I thought I would share with you the stories of the Great Straight Egyptian Stallion *Talal since he is a great, great grandparent of Rose. When I first read these articles by Sara Loken about this great horse and his life before being imported to America and ending up living with Jim Kline (Kline Arabians), it sparked something in me. And began the wonderful journey that changed my life forever. And over the years I have watched the many generations and have seen the continuous of this great bloodline in the foals that grace this farm.
Here is *Talal (Nazeer x Zafaarana ). He was the grandson of the great Arabian race horse Balance. He was imported to American at the age of 10 and lived until he was 27 years old. *Talal ran in over forty races, won six, placed in 27 and retired totally sound. Also winning several halter championships after his importation, he was National Top Ten at the age of 12. Talal was a magnificent horse, very athletic, with a long neck. Considered by many to be the finest of Nazeer’s sons in the States.
Quotes from Sara Loken Article:
EGYPT REMEMBERED, Arabian Horse World, June 1980
“After four years of racing, *TALAL went into training for dancing horse competition, a skill which can be brutal in its excessive restraint. We were told that “some Arabians will die before they will dance” and *TALAL was one of those. For this reason, the owner allowed us to buy him.
“Almost a year after he came to us, a regional dancing horse competition was held at our stable. The flute and drum orchestra sat against the outside wall of the high-walled manege, where *TALAL was cooling down after a ride. We noticed the spectators gravitating to the manege and looking into it with interest. Curious, we went over to see what was going on. Inside, *TALAL, “the horse that would never dance,” alone and free in the large arena, was dancing to the music, proudly and with deep concentration."
“After four years of racing, *TALAL went into training for dancing horse competition, a skill which can be brutal in its excessive restraint. We were told that “some Arabians will die before they will dance” and *TALAL was one of those. For this reason, the owner allowed us to buy him.
“Almost a year after he came to us, a regional dancing horse competition was held at our stable. The flute and drum orchestra sat against the outside wall of the high-walled manege, where *TALAL was cooling down after a ride. We noticed the spectators gravitating to the manege and looking into it with interest. Curious, we went over to see what was going on. Inside, *TALAL, “the horse that would never dance,” alone and free in the large arena, was dancing to the music, proudly and with deep concentration."
“*TALAL bred BINT GHAZALAH , and I rode him after each servicing to cool him down and also to remind him that our relationship was not to be forgotten, despite the mare’s charms.
“Some weeks later, *TALAL decided he must see BINT GHAZALAH again. He dithered a bit as we passed her stable and then, without further ado, planted his feet firmly and refused to budge, like the proverbial Egyptian mule. Since we were in full view of the tea tables of the stable, we were soon surrounded by horsepeople of all nationalities and traditions. “Hit him on the nose,” “Hit him on the legs,” “Twist his tail,” “Set a fire under him,” and so forth. *TALAL comprehended that further efforts would ensue and made his own decision: he performed a Bedouin warhorse movement which is written in the old literature – he rose in a high rear and spun on his hind legs, sending me off into the dirt. With me disposed of, he stood and called for BINT GHAZAHAH.
“I mounted him again, leaned forward and whispered the Arabic word for “please” in his ear. “Midfadlak!” The tension in his body melted, and I pressed my legs against his sides and whispered “Midfadlak!” again. And off we strolled.
“Some weeks later, my husband and I went on leave, and one of Egypt’s finest horsemen (accustomed primarily to foreign horses, not Arabians) offered to ride *TALAL and solve the problem of the vigil for BINT GHAZALAH . When we returned from holiday, I quickly heard from everyone that he had experienced the same equine solidification problem but, with his expert knowledge and experience, had solved the problem easily. I could hardly wait to learn his method.
“When I saw my friend, he told me all the techniques he had used which hadn’t worked. “Well” I asked, “what did work?” In a burst of chagrined honesty, he replied, “This is ridiculous….I whispered “midfadlak” as you told me!
It was the only thing that worked!”
