by Annalisa Monticelli and Monika Savier
According to the legend - maybe inspired by a true story, who knows? - all Arabian horses derive from the five mares owned by the Prophet Mohammed (“Khamsa ar-Rasul”). Abbayyah, Saqlawiah, Kuhaylah, Hamdaniah and Hadbah created a family, a genealogical tree, a strain that has survived until today as a common denominator among horses from various countries in the world.
198 • Desert Heritage Magazine
The Bedouin Dr. Nagel (2005) wrote in Desert tribes tried to Heritage: breed horses “The Bedouins gave highest attention to that were pure the female line. Each Arabian mare had in the strain, at to belong to one of the known strains, if least as far as not, this mare was not considered to be a the maternal line pure bred Arabian horse. Any foal born was concerned. by such a mare received as well the strain Over the centuries name of its mother, and this system went sub-strains were on to apply to all the following genera- added to the five tions. The strain of the father, however, main ones until there was neglected. To make it clear, the sire were 2-300 different was known, but his strain name had no maternal lines, which can place in this system of genealogy. all be traced back to the Curiously, in this respect the Arabs fol- main strains. How can this be lowed an old Roman principle which explained? says: “Mater semper certa est.”- “The European researchers in the Arab dam is always sure”. desert give a variety of explanations. It is If we look at a pedigree from a scientific a fact, however, that for centuries the angle, the genetic influence of the pater- inclusion of a horse in a strain (defined nal line (and his strain) changes, from according to its belonging to a maternal the point of view of its biology and phe- line) was also an attempt to give a cha- notype, exactly as the genetic maternal racteristic to the phenotype rather than line. And to breed “pure in the strain” just the genotype. According to Raswan horses, i.e. always using stallions of the (1930) and other researches, the same family, undoubtedly increases the Kuhaylans represented the masculine risk of extreme inbreeding and reduces phenotype, characterized by powerful the range of breeding choices aimed at musculature, back, broad croup and chest improving the phenotype of the mare. and a small head. The Saklawis, on the But the Bedouins knew this already, they other hand, represented the “feminine” simply did not have many chances to horse, elegant, with a light bone structu- find new compatible stallions when their re, long lines, a light head with a small mares were on heat. Today, with the glo- nose but less hardy than Kuhaylans. balization of semen available anywhere According to ancient texts the Munigis, in the world within 24 hours, the selec- the third main strain, represented the tion of the stallion is dictated by other riding horse. criteria (i.e. economic ones). Judith Forbis (1976) also distinguishes Apart from following the religious dogma three main strains but talks about more and breeding purebred Arabians (asil), the than 100 Kuhaylan sub-strains, 32 Bedouins understood that certain lines Saklawi sub-strains and so on. The were moredesirable in the marketplace. Bedouin tribes, who did not know how Their way of defining a more or less to record the pedigree of a horse, found noble strain was certainly rooted in an it easier to breed a strain and classify the attempt to escape the economic unifor- horses according to that strains. mity of the market and to obtain more It is worth also to analyze the belonging money for some genetic lines, regardless to a strain, which is always defined of the horse's phenotype. according to the maternal line. These strain-based value definitions have survived until today in the breeding world. make researches more easy. And what if the definition of a horse strain was wrong in What do you do if you discover that there has been a gap the first place? Today's horses certainly do not decrease in ever since the beginning or that the interpretation of the value, but if the strain is missing, their real genealogical sources is forced? identity is incomplete and the breeder is left wondering, so to speak. A minor revolution full of new stimuli. One of these mares is Yamama. Among her descendants That is what is happening among pedigree history lovers. there is Prince fa Moniet, Mohafez, El Aziza, Elf Layla When you mention Bint Yamama, people instinctively Walayla, Imperial Bareez… and many others. After com- refer to the white Kuhaylah-Jellabiyah mare bred by bing through ancient texts for a long time, Desert Prince Mohamed Ali. And what about the other two Heritage can now tell you her story. mares, Yemama-Bay and Yemamah / Yamama? Yemama-Bay is also traditionally associated to the HOW MANY YAMAMAS? Kuhaylah-Jellabiyah strain, but she was owned by Lady A horse has always been associated to a bloodline and Anne Blunt and was bred in the desert. vice versa. Yemamah / Yamama, on the contrary, is the only one to This is often done to follow a tradition, a habit or to be associated to the Saqlawi Gidran breed of Ibn Sudan,