A blog on desert arabian horses, past, present and future
Jens Sannek recently shared this video screenshot of the Iranian stallion Jallad (Arras x Atlassi) a Wadnan Khursan born 1976, bred by the Equestrian Federation of Iran, exported to Austria to Gustl Eutermoser in 1979 and later to Spain.
In Arabian horses, strains are traditionally transmitted by the dam. This is how Bedouins did it for about half a millennium, for reasons I discussed elsewhere. Strains, and their transmissions are intimately connected to the concepts of asil/atiq (roughly, authentic) in an Arabian horse. In other words, the daughter of an asil/atiq Hamdaniyah Simriyah and … Read more
From the article written by Betty Finke for “Araber Journal”: In early 1980, Jezabel shared the fate of many of her two-legged countrymen and had to leave the country in a hurry. Being owned by the Royal Horse Society, she was technically the property of Shah Reza Pahlevi, who’s reign was abruptly ended by the … Read more
Here is a side-on photo of Barakah (Ibn Manial x Gamalat, by Ibn Samhan) and 2 headshots. This photo was taken at the Kingswills’ Gordonville Stud by Ian Thompson. I’m not sure how old Barakah is in the photo, but her full-grown daughter Gordonville Zahara (1956 – 1966) was also pictured that day. Sadly, Zahara … Read more
These are photos that accompanied two articles written by Kirsten and Bernd Radtke when they helped to document the Tahawy horses. If you allow for the odd typo, this could be the same stallion, but the photos tell a different story. The photo captions are as they appeared in the articles. Can anybody shed some … Read more
Yesterday Arnault Decroix sent me this photo of his Syrian stallion Dahjani al-Arab, a Kuhaylan Da’jani born in the Syrian Jazirah (Upper Mesopotomia) in 2008. Dahjani al-Arab was part of the same batch of Syrian imports to France in 2009. The lot also included the stallions Mahboub Halep (a Shuwayman Sabbah); Dahess Hassaka (a Kuhaylan … Read more
In the 1975 article “Famous Arabian Horses of Argentina”, Verónica Medda wrote: “The first arabian horse importation to Argentina was in the nineteen-hundreds. The most important importation was in the year 1892 when Mr. Hernán Ayerza personally travelled to the Middle East to select Arabian stock for his own stud. These horses were the anestors … Read more
Several productive discussions have recently taken place in public and in private about the proposed draft of the Arabian Horse Manifesto. Earlier this year, I started a series of posts on this blog under the title “Toward a New Manifesto of the Arabian Breed“. After receiving plenty of feedback, and discussions with Arab and non-Arab … Read more
A photo of the wonderful Syrian-bred Shuwaymah Sabbah stallion Mahboub Halep at Jean Claude Rajot several days ago. To me, this horse exemplifies the desert Arabian horse as he should be. I wish he had opportunities to cover mares from more diverse lineages. As Lady Anne Blunt said of Aziz in his prime: “He looks … Read more
Here is a photo of another member of the Barakah[imp] tail female line, the stallion Sidi Egyptian Storm. The line almost died with Baraka as a number of the imports contracted strangles. Here is the full story of the importation. Breeder: A.W.A. (Jack) Maritz Owner: Sanniesguns Boerdery Trust Photo provided by Raymond Schierschmidt Another photo. … Read more
Kuwaiti researcher Yahia al-Kandari edited a treatise on Arab horses by Father Anastas al-Karmali (1866-1947), the Lebanese Carmelite priest and linguist. The treatise “al-Khayl al-‘Irab 3inda al-Arab wa al-A3raab” was published by Bait al-Arab. Interestingly, the title of the book features three difference uses of the term ‘Arab’.
I found these photos in the first edition of the Austrian stud book. Not the best quality, but at least it’s not an artist’s interpretation. Tohfa (Emam x Folla, by Ibn Barakat) 1962 arabian mare Breeder: Ahmed Hamza, Hamdan Stables Owner: Fatma Hamza, Cairo / Gustl Eutermoser, Arabergestüt Schieferegg Tail Male: Jamil El Kebir (APK) … Read more
Power and grace in motion at 25 years young. I have a sense this will become a beloved picture.
