Al Najma, part 2

What wonderful representatives of working horses.

Ovid's grandfathers are Prince FA Moniet and Ruminaja Ali --horses I always adored and I had taped up on my bedroom wall in the 80s. I was just a suburban kid just dreaming at that point in time.

The owner was happy to know I recognized his horses' family.


I wanted to see the younger mares and my goodness has the pasture been good to them. Even the geldings look pregnant. Mare after mare was presented, and they were lovely.

I asked to see their other herd stallion, out of curiosity.

We went to the fields and he started calling for him. Finally we heard galloping hooves as the other stallion paid us a costly visit (it cost him time away from the guardianship of his herd of mares in the next field).

The other stallion, Ali Schamal, is a red roan Arabian. What a great rare color. 15 years old and gorgeous, the only Arab on the place with "color": )

He's torn between the mares and the humans who want to look at him.

I did not like his hind end angulation as much as Ovid's (he seemed more of a show horse and less a work horse) but he was still amazing and so friendly to his owner.

But he's not light boned, he has some substance.

I loved that they turn the two stallions out every other day in this big field in the middle of two mare fields. This explains why they are dirty, beat up, and fit. As I was there I watched the roan stallion run back and forth from mare pasture to mare pasture, just keeping everything in his control: ) But still, when the man called the stallion, he left the mares and came to us.

I asked to see a gelding and had to walk many pastures to see one, turned out with a young stallion who was watching Ali Schamal and even neighing challengingly at him. These are the owner's daughters, helping their father by gathering horses for me to look at and photograph. We called and called and finally 2 horses appeared on the hillside.

See how different this is from the last barn, where horses were turned out, but they did not *live* outside like at Al Najma. We have to seek horses, and wait for horses here.: )

The gelding did not like me at all. I'd never seen such a clear "no" from a horse. As if he knew what was going on, that I might take him away. I chose to take the time as a training opportunity for the shy one. His owner and the daughters did not seem to mind as I stood there and told the horse about his future, which might include veterinarians who have much worse things than cameras. I picked up the gelding's hoof but he soon jumped away from me. The owner did it again, obviously also using this training opportunity. The gelding was suffering the whole time, he couldn't stand that I was looking at him, a stranger, even though my arms were at my sides. I would move in and rub his shoulder and chest and then I'd back away again. I said "OK enough torture for your gelding!" and the man laughed. Strangely, the gelding followed us to the gate and looked as friendly as can be after we let him go.

I saw a broodmare and I liked her. They said the gave her a shot yesterday to make her come into heat so they can breed her again the next day.

These horses were mostly Ansata lines, all straight Egyptian. All grey, all rather small, but really nice. Their faces were all precious. I couldn't choose between them.

They live outside all year with run-ins and even the stallions are out every other day. In this photo you can see one of the little booklets that the owner had for each horse - it's the registration, pedigree, and vaccination/medical history in one. Baasha does not have one of these, he's American: )

They were dirty, but their hooves were all great - I mean amazingly healthy considering we live in the same climate and I battle thrush constantly. I was in awe of every hoof I picked up - and I picked up many.

They grind their own oats here. I love that.

The two riding mares were 4500 Euros each. I think that is very fair considering their straight egyptian line and that they are both under saddle, and one having done endurance. As I look at these pics I'm impressed at what good riders these little girls are.

But the legs of Ophelia worry me. Do you see it?


Well, from the front you can see a big deviation in the line of the RF leg, but from this view you can see the hooves were too far in front of the leg. I know this is very common, but in my experience it leads to tripping. Mrs. Mom will attest. (Oddly, I did not notice this in person, only in photos. Just shows me how untrained my eyes are.)

So I like Medina better, conformationally, and her legs are better, although high in the hocks. Oh, but she's only 148 cm.(Baasha is 150- my man and I measured him the very minute I arrived home. It's good to know German horse measurements. (150cm is 15 hands. Apparently Baasha needed shoes to be 15.1)

I really like this stable - a natural horse habitat with happy calm horses. Here is the stallion again, I zoomed in on him from a distance to see him self-exercising between the mares.

Check out this winter run-in. All of this has rubber mat flooring, totally unheard of in Germany. Most farms have concrete.

This is another winter hall for housing horses. All rubber mats. I kept telling them how much I appreciate that, since no one else seems to be doing it (not even the fancy show jumper barn I took lessons at).

I like the owner and his kids (I spent some time talking to them, asking them who their favorites are).

Because he is in my state, and does endurance, I want to remain in touch even if I don't buy a horse from him.

I sent him a nice email tonight inquiring about Medina (the "white" mare with the better legs). I simply would like to know why he chose to not start her in endurance, when IMO her legs are stronger.

I hope to hear back.