اليكم اليوم صورة من أرشيفي أنشرها لأول مرة للفرس المعنقية السبيلية الشعلة “ريم” ذات الجمال الفتّان والأصل الطيّب والمسجلة بكتاب الانساب السوري باسم “أصيلة الصورة من تصويري في مزرعة ظافر عبد الخالق أبو أمين قرب حلب في التسعينيات و”ريم” (“أصيلة”) هي أم الفحلين الشهيرين “دينار” و”شدّاد” وأفاد الحاج دحّام العبد العلي النجرس من أهالي العشارة في وادي الفرات قبيلة العقيدات أنه باع “ريم” وهي بعمر ما يزيد عن السنة أي في عام 1982 على تاجر الخيل المعروف عكلة الحنشول من دير الزور وأنا أعرف أنّ عكلة الحنشول باعها على محمّد مضر مهملات من حلب وهذا باعها بدوره على ظافر عبد الخالق أبو أمين أيضًا من حلب وانا رأيت “ريم” (“أصيلة”) وفحصت حججها عند أبو أمين خلال زياراتي المتكرّرة لمزرعته وأفاد الحاج دحّام النجرس في حجّة بيع الفرس لعكلة الحنشول عام 1982 أن “ريم”: أبوها الصقلاوي الجدراني من خيل شمّر وأم الصقلاوي بنت كروش وأبو الصقلاوي أيضًا كروش من شمّر وأبو الكروش صقلاوي (وهنا أنا أقول ان أبو “ريم” ربما كان الصقلاوي الجدراني حصان خليف العابر من شمّر) أمّها معنقية سبيلية فرس دحّام العبد العلي النجرس بنت الكروش من خيل النجرس أم أمّها المعنقية السبيلية جاءت عليهم من زدغم السبيعي بالذات وكانت فرسًا معروفة بالمنطقة باسم “الكميون” وهي بنت النوّاقي من…
If you haven’t already done so, check out the overview article by the late Carol Lyons, on “Drissula, One of a Kind”. Born in 1941, Drissula (Sultan x Ydrissa by Antez) is the only asil progenitor for the Ma’naghi Sbayli line of *Haidee, who was bred by the Sba’ah Bedouins and was imported to the UK in 1874. I already mentioned my soft spot for this strain. Some thirty five years ago, when my father asked the late Moussa de Freije, one of the foremost Lebanese authorities on Arabian horses, about why he held a particular M’anaqiyah Sbayliyah mare in such high esteem, the response of the French-educated Mr. de Freije was: “She is a Bourbon-Parma”, in reference to one of Europe’s most noble and blue-blooded dynasties. While all Ma’naqi Sbayli horses eventually go back to one marbat (Bedouin stud), that of Ibn Sbayyil of the ‘Ajlan clan from the Rasalin section of the Sba’ah Bedouin tribe, who acquired the orginal Ma’naqiyah Hudrujiyah and, in time, gave her his name, not all Ma’naqi Sbaili marabet which subsequently branched out of his marbat were held in equal esteem. Even within the same tribe, levels of prestige and reputation associated with each marbat varied over time, and the fortunes of each marbat…
Ma’anaqi Zudghum is one of the most respected marabet of Sbayli, owned by a Bedouin of the Sba’ah tribe called Zudghum. Dinar’s sire, the Hamdani Simri al-Aawar, was pictured in an earlier entry. This photo was taken by my father at Mustafa al-Jabri’s stud in Aleppo, where Dinar, then a growthy two and a half years old colt, was on loan from his owner Zafir Abdul Khaliq. Back then (early 1990s, judging by the shirt I am wearing in the picture), Dinar was thought to have a ‘prettier’ head than your average Arabian horse from Syria, so breeders rushed to breed him to their mares even though he was still too young. It may have stifled his growth process. Again desert-bred horses in general and al-Aawar’s sons and daughters in particular take a longer time to mature, and in a hindsight, I think this one would have matured into a much better proportioned horse had he not been used so heavily at such a young age.
Since it’s easier to share photos than write long articles, I thought I’d post this picture of one of my favorite Asil stallions from Syria. Shaddad (Marzouq x Asila), a Ma’naghi Zudghum (a prestigious branch of Ma’naghi Sbayli), is here pictured as a colt, with a groom and myself standing nearbyThe photo was taken at Zafir Abdul Khaliq’s stables, outside Aleppo, some fiften years ago.. Time flies.