Eugene Geyser of Nabilah stud informed me that our stallion, Gülilah Sawwan (Mahib imp] x Gülilah Saraqa, by Shari-Silic Abkar), is the last living son of Mahib. Sawwan is a blend of Gülilah and Nabilah stud’s bloodlines as the two have been intertwined for decades. Here’s more information about the Nabilah stud. Gülilah Sawwan , 2001 … Read more
I was on the trail of offspring of the Bábolna bred Hadban I (Hadban Inzihi x 24 Gazlan, by Gazlan), a stallion imported to Namibia in 1910. I got stuck into a stack of magazines and I found something unexpected. In the March 1958 edition of the Sankt Georg magazine is an article written by … Read more
Below is a photograph of the young Morafic son Ahir (out of Deenaa), aged two. The photo, taken by Zelda Welgemoed, and shared by Wilton Burger, was taken at the Sahiby Stud in Tokai. Ahir was bred by Gleannloch, and imported to South Africa by Dr Valérie Noli-Marais, who used him on Sahiby Bint Baraka, … Read more
These two previous posts are part of this series: هذين المنشورين السابقين هما جزء من هذه السلسلة TOWARD A NEW MANIFESTO OF THE ARABIAN BREED (Here) نحو بيان عام جديد للحصان العربي THE MANIFESTO OF THE ARABIAN BREED – PART I (Here) الإعلان العام للجواد العربي – الجزء الأول The following post provides PART II … Read more
An 1893 grey Hamdani Simri stallion. His dam, Safra, was by the Ali Pasha Sharif stallion Shueyman and out of the Mahmud Bey-Ghezireh mare Sobha. His sire, *Shahwan, has been featured on this blog before, and you can read about him here. Safran was used by the Blunts for breeding, … Read more
Scans of an article published July 30th, 1898 for “A Weekly Illustrated Record and Review” popped up recently, revealing photos of Safran (*Shahwan x Safra) and Moallaka (Mesaoud x Meroe). The publication itself was a British illustrated weekly periodical founded in 1891 by Charles Norris Williamson, and was known for printing fairly high-quality photos within … Read more
In my previous post I wrote an introduction (here) on what I am proposing in this post and the next. في منشوري السابق كتبت مقدمة (هنا) حول ما أقترحه في هذا المنشور وما يليه. In this first part, I am suggesting a set of guiding VALUES and PRINCIPLES to govern any future efforts for preserving … Read more
See previous post for more information on this stallion and the people who owned him. He sure is one masculine stallion. His sireline is extinct to Al Khamsa, with the last of the stallions carrying this line having been born in the 1950s.
A lot of discussion has been going on lately by Arabian horse lovers and enthusiasts from the six contents about the future of the Arabian breed. Maintaining the breed purity of blood (the Asil concept), preserving the original qualities and characteristics of the Arabian Horse, the genetic diversity and integrity of the breed, the status … Read more
This photo was found on the website for the City of Arcadia, located within their Arcadia History Collection. In it, Anita Baldwin can be see holding the reins of *Ibn Mahruss (Mahruss II x Bushra). His sire, Mahruss II, did not have a particularly exceptional breeding career, and his is probably best felt in bloodlines … Read more
Photographer Irina Filsinger took this nice photo of the stallion Ibn Ibn Wathnan, one of the handful original horses of the state of Qatar. He was registered in Volume 1 of the Qatari studbook. Thanks to Wilton for posting it on social media, where I picked it up. He looks like the Bahraini royal stud … Read more
من بنات كروش جهيم المطخان ومن نفس رسنه ومربطه
لاحظوا دقة اذني الفرس وعرض حنكها فهكذا كانت خيل الملوك لاحظوا ايضا اللجام العربي بالاضافة للرشمة من ارشيف مدرسة الاخوة الماريين
Over 5000 of them online. Take the plunge! One of the most significant pictures is this one of Shaykh Sultan Bin Zayid Aal Nahyan, taken in 1948 (pre-oil). He was not yet the ruler of the UAE.
