Le Encore (Ibn Sirecho x Ibn Fadl’s Finale) was 47% *Turfa.
Basically, a combination of recent genetic testing and historical research has shown that the Kellogg stallion Hanad (photo below), an existing Davenport sireline through his son Tripoli — headsire at Craver Farms — was a son of the Davenport desert-bred import *Azra instead of being a son of the Davenport desert-bred import *Deyr. The genetic testing was led by Dr. Barbara Wallner of the University of Vienna veterinary institute; she is part of the team behind the advances in Y-DNA male line genetic studies (Remer 2022, Radovic 2024, etc), so an eminently credible source. The historical research was done by Michael Bowling and the Cravers, based on primary sources (ownership transfer documents, registration applicaiton) as explained here, and is equally credible. I witnessed it all unfolding, so I am very excited about this new Arabian horse (and Davenport) sireline. The breed needed it. One result of that switch is that the verified Deyr sireline that unfolds through Kamil Ibn Salan, Antez and Harara is down to a thread. There must be one or two males left from it.
The statement below was shared with Davenport Arabian Horse Conservancy (DAHC) supporters: The mission of the Davenport Arabian Horse Conservancy is “to enhance public awareness of the Arabian Horse as Homer Davenport knew it.” Our horses are central to that vision and function; we are responsible for their healthy management and their genetic conservation. We pursue studies of the desert traditions as sources become available, and also the history of the individuals and groups of horses as they move from tribal hands into those of the west. Homer Davenport made information widely available about individual horses, their origin, and in many cases their use and travels after importation. We have less detail directly from the successor program of Peter B Bradley’s Hingham Stock Farm, but early registration records have been preserved. The Conservancy applies scholarly standards to historical questions, and takes advantage of scientific advances as they become applicable. Coat color inheritance principles helped to uncover the case of Halawa, whose recorded parentage was incompatible with her coat color, and clarified the switched identities of Petra and Halloul, registered as mature mares, where again coat color called attention to the problem. More recently the application of mitochondrial DNA testing, specific…
Kate found this article in the December 18, 1937 edition of the London Illustrated News. It features the story of the desert-bred Arabians gifted by Saudi King Abd al-Aziz Aal Saud to British King George VI, in return for the hospitality extended to his son Crown Prince Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz at the Coronation event of King George VI in May 1937 in London. It looks like the horses were sent some six months after his trip. The royal gift seems to have consisted of four horses, two males and two females: *Turfa, Faras, Kasim and Manak. *Turfa appears in the photo in the upper left corner. A better version of this photo (below) is in Peter Upton’s “The Arabian Horse” with the caption “Turfa in Port-Said” (or something similar). Because she was the only grey in that lot, the photo in the oval frame under it must also be hers. If so, then we’d be looking at the first quasi facial view of *Turfa.
She is by Bashir Al Dirri (now gelded unfortunately) out of my Kinza Al Arab. She looks amazing for a two year old. Photo by proud owner Irmi Atam in Washington state.
She is still growing, at three years old. Photos by DeWayne Brown at the Doyle Ranch in Alfalfa, Oregon. Pedigree here. Strain Ma’naqi Sbayli (very few left in the USA). In foal to Hamdaany Dafuq for 2027. Perhaps I should have waited one more year before breeding her.
She looks good. Fat even. Photo DeWayne Brown. She is seven years old now. Pedigree here. Strain Saqlawi Marighi (Ubayri).
The best surprise was Monologue CF who is 25 years old this year, and looks very good for his age. He is now fully owned by Darlene Summers. Strain: Hamdani Simri.
AAS Nelyo who is eleven this year, looks like a *Muhaira reincarnation, the color, the body, the style, the bump on the nose, etc. His is closely linebred to her — I counted seven crosses including the tail female — so that’s no surprise. He is dark (no white marks) and was standing in the shade so I could not get better photos. I also realize that most of my bodyshots are titled upwards because I am tall, and that the headshots are better because the head is at my level. Nelyo is a good horse overall: flat croup, high set tail, good length of hip, deep girth and deep loins (very important to me), strong backbone, deep jowls, pleasing dry face with a lively, soft, intelligent eye, nice throat arch and long neck. Also good movement and carriage of tail. The downsides are a neck that’s relatively low set when at rest, long ears (a defect in a stallion but a desirable feature in mares), a slightly longer back and a chest that’s a bit narrow. Not major defects by any means but I need to be careful to which mares I breed him to. I would love to…
She looks more like an Egyptian mare in this photo, despite having only fiven percent Old Egyptian blood (*Fadl and Sirecho crosses).
