of the items. The letters make for quite entertaining reading as Lady Wentworth is quite particular, and there is much back and forth about the angles of photography. At one point she mentions The Godolphin .. “The Godolphin Arabian, by the way, was not a Barb. Lord Godolphin’s own stud book shows him to be an Arabian and we know from Omas (?) Pasha that his strain was Jilfau (?). He was imported in 1730 by W(?) Leicester’s brother...” Some pieces of interest from the items were the teeth on Dyoll Starlight. Having read Lady Wentworth’s section on dental care in The Authentic Arabian Horse I was thoroughly surprised on the very poor condition of his teeth with what seemed to be a complete lack of dental management. Having said that, the stallion was aged 36 at the time of death! In correspondence Lady Wentworth writes “Champion Starlight ... This famous pony is the foundation of the best type of Welsh Trotting Miniatures. Height 11.2hh.” RIGHT (TOP): Left to Right: Skull of 5-month-old filly (Skowronek x Nasira), skull of 9-month-old Arabian colt, skull of Skowronek, skull of Anglo, skull of Jerboa H.11, skull of Bint Nura, skull of Risala, and skull of Dwarka. Photo: Jessie Preece (reprinted with permission of the British Natural History Museum). RIGHT (MIDDLE): Skin of Arabian stallion Skowronek. Photo: Jessie Preece (reprinted with permission of the British Natural History Museum). RIGHT (BOTTOM): Risala. Photo: Jessie Preece (reprinted with permission of the British Natural History Museum). BELOW: Images from Crabbet Park.
28 THE AUSTRALIAN ARABIAN HORSE NEWS
To end the day I had the crowning experience: I got to stroke Skowronek. It was a truly bizarre experience. I was taken up stairs to the area where the hides were stored and, after a warning to take care because the hides would have been preserved with tanning solutions containing Arsenic, the hides of Ajjam and Skowronek were unrolled on the floor in front of the lift. Yes, he still glows. Even in that setting, in poor light with people having to step around as they exited the
lift, the quality of his coat was clear. I was pleased to see that his tail was still there, giving the option of genetic testing in the future. Leaving the quiet of the collections and stepping back into reality was a bit of a shock; I wanted to think quietly and process the things I had seen. Unfortunately it was school holidays and I was shown straight back into the middle of the museum which was mayhem!