by Moira Walker

Al Khamsa’s Vanishing Lines Preservation Task Force News

By Moira Walker

2022 has been a busy year for a lot of breeders, and while we’re only a little over halfway through the year, our small preservation community is fortunate that quite a few breeders have been able to pull forward another generation of some of Al Khamsa’s rarest and most threatened bloodlines. Several horses have found new homes to begin the next chapter in their lives as ambassadors for both the breed and the bloodlines, and a few are in search of a new home. Continue below for more on that.

As a reminder, the Al Khamsa Preservation Task Force mission statement is:

For new or established breeders, this typically means considering taking on a rare bloodline horse that may not necessarily fit within your usual paradigm of bloodlines, which we absolutely need more of. For the non-breeder who is scratching their head as they read this, that’s okay. It’s not unusual for people to read about the preservation breeding involved with Al Khamsa’s threatened bloodlines and think that that’s not for them, and there’s no doubt that breeding forward isn’t an option for everyone. Breeding itself isn’t for everyone, nor should it be. It takes a community to make the magic happen - farriers, vets, trainers, volunteers, and everything in between, and these people are all so important to the creation of a functional community. There are so many ways to support preservation efforts outside of breeding horses, and we’d like to list a few and encourage you to think about how you might be able to help “pay it forward” with these rare horses. • If you are a performance home, think about taking on a horse from one of these rare lines and promoting them in a performance career, or selling them to a home that will showcase them. These are some of our best ambassadors. • Consider offering to help haul a PTF horse that is in need of relocation. • Consider offering your facility as a waystation for PTF horses in transit.

To codify rare horses in order to solicit volunteers to help with locating relevant descendants, and to begin to encourage Al Khamsa supporters to take on a project horse as a way of “Paying It Forward”.

• Comment on and share our PTF Facebook posts. This is a great way to help raise community awareness within your local sphere. • We are always in need of people who will help do local, in-person community outreach at shows, fairs, and other equine events. Al Khamsa is one of the best-kept secrets in the horse world! The organization can supply materials and information for those willing to represent Al Khamsa and the PTF at local venues. • Similarly, we always welcome volunteers who are willing to travel to major venues and help man Al Khamsa educational booths or tables. • If you have experience in technical skill areas such as website maintenance, software programming, graphic design, grant writing, data analysis, research (and/or more!), consider touching base to see if you might be able to help us with something. • Photographers and videographers in the past have offered their expertise and time to photograph horses at events such as Open Houses, Conventions, and more. Quality photography to help best showcase these horses is very much appreciated! • When we get it up and running again, consider purchasing promotional items such as hoodies, t-shirts, hats, etc., from our PTF Fundraiser store. We benefit, you benefit, and you have neat clothing to help raise awareness in your daily life. • Donations are always needed and welcome. • Have a fundraiser idea? Have a thought on how we could do something better? Wondering about why we do something the way we do, and would like to know more? Contact us with suggestions, thoughts, questions, concerns! We are here not only to serve the horses, but also the people that value them. You matter, without you there is no community to preserve these horses, and we absolutely want to hear from you. [Contact Links are at the end of article.]

ANNOUNCING: Some of the rarest Foundation Horses saw the birth of new Combined Source colt Sharif Al Arab, who was bred by Edouard Al-Dahdah. Sharif’s sire is Bashir Al Dirri, bred and owned by Jenny Krieg, and currently the only breeding-age horse in North America to carry lines to *Euphrates and *AlMashoor. Also coming through Bashir is the Code Red line to *Mirage and the rare Ghadir (AP) sireline, formerly known as the

Zobeyni sireline. Bashir and Sharif are also currently the only living representatives of the Peraga branch of the *Mirage line under the age of 25. Sharif’s dam is a Haidee tail-female mare, DaughterOfThePharoahs (or Pippa, as she is known), owned by DeWayne Brown and leased to Edouard. Through Pippa, Sharif also carries forward the Code Orange line to *Houran.

Photo: DeWayne Brown DaughterOfThePharoahs and Sharif Al Arab, by Bashir Al Dirri.

ANNOUNCING: Cheryl Davis is pleased to announce that her Code Orange Straight Egyptian mare BPE Shah Nafaa produced a filly sired by Al Reyhan Marou. Both this filly and her dam are tail female to the INSHASS Foundation Horse Nafaa (INS), who has never been common. The birth of this filly brings the total number of eligible horses up to a lucky 13 — with just eight females that are 20 or younger.

BPE Shah Nafaa filly by Al Reyhan Marou. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Davis.

