by Robert J. Cadranell

Nefisa: A Perfect Broodmare

by Robert J. Cadranell

Top, previously unpublished photo of Nefisa (BLT), courtesy of Michael Bowling and the late Lady Anne Lytton. Below left, her sire Hadban (BLT), at Crabbet. Below right, her dam, Dajania (BLT) w/Nebuchadnezzar. The mare moved her head during the photographic exposure, and it was retouched at some point around the profile and the eye.

Nefisa was one of two daughters of the desert bred stallion Hadban born at England’s Crabbet Stud in 1885. These two mares, Nefisa and *Rose of Sharon, were arguably the two most important mares ever bred at Crabbet.

Mr. Wilfrid Blunt and his wife Lady Anne Blunt had founded the Crabbet Stud with the purchase in Aleppo on Christmas Day, 1877, of a bay yearling filly they named Dajania. At Crabbet, Dajania produced a series of four colts, including Nefoud, Nebuchadnezzar, and Nizam, followed by her only filly, Nefisa, in 1885. Dajania was barren in 1886 and sold in July that year to the Turkish ambassador. Dajania’s three colts were sold from Crabbet and do not figure in Arabian horse breeding, but Nefisa remained at Crabbet, producing 21 live foals, the last at age 27, and Crabbet’s “N” line descends only through Nefisa. According to Rosemary Archer, Lady Anne described Nefisa as a perfect broodmare.

Apparently a homozygous bay, Nefisa never had a chestnut foal despite producing 15 foals by chestnut stallions. Judging from Nefisa’s three known photos, one published here for the first time courtesy of Michael Bowling and the late Lady Anne Lytton, she appears to have had a long, light, and upright neck and relatively high set tail. Nefisa passed this carriage and style to many of her descendants and it became a hallmark in certain lines of Crabbet breeding.

The Foals

Foal #1, Nahla, was an 1889 bay filly by Ashgar. She was entered as a broodmare in the Crabbet herd book but was found dead of overeating acorns in Crabbet Park on November 19, 1892. Of the few Ashgar get, the one out of Nefisa could have been expected to be the most important (or possibly not; see Nejiba, below).

Foal #2, Nemrud, was an 1890 grey colt by Azrek. When Nemrud was a yearling, Lady Anne considered that if he were sold, he would “do the stud credit.” (J&C Aug. 21, 1891). Nemrud was sold in the autumn of 1891 to Cecil Rhodes for export to South Africa but remained at Crabbet until shipped in August of 1893.

Foal #3, Nejran, was an 1891 bay colt by Azrek. He was sold in August, 1893, to Dr. Watney, who used him for pasture breeding with Exmoor pony mares (J&C Aug. 31, 1898; Nov. 16, 1899). Nejran was repurchased July 16, 1901, at Dr. Watney’s sale, just ten days after the Azrek son Ahmar had been sold to Java. During Ahmar’s years at Crabbet, he played second fiddle to Mesaoud, his get ran heavily to fillies, and he did not leave a son to succeed him. The repurchase of Nejran looks like an attempt to perpetuate Azrek’s male line at Crabbet. Nejran was used for breeding in 1902, 1903, and 1904. In April of 1904, Lady Anne commented in her journal that Daoud, Seyal, and *Astraled “stand apart from” the Nefisa sons Nejran and Narkise “in style and quality.” (J&C April 22, 1904.) The next month, the Blunts sold Nejran for exportation to Australia. They retained only one of the Nejran get (Fitna) for breeding.

Foal #4, Nejiba, was an 1892 grey filly by Azrek. From her photos, Nejiba was a handsome and well-balanced mare with an especially attractive head and eye. She was entered in the Crabbet herd book as a broodmare. Nejiba was a mare Lady Anne rode. (J&C Aug. 17, 1896). In 1900, the Blunts chose Nejiba as one of six mares to show at the International Exhibition in Paris. (J&C Aug. 29, 1900). Two years later, the Blunts agreed to include Nejiba in their sales auction list. (J&C June 6, 1902). She did not find a buyer. The next year, a visitor picked out two Azrek daughters, Nejiba and Rose Diamond, as favorites. (J&C June 23, 1903).

