The Second Kuwait Arabian National Show

Transcription

1 Breeding Excellence Part I Words and photography unless stated by Kerstin Wisniowski The Second Kuwait Arabian National Show were Sylvie Eberhardt from Germany, Dr Nasr Marei from Egypt, Jerzy Bialobok from Poland and Peter Upton from Great Britain. A total of Shalwa Left to right: Judi th Forbis, Peter Upton, Mr. Al Marzouk and Dr. Nasr Marei. 100 The Arabian Magazine May 2011 Diana Al Wawan of the European weekend. The Bait al Arab State Stud, with general manager Klaus Beste, organised this well-run event. Invited among Kuwaiti breeders were many European and international guests and visitors to attend the show and enjoy the wonderful programme and famous hospitality of our hosts. Among the guests was the well-known Judith Forbis, Anna Bishop, who represented The Pyramid Society and also the famous artist, Karen Kasper. This year, the show took place at the Bait al Arab State Stud. The big show arena, normally used as pastures for the horses, was beautifully arranged and decorated with flowers, surrounded by an area for snacks and coffee, exhibitors, seating and the VIP area. This was also wonderfully decorated with fresh, colourful flowers and with a superb technology, including a live feed to spectators via a vast flat screen through which the show was broadcast to both national and international television channels. Once again, the show was run under ECAHO regulations. The judges F or the second time, the Arabian National Show, held place under the patronage of HH the Emir of Kuwait and Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, ran from Wednesday 16 February 2011 until Friday 18 February, the Middle Eastern equivalent 275 horses were listed to participate, mostly straight Egyptian pedigree although the number of imported non-straight Egyptian and so called show horses had visibly increased. The first day of the show started with the judging of the junior filly classes for yearlings, two year olds and three year olds. These classes Badrah Al Danat M Sahra began at 1pm and finished around 9.30pm that evening. The yearling fillies saw an enormous entry of 26 horses, and so the class was divided in two sections. The first section was won by the May 2011 The Arabian Magazine 101

2 Roumi, could not convince the judges, but is for sure a filly to watch for in the future. In the second section, the grey filly Nayla al Rayyan (Sinan al Rayyan x Naama al Rayyan) convinced the judges with 89.3 points. Bred by Al Rayyan Farms, Qatar, she is owned by Talal al Mehri of Al Rayah Farm. The third section of two-year-old fillies was won by the dark grey Badrat al Danat with 89.3 points, bred and owned almost snow white M Sarah with 89 points, bred and owned by Mr Al Mubaraki s Mubarak Stud. She is by the very successfully sire Ezz Ezzain, a son of Ansata Al Murjatiz, and out of the beautiful Ansata The beautiful mares of Ajmal Stud. M Najla Suleyma. The second section of the class of yearlings was won with 89.3 points by the non-egyptian bay filly Diana Al Wawan, a daughter of the impressive imported bay stallion Alfonzo and out of Gazahara GL, 102 The Arabian Magazine May 2011 Nasser Al Hawajer M Naila, who won with a score of 90 points. Again by Ezz Ezzain, she is out of Neama Saqr and is bred and owned by Mubarak Stud; she is surely a filly to watch for in the future. My other favourite, Reem al Raya, a beautiful Ansata Hejazi daughter bred and owned by Alaa Hamad al Ali Matar Al Wawan Al Wawan Arabians. Winning the third section was the bay filly Roma Asayel, a non-straight Egyptian filly by Aja Sanagor (by FS Sofyan Al Mobarky double win for this stud and sire! The second section was won with 89.7 points by the black Charismas Classy Lady, sired by Ames Charisma and bred by Friese family from the USA; this filly is now owned by Roma Asayel owned by Khaled Abdulaziz al Noughemshe from Al Jazira Stud. The class of the two-year-old fillies totalled an enormous entry of 43 horses, which was then split into three sections with 13, 14 and 15 horses respectively. In the first section, the judges voted for my favourite by Mohammed Suliman Alomar of Al Danat Stud. This filly is bred by Ansata al Murjatiz out of Lateefa, a wonderful Ashhal al Rayyan daughter and surely a filly to watch for. Second in this class was the newly imported bay filly AF Bayuma (ex AF Umoyo), bred by Arabian Fantasie of the Netherlands and now owned by Abdullah Salem al Sedrawi. Finally on day one came the class of three-year-old fillies. Again with an enormous entry of 40 horses, we had three sections to watch. In the first section, the judges voted for the feminine grey Shalwa with a total of 90 points. Sired by Sinan al Rayyan, this young mare has become even more beautiful, having won the Gold Championship at last year s show. She is proudly owned by Al Danat stud, who also owned the second-placed MA Azure filly, Shehla al Danat (by Sinan al Rayyan), making it a M Oday Aja Hassan Bengali) and out of Amerah Ezzain, bred by Asayel Stud in Egypt and now owned, like her sire, by Khaled Abdulaziz al Noughemshe. After the show, a shuttle transported us to the hotel Rotana al Mashar, May 2011 The Arabian Magazine 103

