Memories. of the Desert ARABIAN HORSE LETTER PART 2

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1 3 rd Edition Issue 32 ARABIAN HORSE NEWS The WAHO Conference in Bahrain was followed by many important events such as the Egyptian Events in the USA and in Europe, the Noble Straight Egyptian Breeders Festival, and the All Nations Cup, where horses from Kuwait were very successful. The Pyramid Society Europe celebrated its 30th anniversary, and we mourn the passing of a great breeder, Dr. Nasr Marei. ARABIAN HORSE CULTURE Jill Vanstone s paintings immediately catch the eye with their charisma and beautiful colors and, upon closer inspection, reveal numerous details. Judith Wich-Wenning has spoken with the Australian artist who masterfully captures the Arabian Horse with its unique spirit and type and tells whole stories with her pictures. ARABIAN HORSE HEALTH The two most common types of tumors in horses - sarcoids and melanomas - usually are benign and often cause little disruption in a horse s daily life. But under certain circumstances, tumors can be a nuisance and a health risk. Part 1 of an article on equine tumors shows ways of dealing with sarcoids. ARABIAN HORSE RESEARCH In this issue, we shed light on the world s oldest Arabian sire line, that of Bairactar DB from the Royal Stud of Weil in Germany, on the background of the Wathnan and the Rabdan strains, and on Ahmad Mabrouk s journey to Arabia in 1939 in search of desert bred horses for the Egypt state stud. Read more on page 2-43 Read more on page Read more on page Read more on page Memories of the Desert PART 2 LADY ANNE BLUNT, WHO FOUNDED THE WORLD FAMOUS CRABBET ARABIAN STUD AND WHOSE SHEYKH OBEYD STUD IN EGYPT FORMS ONE OF THE FOUNDATIONS OF MODERN EGYPTIAN BREEDING, IS ONE OF OUR MAIN SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON THE BEDOUINS AND THEIR HORSES IN THE 19TH CENTURY. WITH HER HUSBAND, WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT, SHE TRAVELLED THE DESERT ON HORSEBACK IN SEARCH OF FOUNDATION STOCK, RECORDING HER OBSERVATIONS ON THE LIFE OF THE PEOPLE AND THE HORSES IN THE DESERT. HER DESCRIPTION OF THE STUD OF MOHAMMAD IBN RASHID, THE EMIR OF HAIL IN NORTHERN NEJD, THE MOST CELEBRATED STUD IN ARABIA, ARE DETAILED, CANDID AND CAPTIVATING. Read more on page 48

2 a very good friend has gone dr. nasr marei a last farewell BY BAIT AL ARAB On October 17th the world wide community of Straight Egyptian Arabian horse breeders received the sad news: Dr. Nasr Marei, Albadeia Stud, Cairo, Egypt had left us. He was a world-renowned breeder, highly respected judge and a gracious ambassador for the Straight Egyptian Arabian horse. His famed Albadeia Stud, which was founded by his grand father Ahmed Marei in 1935, is the oldest privately owned stud and breeding program for Straight Egyptians world- wide. Albadeia Stud represents a family legacy over 8 decades and 10 generations of Arabian horses. After obtaining his PhD in the U.S., Dr. Nasr Marei returned to Egypt and began a very successful career as a professor and in business. But his heart was always with the horses, and in 1990 the Albadeia breeding program began a new era under his direction. As the third generation dedicated to the breeding program, he felt a great responsibility to carry on the heritage and legacy of Albadeia. But Dr. Marei did much more than simply preserving the breeding program. Through his discerning eye, astute breeding choices, and pure passion, he elevated the Albadeia program to new heights. His breeding decisions resulted in horses that garnered multiple national and international championships throughout the show rings of Egypt, Europe, the Middle East, the USA, and Australia, including the exquisite World Champion mare Gelgelah Albadeia. The extraordinary horses bred by this historic farm have been exported to more than 17 countries around the world, and are influential not only in the realm of Egyptian Arabians, but within many of the world s most notable breeding programs, including the Polish state studs and Halsdon Arabians, UK. Along with the world-wide success of the Albadeia breeding program, Dr. Nasr Marei was a tireless promoter for the Arabian breed. Along with his father and his brother Dr. Hassan Marei, he was a founder of the Egyptian Breeders Association and represented this organization in ECAHO. He served as a member of ECAHO s Executive Committee and was a Class A Judge, officiating as such at some 200 shows worldwide, including all Title Shows. He was a member of the Judges Training Committee of ECAHO and of the Judging Systems Revision Group. Bait Al Arab had the honor to receive Dr. Marei as an instructor of two National Judges Courses, and as a jury member of the 8th International Photography Contest. In May this year, he also gave a very well received lecture about Arabian Horse Photography. He was a life time member of WAHO, a life time member of the Pyramid Society, and was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and with the Pyramid Society s Inaugural Milestone Award in Dr. Nasr Marei s eye for beauty and harmony is evident, not only within the context of Arabian horse breeding, but also in his passion for the visual arts. He was an amazingly talented photographer in a variety of genres, and his rich and vibrant images of his beloved homeland, horses, and other species are breathtaking. His images of horses and related subjects have graced many publications around the world. He produced books, among them the Albadeia Studbook and the critically acclaimed The Arabian Horse of Egypt, published by the American University of Cairo. The Straight Egyptian breeders community has lost a friend and a true ambassador of the Arabian Horse. May his soul rest in peace he will never be forgotten. Dr. Nasr Marei with Farid Al Badeia (Ameer Al Badeia x Farida) memories of dr. nasr marei BY JUDITH WICH-WENNING When my last talk to Dr. Nasr Marei ended, my heart was very heavy. I felt the dark clouds approaching, but there was nothing I could do. Nasr had called me to speak about his latest surgery in Munich and of course, as always, about horses and coming shows. He made plans for returning to Germany, this time hopefully without medical obligations. We intended to meet again soon; Nasr was so much looking forward to seeing my little baby Dana. It was not meant to be. Not even two days after this last conversation, Dr. Marei was in a coma and finally passed away on the morning of October 17th, A good friend has gone. For the world of Arabian horses, an era has come to an end. When I first became interested in Arabian horses as a pupil, I wrote a letter to Dr. Marei to ask for some details about his famous Al Badeia Stud in Egypt. He answered promptly, and graciously sent me a copy of the Al Badeia Stud Book as a gift. I was impressed not only by this kind gesture so typical for Nasr, but first and foremost by the beauty, quality, and special type of the Al Badeia horses. Then in 2000, I finally met Dr. Marei in person. Judith Forbis introduced us. During the following years I immensely enjoyed meeting Nasr and talking to him. He was a very special man, always at peace with himself, composed and thoughtful. One of my fondest memories of Nasr is the show in Paris in 2003, when his beloved Gelgelah Al Badeia became World Champion Mare. His joy, pride, and excitement were immeasurable and so well deserved. Nasr was a passionate breeder with a vast knowledge about Arabian horses, and an excellent and highly popular judge. He was a rare, true gentleman, always well dressed with perfect manners and a smile in his face. Besides of his passion for Arabian horses, he loved to travel, took excellent photos, and had a soft spot for dogs, especially German Shepherds. I can still hardly believe that I will never hear his sonorous, comforting voice again. Farewell, dear Nasr. May Allah bless you! You will be greatly missed. It was always a great pleasure for me to write regularly about the legendary Al Badeia stud farm. Not long ago, Dr. Nasr Marei gave me this last interview. It shows his deep passion and now reads like a legacy, full of important hints and advice. an interview with dr. nasr marei BY JUDITH WICH-WENNING DR. NASR MAREI IS ONE OF THE FEW TRUE CONNOISSEURS OF ARABIAN HORSE BREEDING IN OUR TIME. HIS STUD FARM ALBADEIA IN EGYPT WAS FOUNDED BY HIS GRANDFATHER MR. AHMED MAREI MORE THAN 80 YEARS AGO. DR. NASR MAREI HAS LED THE BREEDING PROGRAM TO NEW HEIGHTS. HE IS NOT ONLY A HIGHLY ACCLAIMED BREEDER, BUT ALSO A WELL- RESPECTED JUDGE AND AN IMAGINATIVE PHOTOGRAPHER. IN 2015 DR. MAREI RECEIVED THE PRESTIGIOUS MILESTONE AWARD FROM THE PYRAMID SOCIETY. HE WAS ALSO THE RECIPIENT OF THE LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM ARABIAN HORSE ALLIANCE, USA, IN BEING IN DR. MAREI S COMPANY IS ALWAYS A GREAT PLEASURE: WARMTH, KINDNESS, HONESTY, AND RELIABILITY ARE JUST A FEW CHARACTERISTICS WHICH COME TO MIND WHEN TALKING TO DR. NASR MAREI. HIS DEDICATION TO THE ARABIANS HORSE AS WELL AS HIS VAST KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THESE HORSES IS IMPRESSIVE. IN THIS INTERVIEW, DR. MAREI SHARES WITH US HIS PERSONAL VIEWS AND GIVES US AN INSIGHT INTO THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AT HIS STUD FARM. Judith Wich-Wenning: Dr. Marei, please describe for us your first memories related to Arabian horses. Dr. Nasr Marei: My relationship with horses dates back to my childhood. My father was already breeding Arabian horses when I was born. My earliest recollection was that I used to love to go to the stables in our farm situated about 50 km away from our stud farm today. I was fascinated by these creatures and would spend part of the day with them. I have pictures when I was three years old on the back of one of our foundation mares that my grandfather had bought from The Royal Agriculture Society (The EAO today). My love for the horse grew up with me. I learned riding when I was 10 years old at the Equestrian Club in Cairo, but rode mostly mixed breed and warmblood horses for my training. I continued riding and became a competitive rider in show jumping and dressage, winning many upper level jumping competitions. To encourage me, my father bought me two warmblood mares to ride. Meanwhile, my father continued breeding Arabians at our new farm, Albadeia in Giza near the great pyramids. Of course, I would ride our Arabians in the desert at the pyramids for hours. Until this point in time I just loved our Arabian horses, but was not involved in breeding decisions or the management of the stud farm. That came later in the sixties after I returned from the USA to pursue my graduate academic work for the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of California in Davis. Upon my return to Egypt in 1971, I became more involved in the breeding program and joined my father in managing the farm. He held several top governmental posts and was quite busy and therefore depended on me to care for the stud farm. My breeding education, skills, and experience had just begun to get serious then. Having made this brief introduction, my answer to your question is that the love of the horse was always in me since I started walking. The passion grew all the time and my fascination with Arabians never ceased, but in fact became stronger by the day. Now that I am retired from active business and living at the farm since my father passed away in 1993, my bond with the horses has become stronger. Judith Wich-Wenning: What do you enjoy most about Arabians? Dr. Nasr Marei with Simeon Sharav (Asfour x Simeon Shuala) Dr. Nasr Marei: The Arabian horse to me is not simply the love of the horse itself, but also I am fascinated by its traditions and heritage. I love their history and the legacy that goes with it. I admire their beauty, harmony, intelligence, and disposition. They are companions and family. I am extremely happy to get a new foal and terribly sad when I lose a horse. I worry immensely when one gets sick. I check on my horses every morning and before ending my day. They are my lifestyle. Judith Wich-Wenning: Some years ago, you have exchanged several horses with Simeon Stud, Australia. Please explain how this has influenced your breeding program. Dr. Nasr Marei: My father entrusted me with a treasure and left me with a great foundation herd. I started reviewing the qualities of my horses and breeding program. With my greater international exposure to the world of Arabian horses, I realized that I needed to get rid of some undesirable characteristics and enrich my gene pool with more desirable ones. To do so, I had to reach out and infuse some distant bloodlines. In pursuing this I had to import some horses from abroad. 2 3

3 The timeless setting of Albadeia Stud in Egypt, celebrating 80 years of Arabian Horses. Nasr Marei photo achievements that took place over the last 20 years. My plan for the future is stop adding new bloodlines and use my current amended gene pool, so that I will not loose my identity. Judith Wich-Wenning: Which young horses are especially promising for the future? Dr. Nasr Marei: The list is long. Basically all horses that qualify as of good breeding potential can be significant in designing and implementing a breeding program. All young horses (four years and above) that resulted from the use of the leased stallions have become the new foundation for the future. I have the daughters and sons of Laheeb as well as his grand sons and daughters. I also have Al Maaram s sons and daughters and expect their offspring soon. From Majd Al Rayyan, I have at least 4 generations. The same goes for many other stallions bought or bred to my mares, like Simeon Sharav, Imperial Madori, Bar Sama Halim, Rashdan, and Adl. I have more than six generations for each. Besides of course the descendants of my original horses that are purely Albadeia and EAO. All are important and useful for breeding. They constitute the genetic tools that I can select from to better and improve the qualities of my horses. Judith Wich-Wenning: What is the key to success for Albadeia Stud? Dr. Nasr Marei: Love, dedication, financial sacrifice, acquiring broader experience, studying and analysing with open mind and learning, being objective and truthful and critical to myself, and finally more love for the horse and for the breed. Judith Wich-Wenning: Where do you think the Arabian horse is heading? What would you want to change, if possible? within certain parameters that will provide him/her with the horse of his/her dream, regardless of his show ring performance. Breeders need more genetic tools (a larger genetic pool) to use in refining and breeding their ideal horse. The constant use of a few selected bloodlines will result in diminishing the size of the genetic pool and hence cutting down the number of options that a breeder can use. To summarize what was said before and to answer your question, I do have concern that the existing Arabian horse types and diversity, which are very important for future breeders, may disappear. I WOULD LIKE BREEDERS: 1. To preserve the threatened old bloodlines. 2. Evolve and change in the herd but within certain limits, and try to breed a type that reflects the breeder s choice and minimize the impact of show ring effect. 3. The show winners are not necessarily the best breeding horses. Many breeders are not showing their horses. And at the same time, not all winners are good breeding horses. 4. We should emphasize performance disciplines in shows. The Arabian is not only a pretty horse to look at, but it is a serious performance horse as well. This in itself will help diversifying and enlarging the available gene pool. Judith Wich-Wenning: What are your plans for the future? Dr. Nasr Marei: I am now in my 70s and a major concern is how to carry on Albadeia and keep it true to its program. I am in the final stages of preparing a format for continuing the Albadeia program with the same goals and passion that have carried us through the past 80 years. It is the legacy I owe to my horses. Farid Albadeia (Ameer Albadeia x Farida) Mohannad Albadeia (Magd Albadeia x Simeon Safir) Ibtehag Albadeia (Badran Albadeia x Halawat Albadeia) One day, the accomplished breeder, Marion Richmond of Simeon Stud, Australia, was visiting Albadeia. She wanted to acquire the king of the farm, Farid Albadeia. I was not able to part with such an amazing stallion and a great sire. Marion settled on taking one of his fillies, Wed Albadeia (Farid Albadeia x Momtazet Albadeia). She also fell in love with one of the best mares, Ibtehag Albadeia (Badran Albadeia x Halawat Albadeia). We came to an agreement by which I would exchange them for two horses of hers sired by Asfour, whom I loved very much. The superb mare Simeon Safir (Asfour x Simeon Safanad) and the yearling colt Simeon Sharav (Asfour x Simeon Shuala) were my choice. Simeon Safir is a flea-bitten, gorgeous mare. She is 22 years old and still breeding some of the greatest foals. She never disappointed me. She gave me finesse and good movement. When she came, she was in foal to Anaza Bey Shah. The resulting filly was the amazing Hekayet Albadeia. Both won the Egyptian National and International shows in Egypt several times. Their progeny is still proving that I had made the right choice. Unfortunately, I lost Hekayet few months ago. Meanwhile, Simeon Sharav produced some great foals. The strongest influence he consistently passed on to his get was the great shoulder, upright long necks, beautiful heads, and lovely body. Sharav was leased to Ariela Arabians in Israel, which is a remarkable breeding program, for over two years and has done very well with them and for other breeders. Sharav himself has to his credit a good record in the show ring in Egypt and in Europe. He was sold to Iran five years ago. I still have four stallions sired by Sharav and many mares. Again I proved to myself that outcrossing with some selected bloodlines would improve my herd. The success of this exchange incited me to do more. So I leased several stallions from other breeding programs. I leased Majd Al Rayyan (Safir x Ansata Nawara), Laheeb (Imperial Imdal x AK Latifa), and Al Maraam (Imperial Imdal x The Vision HG). They have impacted my herd in a substantially positive way. I am continuing on the same path now. I leased the stunning young stallion Bariq Al Shaqab (Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Wahayeb Al Shaqab). I bred him this season to several mares and am waiting patiently to see his foal on the ground. Judith Wich-Wenning: Please tell us about the latest developments at Albadeia! Dr. Nasr Marei: The process of learning breeding is a continuous process. There are many new things one learns every day. I believe that a breeder should always work on the refinement of his/her herd. So my objective in improving the quality of my horses is still and will always be underway. As mentioned above, reaching out and infusing new selected qualities is a must for my endeavour. I also became more selective in making breeding decisions. My experience was enriched over the years by judging major international shows around the world and visiting and studying what other breeders are applying. I always keep in mind to maintain my Albadeia looks and types. Thanks to the priceless foundation horses I inherited from my father, I was able to take this further into the future. I am gratified to hear my fellow breeders around the world saying that I took Albadeia to a new and higher level. As we all know, breeding horses is a long-term process. One will never know if he/ she has chosen the right horses and made the right breeding decision until at least 8 years or two generations down the road. Having already infused new bloodline and outcrossed my horses to distant relatives, I am witnessing at present my Dr. Nasr Marei: The Arabian horse TYPE has changed significantly with time. The best horses of the 60s and 70s are not the same horses that are being bred today. The World Champions of yesteryear cannot even qualify today for major shows. Breeders have selected to evolve in many ways. In the past, one could distinguish between a Spanish and a Polish horse. Or between Egyptian and Russian types, etc. Now, the differences in their distinct types have become less and the result of the current breeding approaches is what I call the UNIVERSAL ARABIAN TYPE resulting from mixing all Arabian types together including Egyptian, Russian, Polish, Spanish, American, etc., bloodlines. The distinct differences between these types are diminishing and all breed more or less the same horse. This was facilitated by the easier communication and exchange between the breeders globally. Artificial insemination, export/import of frozen semen, embryo transfer etc. have become easier and with high rate of success. The show ring, whether we like it or not, has affected the TYPE of the breed. Many breeders just follow the vogue, trend, or the winning type and breed the horse that represents the type that wins in the show ring. Variation in type is needed and expanding the gene pool should be an objective. Trends or fashion come and go. Russian Arabians dominated the show ring at one point. The Golden Cross horses followed that. A new vogue followed: the Polish Arabians, which was followed by the Egyptians. Now, the Universal Horse is dominating the ring. Each of these fashions would last few years. A breeder will have to change his strategy accordingly and will never have his/her own identity. All of these breeders will be breeding the same horse. I am not saying that the breeder should not evolve and stay static. What I really mean is, a breeder has to be dynamic and evolving after setting goals and venture Dahoom Albadeia (Farid Albadeia x Simeon Safir) Haytham Albadeia (Simeon Sharav x Galagel Albadeia) 4 5

4 ARABIAN HORSE NEWS ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY MONIKA SAVIER CONDENSATION OF THE TALKS BY BETTINA BORST IN PART 1 OF OUR REPORT ON THE WAHO CONFERENCE, WE INFORMED YOU ON THE HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS OF THE ARABIAN HORSE IN THE ISLAND NATION OF BAHRAIN IN THE ARABIAN GULF. IN THE CURRENT ISSUE, READ ABOUT THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES AND THE DEBATES ON THE TOPIC OF HORSE REGISTRATIONS AND MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE WORLD- WIDE UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION FOR ARABIAN HORSES THAT IS WAHO, AS WELL AS SHORT VERSIONS OF THE UP-TO-DATE LECTURES OFFERED BY INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS THERE. The Exectutive Committee of WAHO, Delegates and Observers of the Conference THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN, THE PEARL OF THE GULF, HAD INVITED THE WORLD ARABIAN HORSE ORGANIZATION (WAHO) FOR THEIR 22ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN MANAMA. FROM THE BREATHTAKING ANCIENT HISTORY AND FASCINATING TRADITIONS TO MODERN TIMES, IMPRESSIVE ARCHITECTURE AND IMPORTANT ARABIAN HORSE BREEDING, THERE WAS MUCH TO SEE AND TO DO IN BAHRAIN FOR OVER 200 GUESTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. THE CONFERENCE PATRON WAS H.M. KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA AND IT WAS HOSTED BY HIS GRANDSON H.H. SHEIKH ISA BIN SALMAN AL KHALIFA, CHAIRMAN OF THE HIGH ORGANIZING COMMITTEE. THE CONFERENCE WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED BY H.R.H. SHEIKH SALMAN BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA, DEPUTY TO THE KING AND CROWN PRINCE, AT THE RITZ CARLTON HOTEL. WHAT IS WAHO? Arabian Horses are unique, as, for centuries now, they have not only been found in the Arabian countries, but are citizens of the world, living and reproducing in almost a hundred countries all over Earth. With that enormous globalization, this horse breed evolved from the war horse of greater Arabia to a favorite animal for a great number of people of all classes and ages all over the world. With their world-wide prevalence that also served to spread the history of the Arabian culture they are connected to, they created a bridge and bond of understanding and friendship between people of many countries. WAHO, then, is the formal frame for all of them, the microcosmos that serves to anchor the history of individual horses and their offspring and to commit all of that history to writing in an aggregate studbook. In WAHO, all horses are equal. WAHO is the umbrella organization of the national local residents registration offices, so it s WAHO that regulates the guidelines and rules for the international trade relations between breeders and owners of Arabian horses in more than 80 member states, also harmonizing them wherever possible. This is not an easy task, and coordination is only possible using perception, instinct, and geopolitical know-how. More often than not, the studs in the various member states are subject to highly differing laws and regulations as to animal welfare, (embryo) transport rules, and methods of registration and identification of horses all of which are necessary to make international transfers possible at all. For the globalized market, the WAHO registered purebred Arabians equipped with a uniform document of identification are an enormous benefit. However, WAHO s goal is not just to promote uniformity in terminology, definitions and procedures relative to the breed of Arabian horses, as the fundamental cornerstone of the organization is the definition of the breed, to preserve, improve and maintain the purity of the blood of horses of the Arabian breed and to promote public interest in the science of the breeding of the Arabian Horse. Owing to the application of selection criteria, which was followed by the studbook being closed in 2004, Arabian horses as defined by WAHO were acknowledged as an international breed. Consequently, WAHO was able to state: A purebred Arabian horse is one which appears in any purebred Arabian horse stud book or register listed by WAHO as acceptable. In many Arabian countries, the purebred Arabians are meanwhile called WAHO Arabians. To put it differently: a purebred Arabian can only be called that if he is registered in a WAHO acknowledged studbook. At the same time, if somebody sells an Arabian with a WAHO passport, exporting him from his own country into another country, that person is entitled to have that Arabian, without any fuss, registered and acknowledged in the WAHO studbook of his new country. WAHO controls the procedures and specifies them for the member states. With the conferences every two years, the organization has created a platform for the representatives of the national associations (the registrars, for example) to meet in order to discuss any pending procedures, taking part in the decision-making. The chair then makes the proposals from the registrar meeting into resolutions (for example: cloning is not permitted) or recommendations (for example: such as not to register more than two embryos per mare per year). WAHO has succeeded in making a positive connection between the cultures of the East and the West. This is a success that needs to be accredited to the Arabian Horse, too. By way of the conferences and the experts talks given there, WAHO supports information and ongoing education of her members and delegates. Usually, the excursions that can be taken to experience the hosting countries are an unforgettable highlight. BAHRAIN: THE WAHO CONFERENCE 2017 PART TWO: THE WAHO WORLD REGISTRAR MEETING, TALKS AND RESULTS FROM THE CONFERENCE. Peter Pond, Chairman of WAHO giving his welcome message 2017 WAHO WORLD REGISTRARS MEETING Within the frame of the WAHO World Conference in Bahrain, 31 national studbook registrars of member countries held their meeting on February 8. They were supplemented by two Observers, from applying members China and Cuba. Xavier Guibert, the Chairman of the registrars meeting, reported several important decisions to the General Assembly. COMPULSORY CENTRAL DATABASE FOR ANIMAL BREEDING ORGANIZATIONS With the latest EU regulations concerning identification, zootechnics, and medication, Xavier reported, establishing a central equine database is now compulsory for each member state of the European Union and needs yet to be implemented in some WAHO member states. There are concerns that State Veterinary Departments in some countries would like to bar individual studbooks from including the identification certificates issued by them in horse passports. Instead, identification documents issued by the vets could be separated from the pedigree and certificate of origin issued by the Members, to make two separate documents, which many registries strongly oppose. Mr. Guibert suggested lobbying with the EU for this topic as well as for the matter of preserving the UELN (the Universal Equine Life Number ) instead of having it replaced by a microchip, as two EU countries are requesting. After all, WAHO has 16 countries which do not apply microchipping but do apply the UELN. NO CONSENT ON TEMPORARY STAY PROCEDURES Some countries have many purebred Arabians imported for endurance or racing which are never registered in their database, nor are they recorded. The Registrars WAHO Conference Bahrain 2017 Welcome Reception were presented a proposal from the WAHO office, prepared with the help of some stud books, updating the former WAHO In Transit Rules which are no longer in force. The proposal contains a set of minimum requirements asking for identification by passport plus DNA plus an owner declaration. Several stud books would have liked to have the full normal export procedure for breeding animals, particularly the stallions, applied to the temporary stay situation, but not all were in agreement. Another proposal, namely to issue a full export certificate, and to make free the procedure of re-importation, does not solve the main problem and does not refund the effort required for re-importation. As a satisfying proposal could not be found, it was concluded that WAHO should contact the FEI, and WAHO Member Registries should contact their own National Federations, in order to ensure that imported horses would not be accepted to compete without being recorded. In the European Union, studbooks should conform to EU legislation, which in any case makes the recording of imported or introduced horses into the central database compulsory. The stud books can be the point of entering the horse into their national database, Guibert stated, so it gives them the chance to record them at that time. COVERING CERTIFICATES TO BE ISSUED IN ENGLISH, TOO With mares exported in foal and semen exported for breeding, there is an increase in covering certificates crossing borders, as there is a mandatory WAHO rule for registries to be given the certificate of covering before issuing the passport of any foals. This makes for language problems, of course. It would be a good solution, the registrars agreed, to have the respective designation (name / label) of the different boxes / fields of the covering certificate also printed in English on the national forms, like it is done in the European passport. 6 7

