Does anyone know anyone who knows anyone who did an update on Miss Ott’s list of Sub-List *Nureddin’s? The task is daunting, and I don’t want to reinvent the wheel. I am curious to see what’s left that is otherwise Al Khamsa eligible.. Just out of curiosity.
Photos by Chris Emmert, taken at the 2007 Al Khamsa Convention in Paso Robles, CA. Polynesia LD, a 1993 bay Saqlawiyah Jidraniyah, is one of the glories of the late Carol Lyons’ “Sharp” program (Al Khamsa Arabians with no Blunt ancestry). As mentioned in the comment thread on his entry, her dam was a granddaughter of Mista-Bin. The gray with her is the Blue Star yearling filly Awasef, a ‘Ubayyan who is tail female to *Muhaira, previously discussed here.
A beautiful photo of the 1962 stallion Fa Knight (Fa Turf x Konight by Kaniht), a grandson of the desert-bred import *Turfa and a great grand-son of the desert-bred import *Samirah.
This is the first time I see a decent picture of this stallion, who is in the pedigree of two mares I have leased. They really have the same body shape as him.
From Fabienne Vesco in France comes this photo of the Jilfan Dhawi stallion Aftan Beni Sakr (Hortal El Din x Tahiz Beni Sakr by Jahir)
This 2005 video by Carol Mingst features some of the nicest Davenport Arabian stallions and mares on the US West Coast, all from Craver Farms: Betty Ball’s Dubloon CF (Lysander x Decibel); Michael Bowling’s glorious Trilogy (Prince Hal x Trill) and also Shiraz CF (Regency CF x Ariadne CF); Diane Lyons’ En Pointe CF (Triermain CF x Pirouette CF), Carrie Cabak’s Nuance CF (Odysseus x Audacity), and Lustre CF (Javera Thadrian x Audacity). It also shows some of Michael Bowling Davenport colts.
The informal working group on the Arabian horses of the Tahawi in Egypt is unearthing new written and oral evidence of the Tahawi horses day after day. Stay tuned for two upcoming stories on the French/Tunisian desert bred stallion Nasr, a Saqlawi Shaifi from the Tahawi, and the US import *Malouma, a Kuhaylah Nawwaqiyah also from Tahawi breeding.
Another one of the nice tail female *Muhaira horses is the asil ‘Ubayyan stallion El Rabih (Al Felluje x Sharifa Abkar by Famaje), bred by Buddy Argo, and owned by Susan Whitman until his death in 2008.
I am a big fan of the asil Arabians that trace to the ‘Ubayyan mare *Muhaira. I believe she is as important an influence as *Turfa in US pedigrees, especially the ones close to the desert. The mare below, Maur Halawa (Arrogaance x Maur Blue Treasure by Arrogaance), bred by Maureen Matheson, is one of these tail female *Muhaira mares, and is very reminiscent of the good desert-bred broodmares that I recall when growing up in Lebanon and Syria.
Jeanne Craver sent me this link with amazing pictures of Egypt in the 1870s.
Since it’s that time of the year, and my work is leaving me a few minutes to breathe, here are photos of another new 2012 arrival, the filly Qoreibet, daughter of the Syrian stallion Hussam al-Shamal and of the Shuwaymat Sabbah mare Qhadidja (Ourki x Quejala by Fawzan), from the breeding program of Adrien Deblaise in France, and traces to Moroccan lines.
Also from Kim Davi’s Krush program comes the mare HH Karisma Krush (Othello LD x Kashmir Krush by Sportin Life), bred by Carol Lyons in 2005… … the 2001 mare HH Sonata Krush (Preseus KF x Sarra Al Krushah by Asar Al Krush) … and the 2009 daughter HH Serafina Krush, by Quantum LD as well as the 2009 stallion HH Tantalus Krush (Quantum LD x Kashmir Krush by Sportin Life) and finally, the new colt’s sister, the 2010 filly Sabella Al Krush (Pulcher Ibn Reshan x HH Nadira Krush), who is also very promising Many of Kim’s horses also trace to Jackson Hensley’s old-established Kuhaylan Krush program.. and some of the exchanges between the two programs are pretty recent.
