; he's beautiful, I agree, but it is the mention of a stallion named Moniets Echo, just under the photo of *Lewisfield Magic (I circled it in red for you) who is offered for sale. 

Who could predict that Julie's post would be the catalyst in revisiting a long ago beloved horse, whose memory still inspires my being with an amazing sense of wonder?

Moniets Echo (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous  x Sirbana)

Sired by *Ibn Moniet El Nefous, Moniets Echo was out of a combined source mare (combined source because her pedigree blends the sources of Babson breeding with *Turfa and Sirecho) whose name was Sirbana, a 1959 Sirecho daughter out of Habbana (Ibn Fadl x Bint Habba), bred by Mrs. John E. Ott. As much as I love the IMEN/Babson crosses, Sirbana is the reason why this particular horse, Moniets Echo, stood out, as her name also appears in the ad, as the dam of Moniets Echo. I know of this mare, Sirbana, as she was owned by Joe and Sharon Ferriss. You will remember that she was "the totally noble in a quiet way" mare featured in the blog about the Muluq horses Her expression in the photo that Joe shared with me, still haunts me, as it is the same "look" that I remember Princeton Maarena giving me. Gosh, how I wish to go back, if there was a way to go back in time, for only a second, to just touch Mimi.

I've never forgotten how Joe described Sirbana within a discussion about Bedouin preferences in Edouard Al-Dahdah's blog, Daughter of the Wind:  

"our first Al Khamsa mare, Sirbana, born 1959, did not have a dished face at all, yet with her large eyes, broad forehead, balanced head proportions and graceful mitbah many who saw her thought she was beautiful. "

Sirbana was a hugely prolific mare, having foaled 14 foals over her lifetime. The first 5 foals were bred by Dr. Keith Krausnick, of Shar-Char Farm, the same breeder of the mare, Sirhabba:

• 1963: Shar Negana by Negem
• 1964: Shar Dougana by Negem
• 1965: Char Bagem by Negem
• 1966: Char Faban by Fa-Turf
• 1969: Shar Ebeya by Fa-Serrab
• 1971: Farah Mirbana by Mahrouss

By 1970, Dr. Krausnick had sold the mare to someone else (Al Khamsa records the breeder of Farah Sirbana as the Krausnicks but this may be that the registration was still in the Krausnicks name at the time of the filly's birth), who were the actual breeders of her Mahrouss foal, as well as the breeders of her 1972 Char Iswid filly, Farah Sirbana (the breeder of Farah Sirbana is recorded by Al Khamsa as Bar JF Ranch). In 1973, she was shipped to Bentwood Farm, to be bred to *Ibn Moniet El Nefous, producing the English Pleasure champion, Moniets Echo in 1974. The following year, she was bred to *Lewisfield Magic, eventually producing a colt by him, retained by Conquistadores Arabians. By 1976, Joe Ferriss had already been following Sirbana closely and learned that Conquistadores Arabians in New Mexico was offering Sirbana for sale. Joe loved the mare; she would be his first Al Khamsa mare at the time. Joe had already arranged with Walter Schimanski to breed Sirbana to Lothar, which he tried soon after the purchase but unfortunately, she didn't settle.  Joe tried again in 1977 and this time, the attempt was successful, producing a colt in 1978 whom Joe named Fa Manial, an elegant stallion who was taller than both his sire and dam, at maturity. Joe eventually sold tge colt to Vernon and Alice Bean of Illinois. They kept the stallion his whole life, breeding a number of foals sired by him. In these days, there was no AI, mares were bred by live cover, which meant that the mares were shipped to where the stallion was located. Joe and Sharon Ferriss were concerned over the stress to Sirbana and  began, as an alternative, to lease stallions, specifically selected to complement Sirbana. Their strategy worked, as they bred her next 4 foals, each one a catalyst or touchstone to the beauty that Sirbana's bloodlines foretold that she could produce, when carefully bred to a stallion perfectly suited for her:

• 1980: Nasrab by DU Fadl
• 1981: Fa El Echo by Char Echo
• 1982: Fa Nasr by Char Echo
• 1985: Bint Sirbana by Char Echo

How prolific as a broodmare was Sirbana? It is interesting to note that Sirbana's bay filly by Char Echo, Bint Sirbana  was born when Sirbana was 26 years old! Joe shared that Bint Sirbana was a bay version of her dam, a beautiful mare, regal, her body shaped by long, flowing curvey lines. By the time that Bint Sirbana was born, Joe had made the conscious decision to no longer breed horses and Bint Sirbana was sold to the Poe family in North Carolina who loved and cared for the mare, all her life.