3 as Mr Al Marzouk has not only a collection of the finest Ansata horses, beginning with the legendary stallion Ansata Hejazi (Ansata Halim Shah x Ansata Sudarra), but he has developed on these foundations his where we had a delicious dinner and enjoyed the beautiful view to the sea from the hotel s roof-top swimming pool and lounge area. Fatemat Al Naif Ajmal Shahwan Alfonzo Since the show started in the afternoons and ran late into the evenings, Klaus Beste and Mohammed al Marzouk of Ajmal Arabian Stud had created a superb programme for us including an exhibition and visits of the most important studs in the Wafra farm area. own breeding programme with enormous success. Here you see the future in the great young stallions and the finest young straight Egyptian mares, a few with their first foals already showing the promise of the next generation. We are happy that the first stallions coming out of his programme are now available for breeders in Europe and the USA, including the super typey snow-white Ajmal Sinan, an Ansata Hejazi son out of Sanana, a Nagel-bred mare, as well as his half-brother Grandeur J Faraula J Mouna Al Rayyan 104 The Arabian Magazine May 2011 On Thursday morning, the day began with Klaus collecting us in a shuttle taking us to the Wafra area, an oasis close to the Saudi border, where most of the established studs are residing. We were generously invited by Mr Al Marzouk to a breakfast buffet followed by a presentation of his breeding programme at his wonderful Ajmal Stud. This is always my personal highlight of my time in Kuwait Zakhira Al Naif Gazahara GL showground, where the classes started at 2pm with the colts. As it was a holiday here and the next day (Friday) is the equivalent of a Sunday in Europe, the show area was crowded; it did not just offer the Arabian horse show, but also there was a wide variety of tradestands as well as a food and coffee corner. The class of the yearling colts had 29 participants and was, therefore, divided in two sections. The first section was won with 89.7 points by the chestnut colt Nasser Al Hawajer, a son of the world-renowned Marwan Al Shaqab, owned by Mosleh Hamad Fayyeh al Enezi. Winning the second section was a grey Ansata al Murjatiz son M Oday, also with 89.7 points. Owned by Mubarak Stud, M Oday is out of the beautiful mare Aroub Assayel. The following class of the two-year-old colts was divided in two sections Ajmal Mahgreb, this time out of Ajmal Maghrebeia (by Salaa El Dine). This is a chance not to be missed by European breeders. After the visit to Ajmal Stud, we went on to the next presentation at the nearby El Adyat Stud. Owned by Mahmood al Zubaid, El Adyat is one of the oldest studs in Kuwait and is home to several straight Egyptian horses with the well known NK prefix, indicating Dr Nagels Katharinenhof s Stud in Germany; El Adyat s breeding programme is based on those lines and we were shown horses with extremely beautiful faces. After a presentation and a short coffee, our shuttle took us to the with 9 colts in one and 12 in the other. The first section was won by the bay Sofyan al Mobarky, again an Ezz Ezzain son owned by Mubarak Stud. In the second section, the very typey MA Azure gained 90.3 points including 20, 19, 19 for type and unanimous 19s for movement. MA Azure (by JRA Azul by Gazal Al Shaqab) is a bay colt, bred in the USA and now owned by Abdulaal Sulaiman Al Qenaei, and is surely one to watch out for. The last class of young males ended with 13 three-year-old colts presented for the judges. Here, the very impressive WH Justice son Aja Hassan convinced the judges to score 91 points. Aja Hassan was bred by Aja Arabians Great Britain and is now owned by Khaled Al Noughemshe. He is a very upright chestnut with a certain attitude from his dam, the mare Aja bint Sanadina (Kubinec x Sanadina). The mare classes then began with those aged four-to-six years of age, a very strong class with a total of 38 participants. The quality of the mares in the first section was very high with the first two horses tying with 91 points and the third-placed mare on 90.3 points; all three gained very high type scores. The ultra typey and feminine Fatemat al Naif, an Ashal al Rayyan daughter out of the beautiful Ansata Nile Gypsy and bred by Al Naif Farm in Qatar and now owned by Al Sharg Farm, won with an incredible 19, 20, 20 in type. Matching her total of 91 points, but May 2011 The Arabian Magazine 105

4 with lower marks for type, 19, 20, 19, was the grey Al Mazyouna (Sinan Al Rayyan x Vischnja) owned by Khaled al Noughemshe. Both young mares are just exquisite! The winner s counterpart in the second section was Gazahara GL, a bay Gazal al Shaqab daughter, bred in the USA and owned by Al Wawan Arabians. The long day ended with an invitation by Mr Al Marzouk to a boat exhibition in Kuwait city and then a private dinner at a floating restaurant, where we enjoyed a delicious buffet with new friends and nice talks. On Friday morning we were invited to an exhibition of a collection of royal cars in the wonderful new shopping mall, 360 degree. Royal were not only the cars by design and brand, but were also in their function since all of them were used for royalty or presidents. The male visitors in particular were overwhelmed and couldn t stop photographing and dreaming of these wonderful cars! After a short and relaxing coffee, we had a very short amount of time Nayla Al Rayyan to shop around the variety of shops in the mall before we were invited by Mr Al Marzouk to a lunch in a superb steakhouse with live music. Here again, we had the pleasure to enjoy Mr Al Marzouk s hospitability and his company, leading to wonderful talks and discussion with him about Arabian horses, breeding programmes and art. Mr Al Marzouk proved once more to be an excellent host as well as a wonderfully knowledgeable person to talk to. After lunch we had to hurry to the show for the senior classes and championships. It started with the seven-to-ten-year-old mare class which had two sections, each with 12 participants. The winner of the first class was the grey mare Zakira al Naif (Ansata Shalim x Ansata Nile Gypsy), a maternal sister to the junior mare class winner. She scored a total of 89.3 points and is bred by Al Naif Stud of Qatar and owned by Al Danat Stud. Last year s championship winner, the moving machine Faraula J, trotted off again with a 20, 20, 20 for movement to score 91 points from the judges to win the second