Kim Davis shared with me these photos of very promising young Kuhaylan al-Krush colt from her “marbat”. He is now about a month old is by her stallion HH Solstice Krush (Brass Band x Sarra Al Krushah) and the mare HH Nadira Krush (RC Janub Krush x Naufali Al Krush).
Also from British Pathé comes this short movie of some of the stallions at the Kellogg Ranch in California; if you can’t find it, type “British Pathé” in Google; click on the site, and search for “Arabian Horses”. RJ Cadranell and Michael Bowling have identified most of the stallions here, too.
Just a dropping a couple of lines to say that I look forward to reading the upcoming Khamsat, which includes — an article on Vanishing Lines (*Al Mashoor and Euphrates, represented by the mare Sarita Bint Raj), — ground-breaking research article by R.J. Cadranell about the Abbas Pasha mare Ghazieh (one of the best articles I have read on Abbas Pasha horses in years, based on original documentation), — a write up by Jeanne Craver of my presentation at last year’s Al Khamsa Convention in Pennsylvania, on a case study of a modern Syrian line (the Shuwayman Sabbah of the Jarba Shammar) and its link to US imports of the 19th and 20th century. — a report by Rosemary Doyle on the WAHO Conference in Qatar. It’s nice to see this small, self-funded publication featuring so many cutting edge topics in one issue. I love the spirit the Khamsat embodies. Homegrown, volonteer based, yet global in it reach and cutting edge in its coverage.
This afternoon, Jeanne Craver some of us this wonderful footage of Crabbet stallions in 1922 (click here) . Nasik and Raseem are featured among others. I have watched four times already. What a delight to see these stallions moving. I really want to know who the second stallion in the circle is, the one with the high tail carriage.
If you have a Facebook account, click here and take a look at this wonderful slideshow of photographs of the Jordanian Majali Bedouins in the 1940s, taken by Australian photographers Frank Hurley. Wow. Only the Raswan photo collection comes close to the beauty of these pictures. Link shared by Majid al-Sayigh. Let me know if the link works.
Anita Enander sent me this very interesting study on the “Genetic Structure of Nomadic Bedouin from Kuwait“. It’s about people, not horses.
A recent photo of the 2006 Dahman Shahwan stallion DB Ibn Najem Huda at the stud of Rodger Vance Davis in Illinois. The rider in the photo is the Davis’ head trainer, Sarah Sanders who has been preparing him to be another one of her demo horses in her Ride with Excellence clinics. Photo by Lone Oak Photography.
Also from Teymur comes this photo of the 1981 Turkish Arabian mare Almimruhiye.16 of the precious Kuhaylan al-Mimrah marbat of the Shaqfah family in Hama, Syria. The hujjah of her ancestress in the tail female, the original Almumruhiye is on the WAHO website, under “General Interest” then under “Turkish Stud Book Report”, and is reproduced below. She was purchased in the Syrian city of Hama in 1936 at the age of 5. Allah Almighty said in his precious book Q’uran ‘The love of passion that comes from women and children has attracted mankind, as well as accumulated gold and silver treasures, pedigreed horses, livestock and crops.’ The Asil Horses are blessed and valued for that Allah Almighty mentioned them many times in his precious book. The Republic of Turkey purchased from Hama by the help of Ali Saif Aldeem from the people of Hama some Asil Horses. Among them is the chestnut Kehaileh Mimrehieh, her family tree is shown above. We witness that her fourth grandmother the bay is the mare of Hilal Bin Adnan from the Sbaah (Anezeh) and her father is Ma’anagi Sbeli. At Anezeh, she gave birth to the chestnut Kehaileh Mimrehieh whose father is the Ma’anagi Sbeli,…
Kurus, known in Turkey as Baba Kurus and in Lebanon as Krush Halba, was born in the Syrian desert in 1921, first became the foundation stallion of the racing-oriented Lebanese Arabian horse breeding program and was then exported to Turkey where he also founded the Turkish Arabian horse breeding program. Here a photo of a daughter of his, courtesy of Teymur from Turkey. She is SÜBEYHI.4., Grey 1936, Mare, Strain: MANEKIYE SÜBEYHI. Sire: KURUSH.1921 OA (Baba Kuru?) , Grey. Dam: SÜBEYHI.2.1929, Grey.