Bint Sirbana (Char Echo x Sirbana), photo by Joe Ferriss

In the Muluq blog I wrote that the Muluq horses are not only beautiful and charming; the horses possess a contemplative expression, conveying a deeper level of emotional intelligence than we ever realized. Raswan states that the Bedouin called this, Yuminuna B'il Ghayb, which translated, means "it is within them, the psychic power of an angel." It is extremely interesting that not only did her sire possess this unique expression but her dam did as well and in this Joe Ferriss photo, we see that the daughter had a very similar expression as well. Visually, this makes Raswan's words, written way back in the forties,come alive all over again. In these days that are fueled by anger, intolerance and lack of respect, these horses are like a salve to heal these emotional wounds and remind us of the responsibility we all have to treat each other with dignity and kindness.

Bel Gordas

Bel Gordas (Sirecho x Habba)

Bel Gordas was a 1956 grey stallion, bred by Mrs. John Ekern Ott, who had purchased his dam, Habba (*Fadl x *Bint Bint Sabbah), from the Babson Farm in 1954. Bel Gordas' sire, Sirecho, foaled in 1939, was also purchased by Mrs. Ott, from Clifford Lodwick, in the same time period of the Babson Farm purchase. Bel Gordas was the first foal that Sirecho sired for Mrs. Ott and eventually, he became a herd sire for her program. The interesting thing about Habba is that a maternal line, in straight Babson Egyptian form, no longer exists. Horses like Bel Gordas and his descendants, remain the ways in which we can incorporate the influence of Habba within a breeding program. 

In the Spanish language, the name, "Bel Gordas" translates to "beautiful fat ladies" however "beautiful" in this sense, does not refer to an outwardly physical beauty but rather, an in-born beauty, like a spiritual beauty. For most people who have been involved with Asil or Egyptian horses, they are familiar with Mrs. Ott and her daughter, as both ladies are largely responsible for developing awareness and appreciation in America for the preservation of the Bedouin-bred Arabian horse, as catalogued within their famous publication, The Blue Arabian Catalog. The Otts were passionate about the horses and their communication style, reflected the passion they felt. I have always wondered if the name of Bel Gordas was like an "inside joke" for Mrs. Ott and her daughter. Needless to say, whenever I see Bel Gordas' name, I always chuckle, thanks to the Otts. 

One of the stories that I heard about Bel Gordas involved Richard Pritzlaff, who owned the mare, Rabanna (Rasik x Banna). Richard loved the mare and because of her dam, Banna, Richard was also enamored of the stallion, *Nasr (Rabdan el Azrak x Bint Yamama). He desired to incorporate more *Nasr blood within his program, so he contacted the Otts, in the hope that he could lease Sirecho for breeding. However, Sirecho was an aged stallion by that time and it wasn't in the horse's best interest to ship him all the way to New Mexico. So, instead of sending Sirecho to Richard, Mrs. Ott sent Bel Gordas to Jackson Hensley instead. Bred to *Bint el Bataa, Bel Gordas sired the mare, Naszala for Richard but he also sired RA Leila, out of the *Bint Moniet el Nefous daughter, RSI Rara Del Sol, for Jackson, among other horses.

Bel Gordas sired a little less than 20 horses and of those horses, 3 were out of the Sirecho daughter, Faarecho (out of Faara by Faddan x Fa Aana), 3 were out of Jasmyn (Fa-Rousse x Dahlya), who incidentally, was a granddaughter of Dahma Al-Zarka, who also was bred to Bel Gordas in 1965, producing the daughter, Belle Dahma, who was later exported to Germany. Bel Gordas was also bred to the mare Zahlya twice. Zahlya was by Zarlan and out of Dahlya, the dam of Jasmyn! The Sirecho daughter, Sirulla (out of Drissula) was also bred to Bel Gordas, as was her daughter, Zarrulla.  For a smaller number of get sired, the Bel Gordas family has prospered over the years and Bel Gordas has 963 descendants through the present day, with approximately a third of those descendants born in the years 1990 through 1999. 

