Bint Fereyha and an Ibn Nura filly
This photo was identified as BINT FEREYHA with an IBN NURA filly. I was hoping that a quick check of the pedigrees would identify her, but such is not the case – the book was published in 1898, and both Ibn Nura fillies out of Bint Fereyha that are listed on Allbreed (I know, not the best of sources) were born within this timeline: the 1893 bay filly FULANA and the 1898 grey filly WUJRA. My guess based on that was that this is Fulana, just because Wujra was born the same year this book was published, but that’s not definitive proof. The only photo I have been able to find of Fulana unfortunately does not show her face very well, so I’m uncertain of the facial markings.
That said, Edouard also shared this with me, from the Sheyk Obeyd Studbook:
1897 – WUBBR, chestnut colt that (I believe) eventually went grey, by Ibn Sherara — which brings us to a third possibility.
Does anyone else recognize this photo, or the little foal (perhaps as a grown horse?)
I think the foal is Wujra.
1. If the foal is Fulana, then the photo had to have been taken at Ali Pasha Sherif’s stables, because Fulana was born in 1893 and the Blunts did not acquire Bint Fereyha until late in 1896. If the foal is Wujra, then the photo had to have been taken at the Blunts’ Sheykh Obeyd Garden, and this looks like a Sheykh Obeyd background. Plus we know that someone supplied the author with other photos taken at Sheykh Obeyd (the photos of Ibn Nura; Ibn Nura was at Sheykh Obeyd from 1897 until he died in 1903).
Also, we have Lady Anne Blunt’s description of Fulana’s markings, as published by Peter Upton: “Dark brown with off-hind foot white and on near fore a small ring of white.” This is in accord with Michael Bowling’s transcript from the Crabbet records: “Dark brown with off hind foot white & on near fore foot small ring of white.” Apparently Fulana had no star or other marking on her face.
I am always saddened when I read Lady Anne’s record of Wujra: “Wujra died Feb. 7/8th 1904. A great loss. She is the youngest daughter of Ibn Nura, she was also perfect to ride… And her temper was of the best.”
That strain was so unlucky at Crabbet and SO in general. Many mares bought, and nothing left a couple generations later…
Also, if the book identifies the foal as an Ibn Nura filly, I am not sure why you think it is possibly an Ibn Sherara colt instead.
RJ – I chose to broaden the criteria a bit because other photos from the book had errors in their labeling, leading me to question whether or not the foal was, in fact, an Ibn Nura filly. I do believe that the photo was supplied by Lady Anne herself for the 1898 reprint of “My Horse, My Love,” but I’d be more likely to credit those handling the reprint with the factual errors than Lady Anny herself. Thank you for digging up those descriptions, however! That does rule out Fulana, then.
For anyone wanting to look at the reprint version of book in question, it is open domain here.
And they seemed to be such beautiful animals, too, referring to Edouard and RJ.
You mean RJ and I are such beautiful animals? ;)))
Well, she wouldn’t be wrong! 😛
LOL! Just because English is my first language, and I snarled it up like that!
Of course, you are such beautiful animals. As are the horses of the Bint Fereyha line.
Two other points about the book where this photo appeared. First, the handler of the mare above appears to be the same handler holding Ibn Nura in another photo printed in the book, and I don’t think there is any question about the Ibn Nura photo having been taken at Sheykh Obeyd Garden. Second, another photo in the book is captioned as showing mares and foals at the Crabbet Stud in 1898. So it’s not really a stretch to have a February 1898 filly from Sheykh Obeyd pictured.