I have been telling you about that Hamdani Simri line in Europe, the one from the mare Sobha of Ali Pasha Sharif, which went to the Crabbet Stud and eventually to the Courthouse Stud. A Hungarian preservation breeder, Laszlo Kiraly, bought what seems to be the last three registered asil mares from that line, Saraly El Shahin. The other two still need to be located. There might be a couple more who are not registered. The mares have been through a lot, after leaving the care of their breeder and last preservation owner, Penelope Pembleton. Laszlo sent me pictures of Saralee, who is still recovering and still in poor shape, some of which are below. I also found some pictures of one of Saralee’s ancestors in the tail female, the beautiful and very desert-like Courthouse mare Somra II (Fedaan x Safarjal by Rasim). He sire was the desert-bred Saqlawi Jadran of Ibn Zubayni stallion Fedaan, imported by Mr Clark of the Courthouse Stud to the UK in the 1920s. With desert-bred, well authenticated, beautiful grey horses like Fedaan and Mirage in the UK in the 1920s, there was really no need for Skowronek. Oh well.
Ten days ago, on April 8th, Pamela Klein drove to Pine Grove PA, with her Kuhaylan Hayfi stallion Aurene CF (Triermain CF x Aureole CF by Fair Sir) pictured below, and he bred the Kuhaylat al-Krush mare Bint al-Barra (ASF David x Mystalla by San Luis Jacob).
Monologue CF (Riposte CF x Soliloquy CF by Regency CF) is coming along, and is closer to what he used to look like some years ago. I hope he will breed a couple mares this year.
The best news for 2012 on the preservation front came yesterday from Hungary, and I am not quite over it yet. Preservation breeder Laszlo Kiraly was able to acquire a precious treasure: the 18 year old Hamdaniyah Simriyah mare Saralee El Shahin (Ansata Aly Jamil x Saree, by Salaa El Dine x Selmah by Shakhs x Sappho by Bleinheim), one of the two or three European asil descendants left to the Ali Pasha Sherif mare Sobha (Wazir x Selma). From a sheer preservation perspective, this mare is precious is so many ways: first, because of its tail female; second, because of the extraordinarily high amount of Ali Pasha Sherif bloodlines she carries through her great grand dam Sappho (Bleinheim x Selima by Bahram x Siwa II by Rheoboam) pictured below; third, because of the two lines she carries to the asil Courthouse Stud desert bred imports Nimr and Fedaan, who have virtually disappeared from the global asil gene pool (save for another line in South Africa to Nimr but also to the third Courthouse desert bred import Atesh); fourth, because of the last asil line left to the Blunt desert import Meshura; fifth, because this is the only asil Crabbet damline…
Today Wisteria CF left the care of Craver Frams in the trailer of her proud new owner Kathy Busch. Along with her rode Enchante CF (Zachary x Velveteen by Sir). I am sad to see Wisteria go but I am very happy that Kathy is the one who has her now, because Kathy keeps her horses for a long time and takes great care of them. Wisteria leaves behind a colt and a filly, and I could not wish for more. I am also forever grateful to Charles and Jeanne Craver for having kept her at their place, after selling her to me, and having taken such good care of her over the past five years. The day before, Javera Chelsea (Thane x HB Diandra by Mariner) and Dakhala Sahra (Plantagenet x Soiree by Sir) left Craver Farms to go to Tom and Jess Maiyer in Galion, Ohio, for embryo transfer.
Hussain Ghasemi sent me these head shots of the 1999 Hamdani stallion Jenan (Assad x Venus by Dowran) in Iran. Many of his ancestors including the Arras, Samarquand, and Dowran have been featured here before.
I am off to Morocco this weekend, for about a week, so these two pictures of a stallion partly of Moroccan Arabian lines are fitting. This is Fabienne Vesco’s Djoar Beni Sakr (Jahir x Loubia bint Breek by Breek), a Jilfan Dhawi by strain, as a younger horse, and as a 16 year old stallion. Both his maternal grandparents, Breek and Rihya, came to France from Morocco with Jean Deleau, and trace to combined Egyptian, Tunisian and French lines. The French born stallion Agres (photo below, by Sumeyr x Altise by Abel x Attique by Méat), which was a sire at the Moroccan Royal stables, and traces to a Hamdaniyah Simriyah mares imported from Syria, is well represented in his pedigree.
