Mesaoud
Encyclopedia
Mesaoud, an Arabian
stallion, foaled 1887, was one of the foundation sires of the Crabbet Arabian Stud
in England
. Bred in Egypt by Ali Pasha Sherif
, he was imported to England by Wilfred and Lady Anne Blunt
in 1891. He is recognized as an Al Khamsa
Arabian, with verifiable lineage tracing to the Bedouin
of the desert.
He was a chestnut
stallion
with brilliant white markings
, noted for his correct conformation, good Arabian type and powerful build. His markings
included a blaze, three full stockings with a right front partial stocking, and slight roaning to the body with scattered white spots on the body and on the head under the chin and jowl. The body white suggests that he had sabino
genetics, and he is thought to be a primary source for that coloration when it appears in Arabians today.
during 1888-1889. They finally completed the purchase of him as a two year old, along with the stallion Merzuk and the mare Khatila. In the two year period before being shipped to England, he ran in the Cairo Eclipse Stakes at Ghezireh, which covered a distance of over a mile and a half. Victim of a bad start, he finished seventh out of ten horses.
In England, Mesaoud was used both as a riding horse and as a sire, with over 100 known purebred Arabian offspring recorded. He was also shown in 1896, 1897, and 1898 at the Crystal Palace Horse Show, taking first place each time.
. Therefore, Mesaoud was eventually sold to Wladislas Kliniewski for 240 guineas in July 1903, and shortly thereafter was exported to Russia
by Count Sergei Aleksandrovich Stroganov, where he lived for the remainder of his life at the site of the present day Tersk Stud
. Mesaoud's exact fate is unknown, but it is believed that none of the Stroganov horses survived the Russian Revolution.
One of his most famous sons was Astraled, who sired a number of foals in England before being imported to the United States
by Lothrop Ames of Massachusetts in 1909. Astraled was used in Oregon as a Remount sire for crossbred working horses. Astraled then went to live with W.R. Brown in 1923, where he sired his last foal crop, which included his best-known son, Gulastra.
One of Mesaoud's descendants, the mare
Rissalma, was imported by the Tersk Stud
of the former Soviet Union
in 1936 and produced the famous Russian-bred stallion Priboj. His grandson, the Astraled son Sotamm, was sold to Egypt, thus returning the Mesaoud bloodline to its nation of origin. Sotamm's great-grandson Nazeer is one of the most famous horses in the "Egyptian" line of pedigrees. Nazeer's son Aswan
was exported from Egypt to Tersk in 1963, thus reintroducing the bloodlines of Mesaoud to Russia from yet another source.
Mesaoud's descendants are found worldwide and he appears in the pedigree of over 90% of all Arabian horses in the world today.
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
stallion, foaled 1887, was one of the foundation sires of the Crabbet Arabian Stud
Crabbet Arabian Stud
The Crabbet Arabian Stud, also known as the Crabbet Park Stud, was a horse breeding farm established on 2 July 1878 when the first Arabian horses brought to England by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and Lady Anne Blunt arrived at Crabbet Park, their estate in Sussex...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Bred in Egypt by Ali Pasha Sherif
Ali Pasha Sherif
Ali Pasha Sherif was an Egyptian government official and a renowned breeder of Arabian horses during the late 19th century.-Family Background:...
, he was imported to England by Wilfred and Lady Anne Blunt
Lady Anne Blunt
Anne Isabella Noel Blunt, née King-Noel, 15th Baroness Wentworth , known for most of her life as Lady Anne Blunt, was co-founder, with her husband the poet Wilfrid Scawen Blunt, of the Crabbet Arabian Stud. The two married on 8 June 1869...
in 1891. He is recognized as an Al Khamsa
Al Khamsa
"Al Khamsa" is an Arabic term that is applied to specific Bedouin bloodlines of the Arabian horse. It roughly translates to "the five."The legend of Al Khamsa refers to the five favorite horses of the prophet Muhammad. According to this folklore, Mohammed denied his mares water for three days as a...
Arabian, with verifiable lineage tracing to the Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
of the desert.
He was a chestnut
Chestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
with brilliant white markings
Horse markings
Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse's life...
, noted for his correct conformation, good Arabian type and powerful build. His markings
Horse markings
Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse's life...
included a blaze, three full stockings with a right front partial stocking, and slight roaning to the body with scattered white spots on the body and on the head under the chin and jowl. The body white suggests that he had sabino
Sabino horse
Sabino is a group of white spotting patterns in horses that affect the skin and hair. A wide variety of irregular color patterns are accepted as sabino. In the strictest sense, "sabino" refers to the white patterns produced by the Sabino 1 gene, for which there is a DNA test...
genetics, and he is thought to be a primary source for that coloration when it appears in Arabians today.
Background
The Blunts purchased Mesaoud in protracted negotiations with the aging Ali Pasha SherifAli Pasha Sherif
Ali Pasha Sherif was an Egyptian government official and a renowned breeder of Arabian horses during the late 19th century.-Family Background:...
during 1888-1889. They finally completed the purchase of him as a two year old, along with the stallion Merzuk and the mare Khatila. In the two year period before being shipped to England, he ran in the Cairo Eclipse Stakes at Ghezireh, which covered a distance of over a mile and a half. Victim of a bad start, he finished seventh out of ten horses.
In England, Mesaoud was used both as a riding horse and as a sire, with over 100 known purebred Arabian offspring recorded. He was also shown in 1896, 1897, and 1898 at the Crystal Palace Horse Show, taking first place each time.
Legacy
Over time, his bloodline became a part of nearly every breedable mare at Crabbet, and thus he could not be used at the stud without the risk of inbreedingInbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
. Therefore, Mesaoud was eventually sold to Wladislas Kliniewski for 240 guineas in July 1903, and shortly thereafter was exported to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
by Count Sergei Aleksandrovich Stroganov, where he lived for the remainder of his life at the site of the present day Tersk Stud
Tersk Stud
The Tersk Stud was officially established on February 11, 1921, on the orders of Marshal Semyon Budyonny. The breeding farm was used to restore the Russian horse population, which suffered heavy losses during the Russian Revolution.- Early history :...
. Mesaoud's exact fate is unknown, but it is believed that none of the Stroganov horses survived the Russian Revolution.
One of his most famous sons was Astraled, who sired a number of foals in England before being imported to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Lothrop Ames of Massachusetts in 1909. Astraled was used in Oregon as a Remount sire for crossbred working horses. Astraled then went to live with W.R. Brown in 1923, where he sired his last foal crop, which included his best-known son, Gulastra.
One of Mesaoud's descendants, the mare
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
Rissalma, was imported by the Tersk Stud
Tersk Stud
The Tersk Stud was officially established on February 11, 1921, on the orders of Marshal Semyon Budyonny. The breeding farm was used to restore the Russian horse population, which suffered heavy losses during the Russian Revolution.- Early history :...
of the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1936 and produced the famous Russian-bred stallion Priboj. His grandson, the Astraled son Sotamm, was sold to Egypt, thus returning the Mesaoud bloodline to its nation of origin. Sotamm's great-grandson Nazeer is one of the most famous horses in the "Egyptian" line of pedigrees. Nazeer's son Aswan
Aswan (horse)
Aswan , originally named Raafat in Egypt. Aswan was a highly influential grey Egyptian-bred Arabian stallion who stood at the Tersk Stud in Russia...
was exported from Egypt to Tersk in 1963, thus reintroducing the bloodlines of Mesaoud to Russia from yet another source.
Mesaoud's descendants are found worldwide and he appears in the pedigree of over 90% of all Arabian horses in the world today.