5 Delegates and Observers of the WAHO Conference WAHO CENTRAL DATABASE PROJECT This item was first brought up more than 20 years ago, as it would help to solve a lot of problems of communication between the studbooks. The USA studbooks give free access to their DataSource to all studbooks, but only a few use it. To build a central WAHO database would require, Guibert reported, that each stud book would produce, at least once a year, a copy of its own data to the WAHO database, as it is done for Thoroughbreds at Lexington. An alternative approach would be to have all studbook databases online and open to each other and to searching via a Hub such as has been developed by and for the WBFSH (World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses). As apparently most of the stud books are or will be online, this approach looks promising. The studbooks would first have to study what should be done to find online all the information they need to manage the registration business. NAMING FOALS AND CHANGING NAMES With naming horses, the main goal is to enable breeders and studbooks to follow the career of their horses all along their life and all around the world, as Guibert put it simply. There are ISBC (International Stud Book Committee), FEI (Federation Equestre International) and WAHO rules for that, and most of the member countries observe the existing WAHO rules 24 and 25, he specified. Several member countries made a proposal to add some words to WAHO rule 25, making it possible to change a horse s name, for very serious reasons submitted to the studbook committee of the country, and only if the horse has never competed in any official show, race or sport event and has no offspring at that time. The breeder of the horse in question would normally also be required to give their consent, and the passport should be amended or a new passport needs to be produced. The registrars meeting had a vote with 1 abstention, 7 against and 19 countries in favour of changing some words in the existing rule. The proposal for that change was presented to the Executive Committee during the Conference, but the committee required a more precise wording. It was decided that Mr Guibert should manage a very small group of Executive Committee Members for putting down the exact wording for approval. So at present, the current rule is still valid. However, now the Executive Committee has the power to change the rules due to the new Constitution. So the national Registrars will receive the proposed wording, there will be a consultation by , and within 6 months after receiving the proposal, a decision will be made by the Executive Committee. REGISTRATION OF GENETICALLY MANIPULATED HORSES After a thorough debate, the registrars agreed to propose to WAHO to start preparing a new rule. Most member countries wish to restrict the use of genetic manipulations cloning is already prohibited by WAHO, but new techniques get implemented at a quick rate, and some studbooks accept them all. The USA, for example, accept all techniques, and they register any foal having a sire and a dam, so they are among the few studbooks that are very open to new techniques, except maybe strict genetic manipulation. Cloning was discussed as well as OPU (ovum pick-up), ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) and other techniques. As it is difficult to determine where genetic manipulation starts, it was proposed that WAHO should start preparing a new rule, beginning with the clear definition of genetic manipulation. Each country present reported on their domestic rules on genetic testing of breeding stock and/or foals in the process of registration, as a general aid to information sharing. The Delegates of the Kuwait Arabian Horse Registry Mr. Abdullah N. Albraihi and Mr. Nasser Bouresli Katrina Murray, Exectutive Secretary of WAHO Xavier Guibert, Chairman of the Registrars Meeting held during the Conference great pleasure in the fact that WAHO has incorporated the Registrars Meetings. When the Membership grew, it was important that WAHO arrange for the registrars to have their own meeting to discuss the world rules and regulations, which has become a really important function for WAHO and the registrars, Pond said. NEW PROCEDURES IN WAHO: CONSULTANTS TO THE WAHO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE By introducing a new voting system for Consultants to the Executive Committee (EC), WAHO hopes to achieve, over time, an EC comprised of individuals who have all been initially elected as Consultants by the Voting Delegates at a WAHO General Meeting. Consultants generally progress to full EC Membership in due course. WAHO has always had EC members and Consultants from a wide range of regions, who can offer a broad spectrum of expertise in both general equine and Arabian-specific matters to help achieve the aims of WAHO, and this will continue. A protocol for the nomination of Consultants was presented to the delegates at the WAHO General Meeting in Bahrain in February 2017, for action at the following WAHO Conference in From a list of candidates, four will be chosen by the General Meeting. A list of criteria for an individual to be eligible to be elected as a Consultant to the WAHO Executive Committee has been detailed, as well as criteria for an individual NOT to be eligible. One candidate per country (as represented by their WAHO Registering Authority), an outstanding horse person and WAHO member in good standing, can be nominated by their country s registering authority and needs to be supported by another member of that body. Consultants will have duties that are not refunded, are expected to take part in all EC meetings, and are eligible for internal election by the EC to full EC membership. CHINA APPLIES FOR THE STATUS OF REGISTERING AUTHORITY MEMBER OF WAHO. GAOFENG YUE AND THE TEAM OF THE CHINESE STUDBOOK OF ARABIAN HORSES GIVE THEIR REPORT AS FOLLOWS: In the last ten decades many Arabian horses have been imported from different countries into China. Today we estimate that China has a stock of over 200 living Arabian horses, all of them either imported from WAHO approved studbooks, or their direct progeny. Under the guidance of CHIA, the China Arabian Horse Association, besides making great efforts to become a Registering Authority Member of WAHO, will from now on maintain the registry and studbooks, and popularization for Arabian horses in China. Our first task will be to register every living Arabian in our country for inclusion in our first Arabian Studbook in China which, with the help of WAHO and of our Registrar colleagues around the world, we intend to have ready to submit for approval within the next year. China has a splendid horse culture of 5,000 years. Today, nearly 6 million horses still live in our country with its area of 9,600,000 square kilometers. As the world s second largest economy with a population of 1.4 billion, China has more than 1,000 equestrian clubs, stud farms and racetracks included across the country with over 10 million faithful horse lovers. As a result, the horse industry in China has won unanimous support of the government as well as the public, and its rapid development has attracted attention from all over the world. We strongly believe that the excellent genes and culture of the Arabian horses will be preserved and spread in China, thus making our special contributions to the prosperity of this noble breed. The delegates of China thanking WAHO for accepting them as a new member PETER POND S CLOSING SPEECH At every WAHO Conference it has become something of a tradition for us to report to you on what your Executive Committee has been doing since we last met, ( ) and also to outline some of our plans for the next year or two. This his how Peter Pond, WAHO chairman, started his closing speech on the last day of the Bahrain Conference. He went on to say that he would like to remind his audience... of some of WAHO s main objectives, as laid down in our Constitution. WAHO is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, and its constitution has various objectives including to promote and distribute knowledge in all countries about the history, care and treatment of Arabian horses; to co-operate with people and organizations around the world to promote the uniformity and terminology, definitions, procedures relative to the breed of Arabian horses; and to relieve sick or injured horses needing care and attention. Through the work done by the WAHO Office and the work done at these Conferences, we are fulfilling many of these objectives, Pond said. We do this principally through the exceptional talks from many of our distinguished guest speakers (...), whereby... the issue of equine welfare in its many and varied aspects has become increasingly important to all at WAHO. ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN AFTER SHOCKING DEATHS OF ENDURANCE HORSES Pond was visibly moved when he reminded the conference participants that...our Arabian horses are suffering and indeed dying in the name of sport. I refer of course to what has been happening in some areas in endurance competitions ( ). Just in the last few weeks at least nine horses have been reported as fatally injured in certain endurance races, (...). In our opinion this rate of attrition rates as serious abuse of all the horses taking part. ( ) It is deeply shocking and it simply cannot be allowed to continue without our voices being raised in defence of these horses. (...) Arabian horses have tremendous heart, tremendous courage and tremendous bravery, which is why they are the chosen breed for endurance. To stay silent and effectively abandon them to the fate would be to go against our core values and objectives. I can now assure you that the Executive Committee will be writing a strong letter to the F.E.I. very soon to put pressure on them to find a solution and quickly. ( ) The ruling bodies of this sport which in most countries is run under the National rules and International FEI rules must find a way to resolve this issue as fast as possible. Mr. Pond made it clear that the WAHO Executive Committee,,...would strongly encourage each of you to write in a similar vein both to your own National endurance or equestrian Federations and to the FEI as well. The more we can show a united front and allow our core voices, speaking up in unison for our horses as a cohesive and strong global Arabian horse community, the more likely it is that those with the power to enforce suitable rule changes will take notice. He was strongly applauded for his committed words, just as was HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahayan for his Boudtheib initiative in Abu Dhabi, setting up a new set of rules very much designed to protect the horses. In Peter Pond s words, This has shown in a very short space of time how a few changes can make a dramatic difference to the welfare of the horses. INTERNAL WAHO MATTERS: Pond reported that the previously promised revision of the WAHO Constitution had been completed, and that... with the unanimous vote of the General Assembly two days ago to accept all of the recommended changes, we can now move forward with COMBINING MEETINGS At present, WAHO, IFAHR (International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities) and ECAHO (European Conference of Arab Horse Organizations) all have their own Registrars meetings. A suggestion was made to retain the World Registrars Meeting during the WAHO General Assembly every two years, and perhaps have a combined meeting in the intervening year, which will be further discussed to see if this is either practical or useful to the Registrars. They approve of having the ECAHO Registrars meeting every two years in between the General Assemblies, Guibert reported. It probably remains to be seen whether the groups targeted by ECAHO, IFAHR, and WAHO respectively are actually compatible enough to work on common goals during common conferences. Thanking Xavier Guibert for his report, WAHO President Peter Pond expressed his Jehangir Rustomjee, Registrar of the Arabian Studbook of Bahrain - Peter Pond, Chairman of WAHO - Dr. Khalid Hassan, Director of the Royal Stables The Conference Attendees were informed about the history and mission of the Royal Stables of Bahrain with an impressive video 8 9

6 THE WAHO GUESTS AT THE RACE TRACK OF BAHRAIN, HOSTED BY THE RASHID EQUESTRIAN & HORSERACING CLUB RACE MEETING WITH THE FEATURED WAHO CUP - RACE AND TRADITIONAL RACE. Guard in front of the castle of Sheikh Salman Bin Ahmed Al Fateh welcoming the delegates and observers of the WAHO Conference The exciting finish of the WAHO Cup Race WAHO Conference Attendees enjoying the activities at the Race Track of Bahrain Presentation at the Royal Stables WAHO Guests and Bahraini Race Enthusiasts Knights in front of the castle of Sheikh Salman Bin Ahmed Al Fateh Award Ceremony for the WAHO Cup Winner WAHO Cup Race a stronger and better Constitution. Another addition was a provision for voting for new Consultants to the Executive Committee, which Pond hoped... will be seen as a more democratic way of finding new people to serve on the Executive Committee in the future. He also mentioned that it remained WAHO s long term goal to eventually purchase a suitable property in the UK, to be the organization s permanent Headquarters. As he said, Owning a property would obviously be a sensible thing to do from a financial point of view, ( ) probably a lot safer than leaving our reserves earning minimal interest in the bank. Last not least Pond emphasized that while the EC will continue to deal with any problems brought to them by member countries, they will also not be pressured by any group to change our rules and procedures in any way ( ). WAHO is a totally non-political organisation, every Registry regardless of size and regardless of country is equal ( ). We have always tried, and will always try in future, to resolve all of these issues the best way that we can, as and when they arise, in the best interest of WAHO, of our Members and of the purebred Arabian horse. For more than ten years now, the WAHO conferences took place in Arabian countries, without exceptions. All of them were excellently organized - by enormously generous hosts who made it possible to obtain deep insights into the history, presence, and future of horse breeding in the Arabian countries. With Australia hosting the 2019 Conference, this Arabian era is coming to an end. A continent characterized by Western influences is going to show us their studs as well as a whole number of further highlights connected to horse breeding and horse sports with Arabians. Everybody can become a member and come and visit Australia. A chance to be used! ARRIVEDERCI IN AUSTRALIA! Arabian Horse Racing Enthusiasts chearing for their favorites Peter Pond, Jehangir Rustomjee and Dr. Khalid Hassan congratulating the winner of the WAHO Cup Horsemen performing in front of the castle of Sheikh Salman Bin Ahmed Al Fateh 10 11

7 THE EGYPTIAN EVENT IN LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY THIS YEAR S EGYPTIAN EVENT IN LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, WAS BLESSED BY PERFECT WEATHER, WARM CAMARADERIE, EXPERT ORGANIZATION THANKS TO PYRAMID SOCIETY EXECUTIVE DIRECTORY ANNA BISHOP AND HER TALENTED STAFF, AND SOME TRULY SATISFYING MOMENTS BOTH IN AND OUT OF THE SHOWRING. PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST MOVING WAS SEEING TALARIA S STALLION BOTSWANA (THEE DESPERADO X THE MINUET), IN WHAT WAS LIKELY HIS LAST APPEARANCE OFF THE FARM. DURING A BEAUTIFUL EVENING PRESENTATION HOSTED BY ALLISON MEHTA AND CURT WESTLEY AT THEIR TALARIA STALLS, BOTSWANA WAS IN COMMAND OF HIS MOMENT, LOOKING QUITE GRAND AT 19 YEARS OF AGE, HIS FACE DRY AND BEAUTIFULLY SCULPTED, AND HIS GLOSSY COAT GLEAMING IN THE SUNSET LIGHT. HE S THE LEADING HALTER SIRE OF THE EGYPTIAN EVENT AGAIN IN FH Sharuby Rose (Shaheen Al Waab x Candela Rose) Silver Champion Junior Fillies, owned by Al Jood Stud, Qatar ARTICLE BY DENISE HEARST PHOTOS BY SUZANNE STURGILL AND COOKIE SERLETIC Naillla De Bloodstone (Etaya Sudan Amir x MB Pirouette) Gold Champion Junior Filly, ownd by Orion Farms LLC Hanaya Labid (Laheeb Al Nasser x ZT Assfasikha) Gold Champion Junior Colt, owned by Hanaya Arabians, Nayla Hayek, Switzerland Maraam Al Jood (Marajh KA x RSL Faith) Bronze Champion Junior Fillies, owned by Al Jood Stud, Qatar Botswana (Thee Desperado x Thee Minuet) presented at Talaria Farms Presentation Another highlight was seeing the Gold Medal for Senior Champion Mare go to a breeder of Egyptian Arabians for more than 40 years Nayla Hayek of Hanaya Stud, Switzerland. Wadad Zamani (Laheeb x Zena Al Buraq) has collected multiple Gold Medals in Europe, in both Egyptian and open shows, and embodies Nayla s ideal of a straight Egyptian that can win anywhere. She is an outstanding individual, Desha Nile Sabah (Ansata Nile Echo x Desha Sabah) Silver Champion Junior Colt, owned by Sandra L. De Shazer 12 13

8 Doherty, of Lone Star Arabians in Texas, and her husband Michael were relaxing with Patriot before his class, when a random little boy wandered into the stall wanting to pet the handsome bay. He was halfway in before his mother tried to grab him, says Kimberly. But I said, It s okay, he s welcome to come in. Patriot gave the boy a warm welcome. He is a sweetheart, a giant puppy, says Kimberly, whose family bred the stallion. Some horses touch you in a certain way; he s one of those. He s my kryptonite. Kimberly showed Patriot in his qualifying class, and Joe Polo showed him in the championships. Kim has also trained and shown Patriot to wins in western pleasure. Kimberly is firm believer in performance training for her halter horses. We love showing in hunter and western pleasure, and even had a U.S. National Top Ten in Working Cow in 2015 with a straight Egyptian mare. It makes them so happy to do a job with you. And besides, I d rather ride than longe, and it s a lot easier on their legs. Patriot s foals are fantastic, she adds. His firstborn, Gassir LSA (x Desha Bint Maysama), won the futurity as a yearling and came back this year and won the Two-Year-Old Colts unanimously. We have about six broodmares, mainly of Gleannloch lines. Most have Tammen blood - the Tammen daughters produce great show horses and you can outcross them with so many lines. Kimberly also showed the Champion Hunter Bint Rasheeka Shabha (The Sequel RCA x Rasheeka Shabha). In addition to her horses wins, Kimberly was named Top Handler of the Event, and her sister, Michelle, won the *El Gohara Trophy for the most beautiful expression of the close bond between a rider s heart and the soul of their performance horse, given by Dr. Amy Fulmer-Vogel and John Vogel, Baitari Arabians, Pleasant Prairie, Wadad Zamani (Laheeb x Zena Al Buraq) Gold Champion Senior Mares, owned by Hanaya Arabians of Nayla Hayek, Switzerland Morocco RCA (Bellagio RCA x Serendipitys Lady) Bronze Champion Junior Colt, owned by Kurdistan Arabian Stud LLC Luxe RCA (Mishaal HP x Thee Scarlet Lady) Silver Champion Senior Stallions, owned by Rock Creek Arabians Patriot LSA (The Sequel RCA x Tammens Aria) Gold Champion Senior Stallions, owned by Lone Star Arabians LLC Bella Asila RCA (The Sequel RCA x Asila RCA) Silver Champion Senior Mares, owned by Warren & Gwendolyn Soong Jamila TF (Mishaal HP x Skyy) Bronze Champion Mare, owned by Alazure Arabian Bloodstock says Nayla. For sure, Egyptians can compete at major shows, but as they are not bred to be mainly show horses, as are most of the other lines, it s more difficult to find many Egyptians at this level. Still, they should also compete in open shows to prove to people that they are able to do so. As judge Doug Dahman said of the mare, She was that wonderful combination of power and femininity. Frank Spönle showed Wadad Zamani at the Event, and also found her for Nayla. Frank saw her with her breeders out in the desert when she was a youngster. He sent me some phone videos and I thought she could be a very special mare for my stud both breeding and showing-wise. Wadad Zamani has been too busy showing to raise foals, but we asked Nayla if she had any particular sire here in the U.S. in mind for her. She said enigmatically, Wait and see! We were also curious to know if she would consider breeding her to a stallion that is not straight Egyptian? To HL El Ganador! she said, referring to her recently crowned Menton Gold Champion Yearling Colt, a gorgeous Chileanbred colt by HP Shakir TE and out of Lonco Baby Maria. Nayla was also the breeder and owner of the Gold Junior Colt Hanaya Labid (*Laheeb Al Nasser x ZT Assfasikha) another Gold Champion in both open and Egyptian shows in Europe. In reflecting on her 40 years of breeding Arabians, and 50 years of loving them, Nayla says, My first Arabian mare was a Saudi mare which I got as a present from a Saudi prince. Later, I imported my first stallions and mares from Egypt. There are so many moments in a breeder s life which you always remember. The first look at a horse! The first moment at birth! First ride! There are many special horses from my jumping horses to Quarter Horses, and for sure 218 Elf Layla Walayla B (Assad x 223 Ibn Galal I), perhaps best known as the dam of *El Nabila B. I would not be able to fulfill my business life if I didn t have my horses and family around me. It s a passion which I have now for 50 years. If you want to know what the Champion Straight Egyptian Stallion Patriot LSA (The Sequel RCA x Tammens Ana) is like, the following incident says it all. Kimberly Jadoube Ibn Lahab DMF (Al Lahab x HMT Sylvanna) Champion Colt & Stallion Amateur Handler owned & shown by Debra Geiser Eureka Zaki (Scapa x Dianaah) Bronze Champion Senior Stallions, owned by Goerge L. Langley & Catherine Cash 14 15

9 Wisconsin, in honor and memory of El Gohara. The first time at the Egyptian Event was a charm for Steve Poore of Seattle, Washington, whose filly Naillla de Bloodstone (Etaya Sudan Amir x MB Pirouette) won Junior Champion Filly. Steve is the new owner of the famed Orrion Farms facility in Ellensburg, Washington. We have the amazing opportunity to start a breeding program from scratch, Steve says. This gives us a chance to find outstanding broodmares and search for special horses that will continue the farm s rich breeding tradition. My wife and I are both native Texans and have always had a love for horses. Eastern Washington has been a second home for us since moving to Seattle in the late 90s as the country way of life reminds us of home. As our kids leave the nest, the chance to enter the Arabian horse business and continue the legacy of Orrion Farms was a dream come true. We are swinging for the fences! We currently have 18 great mares in foal to some of the best sires in the world. It will be like Christmas morning when all these foals arrive. We think that Naillla is a special filly who will become a truly unique broodmare. Our farm manager Doug Leadley sent us a video of Naillla from Butler Farms in North Carolina, and I couldn t believe my eyes. Besides her amazing head and face, silver mane and tail, she was prancing around like a ballerina, her movement was just unreal. Now that she is at the farm, she s also proven to be an absolute sweetheart. It was exhilarating to see her out there in the showring! When they announced she received the first 20 of the show for movement, we couldn t contain ourselves. While we were taking the trophy picture, we met her breeder Valerie Clinkenbeard from Bloodstone Farms, which was a real treat. We will definitely maintain a straight Egyptian program with her, we have the opportunity to be thoughtful and patient we want to get it right. It was our first time at a straight Egyptian Event and we loved it, Steve continues. Lexington was truly horse country and we felt right at home. I m sure we ll make it an annual event. We ve attended Regional and National shows and continue to be impressed by the wonderful people we meet who care about the breed and want to ensure its health and longevity. We asked Steve about the highlight of his family s association with Arabian horses so far. He had this to say, Our first filly born at Orrion Farms is Hana s Magic One. She s named after a close family friend who is 19 and having some health issues. Seeing those two together has shown us that equine therapy can be instrumental in improving the health and wellness of those in need. Perhaps no farm brings a bigger string or more clients and friends than Judy Sirbasku s Arabians Ltd. This was Judy s third year in a row to be the Signature Sponsor of the Event, and she spares no expense to create beautiful stall set-ups, and host her well-known client appreciation brunch. She s also a staunch supporter of the EBC and donated two breedings this year; one to Thee Desperado and one TF Sweet Georgiabrown (Botswana x Sweet Stella V) Champion Filly&Mare Amateur Handlers, owned by Curtis Westley or Allison Mehta, shown by Jake Wilson Kamal Ibn Adeed (Al Adeed Al Shaqab x NF Bint Sajha) owned by A & D Arabians - Get of Sire Winner VMA Barr Farasha (Gabirel MCA x Sahara Cypryss) Produce of Dam Winner, represented by VMA Malakah Shakirah and VMA Farashas Amari, owned by Vudu Magic Arabians Talaria Farm Presentation The team of Arabians Ltd. welcomes their guests for a presentation International Guests enjoy the presentation of Talaria Farm Straight Egyptian Arabian Horse Enthusiasts enjoy the presentation of Arabians Ltd., Judy Sirbasku and her team to *Mishaal HP. We asked manager, Shawn Crews, what were the great moments of this year s Event for her. The EBC Auction moved to Thursday evening, so it wasn t on finals night, which meant it was the whole focus of the day, she says. It was very social, very enjoyable. Everyone was having fun. It was as I have imagined it it had a magic feel to it. And of course, we were so gratified that Desperado s breeding that Judy donated was the high seller at $15,000. Mr. Mohammed Jaidah of Qatar purchased the breeding and he already has a special mare picked out. Another great moment for us was when Bella Asila RCA (The Sequel RCA x Asila RCA) went Silver Champion mare to Nayla Hayek s Wadad Zamani. She s a sister to Shah Mishaal RCA s dam, and she s owned by first-time Arabian horse owners, Warren and Gwen Soong of Tampa, Florida. When Asila was a filly we sent her down to our affiliates, Mark and Deb Burke of Amethyst Acres in Virginia. I brought her home for six months before the event. The Soongs love her so much. Warren even gets a tear in his eye when he leaves Bella, and to have her go Silver Champion at their first Event meant the world to them. Bella gave it all she had. And then there was the colt that brought home a Bronze medal for new owners from Kurdistan, Morocco RCA (Bellagio RCA x Serendipitys Lady). And to have Desperado s Legion of Merit award presented at the Event well you can only imagine how special it was for Judy and me. Many thanks to the Pyramid Society for allowing that to happen, and to Tara Maus, who had the idea and saw it through! This year s Event marks the last time the show will be held in June, after 37 years; next year it moves to the end of August, a change members hope will help boost entries. For many participants, the June dates have conflicted with foaling and breeding seasons, and it is hoped that the additional three months will allow yearlings more time to grow and hone their showing skills. And as one member added, And no more body clipping! One thing remains the same just about the most beautiful show grounds in the U.S., and a warm and welcoming atmosphere, with an emphasis on fun and beautiful horses