Another Hanad son is the 1930 ‘Ubayyan Sharrak stallion Sanad (Hanad x Saba by *Deyr). I had never seen a picture before. Here’s one, not very good.
Here’s a photo of three sons of the influential mare Domow (registered as *Abu Zeyd x *Wadduda, but may well have been *Astraled x *Wadduda), all three important early American Arabian horse sire. Check out their names: Mahomet, Abu-Selim, and Ahamed. What a change in the culture between then and now: now the big names are Versace, Armani, and other haute couture references. It signals a shift in the marketing and perception of the Arabian horse: from an animal connected with its original Arab environment and simple Bedouin culture, to a global luxury consumption good. Yikes.
This 1948 Hanad son, out of Chairmain (Abu-Selim x Aatika by Tabab) is in the pedigree of two of the mares I am trying to preserve today: the full sisters Bint al-Barra and Cinnabar Myst. Mainad traces to *Urfah in the tail female and has two lines to the desert-bred import *Azra, a Saqlawi Ubayri from the Fad’aan Bedouins.
One of the only Davenport horses to stay out of the preservation adventure launched by Charles Craver, Fred Mimmack, Reba Troxell and a handful others in the 1950s and 1960s was the 1955 stallion Sunny Acres Darius (Ibn Hanad x Gamil by Kasar), bred by Margaret Shuey. I never had the chance to ask why this was so. All but three of his offspring were non-asil.
A minute of walk at the end of a nice workout. He’s a work in progress, of course, but I’m enjoying the steady improvement.
I have mentioned the 1982 “war mare” LD Rubic (Plantagenet x Tarrla by Tarff) a number of times on this blog. She is the kind of mare I wish I had owned or bred. She is a great-grand-daughter of the desert bred mare *Nufoud, a Kuhaylat al-‘Ajuz from the Saud royal studs. *Nufoud was imported to the USA by Albert Harris in 1932 through Amin Rihani. At that time, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was still the Sultanate of Najd and Hijaz. She is also a great-grand-daughter of another Saudi royal mare, *Turfa. LD Rubic was bred by the late Carol Lyons out of the last Al Khamsa mare of that strain, Tarrla. Carol saved that line and many others from extinction. Rubic left two sons and five daughters: of the sons, Salil Ibn Iliad produced a number of asil mares here and there. He is getting older. The other son AB Razeel, is younger but has not had progeny as far as I know. The five daughters of the LD Rubic are: MSF Rubie, Bint Rubic CHF, MSF Shamis, AB Dafiinah, and Belladonna CHF. MSF Rubie is a problem breeder, and has not had a foal in a long…
This stallion is still going at 31 years old. A direct son of mare Sahanad (Abu Hanad x Sahabet by Tanatra), a Saqlawiyat al-‘Abd tracing to the desert-bred *Wadduda, and sired by the Egyptian sire Khemahr Moniet (Khemahr x Khe Miss Moniet by Ibn Moniet El Nefous), he is a foundation sire for the Sahanad Preservation Group that was built around that mare. Photo from the Howard photo collection, with Robin Howard handling the stallion.
A handsome horse of old Blunt lines, the 1929 Ma’naqi Sbayli stallion Farana (Nasik x Farasin by Rasim) stood at the Kellogg Ranch in California. He was a popular sire, but is barely represented in modern asil breeding today. I know Rebecca Quick has a line to him through the 1944 Kuhaylat Rodan mare Suebe (Feyd by Farana, x Gisela by Akil x Shemseh by Nasik x Rifla by Rasim), who was double Nasik. There is also a line to him through Milanne (Feyd x Kishta by Akil). The line still goes in tail female, through Milanne who also goes back to Ferida, but I feel it’s lost its type as a result of being diluted in an ocean of Egyptian blood. I feel that the Blunts could have made a better use of this Ma’naqi Sbayli line to Ferida while the line was still at Crabbet and before to migrated to the US. If I am not mistaken, the first stallion from this line at Crabbet was Faris (Nureddin II x Fejr).