section. An Ekstern daughter out of Fifa (Eukaliptus x Furda), bred by Christine Jamar in Belgium, Faraula J is now owned by Khaled al Noughemshe. Second with a total different look was the Ansata Nile Echo daughter Hawzun al Naif, again an Al Naif-bred grey mare, with a beautiful head and neck. She is owned by Alaa Hamad Al Roumi of Al Rayah Stud. Remarkably, Al Rayah and Al Sharg Studs are successfully run together in one farm by the close friends Talal al Nisf and Ala Hamad al Roumi; their Gazal Al Rayah exchange in breeding philosophy and ideas obviously leads them to great success! The last class of the mares was my favourite, for those aged 11 years and over. Here, the straight Egyptian mare Mouna Al Rayyan, bred by Al Rayyan Farm of Qatar, won with a total of 89 points. Mouna Al Rayyan is a classic grey Alidaar daughter out of Bint Sabah and is now in the ownership of Al Sharg Farm, owned by Talal Khaled al Nisf. In second place with 88.7 points was the last year s winner, Ghazalat Al Nasser, a grey Imperial Mahzeer daughter, also owned by Al Sharg Farm. And then the young stallions came into the ring, trotting and roaring. The first class, for stallions aged four-to-six Wadah Al Sharg years, had 20 entries. The dark bay Alfonzo, an AB Magnum son out of the well-known show mare San Jose Alfonsina, won his section with 91 points. Alfonzo is one of the non-straight Egyptian stallions used in Kuwait and he was bred by Sheikh Mohammed Saud al Quassimi of Albidayer Stud in Sharjah, who is also the owner of his famous mother. Alfonzo is now owned by Al Wawan Arabians, for whom he had sired quite beautiful progeny. In the second section, last year s winner Wadah al Sharg, a 2004 very typey grey by Ansata Hejazi, bred and owned by Talal Khaled al Nisf of Al Sharg Farm, won with 90 points. Next came the stallions aged seven years and older; 10 participants trotted into the arena at the lead of their handlers and the spectators were cheering. Among them were two Shahin sons, bred by Mohammed al Marzouk of Ajmal Stud, and the non-straight Egyptian stallion Final Shadow, a bay Psytadel son bred by James Swaenepoel in Belgium and well known to European breeders. The grey Ajmal Shahwan won this class for his owner Abdullah Salem Al Sedrawi as he went flying through the arena to the cheering crowd with three 20s for movement! Second was Final Shadow, with a score of 90.3 points for Atyab Arabians. My favourite, Wahag al Rayyan (Alidaar x Ansata Majesta) was third. The championships and awards started in the evening with the class winners entering the floodlit arena. Among the most beautiful young straight Egyptians fillies, M Naila won gold and M Sarah silver, both for Mubarak stud; congratulations! Bronze went to last year s winner, the beautiful Shalwa for her owner Al Danat Stud. Of the junior colts, the three non-egyptian colts took the championship placings. Aja Hassan, the flashy WH justice son, received a unanimous decision from the judges to receive the gold ribbon. The dark bay MA Azure took silver while Grandeur J, a dark bay QR Marc son, took bronze for Khaled al Noughemshe. Then my favourite time came, the Senior Female Championship. It was wonderful to see all those beautiful mares. The gold champion title went to the beautiful Fatemat al Naif for Al Sharg Farm; what a mare! Last year s winner, Faraula J, trotted impressively, but she was beaten into bronze place by her very feminine stablemate, the straight Egyptian beauty Al Mayzouna who was awarded silver. Again, there was a double win for an owner, this time the turn of Khaled al Noughemshe. The Senior Male Championship was won by the dark bay stallion Alfonzo, a very impressive and masculine young stallion; congratulations to Al Wawan Arabians. The Shahin son with the strong movement, Ajmal Shawan, was awarded silver for Mr Al Sedrawi. Bronze went to Gazal al Rayah of Al Rayah Stud, owned by Mr Al Roumi. The Award of the Best Kuwaiti-bred Female, born and bred in Kuwait, went to Al Mayzouna and the award of the Best Kuwaiti-bred Male went to Ajmal Shawan. The award of Best Kuwaiti Breeder went to Mr Mohammed Al Mubaraki of the Mubarak Stud; congratulations! The last day of this wonderful show ended with us taking the shuttle to the hotel and having enjoyable after-show talks with Arabian horse lovers from all over the world. I would like to thank Klaus Beste, General Manager of Bait al Arab, for his effort and for making everything possible, as well as Mr Mohammed Al Marzouk for his very generous hospitality. The National Show in Kuwait is a wonderful event and a must for all Arabian horse lovers. In part two, Kerstin will talk about the stud visits undertaken during her time in Kuwait. v Subscribe to The Arabian Magazine We hope you have enjoyed this issue of The Arabian Magazine. If you do not already subscribe and wish to do so or would like to subscribe for a friend, the perfect birthday present then please complete the form below (you can also scan it and or photography) and send to The Arabian Magazine, Ivy Cottage, The Street, Hardwick, Norwich, Norfolk, NR15 2AB, UK. You can also subscribe online or by calling +44 (0) Your details: Yes, I would like to subscribe to The Arabian Magazine Mr/Mrs/Miss Surname Address Postcode Telephone number address First name Country Please send The Arabian Magazine as a gift to the person below Mr/Mrs/Miss Surname Address Postcode Telephone number address First name Country (UK Subscribers) I enclose a cheque for 45 made payable to The Arabian Magazine. N.B. For European and International subscriptions, please refer to our website for on-line payments using all major credit card The Arabian Magazine May 2011 May 2011 The Arabian Magazine 107

