Naajmi

CONTINUING THE ARABIAN DREAM

For the past 53 years, Tanya Hawley has been a breeder of Purebred Arabians. Like all breeding programs, the ebb and flow of life has resulted in certain milestones that have helped define moments, or eras, that have chaptered the

Hawley Arabians’ story. The purchase of foundation mare Naadirah in 1969 and her untimely death in 1981, the birth of Nara in 1970, the publication of ‘NAADIRAH The

Arabian Dream’ in 1983, the expansion from

Dural in NSW to the charming Gippsland area of Victoria, then the death of a partner and cherished mares, combined with the relentless march of time, have led to the closing chapter in the story of Hawley

Arabians…Naajmi (BP Naajman x Nakourah).

A glowing chestnut, with a flaxen mane and tail and thin stripe along her delicate face, Naajmi is somewhat reminiscent of several of her well-known relatives yet has a look that is uniquely her own.

When one glances at the immediate pedigree of Naajmi, it is clear the mare carries the blood of many of Tanya’s most cherished and successful horses including Naadirah’s most influential daughters Nara and Naazirah and their progeny, mixed with a sprinkling of the world’s most prominent sires, tracing back on the sire line to the one and only Aswan (Nazeer x Yosreia), sire of Naadirah.

Naajmi is sired by the striking chestnut stallion BP Naajman, bred and owned by Byrnlea Park Arabians in Victoria. A rare combination of size and extreme beauty, the lofty and elegant BP Naajman inherited much of his beauty from his internationally renowned sire Ajman Moniscione (WH Justice x Anthea Moniscione), while his size and power are a direct product of his dam, T Naazifah (Simeon Sa’ar x Naazirah).

‘I had long admired Ajman Moniscione,’ begins Tanya, ‘and tried to breed one of my mares to him via frozen semen many years ago, but it was not to be. When a son of his was born, not too far from my farm and from a mare that I had bred, he seemed to be the logical next step in my breeding program.’ T Naazifah is an interesting mare to bring back into the Hawley Arabians’ breeding program. Born in 1985, she was the third full sibling produced by breeding National winning Naazirah (Mustafa x Naadirah) to the exciting imported El Shaklan son, Simeon Sa’ar (ex Damirah), the others being East Coast and Challenge Champion Mare T Naazarah, and the unshown beautyNaazika.

Fate would determine that the then yearling Naazifah would begin her life with one of the success stories of the time, Kerrilyn Arabians. In her only showring appearance she rewarded her new owner with a first at the National Stud Horse Show in the hotly contested Yearling Filly class, shown by Michael Larkin. Her first progeny, a chestnut colt by the El Shaklan son, Amir El Shaklan (ex Sascha (DE)) was Kerrilyn Ibn Amir, who was exported to the United Kingdom. While his show record there is unclear, he is best known today for siring the mare Halina Shaklana, foundation mare for Georgian Arabians and granddam of British National Champion Stallion SG Imagine (WH Justice x SG Hessta Shaklana)… a combination of bloodlines not unlike Naajmi here in Australia.

Throughout her life, Naazifah produced eight further registered progeny, among them the bay stallion Ibn Sterling Shaklan by the ill-fated Sterling Shaklan, and reportedly an extremely beautiful grey mare by Anaza El Nizr, Glen Eden Naazara, who sadly did not breed on. It was not until she was an aged mare that Byrnlea Park procured Naazifah and bred two foals from her by Ajman Moniscione via embryo transfer, thus ensuring her continued influence within the breed.

The sire of Naazifah, Simeon Sa’ar was from the first foal crop by El Shaklan. He became an important sire and was himself Champion Stallion at the National Stud Horse Show here in Australia. His dam Damirah (Hadban Enzahi x Hamdi) was purchased at Marbach in Germany by Marion Richmond of Simeon Stud, and she became an Australian Champion Mare. Before Damirah was imported she was bred to the then up-andcoming young colt El Shaklan to produce her first foal, Simeon Sa’ar, who was born in England. Interestingly, Damirah and Sa’ar travelled to Australia alongside another

Deceptively tall, most likely due to her impressive breadth of chest and depth of girth, Naajmi is a fine representation of the tapestry that Tanya has been weaving over the past five decades.

