Bahraini Obayyan stallion in Germany

by

Obeyaan Mirage the Bahraini Ubayyan stallion which the Royal stables of Bahrain have gifted to Warren and Regina Staas arrived today at their farm. He is very handsome, and comes from old lines. This is the fourth Bahraini stallion to come to Europe in the last five years, after the Kuhaylan Ibn Aafess stallion “Kuheilaan Afass … Read more

Horse eaters

by

I now have a reliable account of the story of warriors eating horses in Iraq and Syria. When I first heard the story, it was about American soldiers buying and eating Arabian horses, but it did not make much sense, given food habits in this country and restrictions imposed on US soldiers. Lately, someone told … Read more

shameless plagiarism

by

So a Syrian man, Amir Mardini, plagiarized the reference book of renowned Arabian horse authority ‘Ali al-Barazi — now out of print — and put the entire content of the book online, under his name, here: www.kutub.info_18708. He removed the name of Barazi and put his name instead on the entire book. Oh, and he added … Read more

1831 French report on the Prussian Studs

by

Towards the end of 1831, the French National Stud’s Journal dedicated a series of articles to the Prussian studs. French imports of horses for cavalry remount from their eastern neighbors, including the Prussians, had been massive for several decades. This matter was indeed of utmost importance to the French and this report provides interesting details on several … Read more

Introducing Amelie Blackwell as Guest Blogger

by

Amelie is a French breeder lover of Asil Arabians. She belongs to a new generation of savvy researchers and has recently been making some pretty amazing discoveries mining the old French Studbooks (the oldest from the earliy 1800s) now available online on Gallica, the French National Library’s open access catalog. Her hypotheses are daring and … Read more

Goodbye Wadd

by

Wadd left to Oregon last week. He will live with Jessica Heinrick in the High Desert, not far from the Malheur wildlife refuge, and he will be ridden regularly. I retain breeding rights. Jessie has been sending me casual photos of him on the way, and should be picking him up today. It’s sad to … Read more

Jamr covered Shadows

by

This past Thursday and Friday, Jamr covered Shadows (SS Shadows Aana = SS Shadowfax x Juans Aana by El Reata Juan). I hope Shadows takes and I am really looking forward to the outcome of this breeding.

Thalia breeding yesterday

by

It’s that time of the year, my favorite time horse-wise, when you get to make breeding decisions, despite promises to yourself and others to cut down, and sometimes you even get to implement them. So yesterday Wednesday April 20, 2017, Wadd covered Thalia CF who is 25, a good cover. She had come into heat on … Read more

Ginger’s boy

by

The 2014 son of my DA Ginger Moon (“Ginger”), gone to endurance rider Chris Yost (photo), is now training for the Tevis Cup 100 miles ride, and has turned into a magnificent black stallion. I had named him Kanz Al Arab, but he is now registered as DA El Moubarak BLY (“Mou”). DA El Moubarak … Read more

My beloved Tuwayysa mare

by

My friend  and former colleague Frauke Wiprich went on a trip to Syria in 2009. In Palmyra, her guide told her his cousin owned a stud of Arabian horses near Homs, and arrange for her to visit it. There, by pure coincidence, she was shown my beautiful Halima (registered as Al Tuwayssa in the Lebanese … Read more

Haykal for sale

by

Haykal is my 2015 Ma’naqi Sbayli colt, by Monologue CF out of CSA Baroness Lady, which has one of the breed’s rarest tail female in Asil form, back to Lady Anne Blunt’s Ferida. Both parents went to preservation homes last year, but I regret letting Monologue go so early without leaving more offspring behind, in light of what he … Read more

Respect and admiration

by

A Syrian friend of mine is doing painstaking, courageous and tireless under-the-radar work tracking the remaining Syrian Arabian horses, identifying them, reconciling their registration markings and imprints with the video or photo evidence, and keeping count of what’s in the hands of thugs and militia groups of all kinds and what remains in their rightful owners’ hands. … Read more

My article about the Dahman Shahwan strain in Judi Forbis’ book on Ansata Hejazi

by

This morning I received my copy of Judi Forbi’s latest book “Ansata Hejazi: Born to Rule” in the mail. It is a tribute to one of the best stallions she ever bred, Ansata Hejazi, a Dahman Shahwan. His owner Mohammad al-Marzouq showed him to me at his stud in Kuwait in 2012, along with more … Read more

Wadd for sale — update

by

March 28 2017 update: he has found a home. More later. Reposting from Aug 2016: I am putting Wadd, my 5 year old Davenport stallion, up for sale. He is the youngest offspring of the grand Triermain CF, out of Wisteria CF, one of the prettiest Triermain daughters and a favorite of Charles Craver. He … Read more

Laura’s Major WA

by

This is a photo of the 2004 Hamdani stallion Laura’s Major WA, a horse of Davenport bloodlines. A closely bred stallion by Sergeant Major CF out of Miss Laura SHF by Mimic out of Kestrel by Saluation out of Trill by Tripoli. I saw this stallion last summer at the farm of Dawn Woods in Parker, … Read more

Origin of the Egyptian Kuhaylan Khallawi strain of Futna

by

Sheykh Tahawi Saeed Mejalli al-Tahawi who is in his nineties was interviewed recently by Yehia Abdel-Satar Eliwa al-Tahawi. The old man, who is the memory of the Tahawi clan of Egypt, told him that the original Kuhayla Khallawiyah mare had come to Shaman Ghumah al-Tahawi from the Mawali Bedouins. I had hypothesized this connection of the … Read more

Note on the ‘Ajman Bedouins of Eastern Arabia

by

According to their own histories and the reports of British agents, the ‘Ajman are a Yemeni Bedouin tribe with an ancestral homeland around the city of Najran, today in South-West Saudi Arabia, but historically a Yemeni city until 1934. Their parent tribe of Yam still live in the Najran area. They trace further back to the Hashed, the dominant … Read more

On the elusive strain of Kuhaylan al-Kray

by

In his 1936 book “Rihlah ila Bilad al-‘Arab” about his journey to Arabia in search for Arabian horses, Dr. Ahmad Mabrouk of the Royal Agricultural Society of Egypt mentioned two mares of the Kuhaylan al-Kray strain in the stud of Prince Saud ibn ‘Abdallah Ibn Jalawi, governor of the Eastern region of the then newly established Kingdom of … Read more

Kuheila´t Umm Zorayr Nadija at Royal Stud, Bahrian

by

Kuheila´t Umm Zorayr Nadija 1568, grey mare, born 2009, by Hamdaany Wadhah 901 out of Kuheila´t Umm Zorayr Zaraya 1036 and her colt Kuhailaan Umm Zorayr 1775, bay, born 2016, by Hamdaany Senafee 1381  Two colts playing: Kuheilaan Um Zorayr 1775 (right) and Kuheilaan Um Zorayr 1776 (by Hamdaany Ra´an 1294 out of Kuheila´t Umm … Read more

Dahman strain back to Bahrain

by

I met Regina and Warren in Bahrain for the first time, after corresponding with them for seven years. They have been preserving the Dahman strain branch of the original Bahraini mare Sawannah in Germany, with their foundation mare Ghazalah (Ibn Taamrud x DB Jasidah by Desert Jalam) and her daughter Muharraq by Theeb. They also … Read more

Zayn al-Khayl

by

Zayn al-Khayl, a desert bred Rabdan stallion from the breeding of the Sheykh of Tay, was one of the main stallions in Syria before the war. He was something of a sensation. Everybody wanted to breed mares to him, and his daughters were superb, and correctly conformed as he was. He was standing at the … Read more