04/05/2024
The past couple of weeks we’ve explored some of the major wins of the “new” Straight Egyptians that came to the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s along with some of their offspring. Today we’d like to turn the spotlight on what these amazing horses were achieving when crossed with purebred Arabians of other bloodlines, many of whom carry the blood of Straight Egyptian Arabians, as demonstrated in our posts in February of this year. One of the recurring themes at the Breeders’ Conferences organized by The Pyramid Society nka The Pyramid Society Foundation, has been the global significance and impact of the Straight Egyptian Arabian horse.
The 1970s included some of the following great mares and stallions who were sired by Straight Egyptian stallions:
Kahlette is a name that might not be remembered by all. Her dam, Kahla, was the daughter of the Raseyn son, Moneyn, and was out of Fa Gazal (Fadl x Kostrzewa). Fa Gazal was the first mare that the Marshalls bought in 1953, and Kahla marked the beginning of the Gleannloch Arabian horse breeding program. She had done some winning as a young mare and then settled into the role of broodmare. She wasn’t a great beauty and certainly couldn’t be considered to be “exotic.” Her first foal was a mare named Surur (x Surf) and was a U.S. Top Ten Mare. Another daughter, Bint Surf, was the U.S. Reserve National English Pleasure Champion in 1968. At the age of 20, Kahla produced her first daughter by the Straight Egyptian stallion, El Hilal. Her name was Kahlette. Kahlette was subsequently bred to Jora Honey Ku (himself a son of the Straight Egyptian stallion, Joramir), and that resulted in the birth of a lovely chestnut filly with flaxen main and tail, who as a 3 year old won the coveted “Triple Crown” being named as Champion Mare in Scottsdale as well as Champion Mare of the Canadian & US National Championships. And then, if that had not been enough, she went on to be named World Champion Junior Mare. Thus from humble beginnings great things were brought to pass.
El Hilal would go on to produce some exceptional mares and stallions, including Canadian & U.S. National Reserve Champion Mare, Ebony Moon (x Esperanzo Mara) who in turn produced a daughter, Ebony Lace (x Jora Honey Ku) who was 1981 Canadian National Champion Futurity Mare & U.S. Top Ten Futurity Mare; U.S. National Top Ten Mare and Canadian National Reserve Champion Mare, RDM Moon Gypsy (tail female ancestress of Aria Impresario) and U.S. National Top Ten Mares and full sisters, Bint Chloette & Lalette (x Chloette [x Serafix]).
Another Egyptian Sired Arabian that came to prominence in the 1970s was U.S. National Champion Stallion, Amurath Bandolero (Ramses Fayek x Amurath Kashmira [Fadi x Sanacht]).
And other seeds had also sprouted that would bear fruit in future generations. One such example was that of a Straight Egyptian Arabian stallion who produced a son out of a mare then owned by a young college student. He wanted to breed the mare to this stallion, but the stud fee was beyond his reach as a college student. Some bartering was done, the mare was bred and produced the c**t who would be the sire of the maternal granddam of one of the most famous stallions the Arabian horse world would come to know in the 21st century. Paired with the blood of three other Straight Egyptian stallions, his pedigree has become a classic example of what can be done in the skilled hands of master breeders with just the right touch of the essentials to come closer and closer to the elusive ideal. He is known to some as the “Champion Maker.” Do you know who he is? If so, can you name the four Straight Egyptian stallions in his pedigree? Who was the college student in this story? More to follow this coming week.
