MD Turfairan, Kuhaylan Ajuz

Perhaps it’s time to share my latest attempt to keep the gene pool in my horses as broad as possible. It’s also a story of dedication, steadfastness and perseverance by Jessie Heinrick, who made it all happen.

The bottom line up front is that some time ago, I acquired sight unseen an 11 year old stallion, MD Turfairan, tail female *Turfa close up, so a Kuhaylan ‘Ajuz by strain. I had been following him for a decade, year after year. At the time, I loved his overall balanced, his long withers, his shoulder, the facial bones and the deep jowl, based on these pictures.

Some two years ago, at my suggestion Jessie Heinrick drove down from Oregon to Arkansas to visit with his breeder Susan Whitman. Jessie came back with Turf in her trailer.

He did not have papers, and for a while it looked like he wouldn’t be able to get any. Susan was not sure of his sire, so the first attempt at matching his DNA with that of the most likely candidate (MD Hadids Hammer) failed.

A second attempt with MD Ibn Hattairan succeeded. The registered owners of his dam, and his breeders, who were elderly, were gracious in signing papers off to Jessie. It took two years to get everything done.

MD Turfairan traces to *Turfa many times but also to the Ubayyah mare *Muhaira up close. He also has *Fadl and Sirecho in his pedigree. He traces to these four foundation horses only, and almost in equal proportion. This F-T-S-M group, once abundant, has almost vanished today. Ibn Fadl (*Fadl x *Turfa) is by far the stallion most present in his pedigree, with at least 15 crosses (I think). The influence of Ibn Fadl does not show in Turf, perhaps because he is chestnut and that type is often associated with coat color. Turf looks a lot more like Exochorda, who was Sirecho’s dam.