Salil Ibn Iliad, Kuhaylan al-‘Ajuz stallion in South Carolina

This masculine 1991 bay stallion is a son of the timeless LD Rubic (Plantagenet x Tarrla by Tarff), a favorite of mine. His great-great-grand-dam is the desert-bred mare *Nufoud, a Kuhaylat al-‘Ajuz (no marbat recorded) bred by the Saud Royal Studs in Arabia and imported in 1931 to the USA by Albert W. Harris.  Salil is only four generations removed from the bygone era when horses were still used a war machines in the Arabian desert, and that’s as close as one can get to a time capsule today. While I have seen better photos of him, this one shows his excellent shoulder, short back, and well set next. This is how horses looked like in the Arabian desert. They did not look like these oiled, shampooed, made up china dolll mutant creatures that are hitting the world’s show circuits.   Salil is owned by Lesley Detweiler of Mountain Spring Farm in Pennsylvania, and is now standing at stud at Pam Baker in South Carolina.

Digital photo collection of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II at the US Library of Congress

Jenny Krieg just send me the link to this amazing photo collection. Here is the intro text, from the website of the US library of Congress: “This monumental collection portrays the Ottoman Empire during the reign of one of its last sultans, Abdul-Hamid II. The 1,819 photographs in 51 large-format albums date from about 1880 to 1893. They highlight the modernization of numerous aspects of the Ottoman Empire, featuring images of educational facilities and students; well-equipped army and navy personnel and facilities; technologically advanced lifesaving and fire fighting brigades; factories; mines; harbors; hospitals; and government buildings. Most of the places depicted are within the boundaries of modern-day Turkey, but buildings and sites in Iraq, Lebanon, Greece and other countries are also included.” When you check the link out, try the keyword “horses” in the search box and see what that yields.. Below is one of the photos from this search: