Black Ma’naqi Sbayli mare
I so like this photo of the 1985 black Ma’naqi Sbayli mare Suuds Juli Aana (PRI Saqlawi Suud x Julyana ZHS). The muzzle, the jaws, the look in the eye (reminiscent of a mare from Cal Raswan’s pictures of desert horses, don’t remember which one), and again, that overall air of a wild animal. In the second photo, the same mare looks like a tank. A desert background would be mor fitting for these photos.
Thornton Chard, in the May-June 1942 issue of the magazine “The Horse”, reproduces the letter from Reverend F.F. Vidal’s to Randolph Huntington quoting Major Roger Upton’s Note about the strain of Haidee:
“Mrs. Upton cannot remember the date of the arrival — but she thinks it must have been in March or April 1875 or 1876. the latter date would tally with ‘Naomi’s’ age and with what Mr. Sandeman told me.”
“In a note he, Upton, says: [BEGINNING OF UPTON NOTE] ‘I have tried to get a Managhi Hedrudj of the family of Ibn Sbeyel of the Gomussa tribe of Sebaa Anezeh which I hold to be the best breed in the Desert. I have succeeded and one of them is now in my stable. I had enquired at the same time about the mares; and two have come of the same family. The four are as follows: No. 1. Chestnut stallion, 4 yrs. old. 14.2. His dam a Keheilet Jeabeh taken from the Heissa Anezeh, and his sire the famous Keheilan Hellawi of the Shammar tribe. No. 2. Pearl Grey stallion with black mane and black tail, tipped with white, 4 years old 14.2 His dam “Managhi Hedrudj” of Ibn Sbeyel family of Gomussa Anezeh, and his sire of the same breed, now in the stud of the King of Italy. No. 3. Bay mare 5 years old 14.1 1/2. Same breed as No. 2, but dam and sire not the same. No. 4. Chestnut mare 4 years old 14.3. Same breed as No. 2 and 3, but dam and sire not the same. Noted for speed and bottom’.”
” ‘The Keheilan Hellawi, sire of the chestnut colt, is preferred to any Seglawi Jedraan stallion for covering mares, on account of the constant success of his progeny — colts got by him are always sought after. All horses bear the name of the breed of the dams and this Keheilan jeeban is therefore considered first class, as that is on of the best varieties of the Keheilan Adjooz breed. The Hellawi strain is also a branch of the Keheilan Adjooz — but not in general so much thought of as the sire of this chestnut colt is in particular. The Managhi Hedruj is highly esteemed as a breed — and those of the family of Ibn Sbeyel of the Gomussa tribe are known as the best strain of that blood though not always so handsome as some other breeds.’
” ‘The name means “long necked.” Jeeban is the :proved” and Hellawi “the sweet”.'[END OF UPTON NOTE]
“I also send you a facsimile of a translation made by Upton of the delivery note and description of my old mare Zulieka (the No. 3, I presume) — the others have been lost.
“I think these notes of Uptons which have only just been unearthed, will go far to confirm you in what I have always told you, that Naomi’s blood is the finest and best that could possibly be.
“P.S. You will note that the Shiek Suleyman ibn Mirschid is the famous chief of the Gomussa spoken of by Upton in [and] Lady A. Blunt in their books.”
EDOUARD NOTES:
Mare No. 4 is Haidee, the tail female ancestress of the black mare in the photo.
Horse No. 1 is Yataghan. Instead of “Keheilet Jeabeh” read “Keheilet Jrabeh”, a reference to Jereyban, a well known Kuhaylan branch; and instead of “Keheilan Hellawi” read “Keheilan Khellawi”, a reference to the Kuhaylan Khallawi strain.
In light of the mis-spelling of the letter “r” in “Jrabeh” as an “e”, and in light of the rendering of the “KH” as “H” in “Khallawi” in the handwritten letter, I suggest that “Heissa Anazeh” should be read as “Hrissa Anazeh” and pronounced as “Khrissa Anazeh”, since there is no “Heissa” sub-tribe of Anazeh. The Khrissa on the other hand, are one of the two sub-tribes of the Fadaan Anazah tribe.
The two sub-tribes of Fadaan Anazah were operating as separate tribes by the time of Major Upton, which the first sub-tribe of the Wuld joining forces with the Sba’ah Anazah of Sulayman ibn Mirshid, under the common military leadership of Jadaan ibn Mhayd, and the second sub-tribe of the Khrissa, staying separate (as rivals, if not hostile) under Mizwed al-Q’ayshish. This explains the reference to “his dam taken from he Heissa [sic] Anazeh” in the letter above.
Wow, she is spectacular. A war mare.
I now her daughter and her grand-daughter
You are right, an arid or semi-arid environment and she would look differently. When I look at pictures of Julyan, Hallanny Mistanny or other asil Crabbet x Babson horses, I always wonder what would have happened when Wenthworth would have (officially) been able to use Mirage or an Egyptian ancestor of the Babson horses instead of Skowronek.