Badia Al Arab (Monologue CF x Barakah Al Arab) looked great for a growing two year old; she has substance, style and a good temperament all at once. She is an improvement over her dam, especially in the length of hip, the depth of the jowls (to me very important) and the breadth of the forehead between the eyes. I never cease to marvel at the consistency and quality of Monologue’s offspring, and wish I had more of them. Her dam Barakah who is ten years old this year. She has a certain style and dryness that reminds of me desert horses. She transmitted her round barrel and deep girth to her daughter. Looking at her face (the eyelids, the fleebites on the face, the black skin around the eyes and muzzle and the soft look in the eyes) brings back childhood memories of times spent around horses in Syria and Lebanon.
The second new *Turfa mare, Lizaar Del Siksikas, is four years old. I could not get good body shots of her because she was just beginning to learn to trust new people so she kept hiding behind the other *Turfa mare. Lizaar has 87.5 percent desert blood and 12.5 percent Egyptian blood (*Fadl and *Nasr only). She has a tremendous girth, long ears, good legs, and a short back, but it’s too early to judge the rest. I feel that the croup in particular is work in progress. She is also quite tall. I think I will change her name in the AHA registry into a name more befitting of her noble origins.
Today Jenny Krieg and I drove up to Pennsylvania to see my horses and her colt. First time in a year and first time since my return to the US. It was also my first time seeing the two new *Turfa mares, who are very different from each other. I first saw Nejed Cupid, who is in foal without a precise due date. She is twenty years old but does not look her age. She is 95 percent desert bloodlines — the main reason for my getting her — and only 5 percent Egyptian (*Fadl and *Nasr). Her *Turfa crosses are in the back of the pedigree, including the female line, but she looks a lot like horses with *Turfa up close (e.g., Ibn Sirecho, a *Turfa grandson). Like most *Turfa horses, she has a pleasing head that’s a tad too short and a tad too square, but with a small muzzle and deep round jowls. Now I am not sure how much of that head shape is attributable to *Fadl as opposed to *Turfa, because as you know, one can’t get *Turfa in Al Khamsa pedigrees without *Fadl. Like most other horses with *Turfa, she also has a flat,…
The first mare, Nejed Cupid is the one on the right of the picture, and is in foal to the stallion on the left for a winter (!) baby. The sheep are not part of the lot. The second younger *Turfa mare, Lizaar Del Siksikas, is not in this photo.
Little Jamr’s big daughter. She is now five years old and still growing, taller and broader.
She is now at Moira Walker’s. Hoping for a live foal next year, and hope on a hope, a filly.
Alaa Wusool (“Upon Arrival” in Arabic) traces to the extraordinary *Turfa in the tail female, and is one of the youngest stallions from that lineage alive today. Photo by his breeder in Capulin, CO. I now own a four year old full sister.
Jens Sannek shared this article out of the Journal – Arabische Pferde 1982 I, page 33 – written by the late Dr. Ekkehard Frielinghaus. The article, “Bairactar? Sie können ihn besuchen!” has a picture that shows the skeleton of Bairactar, the Siglawi Jidran born in 1813, which is in the museum of the University of Hohenheim.
