Jamr last week
This time it was hard to grab good shots of my young stallion Jamr, who kept prancing. His hindquarter is shaping into true old Crabbet style, and each time I see him he looks different. He is 43.5% old Crabbet lines, his dam was double that percentage.
Belle and Barakah
This young filly is the happy outcome of a sustained preservation effort of the Kuhaylan ‘Ajz line of *Nufoud, and of the small number of Arabian horses without Crabbet bloodlines. Her name means “divine blessing”. May she be blessed and continue this precious line of royal horses. Her dam Jadah BelloftheBall (“Belle”) was rescued several … Read more
Inaam Al Krush
Jackson Hensley sent this photo of his stunning Monologue CF son, Inaam Al Krush. I had seen him a few months ago, and liked him, but he looks even better in this photo. Reminds me of that iconic photo of Kuhailan Haifi O.A. That Monologue CF, I should have bred all my mares to him.
Wadd at five
Wadd, who is now five years old, is maturing into a handsome, masculine stallion in the line of the Kuhaylan Hayfi sires of Craver Farms. He is more reminiscent of his grandsire Javera Thadrian than he is of his sire Triermain CF. Large eyes, broad forehead, prickled ears, bony face, arched neck, curved throat, short back, … Read more
New Kuhaylat al-Ajuz filly
Barakah Al Arab — fuzzy picture — was born on June 23, 2016, at 4.00 am, a tall filly by Wadd Al Arab (Triermain CF x Wisteria CF by Triermain CF) out of Jadah BelloftheBall (aka “Belle”, by Invictus Al Krush x Belladonna CHF by Audobon CF). She will probably be grey. She is a … Read more
DA Ginger Moon in April 2016
DA Ginger Moon (“Ginger”, by DB Destiny Moniet x Kumence RSI by Monietor RSI), my 1998 Saqlawiyah of Ibn Dirri is looking increasingly good and has stopped loosing weight and even started gaining some. The last shot is from February 2016, with Chris Yost, who owns Ginger’s 2014 yearling colt El Moubarak BLY.
Shadows Aana for 2017
This is the mare I will be breeding this spring. Shadows Aana (SS Shadowfax x Juans Aana by El Reata Juan), a 2000 Ma’naqiyah Sbayliyah with five crosses to Julyan (and hence, Julep, and Gulastra), three crosses to Antez, and two crosses to Hanad (through his daughter Schiba) has been with me since last July. … Read more
Thalia Rehab Project: Examination of the Laminitic Hoof
This is the 3rd trim since Thalia joined my barn around the first of the year. An improved connection of her hoof capsule to the coffin bone (P3), which you can see in the “Right Front” photo, has grown down from the coronary band enough for me to feel comfortable with REALLY backing her toe up. … Read more
Thalia Rehab Project Update March 21, 2016
The top picture is Thalia in early January right after I brought her to my place from Virginia for Edouard. The bottom picture was taken yesterday, March 20, 2016. I want you to notice how the fat pat from her croup to her tail head has evaporated. She no long has a rear-end that looks … Read more
Clarion CF at Kirby Drennan’s
Clarion CF (Regency x Chinoiserie by Dharanad), 1991 liver chestnut stallion, is the sire of my Mayassah, and is standing at Kirby Drennan’s, in Virginia, IL.
More of Twickenham CF
From my visit to Illinois, last weekend. With Marty Bugg. The first photo is my best shot of a horse in motion in a long time.
Twickenham at Craver Farms last weekend
This 2003 Kuhaylan Hayfi stallion (Regency x Kiddleywink by Regency) is, according to Jeanne Craver, the most look-alike of his Regency’s sons, and his second youngest.
Beautiful Reema CF
Debbie Mackie’s Reema CF (Trilogy x Fragrance by Regency) was the prettiest mare I saw in my trip to Illinois over last weekend. She is so refined and yet so well built and balanced.
The gorgeous Pulcher
I was blown away by Pulcher (a.k.a Anecdote CF, by Triermain CF out of Aniq El Bedu by Iliad), while visiting Jackson Hensley and Alice Martin last weekend.What beauty, what type, what personality, what nobility, what “Arabness”, what “desert appeal” (I am coining the phrase) this horse has! Whew! Certainly Triermain’s best son.
