Hard Day's Night

"It's been a hard day's night,
and I've been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night,
I should be sleeping like a log..."-John Lennon & Paul McCartney, from their song, A Hard Day's Night

It's raining very hard today and nothing seems to be going right....well, I feel as gloomy on the inside as it looks outside. How to chase the blues away you might ask???

Give

me

more

Savanna,

straight up,

no ice.

AHHH...I love horses, don't you?

EnJoy Savanna...I know I feel better already!

The Moon Family

Some of the most beautiful horses ever bred by Fantasia Arabians are members of a family known by the name of "Moon"; a designation Marilyn Lang has given to this group of horses because they carry the blood of Bukra, with the added influence of RDM Maar Hala, a grand-daughter of Maar-Ree.

Fa Savanna Moon is a daughter of an*Ansata Ibn Halima son, the late Halim El Mansour, who was owned by Fantasia right up until his death. Her mother, who is also deceased, was the gorgeous mare Fa Bukra, out of the Ansata el Sherif daughter, SF Khala Zahra (out of the Babson mare, Sabrah, a Fabah daughter).

In addition to the Bukra line, Fa Savanna Moon has 4 lines to the mare Farida, who is found in the pedigrees of the most influential horses to ever leave Egypt. I can't help but notice the overall smoothness and the strong hind-ends which these horses have. The Farida horses are close-coupled, deep through the heart girth, with well sprung ribs supporting a strong top line, flowing into bigger hips, strong and smooth croups with generous and round, almost voluptuous hindquarters. A phenomenon that I have been noticing in some of our Egyptian horses has been the loss of substance and a more narrow built horse. Not so with the Faridas. They are wider and well-muscled, when viewed from behind! When the Faridas move, their hocks are so elastic, giving them the ability to drive powerfully off their hind end. I watch them closely and notice the strength these horses have in their backs and how they are able to reach far, far, far under themselves, generating huge force and a lot of power. It is as if these horses can curl the hind end down and forward, under themselves. Its amazing! All of the Faridas share common ground in this ability and even at an early age, the Faridas know how to use their backs to deliver this electrifying movement. WOW! Having seen so many horses with multiple crosses to Farida, I have arrived at my conclusion and I appreciate Farida's influence, which results in these qualities.

What I also appreciate in a mare like Savanna are the qualities that we know come from Maar Hala and cherish this most wonderful family for; that is, a well-defined bone structure in the face which gives the horse very prominent and chiseled features, including a larger-sized jowl, large and lustrous deep black eyes, teeny-tiny ears, which are wider at the bottom and sharp at the top, overall balance and charming personalities. These horses want to love you and be your friend. And to me, the only way to honor the Bedouin, as we move forward in these very modern times, is to produce horses who are able to live in close proximity with the humans who love them.

Black Angel

"Why should I fear?
When was I less by dying?
Yet once more I shall die as Man,
to soar with angels bless'd..."-Persian poet and philosopher, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī

Angelic Noir is an eight year old straight Egyptian mare, from the Babson/Brown breeding group. She carries the blood of the stallion Hallany Mistanny (*Zarife x Roda) through the tail female line (Mist Aana) of her sire, Zarife El Mansour (Fa Asar x Misttina). That's the Brown part of her pedigree...Hallany Mistanny. The rest of the horses in the pedigree are all Babson. Angelic Noir's dam is the very beautiful mare, Sunnyru Maaroufa, bred by Mari Silveus.

This mare, Sunnyru Maaroufa, is stunning and has been coveted by many people. She is THAT beautiful. Her beauty is extraordinary. She has one of the longest necks that I have ever seen on a straight Babson horse. She is a daughter of the breathtaking black stallion, Princeton Faaris and out of the black bay Serr Maariner daughter, Princeton Maaroufa.

"A lot of people say she is the most beautiful Babson mare living. Sunnyru Maaroufa simply has captivated people because people just are not used to seeing Babsons look like that." -Mari Silveus

Angelic Noir, like her dam, is also an exquisite mare. Her head is beautiful with large, lustrous black eyes, a clean, well-defined bone structure with prominent tear bones, which are accentuated by her black color, giving her a dramatic, very deserty look. Her neck is long and refined, with a powerful shoulder. A bold, electrifying mover, she drives off of her hocks, churning the ground up behind her, while her front end has the necessary freedom, enabling her to reach out and grab the ground in front of her. She floats across the ring, this way and then that way, mesmerizing all with her movement. She is a prima ballerina, enchanting all who look upon her. She is an elegant mare and Marilyn Lang, her owner, tested her recently and she is homozygous for the black color.

Angelic Noir has been checked in foal to Marilyn's stallion, Fa Noor el Nefous, a son of Sir Habbas Pasha and out of the Fa Daalim daughter, Fa Aanisah. The cross of *Ansata Ibn Halima with Babson breeding has produced beautiful horses like the US National Champion mare, Fa Halima. I am excited over this cross, as the blood of the legendary Bukra, through Ansata el Sherif is also represented. Bukra's influence in SE breeding has been legendary. Many times, I have heard black Arabian breeders complain that it is very challenging to find quality black-colored horses who are also classic, typey Arabians. It will be interesting to find out to whom this forthcoming foal will appeal to more: SE breeders or black Arabian breeders.