Of all the Azrek daughters, the one out of Nefisa should have been positioned to become the most important and influential, with the possible exception of Asfura (out of Queen of Sheba). But for some reason, it was not to be. Nejiba produced three colts by Mesaoud, the eldest and youngest of which were sold at age four. The colt in between was “Born dead, very large foal, turned wrong way, mare nearly died.” Nejiba’s last foal at Crabbet was a colt by Seyal (given to Lady Anne’s cousin Byron Noel for export to Greece). In October of 1903, Wilfrid Blunt proposed giving Nejiba to Robert Gregory (son of Wilfrid Blunt’s longtime friend Lady Gregory) with the Ali Pasha Sherif mare Badia, on condition of not breeding from them. Lady Anne agreed to this. (J&C Oct. 15, 1903).

Foal #5, Nasib, was an 1893 bay colt by Mesaoud, and the first of ten full siblings from the cross of Mesaoud and Nefisa. Nasib was sold in 1895 to David Cook and then repurchased in 1900.

J&C — Lady Anne Blunt: Journals and Correspondence, 1986. A,P&C — Archer, Pearson and Covey: The Crabbet Arabian Stud, 1978. Nefisa Foal #3, Nejran (BLT), 1891 bay stallionv by Azrek (BLT).

Nefisa Foal #4, Nejiba (BLT), 1892 grey mare by Azrek (BLT).

Nefisa Foal #7, Narghileh (BLT) by Mesaoud (APS), age eight.

Nefisa Foal #9, Naaman (BLT) by Mesaoud (APS). Lady Anne described him as “fine.” (J&C June 18, 1901). Nasib was sold at the July 6, 1901 Crabbet sale for exportation to Java with Ahmar.

Foal #6, Nijm, was an 1894 bay colt by Mesaoud. He appears unnamed in the General Stud Book, but his name is shown in the Crabbet herd book and also the Raswan Index. Nijm died in 1896, age two.

Foal #7, Narghileh, was an 1895 bay filly by Mesaoud, noted as “very fine” in Crabbet records. Like Nefisa’s two earlier fillies, Nahla and Nejiba, Narghileh was entered as a broodmare in the Crabbet herd book. But unlike her elder sisters, Narghileh had long term influence on not just the Crabbet herd but Arabian breeding worldwide through foals such as Namusa (in Australia), *Nasik, *Narda II, Nessima, Rustnar (in South America), Najib, and Naufal. When the Blunts partitioned the Crabbet horses in 1906, Lady Anne chose Nefisa for the Crabbet half, while Wilfrid Blunt took Narghileh for the Newbuildings half. Narghileh produced foals by Wilfrid Blunt’s stallions Rijm and Rustem, and then was transferred to the Crabbet half in 1913, in foal to Rustem for 1914. Lady Anne’s granddaughter, Lady Anne Lytton, recalled that Narghileh was the mare on which Lady Anne taught herself to ride astride owing to a painful knee which hurt more on a sidesaddle. (See Mary Jane Parkinson’s book, The Kellogg Arabian Ranch, the First Fifty Years.)

After Lady Anne died in December of 1917, Narghileh was among the Crabbet horses seized by Wilfrid Blunt when he claimed ownership of the entire Crabbet Stud. According to the Blunts’ daughter, Lady Wentworth, Narghileh was shot “wantonly” with Roisel (a *Berk daughter) and Bukra (the dam of *Berk, and who, at age four, had refused to cross some water for Blunt). The General Stud Book states, without elaboration, that Narghileh died in 1918.

