■ by Hans Nagel In discussing breeding subjects of large Gigi Grasso, Erwin Escher, animals, such as horses, an extensive period Polly Knoll, Rik Van Lent of time has to be examined. It takes appro- ximately nine to ten years for just one horse generation to be established. So if one wis- hes to study genetic influences, at least several generations are required to do this, and thus many, many more years must be considered. There is no doubt that the Arabian horse breed is very old. Numbers like a thousand years or more are often mentioned, and this is possibly correct. However, when it comes to looking for data and information Kosak Of International influence in Arabian Horse Breeding Desert Heritage Magazine • 17 material suitable for an accurate from their voyages to the study, the reality looks different. Middle East with desert-bred The collection of Arabian horses Arabian horses. It was at this and the recording of their lineage time that written pedigrees by in a reliable form began no ear- European horsemen replaced lier than in the middle of the the Bedouin tradition of ver- 19th century and compared with bally tracing the origins and the the number of Arabian horses breeding of their horses. To a today, there were only a few that great extent, the records created came out of the Arabian coun- by early European breeders are tries into Eastern or Western the foundation of all recorded Europe. pedigrees today. Similar expedi- It all began at the end of the tions were carried out by the 19th century, when Hungarian Polish, French and Italian purchase expeditions and Lady governments, and some horses Ann Blunt from Crabbett Park were exported from Arabia to in England returned to Europe the US as well. Proper recording KUBINEC 1987 chestnut, stallion 18 • Desert Heritage Magazine Ghazal was initiated at that time. Since ved in a very sophisticated horse then, 100 - 120 years have pas- breeding concept, partly as sheer sed and even when applying a luxury and partly with the idea to very generous consideration, create better horses for the army most of the Arabian horses of and for work. The earliest state today can only look back to a studs founded at that time were recorded history of 10 - 15 charged with the same purpose Skowronek generations in total. It is this as well. Many of those early stud span of time, which can be con- farms kept hundreds of horses, sidered as the known and fairly but their majority always consi- reliable history of the Arabian sted of half-bred Arabians, and horse breed. only a small group of purebred Arabians of 10 - 20 mares served The circumstances of the pur- as a gene-pool for further use. chases and the purpose of these b) The second idea for choosing early acquisitions were rather horses of Arabian origin was for vague. In fact, one can consider a racing. The great success of cer- Negativ first period, from 1850 until tain Middle Eastern stallions in World War I, when those buyers England as race horses, and later from Hungary, Poland, England, as breeding stock used on Germany and the United States English mares, had originally bought their horses for two pri- encouraged the Blunt family to mary purposes: search for such fast horses in Arabia as well. However, this a) The majority of Arabian hor- idea regrettably failed. ses were selected to improve the old European breeds. In particu- The breeding for both purposes lar, the High Society was invol- had only a short life. The Gwarny Desert Heritage Magazine • 19 Nazeer English Thoroughbred became Around 1920 to 1930, the more and more popular as a cross Crabbett Park in England, one to improve local horses; the of the oldest Arabian studs in public and the army were asking Europe, reached its zenith. Its for bigger horses and half-bred Arabian horses conquered nearly Arabians did not have the requi- all parts of the world. Also the red body size. Only the Arabian horse breeding studs in Hungarian State Stud of Poland, at Babolna in Hungary, Babolna maintained the original at Tersk in Russia and last but strategy which resulted in the not least, at the Royal development of the very well Agricultural Society in Egypt, known Shagya breed which increased their number of mares Witraz became one of the best half-bred and looked for better stallions for Arabian breeds with its own their breeding programs. In the type, its own stud recording and middle of all this activity, sud- its own studbook. No world- denly three stallions appeared class purebred Arabian sire line and caught the attention of most was created during this first of the knowledgeable breeders. period. One could only mention These stallions established a new the so called Shagya