Jamr, the one horse I like to pick on
Last Thursday, I managed to take a day off while in the US for work and drove out to Pennsylvania to see my horses. I had not seen them in a year. I feel terrible about that.
The young ones have grown so much. Jamr, at seven, is now a fully grown stallion. He certainly IS small. We measured him at 13.3 1/2, just under 14 hands. I am not a fan of 16 hands Arabians, but under 14 hands is too small for my taste. I am more than 6 feet tall.
His neck is also too short. Or the withers are pushed forward and eating at the neck. The crest is nice through, and so is the arch of the throat.
He has other qualities: he looks very masculine; his back is short, his hip is long, his girth is moderately deep, his coupling is strong, his chest is broad enough and his jowls are very deep. His eyes are expressive and soulful, without that troubled, anxious expression of some show horses.
His profile is very straight, but he makes it up with a broad forehead, deep jowls and a fine muzzle. His ears are short, which is how a stallion’s ears should be, but they are too distant from each other. When standing in his pen, he is easy to dismiss, but when shown in hand, he carries himself with pride. There is something wanting in the tail carriage and the overall style when he is turned loose.
In general, I have never hidden my disappointment in him over the years, but I am choosing to keep him because of his origins. I guess I was expecting more of his dam Jadiba. This female line to *Wadduda produced Hanad, Antez, Jadaan, Caravan, Dhareb, Mustakim and so many early great stallions. Within general list Arabians in the USA it remains the most successful line in both show and endurance.
One of my mares, Nuri Al Krush, is in foal to him, due next March. She has produced two superb colts in the past. Let us see what he begets from her. I will judge him on his foals.
I think Jamr is continuing to develop, and I am pleased with his progress. Give him another 2-3 years to continue to mature, and judge him then, and you are right, on his foals.
I’m fond of the little ones myself – my Abba is teeny-tiny, not even 13.2, but she has such well-sprung ribs that she takes up my leg (and I’m 5’7″, so not exactly short, though it would be another story were I taller), and her angles are so good that she has a bigger stride than the sixteen hand horses. I don’t know if Jamr is under saddle, but it would certainly be worth judging him as well on what he’s like to ride, as he looks like he could be a powerhouse in motion, despite his size.
Edouard, don’t forget that Jamr is the last foal of an aged mare. Those are often smaller in stature than their siblings born earlier in the mare’s life. He has good genetics and I will bet he does a nice job producing. I like him. I love how masculine he is. And he does appear to carry himself with pride which accounts some for why his neck looks short. He has a “listening” horse quality to how he holds himself in these pictures. He seems to have the bulge of overdeveloped muscle on the underside of the neck common with these “listening” horses. If he were under saddle and being ridden properly his neck may change completely. Glad you haven’t given up on him yet.
yes i guess you are right, Jeannie. He is being ridden though. Properly I don’t know.
Edouard, Jamr is special! Being tail-female Wadduda, he is of special interest to the Sahanad Preservation group. Somehow, we have to have the mare(s) to breed to him to produce the special one(s). Today I just learned of him, but he won’t be forgotten. We long to see his foals. Keep us posted on him. Jamr should be part of our group! Keep safe, dear Edouard!!!