Bits & Pieces

B its and P ieces

Otto Stotz - The Stables at Babolna 1849

Thanks to Kate McLachlan for turning up this dandy piece of history. The best image she could find was not extremely clear, so reading the stallions’ names above their stalls was not easy. So we sent the image to RJ Cadranell, who knows a lot about Babolna horses of the 19th century, and it gave him a bit of a puzzle:

“Well, this is certainly fun. I think we have:

Tseleby, 1830 golden bay

Dahaby II, 1839 bay

Koreischan, 1837 light chestnut

Samhan I, 1831 grey

Asslan, 1836 light chestnut

Dahaby, 1826 golden bay

“And Assil 1837 would be the grey in the barn aisle. I can’t find another grey purebred Arabian senior stallion at that time.

“The only thing that bothers me is Koreischan is described in the literature as light chestnut, and this horse is painted as dark chestnut. But the sign above him seems to clearly say Koreischan, plus the only chestnut purebred senior stallions at that time I can find are Koreischan and Asslan.”

Stallions as a Resource

“I am of the opinion that you cannot have too many stallions. But, that is just me. If you are a breeder, it is akin to being a painter or a musician. It's true you can paint with two colors, but, it really helps if you have three, at least you can mix and match. And if you are playing an instrument, really talented people can coax music out of a trash can lid, but, it really helps if one has multiple strings, or frets or openings on a wind instrument, in order to achieve variety along with harmony.” ~ Lorriee Golanty, 2015

“I would just add that a network of cooperative small breeders can function with similar resources without each one maintaining a large battery of stallions. The Davenports in particular have benefitted from that arrangement.” ~ Philip Bienvenu, 2022

“The importance of multiple sire options was emphasized at both Al-Marah and Lewisfield, so I was introduced to that idea from my earliest experience of the breed. Of course it’s essential when we’re working with a small closed pedigree group, since breeding from a higher proportion of males increases what’s called the effective population size.

“I can’t really remember where I first encountered the idea of cooperative breeding, but I’ve long considered that essential as well, and it only becomes more important as fewer of us are in a position to maintain larger groups of horses. One thing that always irritated me was being told ‘you never breed to someone else’s stallion because if you do you’re promoting their breeding program.’ News flash: it’s all one program.” ~Michael Bowling, 2022

Sahibi Bint Baraka

“Happiness [below] is a ride on the broad warm back of ‘Wollie Bollie’: Sahibi Bint Baraka...” This mare just happens to be of current interest. Sahibi Bint Baraka [Tuwaisan (BAH) x Barakah (RAS)], 1978 photo from South Africa Arab, No. 22. A fortunate cross between a rare Kuhaylah Mimiriyah mare from Egypt and a royal gift to Dr. Valerie Noli-Marais. This mare did a lot to create the Arabian breed in South Africa, and efforts are underway to keep her Al Khamsa eligible breeding going there. Her otherwise eligible descendants would be automatically acceptable to Al Khamsa, Inc. on importation today. ~ Courtesy Kate McLachlan

Sahiby Bint Baraka, or Wollie Bollie (an affectionate term meaning a “ball of wool”.

Hallany Mistanny

“This old photo [above] of the 1937 black Saqlawi Jadran stallion Hallany Mistanny (*Zarife x *Roda) is from Billy Sheet’s photo archives. I am not sure it’s been published before. Hallany Mistanny sired his first asil foal in his twenties, and along with his Travelers Rest (General Dickinson’s stud) mate Sirecho (*Nasr x *Exochorda), was a cornerstone of the preservation renaissance, which Jane Ott led in the 1950s.” ~ Edouard Al-Dahdah, from his blog, daughterofthewind.org.

While some of us were talking about Richard Pritzlaff, RJ Cadranell did some googling and found this: https://www.biophiliafoundation.org

The Richard Pritzlaff who heads this organization must be a great-nephew. The Ranch is being preserved, and is the basis for a Foundation of land and wildlife preservation. The big mare barn is still there. His house has been re-roofed and is the Foundation headquarters. Manuel, who worked for Richard, is the Ranch Manager for the Foundation.

They are doing creek preservation, management for fire prevention, and northern goshawk preservation. All they need are some Arabian horses! Richard would be happy. “The Biophilia Foundation was formed in 1999 to preserve and protect the Pritzlaff Ranch, near San Ignacio, NM, a beautiful and naturerich former horse ranch with views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains’ famous Hermit Peak. Some of the first activities of the foundation included placing a stronger easement on the property, preparing for forest fire with thinning and controlled burns, and creek restoration.” https://www.biophiliafoundation.org/ pritzlaff-ranch/