5 daughter out of Najma Al Rayan, shown with her 2009 daughter by El Thay Mameluk, as well as her 2006 full sister Ajmal Naderah, a wonderful mare. Last of the mares of the Dahman Shawan strain was the beautiful The first visit was a breakfast invitation at Ajmal Stud,. med JK Al Marzouk owned by Moham Young Ajmal Talal is the next stallion to feature prominently at the stud. The six year old is one of my current favourites of all straight Egyptian stallions worldwide. He is sired by Sinan Al Rayyan, out of the beautiful Hejazi daughter Ansata Samari. This young stallion has a super body and very good movement. He combines beauty and presence and his first progeny on the ground are excellent. We then saw the Ansata Hejazi daughters, yearlings Ajmal Mesk and Ajmal Sara, and the five year old Ajmal Moneera. This collection of fine mares showed that Ansata Hejazi gifts a common presence and fluid movement to his stock. They certainly are valuable broodmares. Ajmal Mesk Ajmal Al Kout (Ansata Hejazi x Ansata Malaka in his box (and left) Breeding Excellence Kuwait Part II Ajmal Obbeyah (Ansata Hejazi x NK Aischa) Ajmal Talal (Sinan Al Rayyan x Ansata Samari) Words and photography by Kerstin Wisniowski During our visit to the Kuwait 2nd National Show, the organisers had kindly arranged for the foreign guests to visit the most important studs in Kuwait. Most of the studs were founded in the mid-1990s and concentrate mainly on heritage programmes, breeding straight Egyptian bloodlines, often by strain. Nowadays several of the younger studs are importing show horses of all bloodlines, but the leading farms still concentrate on the straight Egyptian Arabian. As stallions become widely available to all, breeders now have an enormous opportunity to test their own mares and improve their programme. We were lucky to have as our guide, general manager of the Bait Al Arab State Stud, Klaus Beste. He possesses an excellent knowledge of horses and the breeding programmes of every stud we visited. His guidance was invaluable. He knows not only the pedigree of almost every horse, but also an incredible amount of detail about breedings, foals and show records. Thursday morning started at 8am with a shuttle taking us to the Al Wafra district. Al Wafra is an oasis located close to the Saudi Arabian border that is home to the eldest Kuwaiti studs. After a lengthy journey through the desert, alongside oil pipelines, we suddenly saw a pair of gates. They open to welcome us into the most amazing 136 The Arabian Magazine July 2011 farms, adorned with palm gardens and a landscape created to meet the horses needs, as well as please the human eye. The first visit was a breakfast invitation at Ajmal Stud, owned by Mohammed JK Al Marzouk. Mr Al Marzouk was one of the first breeders in Kuwait and developed the first Kuwaiti Studbook. Today he is deeply involved in further developing the state stud, and Bait Al Arab Horse Centre, not only with its breeding programme, but also as a centre for research, arts, books, tradition and all aspects of the culture of the Arabian horse. After breakfast we walked around the wonderful stables and paddocks to take a closer look at the famous horses here, before the presentation started. Mr Al Marzouk has developed his second generation of breeding stock from his head sire Ansata Hejazi (Ansata Halim Shah x Ansata Sudarra), imported in Hejazi had an enormous influence on the Arabian breed; his sons are leading sires at numerous other studs today, and his daughters are valuable broodmares. Notably both male and female offspring all have his distinct look. The stallion himself was not presented to us, but a few of his precious daughters were in their family groups. From the Dahman Shawan strain, the following mares stood out for me: The beautiful 2004 mare Ajmal Aaribah, an Ansata Hejazi Ajmal Kudwa, born in 2007, by Al Kidir out of the well known Ansata Samari, who is also the mother of the promising young stallion Ajmal Talal. Ajmal Al Kout is a very charismatic young stallion born 2004 out of the queen of the stud Ansata Malaka, an Ansata Halim Shah daughter. He was presented to us later and is really one to watch for as his quality is already proven in his foal crop to date. From the Obeyyan strain we saw the very beautiful daughter of Ansata Hejazi, out of the Dr Nagel bred mare NK Aischa, one of the valuable acquisitions of Ajmal Stud. Ajmal Obbeyah is an extremely beautiful and feminine mare. She was shown with her filly at her side and presented with her beautiful 2009 daughter Ajmal Assal, by Ajmal Al Kout. Next we saw the Saqlawieh strain represented by Ajmal Ibtissam, another Hejazi daughter out of a Safir damline. Her 2010 daughter Ajmal Taraf, by Ajmal Talal, was exceptionally attractive. After the presentation we crossed the street to the doors of El Adiyat Stud, founded in 1995, kindly opened to welcome us by Mahmood Al Zubaid. His breeding programme was familiar to the German visitors among the party as it is based on lines found at Dr Hans Nagel s Katharinenhof Stud in Germany. There we found several imported horses with the NK prefix that have since founded their own families here at the stud. Mr Al Zubaid clearly has a very close relationship to his horses and presented them himself while explaining his programme to the group. Once again Klaus Beste acted as speaker and guide. This was to be his role at every stop as every stud owner passed him the microphone to allow him to comment on the horses and supply some history of the breeding, all as casually as if he were talking about family. Of the Obbeyan strain we saw the Ameera family, based on the imported mare NK Halla, a well known Adnan daughter out of Asfoura by Ansata Halim Shah. She was accompanied by her daughter Hamsa Eladiyat, by Ansata Hejazi, and full sister Helalah Eladiyat. He then presented Elyssa (NK Jamal el Dine x Ghandoura), a filly owned in partnership with Ajmal Stud. The second family to parade was the Gazalla H family with Zohair Eladiyat, (NK Hafid Jamil x Zobeida Eladiyat). The Hadban Enzahi were represented by NK Amal (NK Jamal el Dine x NK Nabeela who is by Nahaman) and Badra Eladiyat, from NK Hafid Jamil and Ajmal Stud July 2011 The Arabian Magazine 137

