Clarifying my use of the term “Asil”

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The term Asil in the Arabic language means “pure”, “authentic” and “original” all at once. In principle, all Arabian horses should be Asil.   Either Arabians horses are “pure”, “original”, and “authentic” (Asil), or they are not Arabians, but partbreds. Arabians just cannot be a little bit Asil.  Still, things are not that simple! Most Arabian horses studbooks around the world include horses … Read more

El Sbaa and the last Asil horses of France

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Look at the picture of the magnificent El Sbaa below: a French government commission led by M. Rieu de Madron purchased this Asil Ma’anaghi Sbayli stallion straight from the desert [correction: from Cairo, Egypt] in 1925. El Sbaa stood at the Stud of Pompadour, France, but he was ill suited for its humid climate, so … Read more

Why are Arabian horse strains transmitted through the dam?

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We don’t know for sure, but it is possible to list a number of hypotheses. One hypothesis has to do with the lifestyle of the Bedouins who created these strains.  Bedouins were nomads who roamed the steppes of Arabia searching for food and water for their flocks.  Migrating Bedouin clans and families crossed paths around wells and pastures, mingled there … Read more

Another Zanoubia picture

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Another photo of my beloved Zanoubia, an Asil mare of Lebanese bloodlines.  Zanoubia was by Ach-hal, a stallion of the Kubayshan strain, and out of Zanoubia (II), a ‘Ubayyah Sharrakiyah tracing to the marbat of Ibn Thamdan of the Sa’ba’ah tribe.

Shameless self-promotion..

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An American lady once asked one of my friends attending the 2006 WAHO conference in Syria whether I was a real person, or just an alias used by some other guy.  She had apparently read a few of my writings on Asil horses here and there, and seen my name on the programs of a number … Read more

Zanoubia

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A previous post gave me the occasion to mention Zanoubia, which is something I have been looking forward to for some time now. Zanoubia was my first mare.  Rather she was the first mare from my father’s horses in Lebanon that I considered mine.  She did not make it in my recent top ten of the best Asil mares ever bred; … Read more

Picture of the Day: His Majesty Dahman

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This is one of my favorite old pictures. The horse pictured is Dahman, a dark chestnut stallion bred by the Shammar Bedouin tribe in 1905, and sold to a French horse-buying commission led by Inspecteur Quinchez in 1909.  Dahman was a herd sire for the Shammar prior to his importation to France. He was by a … Read more

Kuhaylan Ibn Jlaidan: a photo and a hujjah

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I found a picture of a Kubaylat Ibn Jlaidan to show you, as well as a writtten certificate of origin (hujjah, plural hujaj). The picture, taken in the mid 198os, does not do justice to the mare, and I hesitated a bit before posting it: it shows a chestnut desert-bred mare in rather poor condition, against a … Read more

The Non-Mesaoud Program at Crabbet Stud

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Wilfrid Blunt thought seriously about the breeding program at the Crabbet Stud. Some of his thoughts are preserved in his stud memoranda and also his remarks prepared for delivering to the crowds at the Crabbet auction sales. The Wentworth Bequest includes comments dating from 1904 discussing the wisdom of developing a separate breeding program at Crabbet using horses not tracing to Mesaoud. Mr. Blunt posited that those horses could be used as the Crabbet Stud’s own outcross, should one be required in another 50 years.

Mesaoud was the most successful stallion the Blunts ever used. They had sold him to Russia just the year before, in June of 1903. Mesaoud’s 12 seasons at Crabbet resulted in more than 100 foals, with the last arriving in 1904.  After Mesaoud’s departure, it’s no surprise that Mr. Blunt was wondering whether it was possible to have too much Mesaoud blood. Of the 94 horses listed in the 1904 Crabbet catalogue, only 22 did not have Mesaoud in their pedigrees, and only two of those were male: Nejran and Rijm.

Nejran’s 1904 non-Mesaoud colt out of Bint Helwa died. It was a grey colt, so it was unlikely that the Blunts would have used him much even had he lived. Nejran covered just three mares at Crabbet in 1904 (all Mesaoud daughters) and then Nejran himself was sold to Australia that year. He left just one non-Mesaoud foal at Crabbet (a 1903 filly).

