Windt im Wald Farm
Geauga County, Northeast
Ohio
since 1995
The original Crabbet/Maynesboro/Kellogg
mare families: Foundation of a unique North American gene
pool one hundred years in the making
Rick Synowski Copyright 1992
Used by permission of Rick Synowski
from CMK Heritage Catalogue Volume III
This
treatment reflects the CMK dam line picture
before the 1993 revision of the CMK Definition.
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WHILE CMK ARABIAN HORSES have come to represent
a minority breeding group today, CMK foundation mare lines hold
fast to their international domination of lists of leading dams
of champions. Their production records, some accomplished by mares
now deceased, may never be equaled. The character, type and breeding
of such celebrated mares must inevitably be diminished and disappear
when out crossing to stallions of other breeding groups predominates.
Veteran horsewoman
Faye Thompson, whose father Claude Thompson introduced the Arabian
horse into Oregon nearly 60 years ago, observes that "modern Arabian
horses are good horses, but they've lost that classic, desert look
that used to excite me so. Modern horses don't get me excited the
way the old ones did" [CMK Record, Spring 1989].
It is to
be hoped the classic desert look which so excited the observer does
not disappear, but may be perpetuated on some scale as CMK mares
produce within the CMK breeding group. Perhaps the realization of
the unique history behind these mares will contribute to this end.
Imported in 1888: *NAOMI
THE FIRST ARABIAN MARE TO come to North America
and leave modern descent, and the oldest mare in the Arabian Horse
Registry of America, is *NAOMI, foaled in England in 1877. Her sire
and dam YATAGHAN and HAIDEE were brought from the desert by Capt.
Roger Upton. Randolph Huntington, America's earliest breeder of
Arabian horses still represented in modern lines, imported *NAOMI
in 1888. In 1890 *NAOMI foaled the fine chestnut colt ANAZEH, the
first Arabian bred and born on American soil to leave modern descent.
ANAZEH was sired by *LEOPARD, the grey Arabian stallion presented
by Sultan Abdul Hamid II of Turkey to General U.S. Grant in 1878.
A mare with many firsts to her credit, though
perhaps not of the show ring variety, *NAOMI was photographed here
at age 18, standing behind the strapping 13-day-old KHALED, her
eighth of ten foals. As an individual *NAOMI must have pleased Randolph
Huntington, who by this time was enjoying no small recognition as
one of America's leading breeders of light horses. Huntington would
build his entire Arabian program around this single mare, and thus
*NAOMI would make a far-reaching contribution to the development
of a North American Arabian gene pool via her high-quality descendents.
Perhaps the
most important of *NAOMI's tail-female descendants was to be the
Manion-bred IMAGIDA, dam of the illustrious *RAFFLES daughters GIDA
and RAFGIDA and two sons also by *RAFFLES, IMARAFF and RAFFI. Another
distinguished female line was founded by the straight Maynesboro
MADAHA. *NAOMI's descent from both sons and daughters also included
the likes of RAHAS, GHAZI, RABIYAT, GHAZAYAT, ABU FARWA, ALLA AMARWARD
and AURAB, just to name a few of the famous ones. *NAOMI's sons
and daughters were among the finest horses of their time, and their
descendants continue to be so regarded.
1893: *GALFIA and *NEJDME
IN 1893, BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT with Abdul
Hamid II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, 45 Arabian horses were brought
from Syria for exhibition at the Chicago World's Fair. The Hamidie
horses, so named for the Hamidie Hippodrome Company which sponsored
the exhibition, were beset by a series of disasters. Financial ruin
of the company and a fire left 28 horses to be auctioned off.
Only three
mares of the entire group would be given the opportunity to breed
on. In 1894 Peter Bradley purchased the mares *GALFIA and *PRIDE.
The third mare, *NEJDME, was purchased by J.A.P. Ramsdell. *GALFIA
would be the first of the three to produce with her 1895 colt, MANNAKY
JR. by the Hamidie stallion *MANNAKY. The following year *GALFIA
again foaled to *MANNAKY and the filly ZITRA was to establish *GALFIA's
tail female line into modern descent.