I was born in the sixties, so Bel Gordas, as a living individual in the physical world, was a bit before my time. It would be through his daughter, Belle Echo (out of Faarecho, also by Sirecho) and her daughters: Masada Bellesabah (Lothar), Masada Saabellah (Saafaddan) and Masada Bellisima (Fabo) that I learned of Bel Gordas. These were very pretty and really sweet mares, who produced equally sweet horses. Sirecho, a curiously intelligent horse, was remarked to have a wonderful, easy going personality that he passed onto his sons and daughters as well as a voluptuous phenotype, like an "old world" type, their bodies comprised of flowing, circular lines, just as if they had stepped out of a museum painting. Many, many years later, to illustrate how small the world can be, I would have the opportunity to own Princeton Maarena, a great-granddaughter of Sirhabba, who just happens to be a full sister to Bel Gordas! It would be this experience which has left me a forever fan of this particular bloodline.

***I published this blog earlier this year, on March 13th. Bel Gordas is one of my favorite horses, one of my favorite lines in straight Egyptian breeding. If you missed his story the first time, here's another opportunity to read his blog.***

Fabah

The Babson stallion, Fabah, was an influential individual, not only within the straight Babson Egyptian group but also, in straight Egyptian breeding. Think of horses like Mahrouf, The Shah, Fabo, Hadbah, Ahmed Fabah and Fadl Dan, all of whom claim Fabah as a sire. While it is difficult, if not impossible to find a Babson horse without Fabah present in the pedigree; on a greater note, the combination of *Fadl and *Bint Bint Sabbah is also prevalent in the Babson breeding group because these two prolific horses, together, produced nine other foals in addition to Fabah: Fadahma, Fa Saana, Khebir, Habba, Fad Sabbah, Fa Habba, Fa Saab, Faaba and Fa Abba. I have heard the term "Fabah-free" used previously, which is a term that confuses me. For example, the 1974 Saafaddan daughter, Masada El Aba, out of Daal Aba, may have been the last Babson horse without Fabah in her pedigree and yet, she carries lines to Fabah's full sisters: Fa-Habba and Faaba. So what does "Fabah-free" really mean, being that the combination of *Fadl and *Bint Bint Sabbah may exist elsewhere in the pedigree? The Babson Farm used Fabah on the Fa-Serr daughters and Ibn Fa-Serr on the Fabah daughters. For example, Fabah sired Sabrah (out of Serrasab), the dam of the US National Champion Mare Fa Halima and Ansata Sabiha, as well as the son, Sar Fadl Halim. Another Fabah daughter was the mare Aroufina (out of Roufina) in 1969. When Aroufina was bred to the *Ibn Moniet El Nefous son, Fa Noufas (out of the Fabah daughter, Shebaah), she produced Noufina. In turn, Noufina was eventually bred to the Sabeel son, *Lancers Sahm, to produce the mare PH Safina. PH Safina was bred to *Orashan, to produce the mare, BB Ora Kalilah, one of my favorite Imperial mares and the dam of Imperial Baarez (by PVA Karim). Fabah's daughter, Maarqada, produced the full sisters by Ansata Ibn Sudan: Ansata Jasmin and Ansata Jellabia, who in turn produced the stallion, El Hadiyyah. Maarena, bred to Ibn Fa-Serr, produced the dressage stallion Serr Maariner. Much can be written about Fabah, for he was truly an amazing sire of significance.

BUTTERFLY

"Across my dreams with nets of wonder,
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love."-Bob Lind, from his song, Elusive Butterfly

There is a superstition about butterflies, which the Japanese believe are the physical representations of a human being's soul, whether dead or living. If a butterfly were to enter your room and light upon a bamboo screen, the person whom you most love, was about to visit you.

Do you love Farasha?

Maybe when I tell you a little more about her, you will. You see, Farasha, a 1951 EAO mare, is also a butterfly. That's what her name means in Arabic.

BUTTERFLY

Farasha is by the El Deree son, Sid Abouhom and out of the Sheikh El Arab daughter, Yosreia. Sid Abouhom's dam is the beautiful mare, Layla, an Ibn Rabdan daughter. The cross of El Deree and Layla resulted in a larger-sized horse, who was very powerfully built. Longer neck, longer back, his immense front end, with his powerful shoulders and the most prominent withers that I have ever seen on an Arabian Horse.