The other day I was look at the remaining asil lines to the legendary stallion Hanad in the United States. I came across his lines through the mare Schiba (Hanad x Shilan by Antez), who was one of the foundation mares for the Krausnick’s Shar Char Farms. The line produced well for the Krausnicks (Mistlany, Shar Hiba, Shar Moliah and Char Mist come to mind), but has become very thin today, especially in the tail female. Then I remembered that at least two mares from this line were exported to Germany and become the foundations for Dr. Walter Olms’ Hamasa Stud: Shar Duda (Negem x Shar Hiba by Fa Turf) and Shar Zarqa (Negem x Shar Turfa by Fa Turf), who is below. The same day, Monique from the Netherlands sent me a message asking me to highlight the stallion Maamoon Tarik (Maamoon Ibn Gazala x Hamasa Tulayha by Tufail) who is from the line. He has two lines to the two mars from Schiba that were exported from the USA to Germany, including one in the tail female, but also a line to Faziza (Fa Turf x Azyya by Kenur), who also came from the Krausnicks to Germany, and graces…
My young daughter on Cinnabar Myst (ASF David x Mystalla), a Kuhaylat Krush tracing to *Werdi and many other old lines, two weeks ago.
The Al Khamsa Preservation Task Force has put together a “Code Red” list of the most endangered Al Khamsa bloodlines, which consists of those Foundation Horses (that is, desert-bred imports) that have less than 100 descendants alive today. Here is the link. By order of scarcity — and hence, emergency — these are those that count less than 20 Al Khamsa descendants alive today: 1. *Al Mashoor 1. *Euphrates 1. *Mlolshaan Hajar Solomon 4. *La Tisa, *Mahsuda, and *Mohalhil 5. *Layya 6. The Babolna/Weil horses 7. *Samirah 8. Kesia I, Kesia II and Mameluke 9. *Bedowiya Al Hamdani and Walid El Seglawi 10. *Azra Jenny Krieg is leading the preservation of the first three (with Cathy Fye on *Mlolshaan) and #5 (also with Michelle Tennyson); The 4 left from #4 are with Candace Callegari; the #6 with Marilyn McHallam in Canada; the #7 between Stephanie Theinert and the Institute for the Desert Arabian Horse; the #9 are with Edie Booth; and I am handling #8 and #10, with some of the latter also with Elizabeth Ford Pade, that other quiet hero. Note that one horse can combine several of these extremely rare lines. For instance, the first two are found…
Don’t you just love the tail carriage on that horse? HR Judaan (Fadaan x Jusera by Julyan) is 50% Julyan (Julep x Bint Maaroufa) and as such carries two close lines to Gulastra (Astraled x Gulnare) and a total of 10 lines to Astraled. See how reminiscent that is of his double great grandsire Julep (Gulastra x Aziza).
A lady from Illinois recently sent me these snapshots of Wilbur Coates Ma’naqi Sbayli stallion Dakhala Sabiq (Prince Hal x Sirrulya by HJulyan), bred by Jeanne Craver. They were taken at a local show in Illinois. I now own Sabiq’s niece, Dakhala Sahra, by Plantagenet out of Soiree by Sir x Sirrulya. I must say that this specific type of Arabian horse strikes a strong cord with me, because it’s reminiscent of the horses of my childhood, the ones I learned to ride on. The horse riding clubs around Beirut were full of former racehorses that hailed from Syria, had moderate or no success on the racetrack — which by then was dominated by the part-bred Arabs from Iraq. so the asils had no chance of winning — and ended their careers as children mounts. Each club appeared to have its own old grey Arabian horse, a dream-like individual of regal type, worthy of Cindarella’s carriage that was the favorite of all the children. In East Beirut during the civil war (1975-1990), it was Sultan, on whom I learned to ride ( I will try to dig up a photo); in West Beirut after the war (1991-2000) it was Burhan,…
Chapter IV: “Visit to the Sabaah”, Gleanings from the Desert of Arabia, 1881.
