By Oliver Wibihal

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Photo: www.ShiraYeger.com

Al Ayad
(Moheeb x Al Mamunah)
was bred by Ursula Schell/Germany

"Finally I have found my new Malik!" Chen Kedar, manager of Ariela Arabians in Israel, smiles and gives the snow-white stallion Al Ayad a hug. He gently lays his head on her shoulders. "I like him very much," says Chen and Al Ayad answers with a soft nicker. She chuckles. Obviously the stallion likes her, too.

Photo: www.Filsinger-Photography.de

Malik
(Hadban Enzahi x Malikah)

When Chen came to work at Ariela Arabians in 1992, they stood the German stallion Malik (Hadban Enzahi x Malikah by Ghazal) at stud. "Malik was a full brother in blood to Madkour I," Chen explains. Though the stallion already was old and not in good health anymore, there was something special about him. "I remember the way he carried himself and the way his tail went up every time we brought him out of his stable," she says. "He had such big eyes and even in his last days you could see that he was a true Arabian horse!"

Photo: www.Vesty.com

Malik's grandson Musalih
(Imperial Imdal x Musaliha)

Unfortunately at this time they had not the right mares for Malik in Israel. In Germany he had sired such prolific show champions as Ibn Zareefa, Ibn Estasha, Zahda-Yama and of course the famous Simeon head sire, Asfour. In Israel Malik left just a few outstanding get. "His best foal was Musaliha (x Nil Nour by Jamil) who in turn produced the international champions stallions Mosalli and Musalih," relates Chen. She always regretted not being able to use Malik to his full potential but at that time it was impossible. Still the image of the magnificent white stallion stayed in her mind...

Photo: www.ShiraYeger.com

Al Ayad in Israel
(Moheeb x Al Mamunah)

A few years ago during one of her travels in Europe, Chen visited the farm of Peter Gross (who utilizes the blood of Malik’s ancestors) and the Filsinger stud, where Malik was born. "To see these horses was like looking at the old Malik again," she says. "I was fascinated and started to learn as much as possible about these old lines."

Though Ariela Arabians had been fortunate enough to breed some wonderful stallions, Chen is constantly searching for outside stallions to incorporate into the programme. In the past they had leased Imperial Imdal, Halim Shah I, and Ali Valentino.
About a year ago Chen was told by German handler Frank Spoenle she should take a closer look at a young stallion at the stable of Philip Looyens in Belgium. "I contacted Philip and we agreed to meet during the Egyptian Event Europe which was being held at Baden-Baden in Germany."

"I went to Baden-Baden with three of my best friends. We left Israel a few days before the show and traveled a few thousand kilometres to look at horses, especially stallions. It was a wonderful trip. We had the chance to see some beautiful horses and to meet some of Europe's best breeders.“
At the morning of the show she went straight to Philip’s stables to see Al Ayad. When the white stallion with the bright look in his eyes came out of his stable, Chen knew she had found her "new Malik". "He was just what I was looking for. No, he was not perfect, but who is? I always use to say that perfect things are boring, but special things are precious. Al Ayad is indeed special!"

Photo: www.ShiraYeger.com

Al Ayad

Chen asked Philip to speak with Al Ayad's owner Monika Wenzel, a German breeder with a keen eye for beauty, to see if she would part with Al Ayad for a couple of years. Monika asked Philip just two questions: She wanted to know which mares Al Ayad would going to breed during his stay in Israel and how the horses were treated at Ariela Arabians... Within a few hours the deal was done and Ariela Arabians had the next outcross stallion!

Photo: www.Eyecatcher-Avertising.de

Al Ayad's sire Moheeb
(El Shahwan x Mahameh)

Al Ayad is a son of the beautiful stallion Moheeb (El Shahwan x Mahameh by Ibrahim). Moheeb’s dam Mahameh was the foundation mare of Peter Gross. She was without any doubt one of the most beautiful and feminine mares of her time in Germany. Besides Moheeb she produced the Austrian National Champion Stallion Mahadin, the ultra-classic Mahfouz (both by Madkour I), who is now in Egypt, and the international champion stallion and producer of international champions, El Thay Ibn Halim Shah (by Ansata Halim Shah).