PC TANYA HAWLEY NAAJMI AS A FOAL

PC TANYA HAWLEY

BP NAAJMAN

Marbach-bred mare Sascha (Saher x Smoky) and her chestnut colt by El Shaklan, Amir El Shaklan, bred by Peter and Vivienne Hall.

Four generations back in the pedigree of Naajmi one can find Hawley Arabians’ foundation mare Naadirah (GB), Champion Foal at Kempton Park in the UK, National Stud Horse Show Grand Champion Female here in Australia and foundress of a dynasty. On the third line, one finds two lines to her daughter Naazirah, by Mustafa (Hadban Enzahi x Masarrah), certainly one of the most successful broodmares of all time at Hawley Arabians, a National Stud Horse Show winner and unbeaten under saddle. Naazirah is the dam of T Naazifah and the 1996 Unanimous Australian National Stud Horse Show Champion Stallion Naavah, sired by Vision (Jamil x Euni).

It was Naavah, together with one of Tanya’s all-time favourite mares, Supreme Champion Nazli (El Shareef x Nara) who produced the delicate chestnut filly Nakourah, who would grow to move hearts and minds with her beauty and personable nature and become the mother of the subject of our story.

A tall chestnut mare of whimsey-like beauty, Nakourah was unshown however she was broken to saddle and enjoyed her time being ridden. She is the full sister to the well-known bay stallion Nazzai, with whom she spent a lifetime bond. Tanya had always

thought of her as ‘the baby’ of the herd, and thus she was in her teens before she was bred for the first time, producing the filly Nourah, by Naa’Zahar (Vision x Naazirah).

At 19 years of age, she was again bred to produce Naajmi, who would be her final foal, and the last foal born at Hawley Arabians.

‘I’ve been winding down the stud since the death of Nazelle in 2008,’ says Tanya, ‘finding partnerships for the younger mares and giving the elder mares and stallions the retirement they deserve. Now, with one young mare left, it seems appropriate to have her taken care of by people I trust and enjoy spending time with.’

Like her mother, Naajmi has been broken to saddle and enjoys being ridden. Much like her great granddam Nara and granddam Nazli, Naajmi has a great sense of humour, and time spent with her is often punctuated with laughter as she steals a sponge while being washed or opens the feedroom door to help herself to a bag of carrots.

‘Naajmi is indeed a character, and while it might seem that she may be the last, my hope is she is more likely to be knownspecifically as the last foal to be born on the Hawley Arabians property…. as there is no longer a Hawley Arabians’ property!With the property now sold Naajmi is in the loving care of Louise Flores at Matcham, NSW.Louise will be remembered as the one who guided Naajmi’s grandsire Naavah to his many show successes, culminating in unanimous Australian Champion Stallion in 1996.

‘Louise is entranced by the many likenesses to Naavah – not just the chestnut coat colour.It is the superior intelligence, her spirit, her quirkycharacter, that reminds of Naavah.She can be asnorty show off one moment, followed by a calm and well-mannered companion the next. She isalways interested inwhat her humans are doingandenjoys their company.’

Tanya Hawley is one of my absolute favourite people, someone I admire greatly, and although she may be ready for this next phase of her life, I am not quite sure I am ready for her to quit breeding Arabians just yet. When quizzed about this, Tanya replies, ‘I am a breeder for life.Arabians have been my life’s work, my passion, and the tapestry is never truly finished.’ And thus, it appears that Naajmi may indeed have the opportunity to make her mark for HawleyArabians.

Interview with Tanya Hawley Images courtesy of Tanya Hawley & Jennifer Ogden

NAKOURAH

PC JENNIFER OGDEN Carole was once asked, “What do you look for in a performance horse?” Her answer - What exactly is a performance horse?