10 The Avenue at Castle Dyck with booths under old oak trees The 'Show Officials' Judges, DCs and Ringmaster THE EGYPTIAN EVENT EUROPE (EEE) IS CERTAINLY A VERY IMPORTANT SHOW FOR THE BREEDERS AND LOVERS OF THE STRAIGHT EGYPTIAN ARABIAN HORSE IN EUROPE. THIS YEAR, IT WAS A JUBILEE SHOW CELEBRATING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE PYRAMID SOCIETY EUROPE (PSE), A NON-PROFIT REGISTERED ASSOCIATION ACCORDING TO GERMAN LAW AND COMPRISING ALMOST A HUNDRED MEMBERS RIGHT NOW. FOR THE BREEDERS OF STRAIGHT EGYPTIANS, PSE OFFERS THEIR SERVICES AS AN UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION ALL ACROSS EUROPE, AND SUCCESSFULLY AT THAT. ORGANIZING THE EEE SHOW, WHICH IS THE MOST OUTWARDLY ATTRACTIVE ACTIVITY OF THE SOCIETY, IS IN THE HANDS OF HEIKE HAIN, VICE PRESIDENT OF PSE, AND HER FAMILY. EVERY YEAR, SHE IS ACTIVELY SUPPORTED BY MANY OF THE SOCIETY MEMBERS AND THE BOARD, SUCH AS BETTINA VON KAMEKE, PRESIDENT OF PSE, MICHAEL PONNATH, GABRIELE SEIDLITZ- OSTER, AND MAYA JONES. AFTER ALL, THE EEE SHOWCASES THE VERY BEST STRAIGHT EGYPTIAN ARABIAN HORSES FROM ACROSS EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST. WITH A BREEDERS PARTY ON SATURDAY NIGHT, GOOD WEATHER AND MANY FRIENDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, THE EEE WAS A SUPERB ORGANIZED EVENT FOR ALL INTERESTED BREEDERS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE. THE EGYPTIAN EVENT EUROPE 2017 AT CASTLE DYCK, JUECHEN GERMANY The main event during the EEE is an ECAHO-affiliated show, the Egyptian Event Europe, which might be said to be a kind of European Championships of the Egyptian Arabians. This year, there were almost 80 horses participating, and as is traditional by now, many of them were from countries in the Near and Middle East. There is a decreasing number of horses from Europe, due to the dominant position of the Near- and Middle East Arabians who succeed in making quite sure that it is increasingly rare for Europeans-owned Straight Egyptians to win one of the championship titles. Apart from a few exceptions, it s mainly the top horses of the greatest SE studs of the world who gain the victories. It is not easy for the Europeans to accept that, but actually, the EEE with its current champions just mirrors a historic development. After all, lots of Straight Egyptian Arabian horses found new homes in Europe and in the USA during the last century, and were enthusiastically integrated into the regional traditions of horse breeding. However, in Europe, Arabian horse breeding is usually a hobby of small family studs in rural areas. Most of today s top horses and champions are still bred on the basis of former German EAO imports who continued to be improved by small family-owned studs for generations - and their offspring re-sold to the Near- and Middle East during the recent 20 years, during what Dr. Nagel called the return and renaissance development in Which is where they make up the major part of the genetic basis of those horses who have written today s success stories for the studs along the Gulf. Many of the small breeders cannot afford breeding on the high show level required for the EEE. So as a special feature this year, amateur classes had been organized, intended to integrate the family farms and the hobby breeders without exposing horses and owners to the pressures and cost of professional show training methods. A good idea in principle, but there were very few amateur s horses presented. Alongside ARTICLE BY MONIKA SAVIER AND BETTY FINKE The State Stud Marbach gave a presentation of the great performance potential of their stallions The Team of the State Stud Marbach performing with a Pas de Deux Many enthusisatic breeders and lovers of the SE Arabian Horse are enjoying the competitions 18 19

11 Heike and Manfred Hain, Christian Hain and Stefanie Boss - organizer of the EEE at Castle Dyck Shaikh Hamad Bin Ali Al Thani and Ala'a Hamad Al Roumi just a digital one, but during events like this one it s an analog one being well maintained. The EEE is, for many, an important landmark for surveying the international breeding scene, with the common denominator being the Straight Egyptians. The audience was impressed by the very good quality of most of the horses. Many of the best SE Arabian horses of the Arabian world were presented, after all, and the spectators appreciated the beauty and noblesse of the horses no matter where they came from. There was a recurrent impression that on principle, every winner was cheered by everybody - with Arabian horses being true citizens of the world, the atmosphere of global play that imbues international shows such as the EEE is a hallmark of such events. The show opened with two very nice foal classes and a success for Kuwait: Albadwh Arabian filly foal Naila Albadwh (Ansata Nile Echo x Hadarah Albadwh) placed second in the filly foal class and was awarded Bronze in the championship behind Emira Bint Muhaned (Muhaned Al Rayyan x Gatsbys Tia Maria KSA) from Oakways Arabians, Great Britain. Gold went to the winning colt foal, FA Nile Sudan (Safeer By Sibilla x Sabyah Al Thauri), bred and owned by Florio Sabato of Italy. Nayla Hayek from Switzerland had the largest group of horses from one exhibitor at the show and, with four championship titles one gold, one silver, and two Bronze was awarded the special prize for both Best European Breeder and Best Breeder Worldwide. Her very refined two-year-old filly Hanaya Amirah (Kenz Al Baydaa x Ameerat Al Hejra) took the Gold Junior Female title over AB Faridah (DF Malik Jamil x Bint Farid Nile Moon) from Abhaa Arabians, Kuwait. AB Faridah was second in Hanaya Amirah s class with an identical point score to Amirah. Bronze was awarded to Turkiz AA (Al Ayal AA x JPJ Talsasha), bred by Ariela Arabians and owned by Al Baydaa Stud, Egypt. She was the winner of the three-year-old filly class above her half-sister Hikayet Hob AA (Al Ayal AA x Hamdiyah AA), also bred by Ariela Arabians, and owned by Abhaa Arabians, Kuwait. The Gold Championship for yearling fillies was awarded to Sheika Al Fala (Jamil Al Rayyan x Maysuna Guasimo), bred and owned by Al Fala Arabians, Saudi Arabia, with Silver and Bronze both going to Qatar: Mehairja Al Rayyan (Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Nashua Al Rayyan) from Al Rayyan Stud, and Amberah Al Shaqab (Ansata Nile Echo x Dawlah Al Shaqab) from Al Shaqab. There was only one class for yearling colts, so the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd were automatically the Gold, Silver, and Bronze champions. They were Helal Al Fala (Ansata Nile Echo x LF Aliah Bint Adeed) from Al Fala Stud, Saudi Arabian; PSE Al Jabbar (PSE Al Rakhan x Imperial Baaleena), bred and owned by Pierre Groenen of Belgium, and Hanaya Habib El Ezz (Ezz Ezzain x HF Imtoxicating) of Hanaya Arabians. The Bronze Champion is from the only foal crop at Hanaya by the Kuwait-bred sire Ezz Ezzain, who died far too soon. The biggest triumph for Kuwait was the double Gold win for Al Danat Stud with mother and son: the beautiful senior mare class winner Shalwa (Sinan Al Rayyan x Al Galyla) was named Gold Champion mare above Hanaya Arabians celebrated Wadad Zamani (Laheeb x Zena Al Buraq), and Shalwa s 3-year-old son Ezz Al Danat (by Shamekh Al Shaqab) took the Gold Junior Male title. Those who attended the last EEE at Lanaken in Belgium two years ago will remember him winning the Gold Yearling title that year. Last year s Gold Champion Yearling, Hilal Al Waab (Sinan Al Rayan x Sharubi HP), was Silver Champion Junior Male this year, followed by another horse from Kuwait, the 3-year-old Abhaa Harran (Ajmal Farid x Noelya). The Bronze Senior Mare title went to Dubai Arabian Stud s D Omnia (Frasera Mashar x Royal Emira), who was second in the very strong 4- to 6-year-old mare class behind Wadad Zamani. The class for 7- to 9-year-old mares also had a lovely class winner in M. Sarah (Ezz Ezzain x Ansata Suleyma) from Kuwait, although she did not win a title in the championships. The senior stallion classes were very small, but had the highest scores in the show. In fact Adbam Saqr (Imperial Madori x Ameera Saqr), owned by Farida Stud of Egypt, was the only horse in his class, but ended up with the highest score on the entire show, Despite this he was awarded Silver in the championships, Gold going to the 4-6-year-old class winner Asfoor Al Waab (Barraq Al Aliya x Sara Aljazira), owned by Dubai Arabian Stud, who had just 0.10 less. The Bronze Champion was Nadeed Al Naif (Ebtiyaj Al Naif x Arqah Al Naif), owned by Hanaya Arabians, who was 2nd to Asfoor Al Waab in his class. The Egyptian Event Europe 2017 was a very well organized show with overall high quality horses and the team of the Hain family and the board of the Pyramid Society Europe aim to have the Event again next year at the Castle Dyck. CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS EGYPTIAN EVENT EUROPE 2017 FOALS Ahmad Abu Baker, Dr. Hans Nagel & Nawal Nagel Shaikh Hamad Bin Ali Al Thani - Mahmood Al Zubaid, Talal Al Mehri GOLD FA NILE SUDAN (SAFEER BY SIBILLA X SABAYAH AL THAURI) BREEDER: FLORIO SABATO, ITALY OWNER: FLORIO SABATO, ITALY SILVER EMIRA BINT MUHANED (MUHANED AL RAYYAN X GATSBYS TIA MARIE) BREEDER: JANE FRAZER BROWN UK OWNER: JANE FRAZER BROWN UK Straight Egyptian Breeders and Trainers from Kuwait, the UAE and Italy enjoying the Event the highly specialized, professionally trained show horses, they did not stand a chance of drawing positive attention to themselves. Show business is show business, after all; the criteria for show success are quite clear-cut, and in their statutes, the PSE even makes some additional requirements as compared to ECAHO shows, as the judges will double the score for Type. There was some consent that the amateur classes would have been better able to perform their function if they had taken place with different criteria for evaluation, maybe more creative presentations, advertising alternative ideas to different target groups, not just to show fans. This might be a task cut out for Pyramid Society Europe: organizing an Amateur EEE offering a different set of classes at another time of the year. But of course, the main idea of the Egyptian Event Europe is to present the Egyptian elite of Arabian horse breeding in Europe. And in spite of the differences concerning the chances of taking home one of the coveted titles, it is exactly the EEE that is a great festivity, every year, for all breeders of Egyptian Arabians, not just the European ones. Most of them have first met many years ago, a number of transnational friendships evolved, people debate, exchange, purchase... it s a vast social network, and it s not BRONZE NAILA ALBADWH (ANSATA NILE ECHO X HADARA ALBADWH) BREEDER: RASHED ALAJMI, KUWAIT OWNER: ALBADWH STUD, KUWAIT 20 21

12 YEARLING FILLIES JUNIOR FILLIES SILVER MEHAIRJA AL RAYYAN (AL ADEED AL SHAQAB X NASHUA AL RAYYAN) BREEDER: AL RAYYAN FARM, QATAR OWNER: AL RAYYAN FARM, QATAR GOLD HANAYA AMIRAH (KENZ AL BAYDAA X AMEERAT AL HEJRA) BREEDER: NAYLA HAYEK, HANAYA ARABIANS, SWITZERLAND OWNER: NAYLA HAYEK, HANAYA ARABIANS, SWITZERLAND SILVER AB FARIDAH (DF MALIK JAMIL X BINT FARID NILE MOON) BREEDER: AL BABTAIN ARABIANS, KUWAIT OWNER: AL BABTAIN ARABIANS, KUWAIT BRONZE TURKIZ AA (AL AYAL AA X JPJ TALSASHA) BREEDER: ARIELA ARABIANS OWNER: AL BAYDAA STUD, EGYPT GOLD SHEIKA AL FALA (JAMIL AL RAYYAN X MAYSUNA GUASIMO) BREEDER: AL FALA STUD, KSA OWNER: AL FALA STUD, KSA BRONZE AMEERA AL SHAQAB (ANSATA NILE ECHO X DAWLAH AL SHAQAB) BREEDER: AL SHAQAB STUD, QATAR OWNER: AL SHAQAB STUD, QATAR YEARLING COLTS JUNIOR COLTS GOLD HELAL AL FALA (ANSATA NILE ECHO X LF ALIAH BINT ADEED) BREEDER: AL FALA STUD, KSA OWNER: AL FALA STUD, KSA GOLD EZZ AL DANAT (SHAMEKHAL DANAT X SHALWA) BREEDER: AL DANAT STUD, KUWAIT OWNER: MOHAMMED AL OMAR, KUWAIT SILVER PSE AL JABBAR (PSE AL RAKHAN X I M P E R I AL BAALEENA) BREEDER: PIERRE GROENEN, PSE ARABIANS, BELGIUM OWNER: PIERRE GROENEN, PSE ARABIANS, BELGIUM BRONZE HANAYA HABIB EL EZZ (EZZ EZZAIN X HF IMTOXICATING) BREEDER: NAYLA HAYEK, HANAYA ARABIANS, SWITZERLAND OWNER: NAYLA HAYEK, HANAYA ARABIANS, SWITZERLAND BRONZE ABHAA HARRAN (AJMAL FARID X NOELYA) BREEDER: AHMAD AL BABTAIN, KUWAIT OWNER: AHMAN AL BABTAIN, KUWAIT SILVER HILAL AL WAAB (SINAN AL RAYYAN X SHARUBI HP) BREEDER: AL WAAB STUD, QATAR OWNER: AL ROWDHA STUD, QATAR 22 23

13 SENIOR MARES GOLD SHALWA (SINAN AL RAYYAN X AL GALYLA) BREEDER: ESSAM AL ROUMI, KUWAIT OWNER: AL DANAT STUD, KUWAIT BEST IN SHOW FEMALE WADAD ZAMANI (LAHEEB X ZENA AL BURAQ) BREEDER: OSMAN AL KASASI OWNER: NAYLA HAYEK, HANAYA ARABIANS, SWITZERLAND BEST IN SHOW MALE ADHAM SAQR (IMPERIAL MADORI X AMEERA SAQR) BREEDER: OMAR SAQR, EGYPT OWNER: AL FARIDA STUD, EGYPT SILVER WADAD ZAMANI (LAHEEB X ZENA AL BURAQ) BREEDER: OSMAN AL KASASI OWNER: NAYLA HAYEK, HANAYA ARABIANS, SWITZERLAND BRONZE D OMNIA (FRASERA MASHAR X ROYAL EMIRA) BREEDER: DUBAI ARABIAN STUD, UAE OWNER: DUBAI ARABIAN STUD, UAE BEST EUROPEAN HORSE F TAYYAR IBN AL LAHAB (AL LAHAB X F TAHANIE BINT SHAMAAL) BREEDER: HANSJUERGEN & INGE FRIEDMANN, GERMANY OWNER: HANSJUERGEN & INGE FRIEDMANN, GERMANY SENIOR STALLIONS GOLD ASFOOR AL WAAB (BARRAQ AL ALIYA X SARA ALJAZIRA) BREEDER: SHAIKH ABDULLAH BIN KHALED AL THANI, QATAR LEASED: DUBAI ARABIAN STUD, UAE SILVER ADHAM SAQR (IMPERIAL MADORI X AMEERA SAQR) BREEDER: OMAR SAQR, SAQR STUD, EGYPT OWNER: AL FARIDA STUD, EGYPT AMATEUR CLASSES - FEMALE AND MALE COMPETITION BRONZE NADEED AL NAIF (EBTIYAJ AL NAIF X ARQAH AL NAIF) BREEDER: AL NAIF STUD, QATAR OWNER: NAYLA HAYEK, HANAYA STUD, SWITZERLAND GOLD WINNER RHEEMAH AL JABAL (SALAA MAYSAH X LATIFA) AMATEUR CLASS - FEMALES GOLD WINNER AZEEM AL AQABA (KP EL ARABY X AISHA AL AQABA) AMATEUR CLASS - MALES 24 25

14 PYRAMID SOCIETY EUROPE S 30TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY IS THE FORCE ARTICLE BY SUSANNE BOESCHE STRAIGHT EGYPTIAN ARABIANS ARE LIVING HISTORIES. THERE IS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THE RELEVANCE OF STUDYING PEDIGREES. WHY DOES IT MATTER WHAT HAPPENED LONG AGO? WHAT VALUES DO WE DERIVE FROM IT? THE ANSWER IS EASY, BECAUSE HISTORY IS INEVITABLE; IT IS PRESENT IN ALL THAT WE DO AND IS THE GREAT FORCE WHICH THE STRAIGHT EGYPTIAN ARABIANS OF THE PRESENT CARRY WITHIN THEMSELVES. Moneef (Hadban Enzahi x Moheba II), chief sire at the State Stud Marbach presented at the EE in Wiesbaden in front of several about 10 thousand spectators Pas de Deux - presented at the Egyptian Event in Wiesbaden The full brothers Madkour I and Moneef shown at the stallion parade at the first Egytian Event in Wiesbaden 1985 Willi Poth was a board member of the PSE and organized the first EEE in Wiesbaden, Ludwigsburg and later also spectacular shows in Baden Baden Mrs. Bettina von Kameke, Chairman of the Pyramid Society Europe highlighting the aim of the PSE on the occasion of the 30th Aniversary of this organization Siegfried Paufler, Honorary Chairman of the PSE with Annette Escher Breeders Gathering on the occasion of the 30.Anniversary of the PSE at Castle Dyck Guenter Seidlitz first chairman of the PSE presenting his stallion Madkour Ferdinand Schwestermann, last president of the PSE, with his mare DHS Shakirah Up to now, the Straight Egyptian Arabian is based on the foundation of the Egyptian rulers, who recognized the monumental and inexhaustible heritage of these horses. Mohammed Ali ( ), Ibrahim Pasha ( ) and Abbas Pasha ( ) searched for the most exquisite horses on the Arabian Peninsula and imported them to Egypt. Abbas Pasha, the grandson of Mohammed Ali, showed an especially great interest in the origins of his horses. Passionate SE Breeders met at Dr. Nagel's Katharinenhof to discuss and plan the first EEE The Straight Egyptian Arabians of today are based on this unique gene pool. It is a remarkable legacy, and the breeders of today are aware of their responsibility to protect it. They have retained a necessary respect in dealing with creation and cultural achievements and have preserved the noble Straight Egyptian Arabian. The Straight Egyptian Arabians saw a period of blossoming and new interest in their lines and history in both the USA and Europe during the 1970s -1980s. What began as an informal gathering of those breeders - who exchanged ideas and shared a desire to preserve the Straight Egyptian Arabian - ended with the conclusion that the existing breed shows were too hectic and did not provide the right atmosphere. That is how the Egyptian Event Europe (EEE) came into being in the beautiful palace garden at Wiesbaden in 1985, even before the PSE was founded and the first Almanac book was published. For the first time, the cultural heritage of the horse was shown to a wide audience in such an elegant setting, without judging and without any commotion. The presentation of stud farms, stallion parades, and information tents combined with art and antiques turned out to be the right decision as more than 10,000 visitors came to this first EEE

15 It was simply consistent that a group of wise men sat down and founded the Pyramid Society Europe (PSE) in Germany in Passionate breeders like Günter W. Seidlitz (president), Dr. Hans-Joachim Nagel (vice-president), Willy Poth (vicepresident), Wolfgang Eberhardt (treasurer) and Unika Puppe (secretary) formed the first Executive Board, supported by a range of dedicated breeders throughout Europe. The EEE remains the prominent showpiece of the PSE until today, although it has turned into a show with a judging system. Nevertheless, the annual EEE is a meeting point for Straight Egyptian Arabian breeders and enthusiasts from around the globe. The annals of the PSE would not be complete without a trip back into the 1990s. After the early death of Günter W. Seidlitz in 1995, the PSE fell into a deep sleep, before Professor Siegfried Paufler used a lot of effort to re-activate it again a few years later. Paufler never grew tired of reminding each and everybody why it is important to keep the Straight Egyptian Arabians pure; to preserve the ancient cultural heritage of the former Bedouin horses of Arabia. He appealed to the sense of responsibility in all Straight Egyptian breeders to preserve and care for this precious cultural asset, documented in more Almanacs. Siegfried Paufler, this staunch defender of the Straight Egyptian bloodlines, was appointed Honorary Chairman when the PSE paid homage to his merits in the new millennium. The current Board of Directors is faced with a multitude of challenges. The board constantly emphasizes the glorious past and the valuable pedigrees of the Straight Egyptian Arabian. However, times have changed. The digital world, especially the Internet and social media, play a key role, and the PSE had to and will continue to improve their information policies. For 30 years, the society s members have found support in discussing the various problems and challenges that breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabians are faced with in today s globalized world. The PSE offers orientation and guidelines, exchange of experiences, educational seminars or investigating Arabian horses in other countries; making Straight Egyptian Arabian breeding a fascinating purpose against the backdrop of a unique history. The late Horst Preuss, coorganizer of the EEE in Baden Baden honoring Elf Layla Walayla bred by Babolna, owned by Nayla Hayek The Princess of Egypt (Orayan x Shahneekha) bred and owned by Horst Preuss, a strong supporter of the PSE, Gold Champion Senior Mares and Straight Egyptian of the Year 2007 Malikah Halima (Maydan Madheen x Bint Moufisa), bred and owned by Michael Ponnath, awared Gold Champion Mare and Best SE Arabian of the Year 2010 F Samirah (Ali Valentino x Sarameena), Gold Champion Mare EEE and SE Arabian of the Year, Darmstadt 2006, breeders and owners Inge, Hans Joerg und Esther Friedmann, co-organizers of the EEE 2003 Ferdinand Schwestermann, long time Chairman of the PSE with photographers Erwin Escher and Jan Kan The organizers of the Egyptian Event Europe - Heike and Manfred Hain Slot Pietersheim in Lanaken was the home for the Egyptian Event Europe from The new location for the EEE since Castle Dyck near Duesseldorf 28 29