ANNOUNCING: Annette Robertson, whose filly out of GTS Dabab was featured in the previous Khamsat issue, is pleased to announce another Haidee tail-female filly out of GTS Al Mas Hura. Like her near-sibling, this filly was sired by Van Alma Arabian’s Treff-Haven Sabeel and brings forth the Code Orange Foundation Horses lines of both *Houran and Maidan. Both fillies represent a PTF Success Story in bringing the total number of female horses in this damline into the 30s, crossing the threshold into Code Green. They serve as an important reminder of the importance of collaboration and perseverance, and that preservation doesn’t have to be a scene of doom and gloom.

GTS Al Mas Hura filly by Treff-Haven Sabeel. Photo courtesy of Annette Robertson.

ANNOUNCING: Ryan Boike in Illinois welcomed a Fourth of July baby with the birth of SC Independence, a filly out of DB Sindidah and sired by DB Al Majid. This Blue Star filly is a Code Orange foal representing the BAHRAIN Ancestral Element mare *Sawannah, both in general pedigree descent and in the tail-female line.

SC Independence, by DB Al Majid out of DB Sindidah. Photo courtesy of Ryan Boike.

ANNOUNCING: Bev Davison at SpiritWind was overjoyed to have another filly from the very rare Basilisk tail-female line mare, DA Ginger Moon, this one by her SpiritWind Ahsahm.

Photo by Bev Davison

DA Ginger Moon filly by SpiritWind Ahsahm.

Are we missing a recent Code Red, Orange, or Yellow foal? Please let us know! We’d love to showcase your new Al Khamsa foal and honor your preservation efforts. Not sure if you have a Code Red, Orange, or Yellow foal? We encourage you to revisit our website and read our updated criteria, but you are also more than welcome to email us directly at preservation@alkhamsa.org and we can help you figure it out.

CONGRATULATIONS: The Code Red *Mirage stallion Le Coquin, bred by Joan De Vour and lately owned by Darci Brown, has been sold to Beverly and Ralph Riley and will be making the journey from Oregon to Texas to his new breeding family. Le Coquin is a representative of the Agwe branch of the *Mirage line, and is one of just two *Mirage stallions available for breeding, the other being Bashir Al Dirri. Le Coquin additionally carries Code Orange pedigree elements of *NEDJRAN and HAMIDIE (*Pride, *Mannaky, and *Galfia), and traces to the Code Red Foundation Horse *Haleb. His new owners are looking for a mare to purchase and breed to him, and would like to find a bride that complements him (hint hint!).

CONGRATULATIONS: Karin Floyd says, “Who doesn’t love a red head??” And especially an Al Saaheb daughter! This gorgeous girl came to Desert Heritage Arabians from D-S Rescue, local to Tucson. I certainly didn’t need any more horses, but I couldn’t stop thinking about this girl and the potential she has despite her rough start. She is still putting on some weight and getting lots of turn

Right: Le Coquin, 2003 stallion by Amulets Raaschal out of Abitibi Yamama. out to develop her musculature. She has made fast friends with AlHamraaMusafirah DHA aka “Freyja”, a homebred Code Red Preservation filly, and is feeling at home here at the ranch. Her sire is a Non-Nazeer New Egyptian stallion and a fabulous broodmare producer. Bint Saaheb’s half sister is my Bint Matala aka “Pistol”, dam of Masriyah DHA and Baroud DHA. I’m sure this girl will one day be just as fine a producer as Pistol. Bint Saaheb’s dam is a straight Pritzlaff mare (very rare) with the Basilisk tail female line (one of about 22 mares with this line since 2000). So, it is very exciting to consider the potential of this young mare in her future endeavors — as well as her future contributions to the rare Egyptian Arabian gene pool that she hails from.”

Photo Karin Floyd Bint Saaheb, 2019 mare by Al Saaheb out of Bint Miracle RSI.

CONGRATULATIONS: Carly Cranmore and Bev Davison are delighted to say that Ginger Snap SDA is leaving home in Idaho to join Carly’s facility in Michigan. This is a half-sister to the DA Ginger Moon filly pictured above left: the 2020 model, but by

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At left is *Turfa at the Babson Farm, and at right is Ru Raabah (Ru Nebah x Ru Fa Raada) with five crosses to *Turfa

Always a bride’s maid?...