Foal #8, Nadim, was an 1896 bay colt by Ahmar. He is the foal said to be in the two pictures of Nefisa taken in front of the Blunts’ house at Newbuildings. However, the foal in those photos appears to be Foal #12, Nejef. After three foals by Mesaoud, ending with the “very fine” Narghileh, for some reason the Blunts tried Nefisa with Ahmar. Apparently the cross with Ahmar was not deemed a success, because Nefisa’s next six foals were all by Mesaoud, and Nadim himself was sold as a yearling in August, 1897, to go to Portugal with Antonios.

Foal #9, Naaman, was an 1897 bay colt by Mesaoud. He was sold at the July 8, 1899 Crabbet sale to Col. Alexandre de Sdanovitch for the Russian government stud.

Foal #10, Narenk, was an 1898 bay colt by Mesaoud. Narenk was sold at the July 6, 1901 Crabbet sale to the Indian Government for exportation to India with Abu Khasheb, Mahmal, and Barode. Ten years later, Lady Anne was sent “photographs of the splendid Narenk” and was pleased to hear that at the stud in India, “they adore Narenk.” (J&C Feb. 21, 1911).

Foal #11, Narkise, was an 1899 bay colt by Mesaoud. When he was two, Lady Anne noted that he “will be fine in style” and stated “Nasib is fine but of the 3 Nefisa ones Narkise is far the best.” (J&C June 18, 1901). In 1902 she wrote, “Perring was in front leading Daoud who was full of games, and Holman followed with the more staid Narkise. My delight is indescribable at having got them safely

Nefisa Foal #11, Narkise (BLT) by Mesaoud (APS).

Nefisa Foal #12, Nejef (BLT) by Mesaoud (APS). here out of the way of purchasers and with H.F. so pleased with both of them.” (J&C July 27, 1902). Narkise was used for breeding at Crabbet in 1904, covering eight of the 33 mares bred that year. Four of his mares were barren in 1905, but his four 1905 foals included *Kasima, dam of Kasmeyn [Kazmeen], sold to Egypt in 1920, and *Markisa, sold to Homer Davenport as a two-year-old and exported to U.S.A. Narkise himself was sold in May, 1904, at the end of the breeding season, to the Indian Government for exportation to India with Nasr, Rashid, and Seyal.

Foal #12, Nejef, was a 1900 bay colt by Mesaoud. He is the foal that appears to be in the two pictures of Nefisa taken in front of the Blunts’ house at Newbuildings. Lady Anne noted, “Of the colts Nejef the most disappointing with his faulty action. I hear too that his own sister Nawwara [sic] is just as bad. These two in my opinion should be got rid of, they might suit in some breeding studs under certain conditions.” Nejef was sold in December, 1905, for exportation to Chile, per Crabbet records. Nonetheless, he did sire a 1906 Arabian foal in England, bred by the Hon. George Savile, son of the 4th Earl of Mexborough. It is unclear why, if the Blunts took an outside mare for breeding, she was bred to an untried horse and not to one of their regular breeding stallions.

Foal #13, Nadir, was a 1901 bay colt by Mesaoud. Nadir was sold at the Blunts’ July 1903 sale to a Dr. Redmond of Ireland. Later, Nadir was bought by Mr. George Ruxton at Tattersall’s. Crabbet records do not state when this sale occurred, but Lady Anne in a journal entry refers to Nadir being “now Mr. Ruxton’s property.” (J&C March 11, 1911). Lady Wentworth repurchased Nadir from Ruxton in 1919 during the period after Lady Anne’s death in 1917 and before Lady Wentworth won the lawsuit in 1920 over the ownership of the Crabbet horses, when she was buying back horses her parents had sold. Lady Wentworth noted that Nadir had been used for ploughing during World War I. She described him as a “Brilliant Bay. Lovely head & eyes. Showing the whites. Long curved neck & beautiful shoulder wonderful legs body & quarters. Splendid style.” Looking at his over-angulated hocks, one might question the “wonderful legs” comment, but Nadir certainly had a good front end, and appears to have had great style. Lady Wentworth sold him in 1922 to Major Rodd and noted that he died of a seizure in 1927. Among Nadir’s foals sired while owned by Lady Wentworth were Joseph, Nasira, and Risama (renamed Bint Riyala in Egypt).

