THE EGYPTIAN ARABIAN

by APRIL E. JOHNSON

copyright 1996

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The Arabian breed has a variety of foundation bloodlines and foundation bloodline groups that developed as the Arab horse spread across the world from its creation in the Arabian Desert. The Arabian horse has always been the ultimate horse whether as a gift for royalty or as artistic inspiration: The breeding of pure bred Arabian horses was established and promoted in such diverse places as Egypt, Poland, Russia, England, and the United States. In all these countries and others the beauty, athletic ability, and prepotence of the original Hot Blooded Horses were appreciated both for their own sake or utilized as a source of blood to develope "warm blood'' riding and driving horses. As the original and 100% Hot Blooded Horse, the Arab has thought to have played some role in development of every warm blooded horse in the world such as the Thoroughbred, American Saddle Horse, Quarter Horse, Hackney, Standardbred, Tennessee Walker and Morgan. In fact, only a few isolated Pony and Draft breeds are generally referred to as Cold Blooded.

The Arabian horse in Egypt goes back to at least l000 B.C., but for practical purposes of the Egyptian Arabian horse as we know him today we must move forward in time to the rise of Mohammed Ali the Great who became the Pasha of Cairo in 1805. As I am a direct dependent of Mohamed the Prophet, felt to be a genealogical ancestor of Mohamed Ali the Great, perhaps it is most fitting that at Apple Hill we carry on with the bloodlines collected by him, his grandson Abbas Pasha and of Ali Pasha Sherif who gained most of these horses when they were auctioned off after the death of Abbas Pasha. When the stud of Ali Pasha Sherif had to be dispersed for financial difficulties, Lady Anne Blunt gained possession of many of the finest and housed them at their Sheykh Obeyd Stud in Egypt as well as sending some to their Crabbet Stud in England. Most of the other horses went to the Royal Families of Egypt. In 1892 the Egyptian government became aware of the need to protect and nurture their natural treasure of horses and then established the Royal Agricultural Society in 1908. Now named the Egyptian Agriculture Organiization and referred to as the EAO, it is located near Cairo where they collected in this central location horses from the Royal Families of Egypt and from the Blunts of England; even importing twenty horses back from England to Egypt.

The Arabian Horse Registry of America came into being in 1908 but before then, possibly as early as the late seventeen hundreds, and for certain in 1820 and 1860, there is record of individual Egyptian Arabian horses imported into the U.S. Ali Pasha Sherif sold *Shahwan to England in 1887 and he was in turn exported to the U. S. in 1895. Of great interest to Apple Hill is the importation of the great mare * Ghazala(Foaled in 1896) also bred by Ali Pasha Sherif. *Ghazala, known as Bint Bint Helewa in Egypt, had been bought and kept at the Blunt's Sheykh Obeyd Stud in Egypt so she had offspring in Egypt before she found her way to the U.S. in 1909 to the ownership of Spencer Borden. Our Senior Herd Sire, ANSATA EL NISR (now deceased) traces in direct female line to * Ghazala through her offspring which remmained in Egypt. Most of Apple Hill's foundation bloodstock from 1970 to 1986 came from the Egyptian Arabians gathered by the RAS/EAO beginning in 1908, from the original b1oodstock of Abbas Pasha, Ali Pasha Sherif and the Blunts. And in the U.S. from imports from Egypt in the 1930s by Henry Babson (*Fadl, *Maaroufa, *Bint Serra I, *Bint Saada, *Bint Bint Sabbah, and *Bint Bint Durra) and W.R. Brown (*Zarife, *Roda, *Aziza, and *Nasr) as well as horses earlier owned by W. R. Brown that Dr. Doyle nurtured as a select group of horses traceing through Blunt to Egypt that still contain, as a group, the highest concentration of Abbas Pasha blood of all Egyptian Arabians. In the late 1950's, an almost twenty year lag in imports from Egypt, the first new Egyptian imports were made by Richard Pritzlaff (* Rashad Ibn Nazeer, *Bint Moniet El Nefous, *Bint Nefisa, *Bint Dahma and *Bint El Bataa) to Rancho San Ignacio in New Mexico. Next came three imports by the Forbis's of Ansata Arabian Stud (*Ansata Ibn Halima, *Ansata Bint Zaafarana and *Ansata Bint Mabrouka). *Ansata Ibn Halima and Ansata Bint Zaafarana, both deceased, were the sire and dam of Apple Hill's ANSATA EL NISR. Gleannlock Farm then began importing horses, of which (*Morafic, *Salomy, *Hekmat, *Moftakhar and * Binte El Bataa) are important in the Apple Hill program.

Apple Hill is especially interested in preserving what we recognize as a rare group even within the very select Egyptian bred Arabian group. 100% Egyptian bred Arabians represent less than approximately 6/l0s of 1% of all Arabian stock in America. Within this group Apple Hill is preserving bloodstock free from the influence of the desert bred stock obtained by the RAS/EAO as they began to build their organization in 1908. This is because these desert bred horses and some horses that were given as gifts by royality did not come through the influence of the Abbas Pasha, Ali Pasha Sherif, Blunt programs. There are a few other breeders with a similar interest or awareness of preserving this group. While we feel the need is evident now, many will see the need most clearly in years to come. At the "Egyptian Event", June 10, 11, 12, 1983 Apple Hill Angel, a representative of this group, won the Two Year Old Halter Futurity Class taking home nine thousand dollars in prize money by winning her class. She earned the highest score of points ever awarded. The "Egyptian Event" is a horse show and fair put on by "The Pyramid Society," a group whose members are dedicated to preserving the Egyptian Bred Arabian and encourage the "Egyptian Cross". (horses sired by- 100% Egyptian Bred Arab Stallions or whose grandsires were both 100%Egyptian bred.)

The Egyptian Arabian excels in all areas in which Arabian horses compete. It is interesting to note that the Egyptian bred Arab as well as the Polish bred Arab have been used in their respective countries as race horses as part of their testing as breeding horses, as well as for providing a popular sport for race fans. In the U.S Egyptian Arabians win on the national level in all divisions and in high numbers compared with their percentage of the Arabian breed. Awards go to them in English Pleasure, Western Pleasure, Cutting, Stock (Reining), Racing, Endurance, Trial, Native Costume, Driving, Halter and in Park Classes (a class for the high and flashy stepping English style horse). But the best has got to be the experience of the Egyptian Arabian as friend and beautiful companion for pure pleasure, whether you ride or enjoy their classic beauty with which to rest and restore your mind and eye.