6 the well known brown Nahaman duaghter Bint Nashua. The Dahman strain was represented by Amal Eladiyat and Asrar Eladiyat, both from the mare NK Ahlam (by Adnan), but sired by NK Jamal el Dine and Ansata Hejazi respectively. Lastly, the Saqlawieh strain was represented by the Jamal el Dine daughter, NK Mouna. These mares are the basis of the now second generation of excellent young stock for the stud, and all have the typical Nagel look; extremely beautiful faces with wide nostrils, large black eyes, tiny muzzles and tipped ears. All too soon it was time to leave Mr Al Zubaid s company as we rushed to the show. The show officials were among our party so we had to Aneesilnefous Ezzain (NK Quaswarah x NK Momtaza) Mr. Al Zubaid with one of his horses groups. The 2004 mare Ajmal Ibtihaj, an Adnan daughter out of Alijamila (by Ruminaja Ali) was presented with her two daughters, Moonerah Ezzain by Nooredindine Ezzain, and Alttafilbari Ezzain by NK Quaswarah. My love was the former queen of the stud NK Nada (Adnan x Nashua), who Mr Al Kazemi gifted to a friend. Her son by Ansata Al Murjatiz is the smart stallion Nooredine Ezzain. So Mr Al Kazemi s cross of Ansata and Nagel lines proved to be successful. We also saw NK Nada s 2010 daughter, Qattrilnada, who will remain at the stud as a future broodmare. Nada s full sister, NK Yasmin, has also founded her own dynasty at Ezzain. We saw her daughter Anwaar Ezzain we crossed the street to the doors of El Adiyat Stud Zubaid us by Mahmood Al e m co el w to ed kindly open Below: NK Yasoob (NK Quaswarah x NK Nada) greeting the visitors Below: The beautifully designed stables at Ezzain Arabian Stud 138 The Arabian Magazine July 2011 Mr Al Kazemi is an admirer of the arts and has created abian Stud rpiece at Ezzain Ar te as m al ur ct ite an arch be there on time! It has to be mentioned that the visited studs today were not exhibiting at the show, so as to give younger studs and new breeders every chance. On the next morning, 19 February, we again met with Klaus and travelled to the Al Wafra farm area. At 10am the doors of Ezzain Arabian Stud farm opened to us. Ezzain Arabian Stud is owned by Mr Usamah Al Kazemi and might be known to a few readers already. Mr Al Kazemi is an admirer of the arts and has created an architectural masterpiece at Ezzain Arabian Stud. The stables reflect his eye for beauty, but also perfectly meet the horses needs. There is plenty of room and low walls to ensure that each horse has contact with one another, and fresh air moves all around. The breeding programme has its base on imported horses from Dr Nagel and Ansata Arabians, but Mr Al Kazemi has managed to create his own unique look of horse over the years. All have extremely beautiful faces, wide nostrils, very big black eyes and small tipped ears. They also all seem to have a very friendly character, very people oriented, and a showy attitude. The stud used to be home to Ansata Al Murjatiz, who was later given to friends but left a handful of very good progeny behind. Now Ezzain Arabian Stud s chief sire is the 2004 white stallion, NK Quaswarah by NK Hafid Jamil and out of NK Nariman, a Salaa El Dine daughter. He has already proven his quality with his second foal crop safely on the ground. I must mention the outstanding Jureiah Ezzain, a 2010 filly out of NK Jurie. NK Jurie is a superb snowy white mare, very feminine, by NK Hafid Jamil out of NK Nariman. Jureiah Ezzain is a half sister to the young sire and both are very special. Mr Al Kazemi showed us 38 horses altogether, presented in family by Suror Ezzain (by Ansata Al Murjatiz), and her full sister Najmah Ezzain, as well as the black half-sister Ekramilbari Ezzain, by NK Quaswarah. Azhaar Ezzain has also founded her own family. She is by Ansata Al Murjatiz, out of Zahra by KP Hameed and has already gifted the stud with three daughters, Shamsilshmous in 2008 by NK Quaswarah, and her full sisters two year old Badrilbor and the yearling Omilmaali. Another significant mare is Moniet Ezzain, a Salaa el Dine daughter out of NK Momtaza that gave the stud three mares for the future: Nasseyrah, born 2007 and Omneyah, born 2008, both by Nooredine Ezzain (Ansata Al Murjatiz X NK Nada), as well as the 2010 filly by NK Quaswarah, Najeiah Ezzain. The presentation in family groups gave us an excellent overview of the development of the programme towards the Ezzain look. We enjoyed Mr Al Kazemi s hospitality as we chatted, drinking tea and eating dates. After a walk around the farm and having the chance to take in the architecture and landscaped gardens, we had to say goodbye to Mr Al Kazemi s impressive collection of horses. But, we were not to part with Mr Al Kazemi as he accompanied us on our next visit to Al Mubarak Stud. At Al Mubarak Stud, the owner, Mr Mohammed M Al Mubaraki, generously invited us to a presentation of his horses and a luncheon in traditional Bedouin tents. The stud is newly built in a traditional way, a mixture of modern facilities for the horses with plenty of grass, a horse walker, climate controlled stables, and traditionally classic architecture seen in the buildings. We saw the superb mare Aroub Assayel (Ak el Sennari x Bint el Nile), dam of the prolific show winner M Oday by Ansata Al Murjatiz. Next presented was the mare Saadiat (Sinan Al Rayyan x Saada Al Rayyan), with her recently born filly by Dahes Al Rayah (Ansata Selman x July 2011 The Arabian Magazine 139