My friend Jenny Krieg has suggested the Kuhaylan Hayfi stallion Port Angeles CF (Portico x Aureole CF) as a horse I might want to consider breeding from in the spring. He is a brother of Porte CF from his sire, and a brother of Aurene CF from his dam. Here is a photo, gleaned off the website of his owner Randall Abler, at Eden Arabian Farms in Georgia.
It’s that exciting time of the year when one starts to make plans for breeding the mares, before budget constrains kick in.. and this year there are many more mares at the virtual Aldahdah stud.. So here’s the wish list: — K. Haifi: Javera Chelsea to Triermain CF, the next best alternative to full brother/sister mating since Javera Thadrian, Triermain’s sire and Chelsea’s brother, died. — Ma’naqi Sbayli: Dakhala Sahra also to Triermain CF, so as not to add any new bloodlines into this line, and change the existing type (Sahra is by Plantagenet, out of a Sir daughter). Her own son Rahim Regency WAF (by Regency CF) would have been nice, but it looks difficult to pull through, given her age (27). Both matings by embryo transfer. — K. Haifi: Wisteria CF: many options possible: Porte CF (Portico x Recherche), Aurene CF (a half brother and close relative, by Triermain CF x Aureole CF) within the strain, in addition to her own sire Triermain, like last year, because I was pleased with the outcome; Mi Majest Prince (Fair Sir x Fairy Princess, 50% Tripoli) would also be nice, if he were set to ship from; outside the strain, the list is endless:…
by Adrien Deblaise Two photos of the Tiaret bred mare Malika, a Jilfat al-Dhawi, b. 1949, by Masbout d.b., out of Themis, by Bango d.b., out of Abaka by Ghazi d.b. The grand-dam of the stallion Jahir discussed below.
Two photos of the Tiaret bred mare Malika, a Jilfat al-Dhawi, b. 1949, by Masbout d.b., out of Themis, by Bango d.b., out of Abaka by Ghazi d.b. The grand-dam of the stallion Jahir discussed below.
Teymur from Germany sent me these photos of the very correct and well balanced stallion Akman, an Arabian horse of Turkish breeding. I know close to nothing about the pedigree, except that that the tail female mare, Matra, a bay 1927 Ma’naqiyah came to Turkey from the Bagdad area in 1931, and was bred by a certain Husayn al-Ali (of which there are a million people with the same name in Iraq). Here is a link to his pedigree. Thanks Teymur.
The 1976 stallion Kamil Ibn Sahanad (Kamil ibn Salan x Sahanad by Abu Hanad), pictured below at the ripe old age of 25, was the last direct tail female descendant of entirely Davenport bloodlines of the desert-bred Saqlawiyat al-‘Abd mare *Wadduda, imported by Homer Davenport to the USA in 1906. He was a son of the beautiful black mare Sahanad, often mentioned on this blog. She has other sons and daughters, including the stallion Black Lightning (Khemahr Moniet x Sahanad) who I think is still alive. His blood represents an out-cross to current Davenport lines, and the one descendant of his I saw, the 1998 mare JEN Beauty A Saha (Sergeant Major CF x Sida Saha by Kamil Ibn Sahanad), now boarded at Craver Farms, is significantly different from other Davenport horses I have seen.
Following the discussion about the Jahir son Murad Ghazi, below, I found the following photos online, of his half brother Djelid (Jahir x Djenissa, by Doum x Djayda, by Shawani x Miloudia, by Moulouki x M’Rabbia, by Saadi x Hammada by Madani), a stallion in central France, who is bred very closely within the Mauvy lines, with three lines to the Mauvy foundation mare Zarifa, two to Izarra, and one in the tail female to Hammada, the latter two coming from the Cordonnier stud in Tunisia. His strain is Mukhallad (Mokladie, as spelled in French), tracing to Merjane, imported to France from the Naqab/Sinai desert.