FA Angelita Rose

This is Fa Angelita Rose (FA Fajeer Halim X Bint Fasherifaa), who was bred by Marilyn Lang, of Fantasia Arabians, in Sealy, Texas. Marilyn bred FA Angelita Rose's dam, Bint Fasherifaa, who is an AK Sirhalima daughter and one of Marilyn's best producing broodmares, having also produced Rose's sister, the gorgeous, grey-colored FA Maarlina Moon. Rose's sire is the late FA Fajeer Halim, whom Marilyn also bred, who was a Halim el Mansour son out of the Fabo daughter, FA Bint Anniq. Marilyn has owned or bred many of the other horses in FA Angelita Rose's pedigree. FA Angelita Rose represents 5 generations of Marilyn Lang's breeding. When I first looked at the picture of FA Angelita Rose, there was a familiarity to her look. I wasn't sure if she favored Fa Daalim or Fa Bint Anniq in her phenotype. So, I asked Marilyn who FA Angelita Rose resembles and she shared the following,

Rose was my first try using all three of the the main stallions in my program over the last 30 years. She has Halim El Mansour, AK Sirhalima and Fa Daalim. I think the combination was perfection. She reminds me a lot of her dam, only with a much prettier and well defined neck and mitbah. She also has a look of Fa Daalim about her.

Every picture that Marilyn sends me is breathtaking. Just when I think that I have seen her most amazing horse, Marilyn will send me another picture to prove to me that I haven't really seen anything. Marilyn's horses are consistently correct and as Arabian Horses, are exquisite in their refinement. Quality oozes from every pore. Her shoulder is impressive, the angle of the shoulder is powerful, which is crowned with a very nice wither. Her topline is short, level and very strong, which flows into a full and round hindquarter. As a matter of fact, every line on her body, flows smoothly into the next. She is a most balanced horse, very harmonious.

To see the quality of Egyptian Arabian Horses currently bred in today's age, like FA Angelita Rose is exciting, as well as the ability to recognize and appreciate this real, live, timeless beauty. Despite hard times, a bad economy, scary news; we are fortunate that there are horses like FA Angelita Rose who provide inspiration and encouragement in these challenging times.

The Three Sherifas

Marilyn Lang's beautiful Ansata El Sherif daughters, THE THREE SHERIFAS (left to right in the picture, AK Rabiya [Ansata El Sherif x Glorieta Tala], Fa Sherifaa [Ansata El Sherif x Faserrabba], SF Khala Zahra [Ansata El Sherif x Sabrah]). Marilyn shared the following with me:

"Fa Sherifaa is angelic in appearance and disposition. My other two Ansata El Sherif daughters, SF Khala Zahra and AK Rabiya have the same "Bukra" look in their lovely heads, those incredible huge black eyes, the lids, both upper and lower, appear to have been outlined in thick, black, khol eye liner. I am the luckiest breeder in the world to have three such beautiful Egyptian mares. Quite awesome and I have not seen that look on too many Arabs, in all my years of breeding."-Marilyn Lang

All over the world, SE breeders have recognized the value of the EAO foundation mare, Bukra and are trying to incorporate her blood into their programs.

Ansata El Sherif was one of my favorite Ansata stallions. A son of *Ansata Ibn Halima and out of the mare, *Ansata Bint Bukra, he is a good source of Bukra blood. A phenotypically Dahman Shahwan horse; blending Ansata El Sherif with horses who physically embody the strongest Saqlawi strain characteristics, will overcome flaws like a shorter, thicker neck, which is present when using these lines. Overall, in terms of a particular horse who combined the best qualities of Bukra with the best qualities of *Ansata Ibn Halima, Ansata El Sherif was a beautiful horse. His strong topline, short-coupling, well-sprung ribs and generous heart girth enabled Ansata El Sherif to enjoy an athletic career. There was not much that this horse could and would not do. He was talented under saddle, winning many prizes in Native Costume, English Pleasure and Western Pleasure. He sired approximately 167 purebred Arabian Horses who in turn, have produced grand-progeny that are spectacular too. 

Cynthia Culbertson of El Miladi Stud shared her memories of the horse once,

"He was quite a 'fairytale' type of white stallion -- very true to his Dahman strain, compact with a lovely head and eye."

When I think of Ansata El Sherif, I think of the old-time horses like him, who were extremely versatile for their owners. A show horse, companion, breeding horse and ultimately a legend of the breed. This is the beauty and promise found in the legacy of Ansata El Sherif and now, the three Sherifas.

