The Power of Horse Love

Anette Mattsson with the Monogramm son, *Ganges 

"All my life I have lived among horses, and love them." - Prince Mohamed Aly Tewfik

I grew up loving horses, a chubby Cuban kid growing up in a densely populated part of the country, raised by people who had nothing to do with horses, ever. Weird, huh? How does that happen and what does it mean to love horses anyway? Most people see a picture of a horse and say, "what a beautiful picture, I love it." They might be driving in their car and pass a pasture with horses grazing and say, "Isn't that beautiful? It's just like a painting, I love it." Or, how about a Budweiser television commercial, playing within a favorite television program and the person will say, "that was so touching, I love it." You never really know when a horse will turn up and cause something big to happen inside of you. For the people who are lucky to have an Arabian horse in their life, we know this to be true, that is, the joy that fulfills us when we are so powerfully connected with Arabian horses. For dyed-in-the-wool horse lovers, it goes beyond appreciating a pretty picture hanging on a wall or an image that is pleasurable on the television set. Horses have always dominated our thoughts while we are awake and during our sleep, horses have run wild and free, calling us. Thoughts, feelings and dreams of horses are at the very core of our identity, of who we are. It's even challenging to recall a moment in our life when horses were not on our minds somehow. Today, on the threshold of the most magical time of the year, the season to believe with all your heart that nothing is really impossible, we need to celebrate these life experiences which have shaped us into the people we are, horse lovers, possessing a unique perspective for how we see things, understand them and then, live them into practice, all for the love of a horse.

Ears Pricked, Hearts Wide Open

In 2017, at the Rolex 3-day event, 5-star rider Matt Brown had just ridden the best cross country ride of his career. He was ecstatic, as he was the top-placed American going into the show jumping phase but with a rail down, he finished in 6th place. Eventually, he watched a video of his performance and what he noticed, would impact his life in a way he didn't expect. In a recent episode of Noëlle Floyd's podcast, Dear Horse World, Matt tells us the story of the ride and his transformation. While Matt did not use the whip more than the rules allowed (2 times per use), personally, he felt he had overused it,  for a  horse who didn't need a whip in the first place. 

In the summer of 2019, the straight Egyptian mare, Maisa Al Nasser (Sinan Al Rayyan x Zenubia Al Nasser ) was competing at the Menton show.  Within the first few minutes, Maisa Al Nasser turns sharply, loses her balance and falls to the ground. Prior to falling, she was not showing well, as she was a little "jacked up" and her movement reflected the level of distraction she was experiencing. Once her handler got her to stand quietly, he shook the sand off of her beautiful body, giving her the few minutes she needed to restore her confidence and composure. Looking back, she didn't need the people on the sidelines, with bags tied to the end of the whips, shaking them in the air, the movement and sound intended to "rev her up," for that "snort" and "blow" that Arabian horse people want to see in the showring. Yet, the diversity of sounds, smells and flashes of movement had already seized her attention and she was responding to all those stimuli, as part of her flight response.

2 stories, each horse a little different from the other, yet bound somewhat by the unnecessary use of a whip. Did the horse respond because he was willing to do what was asked of him or was he pressured into responding because he felt he had no choice?

The best horses I’ve ever ridden—the ones that tackled four- and five-star tracks with ears pricked and hearts open—didn’t go because I had a whip in my hand. They went because they trusted me." - Matt Brown, The Chronicle of the Horse, Opinion: It's Time to Let Go of the Whip 

In a recent We Love Arabian Horses Podcast, Michael Byatt, who has been part of the Arabian horse community for 50+ years, spoke of a progressive mind-set, essential  for fostering growth in our breed community. He urged us to move away from the comforting tangles of the status quo, because it's a different world now and simply, those old ways are no longer working in our modern society. 

In 2012, Dr. Stephen Peters, together with Martin Black, published Evidence-Based Horsemanship, the landmark publication which introduced Equine Neuroscience, that is, the science-based study which unites medical principles, with biology and psychology, in order to better understand how the nervous system functions and how it  impacts behavior  cognitively and emotionally. At the center of the nervous system is the brain. It's important to note that everything a horse does, every movement a horse makes, has to first go through the brain.

 Everything. 