Foal #14, Nawara, was a 1902 bay filly by Mesaoud. Lady Anne wrote in her journal for April 19, 1905, that Nawara had faulty action and was one that “should be got rid of.” Nawara was sold at Tattersalls on July 2, 1906, for exportation to South Africa with Faida, Khalikan, and Ferha. Rosemary Archer describes this sale as an experimental one held at Tattersalls instead of the regular auction at Crabbet and “not a success.” (A,P&C, p. 132)

In 1903, Nefisa was barren to Daoud. The year 1902 had been Daoud’s first season at stud, and five of his nine mares were barren in 1903.

Foal #15, Ninawa, was a 1904 bay filly, and Nefisa’s tenth and last by Mesaoud, who had been sold to Russia in 1903. Ninawa was one of the horses Lady Anne chose at the 1906 partition of the stud, but she sold Ninawa just a few months later in November 1906 to South Africa with Malwa and Kesra.

Foal #16, Nawab, was a 1905 bay colt by *Astraled. Although Nawab initially belonged to Lady Anne after the 1906 partition (see below), in June of 1909 he went to Wilfrid Blunt’s half as part of the exchange by which Lady Anne acquired *Nasik. Wilfrid Blunt sold Nawab in 1910, and Lady Wentworth recorded that he was “resold to Mr. Warren of Lewes much the worse for knocking about & his temper ruined.” Lady Wentworth reacquired him in 1919 during the period in which ownership of the Crabbet Stud was disputed and she was buying back some of the horses her parents had sold. She wrote that Nawab was 15.1, a dark bay “with the loveliest head & neck & forehand. Superb flashing eye of enormous size.” This eye was perhaps a trait from Nefisa; a visitor to Crabbet once described Nefisa’s grandson *Nasik as having “glorious eyes.” Lady Wentworth further described Nawab as having a “most delicate skin showing all the veins of the neck & shoulder.” Lady Wentworth bred Nawab to one mare in 1919, Simrieh, who produced the 1920 filly *Selmnab, foaled in possession of Sidney G. Hough after he bought Simrieh in June of 1920. When Lady Wentworth came into possession of the full Crabbet herd in 1920, she deemed Nawab surplus and included him in her large sale to the Royal Agricultural Society of Egypt late in 1920 after he had covered one more mare, Halima, in 1920 (she was barren in 1921).

Foal #17 was an unnamed 1906 bay filly by Feysul, which died at a month old. According to Crabbet herd records, she was “wrong internally.”

Partition, 1906

In 1906, the difficulties in the Blunts’ marriage and their disagreements over management of the Crabbet horses became insurmountable. They permanently separated and partitioned the Crabbet Stud, each to manage their own half separately. For her half, Lady Anne chose Nefisa along with her yearling colt Nawab and daughter Ninawa. Wilfrid Blunt chose Ninawa’s older full sister Narghileh along with Narghileh’s 1906 colt Nar and her fouryear-old daughter Narda, by Rejeb (later registered in the U.S. as *Narda II).

Prior to partition, Nefisa had been bred to *Astraled in May of 1906 for what would have been a full sibling to Nawab. Nefisa was barren in 1907, and thereafter was bred only to Lady Anne’s stallions Daoud and *Berk (*Astraled went to Wilfrid Blunt at partition).

Foal #18, Nasra, was a 1908 bay filly by Daoud. Nasra became, along with Narghileh, one of Nefisa’s two most famous and influential foals. Lady Wentworth wrote that Nasra inherited a particularly lovely arch of neck from Daoud and his dam Bint Nura. Lady Anne retained Nasra as a broodmare, but after Lady Anne died in 1917, Wilfrid Blunt seized Nasra along with most of the rest of the Crabbet herd and continued breeding from her. After Lady Wentworth won her lawsuit against her father and came into possession of the Crabbet horses in 1920, Nasra became arguably one of Lady Wentworth’s three most important foundation mares along with Rim and Riyala. Nasra produced for Lady Wentworth until 1930, and she was barren and given away in 1931 at age 23. Nasra’s Al Khamsa foals include Nashisha, Nasira, and Nezma.