Saadey (below) was a Sa’dah al-Tuqan, foaled in Arabia in 1892, and purchased from Abdallah el-Khamud by Prince Shcherbatov in 1900. At the state stud at Derkul, Saadey was covered by the imported stallion Sem-Khan (purchased in Cairo), but did not produce a foal. In 1902 she gave birth to a filly, Elvira, by the … Read more
Zarifa (below) was bred by Count Stroganov from his imported stallion Sherrak, out of the mare Ghazu. Zarifa’s dam Ghazu was a grey mare foaled in the desert c. 1879/1880, sired by a Dahman ‘Amer. Stroganov purchased her on his first expedition to Syria, in 1888, from the Sba’ah. She produced seven foals in Russia, … Read more
Samura (below) was the 1895 daughter of the desertbred Kuhaylat al-Jallala mare Saeeda. Samura’s dam Saeeda was foaled in 1884, bred by the Misrab tribe of the Sba’ah. Imported by Stroganov on his first joint expedition with Prince Shcherbakov in 1888, Saeeda produced eight foals between 1891 and 1902, all but one by desertbred stallions; … Read more
Manua was bought in Homs by Prince Shcherbatov in 1900, on the second trip that he and Count Stroganov made to Syria, but went to Stroganov’s stud in Russia, rather than Shcherbatov’s. Her sire was a Hadban Enzahi; her dam was from the Sba’ah and sired by a Kuhaylan al-Ajuz horse. From Abeyan sherrak strain. … Read more
هناك مرحلتان للإضرار جينيا بالحصان العربي تخطيناهما أو نكاد. أولا: مرحلة توحيد الشكل للوصول للشكل المثالي والنمط القياسي المنشود أو ما يسمى ال Type (مع التحفظ طبعا على اعتباره قياسيا ومثاليا وهذا نقاش آخر)، بحيث يتمتع كامل النتاج من الخيل بنفس النمط العام للشكل والذي يسمى علميا ال Phenotype. وثانيا: مرحلة التنافس على أقصى درجات … Read more
Latifa was one of the desertbred imports of Count Sergei Stroganov. Foaled in 1883, she was bred by the Shammar, and bought by Stroganov on his trip to Syria in 1895. She produced two fillies and two colts for Stroganov, three of them by the Krush stallion Emir-el-Arab, and one – her daughter Leyla, below … Read more
The previous post in Arabic was to introduce the daughter of my Khallawiyah mare Bint Rammah, born a couple days ago. The new filly, named Jawharah Al Arab is owned jointly between Yasser Ghanim and I, and is at his small farm in the Sharqiyah province, east of the Nile Delta. Bint Rammah was already … Read more
الحمدلله فرسي الخلاوية بنت رماح ولدت مهرة يوم البارحة. المهرة كبيرة الحجم وبصحة جيدة الحمدلله سميناها جوهرة العرب وهي شراكة بيني وبين ياسر غانم وموجودة عنده بمحافظة الشرقية بمصر ز الاب حصان دهمان شهوان من اصول مصرية تغلب على مشجر نسبه خطوط انساتا وناجل اسمه ماورد البتراء كانت الفرس عشار منه لما اشتريتها من صاحبها … Read more
Edl Agbahr Yashma is another of the asil horses in southern Africa with the Courthouse stallions Nimr and Atesh in her pedigree. The photos below were taken by LeeRay Photography, and shared with their permission. Edl Agbahr Yashma (foaled in 2015) is by the Straight Egyptian stallion Asala Al Khufu 2 (Ansata Aly Sherif x … Read more
Kehayley was foaled in 1893, and imported to Russia by Prince Shcherbatov in 1900. Kekhaylan Adjus strain. Bay mare imported, born in 1893. In 1895 was secretly bought by Akhmet Beg (citizen of Hama town) and Bedouin Simran from Kkhrissa tribe (of Fedhaan Anazeh) from Bedouin Jaetnee from Abadat tribe (of Sebaa Anaze). Sire of … Read more