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On Kuhaylan Jellabi

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The Kuhaylan Jallabi strain as an extant female line in Egyptian bloodlines will forever be something of a curiosity. Modern evidence of MtDNA work on this line combined with interpreting Lady Anne Blunt’s notations should make people feel comfortable in choosing the Saqlawi Jidran strain for this line though it is not officially recorded as … Read more

Kuhaylan Ibn Jlaidan

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Kuhaylan Ibn Jlaidan is the third strain featured in the “Strain of the Week” series.  You will almost certainly not find a representative of this strain outside of Arabia today. A few of you may have heard of it in the context of their trips to Syria. The strain is emblematic of the Shammar tribe, as … Read more

The myth of Kuhaylan Jellabi tail female in Egyptian Arabian breeding

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I find it baffling that some Arabian horse breeders here in the US still believe that the strain of Kuhaylan Jellabi is carried on in Egyptian Arabian horse breeding. Ten years have elapsed since Michael Bowling’s ground-breaking article on the Arabian mare Bint Yemama and her descendants at the stud of Prince Mohammed Ali Tewfik in Egypt, yet most breeders of Asil Arabians … Read more

Nichem, an Asil Arabian from France

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The presence of a French mare of Algerian/Tunisian bloodlines in my top ten list of best Asil Arabian mares ever bred has achieved its (undeclared) goal: it has sparked an interesting and lively debate about the Asil status of these bloodlines and their place within the broader community of Asil Arabian horses. Such a debate was way overdue, in … Read more

Book: Al Khamsa Arabians III (2008)

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Al Khamsa Arabians III is out! Order your copy now. AKA III is the ultimate reference on Asil Arabian horses in North America (but then, I do have a couple articles in there, as well as translations of some Arabic original documents). I wish someone had the time (and energy!) to produce an Arabic version … Read more

Hurrah for Edouard’s Mare

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I am so pleased to see that Edouard’s mare Wysteria is in foal to the stallion Javera Thadrian, 1982 grey (Thane x HB Diandra). He is another of those classical “19th century engraving” horses with very fine skin and very expressive eyes. Photos do not hardly capture the impression he leaves in person but I … Read more

My reply to the Top Ten Mare List

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Since I do not have a website and I could not find a place in the comment window to post some pictures with my list, I am instead offering it as a blog post. So here goes. Well Edouard you have done it again! How can I pick just ten? Maybe next week the list … Read more

Hurrah!

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My Wisteria is in foal to Javera Thadrian! Due date: late August.  I am keeping my fingers crossed for a filly. I even have a name ready! Wisteria, which is at Craver Farms, already has two foals by Thadrian, a  five year old stallion, Tantris CF, and a yearling filly, Walladah CF. Wisteria and a few other … Read more

My top ten

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It tends to change every other day. For what it’s worth, here is today’s top ten: 1. Reem al-Oud, (Ubayyan Suhayli x Ubayyah Suhayliyah) desert bred from the Shammar tribe, born ca. 1980 2. Reema, (Ma’anaghi Sbayli x Hamdaniyah Simriyah) desert bred from the Aqaydat , born ca. 1975 3.  Jauza, (Dahman Shawan x Kuhaylat al-Krush) desert … Read more

Kuhaylan al-Mimrah and the “People of the Horses”

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As with many Arabian horse strains, Kuhaylan al-Mimrah takes its name from its owner.  The Kuhaylat al-Maryum mare that came from the tribe of al-Dhafeer to tribe of the Sba’ah became known as Kuhaylat al-Mimrah, or Kuhaylah Mimrahiyah, after the Sba’ah Bedouin who owned her. The strain bred on at al-Mimrah’s, and was passed to his sons and grandsons. Of these, … Read more

Kuhaylan al-Mimrah: a journey back in time

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According to the Abbas Pasha Manuscript, Kuhaylan al-Mimrah was one of the favorite strains of Abbas Pasha, the man who ruled Egypt from 1848 to 1854.  The Manuscript contains an interesting account of the history of the strain. Unfortunately, it assumes a good deal of prior knowledge of Arabian medieval history, without which the story’s … Read more

Third guest blogger: Charles C. Craver

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It is a great honor for me to introduce my third guest blogger: Charles C. Craver III.  Charles is to Asil Arabian horse breeding what Franklin D. Roosevelet is to American history: someone who assumes stewardship of omething on the verge of collapse, dedicates a lifetime to restoring it to its former glory, and hands it over to the … Read more

Kuhaylan al-Mimrah: from Egypt to South Africa

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The “Strain of the Week” series continues this week with the second strain featured: Kuhaylan al-Mimrah. Modern breeders and pedigree students, especially those familiar with Asil Arabian bloodlines from Egypt will remember Kuhaylan al-Mimrah as the strain of several of the older Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) horses: the stallions Mansour and Mabrouk Manial, present in … Read more

Photo of the day

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I took this photo of the Asil stallion Khalid (Mahrous x Khalidah) in Aleppo, Syria in the mid-1990s, at the farm of Mustapha al-Jabri.  Khalid is a half-brother to the stallion Basil, the subject of an previous post by Joe Ferriss.  Both Khalid’s sire and dam are desert breds.  Notice the excellent legs and the strong sinews on … Read more

The mare in the photo quizz..

