A French Affair Article supplied by Michelle Terry of Djewel Arabian Sporthorses Since the time of Napoleon Arabians figured prominently in French horses, partly for their improving influence on native light horse stock for the cavalry as well as draft stock such as the famed Percheron. Legends abound about Napoleon’s famous Arabian stallion Marengo, bought in Egypt, the horse that carried him through so many successful battles. The racing sport of Kings also enjoyed Arabian influence. Much of the purebred Arabian horse breeding in France developed long ago from expeditions to bring back numerous desert bred horses. Early French-bred Arabian stock also became an important part of Spanish, Polish and Russian breeding programmes to the point that nearly all of the Polish and Russian breeding programmes carry French-bred ancestors. However, France’s long-standing interest in horse racing would eventually influence Arabian breeding in that country to the point that today France is a valued source of racing bloodlines for Arabian racing enthusiasts the world over.
A Quick History of the French Arabian The pure French Arabian established its beginnings over one hundred years ago (much the same as breeding programmes did in Poland, Great Britain etc.) with the importation of Desert stock from which there were many different types of Arabians to choose from. Carl Raswan, author and scholar of Arabian bloodlines, listed twenty-one different strains. In choosing their Arabians the French took a different route from the rest of Europe and chose for racing alone. Denouste is probably the most recognizable French Arabian name as it appears in quite a few Polish and Russian pedigrees. Upon analyzing his pedigree, we find his desert ancestors to be as follows: Seglawi Djedran, Seglawi Dhabri, Hamdani, Hamdani, Seglawi Djedran, Munighi, Kuhailan, Jilfan, Hadban and Meleke. The point is that this horse's lines are all from recognizable desert strains and it is most likely that all French Arabians are descended in a similar way. With that in mind, how is it then that they look so different from Simeon Shai for example? The answer is very simple. For one hundred years the French, without government agendas, bred their Arabians exclusively to race. In doing this, so-called "type" may have been lost, but this type is a superficial aspect of the breed and only applies to nine of the listed strains. Our lust for superficial beauty has caused the systematic breeding away from some plain but extremely useful and athletic Arabians. The French did not make this same mistake. Look at it with an open mind and you may realize that an entire gene pool is out there, pure in blood, but different in purpose. Arabian racing is the largest growth area in the Arabian industry (possibly the entire racing Industry).
About Djehlbi Djehlbi (pron. Jell Bee) was bred by us in South West France and imported when we moved back to NZ in December 2006. Djehlbi's dam, Djelica was bred at the Haras National de Pau-Gelos, the stud that Napoleon Bonaparte founded to breed and train his Arab war horses. Djelica is granddaughter to a famous Arabian race stallion, Manganate, whose progeny dominates the stables of Shadwell Arabians in the UK and Umm Qarn Farm. His sire, Dehlbi, stood at the national stud of Tarbes and carries top endurance bloodlines with Straight Spanish on one side and primarily Egyptian bloodlines on the other.
ARABIANZ July/August 2013
Djehlbi will be on display at the Cambridge Stallion Parade on Sunday 25 August 2013.
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