To me, Sid Abouhom's type reminds me of a Thoroughbred racehorse, possessing the body structure that made him successful on the racetrack. He was built for running. While Dr. Ameen Zaher was not fond of this horse and of his subsequent use in the breeding program; General von Pettko-Szandtner felt that Sid Abouhom would correct the overall conformational flaws that he observed in the EAO breeding program. General von Szandtner wanted to breed a more functional horse, closer to the cavalry horses that he managed at Babolna in Hungary. While I can understand Dr. Zaher's feelings, Sid Abouhom was not a pretty horse, as compared to other individuals of his time period;  we would not be talking about beautiful Farasha without him. Farasha's dam, Yosreia, is sired by Sheikh El Arab, a Mansour son, out of Hind, an Ibn Rabdan daughter. In Dr. Nagel's book, Hanan: The Story of an Arabian Mare and of the Arabian Breed, Dr. Nagel shared the following about Sheikh el Arab,  

"...a half brother to Nazeer, produced several excellent mares for El Zahraa. He was a member of the Bukra family and again a sire for type par excellence."

So, we have the union of bloodlines which resulted in some of the finest and most enduring horses ever produced in Egypt: Mansour on Ibn Rabdan. Normally, we see this cross via the Mansour son Nazeer; it is interesting to see this breeding coming through a different horse. Unfortunately, this breeding was only tried once, as Hind was bred to Balance and Awad, for most of her breeding life.

Farasha produced 2 stallions by Alaa El Din: *Farazdac in 1962 and *Faleh in 1964. With Nazeer, she produced a daughter Fardous in 1956, Rabia in 1958 and the son, Galal in 1959. In 1960, the stallion Anter sired her daughter, Nabilahh.

Galal was an extraordinary horse with much influence, however, I would have to say that my favorite Farasha son is *Farazdac, because physically, he was one, if not the most beautiful stallion to ever come out of Egypt. EVER. He was so striking, so different, from the horses of his day. It was as if he stepped out of a painting, as no horse alive could possess such extreme features. He was magnetic. I was a child in the time period that belonged to *Farazdac and watched this horse from a distance, through the pages of Arabian Horse World. He captured my imagination with his beauty. Every photo captured his dramatic look. Lorriee Golanty is a long-time horsewoman and Arabian Horse breeder. She remembered the effect*Farazdac made upon her,

"I saw this horse at Lowes, when he was turned out in an arena and he literally took my breath away. This, after I had seen all *A. Ibn Halima (and sons), *Morafic, *Ibn Moniet el Nefous, and others, and he was so beautiful that he stayed as an image burned in my memory. I cannot say that the others left me with such a memory."

Two of his get are horses that I have long-admired, the Rancho Bulakenyo-bred and now, Shaarawi Arabians-owned mare, Mumtaz Ree, and the stallion, Emir Ibn Farazdac, previously owned by the late Claire Estelle Phifer and now owned by Samantha Wilburn of Blue Pyramid Egyptians in Herriman, Utah. Both horses share common ground in their Babson blood (*Maaroufa tail female) in the dam side of their pedigree. Samantha shared the following about her beloved horse,

"What can't be captured in pictures is the incredible intelligence and 'soul' that is a joy and a privilege to share. Himself is all stallion but doesn't pull on the lead rope even when walking up to the mares. He is always careful of his old handler (me) and takes care not to bump me. He once came running across his pasture to get between me and a construction worker but never threatened, just wouldn't move until the worker walked away, then he went about his grazing. He is a great companion."

*Farazdac sired a record number of horses, approximately 460+ horses, from 1974 to 1991. Unfortunately, a small number of horses were straight Egyptian. Dr. Nagel in the Hanan book, said that Alaa El Din was a good sire of broodmares but not of stallions. He believed that Alaa El Din never produced a son who was an equal to his influence or who emerged as an important sire in the EAO breeding program.  What about *Farazdac? He sired a son named Ikhnatoon in 1974, who remains his most influential son, impacting the EAO program considerably, which has in turn, influenced the breeding programs of private breeders in and out of Egypt. However, mention must be made of some of the daughters. Fasarra, foaled in 1980 out of the *Tuhotmos daughter, Massara, when bred to El Halimaar, produced the popular stallion, Richter MH. Bint Farazdac, when bred to The Egyptian Prince son (out of RDM Maar Halima) produced SH Say Anna. This mare produced two Ansata mares: Aniq (sired by Ansata Manasseh) and Anna Maria (sired by Ansata Hejazi). I was recently on the Dynasty Egyptian Arabian Farm web site, owned by Donna Aldrich and was delighted (actually, I fell out of my chair) when I saw a *Farazdac daughter out of the Pritzlaff mare, Desert Song RSI: RG Desert Storm. What a fabulous mare, she is really gorgeous.

