Splendid...Superb...Stunning..Uniquely Suror

No two created beings are exactly alike. And their individuality is no imperfection. On the contrary, the perfection of each created thing is not merely in its conformity to an abstract type but in its own individual identity with itself. - Thomas Merton, from his book: New Seeds of Contemplation

Suror is an extremely beautiful horse, who is also a unique horse in the Ezzain Arabian breeding program, having been sired by Ansata AlMurtajiz and out of the mare, Zahra. The unique aspect to Suror is his genetic difference from the majority of the Ezzain herd: he has only one line to Hanan, through the tail female line of his dam (Hanan is his great-great grandmother). His pedigree is interesting, as his mother's ancestors are horses that are rapidly disappearing in today's Egyptian Arabian Horse bloodlines: There is Gharib, there is Tuhotmos, there is Hadban Enzahi, there is Galal and there is Ghazal, as well as the complementary influence that his sire offers through Sameh and all the imported Babson horses (except for Bint Bint Durra).

His sire is an interesting line-bred Ansata horse, concentrated in the blood of *Ansata Ibn Halima, Bukra, *Morafic and his full sister: *Ansata Bint Mabrouka. The outcross blood is represented by the Babson Horses through Fa Moniet and through Sameh, who is the sire of Ansata's strongest and best producing mare: Ansata Bint Misr. The "anchor" in this pedigree is *Ansata Ibn Halima, as we see in the sire line of Suror and this becomes evident as an additional cross is obtained through Ansata Halim Shah (the sire of Motassem, who in turn sired Zahra's father, KP Nameed). However, it is the diversity of blood in Zahra's pedigree, while at the same time, establishing common ground with Ansata AlMurtajz through *Ansata Ibn Halima, Moniet El Nefous and Bukra, that invites a closer look at this magnificent horse.

Messaouda, the dam of Motassem, was sired by the horse who revolutionized the Marbach breeding program, Gharib. Usamah Alkazemi, the breeder and owner of Suror, sent me a picture of Suror's daughter, Najmah, who is out of NK Yassmin (Adnan x Helala), a mare bred by Dr. Nagel of Katharinenhof in Germany. It is interesting to see the influence of Gharib, 5 generations later, in a young mare who has the freedom of movement in her shoulder, balanced by the drive and power in her hind end.

It is also interesting to see how Zahra's pedigree, continues to complement the influence of Moniet El Nefous in Suror's sire line, as well as the presence of Moniet El Nefous in his dam lines, through *Tuhotmos (the sire of Nana, who produced Nameeza, the dam of KP Nameed), through Shaarawi, the sire of Adeeb and through Ameer, the sire of Ibn Nazeema. It is also through this stallion, Ibn Nazeema, that we have common ground to Alaa El Din in two lines (the sire of Nazeema, the dam of Ibn Nazeema, as well as the sire of Hanan, who produced Ameera).

We mentioned Hadban Enzahi and Ghazal and we find both these horses present in Madkour I with an interesting twist, that further complements Suror's pedigree. I think it is especially poignant, that these two Nazeer sons, of another era, should be present again in a horse that brings so much honor to their memory. Hadban Enzahi sired the stallion Madkour I (the sire of Ameera), while Ghazal sired Madkour's dam, Moheba II, out of Malacha, who traces to the dam of *Ansata Ibn Halima, through the Sid Abouhom daughter, Moheba!!!

"Therefore each particular being, in its individuality, in its
concrete nature and entity, with all its own characteristics and its private qualities and its own inviolable identity, gives glory to God by being precisely what He wants it to be here and now....- Thomas Merton from his book: New Seeds of Contemplation

When Usamah Alkazemi sent me the DVD with footage of all his horses, I must say that I was not very fair to Suror, as I was enamored by his sire, Ansata AlMurtajiz. I don't exactly remember when Usamah emailed me the full body picture of Suror but I do remember my reaction! Suror has a "baroque" look to him, that is an old-world look, a timeless quality that harkens back to an another period of time, when romance was very much alive in our cultures and the flamboyant, ornate style of rounded curves was very prevalent in society. Suror is the kind of horse that celebrates life and the beauty that surrounds us, in any given moment and that is present for us to enjoy, whether we wish to accept the gift or not. Suror is the type of horse that comes very close to embodying in a physical form, the model that I carry in my head of an Arabian Horse. He is a horse that I would like to one day breed and the type of horse that I would want to be remembered for breeding. It will be exciting for me, to watch from the sidelines, in order to witness the significant impact this extraordinary stallion will have on Ezzain Arabians.

Enjoy your horses,

Ralph

The Poet Warrior Meets the Misty Water on the Flowers

Which horse is the favorite at Ezzain Arabians? That is too much to ask of one person, considering that Ezzain, in Kuwait, is home to many elegant and classic Egyptian Arabian Horses. There are the finest horses purchased from Katharinenhof, Ansata, Al Nakeeb and other breeders, known the world over for the outstanding horses produced. It is not an easy choice. Mr. Usamah Alkazemi has assembled a spectacular group of horses to bring his vision of the classic Arabian Horse to life, bearing the name "EZZAIN". So, the search for the favorite Ezzain horse must start at the beginning, with the senior stallion: Ansata Al Murtajiz (Ansata Hejazi x Ansata Samsara). When I looked at his pedigree, on paper, I became very excited, as this stallion traces not only in his dam's tail female line but his sire as well, to one of my favorite Ansata foundation mares: *Ansata Bint Misr, a Sameh daughter out of *Ansata Bint Bukra. The eyes of Ansata Al Murtajiz are incredibly large, lustrous and black, as well as the size and shape of his jowls and the way the head is attached to the neck, creating one of the finest throatlatches that I have ever seen.

The second part is especially sweet. This picture of Nada (Adnan x Nashua) brings tears to my eyes. She is a double Salaa El Dine grandaughter, as both her sire and her dam claim him as their sire. Through Nashua, Nada traces to Kamla, who produced Hadban Enzahi by Nazeer. There are beautiful moments in life and then, there are moments when the word "beautiful" is not enough of a word to describe the feeling... and the only thing we can do is to give thanks to God for the eyes that allow us to see such overwhelming beauty, as this mare. She is the misty water on the flowers, the tears of the angels, who marvel over the work of God's hands.

The Arabian Horse, is all about beauty and the joy that this beauty brings into a human's life, even, if for only a few moments. For how many thousands of years has this breed been doing the same thing? Inspiring, encouraging, uplifting, mesmerizing, amazing people with their beauty?The beauty is the main selling point of the breed. How many paintings, sketches, drawings, poems, essays, short stories, songs, books, plays and movies, have been made, as a result of the beauty of the Arabian Horse? And so, we come to the last part, the final part, the time for me to make a commitment, the answer to the question, asked at the beginning of the article: WHO IS THE FAVORITE Ezzain horse? And that horse would be, Nooreddine Ezzain (Ansata Al Murtajiz x NK Nada), the future of Ezzain.

Enjoy your horses,
Ralph