Foal #19, Nadima, was a 1909 bay filly by Daoud, and a full sister to Nasra. Nadima was sold in August of 1913 for exportation

Nefisa Foal #16, Nawab (BLT) by *Astraled, Lady Wentworth up.

Nefisa with Foal #12, Nejef (BLT) by Mesaoud (APS), at Newbuildings.

to Argentina with Rukham (*Berk x Rabla), a colt bred by Lady Anne. Nadima became a foundation mare for Arabian breeding in South America.

Foal #20 was an unnamed 1910 bay colt by Daoud, and thus a full brother to Nasra and Nadima. Crabbet records state, “Beautiful colt.” Unfortunately, he died after six weeks because Nefisa, then 25 years old, was “short of milk.”

For some reason, Nefisa was not bred back in 1910. This was the first year she had ever been left open. Perhaps, in addition to being short of milk, she was in poor condition.

Foal #21, *Nueyra, was a 1912 bay filly by Daoud, and thus a full sister to Nasra, Nadima, and the “beautiful colt” of 1910. *Nueyra’s one known photo shows an awkwardly made mare that writers such as Carl Raswan and Carol Mulder have criticized for poor conformation. *Nueyra’s eventual purchaser, W.R. Brown of the Maynesboro Stud in Berlin, New Hampshire, liked her least of the large group of horses he imported from Crabbet Stud in 1918. However, writers do not seem to take into account that *Nueyra was the 21st foal out of a 27-year-old mare with what must have been a severely compromised uterine environment and who is recorded as having lost her prior foal because she was short of milk. *Nueyra probably did not have the best start in life, and matters were likely made worse after World War I broke out in 1914 when *Nueyra was only two. Charles Hayden, agent for W.R. Brown, wrote about the poor condition of many of the Crabbet horses during World War I when there were shortages of fodder and labor. Lady Anne bred one foal from *Nueyra, and after Lady Anne’s death in 1917, Wilfrid Blunt seized *Nueyra and then sold her to W.R. Brown in 1918.

A second shot of Nefisa in front of Newbuildings, with Nejef.

Nefisa was bred to *Berk in 1912 for what would have been her 22nd foal, but she was barren in 1913 and not bred that year. Nefisa was put down September 12, 1913, age 28. Lady Anne wrote, “Her teeth were found to have given out, so no amount of care could keep her from suffering.” Also put down that day was Kasida, only 22, but noted as “aged before her time.”

Antiquities....

What is it that is so mysterious about the antiquities of the past? In context, are they really that different than now? It seems that Al Khamsa enthusiasts are often intrigued by discovering the mysteries of the past. Yet upon a closer look into the legacy of previous benefactors such as Abbas Pasha I, Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt, Homer Davenport, and others, what is revealed is their passion for the original Arabian horse of the horse breeding tribes of Arabia. They were driven to great sacrifices to obtain and preserve the very same horse, that we treasure today — the Al Khamsa Arabian horse.

So whenever a new mystery is uncovered from the past, such as Edouard Al-Dahdah’s new book on the 1860 Abbas Pasha Sale, we should delight in the new information that is revealed.

In a sense, it brings us closer to the benefactors of the past revealing what we have in common. We are actually their “peers” existing in the present, making sacrifices and applying our passion for this timeless horse of the desert so that it will never become a myth of the past that lay in the ruins of tomorrow but rather a reality in the hearts, minds and eyes of horse loving children for future generations.

Brownstone Farm

Arabian horse enthusiasm since 1970

Joe & Sharon Ferriss 1059 Lukesport Road • Quincy, MI 49082 Tel. (517) 639-4443 • e-mail: ferrissjs@dmcibb.net