Mayassah nearing 3
This is my 2013 Kuhaylat al-Krush filly, Mayassah Al Arab (Clarion CF x Cinnabar Myst by ASF David). Three years old this summer. I am very proud of this filly I bred for several reasons. She embodies my preservation efforts. The antiquity of her bloodlines is an obvious reason: for instance, Abu Zeyd (Mesaoud x … Read more
Nutrition: Dental Visit #3 Case Study Elegance CF 2001gm
Elegance had her third dental visit and second power tool dental procedure on March 1, 2016. She was ready for another adjustment as I saw her starting to avoid the long stem hay and searching for the fine stuff that falls out during their selecting what hay to eat. Also, washing her mouth out every … Read more
King Ali ibn Husayn of the Hijaz on an Arabian steed
Oh how much I would give to know the strain and the breeding of this handsome desert stallion. I have a fascination for the mounts of Arab kings, sheykhs and other leaders, and I pay particular attention to the photos featuring them — this one by Gerald de Gaury of King Ali of Hijaz, the last … Read more
Tunisian Arabians
We need a concerted, sustained c ollective effort to save what remains of the Asil Tunisian Arabians before the French invasion for racetrack pseudo-Arabian makes is too late. This is the gorgeous 1963 Kuhaylat al-Ajuz mare Naziha (Chetoui x Chouka by Ibn and Idara by Ibn Fayda and Selma by Azem and Isaoub by Negrach).
Mokhtar winning the Latakia race in 1993
I scanned this archive photo of a famous event among Syrian horse breeders, the Latakia race of 1993, which I attended with my father. Arabians from all over the country and neighboring ones flocked to this national event, the first of its kind on such a scale. This is a photo of the finish line of the … Read more
Thalia CF yesterday morning
Jeannie Lieb took this beautiful photo of Thalia CF (Javera Thadrian x Bint Dharebah by Monsoon). She looks so much like her sire Thadrian, and his sister Cheslea, and his other sister Janet.
An early photo of the Davenport stallion Letan, a Hamdani Ibn Ghurab
I had not seen this photo of Letan (*Muson x *Jedah) before, but now I understand who some of the pretty faced grey Davenport stallions, like Tantris CF, and Quatrain CF, took after. It comes from Dharebah, through Dhrareb, a son of Letan.
Thalia’s Front Hooves: 2wks and the Rehab is happening
These photos illustrate how the horse grows a new hoof with correct mechanics if it is set up by the trimmer to heal itself. Thalia’s front hooves were first trimmed by me 2 weeks ago on January 12. I waited 2 weeks and did a touch-up trim on those front hooves today and took new … Read more
Laminits and And The Consequences: Thalia
Thalia’s hooves. Where do I begin? I knew she’d had laminitis (active) in mid-October 2015 due to eyewitness reports. What I’ve discovered, now that she is with me, is she has been having laminitis attacks, off and on, for at least a year. And without supportive care. The coffin bones (P3) in her front hooves … Read more
Meet Thalia CF 1992gm, Davenport, A Rehabilitation Project
Meet Thalia CF, a 23yo 100% Davenport mare of very old lines whom Edouard stepped up to give a home to and also hopes to get a foal from in the future. He officially became her owner when I recently picked her up in Virginia and brought her to my place for “rehabilitation”. All Edouard … Read more
Hay Analysis: What the output looks like
Above on the left is the relevant portion of the output provided you by Equi-Analytical for their (601) Equi-Tech hay analysis. For purposes of education I also added a test for Selenium (not part of the Equi-Tech analysis). I already know I live, and my hay comes from, a selenium deficient area of the United States (and Canada where this … Read more
Jamr at 3.5 years and Wadd at 4.5
Equally asil but very different.
Young friends
Stan, now 10 years old (big boy!) and Haykal, 5 months, are equally handsome and are good friends.
