What Got Away?
Musings on What Might Have Been by Joe Ferriss photos from the Ferriss and Forbis collections
This feature is based on a previous two-part article I wrote for the Arabian Essence Newsletters that first appeared in August and October 2010. Al Khamsa has increasingly been concerned about preservation of all its remaining bloodlines and in fact the Preservation Task Force has led the way in sounding alarms about what may become lost with its color code system. Presumably the more widely known horses of "straight Egyptian lineage," mainly represented by imports from Egypt would seem to be in good shape and perhaps not have a place in a feature like this. Yet even the Straight Egyptian horse, which descends from only 66 original desert-bred imports to Egypt, also has its future challenges in maintaining diversity and preserving what it has. Preserving anything always faces challenges over time considering social upheavals, political changes, and economic crises. The RAS (Royal Agricultural Society, later named EAO: Egyptian Agricultural Organization) was no different in being presented with challenges to its Arabian horse population. So presented herein are some photos of horses born at the RAS and EAO many years ago who are no longer found in straight Egyptian breeding but might have made some interesting contributions to the quality and genetic choices for today’s straight Egyptians. We do not always know the actual circumstances as to why the following horses were not selected to continue in the breeding stock in Egypt, or bred on as exports to other countries, but just seeing these photos and their accompanying pedigree descriptions stimulates thought and perhaps will lead to some reflection as to what not to let "get away" in the future.
El Dalil 1940 bay stallion by Sheikh El Arab x Bint Dalal. This handsome bay stallion is one of the Sheikh El Arab sons that “got away.” Forbis archive photo.
In the late 1930s at the RAS, Nazeer would have been a young horse at the racetrack and then out at the stallion depots, so he was not yet a phenomenon to be presented to visitors. His sire Mansour was much in use and had proved to be a very good sire. Mansour’s first prominent son, Sheikh El Arab (x Bint Sabah), would precede Nazeer at stud at the RAS. Today we have Sheikh El Arab blood only through his daughters, not any of his sons. In the Forbis archive are photos of two sons of Sheikh El Arab who are not found today in straight Egyptian breeding. The first is the 1940 bay stallion El Dalil (x Bint Dalal). He was used once by the RAS producing a bay daughter named Dalila II (x Shams) sold as a three-year-old. Nothing much is known about what became of El Dalil, but since his daughter was out of the mare Shams (Mashaan x Bint Samiha) there must have been some interest for racing potential. He appears to be a very handsome horse.
Salhan 1943 grey stallion (Sheikh El Arab x Medallela), a handsome full brother to Wanisa, dam of Moniet El Nefous. Forbis archive photo.
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