Prior to the publication of Evidence-Based Horsemanship, we had a wealth of tradition-based theory, not backed by science and up until the natural horsemanship movement, an unwilling attitude to change any of it,  for the good of the horse. 13 years later, Dr. Peters has established equine neuroscience within the horse-centric community and continues to offer clinics, webinars and podcasts, while publishing additional books like Neuropoetry, a collection of poems allowing the reader to understand the nervous system, from the sensory perspective of a horse. A month ago, Dr. Peters released another book (which very quickly sold out) on Equine  neuroscience titled Horse Brain Science,  and some time this fall, Dr. Peters and Martin Black will finally publish the most anticipated "sequel", The Science and Practice of Evidence-Based Horsemanship. I can't help but wonder if building a relationship which respects the horse's nervous system is part of what Michael Byatt was referring to in the podcast, regarding a progressive attitude and a step away from the same old, same old.

Dr. Stephen Peters has appeared in a couple of podcasts that I have really enjoyed:

Journey On

Journey On 2020

Dear Horse World Part 1

Dear Horse World Part 2

I've written a few blogs about Maisa Al Nasser:

28 June 2019

7 August 2019

4 December 2019

12 February 2022

Many thanks to ArabianEssence for making the videos of all the shows available on You Tube.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

 

TB Helwa (Ibn El Nil Rahim x TB Hasna) bred, owned & photographed by Monika Savier of Tre Balzane Stud

"I'd say the biggest thing is to remember why you started in the first place. For me, no matter how tough things got, I always came back to the fact that I loved horses. If you can find that love and passion for what you're doing, it'll carry you through the tough times." - Matt Brown, 5-star eventing rider, in an article written by Tyler Held for Eventing Nation, Between the Ears

How does one photo metamorphasize with such power into something bigger, than what is an image of a horse, frozen in time? I have seen this particular mare's photo in several issues of the Tutto Arabi publications, never really aware of the impact it was making upon my subconscious.

Life has become weird, nothing makes sense anymore, not even the truth, if you can still find it. Only in those moments when my mind begins to wander, and I am free from the grip of the brokenness that surrounds me,  it is celebratory to find TB Helwa, as physically, she is reassurance that while the world may have changed, classic Arabian horse type still remains timeless. She is an extremely beautiful mare, close-coupled, rounded lines, a strong, smooth topline, well-sprung ribcage, her neck meets her head at an angle to form a finer throatlatch and her head is as dry as one would expect a desert queen to be. That's what she is for me, a picture perfect example of what I imagine to be is, an authentic desert horse.

As beautiful as this mare is, her pedigree is equally fascinating, as more of the pedigree is dominated by a few key horses. You might miss it at first glance but a deeper dive within the pedigree will reveal the strategic use of the bloodlines in this mare's genetic history. You find concentrated pockets of bloodlines, which in turn point you to still other ancestral groups, all interconnected. For example, her matriline, which happens to be one of my favorites in straight Egyptian breeding,  traces back to Mahfouza, through  her daughter by Anter, Maysa. Mahfouza was a 1943 bay mare, bred by the Inshass Stud, whose pedigree does not include any of the Blunt desert horses. Mahfouza's sire was Hamdan (Ibn Rabdan x Bint Radia) and her dam was El Mahrousa (El Zafir x El Shahbaa), a 1937 mare bred by the Inshass Stud. El Mahrousa's dam, El Shahbaa, foaled in 1925, was an Abeyyan strain mare, sired by a Hamdani stallion, she was purchased by King Fouad in 1931. The genetic influence of Maysa is reinforced  through Montasir, the sire of Ibn El Nile Rahim. Maysa is the maternal great granddam of Montasir. 

Ansata Halim Shah appears in multiple lines, contributing almost 22%, however,  his sire, *Ansata Ibn Halima, more than doubles his son's influence, in terms of the number of lines via several of his daughters, in addition to sons. The same can be said of Hanan, the dam of the stallions, *Jamil and Salaa El Dine, as well as the mares, KEN Amal and Ashraff, whose sire, Mohafez, an *Ibn Moniet El Nefous son, connects with his paternal sibling,  Moniet el Sharaf. Speaking of Mohafez, his Babson ancestry through Ahroufa, connects with the Ansata mares: Jellabia (Maarqada) and the Nile prefixed mares who trace back to Falima (Fa-Habba). And what about Ansata Nile Charm, an Ansata Ibn Sudan daughter, whose dam, Ansata Nile Queen was also by Ansata Ibn Sudan?