Hassan (below) was one of Count Sergei Stroganov’s homebred Arabians, foaled in 1896 out of the imported mare Hamra and by the stallion Sherrak. Hassan’s dam Hamra was foaled in 1884; she was bred by the Sba’ah Anazah and sired by a Kuhaylan Nawwaq. She was brought to Russia in 1888 for Count Stroganov by … Read more
This horse was purchased in Syria by Prince Shcherbatov. State Derkulskiy farm. Both parents belonged to Dagkhman Umm-Amr strain. Bay stallion, imported; height 2 arshins 1 3/8 inches. Born in Arabia in 1895 at Bedouin Jeral Ibn-Tuerish from Gomussa tribe (from Sebaa Anaze). The latter sold it to Aga-ed-Diun, mufti of Hama. Purchased for Department … Read more
صور نادرة للفرس عبيرة الشويمة من تصويري سنة ١٩٩٢ في مزرعة مالكها باسل جدعان ابو فارس بالصبورة ابو عبيرة المعنقي الحدرجي الاصدا حصان ظاهر العفيتان أبو امها الصقلاوي الجدراني الازرق حصان عبد الرزاق النايف من شيوخ طي ابو جدتها عبيان السحيلي الازرق الكبير حصان الشيخ عبد العزيز المسلط درجت جدتها بنت عبيان الشيخ عبد العزيز … Read more
صور نادرة للفرس طيرة صقلاوية نجمة الصبح (مرزكانية) من خيل المرازيك البريك من شمر طيرة ابوها كحيلان الواطي الازرق الحديدي حصان ذياب السبيه توليد فواز الحاكم الغشم ابو امها عبيان السحيلي الازرق الكبير حصان الشيخ عبد العزيز المسلط ابو جدتها المرزكاني من رسنها من تصويري سنة ١٩٩٢ في مزرعة باسل جدعان ابو فارس بالصبورة … Read more
Dijleh is the 1889 daughter of Ashgar and Dahna (Kars x Dahma). Bred by the Blunts, she was sold at the 1899 Crabbet Park sale, and exported to Russia along with Naaman and Sobha. From Dagkhman Umm-Amr strain. Dark bay mare, imported, born in 1889 at Mr. Blunt’s farm in England and bought by Colonel … Read more
The horses below are half-brothers and -sister, bred by Count Stroganov, out of the mare Anaze. Anaze was an 1877 ‘Ubayyah Sharrakiyah, sired by a Ma’naqi Ibn Sbayli. Her breeder is not given in her Russian stud book entry, only that Stroganov bought her in Deir on the Euphrates in 1888. Abeyan (above) was an … Read more
Below is one of Count Sergei Aleksandrovich Stroganov’s desertbred stallions, gifted to him by Sheikh Nasr Ibn Abdallah, when he visited Stroganov’s stud farm in Russia. Sherrak, an ‘Ubayyan Sharrak stallion from the marbat of Abu Jreyss. From Abeyan Sherrak strain of Abu Djereys family. Grey stallion, imported; height 2 arshins 2 ¼ inches. Born … Read more
Below are two of the mares that Prince Aleksander Shcherbatov bought on his second expedition to Syria. Djerifa (above), a Sa’dah al-Tuqan mare bought in Deir. From Saadan Togan strain. Red mare, imported, height 2 arshins 2 ¼ inches. The horse was born in 1895 in Mesopotamia, at Bedouin Yedjaefee Ibn-Sakhu ‘s of Agkhedaat tribe. … Read more
Prince Alexander Grigorievich Shcherbatov was one of the Russian aristocratic horse breeders, who established an Arabian stud in the late nineteenth century. Together with his brother-in-law, Count Sergei Aleksandrovich Stroganov, Prince Shcherbatov, inspired by the Blunts, journeyed to Syria in 1888, in order to purchase Bedouin Arabian horses. They succeeded in buying horses from the … Read more
The horse in the photo below is the 1897 son of Mesaoud and Nefisa, who was bought along with Sobha at the 1899 Crabbet Park Sale, and sent to the Russian state stud at Derkul. Photo sourced from the History of Russia in Photographs.