16 INSPIRING LESSONS FROM LIFE WITH ARABIAN HORSES JUDITH FORBIS SPEAKING ON THE OCCASION OF THE 30-YEAR-ANNIVERSARY OF THE PYRAMID SOCIETY EUROPE ARTICLE BY: MONIKA SAVIER THERE IS A SPECIAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PYRAMID SOCIETY EUROPE AND JUDITH FORBIS. FOR 60 YEARS NOW, JUDITH FORBIS HAS BEEN DEVOTED TO THE HISTORY, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF THOSE ARABIAN HORSES FROM EGYPT, WITH GREAT SUCCESS AND INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION. AFTER A NUMBER OF WORKING STAYS IN TURKEY AND ARABIAN COUNTRIES, SHE FOUNDED ANSATA STUD IN THE USA, SUPPORTED BY HER HUSBAND DON. SHE WAS ALSO A MAJOR MOTIVATOR AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE PYRAMID SOCIETY THAT WAS SET UP BY NORTH AMERICAN BREEDERS IN DOUGLAS B. MARSHALL BECAME THEIR FIRST PRESIDENT, WITH JUDITH FORBIS ELECTED SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETY. IN THAT FUNCTION, SHE, TOGETHER WITH DOUGLAS MARSHALL, HAD A DETERMINING INFLUENCE ON THE DEFINITION OF WHAT IS A STRAIGHT EGYPTIAN. HER SUBSTANTIAL EXPERIENCE IN BREEDING, IMPARTED BY WAY OF A STARTLING NUMBER OF TALKS, ESSAYS, AND BOOKS PUBLISHED, CONTRIBUTED TO THE STRAIGHT EGYPTIANS NOW BEING DEFINED AND BRED ON AS A TREASURED BREED WITHIN THE BREED ALL OVER THE WORLD. Judith is shown here in Ansata s formative years with Ansata Bint Bukra - the crippled mare who founded a dynasty the world over. (C. Brown photo) Believing in the magic of your dreams is illustrated by the contrast between first Ansata farm in Chickasha, Oklahoma (Ansata Bint Bukra in the foreground) and the world-famous Ansata Arabian Stud in Mena, Arkansas - the final resting place of many famous Ansata horses. (Forbis photo) Ansata Ibn Sudan (left) & Ansata Ibn Halima (right) the Ansata Type carries on from generation to generation. (Sparagowski photo) Straight Egyptian breeders owe a lot to Judith Forbis. Her breeding concept, and her horses with the Ansata look, have influenced and enriched the studs and the pedigrees of horses all over the world. Today, her horses are part and parcel of the history and success of the Straight Egyptians around the globe. As to PSE, (Pyramid Society Europe) Judith was a role model to the Europeans and in particular, to the Germans who later to found PSE. They were fascinated by her highly successful work in breeding straight Egyptian Ansata horses, and quite a few breeders based their own breeding on Ansata stock. However, what s most important for Judith in her work is living with and befriending Arabian horses - and entwined with that, the communication and friendships that developed between breeders of Arabian horses in the course of the years, - although throughout history - the horses themselves had long since outshone the breeders community as true citizens of the world. With her talk for the EEE, (Egyptian Event Europe) she did what she has been doing from the start: try and inspire people to believe in the magic of your dreams. First and foremost, she began, it is important to ask: what do we all have in World famous Ansata-bred horses illustrate the type for which Ansata became famous: 1971 US National Champion Ansata Ibn Sudan (Ansata Ibn Halima x Ansata Bint Mabrouka) and his sire, Ansata Ibn Halima (Nazeer x Halima), three times U.S. National Top Ten Stallion. (Sparagowski photo) The Forbis books illustrate the depth of commitment to the Arabian horse community that Judith Forbis has maintained throughout her lifetime. (Forbis photo) Ansata Hejazi (Ansata Halim Shah x Ansata Sudarra) represents a crowning achievement of the Ansata program, and became an inspiration to breeders in Kuwait after the Gulf War had devastated Arabian horse breeding in Kuwait. (Gigi Grasso photo) The ankh known as the Key of Life in ancient Egypt, was the inspiration for the trademarked name Ansata used as a prefix for all Ansatabred Egyptian Arabian horses. (Forbis photo) Judith learned much about horses and human nature towards horses while she and Don raced their Arabian horses in Turkey. Judi is shown here winning a race on her mare, Sohret. (Forbis archive) The audience is captured by the speach of Judith Forbis Judith Forbis speaking about inspiring lessons from her life with Arabian horses The huge lithograph of Ciaffar, by DeDreux, hung over the desk of Dr. Affifi, Director General of the EAO, at the time the Forbises bought their first three horses. This image was always held in Judith s mind as her ideal Arabian. (Forbis archive) Dr. Mohammed Marsafi, manager of El Zahraa Stud in Egypt, was most helpful to the young Forbises. He is shown here with (Mona/Mouna (left), Moniet El Nefous (center) and Mabrouka (right). All three mares played a dominant role in the Ansata program. (Forbis photo) common? What is the glue that for thousands of years has bound Arabian horse breeders and horsemen together? The answer is LOVE! Why do I put this first? she asked! BECAUSE LOVE LASTS. So this was her initial credo - after all, love is ever convincing as an emotional catchword, even if it may mistakenly appear as a somewhat romantic term - rather than a force of Nature as intended in defining a basis for the Arabian Horse industry. However, it was along the idea of love that Judith Forbis developed the ideas of her catching lecture. She delved back into childhood experiences, her adolescent life in Turkey, her adventurous life with Don (who passed away in 2008), and her work as a publisher and author, which allowed her to meet the world - and allowed the world to meet her and consequently Ansata Stud. Breeders and fans who had expected more down-to-earth know-how for successful Egyptian horse breeding (such as pedigree analysis and the like) were probably somewhat astonished when during analyzing the landmarks in her life as a breeder, Judith put the emphasis on delivering her more transcendental insights. She illustrated her main points of conceptualizing your dream, developing a vision (dreams of the past, realities for the future), realizing your dream, and finally, perfecting the dream, by way of telling examples out of her own history. Eventually, she urged everybody who was able to realize his or her dream to share the dream, - and she dedicated the last part of her talk to Mohammed Al Marzouq from Kuwait - who had set a remarkable example of sharing his dream. Realizing his countrymen and the Bait Al Arab State Stud of Kuwait would benefit from the use of Ansata Hejazi, Mohammed shared with them Hejazi s services without charge. This attitude may open the door for further opportunities of sharing stallions between breeders no matter what countries they are from. As a conclusion to her talk, Judith offered this advice: In closing, I d like to summarize some lessons I ve learned by living with horses - and their owners most of my life. Our Creator gave us dominion, not domination, over animals. Understand that love is the divine inspirational and motivating force in the universe. Love lasts. As a man thinketh, so is he. Like attracts like. Progress is born of experience. Breeding horses is an art and all the arts are interrelated - all have truth, beauty, harmony, rhythm, balance, dimension, substance, and form. Always give back to the industry from which you have taken - the world loves a cheerful giver. Never give up. Be a light on the hill. Go the extra mile. Stay in touch with the roots of your beginnings. Muck a stall. Groom and pet a horse. Sweep the barn. Smell the hay. Go horseback riding. Be impeccable with your word. Don t take things personally. Never make assumptions. Always do your best. No breeder is an island unto himself. Remember - we need each other if this breed is to prosper in this fast-moving technological age. And last, but not least - BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC OF YOUR DREAMS AND THEY WILL COME TRUE. THEY DID FOR ME, THEY HAVE FOR OTHERS, AND THEY WILL FOR YOU

17 NK Hind (NK Jamal El Dine x Helala) bred & owned by Katharinenhof Stud NK Nounou (NK Nadeer x NK Bint Bint Nashua) bred & owned by Katharinenhof Stud AA Marisi (AA Mahzous x AA Marah) shown, bred & owned by Bettina von Kameke, Al Assil Arabians AA Mahzous (El Thay Mahfouz x Mar-Hiba) bred & owned by Bettina von Kameke, Al Assil Arabians THE NOBLE STRAIGHT EGYPTIAN BREEDERS FESTIVAL FOR THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE EGYPTIAN EVENT EUROPE, IT WAS WELL WORTH ADDING AN EXTRA DAY TO TAKE IN A NEW AND EXCITING EVENT: THE NOBLE STRAIGHT EGYPTIAN BREEDERS FESTIVAL. HELD ON THE MONDAY FOLLOWING THE SHOW AT SHAM STABLES, LOCHEM, IN THE NETHERLANDS, NOT VERY FAR AWAY FROM THE SHOW, THE FESTIVAL - ORGANIZED BY A GROUP OF DEDICATED STRAIGHT EGYPTIAN BREEDERS FROM GERMANY, THE NETHERLANDS, AND ITALY - WAS AN ATTEMPT TO TAKE THE EEE BACK TO ITS ROOTS. THE FIRST EGYPTIAN EVENT EUROPE, HELD IN 1985, HAD BEEN A WONDERFUL BREEDERS SHOWCASE WHERE BREEDERS PRESENTED THEIR HORSES WITH JUDGES OR CLASSES, FREE FROM THE PRESSURE OF COMPETITION, TO A LARGE AND APPRECIATIVE AUDIENCE. THIS WAS THE CONCEPT BEHIND THE NOBLE FESTIVAL. WHILE IT MAY HAVE BEEN SMALLER IN SCALE THAN THE ORIGINAL EVENT, IT WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE. IT PROVIDED A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SEE HORSES FROM STUD FARMS THAT DO NOT NORMALLY PARTICIPATE IN SHOWS, WHICH INCLUDED WORLD-FAMOUS STUD FARMS AS WELL AS SMALLER BREEDERS WITH ONLY A FEW HORSES, BUT EQUALLY WORTH SEEING. ARTICLE BY MS. BETTY FINKE Rheemah Al Jabal (Salaa Maysan x Latifa) shown, bred & owned by Maya Jones, Al Jabal Arabians Rheemah Al Jabal with her filly Jumanah Al Jabal by NK Abbas El Dine and her adopted filly Rayyanah Al Jabal by Sharif Ibn Shaikh x Layla Bint Ghazira NK Nizam (Hafid Jamil x NK Nadirah) bred & owned by Katharinenhof Stud Jasara Al Qusar (Teymur B x Jazira El Chamsin) with her foal by DF Kahil, bred by Al Qusar Stud & owned by Gut Meinfeld Family Behlaw Muneera Al Qusar (Teymur B x El Thay Bint Maheera) bred & owned by Al Qusar Stud, Robert Schlereth NK Soraya (Shahwana x Ibn Nejdi) bred by Katharinenhof Stud, owned by Pabst Family Straight Egyptian Arabians Sahib (Salaa El Dine x NK Soraya) bred by Katharinenhof Stud, owned by Pabst Family Straight Egyptian Arabians The program was opened by a group of three stallions from Marbach State Stud in Germany. Marbach is the oldest state stud in Germany and home of the oldest continuous Arabian breeding program in the world, founded in 1817 by King Wilhelm I of Württemberg at Weil, which celebrated its 200th anniversary this year. Since the 1950s, Marbach also maintains a straight Egyptian breeding program based on the two Dahmah Shahwaniah mares Moheba and Nadja. The stallions Musab and Mamlakee (from the Moheba family) and Naoufil (from the Nadja family) are not only breeding stallions, but also active sports horses, competing in dressage and show jumping, and were shown under saddle. Dr. Hans-Joachim Nagel s Katharinenhof Stud needs little introduction, as it is famous throughout the world. Founded in the early 1970s and based on four mares representing different strains - Ansata Ken Ranya (Dahman Shahwan), Mahiba (Saklawi Jidran), Lotfeia (Hadban Enzahi), and the famous Hanan (Obeyan Om Jreis) - the breeding herd has been closed for generations, no outside blood having been added for the last 30 years. This has resulted in a very distinctive type easily recognized by its short heads with huge eyes and nostrils. Seven horses were shown, including four daughters of current chief sire NK Nadeer and Nadeer s breathtaking full brother, NK Nizam (NK Hafid Jamil x NK Nadirah). The small breeding program of Marcus and Mildred Pabst is based on the mare NK Soraya (Ibn Nejdy x Shahwana), bred by Dr. Nagel from the family of Mahiba. They presented four generations of their breeding: NK Soraya herself, now 20 years old; her son, the champion stallion Sahib (by Salaa El Dine), and Sahib s daughter Mahroussa P with her foal, as well as Soraya s last daughter Malaka P (by DF Al Majeed). Al Assil Arabians in the north of Germany is owned by Bettina von Kameke, who back in the 1990s inherited the Kameke Stud from her mother-in-law, one of the oldest Arabian farms in Germany. However, she eventually decided to change her breeding program to straight Egyptians, using foundation mares imported from the USA. The Hadban Enzahi family of Mar-Halla was represented by the young stallion AA Mahzous (El Thay Mahfouz x Mar-Hiba), and the family of Imperial Kalatifa by her daughter Kamihla (by Mosalli) and granddaughter AA Karimah, who is by Mar-Hiba s 32 33

18 son Ibn Kamaahr. Maya Jones s Al Jabal Arabians is located in the Swiss mountains. Founded in the 1980s, this small stud is entirely dedicated to preserving the Obeyan Om Jreis family. At Lochem, Maya Jones presented the homebred pure-in-strain Obeyah mare Rheemah Al Jabal, a daughter of her foundation mare Latifa. This was a very special presentation, because Rheemah had not just one, but two foals at foot - her own filly and an orphaned filly that she has adopted and is raising along with her own. Al Qusar Arabians, set in Germany s picturesque Lueneburger Heide, is owned by Robert Schlereth and Volker Wettengl and is a show training center as well as a breeding stud. They have been breeding straight Egyptian Arabians for some 20 years, focusing on the Dahman Shahwan and Saklawi Jidran strains, and have exported horses all over the world, including Egypt. They presented four beautiful daughters of their Bábolna-bred chief sire Teymur B (Assad x 214 Ibn Galal), two of them with foal at foot. El Thayeba Arabians is one of the oldest straight Egyptian breeding programs in Germany, and one of the most successful. Founded in 1971 by the late Dr. Hans-Joerg Tauschke, it is run today by his widow Cornelia Tauschke and daughter Viktoria. The breeding program is based on the foundation mares Taghreed (Hadban Enzahi), El Thay Mazyouna (El Thay Mahfouz x El Thay Malikah) bred & owned by El Thayeba Arabians El Thay Toya (El Thay Mahfouz x El Thay Taqijah) shown, bred & owned by Cornelia Tauschke, El Thayeba Arabians Malaak Al Sham (El Thay Mahfouz x Mathija Al Sabah) bred & owned by Sham Stables Najm Al Rayyan (El Thay Mashour x Naama Al Rayyan) bred by Al Rayyan Farm, on lease to Sham Stables Al Ilaf Ghazala (Emiratus B x Bint Ghalia), shown by Ann Sophie von Elm, bred & owned by Al Ilaf Stud Horn Blowers from the Hubertusgroup Visbek El Thay Mahfouz (Ansata Selman x El Thay Mahfouza) bred & owned by El Thayeba Arabians Al Ilaf Tifla (Emiratus B x Tamria Bint Tamam) bred & owned by Al Ilaf Stud, von Elm Family Malaki Al Sham (Najm Al Rayyan x Malaak Al Sham) bred & owned by Sham Stables A glimps into the VIP Tent Nedschd Nafisa M (Nedschd Mansour x Nejdeya Bint Amouna) with her filly Nedschd Nile Nabilah by Ansata Nile Pharaoh, shown by Dr. Denzinger, bred & owned by Nedschd Arab Nedschd Nawal M (Nedschd Mansour x Nahdya) bred & owned by Nedschd Arab Naoufil (Mahadin x Namije) bred & owned by the State Stud Marbach, ridden by Ann-Katrin Rupp Musab (NK Bolbol x Maaza) bay stallion ridden by Lukas Maier & Mamlakee (DF Malik Jamil x Maaza) grey stallion ridden by Fabian Hellstern, both stallions bred & owned by the State Stud Marbach Momtaza (Kehailan Rodan), Mona II (Saklawi Jidran) and Kamla II (Dahman Shahwan). These families were all represented in the display, including the homebred chief sire El Thay Mahfouz (Ansata Selman x El Thay Mahfouza) and five of his daughters, who have all inherited his type and refinement, as well as his half-sister El Thay Kareema (Ansata Selman x El Thay Kamla). Al Ilaf Arabians, a small family-run stud owned by Sabine von Elm, her husband Holger and their daughter Ann-Sophie, is located not far from El Thayeba in the north of Germany. They bought their first Arabians there in the late 1980s/early 1990s, the stallions El Thay Thamam and El Thay Mameluk. They showed two beautiful daughters of their current chief sire, the El Thay Mameluk son Emiratus B, Al Ilaf Tifla and Al Ilaf Ghazalah, and two daughters of Classic Mansour out of Emiratus B daughters. Nedschd Arab Stud in the far south of Germany was established by Gabriele Schuster and Dr. Ferdinand Denzinger in the early years of the 21st century. The breeding herd includes mares of the Saklawi Jidran, Dahman Shahwan, and Obeyan Om Jreis strains and is best known for its homebred premium stallion and chief sire Nedschd 34 35

19 DF Yazmeena (DF Malik Jamil x AR Yashmak) bred & owned by Birkhof Stud Malikah Halima (Maydan Madheen x Bint Moufisa) bred & owned by Ponnath Straight Egyptian Arabians DF Kabila (DF Siraj x DF Karimah) shown by Achim Dirnhofer, bred & owned by Birkhof Stud The fine collection of mares representing the breeding program of Michael Ponnath Mansour (Maydan Madheen x El Thay Maymouna). Two of his daughters were shown, including the successful show mare Nedschd Nafisa M with her 2017 filly by Ansata Nile Pharaoh. The Dirnhofer family s Birkhof Stud, also located in southern Germany, is one of the largest Egyptian studs in Germany with between nine and fourteen foals per year and nine stallions at stud, seven of them homebred. Their senior stallion DF Malik Jamil (NK Hafid Jamil x Amouva) is a popular sire with many breeders, and was even leased to Egypt in Birkhof showed three of his daughters, including the stunning mare DF Yazmeena (x AR Yashmak), as well as a black filly sired by their black stallion DF Siraj. Ponnath Arabians, established in the late 1990s, is also one of the larger straight Egyptian studs in Germany. Michael Ponnath bought his first Arabians from Brigittenhof, including the foundation mare Moufisa Halima (Halim Al Kadir x Mofisa) and her two daughters by Al Kidir, Bint Moufisa and Moufisa Al Kidir, of the Saklawi Jidran strain. Their descendants make up the majority of the broodmare band, along with a group of Dahman Shahwan mares. Later, several stallions from the USA were introduced. All five horses shown were from the Saklawi Jidran strain, including Bint Moufisa s daughters Malika Halima (by Maydan Madheen) and Majesta Halima (by Ansata Nile Echo), who have both been shown successfully as fillies. Tameri Arabians, owned by Christina Krumm, and Al Ryah Arabians, owned by Claudia Scheidel, are two German breeding programs using similar bloodlines, Al Ryah being based on a foundation mare from Tameri. Each of them showed a mare with foal, both mares sired by the Ponnath-bred stallion Farees Halim (Al Adeed Al Shaqab x Monisa Halima). Of these, Maheebah Al Ryah (out of Tameri Marana) easily had the most extreme head seen that day. Sylke Schuhmacher of Eichhof Arabians in Germany has been riding Arabians since the mid-1980s and purchased her foundation mare, Egyptian Anjali Amanda (Alidaar x Wasoona Bint Kaisoon), in All the horses of her small breeding program are her descendants. At Lochem she presented her granddaughter Egyptian Amene (FA Medu Neter x Egyptian Asinah) and great-granddaughter Egyptian Tajdala (Tal El Majd Al Qusar x Egyptian Amidala Sunnah) with their foals at foot. Last but by no means least, the host of the event, Sham Stables, also presented several horses. A native Syrian, Mahmoud Alanzarouti was forced to leave his home country and has since established his stud farm in the Netherlands. His greatest success to date has been breeding the Egyptian World Champion Mare Kinda Al Sham (Rayyan Al Naif x Frasera Wahiba), who was of course shown as well. The centerpiece of the Sham Stables presentation was the chief sire, Najm Al Rayyan (El Thay Mashour x Naama Al Rayyan). Five foals from his 2017 crop were shown, of which the filly Jouri Al Sham was a particular favorite with the spectators. It was lovely to see all these beautiful horses at liberty instead of posed for showing, and also to see how the breeders all helped each other showing their horses, making it all appear like a big family gathering. During the lunch break and after the end of the presentations, there was plenty of opportunity to socialize and to sample the delicious buffet generously provided by Mr. Alanzarouti. Everyone fortunate enough to attend this unique event agreed that it was a real highlight. Kinda Al Sham (Rayyan Al Naif x Frasera Wahiba) bred & owned by Sham Stables A group of mares of Sham Stables shown liberty during the closing ceremony The members of the Honorary Board of the Noble Festival thanking Mr. Mahmood Alanzarouti and his team for all the effort to make this event so special and successful Tameri Naylah (Farees Halim x Amira Shahwaniah) bred & owned by Tameri Arabians Tameri Nadira (Hadban Al Naif x Tameri Naylah) shown by Christina Krumm, bred & owned by Tameri Arabians Egyptian Tajdala (Taj El Majd Al Qusar x Egyptian Amidala Sunaah) with her colt Egyptian Almas Ibn Kahil by DF Kahil, bred & owned by Silke Schuhmacher, Eichhof Arabians Mahdeeba Al Ryah (Farees Halim x Tameri Marana) shown by Claudia Scheidel, bred & owned by Al Ryah Arabians Mahdeeba Al Ryah with her colt Mounir Al Ryah by Nader Halim bred & owned by Al Ryah Arabians Egyptian Amene (Fa Medu Neter x Egyptian Asinah) bred & owned by Eichof Arabians Mahmood Alanzarouti in action 36 37

20 Malikat El Moluk (Mameluk x Asalat Al Hala) owned by Al Khashab Stud, Kuwait - 2nd Place in the 3 year old filly class RD Harenaado (Hariry Al Shaqab x DM Endless Romance) owned by Al Saqran Stud, Kuwait & UAE - Silver Champion Yearling Colt KUWAITI BREEDERS PARTICIPATING AT THE ALL NATIONS CUP 2017 IN AACHEN placing in the championship, winning Silver Champion Yearling Colt. And finally, Excalibur EA (Shanghai EA x Essence of Marwan EA), another recent addition to Al Saqran Stud, triumphed above all competitors to be crowned Gold Champion Senior Stallion. He also excelled as a sire at this show, with his son Alexxanderr and daughter LF Era de Excalibur both taking Gold Champion titles in their respective categories, yearling fillies and junior colts. The All Nations Cup itself was won for the second consecutive time by the United Arab Emirates, who also took the Breeders Cup this year. For the first time, the European Breeders Trust held a select auction during the All Nations Cup. The high-selling lot was from Al Saqran Stud, a breeding right to the multi-champion mare Donna Molta Bella SRA with FA El Rasheem, which sold for 230,000. ARTICLE BY MS. BETTY FINKE The 35th All Nations Cup, held from September at Aachen, Germany, fully lived up to its reputation as the greatest Arabian horse show in Europe. The first of the three European class A Title shows, it is the first step for European horses towards the coveted Triple Crown and arguably the toughest show to win anywhere in the world. Even if the classes were a little smaller this year, the standard was as high as ever, with top quality horses down to the last place. Eight breeders from Kuwait had sent a total of 12 horses to the show and did very well indeed, with seven horses placing among the first three of their classes. Asayel Stud s stallion Van Gogh AM (Magnum Psyche x Ynazia HCF) placed second in the small, but exceptional class for 7- to 10-year-old stallions, and only narrowly missed out on Bronze Champion, tying with Al Thumama (Qatar) Stud s Morion, who won on account of his higher score in class. Asayel Stud s two mares Heila J (Shael Dream Desert x Fatiha J) and Petra SF (Sir Fames HBV x Promises Psy) both placed 3rd in their respective classes. Al Khashab Stud s beautiful 3-year-old filly Malikat Al Moluk (Mameluk x Asalat Al Hala), last year s Silver Champion Junior Filly, placed 2nd in her class behind the eventual Gold Champion Mozn Al Bidayer, but this time missed out on the titles, while Al Nayyar Stud s homebred 2-year-old colt Safwan Nayyar (Fayad Al Fayyad x Starlight By Sissi) also placed 2nd in his very strong class. Kuwait did not go home without medals, though, because Bassam Al Saqran s horses won two titles. The yearling colt RD Harenaado (Hariry Al Shaqab x Endless Romance), purchased at Scottsdale this year, was second in his class to Gold Champion HL El Ganador, and repeated the Excalibur EA (Shanghai EA x Essence of Marwan EA), bred by Equus Arabians, owned by Al Saqran Stud, Kuwait and UAE - Gold Champion Stallion Van Gogh AM (Magnum Psyche x Ynazia HCF) owned by Khaled Al Nughemshi, Asayel Arabians, Kuwait - 2nd place in the 7-10 years old stallion class 38 39