TB Helwa is a proven broodmare, some may even call her elite, with 8 foals to her credit, her last foal, a filly by Naseem Al Rashediah was recently foaled, April 8, 2025 and she is currently in foal to Hilal Al Waab (Sinan Al Rayyan x Sharuby HP).  She has produced 2 other fillies by Jamil Al Rayyan and 5 colts by NK Hafid Jamil, Al Adeed Al Shaqab and also, Jamil Al Rayyan. It will be interesting to  consider the similarities/differences between her Al Adeed colt, TB Ashhal and Hayet Al Salem, her Naseem Al Rashediah (Al Adeed son) filly. 

Congratulations to her breeder, Monika Savier for her clever use of the genetic influences, which when combined, resulted in this gorgeous mare, TB Helwa.

Beware the Man You Think You Know

***In the spring of 1959, George H. Conn published an anthology of literary material, which he called The Arabian Horse in Fact, Fantasy and Fiction. The diverse collection includes poems, essays, scripture, inspirational quotes and short stories, as well as excerpts from books previously written by Lady Anne Blunt, Roger Upton and Major General G. Tweedie.  My favorite is the story of Duldul and His Master, a work of fiction written by James Baldwin in the late 1800's and originally published in his book titled, The Horse Fair. I "tweaked" the story a little bit, just in time for the spooky holiday we know as Halloween.***

Once, there was a Bedouin chieftain by the name of Hatim. He was the most prosperous of all the desert sheikhs, his camp occupied a fertile oasis, in the middle of the great desert. His flocks of sheep, goats, camels and horses were the largest in the land. Hatim was a noble man, generous and kind. No guest ever left his camp empty-handed, receiving far more than a person could ever expect to receive. His compassion for his fellow man was legendary and many of his people never forgot the day when 400 men, women and children arrived in their camp, driven from their homeland by famine. Hatim ordered the slaughter of forty camels, which he then had roasted, so the people without a country could begin to satisfy the hunger that burned within them. Even in the most mundane moments of life, Hatim honored the code of conduct established by those who came before him, with honor, tolerance and kindness. When he was a child, the story of Abraham and how he had unknowingly entertained angels, had made a strong impression upon him, which he never forgot. Should an angel ever decide to visit him, he would find a comfortable place to rest, where his hunger and thirst would be met, until the moment he decided to continue his journey. 

Hatim practiced his beliefs, always with a smile upon his face and love in his heart, giving freely to all who asked, never questioning the need of those who stood before him and asked for help. Despite the goodness of Hatim's generosity, some were suspicious of his altruistic nature and felt the need to test Hatim's good nature. One such man was the Sultan of Roum, a cold-hearted ruler who was jealous of Hatim and the love people felt for him. He wasn't willing to share his people's affection with anyone, much less Hatim. He believed that Hatim's philanthropic nature was not genuine, a way for Hatim to initially build trust and then, manipulate it for his personal gain. For example, a man would say, "here is Hatim, who freely gives to the poor.  I will buy from Hatim, because he defrauds no one and I will pay his full price, rather than haggle with him, as I believe that he is being as fair with me, as he is with others." 

One day, the Sultan decided to put Hatim's generosity to the test. He wondered what Hatim cherished and would refuse to give to another. He asked this question of his vizier, who was also convinced that Hatim's generosity was false.  And so spies were sent out into the oasis where Hatim lived, to observe him and to find the one thing that Hatim loved, more than anything else he had ever known.  

Duldul was a sparkling white stallion, rumored to be the finest horse bred by any Bedouin in the desert. Many Bedouins have spent their lifetimes trying to breed a horse like Duldul, never to realize the level of quality that Hatim had bred within his own herd.  Duldul was raised with Hatim's children, living in the same tent with them, sharing daily life and all that goes with it. Duldul loved Hatim, for he had never been spurred or whipped and was a cherished member of Hatim's  family. 