Below is a photo of the 1879 Hamdaniyah Simriyah mare Sobha, bred in Egypt (Wazir x Selma), bought by the Blunts in 1891, and then sold to Colonel de Sdanovitch in 1899, who sent her to the Russian stud at Derkul. Photo sourced from the History of Russia in Photographs.
Below are photos of three Bábolna horses, from the 1896 Berättelse till Landtbruksstyrelsen öfver en år 1893-94 med statsunderstöd företagen resa i utlandet för studier i husdjursafvel. O’Bajan, above, was one of the four stallions acquired for Bábolna by General Fadlallah Mikhail el-Haddad in 1885. Erika Schiele, The Arab Horse in Europe, says of him: [He … Read more
كحيلان الملولش من خيل البحرين عند بولين وبينار دو بليسيس في جنوب افريقيا Mlolshaan Mutab, from Bahrain, owned by Pienaar and Pauline Du Plessis in South Africa. Photo Kate McLachlan.
I happened upon this Gazetteer of Egypt in the French language from the year 1891 — the “Annuaire egyptien administratif et commercial” on the wonderful website of the French national library. Under the “Conseil Legislatif”, the legislative council, it has “S.E. Aly Pacha Cherif” as the President. See below.
صورة العفريّة العودة فرس الشيخ هاشم حمود ملحم الجربا بنت عبيان الشيخ عبد العزيز المسلط ام الفرس العودة لونها احمر بنت الصقلاوي الجدراني حصان الشيخة عنود الفارس مالكها ابراهيم العلي ام الام لونها اشعل مالكها العفري من عنزة كان مقيم في الرقة وكانت ام الام شراكة بين الشيخ ملحم فارس الجربا والعفري في الخمسينات ثم … Read more
تواصلت مساء اليوم مع الصديق محمد معصوم العاقوب ودار الحديث حول الفرس العبية السحيلية العود فرس مطر السراي “مطوري” فشاركته هذه الصورة للعود مع فلوها ابن الحمداني الاعور. الصورة من تصويري سنة ١٩٩٤ او ١٩٩٥ بضواحي حلب عند رضوان شبارق ابو ابراهيم وكانت العود آنذاك ملك للشيخ ميزر عجيل العبدالكريم الجربا وهناك التباس عند البعض … Read more
Volume 1 of the Bahrani stud book published in 1980 describes the breeding practice of the Al Khalifa family at the time. “No outside stallion is directly used for stud purposes. New blood is introduced indirectly by the high-caste mares received or exchanged with other Sheikhs from the interior of Arabia. When these mares are … Read more
The Saqlawi Jadran Jawlan Al Kheir, by the Ubayyan Suhayli Taj Al Kheir out of Bushra Al Kheir a Saqlawiyah Jadraniyah, at Basil Jadaan’s studfarm outside Damascus.
السمن من السمون من المنشأ من ضنا عربان من الخرصة من ضنا ماجد من الفدعان وهو صاحب مربط صقلاويات السمنيات )
The palace of Prince Yusuf Kamal in Qina, Upper Egypt. Built in 1908 in the Neo-Mamluk style. Prince Yusuf was the son of Prince Ahmed Kamal but did not share his father’s interest in Arabian horses. His archives survive in a museum in Coptic Cairo.
Piotr Grzywnowicz posted these two gorgeous photos of the desert-bred stallion Kuhailan Haifi on his Facebook page. What an intelligent look in his eyes. I wish the beautiful halter has survived.
وقد سمعت القصة نفسها عن لسان تاجر الخيل والخبيرالحلبي عبد القادر الحمامي رحمه الله سنة ١٩٩٣
الفحل “الاشهب” المعروف بكروش الناعم ابن حمداني الدعبو ابن دهمان عامرمن خيل عجيل الياور مواليد عام 1988 توليد اسعد سليمان الحسن قرية عكرشة صاحب ام كروش وملك عبود عواد المضحي قرية الناعم امه كروش البيضا لونها ادهم مالكها اسعد سليمان الحسن ابوها المعنقي الحدرجي حصان ظاهر العفيتان لونه أصدأ وامها كروش صاحبها سليمان الحسن ابوها … Read more