7 Darine Al Rayyan) at foot. I found the mares at Al Mubarak Stud very much to my taste. They are very classic substantial mares, big, with a good deep body and M Sara (Ezz Ezzain x Ansata Suleyma) February 2011 filly by Dahes al Rayyan out of Saadiat Almarbat (a Sinan al Rayyan daughter) powerful movement. The queen of the stud is Ansata Suleyma, a 1998 Ansata Hejazi daughter out of the well known Ansata Samara. This flea-bitten beauty can really move and is simply breathtaking. Suleyma was presented with her beautiful daughters, the white grey M Sama (by Tallahsman), who has a super face, and two sisters by Ezz Ezzain, the brown Sofyan Al Mobaraky and M Sara, who inherited her dam s fleabites. The German-bred Classic Shadwan daughter, Zamzam Ikhnatoon, was presented next with Zanobia, her filly by Il Nasek, at foot. Then came the multiple-show winner, M Najla, already pure white at her young age. She is out of another straight Egyptian beauty Neama SQR (Ezz Ezzain x El Habiel). We were also pleased to see the stud s most recent acquisition, the German bred straight Egyptian mare Jamila. She is undoubtedly one of the finest straight Egyptian mares I have seen, heavily flea-bitten and classically beautiful. Jamila was owned by Liesl Vetter and is an Ibn Jamil daughter out of Nama Bint Ibn Halim Shah. She has already proven to be a good producer in Germany and it will be exciting to see what she can produce with the fine stallions in Kuwait. Congratulations to Al Mubarak Stud and every success in breeding her. We did not see the famous daughter of Ansata Hejazi, Reem Al Rayyan, bred by Al Rayyan Stud. But, her beautiful filly M Rifaa by Sinan Al Rayyan was presented to the party. To our surprise, one last exquisite mare was shown, and what a joy she was. Ajmal Hebal, an Adnan daughter out of NK Aisha, left a real impression on us all. At last we saw the young dappled grey stallion Dahes Al Rayyan. I had spotted him during my 2010 visit when he was a beautiful colt. I was not disappointed as he has developed very nicely and he has an exquisite pedigree. By Ansata Selman, out of Darine Al Rayyan, by Ashhal Al Rayyan, he is already proving his qualities as a sire. After the presentation we had time to stroll around the stud, including Mr Al Mubaraki s unique living room, complete with its winter garden for stabling a horse there. Imagine sitting on the couch in your living room with your horse happily eating behind you! Mr. Al Mubaraki then generously invited us to take a traditional luncheon in Bedouin tents, with camels and falcons nearby. We could have stayed much longer, but had another appointment to keep at Al Danat Stud for our next instalment of Kuwaiti Arabian breeding. Founded by owner Mr Mohammad Suliman Al Omar in 2005, Al Danat Stud has developed in enormous leaps and is now home to some very high calibre Arabians. It was my second visit to Al Danat and I could visibly see the great progress made here, not just in the physical layout of the stud as more stables and buildings have been added, but the horses, youngstock and overall breeding programme, have evolved in a remarkably short space of time, no doubt contributing to their recent good results at the Kuwait 2nd National Show. Of the many exquisite horses Mr Al Olmar presented to us, I would like to point out a few in particular. The basis of the stud are the mares NK Layla (a Salaa el Dine daughter) and Al Khoheila Bint Farida, who produced the wonderful Shahla Al Danat, winner at the show. Another valuable addition was Ajmal Sherifa, a 2007 grey Ansata Sirius daughter, with an extremely beautiful face. The 2004 mare, Lateefa, is a snow white Ashhal Al Rayyan daughter and is just beautiful. She already has three offspring at the stud to watch out for: Hasyfa Aldanat, Meshaal Al Danat and Manaaf Al Danat. The 2010 filly, Amirah Al Danat, was a stand out filly for me. Sired by Ansata Al Murjatiz, her mother is the beauty Nejma el Adiyat. The stud is also home of two Imperial Imdal daughters, Zandai Zarifa and her chestnut half sister Zandai Juraysah. The latter has already produced super progeny for the stud including her 2009 Imperial Al Kamar daughter, Fay Al Danat. We must not forget the beautiful mare Shalwa, winner at the 2010 Kuwait National Show, and sired by Sinan al Rayyan. She has developed very nicely since my last visit. Another beauty to point out is Zakhira Al Naif. Bred by the Al Naif Stud, she is by Ansata Shalom and out of the famous Nile family dam line. She is also mother of the young stallion Naif Al Danat, by Ansata Sahir, who is a colt to watch out for in the future. Mr Al Omar is very focused on achieving good results, but at the same time is open minded. This year saw early results of their leasing of the dark brown stallion Badir (Farid Nile Moon x Mahbouba, by AK El Sennari). It will be exciting to see what the future holds. The final stud presentation of the day was held at Al Jazira Stud, owned by Mr Talal Abdulah Al Mehri. His breeding programme started in 1996, making his one of the oldest studs in Kuwait, and shows that he is a strong admirer of the programme of Al Rayyan Farm in Qatar. Al Jazira Stud is home to the imported stallion El Thay Mameluk (Ibn Nazeema x El Thay Mansoura), whose first foal crop in Kuwait gives a totally new look to the straight Egyptian Arabian, as well as the good producing sire Sinan Al Rayyan (Ansata Sinan x Al Wajba Al Rayyan). Sinan Al Rayyan is a beautiful stallion. He has the typical Ansata Sinan face with extreme black eyes, and is full of presence too. He already has some wonderful progeny at the stud and throughout the Middle East. When bred to their foundation mare, the Saqlawieh Roba Al Rayyan, an Ashhal Al Rayyan daughter bred at Al Rayyan Farm, he produced the beautiful mares Rodaynah al Jazira and Rowdahah aljazira. From Ansata Hejazi the mare Roba al Rayyan produced the exquisite Rawaah, so here the visitors could see the whole Roba family. Next were the