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.. is Naziha, an Asil Kuhaylat al-‘Ajuz from Tunisia.  That this small North African country is home to such classic specimen of Asil Arabians as Naziha may come as a surprise to some, yet Tunisia harbors one of the best collections of Asil Arabians anywhere.  Most Tunisian Asils trace to desert-bred horses imported from Arabia by the French. The French? France occupied Tunisia in 1881, but kept … Read more

The War Mare

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Anchor Hill Serfa I thought I would share a few comments about the notion of the “War Mare”, a term used to describe mares of particular nobility and courage throughout the ages. The late Mark Mayo, who I used to refer to as the “American Bedouin Cowboy” used to tell stories of the “war mare … Read more

More about Basil, the Asil Kuhaylan al-Mimrah

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Basil, the masculine grey stallion pictured in Joe’s entry below was one of the first acquisitions Syrian Government Stud as it began operating in the mid 1990s.  Basil, born in 1985 at the stud of Mustapha al-Jabri in Aleppo, was not  Bedouin-bred, but both his sire and dam were. He was by Mahrous, a ‘Ubayyan Suhayli from the Shammar, … Read more

More stallions at Al Basel

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Another horse that I saw at Al Basel was, to me, a real charmer. His name is Shawal. He is a Shuwayman Sabbah stallion. He is handsome, very charismatic and an excellent mover. Unfortunately I did not get the chance to go inside the arena to take pictures so he was photographed from the railing … Read more

Kuhaylan Hayfi

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I just wanted to quickly add to the wonderful blogs on the Kuhaylan Hayfi strain. I learned much by reading them. I just wanted to add that I found it comforting when I visited Syria in 1996 that the Kuyahlan Hayfi strain that came from there via *Reshan is still very much alive. When we … Read more

Second Guest Blogger: Joe Ferriss

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Today I am pleased to introduce my second guest blogger, Joe Ferriss.  Joe is known to most breeders and enthusiasts of Asil Arabian horses, East and West; he needs no introduction. Joe’s reputation extends to unlikely places.  In the fall of 2006, I was in the desert near the Syrian-Iraqi border with some friends.  We were gathered around a … Read more

Whose picture is this?

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When I was a child (not too long ago), I used to enjoy playing a game with my father, General Salim Al-Dahdah, where I would sit in his lap and try to guess the names of the horses in the pictures he was showing me.  My all-time favorite was Zenobia, a ‘Ubayyah mare we owned at the time, and I wanted … Read more

Technical note, correction

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Several readers informed me they had trouble posting comments to this blog.  It is as easy as 1,2, 3: 1. Click on the title of the entry you want to comment on (e.g., “Books: The Rwala Bedouin Today”). This will take you to this entry’s specific page. 2. Scroll down to “Leave a Reply” 3. … Read more

Blogging as an anger management technique

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I am never tired of showing this picture of the lovely mare Wadeehah, a 1970 desert-bred Asil Ma’naghiyah Sbayliyah from the marbat of ‘Atiyah Abu Sayfayn.  The strain is also known as Ma’naghiyat Abu Sayfayn.  I took this picture of Wadeehah in 1992 in Aleppo, Syria, where she spent the latter part of her life in the … Read more

Book: the Rwala Bedouin Today

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If anyone of you is in the mood for some serious reading about Bedouin tribes in modern day Arabia, then William Lancaster’s The Rwala Bedouin Today is the book to read.  I found it a rather easy read for an academic book that delves deep into into anthropological theory.  It describes in detail how the Rwala creatively used … Read more

Kuhaylan Hayfi: Early breeders

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Early mentions of Kuhaylan Hafi by Western travelers to the desert link it to two Fad’aan clans (large families): al-Mahayd and al-Hubayqan. Lady Anne Blunt mentions that the strain acquired a certain reputation when Turki Ibn Jad’aan al-Mahayd, the head of the Fad’aan tribe, was killed in a raid against the Ruwalah tribe, who captured his … Read more

Kuhaylan Hayfi: What’s in a name?

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The previous discussion concluded (for now) that the strain of Kuhaylan Hayfi has developed sometime between 1850 and 1875.  What was it known as before that? and where did it derive its name from? Like many, but not all, Kuhaylan strains, Kuhaylan Hayfi, which by the way is also called Kuhaylan al-Hayf, branched out of Kuhaylan al-‘Ajuz. Kuhaylan al-‘Ajuz appears to have been … Read more

Kuhaylan Hayfi: How old is it?

