It was a day to remember. Many people from all corners of the world (Great Britain, USA, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Germany of course) gathered together to celebrate the Katharinenhof bred Arabian horses and to "inhale" their presence and refinement. The distinct type of Dr. Nagel's exotic horses attracts people who are searching for sheer beauty. And beauty they saw at this very special day!

NK Nadirah (Adnan x Nashua)

Five mares served as the foundation of the Katharinenhof program: The original imports were Hanan (Alaa El Din x Mona, Inshass) and Mahiba (Alaa El Din x Mouna), who came in from Egypt via Bábolna/Hungary. They both arrived at the Katharinenhof in 1970. Hanan emerged as the true foundation mare. You will not find a single horse at the farm that do not carry her blood. In fact, most of the younger Katharinenhof horses boast three or four (or even more) crosses to her. Hanan’s son Salaa El Dine (by Ansata Halim Shah) served as Dr. Nagel’s herdsire for many years and founded a successful sire line that is carried on by his great-great-grandson Jamal El Dine.
Ghazalah (by Ghazal) was Hanan's most prolific daughter. Her daughter Amarilla (by Jamil) in turn produced some wonderful daughters who became cornerstones of the Katharinenhof program. Mahiba's line is carried on through the mare Layla (Salaa El Dine x Sanaya, by Kais I) who displays a different type than most of the other horses: She is less refined but has more substance and is an avid mover.

Over the years many different mares have followed the initial imports but their get did not convince Dr. Nagel and consequently he let them go. Twenty years after Hanan and Mahiba (who died after giving birth to her fourth foal) were purchased a third daughter of Alaa El Dine moved in: the grey Lotfeia (x Bint Kamla) who was a proven broodmare in Bábolna and spent her remaining years at Dr. Nagel's place. She delivered three foals whose influence at Katharinenhof is keen. Her late daughter Nashua (by Salaa El Dine) is replaced by three lovely daughters.

In the mid-eighties Dr. Nagel imported two additional mares from the USA. Both were daughters of his own stallion Jamil (Madkour I x Hanan), both were bred by Ansata Arabian Stud, both traced back to the famous mare Ansata Bint Bukra - a full sister to the stallion Ghazal, whose blood already was incorporated into the herd through his above mentioned daughter Ghazalah. Full circle. The mares Dr. Nagel had chosen were Ansata Prima Rose (Jamil x Ansata Rosetta) and Ansata Gloriana (Jamil x Ansata Ghazia). Both mares each left one significant offspring by Salaa El Dine: Gloriana's conribution for the Katharinenhof program was the bay Hanan "look-alike" Helala, dam of the well-known NK Hafid Jamil. Prima Rose delivered the refined flea-bitten beauty Ansata KEN Ranya who in turn is the dam of the young herdsire Jamal El Dine (by NK Hafid Jamil).

In an honest way Dr. Nagel commented on every horse presented and tried to explain its role within his breeding program. He likes a fine-boned, exotic Arabian, almost a fairy-tale creature and with horses like NK Hafid Jamil, NK Nadirah or NK Hind he has achieved this goal. I never saw a breeding program that produces such refined horses consistently. They are easily recognisable as "NK" horses. Not only beautiful, they all have full pigmentation (their faces are almost black as coal), a proud bearing, naturally high tail carriage, and those wonderful huge eyes. Though heavily inbred they show no signs of degeneration. However, there is no light without shadow: Some of them lost the trademark airy movement for which the Arabian horse is famous for and nearly all of them (especially the younger ones) have steep pasterns and very fine (too fine?) legs. This is the price Dr. Nagel has to pay for the exotic looks of his horses - and he and his many followers from around the world are more than willing to pay it. The Arabian horse suits every taste and this horses are for those who are inspired by extreme beauty, dryness and elegance of form. People searching for the Arabian athlete will not find their ideal horse here. However, the critics should bear in mind that the Arabian horse comes in many different shades. These ethereal belles are just as members of the Arabian horse family as, let's say, the rather coarse French horses of the Manganate line. Both types of horses are extreme examples of our breed but nevertheless have the right to exist.

"How far can I go?" Dr. Nagel asked this question in regard to the inbreeding he is doing. As mentioned above, nearly all of his horses carry Hanan many times in their pedigree - and fresh blood is not added anymore. It is a closed breeding program, based on five mares and the stallions Ghazal, Madkour I, and Ansata Halim Shah (with the exception of the mare Layla who carries the blood of the stallions Ibn Galal and Kais I as well). How many crosses to Hanan can be done before the downfall will begin - or do the horses get better with each new cross to Hanan? This is the unbeknown territory Dr. Nagel is eager to explore in the future.

In regard to uniformity the Katharinenhof herd is at its peak now. It is an example of unparalleled beauty, created and formed by a man whose passion for exotic Arabian horses had started when he acquired his beloved matriarch Hanan more than thirty years ago. What we see today is the distillate of his vision and breeding efforts - the ultimate in refinement, exotic beauty and sheer elegance.