Faras, desert-bred Kuhaylat al-Krush mare from Najd
Kees Mol offered me this photo of the mare Faras (‘mare’ in Arabic), and in turn I donated it to the Arabian Horse Archives, on the website of which a copy can now be found.
Faras was a 1927 desert bred Kuhaylat al-Krush, gifted by Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud, King of Saudi Arabia to her HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone and the Earl of Athlone during their visit to Arabia and Bahrain in 1938.
She was from the most precious and sougth after strain of Central Arabia. Peter Upton’s book “the Arab Horse” has a copy of her hujjah, written in Ibn Saud’s hand. She also appears to have been a producer of horses famed for their speed and endurance. Despite all these credentials, I am not sure she would be accepted in a halter show for Arabians today (or even thirty years ago).
Most people familiar with Arabian horses in the West, and increasingly, in the East too, would not believe her to be an Arabian: where is the dish, the two-level profile? Where is the bird-like eye, popping out of its socket? the croup flatter than a counter top? the swan-like arched neck? the meaty face? the inflated nostrils even at rest, as if the horse had sniffed something?
Then you have the so-called experts, so fast to come up with an explanation for what does not match their cookie-cutter frames: “She must be a horse from the north”. Well, too bad, she is was bred in Najd, Central Arabia and so were her ancestors, for generations. “Oh, she must be a Ma’naqi or some related ‘tainted’ strain”. Too bad, she is a Kuhaylan, from a strain which over the centuries, has become the epitome of fanatic attachment of purity of blood. Kuhaylan al-Krush is a strain that has become the stuff of legend: Abbas Pasha of Egypt could not secure a single specimen for this fabulous collection (incorrect); Lady Anne Blunt went through years of hardship to secure two mares from this strain (correct); the Mutayr tribe, who proudly owned the strain, never let a mare from this family get out of Arabian (incorrect).
Personally I am infatuated with her style, her grace, the soulful look in her eyes (she also looks exhausted), the protruding bones on her face, the fineness of her lips and nostrils, the prominence of her withers, the power of the shoulder/girth complex, and what looks like extremely fine skin.
From the Archives’ website, comes some background about the photo: the words are from Kees: “The original photographs are in an old photo album, that once belonged to Mr. A.D. Bolhuis, an Arab horse breeder active in the Netherlands before and just after WW2. His widow gave the album in 1984 to the then secretary of the Dutch Arab Horse Society. The album is now owned by his widow, Mrs. C. van der Velden. The photographs may have been taken by the then Dutch consul in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Adriaanse, who was an Arab horse devotee, but that is just a guess. In the album the horses appeared only under their strain names, not their actual names. What I think is clear from the photographs, is that they were taken in Saudi Arabia, possibly just before the transport from Jeddah to the United Kingdom”.
While I own no horses, I appreciate the history and quality of the fine horses featured on this site. I felt compelled to comment about this mare. She is mesmerizing. The word ‘fine’ comes to mind. Those legs, the strength and angle of her shoulder, the lines of her face… she is truly a wonderful specimen. I would have loved to see her in good flesh.
Apparently Princess Alice took some 300 photos of her trip, which are now held by the King Abdulaziz Public Library Riyadh. I wonder if they have any more pictures of the horses there?
Yes, I recall reading about that. You know the Qatar Digital Library has some information about their trip to Arabia, too..
http://www.qdl.qa
Oh, Rachel, I fully agree.
In good flesh and standing on level ground.
Looking at this mare Faras’s photo brings back memories for me when, in 1977, I first saw and filmed the 1962 dark seal brown-bay mare Fanistar (Fanifeh x Blue Star) of 87.5% Saudi origin. Points of structure and head type are similar in Fanistar and Faras. I will never forget going out into the sandy mare paddock and seeing this near black, bay mare with tremendous shoulders and head of long straight profile eating hay from a trough. Her body type was so dramatic as to draw my attention but also her eyes expressed a kind of confidence and superiority which would also soon emerge in her body language. I thought to myself that most of the Arabian enthusiasts of that time would have walked right by her not even perceiving her as Arabian. However, her owner decided it was time to ask her to move around for my filming her. She confidently raised her head up when her owner clapped his hands, then she walked by me like a panther, and then by her own choosing decided to put on a show for me taking off at full speed with head and tail held to the sky, with nostrils trumpeting. It was a show of such power and drama and effortless movement, combined with a very proud nobility that would have brought viewers to their feet in a liberty class! At that moment I enjoyed the refreshing experience of the natural desert bred type and how deep the true Arab sprit resides in horses close to the desert sources. Fanistar was a maternal granddaughter of the “bloody shouldered” Saudi mare *Al Hamdaniah, who was imported to the US in 1947.