21 3rd Edition Issue 32 3rd Edition Issue 32 ARABIAN HORSE RACES IN KUWAIT ARTICLE BY BAIT AL ARAB TEAM ARABS AND HORSE RACING IN THE PRE-ISLAMIC ERA, ARABS WERE VERY KEEN ON TRAINING AND PREPARING THEIR HORSES FOR RACING, AND USED TO CONSIDER THE SPEED OF THE HORSE A SIGN OF NOBLE DESCENT AND PURITY OF ORIGIN. THE PROPHET (PBUH) USED TO TRAIN AND RACE HIS HORSE AND URGED MUSLIMS TO FOLLOW HIS LEAD. THE CALIPHS AFTER HIM FOLLOWED IN HIS FOOTSTEPS. THERE ARE MANY EVENTS IN ISLAMIC HISTORY WHICH ILLUSTRATE HOW KINGS, CALIPHS, AND SULTANS BOUGHT THE BEST HORSES AT HIGH PRICES, PUT THEM UNDER THEIR CARE, AND PROVIDED ALL MEANS TO KEEP THEM IN GOOD HEALTH. FAST HORSES WERE THEN A MAIN FACTOR IN WINNING WARS AND WERE A SYMBOL OF MILITARY SUPERIORITY. Chairman of the High Commission for the horse race at the time and the Minister of the Emiri Diwan Sheikh Khalid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah holds the winning horse in the season His Excellency the Minister of the Amiri Diwan Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad handing over a masterpiece presented by the Chairman of the High Commission for Horse Racing at the time Sheikh Khalid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to the agent of the owner of the winning horse. Sheikh Fahd Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the owner of the Istiqlal Istiqlal with Persians Awasha, winner of the season race. HORSE RACING IN KUWAIT K uwait is an integral part of the Arab world and shares with the Arabs a deep-rooted tradition of breeding and training purebred Arabian horses. In the center of Kuwait City, there is still an old arena which stands as a witness to the passion Kuwaitis have for horse racing 1. With the modern progress and renaissance of Kuwait, the Kuwaitis never lost sight of horse racing as their favorite hobby. They used to prepare places for the sport called in Kuwaiti dialect Khatah, which means a road flattened by bulldozers for horse racing. Of these Khatah roads, the most popular were Surah Khatah, Maseelah Khatah, and Jabriya Khata2. Along with the establishment of modern institutions, the Hunting and Equestrian Club was founded in 1964, and hence horse races came to be held in a professional and official manner. The Club received special care from the Chairman of its Board of Trustees, H.H. Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who was then the Foreign Minister. Furthermore, other Sheikhs and notables made great efforts in encouraging and sponsoring horse racing under the umbrella of the club. Among these distinguished personalities are H.H the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawwaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who was the Minister of Interior then, Sheikh Khalid Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Minister of Amiri Diwan and Chair of the Higher Authority for Horse Racing, Major General Abdullatif Faisal Al-Thweini, and others. Due to the efforts of these notable personalities and pioneers, modern horse racing in Kuwait blossomed and achieved resounding success. The Higher Authority for Horse Racing consisted of those pioneers who shouldered the responsibility of organizing and supervising the races. A look at the annual calendar issued by the Authority for the years shows that the Authority was chaired by Sheikh Khalid Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and the members were Sheikh Fahed Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah, Major General Abdullatif Faisal Al-Thweini, Bishr Saleh Al-Roumi, Khalifah Yousef Al-Roumi, Nouri Abdulsalam Shu ayb, and Mohammad Mohmoud Madwah. Major General Abdullatif Faisal Al-Thweini was the Director General of the race, helped by other directors: Sheikh Fahed Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Sheikh Ali Al-Humoud Al-Salman Al-Sabah, Mohammad Saleh Al-Roumi, Fahed Al-Khmeiri, Khalifah Yousef Al-Roumi and Mohammad Majed Shaheen. There were four judges: Nouri Abdulsalam Shu ab, Bishr Saleh Al-Roumi, Mohammad Al-Shatti and Mousa Mous Isa. The judges were helped by the arena supervisor, Ahmad Al-Dyuli, and his two helpers, Zayed Al-Sader and Mohammad Murad. Hamed Taher was in charge of the starter pistol, and Falah Maqtouf Falah and Musaed Mohammad Nour were in charge of the weighing scales. The veterinarian was Anton Labib Awad ; the race registrar was Ali Hamdi; and the arena secretary was Samir Tayeh. In addition, a system of regulations (consisting of 111 rules) governing horse races was published in the annual calendar3. 1. An interview held by the historian Saif Marzouq Al-Shamlan with the sea captain (Nukhadtha) Mubarak bin Abdulaziz bin Nasser. Kuwait Public TV Channel. 2. From a number of interviews with Bishr Bin Saleh Al-Roumi, Wael Abdullah Abdulwahhab Al-Roumi, Khalid Fahed Al-Fahed, Mohammad Majed AlShaheen and Ahmad Faisal Al-Thweini. 3. The annual calendar of , pp I would like to thank the Islamic Cultural Center and Kuwait National Library for providing me with a copy of the calendar. 4. The annual calendar of a , p The annual calendar of , pp His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah delivers the Gulf Cup and the Arabian Peninsula for the third session in 1983 Emir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah with the Emir of the State of Bahrain Sheikh Issa bin Salman Al-Khalifa at the end of one of the race seasons. It appears in the picture Sheikh Khalid Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Minister of State Abdulaziz Hussein and the then President HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Chairman of the High Commission for the horse race at the time and the Minister of the Amiri Diwan Sheikh Khalid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah delivers Prince s Cup to His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. 40 THE GOALS OF SPONSORING HORSE RACES BY BAIT AL-ARAB STATE STUD The relationships of Kuwaiti horse lovers were expanded to reach other Arab clubs outside Kuwait, like the Society for Preserving and Improving the Arabian Horse Breed in Lebanon, the Equestrian Club in Iraq (Baghdad and Basra Branches) and the Equestrian Club in Riyadh. The basic race system stipulates that horses participating in races should be born to purebred Arabian parents in one of the Arab countries4. In addition, they used to check the horse by examining the physical traits5, a method used long before the modern use of the more accurate method of DNA tests. The most important stables listed in the annual calendar of are: AlRoumi Stable, Al-Thweini Stable, Al-Wihdah Stable, Al-Nashama Stable, AlSalam Stable, Al-Sour Stable, Al-Jazerah Stable, Al-Muttawa Stable, Dasman Stable, Al-Rjeibah Stable, Byan Stable, Al-Khalij Stable, Al-Khalifah Stable, AlSaffar Stable, Al-Nazzal Stable, Al-Hweidi Stable, Al-Dyuli Stable, Al-Samah Stable, Al-Sha ab Stable, Al-Masayel Stable, Al-Shweihan Stable, Al-Mijli Stable, and Al- Ahd Satble. Others participated in the race under their personal names, like Badr Ibrahim Al-Fassam, Ahmad Abdulmuhsin Al-Saqr, Musaed Badr AlSayer, Abdulaziz Mubarak Al-Hasawi, Thabet Mohammad Al-Muhana, Yousef Abdulaziz Al-Houqal, Abdulkarim Al-Hamlan, and Suleiman Al-Qamlas. The Kuwaiti trainers listed in the calendar are: Mohammad Al-Qatami, Hamad AlHassan Al-Ibrahim, Rashed Al-Hmeli, Yousef Al-Kandari, and Mousa Al-Mousa. The calendar also mentions the names of the jockeys, like George Wakid, Qaduri Darwish, and Samir Fakhr. These races were attended by notables and distinguished personalities, like the Emir of Bahrain Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, His Highness Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Highness Abdulrahman bin Abdullah Al-Faisal Al Saud, and others. The Arabian Horse Center (Bait Al-Arab State Stud), which is entrusted with registering and preserving the Arabian horses and encouraging their owners, is also keen on upholding the tradition of horse racing in Kuwait by adding the sport to the events and festivals it sponsors. The goal is to promote the Arabian horse in the sport of racing in Kuwait, which might open a whole new market for horse breeders. Currently there are more than 8326 registered horses in Kuwait, 5331 of which were locally bred. As such, it is important to look for new horizons by way of promoting Arabians and creating events as a new source for the local breeders. Furthermore, horse races will make breeders more interested in improving the horses legs and conformation, in accordance with ECAHO rules and regulations defining the healthy body of the Arabian horse. This, in turn, will improve the quality of local breeding. It is hoped that these races will play a vital role in producing high quality local stallions with a promising future in the world of horse racing. HORSE RACES SPONSORED BY BAIT AL-ARAB Bait Al-Arab State Stud is scheduled to sponsor a number of horse races for the season of 2017/2018. Ten races will be organized by the Hunting and Equestrian Club, five for Egyptian bloodlines and the other five open to all bloodlines. In addition, Bait Al-Arab will sponsor four races organized by Farwaniya Equestrian Club, two for Egyptian bloodlines, and the other two open for all bloodlines. These races will be exclusively for locally-bred horses, as the ultimate goal is to support the local breeders and improve the quality of Arabian horses. 41

22 NEWS FROM THE GLEANNLOCH LIBRARY EQUINE REPRODUCTION PREPARE YOUR MARES FOR THE NEW BREEDING SEASON LECTURE BY DR. ALI EL SAEI, EGYPT 20.SEPT.2017 After the summer break, the educational program of Bait Al Arab commenced with a very interesting lecture given by Dr. Ali El Saei, Egypt. For almost 20 years, he worked as a veterinarian in Kuwait. He was in charge of the general health care and the breeding at the Arabian Horse Center and for identifying foals and imported horses on behalf of the Kuwait Arabian Horse Registry. In addition, he served many private breeders in Kuwait especially in the field of Equine Reproduction and any general healthrelated problems. A few years ago, he returned home and worked first at El Zahraa and later at another clinic where he was - among many other fields - also in charge of the education of interested horse owners as well as young veterinarians. He has kept in touch with Bait Al Arab and last year he returned back to the Arabian Horse Center - Bait Al Arab to work as head veterinarian and consultant. In the Gulf region the new breeding season will begin soon and the goal of the breeders & stable managers is to get the mares pregnant. First and foremost it is necessary to evaluate the mare s condition, general health, to understand the cycle of mares and to take the right decision about the breeding method (Natural Covering, Artificial Insemination with fresh, chilled or frozen semen). For this reason, a full investigation of all the factors and variability of results has to be considered at the start of every breeding season, and mares should be examined for their breeding soundness. DR. EL SAEI EXPLAINED THE CYCLE OF MARES AND MENTIONED THAT: The mare is seasonally polyoestrous with cyclical ovarian activity occurring during the spring, summer and autumn. THE OESTROUS CYCLE CAN BE DIVIDED INTO TWO PHASES: A follicular phase, also known as oestrus, is when the mare will allow the stallion to cover her. Typically the oestrus lasts 4-7 days, with 6 days being an average. A luteal phase, also known as dioestrus, is when the mare is not receptive to the stallion. Dioestrus lasts days on average and is usually more constant in duration than the oestrus. The oestrous cycles last days (average 22 days). Cycle length is variable and the cycle tends to be longer in the spring and shortest from June to September. At the end of oestrus, the follicle has enlarged and ovulation releases the oocyte. Ovulation occurs up to 48 hours before the mare stops showing signs of oestrus. Ovulation is a specific event and is defined as the release of the oocyte from the mature pre-ovulatory follicle. Normally a single oocyte is released at ovulation, but twin ovulation (associated with the maturation of two follicles) can occur. The use of ultrasound two weeks after ovulation is a helpful and definitive way for detecting twins and their necessary reduction according to the experience and the technological skill of the veterinarian. Part of the collections the Arabian Horse Center (Bait Al Arab Kuwait State Stud) keeps is the Gleannloch Library, which is considered one of the most specialized libraries on Arabian Horses. The library was collected by Douglas and Margaret Marshall, owners of Gleannloch Farms and among most important breeders of Arabian horses in the present age. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall started collecting horses, art, and books in the middle of last century. Later, Bait Al Arab Kuwait State Stud purchased the library and the collection in order to support the research and studies conducted by researchers of the State Stud and to make the collection available for researchers in and outside Kuwait. The Gleannloch Library contains rare collections and books on travels, veterinary medicine, and horsemanship. The oldest book in the Gleannloch collection was published in London in The collection also includes publications that date back to the nineteenth and early twentieth century, with dedications by the authors. In addition, the Gleannloch Library includes many magazines, photographs, and articles in periodicals, together with data on Gleannloch Farms and a studbook documenting the horses of the farm. Bait Al-Arab State Stud is always pleased to keep the doors of the Library open to researchers and people interested in the history of the Arabian Horse. Many notables have visited the Library, praising it and appreciating the initiative made by Bait Al- Arab State Stud to claim its rare collections. Bait Al-Arab Stud has been honored to receive distinguished visitors, like Dr. Khalid Al-Azab, Head of the Central Sector for Projects and Services in Alexandria Library, the archeologist Dr. Zahi Hawwas, the researcher Atiah Al-Dhafiri, and Dr. Philip Petrett from Sorbonne University. Mr. Alaa Al-Roumi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arabian Horse Center, with Dr. Khalid Al-Azab One of the books Mr. Alaa Al-Roumi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arabian Horse Center, with the archeologist Dr. Zahi Hawwas The mare does not suddenly start to cycle regularly, but enters what is known as a transitional phase. This is the period between winter anoestrus and the onset of normal cyclical activity. The horse is a long day breeder, daylight being the most important influence. During the transitional period there is prolonged oestrus, and thus the time of ovulation, which is the optimum time to breed mares, is difficult to determine. It is very common to find the so-called Hemorragic Anovulatory Follices (HAF) in the ovary during the transitional period. The mare can still tease positive and be bred, but no pregnancy can be achieved. However, once ovulation has occurred, regular cycles usually follow. ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION (AI) Dr. El Saei explained the technique of artificial insemination, the equipment which is needed to collect and to prepare the semen for immediate insemination or for shipping fresh or chilled semen, and about freezing and storing semen. The advantages of the transportation of fresh and chilled semen have led to its present wide application. Most breed societies nowadays accept the use of AI, with the exception of the Thoroughbred General Stud Book. Fresh semen is still favored by many over frozen semen, although the advantages of the latter technique are obvious, considering the possibility of shipment of frozen semen over greater distances and time. This is still due to the varying results with the use of frozen semen, although the newer techniques, like Deep Uterine Insemination, have shown an improvement of conception rates when using less than desirable quality and quantity of semen. Dr. Philip Petrett Mr. Atiah Al-Dhafiri 42 43

23 ARABIAN HORSE CULTURE ARTICLE BY JUDITH WICH-WENNING Pastel study from several photos of Morafic. and flexibility of the nostrils, the shape of the ears, the tail carriage. And I admire their history with tribal families, the hardships and their spirit and intelligence. I am an older person and have spent all my life drawing and painting. Horses were always my very favorite subject, especially Arabians, which I believe I was destined to paint. They are very special to me, they not only inspire me, but uplift my spirit. They take my breath away, they bring me to tears. Drawing horses has been a part of Jill s life from earliest childhood. Arabian horses first came to her attention when she saw an old print in her aunt s house. This picture showed the famous motive Pharaoh s Horses after a painting by John Frederick Herring of The original is today in the collection of Ajmal Stud, Mr. Mohammed Al Marzouk, Kuwait. This picture was a great inspiration for me, Jill Vanstone recalls. I wanted to paint my own version of these horses. Eventually I painted Out of Egypt, portraying Nazeer, Aswan and Morafic, especially for their far and wide influence on today s bloodlines. Moreover, my desire to paint Arabian horses, apart from my childhood memory of Herring s painting is inspired by the great artists Schreyer and Vernet, but also from the great articles written in books and magazines about the hero horses and their owners, and stories of the great love and passion Royal Treasure, oil on hardboard, it depicts a Qatari with his treasured possessions, using in part, some reference from a great photo by Khaled Al Mutairi. JILL VANSTONE The artist Jill Vanstone TELLING A STORY IN A PAINTING ARTWORKS BY JILL VANSTONE ARE DIFFERENT THEY IMMEDIATELY CATCH THE EYE, HAVE ENORMOUS CHARISMA AND BEAUTIFUL COLORS. ON THE SECOND GLANCE, THE SPECTATOR WILL DISCOVER NUMEROUS DETAILS. MANY OF JILL S PAINTINGS TELL A WHOLE STORY. JILL VANSTONE MASTERLY CAPTURES THE ARABIAN HORSE WITH ITS UNIQUE SPIRIT AND TYPE. FURTHERMORE, SHE HAS A SPECIAL TALENT FOR DECORATIVE SCENERIES AND BACKGROUNDS, WHICH ENHANCE THE But who is this very capable artist? Jill Vanstone is an Australian, living in Queensland on a small farm of just over 100 acres (around 40,4 ha). We are in an area called the Scenic Rim, Jill relates. It is known for farming and tourism a very lovely place with mountains and fertile valleys. My husband and I are retired. He breeds Droughtmaster cattle, so there are no horses but cows in our paddocks, she adds with a smile. Jill Vanstone s art education began after high school. I studied art for four years, she recalls, afterwards working as an illustrator for a publishing company and then in the Zoology Museum at Queensland University, before marrying and raising a family. At that time art took a backward step until our children left home, although I did find time to paint animal portraits and several race horses. Now I have my own studio and a great space to work in and I hope to continue painting beautiful Arabians! When asked what fascinates her most about Arabian horses, Jill Vanstone responds quickly: I love all desert creatures. I am impressed by the connection of Arabian horses with the desert, the physiological attributes developed to survive extremes. I love the quality of the skin and hair, the fineness History, Mystery and Magic, containing many soldiers on horseback, disappearing into the mists of time and two foreground horses of today s type, painted in acrylic on panel. BEAUTY OF THE HORSE. Desert Escape, oil on hardboard. Charcoal sketch on canvas. Jill Vanstone loves to try and capture the interaction between animals

24 I met really wonderful, welcoming people there who happily shared their knowledge and ideas with each other. It left a lasting impression of goodwill. Since that time, I have travelled again to Kuwait twice, and many times to Qatar. Sometimes I went just to deliver a painting and fly straight back, but several times I stayed there to paint. Amongst all the superbly bred and very beautiful horses it would be very difficult to name a favorite, but there is an old black horse who I have loved since that very first visit to Kuwait. He had such a noble look about his head, I ve never forgotten him, NK Oteyba (Salaa El Dine x Sanana by Nahaman). Jill Vanstone s preferred medium is acrylics, but she works mostly in oil paint, and also in mixed media, pastels, pen and ink, charcoal. From time to time her paintings have very impressive sizes, some are as high as three meters. Her style of painting is realism, tending towards expressionism. In addition to this, Jill creates sculptures in clay and stone. Her animal portraits include horses, donkeys, cattle, dogs and cats, but specializing in Arabian and Thoroughbred painting. Jill masterly captures the special characteristics and personality of her subjects. Jill Vanstone s paintings are much sought-after. Her work hangs in homes of discerning collectors in numerous countries. Real highlights for Jill were to provide artwork for The Egyptian Event in Kentucky for many years, for the World Crabbet Convention in 2005, and to be involved in the Queensland Arabian Challenge Show. Out of Egypt, Jill Vanstone s interpretation of the painting that started her passion for Arabians long time ago: Pharaoh s Horses. Desert Raiders, crop taken from a large oil painting on canvas. people from all walks of life have dedicated their time and efforts to furthering. Her clients very often inspire Jill Vanstone, their ideas and dreams are very interesting. I try really hard to share their vision and create a painting from that visualization. Often my clients have an idea in their mind s eye, so between us we compose a suitable image, Jill points out. But I also do portrait paintings if asked, sometimes many elements can be brought together that way. Jill also works from photos. She generally requires several pictures from different angles in order to get a feeling for the personality of her subjects. Moreover, she likes to have a written description of the character. My aim is to capture expression and liveliness. It is most important to me that you can feel the life in the portrait, Jill explains. Like many artists, Jill Vanstone is an avid traveler. I have been to the Middle East, USA and Europe because of my art, she remembers. I feel especially fortunate to have made several journeys to Arab countries. In 2006, I first went to Kuwait to deliver a painting. I spent two weeks in Al Wafra what a very exciting first visit! Salah s Mares, an older painting in oil on canvas depicting some mares on a property in Kuwait, with the most wonderful date palms. Big Red, a large-sized painting in acrylic on canvas. Shadek, a pastel sketch. One of Jill Vanstone s most detailed and difficult subjects, a painting over two meters wide showing a beautiful oasis scenery

