Throughout the history of the Arabian breed the straight Egyptian Arabian horse has always held an important position as a source of true type and refinement. Breeders Christie and Henry Metz, of Silver Maple Farm, are focused on preserving and perpetuating these bloodlines. Christie likens their efforts to the weaving of a tapestry. It is an incredibly intricate interlacing of many threads (which in Silver Maple’s case are represented by the individual horses in a pedigree) into a colorful and beautifully blended living Arabian horse. Following, Christie Metz describes this experience, in her own words.

Tapestries of Life
The straight Egyptian Arabian horses of Silver Maple Farm
As told by Christie Metz

For centuries, forward thinking horsemen took the horses from the desert and used them to create important breeding programs that are still valued today. Adding refinement and type through the use of a straight Egyptian stallion every two to three generations, thus ensuring that the horses never lose the straight Egyptian’s exclusive characteristics and breed defining traits, has been, and still is, a formula used in the most successful Arabian horse breeding programs.

The wisdom of this theory has been demonstrated time and time again by astute breeders who have chosen to use the straight Egyptian Arabian in Russian, Spanish, and Polish breeding programs, as well as at the Crabbet Stud in England.

The number of straight Egyptians has never been large, and today they represent only about two to four percent of the total Arabian horse population worldwide. Yet their influence is readily apparent. One does not have to look very far into an Arabian horse’s ancestry to see the name of a straight Egyptian. For these and many other reasons, not least of which is that the straight Egyptian Arabian horse has spoken most directly to our hearts, Henry and I have chosen to focus the breeding program at Silver Maple Farm on that most powerful of bloodlines. Our goal is to perpetuate these bloodlines and make them available for others to use as a means to strengthen and improve the breed.

The great straight Egyptian horses of the past still live in the pedigrees of our horses, bringing us both satisfaction and confidence in our program. Silver Maple Farm horses combine the best of “old” and new Egyptian breeding, through the early imports of Henry Babson such as *Bint Bint Sabbah and *Maaroufa. Others that have a significant influence in our program include the three original horses imported from Egypt by Don and Judith Forbis of Ansata Arabian Stud, *Ansata Ibn Halima, *Ansata Bint Mabrouka, and *Ansata Bint Zaafarana. The great Gleannloch horses imported from Egypt by breeders Douglas and Margaret Marshall, *Morafic, *Bint Maisa El Saghira, and *Magidaa are also primary components in our herd. Interestingly, all of these important foundation horses trace to the great EAO stallion Nazeer.

Majestic Noble SMF

The mare ancestry of our herd is vital to our goals. The Dahmah Shahwaniya substrain, which has become so important to us, has passed to us through the contributions of: Sabrah (Fabah x Serrasab), a dam, grandam, and great-grandam of champions; *Ansata Bint Bukra (Nazeer x Bukra), dam of the notable Ansata Rosetta (by Ansata Shah Zaman), and grandam of the widely acclaimed Ansata Halim Shah (by *Ansata IbnHalima); Falima (*Ansata Ibn Halima x Fa-Habba), founder of the lovely Nile family at Ansata; Nafairtiti (*Morafic x *Bint Maisa El Saghira), a full sister to the great progenitor Shaikh Al Badi; and others. All of these horses figure prominently in the pedigrees of the horses of Silver Maple Farm.

I am most drawn to things of natural beauty, balance, and grace. Over the years it became obvious to me that I was consistently attracted to the same type of horse because of their overall physical appearance, or phenotype. Surprisingly, these horses seemed to belong to a particular strain type, or family, of desert origin. The strain of an individual is traced through the dam’s or mother’s side. If you read a pedigree it is the last line on the dam’s side which is also known as the tail female line.

The strains that originated from the horses of the tribes of the Arabian desert were preserved in their purity through selective breeding. These families are the foundation of the straight Egyptian Arabian horses of today as defined by the Pyramid Society. Thus it is the straight Egyptian Arabian horse that is almost exclusively considered to be the purest source of these strains and family lines. However, after many generations of breeding, most straight Egyptian horses are now a blend of several of these strains. Interestingly, a horse may exhibit the physical traits of one particular strain which may not actually be their true strain, but which is the strain most prevalent in their pedigree. Thus, if a horse is Dahman in strain, yet the majority of the horses in its pedigree are Saqlawi, it is not surprising that the horse may be Saqlawi in its physica appearance.

