Month: May 2020

A younger me with Mustafa Jabri on the left and Radwan Shabareq on the right. The good years. Some 25 years ago if not more.

Dali was the brother of Radi al-Hkaysh and the paternal cousin of ‘Atallah al-Battu, who owned the Hamdani Simri stallion al-Aawar, and before him a Dahman ‘Amir of the horses of ‘Ajil al-Yawar. This Dahman ‘Amir had been given to him by his maternal uncles so he could earn a livelihood from charging stud fees. … Read more

Faddan Salim al-‘Ufaytan and his son, from the Hdibah clan of the Northern Shammar. The ‘Ufaytan have owned the Ma’naqi Hudruji strain among the Shammar for some hundred years. They got the strain from the ‘Anazah. The strain originally belonged of the ‘Amarat tribe of the ‘Anazah. I think, but I am not sure, that … Read more

Rosemary pointed my attention to the black eyeliner mark around his eyes. It is a relatively rare feature in chestnut Arabian horses, and a mark of authenticity. I think DeWayne took the first two pictures. This Ma’anaqi Sbayli strain really produces quality, and the hybrid vigor from the concentrated Doyle blood helped.

i am enjoying the book “Review of the ‘Anizah Tribe”: “An avenger should not kill the aggressor while asleep and he usually wakes him up to remind him of his evil deed before dispatching him. He then slits the corners of his mouth up to the ears, cuts off his ears and put them in … Read more

I just received two books in the mail. I am super excited about them. The first one is a previously unpublished “Review of the ‘Anizah Tribe” by Gerald de Gaury, the British explorer of Arabia (photo below). Bruce Ingham, who wrote the very informative “Bedouin of Northern Arabia” about the Dhafeer tribe, discovered this manuscript … Read more

The other day Hazaim told me very casually, almost in passing, that the Shaykh of the Sba’ah (‘Anazah) tribe Ma’jun Ibn Hudaib was his uncle’s best friend, and that Hazaim knew him personally. He even sent me his picture. He also told me that the Shaykh of the Gmassah (‘Anazah) tribe, Rakan Ibn Mirshid, lived … Read more

Al-Khaldi’s line is the most popular line of race horses in Syria today. It is now hard to find a Syrian Arabian without a line to him. Hazaim took the these two photos in 2005 in Garhok, in the extreme North East of Syria. Yours truly is holding him, in bad need of a haircut. … Read more

Yesterday I learned that Wisteria had died in January 2020, at 25 years of age. She was the reason for my love for Arabians of Davenport bloodlines. She was also the first horse I owned in the US, fourteen years ago. She had “wondeful eyes, very great style and beauty“, like Jauza in the words … Read more

Arched neck. Fine throat-latch (mithbah). Broad jibbah. Low placed, large eye. Long fine muzzle. Deep jowls. What’s not to like? Meanwhile, some people with common sense are ringing the alarm bell. No black background here. I am not picking on a particular horse, but showing a global trend. The photos are meant for illustration purposes.

Arched neck. Fine throat-latch (mithbah). Broad jibbah. Low placed, large eye. Long fine muzzle. Deep jowls. And, soo cute! Bright golden chestnut color. What’s not to like? Who cares about legs anyway?

The filly is a Kuhaylah Hayfiyah daughter of Provance CF, the little girl is Kuhaylat al-Wair daughter of Hazaim. Both originally from Syria.

Thanks to Kate, I was able to purchase the unpublished PhD. thesis of John F. Williamson, “A political history of the Shammar Jarba tribe of al-Jazirah: 1800-1958“, Indiana University, Ph.D., 1975. Here is a quote from the thesis about the rebellion of Shammar leader ‘Abdul Karim al-Jarba against the Ottomans: ‘Abd al-Karim revolted in early … Read more