His full name was Fatis bin Salim al-Hajiri of Beni Hajar tribe of Qahtan. I found five sources on him in English, and there must be more in Arabic. 1/ In Judith Forbis’ “Pearls of Great Price” 1971 AHW article: “…an ancient Arab named Fetyz, whom nobody knows the true age of and who attended Sheikh Isa’s great granfather.” 2/ In Volume 1 of the Amiri Arabian Studbook of Bahrain: “In 1969 old studmaster Fatis realized that in the herd of broodmares in his change there was only one Kuheila’t Umm Zorayr, […] Fatis took her up to the Palace and put her in race training!” “After the death of the old studmaster in charge, from 1942 to 1974, registering each purebred became a necessity” 3/ On the website of the Bahrain Royal Stud: “There was a fourth mare, Hamdanieh Fatis 202 bred at Al Kharj in Saudi Arabia.“ This photo and legend: “Old Fatis on Old Shawaf” are also on this website: Also this photo, riding what looks like the same Shawaf stallion (I really like this horse) 4/ Another, nicer and larger photo in Danah Al Khalifah’s photo book “The Living Treasures of Bahrain” also riding this Shawaf.…
Our wifi was off for the entire day yesterday. I managed to get some filing done, folded up shopping bags. Even got some meal prepping done. I dove into the boxes that Gisela Aschenborn Uijs (of Nabilah fame) sent me and I found a certified copy of NABILAH (imp) (ENZAHI x ZAMZAM, by GAMIL III)’s extended pedigree. The original was issued by Fouad Abaza Pasha, Director General of the Royal Agricultural Society and witnessed by Dr. Abdel Alim Ashoub, Chief Animal Breeding Section, Royal Agricultural Society. The pedigree spans several pages, so I’ll take it apart and post it when I can. The wifi going off was serendipitous after all!!
I love the intelligent look on the Bahraini stallion Jellaby Kher M45. He is Darak’s great-grandsire. The photo was taken during the WAHO conference of 1998.
Photo by equestrian photographer Bob Langrish.
Four mares were bred to Hamdaany Darak this year. Two of mine (Danika and Jasminah) and two for Christelle Seranne who is keeping him for me, out of Arab-Barb endurance mares. Top photo Marion Wasilewski, bottom photo Christelle Seranne.
Photo from Jens Sannek at his owner’s Johann Helm in Austria. Jellaby Bint Anbara has no progeny unfortunately.
Munir Al Arab is Mayassah’s son by Pulcher Ibn Reshan (ex-Anecdote CF). He belongs to Debbie Mackie.
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Two new photos of *Munifan and *Munifeh are delighting the Al Khamsa community online. They come from an article in the Western Livestock Journal that is titled “Desert Imports—Crown Prince of Arabia Sends Arabians as Gift to California Horseman.” The three others photos, including *Munifan’s headshot and the two pictures of their son Munisaud are not new.
From top to bottom: Antar DE, Cascade DE and Hadeed DE. All three sons of Tamaam DE (error in the pedigree of Hadeed, who is not by Carver). Photos by Lyman Doyle in summer 2024.
“Kunz al-Durar wa-Jami’ al-Ghurar anz al-Durar wa-Jami al-Ghurar” (The Treasure of Pearls and the Collection of Shining Objects) is a major nine-volume universal history written by the 14th-century Mamluk historian Abū Bakr ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Aybak al-Dawādārī. It is considered one of the most important surviving historical sources for understanding Islamic history and the Mamluk Sultanate. While al-Dawādārī worked on the final draft of the text between 1331 and 1335 CE, the Kuhaylah mention falls under the events of the year 1320. Below is the account of the event where the mention occurs in Arabic, then in an English (with the help of AI), then my comments on the text: ذكر [حوادث] سنة عشرين وسبع ماية ومماّ يحكى من جملة سعادة مولانا السلطان أن بلغ المسامع الشريفة فى هذه السنة أنّ ببلاد البحرين حصانا أشقر قليل المثل فى وقته، فأرسل مولانا السلطان فى طلبه، وعاد الخاطر الشريف متعلقّا به، لكثرة ما وصف له من صفات ذلك الحصان المذكور. ثم اّتصّل بالمسامع الشريفة أنّ الفرس المذكور وصل إلى الشأم المحروس. فأرسل البريد فى طلبه ورسم ألا يّشتريه أحدمن العربان ولا من غيرهم. وعاد مولانا السلطان كثير التطلعّ إلى أخباره والحثّ على حضوره فلماّ وصل البريد المتوجّه فى طلب الفرس إلى…
By AAS Nelyo out of Barakah Al Arab, her second foal. Easy, uneventful delivery. After keeping watch that night, Sue went to take a shower, came back and there he was out and up.
So happy that this royal Najdi line to *Nufoud, which ten years ago was down to a couple mares only (Belle herself and AB Dafinaah, a cousin at Monica Respet’s) is now fairly safe with a second branch developing at Moira Walker’s. Moira’s colt Landrace Belisarius (by Jamr) and her filly Landrace Bellara (by Pulcher Ibn Reshan) are growing nicely and turning into what their lineage predicted they would.