Henry and I tend to like an elegant and upright horse with good movement. These are qualities most often associated with horses of the Dahman Shawan strain, a substrain of the Dahman strain. Current Silver Maple Farm horses that fit this description include our foundation mare Glorietasayonaara, her daughter Samura by Anaza El Farid, and her granddaughter from Samura, Bint Bint Sayo by Ali Saroukh. Also in this group are the Glorietasayonaara granddaughters Shaboura (PVA Kariim x Sahbine) and Sahbrina SMF (*Simeon Shai x Sahbine). Both of these granddaughters are out of our mare Sahbine (Ruminaja Ali x Glorietasayonaara), whom we lost in 2004. She too would fit into this group. The BB Thee Renegade daughter, Rebel Rose SMF, who gave us our first Majestic Noble SMF filly, is also in this group. In addition, we recently acquired for our program Ansata Nile Starlight (Ansata Osiron x Ansata Nile Starr) and Ansata Nariya (Ansata Hejazi x Ansata Neoma), also representatives of this substrain. Finally, our mares *Jasmine IASB (Imperial Imdal x Ansata Justina) and Jade Lotus SMF (Ali Saroukh x Imdals Jade) are of this substrain and fit the phenotypical description.

Bint Bint Sayo

Individuals of the Hadban Enzahi strain tend to have lighter body structure, but very good balance overall. They are also known for their very fine, dark skin and large eyes. Hadban Enzahiya mares owned by Silver Maple Farm include Simply Seductive (Raquin RA x Antigua Dance), Dance Diva (Raquin RA x Antigua Dance), and Ansata Haalah (Ansata Iemhotep x Hasbah).

Horses of the Kuhaylan strain are known to be larger-bodied and have more substance. They are powerful, but still refined. Our mare Tranquility Moon represents the Koheilah Rodaniyah strain, a Kuhaylan substrain, through her dam Hi-Fashion Hi-Tesa by El Hilal.

The art of Arabian horse breeding as we practice it is a never-ending creative process that weaves these strains and mare lines with their predominant phenotypes and genotypes to create the incredibly ethereal straight Egyptian Arabian horse into more than just a vision. The breeding selection process may be likened to the weaving of a tapestry. Having once been a weaver myself, I can identify with the process. Just as with weaving, an interlacing of many threads, the individual horses in a pedigree are blended to produce a living, breathing creature that is capable of interacting with humans on many levels. The resulting foal may become a companion, a riding partner in the showring or on a trail, a working cow horse, a racehorse, as well as a progenitor of the breed for the future. The Arabian horse is noted for versatility. In our opinion, there is an Arabian horse for anyone and a purpose for every Arabian horse.

Having a purpose is important — it gives meaning to our lives and that of our horses. Breeding horses that are improved with each generation is a challenge, and knowing that each foal Henry and I breed will touch someone’s heart and enhance their life gives us great satisfaction. With these thoughts in mind, we look forward to each foaling season. This year we have been especially blessed with the straight Egyptian fillies sired by our stallions and out of our mares. Each one is special and it seems that our equine family is growing in leaps and bounds — literally! We feel that with the 2004 and 2005 foals — the third and fourth generations of our breeding program here at Silver Maple Farm — we have found our purpose and our direction.

In 1989, if someone had said to me — “You will become an Arabian horse breeder focusing on the straight Egyptian Arabian. This will become an all-encompassing passion that will remain the center of your and your husband’s lives, long after your family is grown. Also, you will make two major moves — from the middle of the country to the East coast, and then to the West coast — all within a span of fifteen years. Friends will come into your lives from all over the world; they will become a second family of the heart, even though not of blood” — my first reaction would have been total disbelief. Nevertheless, that prediction would have been accurate. After roaming the greater expanse of the continental United States in search of the perfect environment to raise our Egyptian horses we believe that finding the Santa Ynez valley may be the end to our Bedouin lifestyle.

Shaboura

Henry and I have been involved in breeding Arabian horses for about fifteen years and have discovered that there is always more to learn, and every day brings new lessons. This knowledge also seems to be relevant in our personal lives. Most deeply felt is the realization of how much our lives are like these Arabian horse tapestries we try to weave. Our day-to-day experience has become a continuum of human lives that are inextricably interwoven — many because of these wonderful horses.

The fabric of our lives is one of unbelievable beauty because it is made up of relationships that are as close as a family created through our family of horses — relationships that are multicultural, global in scope and passionate about mutual goals. The common thread that binds us all together, that gives us strength and inspires our passion, dedication, and commitment is our love of this incredibly magical, mystical creature — the Arabian horse.

The breeding of the Arabian horse is considered by many to be a science and indeed there are many scientific aspects to it. However, it is when a newborn foal takes its first breath or takes its first steps or nurses for the first time that the hand of the Almighty is most tenderly felt. From Him all goodness flows. So, it is the beauty of the moment, the goodness of the spirit, the purity of the love that tells us we are indeed doing His work here on earth and that this is a very good thing.