Arabians of period, a new era in the breeding Babolna, which began with a sire of Arabian horses. This named Shagya who is praised as period, plus another 50 years, the founder of this breed. one could call a “second period”. These three sires influenced this Aswan When the miserable consequen- period to a great extent. ces of the World War I vanished away and life returned back to The spectacular stallion normal, Arabian horse breeding Skowronek, a horse born in also enjoyed a new prosperity. Ukraine and later, owned by 20 • Desert Heritage Magazine Lady Wentworth at Crabbett about 140 cm. But for the majo- Park, created a new and exciting rity, he was the greatest sire of look in Arabian horse breeding, that time. particularly through his two sons, Naseem and Raffles. The The next important stallion was first son, Naseem, was bought by the Polish-bred Amurath-Sahib, the Tersk Stud, and the second born in 1932. He was the late son, Raffles, found his new place offspring of the famous Bairactar in the US. Together they proved sire line, originating from the the exceptional quality of Marbach Stud of Weil, Skowronek as a sire. At Tersk, Germany. Again, the weakest Naseem created his own sire point for Amurath-Sahib was lines, mainly through his son size and for a long time the Hadban Enzahi Negativ who is still influential Polish authorities were divided today. People in the US nearly in their opinions of if and when got the “Raffles-fever”, even to use this horse. However, though this horse was highly cri- Amurath-Sahib became a stal- ticized due to his height of only lion with a great future and tre- PADRONS PSYCHE 1988 chestnut, stallion Desert Heritage Magazine • 21 mendous influence. His son the Royal Agricultural Society in Arax, who represented him in Cairo, Egypt. Nazeer and several Russian breeding, and Gwarny of his sons gained world wide in Poland were the direct off- fame and today are still conside- spring of this family. At this red highly respected sires of the point, it is highly recommended breed. The first Nazeer son, to turn the page to a most Aswan, out of Yosreia, had the instructive document, written as unique chance to become one of an introduction to the 9th the chief sires at the Tersk Stud Edition of the Tersk Studbook. for more than twenty years. In this book, the great influence While the other stallions men- of these two horses is perfectly tioned here were known for demonstrated through current adding type and elegance to the times as is documented by the Arabian breed, Aswan contribu- following sequence of genera- ted these characteristics to an tions:. even greater level. He stamped his offspring with his own extre- First: Amurath-Sahib - Arax - me Arabian type. People like to Nabeg - Menes (or maybe any criticize and look for problems; other known Nabeg son), four many only search for the negati- generations as a spectacular band ve and forget the positive. This of sires. stallion also had his faults. He Shaikh Al Badi had a short neck, not the best Second: Skowronek - Naseem - front legs, a soft back and even Negativ - Salon - Muscat, again the angle of his hind legs was with all the potential to succes- rather insufficient. However, sfully continue their line for fur- overall he looked like a true ther generations. Arabian horse, one that came from another region of this Before the third sire is discussed, world which had created its own a different looking horse should types of desert animals and won- be mentioned. He is Kuhailan ders. The stud director believed Haifi, a stallion that is very clo- in him, he passed the tests and sely associated with historic they used Aswan more than any Polish Arabian breeding. When other horse during his life. He naming the horses forming this just seemed to fit into the line, the great importance of this Russian breeding programme sire line becomes clear for ever- together with the previously yone who knows the high skill of mentioned two sire lines. The Polish horse breeders. His sire Tersk Stud produced its best Maysoun line is Kuhailan Haifi - Ofir - Arabians in applying this three- Witraz - Bask - Negatraz - fold combination of sires. The Monogramm. well known stallions Kubinec and Padrons Psyche are just two And finally, the last sire who pro- examples. A pedigree study of ved to be the most brilliant one these two horses shows the in all modern day Arabian horse power of all three of these sires in breeding. This horse is the conjunction, one of the keys for famous stallion Nazeer, bred by the success in Russian breeding. 22 • Desert Heritage Magazine Ali Jamaal Ruminaja Ali Desert Heritage Magazine • 23 In straight Egyptian breeding, winner of shows.