Some time in 2023-24, the concept of “quiet luxury” gained traction in fashion circles online and offline. It’s always been there, in close circles, but it’s now out in the mainstream. My built-in web AI defines quiet luxury as “an understated fashion movement that prioritizes high-quality materials, timeless design, and discreet elegance.” It tells me that it’s also called the “old money aesthetic” and that it’s the opposite of loud, ostentatious, in your face, brand and logo-heavy fashion. (It’s also how I have always dressed without knowing, but that’s not my point here). This evening it hit me that I had been advocating for a similar movement as applied to Arabian horses for close to two decades now. I am going to name it “Quiet Nobility”, and trademark it. It’s also about high quality “materials” (i.e., bloodlines, genotype), timeless “design” (i.e., conformation, phenotype), and discreet “elegance” (i.e., style), but in the breeding of Arabian horses. No extreme, flashy looks and movements. Nothing “too much”. Rather, a quiet, soothing, pleasing look in mares, and a confident, virile, debonnaire, slightly disdainful look in stallions. I think this is where the breed will be going in the future. It also happens to be…
Some thirty years ago, an aprocryphal story spread in Arabian horses circles about a purported conversation between a senior Western official and a Saudi prince (their names are not the point of the story). It goes that the Western official pleaded for the Prince to register his large herd of Arabian horses — two hundred of them. The prince retorted: “who are you to register our horses? we (I guess meaning Arabs) should be the ones to register your horses, not you registering ours”. I don’t know if the story is true, as I only heard it third hand.
“Nowadays breeding of the Arabian in the Middle East has concentrated on race horses for the Beirut and Cairo race tracks. However this breeding has been tainted by the intrusion of English Thoroughbred blood in the Arabian horses of Iraq. The Iraqi Arabian is bigger and runs faster — but he has lost the look of the desert bred pure Arabian — that pristine beauty and lead toughness of the desert horse is disappearing alas too fast.” When living in Lebanon before the year 2000, I have seen, owned, and bred from some of these Iraqi horses. They are beautiful horses but they are not Arabians. A few years ago, some high profile Iraqi breeders have engaged ina full-blown communication effort aimed at claiming asil status for these Iraqi “Arabians”. I call it “asil-washing”. Progress in DNA analysis (Y-DNA, mtDNA and autosomal) will uncover these bogus claims.
I am not sure who colorized this well-known photo of *Haleb, taken by Arthur Moore during Davenport’s trip to Arabia in 1906, but they did a good job (except perhaps for too many blue gowns). The quality of *Haleb shows well. I am reminded of his descendant Mayassah.
Badia Al Arab is by Monologue CF out of Barakah Al Arab. Barakah Al Arab is by Wadd Al Arab out of Jadah BelloftheBall. Wadd Al Arab is by Triermain out Wisteria CF. Three generations Al-Dahdah breeding. الكحيلة بركة العرب وبنتها بادية العرب يوم السبت
Facebook pages are reposting this photo of Jedran (Ghazi × Baribeh) a 1932 chestnut stallion from the lineage of Basilisk. He was bred by W.R. Brown, stood at Travelers Rest, was sold to the US Remounts and was used in service from 1935 to 1945. Photo from The Arabian Horse News magazine February 1955. He had the same hip and hindquarters as my Ginger.
Somehow I had never seen this photo of Spencer Borden’s stallion Segario, an important sire in early American Arabian horse breeding. Someone posted them on allbreedpedigree.com. He is in the pedigree of Mayassa Al Arab, and of her son Munir Al Arab (by Pulcher Ibn Reshan), photo below. Munir belongs to Debbie Mackie, who’s been leasing Mayassa from me for several years now. There are seven generations and 122 years between Segario (b. 1902) and Munir (b. 2024).