Fa Daalim

Fa Daalim was a 1973 black stallion, sired by the straight Babson Egyptian stallion Daaldan (Faddan x Fay Dalla) and out of the *Ansata Ibn Halima daughter, Bint Fa Dena. Fa Daalim was a tail female *Bint Serra I and Saklawi by strain. As the years have gone by, the line of Bint Serra, in tail female, has become less and less, to where we find ourselves today, with no tail female line *Bint Serra in straight Babson Egyptian form (AK Bint Serra, sired by Waseem Ibn Bahrou and out of the mare Fa Dena was the last tail female line Bint Serra mare and unfortunately she left no progeny) and if this news was not distressing enough, *Bint Serra is becoming rarer in the male line too. In addition to his tail female line, Fa Daalim has two additional lines to *Bint Serra I through the stallions Fay-el-Dine and Fa-Serr. In addition to the rare *Bint Serra blood, Fa Daalim carried the blood of two Babson mares which are also exceedingly rare: *Bint Saada and *Bint Bint Durra. With the exception of *Maaroufa, you can find the blood of the other Babson imports in Fa Daalim's pedigree.

I didn't know Fa Daalim personally, so I can't tell you what he was like. However, I did know his daughter, G Mafaada (out of the *Ansata Ibn Halima daughter, Masada Fay Halima, who was exported). She is a beautiful black mare, compact, close-coupled, on the smaller side but elegant, with a nice strong back which was balanced by a nice full hind-quarter. She walked with cat-like grace, without much effort. She was very strong for the look of her sire, Fa Daalim. As a student of the breed, what I find fascinating about Fa Daalim is the similarity in his pedigree with another Babson horse: Fabo. Both horses, in genotype, are more similar to each other, than they are different. Both horses are tail female Bint Serra I, tracing through Khedena to Fa Deene to Bint Serra. While Fa Daalim's dam, Bint Fa Dena is an *Ansata Ibn Halima daughter (traces to Bint Sabah through Halima, which is the same source as the mare *Bint Bint Sabbah), Fabo is a Fabah son (*Fadl x *Bint Bint Sabbah). The difference in the dams of both horses, allows Fabo to bring in the same amount of additional Bint Serra blood, as we find in Fa Daalim: 2 lines through the same horses, Fay-el-Dine and Fa-Serr.

And yet, physically, both horses are different, Fabo having a more pronounced Saqlawi look and Fa Daalim, while a Saklawi horse, to me, he looks Dahman. A more refined Dahman horse, if you will, with perhaps a little more leg, a little more neck, than we are used to seeing in heavily-bred Dahman horses. I wish that he were still alive and I wish that I could breed my mare, Princeton Maarena to him. He has everything I would want to bring into this cross.

"There seems to be a relationship between the depth felt for something and the feeling associated with its absence."-Mike Terry

Brothers

If you visit the Rancho Bulakenyo website (the link is in the Breeders and Horses column, to the right) you will find a tribute article, dedicated to RDM Maar Hala, written by Honi Roberts which appeared in Arabian Horse World. Do you know Halim El Mansour? Bred also by Rancho Bulakenyo, Halim El Mansour, up until April 12, 2007, was one of the last living sons of the legendary *Ansata Ibn Halima and a full brother to El Halimaar. Honi Roberts, in her tribute article to RDM Maar Hala, included the following quotation from Jody Cruz, regarding the sons that RDM Maar Hala had produced:

"What many don't realize is that her first five foals were all colts-not what new breeders would normally hope for," says Jody with a smile, "but what colts they were!"

Halim El Mansour will forever remind me of the lesson I learned in measuring the greatness of a horse. In Halim El Mansour's case, he was an *Ansata Ibn Halima son but as great as being a son of *Ansata Ibn Halima is, that is not what made Halim El Mansour great. The greatness of this particular horse, was measured by the quality of the offspring which he consistently sired. Meeting Halim El Mansour's son, the bay WK Halim El Shahkir (Halim El Mansour x Akira Zarif) was an A-HA! moment and made me immediately realize what a great sire Halim El Mansour truly was. It is a testament to Shahkir's athletic ability, that many of the people who visited him, some who had no knowledge of Arabian Horses and were looking for performance horses to train and show; were taken by the potential in this young, bay stallion. He is just brilliant. His movement is so thrilling to watch (actually unbelievable). He has the ability to go far, whether it is in reining or dressage. If Halim El Mansour or any stallion for that matter, sired only this one horse, then his name would be forever remembered for siring good horses. However, Halim El Mansour’s daughter, WK Eroticaah (Halim El Mansour x G Mafaada) is equally fantastic as Shahkir. As her name suggests, she is super-exotic, a real live fairy-tale horse come to life. She takes my breath away. She is really lovely and Caryn Rogosky's best bred female horse at Windkist Manor. Her pedigree is a rich repository of *Ansata Ibn Halima blood, not only through Halim El Mansour but also through the crosses in G Mafaada's pedigree. She is a Fa Daalim daughter out of Masada Fay Halima. With these two horses as my compass, I started to notice the consistency of the other horses that Halim sired and I started to "connect the dots". It almost became a game, as every horse that attracted my attention, upon further inquiry, shared Halim El Mansour as a sire. They are outstanding horses.

It will be interesting to see how Shahkir and Eroticaah carry on the legacy of their sire and further the influence of the aristocrat mare, Maar-Ree. Will their influence be felt through their daughters or will it be felt through their sons? Only time will tell.