25 JOURNIES FROM THE PASTPART 2 BY LADY ANNE BLUNT EDITED BY YAHIA AL KANDARI THE ARABIAN HORSE IN TRAVELERS REVIEWS IN THIS ISSUE, WE CONTINUE PUBLISHING CHAPTERS FROM THE MEMOIRS OF TRAVELERS TO ARABIA, WHICH ARE CONSIDERED HISTORICAL RECORDS OF THE ARABIAN DESERTS AND TOWNS IN THE PAST. HERE IS A CHAPTER OF A TRAVEL BOOK WRITTEN BY LADY ANNE BLUNT FROM ENGLAND AND HER HUSBAND, WILFRID BLUNT, WHO MADE A LONG JOURNEY TO IRAQ, SYRIA, THE EUPHRATES, AND NEJD. THEY WERE BASICALLY SEARCHING FOR ARABIAN HORSES, BY WAY OF RECORDING THEIR CONDITION AND OBSERVING HOW THEY WERE BRED IN THEIR HOMELAND. IN THIS CHAPTER, LADY ANNE DESCRIBES THE STUD OF THE EMIR OF HAIL, MOHAMMED IBN RASHID. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST INFORMATIVE CHAPTERS LADY ANNE WROTE ABOUT HORSES, THOUGH THE OTHER CHAPTERS INCLUDE REFERENCES HERE AND THERE. IN THE PUBLICATION OF THIS CHAPTER HERE, I DRAW ON TWO ARABIC TRANSLATIONS OF THE BOOK: ONE BY DR. AHMAD AYBASH, PUBLISHED BY ABU DHABI AUTHORITY FOR TOURISM AND CULTURE, AND THE OTHER BY DR. SABRI MOHAMMED HASSAN, PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSLATION IN EGYPT. I ALSO CORRELATED THESE TWO TRANSLATIONS WITH THE ORIGINAL WHICH WAS PUBLISHED IN THE LIBRARY OF THE ARABIAN HORSE CENTER KEEPS A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL AS PART THE GLEANNLOCH COLLECTION. BOTH TRANSLATIONS CONTAIN SOME ERRORS AND MISTRANSLATIONS WHICH I CORRECTED, PARTICULARLY REGARDING PARTS AND COLORS OF HORSES. I HAVE ALSO ADDED NOTES TO ELUCIDATE CHARACTERS AND PLACES AND DISPEL ANY AMBIGUITY. FINALLY, I REMOVED CERTAIN PARTS WHICH ARE OF POLITICAL NATURE. Lady Anne Blunt in men clothes A PILGRIMAGE TO NEJD A Visit To The Court Of The Arab Emir SOURCE: Chapter XII Vol. II Book reprinted at Frank Cass & Co. LTD in 1968 Combat In Wady Al Sirhan LADY ANNE BLUNT (BORN IN 1837) GREW UP ON HER FATHER S ESTATE AT EAST HORSLEY PARK, HOME- SCHOOLED IN LANGUAGES, MATHEMATICS, VIOLIN AND LEARNED DRAWING FROM JOHN RUSKIN. HER REAL PASSION FROM A YOUNG AGE WAS HORSES. THIS MESHED NICELY WITH HER HUSBAND WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT PASSION FOR THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY MARRIED IN IN 1873, THE YOUNG COUPLE WENT ON THE FIRST OF SEVERAL EXTENDED RIDE-ABOUTS TO THE DESERT AREAS OF ALGERIA, EGYPT, IRAQ AND ARABIA, SHE THE SOLE WOMAN ON THE CARAVAN, THE FRUITS OF WHICH ARE IN HER BOOKS BEDOUIN TRIBES OF THE EUPHRATES (1879) AND A PILGRIMAGE TO NEJD (1881). HERE SHE ALSO MASTERED ARABIC, TO COMPLEMENT HER FLUENT FRENCH, ITALIAN, SPANISH AND GERMAN. IN 1878 THE COUPLE DECIDED TO IMPORT SIX ARABIAN HORSES INTO ENGLAND, TO WHICH END THEY ESTABLISHED THE CRABBET ARABIAN STUD FARM (1878). THE RESULTS WERE FAVORABLE, AND FOUR YEARS LATER SHE AND HER HUSBAND WERE IN CAIRO AND IN 1882 THEY BOUGHT SHEYK OBEYD ESTATE, SOME 36 ACRES OF FRUIT TREES AND PASTURAGE JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY AND SET UP A BREEDING FARM FOR THE HORSES THEY OWNED IN EGYPT. THEY WERE ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM THE DECLINING FORTUNES OF THEIR NEIGHBOR ALI PASHA SHERIF, ANOTHER HORSE-BREEDER OF LOCAL DISTINCTION (THE BETTER PART OF HIS COLLECTION WAS AUCTIONED IMMEDIATELY AFTER HIS DEATH IN 1897). OVER TIME THE BLUNTS ACQUIRED PERHAPS 16 STALLIONS AND 51 MARES OF FINEST QUALITY. IN 1906 THE BLUNTS AGREED TO A FORMAL SEPARATION AND THE STUD WAS DIVIDED. LADY ANNE KEPT CRABBET PARK AND HALF THE HORSES, WHILE WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT TOOK THE REST OF THE STOCK. FOLLOWING THE SEPARATION, LADY ANNE SPENT SEVERAL MONTHS EACH YEAR AT HER SHEYKH OBEYD ESTATE. HER DAUGHTER JUDITH LIVED FULL-TIME AT THE CRABBET ESTATE WITH HER OWN HUSBAND AND CHILDREN. FINALLY, LEAVING THE STUD UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF JUDITH, LADY ANNE LEFT ENGLAND PERMANENTLY IN OCTOBER 1915 AND SPENT THE REMAINING YEARS OF HER LIFE AT SHEYKH OBEYD. SHE DIED IN 1917 AFTER A BRIEF ILLNESS, AND JUST WEEKS AFTER HAVING INHERITED THE TITLE OF BARONESS WENTWORTH, LEAVING HER ESTATE TO HER DAUGHTER AND GRANDCHILDREN. Ibn Rashid's 1 stud is now the most celebrated in Arabia, and has taken the place in public estimation of that stud of Feysul ibn Saoud's 2 which Mr. Palgrave saw sixteen years ago at Riad 3, and which he described in the picturesque paragraphs which have since been quoted. The cause of this transference lies in the political changes which have occurred since Mohammed Ibn Rashid is now not only the most powerful of Bedouin Sheykhs, but the richest prince in Arabia; and as such has better means than any other of acquiring the best horses of Nejd, nor have these been neglected by him. The possession of thoroughbred mares is always among the Arabs a symbol of power. That Feysul's stud in its day was the best in Arabia is probable, and it may be that no collection now to be found there has an equal merit; but there seems little reason for supposing that it differed in anything but degree from what we ourselves saw, or that the animals composing it were distinct from those still owned by the various Bedouin tribes of Nejd. All our inquiries, on the contrary, tend to show that it is a mistake to suppose that the horses kept by the Emirs of Riad were a special breed, preserved in the towns of Aared from time immemorial, or that they differed in any way from those bred elsewhere in Central Arabia. They were, we are repeatedly assured, a collection recruited from the various tribes of the Nefuds - a very fine collection, no doubt, but still a collection. Every Bedouin we have asked has laughed at the idea of there being a special Nejd breed, only found in Aared. In answer to our questions we were informed that in Feysul's time emissaries from Riad were constantly on the look-out for mares wherever they could find them; and that the Emir had often made ghazus against this and that tribe, with no other object than the possession of a particular animal, of a particular breed. The tribe from which he got the best blood, the Hamadani, Simiri and the Kehilan al-krush, was the Muteyr (sometimes called the Dushan 4 ), while Beni Khaled, Dafir, Shammar, and even Anazeh, supplied him with occasional specimens. 5 Abdallah ibn Saoud, his successor, still retains a few of them, but the bulk of the collection was dispersed, many of the best passing into the hands of Metaab and Bender, Mohammed ibn Rashid's predecessors. Mohammed himself follows precisely the same system. He makes purchases from all the tribes around, and though he breeds in the town, his collection is constantly recruited from without. Were this not the case, no doubt it would soon degenerate, as town bred horses in Arabia, being stall-fed and getting no sort of exercise, are seldom fit for much. There is a false notion that the oases, such as those of Jebel Shammar and Aared, are spots especially adapted for the rearing of horses, and that the sandy wastes outside contain no pasture. But the very reverse of this is the case. The oases in which the towns stand, produce nothing but date palms and garden produce, nor is there a blade of grass, or even a tuft of camel pasture in their neighborhood. The townspeople keep no animals except a few camels used for working the wells 6, and now and then a donkey. Even those must be fed either corn or dates, which none but the rich can afford. Horses are a luxury reserved only for princes, and even the richest citizens do their travelling from village to village on foot. Longer journeys are made on on dromedaries brought in from the desert for the purpose, which are either the property of Bedouins or held with them by the citizens on shares. The Nefuds, on the other hand, contain pasture in abundance, not only for 48 49

26 camels, but for sheep, and horses, and it is in the Nefuds that all these are bred. Ibn Rashid goes every spring with the bulk of his live stock to the desert, and leaves them during part of the summer with the tribes, only a few animals being reserved for use in the town. It cannot be too strongly insisted upon, that the upper plateau of Nejd, where the towns and villages are found, are a stony wilderness almost entirely devoid of vegetation, while the Nefuds afford an inexhaustible supply of pasture. The want of water alone limits the pastural value of these, for the inhabited area is necessarily confined to a radius of twenty or thirty miles around each well - and wells are rare. These facts have not, I think, been hitherto sufficiently known to be appreciated. With regard to Ibn Rashid s collection at Hail we looked over three or four times in the stables, and saw it out once on a gala day, when each animal was made to look at its best. The stables consist of four open yards communicating with each other, in which the animals stand tethered each to a square manager of sun-dried brick. They are not sheltered in any way, but wear long heavy rugs fastened across the chest. They are chained by one or more feet to the ground, and wear no headstalls. It being winter time and they ungroomed, they were all in the roughest possible condition, and, as has been mentioned, our first impression was one of disappointment. When at Hail they are given no regular exercise, remaining it would seem for weeks together tied up thus, except for a few minutes in the evening, when they are led to drink. They are fed almost entirely on dry barely. In the spring only, for a few weeks, they eat green corn grown on purpose, and then are taken to the Nefud or on ghazus. It is surprising that they should be able to do their work under such conditions. The first yard one enters in going through the stables, contained, when we saw them, from twenty-five to thirty mares. In the second were twenty more, kept in a certain kind of condition, for service in case of necessity; but even these get very little exercise. As they stand there in the yard, slovenly and unkempt, they have very little of that air of high breeding one would expect; and it requires considerable imagination to look upon them as indeed the ne plus ultra of breeding in Arabia. We made the mistake, too common, of judging horses by condition, for, mounted and in motion, these at once became transfigured. Here may follow some descriptions of particular animals, written after one of our visits to the stud; these will give a better idea of them than any general remarks. In our notes I find: 1. A CHESTNUT KEHILET AL-KRUSH Bin Rachid Mares With three white feet (Mutlak el-yemin), 14 hands or 14.1, but very powerful. Her head is plainer than most here - it would be thought a good head in England - lean and rather narrow. She has too heavy a neck, but a very fine shoulder, a high wither, legs like steel, hind quarter decidedly coarse, much hair at the heels. 7 More bone than breeding, one is inclined to say, seeing her at her manger, though moving, and with the Emir on her back, one must be very captious not to admire. She is Mohammed s favourite charger, and of the best blood in Nejd. Ibn Rashid got this strain from Ibn Saoud s stables at Riyad 8, but it came originally from the Muteyr. 2. A BAY HAMDANIEH SIMRI Also from Ibn Saoud s collection, a pretty head, but no other distinction. N.B. This mare is of the same strain as our own mare Sherifa, but inferior to her. 3. A GREY SEGLAWIEH SHEYFI Extremely plain at first sight, with drooping quarters, and a head in no way remarkable, but with a fine shoulder. This Seglawieh Sheyfi has a great reputation here, and is of special interest as being the last of her race, the only descendant of the famous mare bought by Abbas Pasha, who sent a bullock cart from Egypt all the way to Nejd to fetch her, for she was old, and unable to travel on foot. The story is well known here, and was told to us exactly as we heard it in the north, with the addition that this mare of Ibn Rashid s is the only representative of the strain left in Arabia. Abbas Pasha s Seglawieh is reported to have had two foals while in Egypt; one of them died, and the other was given to the late King of Italy and left descendants, now in the possession of the present king. 4. A DARK BAY KEHILET AJUZ Quite 14.2, one white foot, really splendid in every point, shoulder quarter and all; the handsomest head and largest eye of any here. She has ideal action, head and tail carried to perfection, and recalls Beteyen ibn Rashid s mare, but her head is finer. She belongs to Hamud 9, who is very proud of her, and tells us she came from Jerba Shammar. It surprises us to find a mare from Mesopotamia; but we are told that interchange of horses between the southern and northern Shammar is by no means rare. 5. A DARK BROWN KEHILET AJUZ No white except an inch in breadth just above one hoof, lovely head and thoroughbred appearance, and for style of galloping perhaps the best here, although less powerful than the Emir s chestnut and Hamud s bay. It is hard to choose among the three. Of the eight horses, the best is a Shueyman Sbah of great power, head large and very fine. He reminds us of Faris Jerba's mare of the same strain of blood; they are probably related closely, for he has much the same points, forequarters perfect, hindquarters strong but less distinguished. He was bred, however, in Nejd. A grey Seglawi Jedran, from Ibn Nederi of the Gomussa Anazeh, is a poor specimen of that great strain of blood; but the Bedouins respect for it prevails here though they have now no pure Seglawi Jedrans in Nejd. 11 It is interesting to see this horse valued here, as the fact proves that the Anazeh horses are thought much of in Nejd. The more one sees of Nejd horses here, the more is one convinced of the superiority of those of the Anazeh in the points of speed, and, proud as everyone here is of the "Kheyl Nejdi," it seems to be acknowledged that in these points they are surpassed by the Anazeh horses. Our own Anazeh mares are looked upon as prodigies of speed. In comparing what we see here, with what we saw last year in the north, the first thing that strikes us is that these are ponies, the others horses. It is not so much the actual difference in height, though there must be quite three inches on an average, as the shape, which produces this impression. The Nejd horses have as a rule shorter necks and shorter bodies, and stand over far less ground than the Anazehs. Then, although their shoulders are undoubtedly good and their withers higher than one generally sees further north, the hind-quarter is short, and if it were not for the peculiarly handsome carriage of the tail would certainly want distinction. Their legs all seem to be extremely good; but we have not seen in one of them that splendid line of the hind leg to the hock which is so striking in the Anazeh thoroughbreds. Of their feet it is difficult to judge, for from long standing without exercise, all the Emir's mares have their hoofs overgrown. Their manes and tails are thicker than one would expect. Prince Hamud Al Rachid In their heads, however, there is certainly a general superiority to the Anazeh mares, at least in all the points the Arabs most admire, and we were both struck, directly we saw them, with the difference. As I may fairly assume that few persons out of Arabia have an idea what are there considered the proper points of a horse's head, I will give here a description of them: First of all, the head should be large, not small. A little head the Arabs particularly dislike, but the size should be all in the upper region of the skull. There should be a great distance from the ears to the eyes, and a great distance from one eye to the other, though not from ear to ear. The forehead, moreover, and the whole region between and just below the eyes, should be convex, the eyes themselves standing rather "a fleur de tête." But there should be nothing fleshy about their prominence, and each bone should be sharply edged; a flat forehead is disliked. The space around the eyes should be free of all hair, so as to show the black skin underneath, and this just round the eyes should be especially black and lustrous. The Cheek-bone should be deep and lean, and the jaw-bone clearly marked. Then the face should narrow suddenly and run down almost to a point, not however to such a point as one sees in the English racehorse, whose profile seems to terminate with the nostril, but to the tip of the lip. The nostril when in repose should lie flat with the face, appearing in it little more than a slit, and pinched and puckered up, so also should the mouth, which should have the under-lip longer than the upper, "like the camel's," the Bedouins say. The ears, especially in the mare, should be long, but fine and delicately cut, like the ears of a gazelle. It must be remarked that the head and the tail are the two points especially regarded by Arabs in judging a horse, as in them they think they can discover the surest signs of his breeding. The tails of the Nejd horses are as peculiar as their heads, and are as essential to their beauty. However, other points might differ, every horse at Hail had its tail set on the same fashion, in repose something like the tail of a rocking horse, and not as has been described, "thrown out in a perfect arch." In motion, the tail was held high in the air, and looked as if it could not under any circumstances be carried low. Mohammad ibn Aruk 11 declared roundly that the phenomenon was an effect, partly at least, of art. He assured us that before a foal is an hour old, its tail is bent back over a stick and the twist produces a permanent result. But this sounds unlikely, and in any case it can hardly affect the carriage of the tail in galloping. With regard to color, of the hundred animals in Hail stables, there were about forty greys or rather whites, thirty bays, twenty chestnuts, and the rest brown. We did not see a real black, and of course, there are no roans, or piebalds, or duns, for these are not Arab colors. The Emir one day asked us what colors we preferred in England, and when we told him bay or chestnut, he quite agreed with us. Nearly all Arabs prefer bay with black points, though pure white with a very black skin and hoofs is also liked. In a bay or chestnut, three white feet, the off fore-foot being dark, are not objected to. But, as a rule, color is not much regarded at Hail, for there as elsewhere in Arabia a fashionable strain is all in all. Besides the full grown animals, Ibn Rashid's yards contain thirty or forty foals and yearlings, beautiful little creatures but terribly starved and miserable. Foals bred in the desert are poor enough, but these in town have a positively sickly appearance. Tied all day long by the foot they seem to have quite lost heart, and show none of the playfulness of their age. Their tameness, like that of the "fowl and the brute" is shocking to see. The Emir tells us that every spring he sends a hundred yearlings down to Kuwait under charge of one of his slaves, who sells them at Bombay for 100 apiece. They are of course now at their worst age, but they have the prospect of a few months' grazing, in the Nefud before appearing in the market. On the whole, both of us are disappointed with what we see here. Of all the mares in the prince's stables I do not think more than three or four could show with advantage among the Gomussa, and in fact, we are somewhat alarmed lest the Emir should propose an exchange with us for our chestnut Ras el-fedawi, which is greatly admired by everyone. If he did, we could not well refuse. With regard to Nejd horses in general, the following remarks are based on what we saw and heard at Hail, and elsewhere in Arabia. Whatever may have been the case formerly, horses of any kind are now exceedingly rare in Nejd. One may travel vast distances in the Peninsula without meeting a single horse or even crossing a horse track. Both in the Nefud and on our return journey to the Euphrates, we carefully examined Roala till close to Nejaf, not twenty of these proved to be tracks of horses. The wind no doubt obliterates footsteps quickly, but it could not wholly do so, if there were a great number of the animals near. The Ketherin, a true Nejd tribe and a branch of Beni Khaled, told us with some pride that they could mount a hundred horsemen, and even the Muteyr, reputed to be the greatest breeders of thoroughbred stock in Nejd, are said to possess only 400 mares. Secondly, what horses there are in Nejd, are bred in the Nefuds. The stony plateau of the interior contain no suitable pasture except in a very few places, while the Nefuds afford grass, green or dry, the whole year round. The Muteyr, the Beni Khaled, the Dafir, and the Shammar, are now the principal breeders of horses in Nejd, but the Anazeh are regarded as possessing the best strains, and the Anazeh have disappeared from Nejd. They began to migrate northwards about two hundred years ago, and have ever since continued moving by successive migrations till all have abandoned their original homes. It may be that the great name which Nejd horses undoubtedly have in the East, was due mainly to these very Anazeh, with whose horses they are now contrasted. The Bisshr Anazeh were settled in the neighborhood of Kheybar, on the western edge of the Nefud, the Roala south of JofK and the Amarrat in the extreme east. These probably among them supplied Nejd horses in former times to Syria, Bagdad and Persia, and some sections of the tribe may even have found their way further south; for the Ibn Saouds themselves are an Anazeh family. So that then, probably, as now, the best strains of blood were in their hands. To the present day in the north the Anazeh distinguish the descendants of the mares brought with them from Nejd as Nejdi, while they call the descendants of the mares captured from the tribes of the North, Shimali or Northerners. The management of education of horses seems to differ little in Nejd from what it is elsewhere among the Arabs. But we were surprised to find that in place of the Bedouin halter, the bit is used at Hail. At first we fancied that this was in imitation of Turkish manners; but it is more likely to be an old custom with town Arabs. Indeed the Bedouins of the Sahara, no less than the Turks, use the ring bit, which may after all have been an invention of Arabia. Bad as it is for the mouth, it is certainly of use in the fancy riding indulged in at Hail, in the Jerid play and sham fighting. Among the Bedouins of Nejd the halter alone is used. Of anything like racing we could learn nothing. Trials of speed are no longer in fashion, as they must have been once, and skill in turning and doubling is alone of any value. Some tradition, however, of training still exists among the Arabs. 1. Lady Blunt refers here to the Emir Mohammed ibn Rashid, whose stud she visited during his reign. 2. Imam Faisal bin Turki bin Abdallah Al Saud. 3. We published this chapter of Palgrave s journey in the last issue of the Newsletter. 4. Dushan is the plural noun of Dweish. Dushan are the sheikhs of Mutair tribe. 5. The criterion here in assessing horses is their action and beauty. Lady Anne does not mean she prefers the horses of one tribe to those of another. Rather she describes the breeds and quality the Emir acquire from other tribes. It is possible that some tribes kept horses which are of a better quality than those they sent to the Emir. Later, Lady Anne, after giving example of the Emir s horses, will talk about the superiority of the Anazeh horses in terms of speed. She also makes the observation that the Anazeh horses were highly esteemed by Arabs in Nejd. Furthermore, she makes an elaborate comparison between strains and shapes of horses in Nejd and the north. As such, comparison between the horses of tribes is not an easy task, as horses moved between tribes in war and exchange. The ultimate arbiter here is identifying the original owner of the stud from a documented source, which is not easy due to the rarity of written documents in the Arabian Peninsula. 6. By pulling the waterwheels. 7. The stallions of this strain are known to bequeath thick hair. That is why the Bedouins refrain from breeding Krushan stallions. Hence the density of the hair at the heels of this mare. In the expedition of Khedive Abbas Hilmi Pasha I, the envoys asked Sheikh Baddah Al-Mureikhi: " Why do Bedouins sell the Krushan stallion at any price while they sell his daughters at the highest price? And why do not Bedouins breed the stallion of this strain? To which he replied: 'There is no doubt that this strain is of the best quality, but the stallions are not bred because experience proved that the offspring grow much, a quality disliked in mares which are prepared to be stabbed and pierced in wars. That is why they sell the stallions of this strain at the lowest price, whereas there is no doubt that the mares are the finest mounted by rulers". See Sheikh Hamad Al-Jaser, The Origin of Modern Arabian Horses, pp This Krush mare was a gift from Imam Faisal bin Turki Al Saud to Obayd Al-Ali Al-Rashid, Mohammed Al-Abdallah Al-Rashid's uncle during whose reign Lady Anne visited Hail, and he is also Hamud's father who Lady Anne consulted on the strains of Arabian horses. Mohammed bin Hadi bin Qarmalah told Abbas Pasha's envoys that he sent as a gift a Krush mare to Imam Faisal, who, in turn, gave it as a gift to Obayd Al-Rashid. See The origin of Horses (504-05); The manuscript of Obayd Al-Rashid's Poetry (Hubert's copy) The manuscript is part of the French traveler Charles Hubert's collection kept in Strasburg University in France under No Prince Hamud Al-Obayd Al-Ali Al-Rashid. 10. Lady Blunt refers here to Seglawi el-waberi 11. He is one of the companions of Lady Anne and her husband in their journey. They met in Tadmur, Syria and remained with them throughout the journey

