Windt im Wald Farm
Geauga County, Northeast Ohio
since 1995
A TRIBUTE TO FADJUR
AND FERZON
TWO EXEMPLARY FOUNDATION
SIRES IN THE PEDIGREE OF ROYAL PRIDE RYTHM
Left to Right: Fadjur, Jack & Marge Tone,
Saki
Daniel Gainey, Sr., and his herd sire,
Ferzon
Ferzon and Robin
Gainey, Fountainhead Arabians
Nearly 50 years ago, in the spring of
1952, at the farm of Frank and Helen McCoy, two remarkable purebred
Arabian horses were born. Little did the McCoys realize how much a role
in the Arabian Horse Industry both stallions, Fadjur and Ferzon, would
play. Royal Pride Rythm (#520585), our 95%CMK Herd Sire, carries the
blood of both of these fabulous progenitors. We consider it an honor,
a privilege, and a duty to tell the story of Fadjur (Fadheilan x Bint
Sahara, by Farawi) and Ferzon (Ferneyn x Fersara, by Ferseyn).
Fadjur was the result of breeding the McCoy mare, Bint Sahara, to Fadheilan,
a son of the famous imported Babson stallion, *Fadl. Fadheilan would
not have been the breeding choice of Frank McCoy, but it was the choice
of Harry Linden, who bought Bint from the McCoys. Several years later
Mr. Linden would finally choose to breed Bint Sahara to the Mc Coy stallion,
Ferseyn. Ironically, Ferzon's dam., Fersara, was a daughter of Bint
Sahara, so Fadjur and Ferzon are related on their tail-female line.
Ferzon, however, was the result of line-breeding domestic Arabians who
descended from the Crabbet/Blunt stock, whose major representatives
in the United States were sons of Skowronek, the Polish-bred Arabian
stallion acquired by Lady Wentworth of the Crabbet Stud.
To start with Fadjur and Ferzon did not look much alike. Fadjur was
a red-bay with a prominent star. Ferzon was a gray who would eventually
turn white. The McCoys themselves were partial to the greys. Therefore,
when the 2 weanling colts whose names both began with the letter F were
priced for sale, Fadjur was priced at $700 and Ferzon was priced at
$10,000. It was by chance that Marjory Tone met the McCoys at some California
horse shows. The Tones' daughter and son-in-law, the Polks, were the
first to lay eyes on the beautiful bay Fadjur and shoot movie footage
of him. As a result of the Polks' visit, Jack Tone would present Marjory
with Fadjur as a birthday present in 1953. It would be a while, however,
before someone could come up with the unheard of $10,000 price on Ferzon's
head.
The Tones were a pioneer farming family. The original founding father,
Jack Tone, had migrated to California to make his fortune in gold and
wound up with a huge land stake which the Tones were able to preserve
in spite of hard times. The Tones showed their own horses on their own
terms back at a time when the individual exhibitor carried more weight
and had a better opportunity to win in the show ring. The Tones did
it their way and won with Fadjur until he was 16 years old.
In addition, Marjory Tone believed that Fadjur was the most perfect
of horses, so perfect, in fact, that she bred him 165 times to his own
daughters. Breeding consisted of live cover service twice a day for
months. He produced a total of 820 foals in his lifetime, among them
19 National winners, 6 Reserve Champions, and 29 Top Tens, and 111 verified
Class A winners. Among his Nationals Champions descendants are Exceladdin,
Ali Jamaal, Echo Magnificoo, Amurath Bandolero, Kharben, Shahteyna,
Bey Teyna, Keepsake V, Moonstone Bey V, Khemosabi, Autumn Fire (dam
of Alyaska Bey V, Afire Bey V, and August Bey V). Thirteen Fadjur sons
sired, in turn, 27 Nationals winners. Marjory Tone's philosophy was
that Fadjur would improve on any mare, and so it was that Fadjur bred
any and all mares that were offered.
It was Frank McCoy, the breeder of both Fadjur and Ferzon, who would
remember Ferzon as "grey and spunky." Fersara was a grey daughter of
two grey parents, Ferseyn and Bint Sahara. Since the McCoys favored
greys, imagine their delight when the grey Ferzon was born, a son of
Ferneyn and Fersara. Since Ferneyn was himself a son of Ferseyn, Ferzon
can be said to be line-bred to Ferseyn. The McCoys promptly put a $10,000
price ticket on Ferzon's head, never dreaming that anyone would come
up with that kind of money in the early 1950s when the average yearly
salary was well under $5000.
Though pictures from the early 1950s reveal Ferzon as a dark-colored
ordinary colt, McCoy showed Ferzon himself and walked away with a many
ribbons while bringing distinction to Ferzon and his close equine relatives
in California. For instance, on March 29, 1953, Ferzon was named reserve
Champion stallion at the Palm Desert, California, First Annual All Arabian
Show. At the same show Ferneyn, Ferzon's sire, took the grand championship.
Moneyna, the dam of Ferneyn, was named reserve champion mare, while
Hasa, a half sister to Ferneyn by Ferseyn, was the grand champion mare.
This show was the beginning of clear evidence that the influence of
Ferseyn was to be felt for a long time.
On June 7, 1953, in Long Beach, California, Ferzon won the yearling
colt championship, followed by the yearling colt championship at the
Desert Arabian Association of San Diego on July 18, 1953. Again he placed
second to his own sire, Ferneyn, in the stallion championship. On August8,
1953, Ferzon was reserve champion yearling colt with his close relative,
Fadjur, placing fourth. On September 26, 1953, Ferzon was the champion
yearling colt at the Los Angeles County Fair.
Then came Daniel Gainey, Sr, with $10,000 to purchase Ferzon and to
produce a distinctive look to Arabians that many people now call the
Gainey-look. Mr. Gainey showed Ferzon lightly as a two year old and
a three year old, although Ferzon no longer placed as spectacularly
as he had during his yearling season.
In the breeding shed at Gainey Fountainhead Arabians, Ferzon produced
251 registered Purebred offspring and was the the grandsire of 7616
registered purebred get. Among the better known offspring of Ferzon,
we can name BF Rageymazon, Gaffizon, BuZahr, Shar Mar Ferzay, Gazon
(sire of Raffon), Perlezon (sire of Arn-ett Perlane), Comar Raffdan,
Comar Rafeymon, Comar Regal, Gai Ferzon Louis, and most notably Gai
Parada. Gai Parada was to take over the role of chief sire from his
deceased sire at Fountainhead Arabians. In the year 2000, the Gai Parada
son, Gai Monarch, won the Canadian Nationals Grand Championship, and
appears to spell an influential return to favor of the old foundation
lines produced by the many sons of Skowronek (Crabbet Stud, England)
as a well-deserved source of Arabian blood.
The careers of Fadjur and Ferzon continued to cross during their long
lifetimes. Ferzon died in 1982 at thirty years of age, but Fadjur would
outlive him one year. Twenty years later it is easy to see how both
stallions have profoundly affected the Arabian Horse Breed. How astounding
that both of these prolific stallions started their days in the California
pastures of Frank and Helen McCoy.