Duldul was the fastest horse in the desert, the winner of many races, the prizes of which had made Hatim a celebrated breeder of asil desert horses. The horses that Duldul sired were the envy of the other tribesman who did not dare to wage war against Hatim, for fear of the skilled horsemen mounted on Duldul's get, who were not only as fast as their sire was but never tired. When the spies returned and told the Sultan of Duldul, the Sultan then decided that Duldul offered the greatest opportunity to test the generosity of Hatim. "I will not ask him for a price," the Sultan explained, "but I will ask for the horse as a gift. If he refuses, which I believe he will, then all the world will know that Hatim's generosity is a farce and I will finally destroy him!" 

Accompanied by ten of his finest soldiers, the Sultan sent his trusted Vizier towards the camp of Hatim. It was a long journey, made during the wettest season of the year.  For 20 long days the group made their way in the desert, meeting many challenges and experiencing great hardship. They had underestimated the difficulty of their journey and when they finally arrived at Hatim's camp, they were half-starved and in pitiable condition. Soon, a horseman, astride a magnificent stallion met them. It was none other than Hatim, mounted on Duldul, who immediately took pity on the Vizier and his men. He had quickly assessed the situation and realized that the men were in dire shape. He hastened to provide quickly for their comfort and ushered them into the most comfortable section of the largest tent in the camp. Their wet clothing was exchanged for warm, dry clothes, the best that Hatim could offer them, taken from his own personal chests. Dinner was delayed but when finally served, the men were amazed over the great variety of meats served to them. There was little food in the camp, as the rest of the tribe was still on their way back from the summer pastures. There was no fruit and a little bread to offer, however, the meats, which were broiled, boiled, roasted, made into soups and savory dishes, were beyond anyone's imagination, a reminder  of the royal meals they enjoyed at the Sultan's palace. After eating their fill, the men retired and slept soundly, which they had not done since leaving the palace. In the morning, after personally experiencing all of the bounty of Hatim's generosity, the Vizier was ashamed of the errand that the Sultan had charged him with and so,  the Vizier explained to Hatim, the Sultan's wishes.  To which Hatim replied, "if only you had told me this, when you first arrived at my camp. I was not prepared to receive guests, as we have only arrived in this oasis for a few days, the rest of my tribe and the flocks of sheep, goats, camels and horses are still on their way, having been slowed by the torrents of rain we encountered on our way home  from our summer pastures. When you arrived, wet, hungry and at death's door, what else could I do but provide comfort to you? For what would be said of me, if I failed to provide you with a warm place to sleep, dry clothes to wear and nourishing food to eat? Then my hospitality and generosity would be a falsity and people would forever know me as Hatim, who sent the hungry away from his tent unfed. I could not bear the thought of not offering my guests the nourishment that you so obviously needed. When you return to the Sultan, tell him that the horse he wished for, the horse that he sent his most trusted advisor and soldiers to find, Duldul, who knew my every wish, obeyed my every word, who brought joy to my heart and put a spring in my step, was cooked for your supper.

AK El Sennari

AK El Sennari (*Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Il Bint Khedena)

In a couple of weeks, on October 17th,  we will remember Nasr Marei, on the 8th anniversary of his death. Even after all this time, I still have difficulty seeing Nasr's name together in the same sentence with the word, "death." So many questions remain unasked, so many answers are left without a voice to express them, so many things I wish I had told him, will forever remain unsaid. Now, in these days, we are left with only memories, which inspire and encourage us to see the world as beautifully as he saw it. Recently, I stumbled upon a photo of AK El Sennari, who entered Nasr's breeding program, in the twilight of his life. 

Little did Mrs. George Fox understand how her efforts would impact AlBadeia in Egypt almost 40 years later, when she purchased Fa Dena, a Fa-Serr daughter out of Khedena (a Fa Deene daughter) from the Babson Farm. Mrs. Fox bred Fa Dena to  *Ansata Ibn Halima, to produce the full sisters: Bint Fa Dena in 1966 and Il Bint Khedena in 1968, both of whom were purchased by Robert Cowling of Houston, Texas. When Jarrell McCracken purchased Robert Cowling's horses, he intensified the Saqlawi strain even further, by breeding Il Bint Khedena to *Ibn Moniet el Nefous, to produce the stallion, AK El Sennari on February 21, 1980. Through Il Bint Khedena, AK El Sennari traces in his matriline to the 1932 Babson Egyptian import, *Bint Serra I, a Saqlawi strain mare bred by Prince Kemal el Dine. *Ibn Moniet el Nefous is also Saqlawi-in-strain, as he traces through Moniet el Nefous to Roga al Beida in his matriline, making AK El Sennari pure-in-the-strain Saqlawi (both tail female lines, the sire and dam, are Saqlawi). More on this later.