In 1898 *NEJDME
established the third American mare line with the birth of NONLIKER,
sired by Ramsdell's Ali Pasha Sherif stallion *SHAHWAN. Unfortunately
NONLIKER was the only foal of the magnificent *SHAHWAN to breed
on in America. That *SHAHWAN left scant descent at Crabbet prior
to his importation was to be regretted by the Blunts as well, given
the breeding performance of his daughter YASHMAK. NONLIKER was joined
by younger half-sisters NANSHAN (1902) and NANDA (1905); the *NEJDME
lines of DAHURA and LARKSPUR came to be particularly highly prized.
The third
Hamidie mare bred on but not in tail female. *PRIDE produced just
one registered foal, the 1902 mare SHEBA sired by MANNAKY JR. SHEBA
would leave an important mark on the breeding program of Albert
W. Harris in her sons NEJDRAN JR (by *NEJDRAN) and EL JAFIL (by
*IBN MAHRUSS), sire of Harris' noteworthy EL SABOK.
Much of the
identifying information on the Hamidie horses, including the original
authentication, has been lost, presumably in the fire. Bits and
pieces of information from letters and newspaper articles have surfaced
over the years. Some of the information coming down is conflicting
regarding strains and birthdates, if not the outright identities
of some of the horses. What we do know is that the horses which
bred on did so extremely well.
1900: BASILISK
IN 1900 THE FIRST CRABBET MARE came to America
in the person of the BASILISK granddaughter *BUSHRA. She is registered
as imported from the Crabbet Stud by "Mr. Eustis" but almost certainly
went directly to Randolph Huntington's ownership and produced her
American offspring for Homer Davenport.
Wilfrid Blunt
considered the family of BASILISK to be one of the best of their
early desert importations. Later, the American breeder Spencer Borden
noted the BASILISK mare line as the "best blood in the world." The
BASILISK family would be well represented among the early imports.
*BUTHEYNA, *BARAZA and *BATTLA followed *BUSHRA.
The BASILISK
female line died out at Crabbet, though it continued to England
from the line established by BELKA at the Courthouse Stud. In America
the line flourished notably from the Maynesboro mare BAZRAH.
1905: WILD THYME and RODANIA
SPENCER BORDEN CAME UPON the scene at the
turn of the century. His contribution to the Arabian horse in America
as an importer, breeder and author during these early days was to
be monumental. In 1898 Borden had imported *SHABAKA from England,
a mare by the desertbred MAMELUKE and out of KESIA II, imported
en utero from the desert. *SHABAKA was not to establish a
female line but her influence was realized in a highly valued son,
SEGARIO. The KESIA mare line would in fact never become established
here, but was represented again in Borden's 1905 import, *SHABAKA's
half-brother *IMAMZADA, and in the 1924 Harris import *NURI PASHA
[ex RUTH KESIA].
In 1905 Borden
imported two fillies from the Hon. Miss Ethelred Dillon and introduced
the WILD THYME mare line to breed on in America. Borden's yearling
*MAHAL and weanling *NESSA were both daughters of the Crabbet mare
RASCHIDA (Kars x Wild Thyme). Like BASILISK's, WILD THYME's family
died out early at Crabbet, but it was ably perpetuated by both *MAHAL
and *NESSA in this country.
It was a
stroke of genius that, also in 1905, Borden introduced the RODANIA
female line to America with his importation of the dowager queen
mother of Crabbet, *ROSE OF SHARON. Borden's coup in obtaining the
most celebrated of Crabbet's early matrons must be considered in
light of her unparalleled international influence.
The RODANIA
daughters spread the influence of Crabbet breeding to virtually
every other Arabian horse breeding base in the world. *ROSE OF SHARON's
mare line would carry forward in American breeding by her tail female
descendants imported later from Crabbet. Her uniquely American contributions
to the breed came via her son *RODAN and daughter ROSA RUGOSA, dam
of the important Maynesboro sire SIDI.
The two remaining
branches of RODANIA's family were brought to America later and also
became firmly established here. The RODANIA daughter ROSEMARY is
represented by *ROKHSA, imported in 1918 by W.R.Brown, *RAIDA, imported
in 1926 by Kellogg, *RISHAFIEH, imported in 1932 by Selby, and *KADIRA,
imported 1939 by J.M. Dickinson. The ROSE OF JERICHO branch was
established by the 1926 Kellogg imports *ROSSANA, *RASIMA and *RASAFA,
and the 1930 Selby ones *RASMINA and *ROSE OF FRANCE.
