Photo: Gigi
Grasso
Ansata Nile Pasha has arrived in Qatar
Photo: Gabriele
Boiselle
Horse experts
agree that "A good horse has no colour!"
Well, I never claimed to be an expert. Therefore I share a secret with you:
I love fleabitten grey horses...
When I first saw photos of Ansata Nile Pasha (Jamil x Ansata Nile Dream),
I was completely thrilled. He embodied an almost fairy-tale type of horse.
A small, dry head, wide forehead, huge eyes, small, delicate ears, a well-set
neck,
and clean legs. His topline was far from perfect but the icing on the cake was
his colour -
he was a flea-bitten grey!
In
1992 he competed at the prestigious Platinum Cup in Germany.
There he stood right in front of me, even more beautiful than on all photos.
Not a tall stallion when measured by inches but how huge he looked!
Always alert, always observing his surroundings, his neck proudly arched,
his ears pricked to an extent that their tips almost touched.
An outstanding tail carriage completed the picture.
Who won that Platinum Cup? I don't remember but it was not Ansata Nile Pasha.
He carried off a much bigger victory: the crowd simply loved and admired him,
he was their "King of Hearts".
Photo: Rik
van Lent
Emma Maxwell's memories of Ansata Nile Pasha are vivid:
"He arrived at our farm in August 1991. His American owners wanted to introduce
him to Europe
and to sell him. He arrived just in time for the last show at Harrogate/North
England.
Everybody was impressed by his type when he appeared, proud like a peacock.
Only one month later Nile Pasha won 'UK International Reserve Championship'
at another show,
where Ferdinand Huemer saw, and spontaneous bought him."
In April 1992, the stallion
was to be transferred to Ferdinand Huemer's farm in Austria,
however, previously he still covered 22 mares in England -
besides El Shaklan no other stallion was frequented to such an extent!
"During his stay, we have never seen Nile Pasha taking a step without his
tail raised
high in the air, walking around with a swagger, like a small, but very successful
pirate!
Furthermore, he was a pleasure to ride, with a perfectly arched neck and lots
of dynamic.
Like many straight Egyptians, he was quickly bored, unless he could help herding
the deer.
He definitely was not the most obedient horse I have ever met,
but I enjoyed the time with him and I hope, he too."
After his move to the European continent, Ansata Nile
Pasha was in the focus
of the breeders' attention. Letters, telephone calls, and faxes reached Ferdinand
Huemer
with the expressed desire to breed to this stallion.
But all too soon breeders in Europe had the impression that Ansata Nile Pasha
fell short of expectations as a sire.
Actually, there are only a few outstanding foals of him.
Without a doubt, the exquisite mare A Little Passion (out of Bint El Sanaa)
outshines all others.
Photo: Carola
Toischel
A Little Passion
All of a sudden Ansata Nile Pasha disappeared from the
public eye when he was sold to France in 1996.
However, his image stayed with those who had seen him....
One of the breeders who could not forget Ansata Nile Pasha was Sheikh Abdulaziz
Bin Khaled Al Thani.
Several attempts to buy the stallion for his Al Rayyan Farm in Qatar had failed
-
until January 2004, when he finally succeeded!
At the end of January Ansata Nile Pasha left Europe, accompanied by his daughter
A Little Passion.
The
news of the export of a twenty-years-old horse into the Orient
caused contrary reactions (especially in the internet).
One side was enthusiastic about Nile Pasha's new chances with the exquisite
mares in Qatar.
The other side condemned the sale of such an old stallion. And even though Ansata
Nile Pasha
did not breed any mares during the last three years in France,
now that he left the country many regretted their hesitation...
Photo: Carola
Toischel
Now it is mid February, six o'clock in the morning. I
have just arrived in Doha/Qatar
to attend the International Show. The sky is postcard blue, it's hot here and
I can smell the salty scent ot the sea.
As soon as I approach the Al Rayyan stud I ask to see Ansata Nile Pasha. Yussef,
his groom, kindly
presents him to me and once again the proud stallion shows his "pirate"
attitude.
Of course, he looks a little bit skinny after the long journey and he has lost
some pigmentation
above his eyes but his radiant beauty and charisma still works after all this
years - it's pure magic!
He surveyes his new kingdom and looks as if he was born right here in this country.
Obviously the change of climate and continent wasn't a problem for him at all.
Photo: Carola
Toischel
During my
stay in Qatar I often had the possibility to visit with him
and I can assure you he has not lost his friendly attitude and lovely disposition
and still loves to be in the center of attention.
I was completely smitten by him. Well, it was an easy task for him:
You already know that I love fleabitten greys...
This
feature was brought to you in April 2004 by:
www.straightEgyptians.com
All rights reserved.