mares Ghowleh Al Rayyan, a Safir daughter out of Bint Sabah, followed by two more Sinan Al Rayyan daughters, Mayyasah and Meznah, the last being one of my favourites. From the Dahman Shawan strain we saw the wonderful Sinan Al Rayyan daughter Nayia Al Rayyan, out of Naama al Rayah, stood out for me. Mr Al Mehri had also acquired the beautiful El Thay Rayyana (Ansata Selma x Bint Kamla). Other mares that bear mention are the beautiful Ansata Nile Echo daughter Naama Al Naif, and daughter of the queen of the stud Ansata Selma (full sister to Ansata Selman) Sundos al Jazira, by Sinan Al Rayyan. She is already a show winner. From the Hadban strain, we saw Yathreb Al Jazira, an exquisite Hejazi daughter, as well as the first offspring of El Thay Mameluk, Taibah Al Jazira. Another pearl at the stud is Ameena Al Rayyan, an Al Adeed Al Shaqab daughter out of the well known RN Sultana: what a mare! Filled with impressions of beautiful horses, we had to say goodbye as we were invited to dinner at a relatively new stud in Kuwait, Al Asayel Stud. The owner, Mr Khaled Abdful Aziz Al Noughemse, originally started his breeding programme in Egypt, but has transferred most of his horses to Kuwait and his newly purpose built farm. The stud is home to several straight Egyptian gems, such as the stallion Montasir (El Haddiyya x Maysa), as Sinan al Rayyan (Ansata Sinan x Al Wajba Rayyan) well as the full sister to Ansata Al Murtajiz, Ansata Suleyma. Recently, Mr Al Nughemse has imported show horses of various bloodlines from all over the world. The stud is home to the legendary stallion Aja Sanagor (FS Bengali x Bey Santeyna), as well as the show winning Ektersn daughter Faraula J, 2010 champion mare. Mr Al Nughemse s Arabians once again dominated the Kuwait 2nd National Show. The presentation started very late in the evening, but we saw all the winners of the previous day again, horses such as Roma Asayel, Grandeur J, Diana Al Wawan, Faraula J, the straight Egyptian mare Al Mayzouna and champion Aja Hassan. All were led and presented by 140 The Arabian Magazine July 2011 July 2011 The Arabian Magazine 141

8 Al Asayel Stud s trainer and handler, Paolo Capecci, who brought each horse directly to the guests tables! Sunday morning 20 February began with a private presentation at the Bait Al Arab Kuwait State Stud, where the show had taken place earlier in the week. Now with the show over, there was only our party and the horses, and the reliable Klaus Beste, of course, who kindly explained the centre s goals and plans for the future. Bait Al Arab operates a preservation breeding programme of carefully selected individuals. The breeding mares were presented by strain, beginning with the Dahman Shawan strain in the family group of the mare Latiefa. German-bred, Latiefa is snow white and has founded a dynasty at the stud. She was presented with her five daughters and their own progeny, who are retained at the stud to found their own families. We saw Lamia, a truly beautiful mare born 2000, and then her 2001 full sister Layali, both sired by Hejazi; Layla, born 2002 by Adnan; Leena, born 2008 by Sinan Al Rayyan; and Loula, born 2009 by Ajmal Mashreq, were all as lovely as each other. Raya al Sharg Farm Bait Al Arab Stud A 2011 colt from Boushra Al Arab (Ansata Osiron) x Ajmal Talal The next group to study was the mare family descended from Ansata Sherrara, an Ansata Hejazi daughter who died in She left her daughters, Sarah by Adnan, Shams by Ansata Sirius, the chestnut 2006 mare Shoq by Al Kidir, and the 2008 Sinan Al Rayyan daughter Shorooq Elkuwait to fill her shoes, and all now have their own progeny. The next family shown was that of Ansata Meryta, an Ansata Halim Shah daughter that died in 2005, leaving two daughters by Shahin, Mzoon and Manar. Mzoon passed away herself in 2010, but has left her Hejazi daughters Mesk and Maha, and another filly sired by Ajmal Al Kout, as well as the two colts by Ajmal Al Kout, Malik and Mishaal. Manar has produced three fillies so far by the stallions Ansata Hejazi, Ansata Al Murjatiz and Ajmal Al Kout. It is clear that this family has a firm future in Kuwait s breeding. The Nile family by Ansata founded the next important family at the stud, with the Prince Fa Moniet daughter Ansata White Nile, who died in Ansata White Nile has left the wonderful grey mare Wafaa Elkuwait, by Ansata Hejazi, and her full sister, Wardah A youngster at Al Safinat Farm Elkuwait, in her place. Both have produced beautiful fillies, so here the future is secured. From the Obeyan strain, we saw the Shahin daughter Abla, out of Alimaar Abayyah by Abraxas Halimar, with her progeny as well as the mares Ghazalla Al Rayyan and Rababa Al Rayyan. It was sad to hear that my favourite mare, the chestnut moving-machine Zeena Elkuwait, an Ansata Osiron daughter, had died from sand colic. She had, however, gifted the stud with her wonderful 2008 grey filly by Sinan Al Rayyan to continue her line. We then met the stallion El Thay Khemal Pasha, on lease from Sheikh Khaled Bagedo of Al Khaled Farm, Saudi Arabia. This aging white son of El Thay Mansour is a direct son of the famous Kamla II, by Ansata Halim Shah. He is very masculine and impressive and I for one am keen to see what he produces with the stud s exquisite mares. The centre is also home to the Bait Al Arab Stud horses, owned by Her Highness Sheikha Sarah Fahed Al Sabah. Klaus Beste had kindly arranged a presentation of Her Highness Sheikha Sarah s collection of fine mares, sharing his knowledge of every single horse s pedigree and breeding records. The mares are mostly from the Dahman Shawan strain. We saw the grey 1998 Ansata Hejazi daughter Ansata Neamet with her 2004 daughter Salwa, by Ansata Iemhotep, and 2007 daughter by Al Kidir, Hassah Al Arab. One of my favourites, by pedigree, is the 1999 imported SE mare Bashashah. She