IN 1906 HOMER DAVENPORT imported 27 Arabian
horses directly from the desert. This importation would be the largest
genetic contribution unique to American Arabian horse breeding.
Six of Davenport's desert mares would establish mare lines, and
each would be represented on the leading dams of champions lists.
For many years the leading dam of champions, BINT SAHARA, and her
runner-up daughter FERSARA, are of *WADDUDA's line. SAKI, whose
champion produce record would come to equal BINT SAHARA's, was of
*WERDI's family.
As in the
case of each of these mares, Davenport breeding blended wonderfully
well with that of other early CMK sources, the result being realized
in some of the best representatives of the breed in history. Interestingly,
some of Davenport's desert sources were the same breeders from whom
the Blunts had purchased foundation stock nearly 30 years earlier.
The success Davenport, and later W.R.Brown, Harris, Kellogg, Hearst
and Selby realized in combining Davenport and Crabbet breeding represented
in some cases a recombining of lines derived from the same desert
sources.
Davenport
mare lines survive both in straight Davenport breeding programs
and inextricably within the larger CMK breeding group. Their contribution
of classic desert type and quality can still readily be identified.
1909: BINT HELWA
APART FROM HOMER DAVENPORT, there was no one
to compare to the spirited patronage of Spencer Borden for the Arabian
horse in America at the turn of the century. Borden's visits to
the Crabbet Stud and his lively correspondence with Lady Anne Blunt
were to gain him respect and favor in securing some of the best
individuals of that Stud. And so in 1909 Borden would again bring
a grande dame of Crabbet to American shores, the Ali Pasha
Sherif bred *GHAZALA, daughter of the Crabbet family foundress BINT
HELWA.
BINT HELWA's
line was a third to take hold in America but die out at Crabbet.
And take hold it did in the two illustrious *GHAZALA daughters,
GULNARE and GUEMURA. Two other branches of the BINT HELWA family
would later provide foundation mares to American CMK breeding in
*HAMIDA, *HAZNA and *HILWE.
1910: DAJANIA and *LISA
THE NEXT YEAR A FIFTH Crabbet family line
would reach America in the DAJANIA mare *NARDA II, imported by F.
Lothrop Ames. *NARDA II, a daughter of NARGHILEH, was purchased
in foal to RIJM and the next year foaled *NOAM, a three-quarters
sister to *NASIK, *NUREDDIN II and NESSIMA.
The DAJANIA
family would be greatly distinguished at Crabbet and in America
as producers of some of the greatest sires in the history of the
breed: the aforementioned *NASIK and *NUREDDIN II, and NASEEM, INDIAN
GOLD, *NIZZAM, INDIAN MAGIC, *SERAFIX, ELECTRIC SILVER and *SILVER
DRIFT. In America the DAJANIA line sires included INDRAFF, RAPTURE
and AARAF.
Later *INDAIA
was imported by Roger Selby and *INCORONATA by Kellogg, bringing
the imported family of DAJANIA mares to just four.
Also in 1910,
the mare *LISA was imported by C.P.Hatch. She was listed as having
been "bred in the desert" and registered as black. *LISA's family
line survives via one daughter, ALIXE by *HAURAN. ALIXE's breeder
was Warren Delano of Barrytown, NY. ALIXE in turn produced three
daughters by JERREDE (*Euphrates x *Nejdme), and of these JERAL
and NARADA bred on.
1918: FERIDA and SOBHA
THE MAYNESBORO STUD IN Berlin, NH was founded
in 1912 by William Robinson Brown. Brown's foundation stock was
acquired in the beginning from other American breeders. It was,
in fact, via Maynesboro that key links with some of the earliest
CMK bloodlines were to be carried forward.
In 1918 Brown
made an importation of 17 horses from the Crabbet Stud. Brown's
purchase would be a timely one for CMK breeding in that advantage
was taken, purposely or not, of the legal feud between Lady Wentworth
and her father Wilfrid Blunt, after Lady Anne Blunt's death. Certain
Crabbet horses were acquired by Brown which might otherwise never
have left the Stud. This was especially true of the phenomenal *BERK.