Mouna, 2003 Shuwaymah mare in Tunisia
Walid’s mare, Mouna (Kesseb x Mamdouha by Ilamane), a 2000 grey, is one of the last, if not the last, asil Shuwaymah Sabbah in Tunisia (Tosca line back to Primevere, a foundation mare of the Tiaret Stud in Algeria). She is special in that she is a younger mare that is very close to the desert … Read more
Rishat Khudr al-Khawwaf
Still digging into photo archives from ten years ago. These two pictures of the beautiful Rishah Shar’abiyah mare of Khudr al-Khawwaf, taken at sunset in October 2005 near Qamishli, Syria are one of them. Her dam is a daughter of al-Aawar, and the strain traces to the marbat of Hawwash al-Hatmi of the ‘Abdah clan of … Read more
Al Ameer Dahess, Shuwayman Sabbah stallion in Syria
This is one of the few photos I snapped of the young stallion Al Ameer Dahess (Dahess x Mari by al-Aawar) in Garhok, north-eastern Syria in 2005. He is the sire of the Syrian stallion in France Dahess Hassaka (below).
Fairytale Gizah
The hamlet of al-Talibiyah near Gizah in 1931. How did such beauty give way to ugliness? From the Facebook archives of Ahl Misr Zaman.
WAHO 2017 Conference is in Bahrain
Check out the link here.
Bushra, Ju’aythiniyah from the Tahawi, now Al Khamsa mare
Yasser Ghanem’s beautiful and powerful Ju’aythiniyah mare, of Tahawi bloodlines and going back to the ‘Anazah Bedouins, is now Al Khamsa, since October 2015.
Nutrition: Dental Visit #2 Case Study Elegance CF 2001gm
What a difference a dental visit makes! Before I show pictures of Elegance’s teeth before and after her dental work, let me first show an equine dental numbering chart : The Triadan system in the horse. Based on an image supplied by David Crossley My previous post showed Elegance’s upper left premolars and molars having a 45 degree … Read more
Mares and colt grazing this afternoon
To the left, “Lady” (CSA Baroness Lady), 1999 grey Ma’naqiyah Sbayliyah and her colt by Monologue CF, to the right, “Ginger” (DA Ginger Moon), 1998 chestnut Saqlawiyah Jadraniyah, barren from Bahraini Mlolshaan stallion. Below, the Ma’naqi colt, who is absolute stallion material. Compare with the last photo, feauting his sire Monologue CF
Belle this afternoon
Belle — Jadah BelloftheBall — is showing her pregnancy and looking good. I bet that’s thanks to the wonder diet you recommended for her, Jeannie Lieb. None of my other horses looked as good this afternoon.
The best blood in the world: Quamar El Leil, asil Arabian stallion from Algeria
When growing up in the Middle East, I would always look forward to the prospect of hearing the whinny of stallions in the stables, farms and racetracks, and it was an integral part of the experience of turning stallions loose in paddocks. Seeing this video brought this experience back to mind. It also made me realize … Read more
Broodmares at Craver Farms in 2002
Pirouette CF in the center (and the center of my interest back then), Wisteria to the right, turning her back and acting like the aloof princess she is, and unidentified chestnut mares at Craver Farms in 2002. Click to enlarge.
Brassband in 2002 at Craver Farms
I am not sure I posted this photo before, but it shows Brassband (Plantagenet x Tyrebah) at Craver Farms, with my father in 2002. Click to enlarge.
Another photo of Flourishes CF
With owner Gail Wells.
Enter Flourishes CF
One of the most striking stallions bred at Craver Farms is the 2001 grey Flourishes CF (Lydian x Fragrance by Regency) with Randal Abler and Gail Wells in Georgia. Jeanne Craver, Jenny Krieg and Darlene Summers who saw him on the way back from the Al Khamsa Convention In Floriad were all taken by him. … Read more
Vice Regent CF last week
Vice Regent CF (Regency x Violetta by Salutation) is the sire of my Jamr, out of Jadiba. He will be 24 years old now. Photos by Jeanne Craver last week. He looks regal. I love that big eye (wish Jamr had inherited that).
The regretted Carver DE, asil Saqlawi Jadran stallion
Carver DE, a Saqlawi Jadran stallion of old Doyle/Crabbet lines, gone too soon. Photo by Lucy Doyle.