One of the qualities that breeders did not appreciate in *Farazdac's phenotype was his narrowness or rather, a perceived lack of substance. Most breeders wanted a little more substance. Although*Farazdac was built like a racehorse, he had a long distance runner's conformation. He was elegant, in the same way that you would find an athlete elegant. There was a cat-like grace in every one of *Farazdac's strides. In silhouette, *Farazdac had a radiator-type shape, long and lean, the kind of body that may have suggested endurance potential. I am sure that his pulse and recovery rates, had he been tested in this discipline, would have been amazing. Hansi Heck-Melnyk, a long-time breeder of straight Egyptian Arabians, saw *Farazdac in Cairo after the horse had finished running in a race.

"Farazdac was a fabulous horse, wanted to buy him, was then not for sale. A super flat racer too and an excellent producer. I wish you had seen Farazdac as I did in Cairo. He just came back from his "winning" race, absolutely breathtaking gorgeous. Prancing, like if he had just walked around the block. He had a beautiful long and well befitting to his body neck, elegant, and clean. There was also something very regal about him."

While Dr. Ameen Zaher was hesitant in using an off-type horse like Sid Abouhom, I wonder if an extraordinarily typey horse like *Farazdac would have changed his mind? *Farazdac, in my eyes was a super refined version of Sid Abouhom. I wonder, as time passes, if *Farazdac will become more like his sire with a growing influence through his granddaughters and great granddaughters?

*Nabilahh was my favorite of the Farasha daughters, as I believe she was a very consistent producer of horses that in turn, created influential families. Gleannloch imported ten Anter daughters from Egypt. One of these ten Anter daughters was the mare, *Nabilahh. I can't think of a more powerful statement, that would underscore the importance of Anter and his daughter, *Nabilahh, than a foundation breeder like Gleannloch purchasing a large number of these horses. So, how is Farasha available to breeders today, through this daughter *Nabilahh? Nabilahh produced 8 daughters:

Bint Nabilahh in 1970
Lohelia (*Morafic) in 1971
Nagliah in 1972
Neama in 1976
AK Aliha (*Sakr) in 1977
AK Bint Nabilahh (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) in 1979
AK Rafaayah (*Ibn Moniet El Nefous) in 1980
Frabilahh (The Egyptian Prince) in 1984

It is interesting to point out the Bentwood-bred mare, AK Bint Nabilahh, who produced Classic Aisha by the Ruminaja Ali son, Alidaar (who provides an additional line to Farasha through his dam, Bint Magidaa) and SF Egyptian Dove, sired by ET Crown Prince. I never have seen this mare SF Egyptian Dove but I am curious to see how much she may resemble Maar Bilahh, as she has the line to Maar Hala through her sire, as well as a double does of *Nabilahh. SF Egyptian Dove has produced 3 mares that I know of: Ghazalat Bouznika by Imperial Imdal and two daughters by Imperial Mashhar (this stallion has Imperial Fanniya in his dam line, who was sired by *Faleh, a Farasha son and through the sire, Imperial Madheen, has an additional line to Farasha, through Galal and a line through Yosreia through Mohga): Mouniat Bouznika and Nabilah Bouznika, who should be somewhere around 10 years of age by now. The mare AK Rafaayah, was bred to the *Farazdac son, Shah el Sun to produce the mare N-Amora in 1992. This is an interesting mare to consider, as she carries Farasha on the top of her pedigree and the tail female. She in turn was bred to the predominantly Dahman stallion, Shaikh el Shamal, to produce the mare Nabilat el Sheruk, 10 years ago.

In the above paragraph, I mentioned the Alidaar-sired mare Classic Aisha and I must make mention of another Alidaar daughter out of The Egyptian Prince, Frabilahh, who produced Classic Farida. She has produced 2 sons by Ansata Hejazi and a son by the *Ibn El Mareekh son, Baahir.