The 1918
Maynesboro importation introduced the FERIDA family to North America
in the two-yr-old chestnut filly *FELESTIN. *FELESTIN's dam FEJR
(Rijm x Feluka) also produced the stallions FARIS and FERHAN, sires
in turn of the important English breeding horses RISSALIX and INDIAN
GOLD.
A second, more prolific, branch of the FERIDA
family was established eight years later with the importation of
the celebrated FELUKA daughter, *FERDA, by W.K.Kellogg. Ten years
after her importation, half the horses at the Kellogg Ranch would
be descended from *FERDA, such was the value of this FERIDA line
mare.
The 1918
Maynesboro importation also brought a seventh Crabbet family to
America in the SOBHA representative, *SIMAWA, a mare who would later
become important to the breeding program of Albert Harris. Selby
and Kellogg would each make astute importations of SOBHA line mares
in *SELMNAB (imported 1930) and *CRABBET SURA (imported 1936).
The most acclaimed
branch of the SOBHA family did not reach America until the 1950s.
This was the line of Lady Wentworth's unforgettable SILVER FIRE.
1921 and 1922: *BALKIS
II and *KOLA
W. R. BROWN WAS A U.S. ARMY Remount agent,
and it was a major purpose of his breeding program that Arabians
be bred as suitable mounts for cavalry. It was probably with this
in mind that in 1921 and '22 he imported Arabian horses from France,
a country long esteemed for breeding cavalry horses.
Brown's French
importation was in keeping with the tradition of Huntington, Borden,
Bradley and Davenport, who touted the utilitarian supremacy of the
Arabian horse, promoting the Arabian for American cavalry use.
Two of the
French mares would establish mare lines at Maynesboro. The *BALKIS
II granddaughter FOLLYAT and the *KOLA daughters FADIH and FATH
were broodmatrons which especially earned respect for the contribution
of French breeding to the CMK foundation.
1924:
QUEEN OF
SHEBA
THE SOLE REPRESENTATIVE of the Crabbet family
of QUEEN OF SHEBA to breed on in CMK founder lines was *ANA (Dwarka
x Amida), imported to America in 1924. *ANA would produce two daughters
for her importer Albert Harris. She was later sold to Philip Wrigley
for whom she was to produce four more daughters including the notable
ADIBIYEH.
*ANA was full
sister to *ALDEBAR, bred by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales and imported
by Henry Babson.
1928: *NOURA and MAKBULA
AMEEN RIHANI OF NEW YORK imported three Arabians
from the desert in 1928, a stallion *SAOUD and two mares, *NOURA
and her daughter *MUHA. A thin but well-regarded line was to come
from these mares. *NOURA's family would be famously represented
by Margaret Shuey's elegant matron MY BONNIE NYLON.
Roger Selby's
Crabbet importation of 1928 introduced the MAKBULA family to America
in the small-statured, exquisite *KAREYMA. *KAREYMA would prove
to be one of Selby's best purchases from Crabbet, judging by the
excellence of her produce. Selby would bring three more representatives
of the MAKBULA line to Ohio in 1930 with the importation of *KIYAMA,
*JERAMA and *NAMILLA.
1929: *MALOUMA
IN 1929 HERMAN FRANK of Los Angeles imported
*MALOUMA, the first of two Egyptian lines to be incorporated into
the foundation of CMK breeding. *MALOUMA was purchased by Kellogg
for whom she produced the four daughters which carry on her line.
1931: *LA TISA
IN 1931 THE CHICAGO INDUSTRIALIST and philanthropist
Charles Crane made a trip to the Middle East and came back with
some Arabian horses, gifts from Saudi Arabia's King Abdul Aziz,
who had not met an American before Crane. Crane dispatched a geologist
engineer to Arabia in search of oil and water.
This exchange
of favors between Crane and the Saudi ruler resulted in ARAMCO's
being established as Saudi Arabia's petroleum exploration and development
partner--a partnership which only too obviously has shaped American
foreign policy to this day.
Crane's two
fillies, *LA TISA and *MAHSUDHA, reportedly were of quality and
beauty in keeping with the rest of his venture. *LA TISA would establish
a family which has carried forward into CMK breeding.