He was exported to England, owned at the time by Ronald and Anne Hutchings. While in Europe, he was a competitive show stallion at the international level, winning the Belgium Senior Stallion championship. Eventually, he spent time with Pascal Lavreau at his stud farm and from there, to Jordan and the Royal Jaafar Stud. In 2000, Nasr was looking to expand the genetic mix of blood within his program. 5 years earlier, he had successfully added the bloodlines of the American Egyptian breeding program, Imperial Egyptian Stud, through the use of the stallion, Imperial Madori, which yielded the World Champion Mare, Gelgelah Albadeia. It was the first time that Nasr had used a foreign born straight Egyptian stallion in his program. Little did he know at the time that Madori was paving a new path for other non Egyptian born horses to join the Albadeia program like the *Ansata Ibn Halima son, Bar Sama Halim bred by Rick Heber and the Australian Simeon Sharav, an Asfour son out of Simeon Shuala, in the hope that he would add a more upright neck and shoulder to his herd. Also in the same year, Nasr, together with Dr. Aly Abdel Bahim purchased AK El Sennari, as he wanted to improve the croup in his horses, as well as adding more movement. He was 20 years old at the time of his purchase. 

The core of the foundation of the AlBadeia breeding program was the stallion, Nazeer (Mansour x Bint Samiha) through the strategic use of his sons, daughters and grand-get over the years. I think of the extraordinary Nazeer get like *Morafic, *Bint Mona and *Ansata Bint Mabrouka, aĺl out of Saqlawi strain mares and I can  understand Nasr's application of the Albadeia formula in reverse, that is, covering Nazeer-bred, Hadban-strain mares with a Saqlawi-strain stallion, like AK El Sennari. I am not sure of the fertility that a 20-year old stallion would possess, however, AK El Sennari was a proven breeding stallion and he did sire a small amount of get for Albadeia:

• 2000 - Attalah Albadeia - stallion out of Anhar Albadeia
• 2000 - Bondok Albadeia - stallion out of Walaa Albadeia
• 2000 - Hanoomat Albadeia - mare out of Hawanem Albadeia
• 2000 - Simeon Safra - mare out of Ibtehag Albadeia
• 2002 - Shakraa Albadeia - mare out of Sabriat Albadeia

Nasr Marei in response to a question asked by Samantha Mattocks, of how his breeding goals may have changed over the years, gives the reader a better understanding over the addition of horses like AK El Sennari to the Albadeia breeding program,  "My goals have been the same since the beginning. It is always to breed a better horse. My approach to doing this has evolved over the years, I continuously challenge myself as a breeder by trying to apply what I have learned. My eye as an artist contributes to this process. I am always critical of my own horses, I look at them, and judge their strengths and weaknesses. Then I try to determine how I can correct whatever I feel needs adjusting. Expanding my gene pool was a major decision but I believed it was necessary and I have been gratified by the results." -  The Breeder's Interview, The Arabian Breeders Magazine, Volume I, Issue 1, 2016

SUPERSIZE

What I really appreciate in this photo is the statement it immediately makes concerning *Morafic's height. He is tall! In many of the photos, especially those with Tom McNair; he dwarfs over *Morafic, creating the illusion of a smaller-sized horse. A maternal grandson of Sid Abouhom, *Morafic appears to be influenced by his maternal grandsire,  who was recognized by racing fans as "Nabeeh", his exceptional hocks allowing him to drive his powerful body forward, burning up the racetrack before him, just like his sire, El Dere, had also done. On the other side of the pedigree is Mansour, *Morafic's paternal grandsire, who was prepotent for good legs.*Morafic, blessed as he was with the most extraordinary genetic material available at the EAO, matured into a giant among the horses of his time. *Morafic stood 15.2 hands tall (157 cm), a giant in the hearts of the men who loved him. He was their finest work, all for the love of an Arabian horse.

