Egyptian Dam Lines

There is an interesting phenomenon repeated around the world at countless Arabian horse shows as well as at prominent breeding establishments – there are generally more good mares and fillies than colts and stallions. Perhaps even more interesting is that, in the best horses of either sex, the same mare lines recur with surprising regularity. A logical conclusion is that if one aspires to breed exceptional Arabian horses a careful study must be made of the dam lines. While this may sound simple, it rapidly becomes more complex when a significant study is undertaken. 

Different branches of the same family may produce horses of considerably varying type and quality. Some dam lines achieve their success primarily when blended to sires from a particular family, while their offspring from other lines are average at best. Still other dam lines have a strong type-to-color link and the look of their descendants is remarkably different depending on their color. 

In our fast-paced world, we seek instant knowledge and quick results, yet the realm of Arabian horse breeding requires patience and thoughtful study. Rather than attempting to define and categorize all of the various Egyptian Arabian dam lines, only a general overview will be given along with examples of various horses of that heritage. The challenge then becomes to study your own pedigrees and those of the horses you admire. Trace their lineage back to these root mares and the path taken to arrive at this final destination. Look for trends and tendencies. Decide for yourself which lines and families consistently produce a look that you admire. There is simply no substitute for taking the time to accumulate this knowledge, and by taking the longer path to your destination, the journey becomes more satisfying and the results more likely to meet your expectations.

Because the Egyptian Arabian makes up less than 4% of the general Arabian population, the root mares from which all straight Egyptian Arabians descend are relatively few in number. Of the approximately twenty foundation mares in modern pedigrees, most were foaled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These mares generally fall into two broad categories, either bred by the ruling family and aristocracy of Egypt or desertbreds presented as gifts to Egypt. Today, these foundation mares are generally organized by their strain names, and thereafter through various families that descend from the root mare, with different branches of each family. Judith Forbis, in her many reference books on the Egyptian Arabian, began grouping the dam lines in this useful manner, and today countless breeders around the world use her example in defining their horses beyond a simple strain designation. 

The examples given of horses descended from the various foundation mares are by no means complete and arbitrarily combine both modern and historic horses. The lists are not intended to indicate the relative quality or merit of those horses named, or those that are left out. Instead, they are included in the hope of provoking further study by the reader. 

Bint Yemama is also an important foundation mare for Egyptian breeding and she was believed for many years to be Koheilah Jellabieh in strain. 

However when additional writings of Lady Anne Blunt were published in the late 1980s it became apparent the accepted parentage of this mare was incorrect and that she was indeed a half sister to Messaoud. 

Colin Pearson’s book, “The Arabian Horse Families of Egypt” listed Bint Yemema as a Saqlawiyah, and Volume 2, by Kees Mol, explained the rationale behind this change. 

The controversy was finally put to rest with the assistance of modern science when Michael Bowling used mitochondrial DNA to demonstrate the descendants of Bint Yemama matched that of the mares descended from the Saqlawiyah Jidraniyah mare Ghazieh, and did not match the descendants of the known Keheilah Jellabiyah strain from Egypt. 

This is an excellent example of why families merit more consideration than strain alone, for regardless of whether this family was Koheilah or Saqlawiyah, the descendants of Bint Yemama included many lovely horses. 

The Hadbah strain in Egyptian breeding traces to the mare Venus who was bred by the Shammar tribe and brought to Egypt in the mid-1890’s. 

Two branches of the Venus family come from her daughter Hadba, but it is through Bint Hadba El Saghira that this strain founded an influential dynasty in Egyptian breeding. 

Bint Hadbah El Saghira was a chestnut mare born in 1912. She was bred by Abbas Pasha Hilmi II and both her sire and dam were sired by Saklawi I. Like many of the other Egyptian foundation mares, she was eventually acquired by the Royal Agricultural Society and died there in 1931. 

In a fashion often adopted by the Arabs, she was named “Daughter of Hadbah” or Bint Hadbah, with the suffix El Saghira, the “smaller” or “younger.” Along with the suffix “El Kebira,” which means the bigger or older, these additions to the name helped further identify the offspring of a particular mare and helped prevent confusion with their namesake. 

Bint Hadbah El Saghira had four daughters which bred on: Samiha, Bint Rustem, Bint Bint Hadba, and Magboura. The vast majority of her descendants, however, trace from the Samiha and Bint Rustem branches of the family. 

Because of the unprecedented success of her great-grandson, Nazeer, the majority of straight Egyptians in the world boast multiple lines to this mare. She remains influential through the tail female as well, and this family has consistently produced both outstanding stallions and mares. 

Other Hadbah root mares in Egyptian foundation stock include: Bint Gamila, a grey mare foaled in 1911 bred by Abbas Pasha Hilmi II and acquired by the RAS in 1914. 

The Koheilan is said to be the original strain of Arabian horse. Although the breed is quite ancient, the concept of strains is relatively a recent one, as the various divisions and sub-strains evolved in a little over three centuries.

In Egyptian breeding the Keheilan Mimreh strain has been lost in the tail female line, and those horses thought to be the representatives of the Koheilan Jellabi strain are now classified as Saqlawi. 

This leaves the Koheilah Rodaniyah as the primary Koheilan strain in Egyptian dam lines. Both branches, that of Bint Rissala and Bint Riyala, trace to Rodania, a Kuhailan Ajuz of Ibn Rodan, foaled in 1869. She was purchased by the Blunts from a branch of the Anazeh tribe, who related that they had taken her earlier from the Ruwala. A chestnut mare with considerable white markings, Rodania bore the scars from wounds in battle and was well-known in the desert. 

Bint Rissala (Razieh) was a chestnut born in 1920 at Crabbet Park in England. Lady Wentworth sold her to the Royal Agricultural Society as a young filly and she died in Egypt in 1946. Bint Rissala’s descendants in modern Egyptian breeding are through her daughters Yaquota, Kateefa and Yashmak. Interestingly, none of her sons bred on into modern pedigrees. 

This dam line is noted for both its height and athletic ability, and many of Bint Rissala’s descendants, even today, have excellent motion. Several well-known stallions traced to this family, including Kaisoon, Farag, and Alaa El Din, who was noted for his daughters. 

Bint Riyala (Risama) was a bay mare foaled in 1920, also at Crabbet Arabian Stud. Like Bint Rissala she was sold that same year to the Royal Agricultural Society in Egypt. In 1934 she was sold once again, this time to T.G.B. Trouncer. This has been a prolific family, primarily through Bint Riyala’s granddaughter Malaka, and several horses of this line were exported to the United States where they won numerous championships and national titles. 

Other Kehilah root mares in Egyptian foundation stock include: 

Futna, a grey mare foaled in 1943 bred by Abdul Hamid el Talawi. Her strain was Koheilah Halawiyah and she remained at Hamdan Stables until her death in 1960. 

El Kahila, a bay mare foaled in 1921 and presented to Inshass Stud by King Abdul Aziz al Saud of Saudi Arabian in 1927. While no details of her strain are recorded, she is presumed to be a Kehilah by virtue of her name.

While there are a few other mares who contribute to straight Egyptian breeding, these are the primary families that exist today. Study them well and remember the future of the straight Egyptian Arabian lies in the hands of today’s breeders!