Trish Stockhecke’s two Krushat mares are now with me, on lease. I went to see them yesterday. Both are strongly built mares of the “Old American” type, with a pedigree straight out of the 1950s that also jumps back to the early 1900s in three or four generations. That’s how I like my pedigrees. Look at this one line of genealogy, for instance: Bint Al-Barra (that’s one of the two mares, photo below, b. 1991), was sired by ASF David (b. 1966); his dam was Dihkenna (b. 1946), whose sire was Gharis (b. 1927), a son of Abu Zeyd (b. 1904). I don’t know how many living Arabian horses trace back to the mythical Abu Zeyd (Mesaoud x Rose Diamond) in just four generations. The early American sires Mainad (b. 1948, by Hanad x Charmain by Abu-Selim), a great grandsire, and Royal Amber (b. 1938 by Ribal x Babe Azab by Letan), a great-great-grandsire, are not too far away, either. The pedigree is essentially half Babson/Brown and half very early American foundation bloodstock (Davenport, Crabbet, Harris, Borden, Huntington, Hamidie, etc.), with almost every Al Khamsa Ancestral Element represented, including the Borden one, the rarest of all (that’s the line to Kesia,…
This morning Adrien Deblaise, from France, sent me two photos of his superb stallion, Murad Ghazy. Ghazy was bred by Louis Bauduin, by Jahir (Iricho x Ciada by Ghalbane, d.b.), out of Murad Hadra (Medicq Allah x Hamada by Irmak), of Algerian and Tunisian lines. He traces to all three Cordonnier-bred stallions (Iricho, In Chaallah, Irmak) the French Government brought from Tunisia in the 1960s, sparking a small revival of asil Arabian breeding in France. Note also the not-so-distant line to the great desert import Nibeh in Murad Ghazy’s pedigree: Murad Ghazy — Murad Hadra — Medicq Allah — Medica — Meziana — Messina — Nibeh.
Many of you have been writing to or hearing about Yasser al-Tahawi who is one of the main persons behind the recent revelations about the original horses of the Tahawi tribe. Well here’s a picture of him, riding bareback on his Kuhaylah Ju’athiniyah mare Bushra.
Fabienne Vesco, from France, shared these two informative videos about Barb and Arabian horse breeding in North Africa. It mainly talks about Arabian horses in the context of Arab Barb breeding for remounts, but also in the context of preservation breeding. Le Barbe – Cheval Des Berbères – Part 1 by NacirAdhrar Le Barbe – Cheval Des Berbères – Part 2 by NacirAdhrar
Teymur from Germany sent me this picture of the Arabian mare Cehide (pronounce it Jahidah), born in 1915. She was at the Ottoman Sultans’ stables until she joined the Turkish state studs when the Empire era came to an end. She was a Saqlawiyah Jadraniyah by a Saqlawi Jadran.
Hussain Ghashemi from Iran sent these pictures from Iran. Not an Arabian horse obviously, but a gorgeous specimen of an Iranian Turkmen horse.
I think I may have already written that this mare was one of my favorite living asil mares, on pedigree, on photo, and in real life (I saw her at Carol Lyons in 2003 or was it 2004? I don’t remember): En Pointe CF is a war mare the likes of which seldom exist today. An ‘atiq (antique, ancient in Arabic) mare of the ancient desert type, reminiscent in her style and class of the Old Blunt mares of the Rodania tail female like Risala and Rissla. Her dam Pirouette CF is my all time favorite living Davenport mare, and her sire Triermain CF is my favorite living Davenport stallion. Her double grandsire Javera Thadrian is simply my all time favorite asil Arabian stallion in the West (but you knew that already). By the way, I do believe that linebreeding to Javera Thadrian does produce outstanding horses. En Pointe CF is one example; Tantris CF is another, and my own Wadha (Javera Thadrian x Wisteria CF by Triermain CF, by Javera Thadrian) and Wadd (Triermain CF x Wisteria CF by Triermain CF) are not bad at all, either. Not sure who owns her today, but she is lucky.
Cindy, who trains the stallions at Desert Bred Arabians in Illinois sent me this impressive video of the horses of Rodger and Mimi Davis displaying their versatile athletic skills. Just watch it.. and watch it again.
I really like this small photo of the Kuhaylan Haifi stallion Fair Sair (Sir x Lady Fair by Tripoli), whom I saw at Alice Martin’s in 2005. I find him very reminiscent of his grandson Aurene CF (Triermain CF x Aureole by Fair Sir), who is at Pamela Klein’s.
Tomorrow I am going to Tunisia for work, for a week. Back next Saturday.