Joe, that reminds me of seeing Al Ka Han, a daughter of *Al Hamdaniah. She did not run around, was not so inclined, but there was something about her that was so deserty. The very fine skin. Her face was almost naked. She does, in retrospect, remind me of this mare.
I think that Faras’ quality is obvious in the photo. Like Jeanne has said about another mare, the prominence of bone and veining in Faras’ face is evidence of a fine skin quality. Like what you and Pure man said about asalah, a while back. I would imagine that the prominence if her facial crest bone to be significantly wide, as observed in the photo. Also, I appreciate the balance throughout her body…everything fits her. While the photo is taken at rest, I can only imagine how intensified her beauty, when in motion!
Faras was one of the horses in the same importation as *Turfa. Oh! To have been able to visit the stud of King Ibn Sa’ud! With horses like Manak, Faras, Turfa, El Kahila…what other equine wonders did the King’s program produce?
I have read a few books and did some research on the KK strain overall and, as expressed in Egypt through El Kahila. I personally found the history of the KK strain fascinating and one of my favorite quotes about the KK horses was made by Philippe Paraskevas in his book, The Egyptian Alternative, Volume 2:
“in movement, under the saddle Krushans reveal their inner identity as war horses.”
The KK horses, as I understand, were highly prized for their athletic ability, their boldness, fearlessness, heightened sensitivity and perceptive ability.
In the book written by George H. Conn titled, The Arabian Horse in Fact, Fantasy and Fiction, he states that only through an act of war, a family legacy or as a gift, could an individual obtain a Kuhaylan Krush strain horse. Therefore, the Kuhaylan Kurush horses were not made available to anyone, for any price, outside of the Bedouin clan led by Faisal al-Dawish, within the greater tribe of Mutayr Bedouins.
Lady Anne Blunt, as quoted in her daughter’s book said, “Yet, the failure of Abbas’ emissary to obtain a Kurushiyah, notwithstanding his readiness to pay almost any price, is still a matter of pride to the members of the Mutayr tribe.”
Carl Raswan echoed a similiar sentiment in his Raswan Index, Volume I, “Abbas Pasha, that collector of superlatives, is said to have spent a great deal of time and energy trying to acquire a Krusheya with no expense spared – but to no avail.”
Bedouins even composed poems which celebrated the pride in making horses of the Krushan strain unavailable, for example, “Ya Bey ana Krush lahdi wa-la Bee” which translates to mean, “O Bey, I won’t sell Krush nor will I give her as a gift.”
I know that in the Abbas Pasha Manuscript, it is mentioned that Abbas Pasha did own mares from this strain but no actual source is cited to support that claim.
So, when I read in your post that he did own horses of this strain, I am confused as to why Lady Anne Blunt would say that he didn’t, since she lived reasonably close to the life of Abbas Pasha, dying in 1917, while Abbas Pasha lived from 1813, until year 1854. Given her purist ideology and drive for accuracy, I take her opinion above all others, no?
I love your blog Edouard. What an awesome thing you do, to make people think deeply about the breed to further understanding and to curb the misinformation that exists. I am grateful to you.
Kind Regards,
Ralph
Still amazed by this the quality of mare. I have return to this post to gaze at her image multiple times, and each time I see that she’s even better than I remembered. What a glorious creature.
Meliar Halab, que j’ai été cherché avec Jean-Luc Jardel et qui est maintenant chez Chantal Chekroun pour succéder à Mokhtar cadeau de Bassel Jadane, était à l’attache tous les jours devant la maison de “Garock” et ce, parce qu’il était Krush. “Lorsqu’un Shammar approche d’un campement ou voit arriver des cavaliers et leurs montures, c’est sur le krush que son regard se pose en premier”.
nb: MOKHTAR keheilan KRUSH cadeau de Bassel Jadane à Jane Menning.
Hello.
I have a uestion about Kees Mol. I knew him from long time ago. Is he still in Europe or in Qatar?
Thank you.
He is retired in France.