The old saying “always a bride’s maid but never a bride” got me to thinking about the image of *Turfa in the early 1970s for some. As the movement of enthusiasm for Arabian horses of original desert identity began to flourish in the early 1970s the awareness of the straight Egyptian Arabian horse rose to the forefront in horse shows and magazines because they were the most publicly visible. Meanwhile, for years the Babson Farm, importer of the lovely Saudi bred mare *Turfa, had been quietly producing impressive crosses of their Egyptian imports with the mare *Turfa as a part of their operation. Oddly enough in an effort to explain to the public the definition of what a “straight Egyptian” Arabian was, the Babson import *Turfa was used as an example of what was not a “straight Egyptian.” It was not intentional but it did cause some confusion for some who may have thought that the Egyptian horse was what mainly remained of the original horses of desert identity. However, for me I was not confused because the very first photo of an Arabian that I saw was that wonderful photo of Bedouin horsemen bidding goodbye to the famous stallion *Haleb that was about to depart for the U.S. in 1906. That photo touched me deeply and I began with understanding that all original Arabians begin with the Bedouin horse breeding tribes of the cradle region of the Arabian peninsula, the homeland of *Turfa! In the early 1970s I was becoming very enthusiastic about the Egyptian horses as one aspect of the original Arabians, enjoying them at shows and visiting breeders. But at the same time I was discovering the Blue Catalog movement and Al Khamsa which led to our first Al Khamsa mare, Sirbana a direct daughter of Sirecho and a granddaughter of *Turfa’s famous son Ibn Fadl. It was a joy to have this mare Sirbana with us and later we delighted in seeing her aged mother Habbana (Ibn Fadl x Bint Habba). We travelled thereafter to see many, many of the progeny of Ibn Fadl, as well as descendants of *Turfa’s other progeny, Fa-Turf, Turfara and Turfada. No longer a bride’s maid, it was a beautiful marriage, *Turfa the bride at home with Al Khamsa. In fact, it led us to purchase the wonderful mare Ru Raabah (Ru Nebah x Ru Fa Raada) from the Perdues in Colorado who were pioneer breeders of *Turfa bred horses. She had five lines to *Turfa and she had all the beautiful action and wonderful qualities described of *Turfa descendants. We even leased an intensely bred *Turfa stallion Du Fadl (Ibn Fadl x Dualah). Our experience with *Turfa was a “gift from the desert.” Sadly this blood is becoming increasingly rare now which is another clarion call in the mission of preservation of all that Al Khamsa has to offer.

We continue to advertise and support the Khamsat magazine because it is here that the Arabian horse of centuries can be found. As a researcher and author, I not only saved my Khamsats from the beginning, but I also refer back to them for information. Often this information is found not only in the articles but also in the advertising. So with pride we continue to support the only magazine of its kind, the Khamsat, and we encourage others to do so also.

Brownstone Farm Since 1972

Joe & Sharon Ferriss 1059 Lukesport Road • Quincy, MI 49082 Tel. (517) 639-4443 [no text] e-mail: ferrissjs@dmcibb.net

Subanet Jabbar SDA. The same rare Basilisk tail-female line through the Pritzlaff mare, Rabanna, is in play here, and with new SDA Ginger Moon filly as well as Bint Saaheb, above. This is Carly’s specialty, and, along with others, she is doing good work in building up the numbers of good young mares tracing to Rabanna.

Have an announcement regarding a Code Red, Orange, or Yellow horse? New ownership, new location, standing at stud, etc? Email the Preservation Task Force to let us know, and help us let the community know!

Ginger Snap SDA, 2020 mare by Subanet Jabbar SDA x DA Ginger Moon.

Davenport Arabian Horse Conservancy

Ask us about the Davenport Arabian Horse as Homer Davenport knew it in the desert, and as we still know it..

Secretary Jeanne Craver 709 Brackett Lane. Winchester IL 62694, mowarda@gmail.com www.DavenportHorses.org

LOOKING FOR A NEW HOME: Barbara Bowden in Oklahoma has a Code Orange Straight Egyptian mare that is tail female to Nafaa (INS): Anjum Al Nafaa 2014 bay mare (Ibn Shamruk x AA Shez A Jewel). The Nafaa (INS) damline has just 13 individuals alive today, with Cheryl Davis’s new filly, previous page.

LOOKING FOR A NEW HOME: An incredible opportunity for someone looking to get involved in preservation breeding. Karin Floyd in Arizona is looking to place a Code Red mare from the EUROPA Ancestral Element group, Halimah CW. Halimah CW has produced two fillies for Karin, and still has much to contribute. Halimah CW, along with her two daughters and a mare in Canada, are the sole source of this blood in the whole of North America.

One of the purposes of the Preservation Task Force is to help raise awareness for rare bloodline horses within our threatened color codes that are in need of a new home. While we are not responsible for the sale of these horses, we can and do sometimes help network a home when asked. If you have a horse that fits the Code Red, Orange, or Yellow criteria that is looking for a new home, let us know, and we’ll pass the word.

Want to know more? Visit our Website page: https://alkhamsa.org/preservation/task-force Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/alkhamsapreservation Or email us directly at: preservation@alkhamsa.org