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Why am I starting this “Strain of the Week” series with this particular strain?   Shameless promotion.  Kuhaylan Hayfi just happens to be the strain of my Asil Arabian mare, Wisteria CF, which also gives me an excuse to display her picture. There are other reasons, too: many Asil Arabian horsebreeders are familiar with the strain, as a … Read more

New “Strain of the Week” series

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I may not fully realize what I am getting into. That’s 52 different strains of Arabian horses per year! The good news is that there are enough strains to keep going at this pace for at least three years. The bad news is that I will have to research the lesser known ones, and find … Read more

First guest blogger: R.J. Cadranell II

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I am pleased to introduce my first guest blogger: Robert J. Cadranell II  (RJ) is a friend, a dedicated breeder of Arabian horses of Davenport bloodlines, and one of the foremost Arab horse researchers of our generation.  RJ was, together with Michael Bowling, the co-editor of the Arabian Visions magazine, during the nineties, and is currently leading … Read more

Bedtime reading

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Anyone interested in objective (vs. romanticized) knowledge of Bedouins in the 20th century needs to read this book.  The author, Jibrail Jabbur, a Syrian, was born at the turn of the twntieth century in a town on the fringes of the desert, near Palmyra; he studied in Princeton, NJ, and went on to become a Professor of Arabic literature at … Read more

The father of two swords

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When in March of 2007, I called Abdallah ibn ‘Atiyah Abu Sayfayn on his mobile, I knew I had a date with history.  Abdallah, 55, lives in the desert in north-eastern Syria, and is the owner [sahib] of a marbat of the strain of Maanaghi Sbayli known as Maanaghi Abu Sayfayn, after his family.  He is the son of ‘Atiyah … Read more

Related by blood

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The discussion about the blood marks on the bodies of grey Arabian horses elicited the most reactions this week.  Readers shared photos of Asil Arabian horses from different breeding groups (Bahraini, Davenport, Egyptian, “modern” Syrian, and Saudi) with bloodmarks on their shoulders and bellies.  These pictures serve as reminders that regardless of the artificial breeding categories in … Read more

Of cell phones and black tents..

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It was a hot and humid summer afternoon in Marseille, France, where I was living at the time, and a rather less hot, albeit equally humid afternoon in Bristol, UK, where my friend (and fellow horse enthusiast) Hazaim still lives.  We were in the midst of one of these heated phone conversations about the origin of a particular strain of Arabian horses, … Read more

WAHO blues

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A nice article by Gudrun Waiditschka about the 2007 WAHO Conference in Syria, with lots of pictures of desert Arabian horses.  I was invited to make a keynote presentation about strains at the conference, but had to drop out at the last minute.  This is the first time I regret not attending a WAHO conference.  My friend Hazaim al-Wair, who prepared the presentation … Read more

Are all strains created equal? (continued)

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The longer – and more oblique – answer is that it depends.  On what? On personal preference, taste, sentimental attachement, etc.  Some Bedouins fancy a particular strain because it was owned by their father or their grandfather; others because horses from this strain ahve achieved fame in combat, and made the name of the tribe rise above its … Read more

Are all strains created equal?

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The short answer is yes.  Because strains are just family names given by the Bedouins to Arabian horses that are related through the dam line, there is no reason why one name should be “superior” or “inferior” to another (Is Smith better than Doe, or than Al-Dahdah?)   It all boils down to the quality of the individual … Read more

What is a strain?

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This question was one of several that were asked to a virtual panel of American, German and Arab breeders and students of Arabian horses, to be featured in Al-Khamsa‘s flaghship publication, Al Khamsa Arabians III.  You will no doubt have guessed that the question elicited as many different answers as there were ‘experts’.  This was my answer to the question: “Strains are typically … Read more

*Al-Hamdaniah

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Let me share with you this picture of  one of my all-time favorite desert-bred Arabian mares. *Al-Hamdaniah, the bloody-shouldered mare, was a present from the governor of the oil-rich al-Hasa province of Saudi Arabia to Admiral Richard Lansing Connolly, who brought her to the USA in 1947.  Superstitious Bedouins believed that the large reddish spots on some horses’ shoulders were the blood … Read more

A tribute to the masters

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A few people come to mind each time I am about to embark on a horse-related endeavor such as this blog.  These are the people without whom true Arabian horse breeding – and our understanding of it – would not be what it is today.  Some of these people I had the honor to meet and get to know well, others I simply heard of or read … Read more