27 ARABIAN HORSE HEALTH ARTICLE BY BAIT AL ARAB TEAM TUMOR! LOOSELY DEFINED, A TUMOR IS AN UNCONTROLLED OR INCORRECT GROWTH OF CELLS, WHICH CAN INVADE NORMAL TISSUE AND DISRUPT FUNCTIONS. IT CAN BE BENIGN (MEANING IT S SLOW- GROWING AND DOESN T TEND TO SPREAD) OR MALIGNANT (A FAST-GROWING, AGGRESSIVE TUMOR THAT EASILY METASTASIZES, OR SPREADS TO OTHER TISSUES). WE RE NOT IMMUNE TO TUMORS, AND NEITHER ARE OUR HORSES Sarcoid on the neck SARCOIDS AND MELANOMAS (part i) Sarcoid above the right eye contagious from horse to horse. It s more likely that the horses somehow contract the virus from the environment (not even necessarily from being in contact with a cow with warts). Regardless of how it gets there, however, it s very possible that BPV could act as the most significant initiating event in the development of a sarcoid. People have suspected for a long time that there s some relationship between this virus and sarcoid tumors in horses. It s been demonstrated that more than 90% of sarcoids do have the DNA for the bovine papilloma virus, which is a recognized oncovirus (a virus capable of expediting malignancy in cells). We know we can create a tumor in a horse by injecting it (subcutaneously or intra-dermally) with BPV, but they tend to spontaneously disappear within a few weeks or months. That tells us there may be other factors at work which influence the viral expression. Histologically, sarcoid cells don t vary a lot, but clinically, there s a great deal of variation in the degree of aggression in sarcoid tumors seen in horses. As with any type of virus, the name of the game (from the virus point of view) is to avoid recognition by the host s immune system. For the most part, BPV does a good job of going undetected. The goal of researchers is to come up with a vaccination which would serve as a wake-up call for the horse s immune system, forcing it to recognize the presence of the virus and attack it. Work on a sarcoid vaccine is still in the very early stages but researchers expect that a working version will probably become available within five years. TREATMENT Although slow-growing sarcoids often cause minimal trouble to a horse, if they appear in an area where tack or equipment might rub against them (for example, near the mouth where a bit would rest, or on the girth-line), they can crack and bleed frequently and can cause significant discomfort. Larger masses are even more troublesome, sometimes splitting and becoming infected by flies and maggots. There s always the possibility that a sarcoid tumor can interfere with normal functions, for instance, when one forms on an eyelid or ear. For all of these reasons, owners of affected horses might want to consider treatment for their horse s sarcoids. It s best to at least get them evaluated, as soon as possible after the horse owners notice they have appeared. Treatment depends on the size of the tumor and its location, but once they get past a certain size, or the tumor changes to malignancy, you may not have the option of treating them anymore. For most sarcoids, it s a good idea to explore treatment early on. The trickiest part of all this might be deciding which type of treatment is best. There are a bewildering number of options, all with pros and cons and variable success rates. Part of the difficulty is that no two sarcoids seem to be alike in how they respond to treatment. Tumors have been known to disappear spontaneously when nearby tumors are removed or treated. At the other end of the spectrum, an incomplete treatment might stimulate sarcoids to become wildly aggressive and invasive. There is no one single treatment that is uniformly successful in curing sarcoid tumors; in some cases, control is the best you can hope for. Options for treatment, all of which have a moderate record of success, include the following: surgical excision cryonecrosis (freezing with liquid nitrogen) radiation therapy destruction by surgical laser chemotherapy, usually in the form of drugs injected locally into the tumor injection of immune stimulants, either systemically or locally into the tumor. Frequently, veterinarians will use more than one of these methods in combination, depending on the size and location of the sarcoid and whether it is benign or rapidly growing. Surgical excision probably is the most common approach, although it works best with flat, wart-like sarcoids. Vigorously active tumors are more difficult to remove surgically, as they have a tendency to recur at the same site. Sarcoid tumors tend to develop finger-like extensions into the normal tissue, so it can be next to impossible to ensure that all the tumor cells have been eradicated. Often, surgery is used in combination with other treatment methods. Large tumors might need to be de-bulked (surgically reduced in size) before other methods can be applied successfully; for example, the visible parts of the tumor might be surgically trimmed as much as possible, then cryosurgery could be used to freeze the margins of the tumor site (the aim being to kill any remaining tumor cells). Injection with immune-stimulant drugs is a useful approach with sarcoids that are in locations difficult to approach surgically (for example, on the eyelid) or when multiple tumors are involved. Cosmetically, this approach has the advantage of far less visible scarring than surgery, but its success rate varies from horse to horse. One approach that has been used over the past couple of decades is injection of a vaccine called BCG (bacillus Calmette-Gurein), also used to combat tuberculosis in humans. BCG serves as an immunostimulant, enhancing the body s response to tumor-specific antigens. Its usefulness seems to be limited to small tumors, and occasionally the treatment seems to stimulate sarcoids to become aggressive. As a result, BCG has fallen out of favor as a sarcoid treatment in recent years. More promising is a chemotherapy drug called Cisplatin, which has about an 80%- 90% success rate over two years, if owners are committed to the treatment regimen. Cisplatin can be injected intra-lesionally (directly into the tumor) if the sarcoid is small (one to two centimeters in diameter). If the tumor is larger, surgical de-bulking might be necessary first. Otherwise, a prohibitive quantity of the drug would have to be used, since the tissue s ability to diffuse cisplatin is limited. There are diluted forms readily available, but they re not nearly as effective. The results are definitely connected to the concentration of the drug, and to it being administered regularly, every two to three weeks. Radiation therapy is another modality which has been used with good success, particularly with sarcoids that are very large or difficult to excise because of their location. By an owner s standards, radiation might seem a bit daunting. Because the horse must remain absolutely still for the treatments (which only last a couple of minutes each), he must be placed under a general anesthesia, and the usual regime is six treatments over a three-week period. That s quite a lot of anesthesia, and of course there s an extended hospital stay involved as well. However, if your horse has large or invasive tumors, radiation might be the most effective way to go. Not every university veterinary hospital is equipped to provide this therapy, so you might want to do some investigating to find the facility nearest you. Regardless of the approach you use to tackle your horse s sarcoids, it s important to be realistic about the results. Sarcoids are tenacious, and frequently recur, sometimes within weeks of their apparent eradication. The treatment might only succeed in reducing the size of the tumor, or reducing the number or severity of the tumors. Cures are rare; control is a more practical goal. The good news, if you can call it that, is that the vast majority of tumors that affect horses are of the benign variety. Cancer isn t nearly as common a killer in equines as it is in humans. In fact, the two most common types of tumors in horses - sarcoids and melanomas - usually are benign and often cause little disruption in a horse s daily life. Some horses have been known to live with these skin growths for upward of 20 years. Under certain circumstances, however, both of these types of tumors can be a nuisance and a health risk, not to mention unsightly. In this issue of The Arabian Horse Letter we will talk about Sarcoids and in the next issue Melanoma will be the subject. THE SARCOID SCENARIO Sarcoid tumors are the most common type of skin tumor in equines, occurring in an estimated one out of every 100 horses. The word sarcoid is a contraction of the word sarcoma (a tumor originating from the connective tissue) and the suffix -oid, which means like. So, a sarcoid is a tumor like a sarcoma. The difference is that sarcomas generally are malignant, and sarcoids usually are not. The average equine sarcoid is found on the skin surface and resembles a wart. Some are small and flat, with a crusty surface or a normal skin covering. This type (sometimes called a verrucous sarcoid) grows very slowly and might remain static for years at a time, or might even spontaneously disappear. Others, sometimes called fibroblastic sarcoids, are more aggressive and invasive. They have a raised, bumpy surface, might bleed or ooze serum if they re bumped or rubbed, and can rapidly proliferate into large, angry-looking masses. Sarcoids can appear anywhere on the skin surface, and horses of any age, breed, or color can develop them, although they tend to show up in horses which are middleaged or older. Some researchers have noted that Quarter Horses seem to show a predisposition. A tendency to develop sarcoids might run in families, although at this point there s no strong proof of that. The areas most frequently affected include the skin of the head (especially the mouth, eyelids, and ears), legs, tailhead, underside of the barrel, and any area where there exists a previous wound site or scar tissue. Sarcoids can appear singly, but often they ll show up in several locations on a horse, a characteristic that leads many researchers to believe that there might be an infectious or viral cause for these tumors. There are precedents in human medicine, most notably a virus called HPV (for human papilloma virus), which has been strongly linked to certain types of cervical cancer in women. Interestingly, most equine sarcoids are infected with a closely related micro-organism, the bovine papilloma virus (BPV). BPV causes ordinary warts in cattle - non-malignant and pretty harmless. In horses, which are not the virus natural hosts, BPV seems to stimulate something far nastier. Whether the virus causes the sarcoids, or is just somehow associated with their growth, is unclear at this point. BPV has been demonstrated in lab situations to cause equine cells to develop tumor-like characteristics, but the viral infection is not enough to cause the actual development of a sarcoid (at least, not so far). Researchers suspect that horses are a dead-end host for BPV. They believe that the virus goes through an altered life cycle in equine cells, never managing to replicate and shed virus particles as it does in cattle. As a result, sarcoids do not seem to be Sarcoid between the hind legs Sarcoid at the Abdomen Sarcoid between the front legs 52 53

28 ARABIAN HORSE RESEARCH ARTICLE BY MS. BETTY FINKE SIRE LINES: BAIRACTAR - AMURATH Amurath 1881 (Tajar 1873 x Koheil III) known as Amurath Weil Tajar (Amurath 1829 x Geyran III), born 1851 Amurath Painting published in the book 'Babolna and it's Arabian Horses by Walter Hecker Bairactar skeleton & portrait displayed in the museum of the Main and State Stud Marbach, Germany Amurath (Bairactar x Sady III), born 1829 Strictly speaking, Germany is a misnomer, because that country did not exist in Württemberg was its own kingdom, and its King, Wilhelm I, exactly 200 years ago established the royal stud Weil the first in Western Europe to breed pure Arabian horses. King Wilhelm had owned and bred Arabians before this, but 1817 marks both the date he established his royal stud farm and the importation of Bairactar, its single most important sire. Bairactar, who was portrayed many times in his life, appears to have been a very beautiful horse as well as athletic; the latter he was able to prove as the King s personal charger. He most certainly did not have a dished head, but although his profile was straight, his head was very dry and refined, with huge eyes and wide nostrils. After serving as the King s personal riding horse, he became a chief sire for the new stud. He was so highly thought of that he became the subject of some very heavy inbreeding. After his death, his skeleton was preserved and mounted for posterity and may still be viewed today in a small museum just outside Marbach State Stud in Germany. Bairactar was succeeded at stud by his equally celebrated son Amurath, foaled in 1829 out of Sady III. Amurath appears to have resembled his sire quite a lot, but was said to have been an even better horse. He sired three sons that were used at Weil, but only one that carried on the sire line, Tajar Tajar s dam was Geyran III, a double Bairactar granddaughter, which shows the degree of linebreeding to Bairactar that went on. From there, the line passed through two more generations of stallions, each of them named Tajar, until in 1881 it culminated in the horse that is widely regarded as the crowning achievement of Weil: Amurath 1881, also known as Amurath Weil. LEGACY OF THE KING S HORSES THE LINE OF BAIRACTAR DB CARRIES THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE OLDEST ARABIAN SIRE LINE IN THE WORLD TODAY. ITS FOUNDER, A GREY STALLION OF THE SAKLAWI JIDRAN STRAIN, WAS IMPORTED IN Bairactar DB, a Saklawi Jedran, imported in 1817 by King Wilhelm I of Wuerttemberg, Germany Arax (Amurath Sahib x Angara) 1817 FROM THE HEART OF THE DESERT TO WÜRTTEMBERG IN GERMANY. THE STALLION OF THE CENTURY Amurath 1881, who carried 14 crosses to Bairactar, was so vastly influential that it would take a book to do justice to it all. It is not for nothing that he was the first to be named the stallion of the century.his influence far exceeds the Arabian breed, as it is found in all Warmblood breeds today. It is a little-appreciated fact that modern Warmblood sports horses, especially with Holsteiner and Westfalian breeding, are descended from Amurath 1881, and accordingly from Bairactar, often carrying him hundreds of times in their pedigrees. One of the most successful modern showjumpers and sires, the Belgian warmblood stallion Cornet Obolensky, carries over 3,000 crosses to Bairactar and moreover, you can see it, as both he himself and his descendants show more than just a passing resemblance to Amurath None of this would have happened if Amurath 1881 had not been sold to Radowce, the state stud of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy (today located in Romania). He was no longer needed at Weil, because they had so many of his daughters. Unfortunately, they did not have a son, which means that Amurath 1881 was the last Bairactar line stallion at Weil. At Radowce, he once again excelled as a sire of broodmares, while his sons usually were sold, which is how his blood got into the various warmblood breeding programs. As a result of this policy, his sire line in the Arabian breed came very close to dying out at this point. It survived through just one son, 35 Amurath II (out of the desertbred mare Fatme), a 1907 stallion who was sold to Poland. There he, in turn, sired one son, Amurath Sahib. Amurath Sahib s dam Sahiba was a daughter of the Weil-bred Nana Sahib I, himself a grandson of Amurath 1881, so it is hardly surprising that this horse was the perfect embodiment of the Weil Arabian. Amurath Sahib was foaled in 1932, which is significant on more than one account. The same year marks the end of the royal stud at Weil, but not of its breeding program. In 1932, Princess Pauline of the House of Württemberg gave the entire Nabeg (Arax x Momenklatura) breeding herd to the Württemberg state stud at Marbach, under the provision that the breeding program would always be continued. The descendants of this herd are still there to this day, and the 200th anniversary of the royal breeding program was duly celebrated at Marbach this year. However, what the herd did not have when it came to Marbach, was a stallion of the Bairactar line. The line, in fact, was hanging on by a thread, and that thread was Amurath Sahib. Being foaled in 1932 in Poland, his best breeding years were overshadowed by the Second World War. Along with most of the horses of Janow Podlaski, he was evacuated to Germany near the end of the War, and with a number of other stallions ended up in the bombing of Dresden as the horses were just passing through. Miraculously, Amurath Sahib was among those who survived that night of fire and destruction

29 Amurath Sahib (35 Amurath II x Sahiba) Gwarny (Amurath Sahib x Gwara) Pasat (Gwarny x Parma) Neman (Nabeg x Nega) Nadir (Neman x Neschi) Nariadni (Nabeg x Nariadnaia) Balaton (Menes x Panagaia) Kubinec (Balaton x Kosmetica) Penthagonn (Pasat x Panela) A PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES Following the War, Amurath Sahib was one of the chief sires in Poland as the state studs rebuilt their breeding programs. For the first time in many generations, the Bairactar line grew stronger again and even developed two distinct branches. The first, and considerably larger one, is that of Arax (Amurath Sahib x Angara), foaled in 1952 at Michalow. Arax became a foundation sire for the Russian state stud at Tersk, where he established a strong line through his son Nabeg (1966 x Nomenklatura). Nabeg sired numerous successful sons that include Neman, a popular sire in Germany and sire of World Champion Nadir I; Nariadni and Pesniar, exported to the USA; and Tallin, who was used at Poland. The most influential Nabeg son, however, was Menes (1977 x Metropolia), who was a chief sire first at Tersk, and later in the USA and in Holland. Menes s most important son was the famous Balaton (1982 x Panagia by Aswan), for many years chief sire at Tersk and sire of many sons and daughters that were exported around the world. Foremost among them was the flamboyant Kubinec (1987 x Kosmetika), exported to Germany and himself a many times champion and leading sire of winners throughout the 1990s. His most famous sons include Koronec, who was exported to Saudi Arabia; World and U.S. Natl.Ch. FS Bengali, and Brazilian and U.S. Natl.Ch. El Nabila B, who is out of the straight Egyptian mare Elf Layla Walayla and still siring champions today. The second branch of the Bairactar line was established in Poland by Gwarny (Amurath Sahib x Gwara), foaled in He was far more representative of the Bairactar line in type than Arax, but he also much like his predecessors excelled in siring broodmares. Although three of his sons Gedymin, Argo, and Balon - were used at stud in Poland, as were several of their sons, his branch has now died out in the male line. One slim branch of the Polish line still exists through the Gwarny son Pasat (1978 x Parma), exported to Germany, and Pasat s son Penthagonn (1985 x Panela), and this is where the story of the Bairactar sire line again meets up with the story of the Weil-Marbach breeding program. Because in 1989, Penthagonn was leased to Marbach with the express purpose of bringing the Bairactar sire line back to its source. While Penthagonn himself only sired two broodmares, but no son that was considered good enough as stallion, Marbach was able to secure his son Pamir, out of Shams El Inaza, a daughter of the straight Egyptian sire Ibrahim. Pamir sired not one, but two chief stallions for Marbach, Said and Dschehim. Dschehim, whose dam was of mostly Egyptian breeding, but traced in tail female line to King Wilhelm s foundation mare Murana I, was the perfect embodiment of the old Weil type, bearing a striking resemblance to Bairactar himself. He was also a highly schooled dressage horse with superb movements. Unfortunately he shared his line s proclivity for siring good daughters rather than sons, and his untimely death last year left the stud without a successor. So the continuation of the line now lies with his half-brother Said, who has so far stood a Dschehim s more glamorous shadow. But even if the Polish branch is now slim, the continuation of the Bairactar line through the Russian branch at present seems secure. Pamir (Penthagonn x Shams El Inaza) Tallin (Nabeg x Talantlivaia) Menes (Nabeg x Metropolia) with Alexander_Ponomarev, Director of the Russian State Stud Tersk El Nabila B (Kubinec x Elf Layla Walayla B) Dschehim (Pamir x Dschihan) Said (Pamir x Sadana) 56 57

30 A RARE DOCUMENT ARTICLE BY YAHIA AL-KANDARI The trace of the seal used by Hassan bin Abdulrahman Al Hussein HORSE DOCUMENTS In this section of the magazine, we will publish and analyze old and rare documents about Arabian horses, with the aim of introducing patterns of sales in the desert and the city, types, and the most important stallions offered for breeding. The goal is to discover the unknown aspects in the history of Arabian horses and the ways of the people, whether stud owners, merchants or horsemen. In our analysis of the documents, based on the writings of travelers and local historians, popular folklore and interviews. THE TEXT OF THE DOCUMENT Yes, Nasser Bin Thallab Al-Dwayyesh showed up and confirmed selling to Hassan Bin Abdulrahman Bin Hussein half of his chestnut mare Rabdaa for a known price received by Ibn Nasser on the 12th day of Thu Al-Hija of the year The sale was finalized in accordance with the customs of horse sale in the desert: If the mare gives birth to a colt, it is claimed by Hassan. However, if the foal is a filly, Nasser should show up four months after her birth and negotiate the ownership, a decision left for Hassan. If Nasser does not show up, his representative, Ali bin Jafan Al-Mwaha Mutair, should appear to negotiate the ownership. If the four months passed without either of them showing up, five Riyals will be charged every month. Witnesses: Nahidh Al-Ghawi, Abdullah bin Hadlan Ahmad Al Ibrahim Al Milhem. Allah is the Ultimate Witness and Peace Be Upon Mohammad. Document written on Thu Al-Hija 12, al-dwayyesh sells al-rubdaa to ibin hussein al-mareedi (12/12/1300 hijri- 14/10/1883 a.d.) THE SELLER AND THE PURCHASER The document confirms that the merchant Hassan bin Abdulrahman Al Hussein (died in 1314 H./1897 A.D.) purchased a purebred chestnut Arabian mare from Al-Rabdan strain, from her owner Nasser bin Thallab Al-Dwayyesh, who belongs to the tribe of Mutair, as Al-Thallab is a branch of Al-Dwayyesh family and the sheikhs and leaders of the tribe of Mutair. He could also be one of the sons of Thallan bin Mukheimer bin Zuqum bin Mafwwaz (Fawwaz) bin Wattban Al-Dwayyesh. Wattban I is the great grandfather of the Dwayyesh family. The expedition of Abbas Hilmi Pasha I met with Mukheimer bin Zuqum bin Mafwwaz (Fawwaz) Al- Dwayyesh. Most of the offspring of the Al-Rabdan strain owned by Mukheimer Al- Dwayyesh were chestnut mares. 2 Similarly, the mare mentioned in the document was a chestnut Rubdaa. I could not find in the family tree a person with the name of Nasser among the sons of Thallab Al-Dwayyesh mentioned in the document. According to Al-Dwayyesh family tree, there were four sons for Thallab: Manukh, Ubeid, Kanaan and Abdulhadi, and all had no offspring, except for Abdulhadi who begot Hijab. 3 Then, it is not unlikely that the Nasser mentioned in the document is another brother who also did not have children. The tribe of Mutair, particularly the Al-Dwayyesh family, was known for breeding the best and most valuable strains. The best horses belonging to Al-Dwayyesh family there were: Kuhailah Kroush, Hamdaniah Samriah 4, Kuhailah Ajouz, Obiyyah Shrakiah, Mi'naqiyyah Hadrajiah and Rabdaa Khshaibi 5. A testimony for the strong connection between the Dweyyesh family and Al-Rabdan strain is the poem by the Sheikh of the Mutair tribe Faisal bin Sultan bin Al-Hmeidi Al-Dwayyesh, which says 6 : We mount the mare whose ancestor is Rabdan What matters is the companion you are with As for the purchaser 7, he was Hassan bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammad bin Abdullah bin Hussein bin Ibrahim bin Mousa bin Rabee'a bin Mane' Al-Mareedi. He was born in the first half of the thirteenth century in a family of merchants. In his book Al-Dariya 8, the historian Abdullah bin Khamees states that this family owned estates and farms in the area of Dariya and that the ancestor of the family, Abdullah bin Hussein, was acquainted with astrology. Ibn Ghannam in his History 9 remarks that Abdullah's two sons, Mohammad and Hamad, were students who sought knowledge. One of Mohammed s bin abdullah bin Hussain sons whom is Abdulrahman (the biographer's father) who died 1354 H 10. Abdulrahman had two sons, Hassan (the biographer and the owner of the aforementioned mare) and Abdullah. Their mother was Muneerah Bint Nasser bin Hussein bin Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulwahhab. During the period which witnessed the dispute between the sons of Imam Faisal bin Turki Al Saud, the biographer Hassan bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammad Al Hussein moved to Ihsaa area. When he arrived there, he was already a rich merchant, and in a short period of time he became one of the notable merchants owning farms and estates in the city and its suburbs, not to mention his trades with Bombay, Bahrain and Basra. As he had no male children, his two nephews (Abdullah's sons), Abdulrahman and Mohammad, helped him. Mohammad married Hassan s two daughters, taking the second as a wife after the death of the first one. Hassan had many slaves, who were freed by his will. He also entailed a big mansion for the needy among the freed slaves to live in and remitted them of their debts, as his trade records show 11. He entailed other estates, most of which were in Ihsaa and some in Riyadh. After his death, he left huge inheritance that took years afterward to distribute among the heirs. He also took special care of a lot of books which he collected during his life but were dispersed after his death. The clerk who used to write some of his documents was Sheik Ibrahim bin Abdulrahman bin Touq. The brothers Qussaibi had worked for him before they worked for Abdulrahman bin Edan and became known merchants 12. He was also numbered among the notables of the country whose seals were acknowledged on the petitions sent from governors and notables of the area of Ihsaa. On his way to perform the pilgrimage, he died in the city of Unaiza in Qasseem (Shaaban 12, 1314l/January 16, 1897). He was also referred to by the historian Ibrahim bin Essa in his Kunasha and the historian Ibn Bassam in his Tuhfat Al-Mushtaq 13. METHODS OF SELLING HORSES IN THE DESERT The document refers to one of the methods used in selling horses, which is called selling the half according to the customs of the desert. This method is based on partnership and is governed by laws known among the Bedouins. The text of the document explains the method in detail. The male offspring will be claimed by the purchaser. However, the ownership of female offspring will be negotiated by the seller and purchaser, and the final decision is given to the purchaser who can choose to keep the filly and pay half her price to the seller. This negotiation would take place four months after the filly's birth. The seller, Al-Dwayyesh, assigned a representative to negotiate on his behalf in case he failed to show up. The representative was Ali bin Jafan Al-Mweihi Al-Mutairi. After four months, if neither the seller, Al-Dwayyesh, nor his representative, Ali Al-Mutairi, show up, Al-Dwayyesh is obligated to pay for Ibn Hussein's care of the filly the amount of five silver Riyals per month on the grounds that he owns half the filly. This contract distinguishes the document and makes it a rare source of this method of sale. The document starts by starting that: "The sale was finalized in accordance with the customs of horse sale in the desert. " This means that sale-purchase contract was forged in accordance with the customs and laws known among the Bedouins then. These laws and customs were unwritten as we shall see later in the reports of Abdullah Williamson, Bazelli, Mehay el Haddad and others. According to the Swiss traveler Burckhardt, Imam Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Mohammad Al Saud (died in 1229 H.) passed a law which forbade the sale of one third of a mare, which the tribe of Enezah also did, because such a sale could lead to deception. However, he allowed the sale of half a mare 14 in Najd, which is the method of sale mentioned in the document. Bazelli, the Russian Consul in Beirut, pointed out that the Bedouins in the Syrian desert used to share one mare, with owners reaching up to 10. They also used to allow the sale of half, one third or a quarter 15 of a mare, which led to the complication of the sale contract and to the difficulty of dissolving the partnership, especially when it comes to the European who came to the East to buy horses. One of the people who faced such a problem was the French Consul who, according to Bazelli, purchased half a purebred mare in 1840 but it took him two years and with great difficulty 16 he was finally able to redeem the other half which was owned by three or four people. Another person who faced such a problem was the Hungarian General Mehay Fadlallah el Haddad, manager of Babolna Stud, who traveled in the Desert of Syria and Iraq seeking horses to buy for Babolna Stud 17. He says: "In many cases the ownership of the horse was shared by a number of individuals of the tribe, which made it difficult to buy the horse, and sometimes impossible. This situation is like shared ownership of huge estates in Europe. In addition, the Arabs usually get attached to their horse and it would be very difficult to separate them" 1. His grandfather on the mother's side, since the owner of the document died and was not born to him as it will come. 2. ((Assets of horses)), Abbas Pasha: (paper ). 3. The family tree of the tribe of Mutair, edited on 15/1/1415 AH, was prepared by: Abdullah bin Ammash al-daweesh, Burjis bin Dhar al-daweesh, Faisal bin Ajmi al-daweesh and endorsed by the Sheikh of Mutair tribe Majid bin Abdulaziz bin Faisal al-dweish and senior Dushan 4. Lady Ann Blunt recalls that Imam Faisal bin Turki al-saud obtained a link like the sack of Karush and Hamdani al-samri of Dushan. ((Pilgrimage to the Najed)) (p. 281). 5. Sheikh Hamad al-jasser wrote in his book ((Origins of modern Arabian horses)) (p. 143) on the fifteenth chapter of the second part of ((Bedouin tribes of the Euphrates)) for the town, and stated that this chapter was not expressed in the Knight and known struggle. 6. Sultan Bin Al-Humaidi Al-Daweesh)), Talal Al-Shammari: (p. 8 - unpublished research). It is my first published poetry. 7. His translation was reviewed by his grandson Sheikh Hassan bin Abdulrahman Al Hussein, and I thank him for his family information and special documents. 8. (455). 9. (4/2) 10. (( einwan almajd )), Ibn Bishr (2/139). 11. These records are still kept by the Al Hussein family, owned by Sheikh Hassan bin Abdulrahman Al Hussein in Al-Ahsa. 12. See ((House of Algosaibi the story of an ancient Arab family)), Bashar Al hadi: (p ). Documented by Ahmad Bin Abdullah Bin Milhem [Seal] 13. ((Tahfat almushtaq fi 'akhbar najid walhijaz walearaqa)), Abdullah Mohammed al-bassam (p. 52). 14. ((Notes about the Bedouins and the Wahhabis)), Burckhardt (p. 148). THE DOCUMENT This document is part of the archive of Al Hussein family who resided in Ihsaa. Sheikh Hassan bin Abdulrahman Al Hussein provided me with an electronic copy. I would like to take the chance to extend my deep appreciation to him for this generous gesture, which is only one of his many contributions. It is a nice coincidence that his name is the same as that of his grandfather who is mentioned in the document a hundred and thirty-four years ago 1. The document Trade records which belonged to the merchant Hassan bin Abdulrahman Al Hussein 15. (The Arabian Horse in Russia)), Yefim Rizivan (p. 131). 16. (The Arabian Horse in Russia)), Yefim Rizivan (p. 132). 17. ((My Journey to Mesopotamia and the Arab Iraq)), Mihai Fadlullah Haddad (p. 82)