1932: BINT YAMAMA
W. R. BROWN INTRODUCED A second Egyptian mare
line to CMK breeding with the 1932 importation of seven Arabians
bred by Prince Mohammed Ali of Cairo. All were of the BINT YAMAMA
family line, which was perpetuated by the four mares: *RODA and
*AZIZA, daughters of NEGMA; *H.H. MOHAMMED ALI'S HAMAMA and *H.H.
MOHAMMED ALI'S HAMIDA, both out of the famed NEGMA daughter MAHROUSSA.
The Maynesboro Egyptian importation had been made at the same time
as Henry Babson's importation of six horses also from Egypt.
Interestingly, the origins of the Egyptian
horses can be traced back in part to Abbas Pasha/Ali Pasha Sherif
stock of the Blunt's day. The exact origin of BINT YAMAMA and her
relationship to early Blunt horses is a mystery yet to be solved.
1934: ZULIMA
IN 1934, JIM AND EDNA Draper of Richmond,
California brought home five Arabians from Spain. Four of the five
were mares, and all of the same female line, that of the Spanish
ZULIMA through SIRIA. The elegant grey *NAKKLA was purchased by
Kellogg's and incorporated into that breeding program. The Drapers
retained the SIRIA daughters *MECA and *MENFIS (dam of *NAKKLA)
and *MECA's daughter *BARAKAT, breeding them to CMK stallions.
The Draper
Spanish mares produced admirably, gaining a place of pride within
the CMK tradition. Edna Draper holds the distinction of being the
last importer of CMK foundation stock still living.
THE LAST DESERT CONTRIBUTION considered a
part of CMK foundation breeding was the Hearst importation of 1947.
This was the largest group of Arabians brought directly from the
Arabian desert countries since that of Homer Davenport.
The Hearst
Ranch had been established with the purchase of Maynesboro stock
upon that farm's dispersal, which included the Maynesboro sires
RAHAS, REHAL, GHAZI and GULASTRA. Hearst had also purchased Kellogg
stock, bring about a parallel breeding program to that Stud's.
The Hearst
importation included eight mares (*RAJWA was accompanied by her
daughter *BINT RAJWA), all but one of which contributed to the CMK
breeding tradition.
1953: HAGAR
HAGAR, THE "JOURNEY MARE," was the Blunts'
second acquisition in the desert, but it took 75 years before her
female line reached America to stay. HAGAR was purchased to carry
Wilfrid Blunt from Aleppo to Baghdad and back to Damascus on the
Blunts' 1878 journey. She proved admirably up to the task and earned
praise from Lady Anne in her journals.
HAGAR was
sent to England as part of the foundation of the Crabbet Stud. She
was sold to the Hon. Ethelred Dillon for whose Puddlicote Stud HAGAR
proved a foundress. The first HAGAR breeding reached America in
1905 via the important Dillon-bred *NESSA's sire *HAURAN and another
HAGAR son, HAIL.
There was
still no HAGAR female line in America when hers became another family
lost to Crabbet. The line persisted through Miss Dillon's ZEM ZEM
and through HOWA, foundation mare of the Harwood Stud. ZEM ZEM and
her daughter ZOBEIDE were left to Borden by Miss Dillon's will,
but left no further registered progeny.
It was not
until 1953 that the HAGAR family would reach American shores and
be carried on into CMK breeding. This came about when seven mares
from Holland's Rodania Stud (Dr. H.C.E.M. Houtappel) were imported
to New York by T. Cremer. The mares were *CHADIGA, *FAIKA, *LATIFAA,
*FATIMAA, *RITLA, *LEILA NAKHLA and *MISHKA.
With HAGAR's
line, American breeders had 10 mare families to carry on the Crabbet
breeding base.
THESE, THEN,
ARE THE ORIGINAL CMK MARE FAMILIES. They have been combined in American
horse breeding history to form one genetic legacy uniquely American--CMK.
The timeless quality of CMK mares should be obvious to all fanciers
of the Arabian horse, but it would appear to fall to a few to recognize
that an effort must be made to conserve the identity of these irreplaceable
lines for posterity.
This
treatment reflected the CMK dam line picture
before the 1993 revision of the CMK Definition.
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