Photo: Carola Toischel

Austrian National Champion Stallion
Mahadin
(Madkour I x Mahameh)

Al Ayad’s dam Al Mamunah (Maysoun x Amina Bint Aqaba) graces the broodmare band at the Al Zobair Stud in the United Arab Emirates. Her sire Maysoun is regarded as one of the most influential sons of Ansata Halim Shah in Europe and sired seven sons which were awarded a gold medal at the annual German Stallion Show. No other straight Egyptian stallion sired more "golden" sons! Al Mamunah's dam Amina Bint Aqaba was sired by the charismatic stallion Mahomed, a full brother to Ariela’s own Malik, and traces in tail female line to the great matriarch Afifa (Morafic x Hemmat), a mare imported to Germany by the old breeder Carl-Heinz Doemken.

Photo: www.ErwinEscher.com

Al Ayad's half sister Rayhana Alzobair
(Ansata Selman x Al Mamunah)
Junior Champion Filly, Sharjah National Local bred Show 2005

Al Ayad is a beautiful stallion with a very dry, expressive head, extremely small, well-shaped ears and big eyes. Some German horses of these lines are known to have pigmentation problems, but Al Ayad doesn't. The skin under his white coat appears as dark as coal. He has sloping shoulders, a very high-set neck and a fine throatlatch. "The things I like best about this horse are his exceptional tail carriage and the way he carries himself when he is coming right out of his stable. He always helds his head high and his tail is straight up while he prances around and talks to his girls. You can't mistake him for being a true desert type Egyptian stallion." A testimony to the saying that "beauty is its own excuse for being".

Photo: www.ShiraYeger.com

Al Amal AA
(Halim Shah I x The Vision HG)
is waiting for Al Ayad

"We have a small studfarm with only eight broodmares. Our programme is virtually based on two foundation mares – AK Latifa (Ibn Moniet El Nafous x Siralima) and The Vision HG (The Desperado x Belle Staar), " Chen explains. AK Latifa is the dam of the famous stallion Laheeb (by Imperial Imdal) and traces to the mare Bint Sabah from the Dahman Shahwan strain. From this line Ariela Arabians retained the mares Luiba (full sister to Loubna), Latifah AA (Al Maraam x Imperial Kalatifa) and some young fillies. The Vision HG is the dam of well-known stallions, such as Al Maraam (by Imperial Imdal), Al Lahab (by Laheeb), and Al Hakim (by Muhajjal) and of the young and up-coming colt Al Hadiyah AA (by Laheeb). This mare derives from the Saqlawi Jedran strain and traces to the Ghazala family through the mare Radia. The Vision delivered three daughters for the Ariela broodmare band: Al Baraqai AA (by Baahir), Al Amal AA (by Halim Shah I) and Al Halah AA (by Laheeb). Of course, Al Ayad will also be bred to Maar Bilahh, the reigning queen of the farm and dam of Imperial Mahzeer, head stallion of Al Nasser farm in Qatar. Some other interesting mares will be bred to him as well.

What does Chen expect to achieve by incorporating Al Ayad into the Ariela programme? "We would like to see a higher neck-set in our horses," she says. "And we hope to get his special show attitude which truly sets him apart!“

Photo: Carola Toischel

Al Ayad
at the Egyptian Event Europe in 2005

Of course Al Ayad is no stranger to the show ring either. In 2002 he was Reserve Junior Champion Colt at the Winterlingen show in Germany and Junior Champion Colt of the Egyptian Event Europe. In 2005 he stood at the third place at the Egyptian Event Europe behind the eventual Champion Stallion Sahib and the Reserve Champion Simeon Sharav.
If all goes well, Frank Spönle is going to show Al Ayad at the Israeli Nationals this year. For the time being, Al Ayad is being taken care and ridden by his personal groom Deby. She also trains him in western pleasure, an area in which he excells! He is an "in your tent" type of stallion, whose only goal in life is to please "his" people.

Photo: www.ShiraYeger.com

"Al Ayad has an extremely expressive face and you can literally read how he feels," Chen says. Usually she "reads" that he feels quite happy in his new home! "He is a wonderful horse and we are very fortunate to have him here with us in Israel."