The mare, Lohelia, has been prolific in her production of daughters, including the Bentwood mare, AK Ahliyeh, who produced a son by *Serag, Ahsen El Serag, owned by Al and Judi Parks of Al Abbasiyah International in Fredericksburg Texas. While there have been horses produced with multiple lines to Farasha or Yosreia, it is interesting to find a stallion with Anter in the sire line, relatively close. AK Ahliyeh, when bred to Imperial Imdal, produced Kirmali in 1988. I saw this mare at the Newcomer's farm, Conestoga Run in Pennsylvania and was awestruck by a statuesque, elegant and wonderfully leggy, nice-moving mare.  I was really surprised by Kirmali and her size, reminiscent of all of the strong points that I mentioned in Sid Abouhom. She was shown with some success in hunter-under-saddle classes. Lohelia also produced AK Rasafah by Ansata Abbas Pasha, RXR Lia Moniet by AK El Zahra Moniet (Maarena blood here on the bottom) and Shahelia by Shaikh Al Badi.

Nagliah, bred twice to *Zaghloul, produced Asmarr and Naheed, Taira by *Soufian, Buukura by Al Metrabbi, Nagiba by Ibn El Hassan and Bint Nagliah by Thee Desperado.

Neama was bred to The Minstril twice, to produce the full sisters: Najimah and Neena, as well as *Soufian, to produce the mare Qastal.

The most outstanding mare of the Farasha family is Maar Bilahh, another Rancho Bulakenyo-bred horse, a daughter of El Halimaar, out of the *Nabilahh daughter by *Morafic, Bint Nabilahh. If Bint Nabilahh had only produced Maar Bilahh, she would have been forever remembered. In addition to "my sweet heart", she also produced two mares by Shaikh Al Badi: Ruminaja Nadia (she in turn produced Mashwara by Bay Halima and Sharifa Moniet by Moniet El Sharaf) and Ruminaja Nahjat.

There are few horses who have the ability to produce equally outstanding daughters and sons. *Nabilahh was such a mare and having produced a collection of amazing daughters, she also produced *Khofo by *Morafic, who would also become influential, like his sisters, mainly through his 1970 daughter *Bint Magidaa, who in turn, produced Ruminaja Ali, by Shaikh Al Badi. The stallion, *Khofo++ was a legion of merit winner, an athletic horse, possessing the versatility that allowed him to be successful in many events, both under saddle and in harness. He was owned from the time of his importation, until his death by Hansi Heck-Melnyk, of Serenity Farms in Citra, Florida, who has bred Egyptian Arabian Horses for approximately 50 years.

"He was imported at the side of his dam and with his sire when barely four weeks old by Doug Marshall. A faultless front end, a beautiful set on neck with that tremendous windpipe and very clean throatlatch, a 74 inch heart girth and well pronounced withers. He stood about 15.2 HH. He had beautiful large eyes, soft and gentle but the fire burning within. He was easy to handle, never hurt anything and a dream to ride."

 Had *Khofo++ only sired Bint Magidaa (she went on to produce a dynasty of stallions who have had a tremendous impact on the breed, both Egyptian and non-Egyptian) he would have been assured a place in history, forever. However, *Khofo++ sired almost 50 other straight Egyptian horses who have gone on to spread his influence, all over the world. With *Serenity Sonbolah, *Khofo++  sired the mare SF Bint Sonbohla (who produced the mares IES Sondusah by Hossny, MCF Nicole and Sonbolah's Song by Ruminaja Bahjat, Serenity Salilah by Serenity Osiris, Sohnbadi by Shaikh Al Badi and Sonbohlah's Dream by Moniet El Nafis) and with *Serenity Sonbolah's daughter by *SF Ibn Nazeer, SF Sonbolah Tu, *Khofo++  sired the mare Serenity Sonbolaa. With *Serenity Sabra (and this is where I get really excited) he sired the mare Serenity Bint Sabra, making it possible for ONE HORSE to carry 2 powerful branches of the Yosreia family in the tail female of the sire (Shahrzada) and dam (Farasha).

"I believe the light that shines on you, Will shine on you forever"-from the song, Father & Daughter by Paul Simon

In ancient cultures, butterflies symbolized rebirth, a new life, like a caterpillar who metamorphoses into a beautiful butterfly, after being inside a cocoon for a long period of time. The principal reasons for why this blog exists, are to raise awareness for special horses, key bloodlines that are on the verge of disappearing, influential mare lines and stallions who have over time demonstrated excellence in siring powerful broodmares. Our butterfly, Farasha, remains an extremely important mare in straight Egyptian breeding and with every new foal that is born of her family, her rebirth is made complete, with her family also remaining as a vital connection to our EAO foundation.

EnJoy,
Ralph