Anthesis, 1982 Hamdani Simri mare
Of all the old mares I saw, my personal favorite was Kirby Drennan’s 1982 Hamdani Simri mare Anthesis CF (Plantagenet x Meringue by Sir Marchen), who, at 29 years old, looked like an Arabian gazelle.
A blog on desert arabian horses, past, present and future
Of all the old mares I saw, my personal favorite was Kirby Drennan’s 1982 Hamdani Simri mare Anthesis CF (Plantagenet x Meringue by Sir Marchen), who, at 29 years old, looked like an Arabian gazelle.
What lovely ‘look’ this mare has, I often notice older Arab mares seem to emanate a feeling of serene wisdom, as this mare seems to (as much as one can tell from a photo).
She is the spit of the sweet Crabbet/Davenport mare that a bred from 2 years ago. Maybe that’s why I think she looks so kind, but she DOES look kind!!!
Oh, my how time flies. That is “Annie”, who was purchased as a filly by my friend Steve Barr who lived nearby me. I watched her grow up and helped Steve with her often. Steve later rescued the old stallion Adrian (Prince Hal x Adriana) which we brought home from Missouri. Unfortunately Steve got out of horses some time after Adrian died and “Annie” went back to Illinois but it is such a treat to see her looking so great after all of these years. She was a lovely filly and she had a particular style about her which was reminiscent of Moniet El Nefous type horses. She was very noble and very fine and very much like a spirited desert mare. These are things that one must experience in person because they are not often revealed in just photos. You can see her weanling photo taken in winter of 1982 featured in Steve Barr’s ad in the 1983 Al Khamsa Arabians book, page A-139. Thanks Edouard for sharing the photo of her. She has fond memories for me.
You’re right Joe, photos, of course, are a very poor and limited representation and I don’t know this mare. Her face and expression are just very reminiscent of the mare I referred to and of that gentle expression of many old Arab mares.
From what I understood, this mare narrowly escaped the sad fate of ending in a dog food can, before being rescued and going on to produce some of the nicest offspring for Craver Farms and Kirby Drennan.
This photo in her full winter coat doesn’t begin to show the fineness of her head and skin, either. I have a mental snapshot of her in a stall, somewhat upset by a group of strangers, and looking like lightning wrapped in a chestnut skin that could barely contain it.
hmmm makes me realise my age – she was one of the young girls when I visited the Cravers as a kid! she is such a sweety though