is a daughter of the famous mare Tee, owned by El Zaahra Stud in Cairo. She has already produced two fine daughters for the stud; Ghrour Al Arab, a grey by El Thay Mameluk, and Boushra, by Ansata Osirion, who had a nice colt by Ajmal Talal at her side. We saw the grey Ajmal Hejaziah presented with her outstanding filly foal by Ansata Osirion at foot. With them, was a yearling filly of the same breeding, and they made an impression as a fine mare family. Chief sire at the stud is the 1998 stallion Ansata Osirion (Ansata Iemhotep x Ansata Selket). He is also the full brother to Ansata Sirius and has already left his mark on the breeding stock in Kuwait. Mr Bait al Arab Progeny, colt by El Thay Khemal Pasha Mohammed Al Marzouk joined the party, and, together with Klaus Beste, we walked around the newly completed stable buildings. We shared a tasty lunch and Mr Al Marzouk then showed us the architectural plans for the centre s development. We all talked of stables, horses and breeding plans until the shuttle collected us to drive to the oasis area again, to visit Raya Al Sharq Farm. Al Sharq is home to two breeding studs owned by two close friends. Al Sharq Stud is run by Mr Talal Al Nisf and Al Rayah Stud is run by MrAla Hamad Al Roumi. It is a modern farm complex with beautifully designed facilities perfectly equipped to keep the horses comfortable. The stables are large, with high roofs making them airy, and the paddocks are vast. The stud s trainer, Luca Oberti, presented the excellent collection of horses to us including a few we had seen before at the show. The mares were presented together demonstrating the motto together successful, the breeding philosophy of the two friends and stud owners. Only the suffixes of the names tell you which farm the horse belongs to. The stud is home to mainly Dahman Shawan mares, among them treasures such as Ansata Sabika, a Prince Fa Moniet daughter out of Ansata Sechmet. She gave the stud the beautiful daughters Jamila Al Rayah, a show winner sired by NK Hafid Jamill; Salabill Al Rayah by Sinan Al Rayyan; Aroos Al Sharq by Ansata Hejazi; and Sarah Al Sharq by Ansata Al Murjatiz. The studs also prize another precious Prince Fa Moniet daughter, Ansata Aida, out of the famous Sundar Alisha by Ansata Halim Shah. There were so many exquisite mares here. To mention only a few, Hawzan Al Naif (Ansata Nile Echo x Ansata Nadira) had a filly by chief sire Ansata Al Murjatiz at foot. The two Ashhal Al Rayyan daughters, Al Anood Al Rayyan and Fatimat Al Naif, were delightful, as was the beautiful Hadban Enzahi mare Farasha Al Rayyan. We saw the gorgeous Farida Al Rayah, by Sinan Al Rayyan and out of the well known Ansata Majesta. She is already a show winner. Of the Obeyyan strain we met the famous Reem Al Rayah, and marvelled at her many trophies around the ring. My favourite was the Alidaar daughter, Mouna Al Rayyan. She is also dam of one of the stud s outstanding young stallions, Wadah Al Sharq, by Ansata Hejazi. Wadah possesses wonderful type, a good body and a strong sense of presence. For a relatively young stud, they have already proven they can produce successful homebred horses for the showring, with successes at home and abroad, including the Egyptian Event in Europe. I am certain we will hear more of the Al Sharq-Al Rayyah collective stock in the future. After wonderful and far too plentiful chocolate cookies, we had to say goodbye and were soon headed for Al Safinat Stables, owned by Mr Khaled Ben Shoker. Al Safinat Stables is one of Kuwait s older studs and had recently moved to new purpose-built premises. The large stables are arranged in a hexagonal barn with low internal walls. The horses can see and interact with each other, but still rest peacefully in this progressive arrangement. The stud has a collection of classically typed mares. I was in a dream land here; surrounded by big, free moving flea-bitten grey straight Egyptian Arabian mares! The mare families here trace back to the stallions Jamil, Dalul, Prince Fa Moniet and Ruminaja Ali. We saw the Ansata Quasim daughters, Ansata Bint Hadiyi and Ansata Karima, as well as the well known Ruminaja Ali daughter, Aliikat, with her own daughters and granddaughters. The 1996 Prince Fa Moniet daughter, RN Rayana, stood out for me. She is out of the famous Ansata Sharifa, bred by Al Rayyan Stud, and has several super daughters in her dynasty. The exquisite sisters Rana and Rawan by Ansata Hejazi, and Rimaa by Adnan, have already produced fillies for the stud. Former queen of the stud, Ansata Exotica, one of the last Jamill daughters, died last year, but the stud still owns two of her daughters, Araak Al Safinat by Alidaar, and the Hejazi daughter Kamar Al Safinat. What I really liked about the mares at this stud, besides their super pedigrees, is that they are all such feminine mares with deep bodies and strong movement. Of the stallions, I particularly liked the grey Wahag Al Rayyan, an Alidaar son out of Ansata Majesta. Over the years he has proven to be a good sire on many different mares. He is very masculine but beautiful at the same time. He is always my favourite. Late in the evening, we finally had to say goodbye to the hospitality of our Kuwaiti hosts, the breeders, and their exquisite horses. I must say a huge thank you to Mr Al Marzouk and Klaus Beste for organising everything for us, accompanying us and giving us plenty of background information on each of the studs. And I would like to give a special thanks to Klaus Beste for his guidance and patience. He was seemingly never too tired to answer our questions. Thank you too to all of the Kuwaiti breeders for presenting your equine treasures and your generous hospitality. We all thoroughly enjoyed our tour of your breeding excellence. v 142 The Arabian Magazine July 2011 July 2011 The Arabian Magazine 143