Baasha's 25th

April 22, 1985. I was 14 and just falling in love with Arabian horses. Baasha was being born to Sheriffa* and Amir Ibn Sakr**, son of Sakr***. I was in South Park, Seattle (WA), and Baasha was in Auburn, WA. Three years later we met. That was 1988.

April 22nd he turned 25. I said, "Oh, my son, I know what it feels like to be 25. I really thought I was grown up! But now I'm not sure I'm grown up at 38."

He loved his baked apple strudel, I will buy him one every year!




There it is in the oven. We waited til it was cool, of course. Oh, but I have to admit. We sampled it. It was much better than the last one!




And now a little of Baasha's history.


*Sheriffa was his mother. I knew her personally while she was still alive. She and Baasha spent many years together, even as adults, as I boarded him with her. I have this precious picture of them both licking snow off of a stump, and they look like twins, her mane being only a shade lighter, and her nose had a little pink. She was also a tad shorter. Alas, I have no picture of Sheriffa in digital form and all my actual photos are in America. I wish I could look at them.

**Amir Ibn Sakr -- I had contact with the people who owned Baasha's father as they took him to Michigan. They were nice enough to send me a binder full of color photos of him before he died a few years ago. He looks JUST like Baasha.




***Sakr+++ was imported in utero from Egypt in the 70s to Gleannloch farms. (When I see a horse like this, I sometimes wonder where they put the saddle. I mean, on many Arabians, there is scant room for it.)











I saw his picture on a magazine cover before I ever dreamed of owning an Arabian of my own. Ok, I was just beginning to dream!



Now that I'm reminiscing, if anyone has info about the relatives of my horse, I'd love to know what happened to them after the dispersal. He's from a farm called Saarem al-Najma in Auburn, WA. The owner died a few years ago and I really wonder what happened to Baasha's brothers and sisters that I worked with and was enamored with as well. That was a long time ago, but could it be that Baasha is the only survivor? I hate it that the registry charges money to look up horses.

Anyway, Baasha looks better this year than last year, and that is a relief. I hope he has a great summer after the horrible winter of 2010 - 3 months of snowcover. He deserves it.