Ahmad Tariq al-Hashimi sent me this old photo, likely taken in Iraq at the beginning of the 20th century. You see an Ottoman official, and the text is in Ottoman Turkish. The mare on the left is Kuhaylat al-Ajuz and the one on the right is a Kuhaylah Bu’ayrah. Both are superb representatives of the breed. They look clean, well noursihed and sport western style bridles. Clearly the horses of a pasha or a high level government official. The Bu’ayri (from ba’ir, camel) strain, still exists in Iran today. It is a very rare strain, that appears in several early strain lists, e.g., Raswan’s (below, under “Bayiri”), where it’s the first in the Kuhaylan strains starting with the letter B. It also appears in George Tabet’s 1937 list, as a self-standing strain not to be mated, not under Kuhaylan. Below, Kousha Rezai, a proud 2009 representative of the Bu’ayri strain. Photo Gudrun Waiditshka.
This stallion is not your usual Egyptian horse. Born at Gustl Eutermoser in Austria in 1974, he traces to the desert-bred Mabrouka, gifted by King Ibn Saud to the King of Egypt in 1945. He is special in that six out of sixteen of his 4th generation ancestors are desert bred. The headshot photo was taken by S. Kübe written under the picture in Asil Araber II page 473. The body shot is Asil Araber III page 680. Jens Sannek, who sent me both photos, told me that was first in training and second in performance test at Medingen in Northern Germany in 1978. Habib is in the pedigree of my Jasminah.
Now aged 25 years old, Hayoun (Hashem x Palmirah) is a grandson of Hamdan II (Hamdan x Folla) and looks like him. He is 50% Iranian, 37.5% RAS/Inshass Egyptian, and 12.5% Tahawi to Folla. Photo S. Freitag.
Photo gleaned off social media without a source. If you know it’s source please share. [Update: Kate tells me rthat there was another photo of King Faisal on the same horse at ctesiphon.com]
On their journey back from Hail to Bagdad in early 1870, Lady Anne and Wilfrid Blunt met the Al Kathir tribe, which she refers to in the plural as “Ketherin”, with their leader Mutlakh, and nearly purchased a handsome Wadnan Khursan horse from them. The Al Kathir are part of the larger Bani Lam tribe. The edition by Archer and Fleming of Lady Anne’s Journals and Correspondence is so truncated here that it’s not immediately obvious that Mutlakh’s tribe is the Kethirin. This becomes plain once they are in Persia, when they make the connections to other Bani Lam there. Her Journal entry for February 17, 1879 is upbeat, and in my opinion, one of the nicest sections of her J&C, complete with scenes from Bedouin hospitality and description of horses and nature: “We have spent an interesting day. As agreed we and Mohamed and Mutlakh went to the latter’s camp […]. Shatti said the owner of a horse would bring it to show us from these tents and presently two people on a delul came leading a bay colt with three white feet (two fore and near hind) and star — a beautiful little horse he looked as far…
This is just to have an idea of the people behind the horses. I found these on a (human) genealogy website. His brother is Abdel Khan, mounted on a dark Arabian horse. His father’s full name including titles is Gholam Hossein Khan Sardar Mohtasham Bakhtiar (Haji Ilkhani). His grandfather’s full name is Emam Gholi Khan Haji Ilkhani Bakhtiari (Esfandiari) (1819 – 1896). The latter is likely the Bakhtiari Khan Lady Anne and Wilfrid set out to meet in 1879, and the father of Ali-Qoli the young man they journeyed with on the way back from his pilgrimage to Mecca. The young Ali-Qoli Khan had promised the Blunts an introduction to his father (re-reading the J&C now to check if it actually happened). Ali-Qoli Khan was to have a distinguished career later on.
Through Kina Murray also comes this short movie about an ealier iteration of the centuries-old, seasonal migration of the Bakhtiari tribe. The sequence of the horse falling, hitting a rock, rolling then rising again as if unhurt is stunning.
Reposting this old photo of Fanaira (Fanifeh x *Muhaira), a bay 1962 Ubayyah mare of the strain of Ibn Jiluwi, bred by the Searles in the USA, entirely from Ibn Jalawi’s breeding. She is in the same style as my AAS Nelyo, who traces to her five times. The tail set and carriage, the croup, the length are similar.
The lovely Sotoudeh, a 1998 Iranian Asil Meleihieh of the strain of Ghassem Ali Zargani of the Zarqan/Zargan Bedouin tribe of Iran. I wrote about Ghassem Ali Zargani (multiple spellings) here. Photo courtesy of Jens Sannek, who just like me, is awed by this strain.