November Member Spotlight
THE FANTASTIC JOURNEY.
For Marilyn Lang, the event that marked the birth of FANTASIA ARABIANS is forever etched as a clear, distinct and indelible memory. It was a fall day in 1973 when Phil and Marilyn visited the breeding farm of Robert E. Cowling, then a prominent and knowledgeable breeder of Straight Egyptian Arabians in the USA. During that visit, Marilyn was taken by a pretty weanling colt born out of the beautiful and refined *Ansata Ibn Halima daughter, Bint Fa Dena. The colt, whose name was Fa Daalim, was sired by the Straight Babson, Daaldan, a handsome chestnut stallion of striking dignity and presence. Both full siblings of the colt were chestnut like their sire, and although he was still in his foal coat, Marilyn assumed that the weanling would be chestnut as well. The Lang's purchased little Fa Daalim that day, having no idea that by the following spring the little muddy-coated weanling would disappear, leaving in his place an elegant young stallion with a shimmering coat as black as midnight. Fa Daalim was now the core of the Lang's breeding program...and together they set out on an incredibly magical journey -- a fantasia, that would last a lifetime.
They were the early "golden years" of Arabian horse breeding in the USA, recalls Marilyn Lang. Fabulous horses had been imported from Egypt during the previous few decades and some breeders had already established a signature "type" or kind. Early on, Marilyn found herself consistently drawn to a certain combination of breeding elements which married the old with the new -- the Ansata/Babson cross and the Ansata//Babson/Sirecho cross. To her eye, this was the perfect recipe...a reliable formula upon which to build their own signature look. There could be no compromising here -- Fantasia Arabians would have to reflect Marilyn's phenotype ideal; exceptional physical beauty, refinement, elegance, extreme breed type, conformational correctness, flawless temperament and outstanding athletic ability. It was a challenging goal, but in viewing the horses of Fantasia today, thirty six years after Fa Daalim came home with Marilyn and Phil, there can be no doubt that it is a goal fulfilled.
Over the years, Fa Daalim's role as herd sire has been shared by two stallions who have had a profound impact on the Fantasia breeding program -- both of them magnificent *Ansata Ibn Halima sons. They were; AK Sirhalima (the 1972 black stallion out of Sirhabba) and Halim El Mansour (1979 bay stallion out of RDM Maar Hala). Every great breeding program is founded upon superb broodmares, and this certainly applies to the Fantasia foundation mares. Particularly notable are two exquisite Ansata El Sherif daughters; Fa Sherifaa (1985 flea bitten gray mare out of Faserrabba) and SF Khala Zahra (1984 flea bitten gray mare out of Sabrah). Both of these mares contributed to the Fantasia program, the blood of the much revered Egyptian matriarch, Ansata Bint Bukra. When bred to AK Sirhalima and Halim El Mansour, these two Ansata El Sherif daughters produced breathtaking prodigy. According to Marilyn, their daughters "accelerated our program ahead by light years".
"Its amazing how much one horse can be so influential for generation after generation", she continues. "While Khala Zahra has now gone on to greener pastures and left but one daughter for us, that daughter has produced four incredible daughters of her own -- two by Halim El Mansour one by Sir Habas Pasha and one by FA Halii Halim. The FA Halii Halim daughter has been sold to a new breeder in France, Catherine Zug. It is thrilling to consider how this wonderful blood may now go on to impact the breeding of Arabian horses on another continent." As Marilyn goes on to speak of the lovely Fa Sherifaa, it is with the affection and deep appreciation for an old and loving friend: "Fa Sherifaa will be 25 years young next spring. Her beauty still gives me goose bumps as I watch her grazing in our pastures. She is the matriarch of Fantasia Arabians and we hope to have her with us for many years to come."
Halim El Mansour was the full brother to El Halimaar, and since about 2004, the Langs have focused on crossing their Halim El Mansour daughters with their El Halimaar son, Fa Halii Halim (out of Fa Sherifaa). "This cross has provided everything we have strived for in our 36 years of breeding Straight Egyptian Arabians. Next year we will try some out-crossing with some of the newer Egyptian stallions being bred today. Many of the new Egyptian stallions carry Ansata lines, so we are, in a manner of speaking, coming full circle -- what is old is new again", explains Marilyn, "We have been producing, and will continue to produce, Straight Egyptian horses with large, luminous black eyes, small tipped-in ears, slender muzzles with fine skin and large nostrils, tails set high and flowing like fountains up and away from the body, clean throat latches, necks originating high in the chest and well sprung rib cages." She continues, "We also ride most of our horses so good legs and proper movement are paramount. During a recent trip to Egypt, I was most impressed with how well the horses being bred there today move both in front and behind."
Marilyn and Phil Lang have been attending the Egyptian Event regularly since its inception, and Marilyn describes it as "...the Mecca for lovers and breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabians in the USA. One whole glorious week with some of the most beautiful Egyptian Arabian horses in the world, much akin to a kid spending a whole week in a candy store." Reflecting further on her thoughts about the Egyptian Event, Marilyn goes on to say, "Without the formation of the Pyramid Society, I doubt that the Straight Egyptian Arabian horse would exist in the numbers in which it exists today. All breeders of Straight Egyptian bloodlines benefit as a result of the Pyramid Society's continued efforts towards education and preservation. We nominate foals every year for the Futurity, have participated in the EBC auction and have exhibited many of our Straight Egyptian horses at the Egyptian Event over the years. We will continue to offer our support for this important organization, in the hopes that the Straight Egyptian Arabian will never again risk becoming as close to extinction as they did some forty years ago."
"Last but not least amongst those things for which I am grateful to the Pyramid Society, are all of the wonderful friendships which have been forged over the past two decades. Many of those friendships have given us all a better understanding and tolerance for the variety of bloodline and type preferences within the Egyptian Arabian horse breeding community. In my humble opinion, there is no room for personal prejudice within the Pyramid Society definition of what constitutes an Egyptian Arabian horse...which is, after all, one of the oldest and purest of all equines. Recognizing all of the hard work that the Pyramid Society has done and continues to do, to honor and preserve these fabulous creatures to whom we have devoted so much of our lives, we look forward to being a small part of their efforts for many years to come."