31 As such we know that methods of horse sale in the desert might be subject to changes and circumstances though they follow almost the pattern. A researcher of this topic should be aware of such circumstances lest he falls into confusions. It is worth noting here that the Bedouins resorted to this method of horse sale which is based on sharing the ownership of the mare because they were keen on preserving the strain in their studs. However, there are other differences about the duties and responsibilities related to the mare. The document here imposes an amount of money payable by Al-Dwayyesh in case he fails to show up for negotiation after four months. However, the British traveler Abdullah Williamson, who travelled in the deserts of Syria and Iraq trading in horses, points out that the seller is not liable for the costs of feed and training unless the purchaser is unable to pay. He goes on to say that 18 : "When a Bedouin breeder has an increasing number of mares, he sells them that but keeps the strain. This means that he has his own share in every horse he sells according to the unwritten laws of the desert. The original owner, the seller, had no right to interfere in breeding, feeding or training except in rare cases. If one partner faces difficulties in performing his duties, the other partner should help him; and if one partner becomes poor or needy, the other should provide him and family food. This code of ethics is the principle on which the Arabic concept of sharing a purebred mare is based. In terms of duties and responsibilities the concept is similar to a marriage contract." Bazelli also states that the concept of sharing mares among the Bedouins is highly complicated, and is based on Bedouin traditions and customs. It is a unique method of partnership which differs greatly from other types of partnerships and, to use Bazelli's words "correlates with the local manners and carries great values. 19 " The ottoman officer Hussein Husny explains the Bedouin's keenness to share the ownership of the mares by talking about the intimate relationship between the mare and the owner 20 : " The mare of the Bedouin is more valuable to him than his family, so he raises her in his tent and hides her from the eyes of others. If he was asked to sell his horse, he would be as annoyed as if you are asking for his soul. And if he had to sell his horse, he would ask to get a share of the offspring." Furthermore, this document is unique because it was written in the Arabian Peninsula, at a time when writing documents about horses was rare there. That is why we have not received a lot of documents about horse sale in the Arabian Peninsula. However, such written documents are numerous when it comes to horse sale in Syria and Iraq. This is perhaps what Emir Ubaid Al Ali Al Rasheed confirms in his poem when he refuses to sell his mare Kuroush to Ali Abbas Pasha 21 : The origin [of the mare] cannot be found in documents As her strain is known throughout the deserts This is also confirmed by Burckhardt who relates that the Bedouins of the desert of Najd did not keep stud records for their horses as they memorize the bloodlines of their strain by heart and they would ridicule those who ask about studbooks. He goes on to say they didn t keep studbooks of their mares unless they intended to sell them in Syria, Iraq and Hijaz. Burckhardt remarks that the claims by some that studbooks were kept by the Bedouins is completely incorrect 22. His travels in the Arabian Peninsula took place during the years , three decades before the arrival of expedition of Abbas Hilmi Pasha I. Unfortunately, the document does not mention the price of half the mare paid by Ibn Hussein. Instead, it just states "for a known price" which means the price is known only for the seller and purchaser, perhaps because they did not want to reveal the price to the witnesses or for some other reasons. The importance and value of the mare is testified to by the fact the document is signed by four witnesses: Nahidh Al-Ghawi, Abdullah bin Hadlan Ahmad Al Ibrahim Al Milhem and Ahmad Bin Abdullah Bin Milhem who documented and sealed the contract. Furthermore, the seller, Al-Dwayyesh, assigned a representative, Ali Bin Jafan Al-Mweihi Al-Mutairi, to act on his behalf if he fails to appear. All of this is clear evidence of the importance and value of the horse. THE WITNESSES AND AGENTS According to the document, Al-Dwayyesh's representative is Ali bin Jafan Al-Mweihi who descended from the branch of Al-Moha, family of Alawi whose sheikh is Al-Dwayyesh in addition to being the sheikh of the Mutair tribe 23. The man who documented the contract is Ahmad Abdullah Al-Milhem is from the city of Ihsaa, like his relative, the first witness, Ahmad Al Ibrahim. The family of Al Milhem also descends from the Mutair tribe 24. Perhaps the choice of Al Milhem to act as a witness is due to his good relationship with Ibn Hussein and to the fact that they were neighbors 25. A third reason might be the fact that he was related to Al-Dwayyesh. As for the rest of the witnesses, I could not disclose their family backgrounds, but most probably they were from the families in Ihsaa or the Mutair tribe. A book cover from Ibn Hussain Library A manuscript from the collection of the historian Ibrahim bin Essa with a reference to Al Hussein Al-Mardah The family tree of Al-Mardah family from the manuscript Tuhfat Al-Mushtaq by Ib Bassam THE RABDAN STRAIN IN KUWAIT The Rabdan strain is highly valued in the Arabian Peninsula. This is testified to by the fact that King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud ( ) gave as a gift a horse descending from the Rabdan strain to the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah ( ). The horse ended up in the possession of one of the sons of the notable Shamlan bin Ali bin Saif Al-Rumi (died in 1945). According to the documents of Al-Khalid family 26, the horse was used as a breeding stallion in a some of Kuwaiti Studs. Among the people who used the Rabdan strain in their studs is also Sheikh Salman Al- Humoud Al-Sabah, a fact confirmed by one of his men, Awad bin Soboh Al-Rasheedi who composed a poem addressing Sheikh Ali Al-Khaleefah Al-Sabah and Sheikh Salman Al- Humoud Al-Sabah 27 : Oh Ali! Salman urged me to protect the camels I shot, Butmy friends would not help I wish I was riding Rabdan's daughter And bullet that would rip a thick shoulder The Rabdaa mentioned here was one of the most expensive horses owned by Sheikh Salman who he decorated with a necklace until she died. This is also the mare he used in Al-Jahraa battle 28. I could not uncover the sub strain for the Rabdan horses in Al-Sabah's studs; however, it is likely that they were from horses owned by the Dwayyesh family. The expedition of Abbas Pasha, which visited the Arabian Peninsula in 1267 H., reported that the Sheikh of the Mutair tribe, Al-Hmeidi bin Sultan Al-Dwayyesh, settled in south Wafrah in Kuwait. In addition, in his Memoir the ottoman officer Hussein Husny (1906) counted Al-Dwayyesh family among the early Bedouin families which settled in Kuwait 29. The traveler Max Oppenheim also stated that the settlement of Al-Dwayyesh family in Kuwait before the establishment of the third Saudi state helped King Abdulaziz to strengthen ties them 30. RABDAN HORSES IN OTHER ARAB STUDS Rabdan is one of the stallion highly valued by Al Khalifah, as he was one of the five stallions chosen by the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Essa bin Ali Al Khalifah ( ) to be one of the breeding stallions in the Bahraini Royal Stables 31. The Rabdan horses were used in the studs of Al Khalifah early on during the reign of Sheikh Mohammad bin Khalifah Al Khalifah (died in 1307 H/1890 A.D.) who purchased these horses from Al-Dwayyesh family in around the year 1264 H 32. Mukheimer bin Zuqum Mufawwaz (Fawwaz) Al- Dwayyesh stated that Sheikh Mohammad bred his Rabdaa with the stallion Jallabi, and that he also purchased for 1100 Riyals a Rabdaa mare two slaves, an Omani Camel, an Ethiopian maid and seven cloaks 33. The sons of Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifah also remarked that Sheikh Mohammad bin Khalifah Al Khalifah gave as a gift a stallion (one of the offspring of Rabdan Al-Khusheibi) to the Sultan of Oman Said bin Ahmad bin Said Al Bu Said (1204 H./1791 A.D H./1856 A.D). Later the Sultan gave the stallion as a gift to Abbas Pasha 34. It is also worth noting that Rabdan Al-Khusheibi, the stallion given as a gift from Imam Faisal bin Turki Al Saud to Abbas Hilmi Pasha I, was originally owned by Al-Hmaidi Al-Dwayyesh. The father of the stallion was Rabdan Ahmar owned by Abu Omar Al- Dwayyesh. Imam Faisal bin Turki Al Saud also gave as a gift to Abbas Pasha other Rabdan mares which went back in origin to the stud of Al-Dwayyesh family. According Mukheimer bin Zuqum bin Mufawwaz (Fawwaz) Al-Dwayyesh, Sherif gave as a gift to Abbas Hilmi Pasha I a Rabdaa mare which went back in origin to the stud of the family of Al-Dwayyesh 35. CONCLUSION 18. (The Adventures of the Arabian Adventurer Haji Abdullah Williamson Al Maslamani), Stanton Hoppe (p ). It is worth mentioning that Williamson practiced horse trade. He bought it from the Shammar and Goza tribes and transferred it to the Al-Qurtas family in Zubayr. He then moved to their second berth in India. He talked about the wishes of foreign buyers and the methods of pedagogy and birth for the Bedouin. 19. ((The Arabian Horse in Russia)), Yefim Razivian (p. 131 in short). 20. ((Memoirs of an Ottoman officer in Najd)), Hussein Husni (p. 76 in short). 21. ((The poetry of Obeid al-rashid)) (P 20 manuscript of the French traveler Charles Hubert). ((Rawdat Alshaer)) Al Khalifa (p. 96). 22. ((Notes about the Bedouins and the Wahhabis)), Burkhart (p. 146). 23. ((Badia dictionary)), Shaher al- Asaqah al-mutairi: (p. 409). 24. ((jimahrat al'usar almutahadirat fi najd)), hamad aljasir (2/808). 25. Testimony of Sheikh Hassan bin Abdul Rahman Al Hussein. 26. (Documents from the history of Arabian horses in Kuwait), ed. Abdullah Yusuf Al-Ghunaim: (p. 34). 27. ((Rashaida tribe)), Rabah Mubarak al-rashidi (2 / 854). 28. Interview with Sheikh Ali Al-Nasser Al-Sabah (14/7/2016). 29. ((Memoirs of an Ottoman officer in Najd)), Hussein Husni (p. 40). Hosni wrote these memoirs after he left to work in the Arabian Peninsula and settled in Cairo in 1324 AH (1906 AD). He worked in Port Said, Yemen, Qassim and Najd. He met many of the sheikhs and princes during his work, including Sheikh Mubarak Al- Sabah. 1905). 30. ((Bedouins)), Max Freihier von Oppenheim and his colleagues: (3 / ). 31. Interview with Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saqr Al Khalifa (14/11/2016). And an interview with Mr. Hamad Al-Rumaihi (15/11/2016). And an interview with Mr. Ibrahim Al-Subaie (13/11/2016). 32. It was stated in ((horse assets)) that the purchase was after the battle of Qadam, and identified by Mohammed Rashid Al-Azhabi al-marri nearly in the year (1264 e). ((Aldirat min 'akhbar qabilat al murra)), (p. 189 footnote 1). 33. ((Origins of horses)) ( copy King Abdulaziz General Library in Riyadh). 34. ((The origins of horses)) (476 copies of King Abdulaziz General Library in Riyadh). 35. ((Origins of horses)) (Q copy King Abdulaziz General Library in Riyadh). IN CONCLUSION, I HOPE I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CLARIFY THIS DOCUMENT AND EXPLAIN TO THE READER THE DETAILS OF HORSE SALE AMONG THE BEDOUINS OF THE ARABIAN PENINSULA AS WELL AS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RABDAN STRAIN. WITH REFERENCE OWNERS SUCH AS KINGS AND EMIRS. THE RABDAN STRAIN CONTINUES TO BREED IN THE ARABIC STUDS, WHICH IS INDICATIVE OF THE KEENNESS OF THE ARABS TO BREED THE STRAIN AS A SYMBOL OF THE NOBILITY OF THEIR CULTURE

32 KUHEILAH WATHNAH IN SHEIKH MUBARAK AL SABAH STUD Admiral Edmund Pearce ARTICLE BY YAHIA AL KANDARI IN 1910, THE BRITISH ADMIRAL EDMUND PEARCE VISITED KUWAIT, COMING ON THE WAR SHIP PIERSUS. HE FORMED STRONG TIES OF FRIENDSHIP WITH SHEIKH MUBARAK AL-SABAH. AFTER SHEIKH MUBARAK'S DEATH, PEARCE WROTE AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE SHEIKH ENTITLED "MY FRIEND THE SHEIKH" AND PUBLISHED IT IN IN THE ARTICLE, PEARCE GIVES IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT KUWAIT CITY, THE PERSONALITY OF SHEIKH MUBARAK, HIS MARE WATHNAH, AND THE SHEIKH'S CARRIAGE AND ESCORT. As for the reason why the mare was named Wathnah, Sheikh Hamdan Al-Tlee'awi Al-Fathli, the grandson of the owner of the original strain, explains: "The mare was Kuhailah Ajouz, and she gave birth to a filly with a flat ear. That is why she was named Wathnah. She was called Wathnah Kharsan after my grandfathers, while she was originally a Kuhailah Ajouz." The Polish traveler Count Wenceslas Jvoski (in his travel to Arabia from ) describes the mare as unique and praised her skills in war. The Wathnan stallions were also used in breeding. When the envoy of Abbas Hilmi Pasha I asked the sheikh of the Roalah Bedouin, Faisal Bin Sha'lan, about the Wathnan stallions, he said that they were purebred and could be used as breeding stallions. Sheikh Faisal Bin Sha'lan was considered one of the acknowledged references in Arabian horse studs and a highly respected sheikh in his time. He was also one of the people Abbas Pasha used to refer to before purchasing any horse. He instructed Ali Peg Al-Jamali, who was in charge of Abbas Pasha's expedition, not to purchase any horse without consulting Sheikh Faisal first. Kuheilah Wathnah had been the center of attention of the emirs and sheikhs of the Arabian Peninsula. She stayed in the stud of Imam Faisal Bin Turki Al Saud (d. 1865), who later gave her as a gift to the Egyptian Khedive Abbas Hilmi Pasha The cover page of Blackwoods magazine, 1922 issue. I. Wathnan horses were also bred by Faisal's sons: his son Imam Saud bin Faisal Al Saud (d. 1874) gave a Wathnah mare as a gift to Sheikh Thani Bin Jassem Al Thani (d. 1947). So the Wathnan horses were also bred by Al Thani; one of these horses was a mare that ended up with Sheikh Thani's brother, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Jassem Al Thani (d. 1957). The Wathnan horses also joined the studs of Al Khalifa, the most famous of whom is Sheikh Mohammad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa (d. 1890) and Sheikh Hamad bin Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa (d. 1942). The latter's brother, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Isa Al Khalifa, owned a Wathnan stallion which was among his favorite horses. Wathnan horses were also owned by other emirs and sheikhs, in addition to horsemen from the tribes of Iniza, Fadhul, Muntafaq, Mutair, Ijman and Bani Khalid. Unfortunately, Wathnan horses do not exist today in the Egyptian breeding program, nor in the Polish program. In addition, they are not counted among the well-known horses in the Arabian Peninsula. However, the studbooks of the Kingdom of Bahrain and Syria refer to mares and stallions that survived of this strain. In 1939, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa gave Wathnah mare named Nuhra as a gift to one of the British nobles. Nuhra founded a family there which is today considered the largest branch of this strain. Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah's private stud. Courtesy of The Times of India magazine, from a report on Kuwait on January 16, A group of Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah s cavalry. Photograph taken by one of Lord Curzon's companions in November Pearce says: "My first visit to Sheikh Mubarak ended with a friendly farewell. The Sheikh put his horses at my disposal and the disposal of my fellow officers whenever we wished to go horse riding. His invitation gave me great pleasure. Every day I would leave the ship after sunset and ride a gorgeous mare (Wathnah) with a saddle decorated with silver and purple fabric. I would roam the narrow streets of the city, go through the maze of the crowded markets Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah riding his mare off the Kuwait coast. Photograph taken by one of Lord Curzon's companions in November and then pass the gate, and the mare would gallop to the open space of the desert. I would go back when it was dark, drink coffee with the Sheikh, and return to the ship." The text quoted above tells us that Wathnah descended from one of the strains which were part of the old Amiri Stud. As such, she is considered an addition to other strains in Sheikh Mubarak's stud, like Kuheilah Al-Missannah, Red Saqlawiah, Obbiyah Arhan, Rabdaa, Dahmah Shahwaniah, and others. 1. Admiral Pearce published his article My Friend the Sheikh in Blackwoods (July 1922). The article was republished by Khalid Abdulghani in Risalat Al-Kuwait issued by Kuwait Center for Research and Studies. Vol. 14, No. 55 (2016): The name was mistranslated as Waznah. 3. See Ibrahim Al-Subai'I, Al-Qu' Horses, p. 38; Hassan Bin Saleh Al- Ruwai'i, History of Purebred Arabian Horses in Bahrain, p. 146; Dana Al-Khalifa et. al, Studbook of Amiri Stables In Bahrain, Vol. 1, p. 61; Ahmad Baqer, Purebred Arabian Horses in Bahrain, p Ali Al-Ra'is, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah: Documents and Photos, p Abdullah Y. Al-Ghunaim, Documents from the History of Purebred Arabian Horses in Kuwait, p Carl Raswan, The Raswan Index, No Abbas Pasha, Origin of Horses 8. Count Wenceslas Jvoski, Outlooks on the Orient and the Arabian Peninsula: A Polish Horsemen among the Bedouins, p He is one of the acknowledged references on the origin of Arabian horses. For his biography and life, see Talal Al-Shemmari, 'U'od Al- Jawaher fi Al-Mukhtar min Tarajem Fursan Al-Arab Al-'Awakher, Vol. I, p Abbas Pasha, Manuscript of the Origin of Horses 11. Amir Mohammad bin Ali Bin Khedive Tawfiq, Speeches and Instructions by Abbas Pasha I, p Abbas Pasha, Manuscript of the Origin of Horses 13. Abbas Pasha, Manuscript of the Origin of Horses 14. Sheikh Jasem Bin Thani Bin Jasem Bin Mohammad Al Thani relates the story of how Imam Saud bin Faisal Al Saud gave as a gift a kuheilah wathnah mare and a kuheilah harqa' mare to his father who visited Imam Saud in Riyadh on his way back from the pilgrimage to Mecca. For details, see Mohammad Humam Fikri, Pilgrimage from Qatar in Old Times, p Sheikh Abdullah bin Jasem Al Thani gave as a gift a Wathnah mare to Sheikh bin Isa Al Khalifa. The mare was nicknamed "Wathnah um al-ardaf." See The Amiri Arabian Studbook of Bahrain, p Sheikh Hamad Bin Ali Al Thani also told me that the mare which was gifted by Sheikh Abdullah is originally one of the horses of Sheikh Salman Bin Jassem Al Thani (Telephone interview on February 16, 2017). 16. Abbas Pasha, Manuscript of the Origin of Horses 17. Interview with Sheikh Ahmad bin Saqr Al Khalifa on July 27, See also P.J. Gazder, The Arab Horse Families of Great Britain, p Dana Al-Khalifah, et. al., Studbook of Amiri Stables in Bahrain, Vol. I, p See the chapter on Kuheilah Wathnah in Abbas Pasha, Origins of Horses, sec. 1, pp The strains that exist in the Egyptian breeding program are Saqlawiah, Hadba', Dahma', Kuheilah and Obiyyah. See Erwin A. Piduch, History and Cultural Heritage of Egypt's Arabian Horses, p During the reign of Abbas Pasha I, the Egyptian breeding program was much larger than it is today. See Abbas Pasha, Origin of Horses. 21. The strains that exist in the Polish breeding program are Kuheilah, Mu'anaqiyyah, Hamdaniah, Sammariyah, Shweimah, Sabbah, Rabda' Al-Khsheibi, Hadbah Inzahi and Saqlawiah Jidraniah. See Bitta Fahlgren, The Arabian Horse Families of Poland , M1, M2, M3, M16, M17, M18, M19, M24, M25, M26, M33, M35, M36, M38, M15, M34, M37, M46, M Most of the mares in the Arabian Peninsula descend from the strains of Hamdaniah Sammariah, Obiyyah Al-Sseifi, Sweitiah Al-Farm, and to a less extent Saqlawiah Jidraniah and Krush and others. See chapter I of Studbooks of Arabians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia published by Arabian Horses Center in Dirab, All Wathnan horses listed in the Saudi Studbook were imported from Britain: three mares and three stallions. Unfortunately, the registrar named them Kuheilah and Dani, which is an ugly misnaming. 23. Vol. I, p Vol. I, pp

33 3 rd Edition Issue 32 THE FINEST OF ARABIAN HORSE LITERATURE Ansata Hejazi - Born to Rule Author: Judith Forbis An exceptional book combining the life story of Ansata Hejazi with landmark historical references and impactful lessons in the art of breeding. This inspirational and educational book written by Judith Forbis is about the life of a majestic Arabian Stallion is a must have for everyone who loves Arabian horses. Pyramid Society Stud Book The Pyramid Society Stud book is the definitive reference for the foundation stock of the Straight Egyptian Arabian horse worldwide. To qualify as a Straight Egyptian every line in the horse s pedigree must trace to one of the horses listed in this book which is a must have for every breeder. Authentic Arabian Bloodstock I Author: Judith Forbis Authentic Arabian Bloodstock II The Classic Arabian Horse Author: Judith Forbis Ansata Ibn Halima The Gift Gleannloch Farms: The Legend and the Legacy Author: Judith Forbis Author: Judith Forbis Official Tribute Book (2014) Hanan - The Story of an Arabian Mare & of the Arabian Breed The Arabian Horse - Nature s Creation and the Art of Breeding Author: Dr. Hans Nagel Jewels of the Desert Author: Judith Wich Reference Handbook of Straight Egyptian Horses, Volume XII (2011) Kuwait Arabian Horse Studbooks Author: Dr. Hans Nagel Author: The Pyramid Society CONTACT BAIT AL ARAB CULTURE & PR Klaus G. Beste Consultant Tel Ext. 102 Mob Mail: k.beste@baitalarab-kw.com Taiba Al Ruwayah Mail: t.alruwayah@baitalarab-kw.com Abrar Al Rasheed Mail: a.alrasheed@baitalarab-kw.com Aisha Bin Eidan Mail: a.bineidan@baitalarab-kw.com Yahya Al Kandari Mail: y.alkandari@baitalarab-kw.com BAIT AL ARAB FINANCE, IT & PR Nasser A. Al Ghaith Manager Tel Ext. 106 Mob Mail: n.alghaith@baitalarab-kw.com BAIT AL ARAB ADMINISTRATION & HR Abdullah S. Alhaddad Manager Tel Ext. 110 Mob Mail: a.alhaddad@baitalarab-kw.com BAIT AL ARAB CLINIC & STABLES Dr. Ali Y. El Saey Head Veterinarian & Consultant Tel Ext.113 Mob Mail: a.elsaey@baitalarab-kw.com KUWAIT ARABIAN HORSE REGISTRY Abdullah N. Albraihi Manager Tel Ext. 209 Mob Mail: a.albraihi@baitalarab-kw.com IMPRINT TEXTWORK Betty Finke, Judith Wich-Wenning, Monika Savier, Klaus G. Beste, Yahia A. Al Kandari, Ahmad Mabrouk, Denise Hearst, Susanne Boesche, Bait Al Arab Team PHOTOGRAPHY Ansata Archive, Betty Finke Archive, Judith Wich-Wenning Archive Monika Savier Archive, Joanna Jonientz, Martin Kubat, Suzanne Sturgill, Cookie Serletic, Erwin Escher Archive PROOF READING & EDITORIAL WORK Bait Al Arab Team DESIGN & ARTWORK Amal El Khoury PRINTING British Industries Printing & Packaging Co. Po Box 42405, Shuwaikh, Kuwait EDITORIAL & COPYRIGHT Arabian Horse Center, Bait Al Arab - Kuwait State Stud P.O. Box Safat Kuwait Tel: Fax: Mail: office@baitalarab.com 64