Al Khamsa President Pam Studebaker, her daughter Jill Erisman, and a few other dedicated breeders have began an effort to identify, locate, and preserve the remaining horses of Richard Pritzlaff’s breeding in the USA, which includes the bloodlines from Rabanna (Rasik x Banna by Nasr), pictured below. I wish them good luck. RJ Cadranell wrote about Pritzlaff’s life and breeding program, in an article which you can read here.
Reader Regina from Germany sent me this picture of her 2001 mare AAS Ghazala (Ibn Taamrud x DB Jasidah by Desert Jalam). Regina’s mare is special for many reasons: first, she is one of the very few asil Arabian horses — less than 10, I think — of the Dahman Shahwan line to *Sawannah, a mare imported from Bahrain to the USA in 1954. Second, all her ancestors came from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain straight to the USA, as part of the last major batch of desert imports to the country. Third, she is only four generations away from her closest desert ancestor. Sometimes, I just can’t believe mares like AAS Ghazala still exist today. I am so glad they do, thanks to people like Regina who try to preserve these bloodlines. Ghazala’s beautiful and proud little colt is sired by AAS Theeb (AAS Al-Sakb x Bint Amiraa by Taamrud), a Hamdani Simri tracing to the marbat of the Saudi royal family. The colt was born on April 13th 2010, and is the latest addition to this small but precious family.