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***Many thanks to Brittany N Thompson who posted the photo of *Morafic in the Facebook group, Arabian Horse Shows: The Good Old Days***

The Conformity of the Rhino

My favorite photo of *Lancers Sahm

Do you know that when Sheikh el Arab was alive, he sired less than 20 get and of this number, the larger part were fillies? Despite siring a very small number of offspring, General Von Szandtner believed him to be outstanding as a sire. Sheikh el Arab, foaled in 1933, was a Mansour son out of Bint Sabah. Dr. Mohamed El Marsafi believed he was more elegant than Nazeer. Sheikh el Arab possessed a strong and smooth croup, good legs and excellent tail carriage. His daughters matured into legendary broodmares, founding multi-branched, vibrant families of their own. Rouda, the maternal great-granddam of *Lancers Sahm was not only a Sheik El Arab daughter, she was one part of the 3 pairs of full sisters (Medallela, Fasiha & Bint Rissala): 

• Yashmak, 1941 out of Bint Rissala (full sister to Hafsa)
• Wanisa, 1941 out of Medallela (full sister to El Bataa)
• Hafsa, 1942, out of Bint Rissala (full sister to Yashmak) 
• Mahasin, 1942 out of Kasbana
• Kamla, 1942 out of Samha
• Yosreia, 1943 out of Hind
• Wadida, 1943 out of Fasiha (full sister to Rouda)
• Rouda, 1944 out of Fasiha (full sister to Wadida)
• Halima, 1944 out of Ragia
• El Bataa, 1944 out of Medallela (full sister to Wanisa)
• Sodfa, 1944 out of ZamZam
• Zeina, 1945 out of Kateefa
• Fadila, 1946 out of Zareefa

Knowing that General Von Szandtner preferred to cross the Sheikh el Arab daughters with Nazeer, it is interesting that Rouda was bred to Sid Abouhom instead. This cross yielded the mare Galila, who in turn was bred to the Nazeer son, Alaa el Din, producing Aziza, the dam of *Lancers Sahm. It is also interesting to note that Alaa el Din provides the only Nazeer line in the entire pedigree. 

"Like all Rabdans, Gassirs can certainly move and when they do so in earnest a charging rhino is hardly more intimidating." - Philippe Paraskevas

The mare Aziza, was bred to Sabeel, a Gassir (Kheir x Badia) son, out of the Inshass bred Shahbaa (Hamdan x Shahd), who traces in her matriline to El Kahila, the only source of the Kuhaylan Kurush strain in straight Egyptian breeding. Philippe Paraskevas, in the 2nd volume of The Egyptian Alternative wrote, "...Sabeel, a superb Gassir, true-to-type and quite acceptable in the back, with good croup attachment and with an interesting and masculine expression. Regrettably, this is a stallion that was not much noticed and consequently little bred." 

Despite siring 146 get over his lifetime, I still find myself wishing that *Lancers Sahm had been bred to select, key Egyptian mares of the time, significantly multiplying the outcross potential in the straight Egyptian genepool. Considering the growing dominance of the Nazeer influence at the time, we needed an alternative source(s) in our gene pool before we "painted" ourselves into a corner, with no way out. Philippe, within the same book, further wrote about the strength of the Gassir influence and used correctly, of the functional  impact that Gassir could have upon the phenotype, "Gassirs are often the heaviest and most powerful of all Rabdans, if not always the tallest...Taking into consideration these characteristics, you can imagine the Gassir potential for your breeding program - beneficial or harmful - according to whether or not you understand his use. Gassir was a Dahman of the peripheral Bint El Bahrain strain, inherently one of the most Kohalian-in-type of all strains, an outcross strain." Knowing what we know today and given the same opportunity,  why as breeders are we not incorporating more individuals like *Lancers Sahm to widen the diversity within the genepool of straight Egyptian breeding?

***If you are interested in straight Egyptian Arabian horses, then Volume II of Philippe Paraskevas', The Egyptian Alternative is a book you must have in your library. If you can only purchase one book, I strongly recommend this one. Many thanks to Judith Forbis for the photos of Sabeel and Aziza. Many thanks to Sheila R. Cone for posting the photo of *Lancers Sahm in the Facebook Group, Photos and History of the straight Egyptian Arabian Horse***