Sayfia, Wadeeha’s daughter
This mare is the daughter of the mare featured in the entry below. Same breeder, a Bedouin of the Fad’aan. I had written about her breeding in the early times of this blog, here.
Wadeehah, asil Ma’naqiyah Sbayliyah in Syria, 1997
New scans, taken in 1997, of Wadeehah, 27 years old, the Ma’naqiyah Sbayliyah from Atiyah Abu Sayfayn at Kamal Abd al-Khaliq outside Aleppo. An outstanding mare, born under a tent, and one of purest in Syria.
The mare of Emir Abdallah of Transjordan in 1934
Rehan Ud Din Baber has this amazing Facebook page where he displays dozens of pictures of desert Arabian horses in their original environment. Most of the photos are from the US Library of Congress Digital Archives. My absolute favorite is this photo of the mare of Emir Abdullah of Transjordan. The photo, taken by John D. Whiting, has … Read more
Tajar “Hunyadi”
Gudrun Waiditschka has this nice article on her website about the stallion Tajar 1811 of Count Jozsef Hunyadi, a foundation stallion of European breeding imported from Egypt by Baron Von Fechtig to the Austro-Hungarian empire. Tajar was from the stud of the Mamluk Murad Bey. He does not have lines in Al Khamsa today.
Ode to the black lady — twenty years on
I was unpacking today and I found my negatives’ scanner in a box I had not opened in years. I also came across some old negatives from the days of our travels to Syria, my father and I, to see desert Arabian horses, so I scanned them. These times did not feel particularly blessed back … Read more
Old, asil Kuhaylat al-Khdili from ‘Anazah
Also from my scans is this photo of old Leelas, the Kuhaylah Khdiliyah (an ‘Ajuz branch, highly esteemed in the Syrian desert) of ‘Abbud ‘Ali al-‘Amud of the ‘Aqaydat Bedouins, which he got from ‘Udayb al-Waqqa’ of the ‘Anazah. He was so attached to her, he would not sell her at any price, even though … Read more
A snapshot from beautiful Biqa’ valley in Lebanon
I took this photo in the early 1990s, on one of the trips my father and I used to take to the Biqa’ valley of Lebanon to see our horses. A flock of sheep grazing in the morning sunrise.
My kind of head on an Arabian horse
I have been saying it over and over, but the Kuhaylah Hayfiyah mare FinDeSiecle CF, with Jeannie Lieb, has one of the most beautiful heads I have seen on an Arabian horse. It’s perfection, in my opinion. The eyelashes, the muzzle, the deep jaws, the proportion. A case study.
Wadd October 2015
He is growing nicely. Just in July he was still a big colt, a bit clumsy; now he is a young stallion. He put up quite a show, and has some of the trotting and prancing action of his sire Triermain.
Solenn on Wadha!
The day before yesterday marked a milestone in my breeding career: it was the first time I horse I bred (Wadha in 2010) was ridden by a girl I bred (Solenn in 2012). Solenn was feeling very proud, and it was the first time Wadha was around children, let alone being ridden by someone other … Read more
Beirut racetrack at the beginnings
There is a very nice Facebook page about the Beirut racetrack at its beginnings, when it was called “Hippodrome des Pins”. It’s full of historical pictures. Here is one of my favorites, which came with the following caption: “The first race meeting was held on 06.10.1921 at the Hippodrome: the meeting consisted of 4 races, … Read more
Introducing Haykal, 2015 Ma’naqi Sbayli colt
It’s time for little Haykal Al Arab, born two months ago — on August 11, 12.30 am — to make his online debut. He was born three weeks early, so I waited till he grew stronger before showing pictures. He is by Monologue CF out of CSA Baroness Lady (Sab El Dine x Takelma Rosanna). … Read more
Raoui, 1965 asil stallion from Tunisia
A rare photo of the Tunisian stallion Raoui (Cheikh El Ourbane x Bornia by Loubieh x Benti by Ibn Fayda I) has surfaced on the Internet, and I just gleaned it and saved it here. He was a great racehorse, winning 19 races in Tunisia. He was the son of the last desert-bred stallion imported to … Read more