| WAHO Investigation and Inspection of the Additional Horses Submitted by the Syrian Stud Book Authorities. 23 – 29 July 2002 |
REPORT OF THE WAHO INVESTIGATION AND INSPECTION COMMITTEE VISIT TO
SYRIA, JULY 2002
WAHO Inspection
& Investigation Committee Members
Dr. Hans Nagel, Vice-President of WAHO
(Chairman)
Mr. Basil Jadaan, Executive Committee Member (Advisor & Pedigree Expert)
Dr. Abu Bakre El Arifi, Executive Committee
Member
Mrs. Val Bunting, Executive Committee Member
Katrina Murray, WAHO Executive Secretary
OFFICIAL
REPRESENTATION IN SYRIA
This investigation was accomplished with the
direct assistance of the following officials of the Syrian Ministry of Agriculture
and Agrarian Reform, together with officials of the Syrian Arabian Horse
Bureau, officials of the regional Ministry Directorates in the Provinces,
members of the Arabian Horse Care Committee, and members of the Syrian
Equestrian Federation. To all of them
we extend our sincere thanks.
Arabian Horse Care Committee
President of Committee:
H.E. The Minister of Agriculture, Professor Dr. Nour Elddin Mona
Vice President of Committee:
H.E. Mr. Hassan Ibrahim
Committee Members:
Mr Mohammed Al Wadi (Director of Horse Bureau)
Mr. Basil Jadaan; Sheikh Hassan
Al Nassif; Mr. Moustafa Al-Jabri;
Mr. Mohammed Abed Suleiman Al-Rhayel; Mr. Fayed Darwish;
Mr. Adnan Al-Khani; Mr. Mohammad Hisham Al-Ghorieb;
Mr. Mohammed Mohammed
Field Investigation Committee to
survey previously non-registered Arabian Horses in The Syrian Arab Republic:
Eng. Amin Al Zarqan Arab Horses Bureau Chief
Replaced due to ill health by
Eng. Mr. Ghayath Al-Shayeb Chief
Eng. Hisham Al Khani Arab Horses
Bureau Member
Eng. Haitham Daia Arab Horses Bureau Member
Head of Horses Section at Directorates of Agriculture (Mohafada) Member
Representatives of Farmers Union
(Mohafada) Member
Arabian Horse Specialist at the Governorates (Mohafada) Member
Member of the Arabian Horse Committee at the Ministry of
Agriculture Member
Local experts:
Directorate Name Names of Local
Experts
Dara’a Sedki Al Zourekat Hasan
Raji Al Naasan
Aleppo Kamal Abdel Khaleq Radwan
Shabarek
Damascus Fayek Al Hakeem Nader
Karkoush
Homs Ahmad Ghalyoun Fawaz
Al Rajab
Deir Ezzor Eklah Al Hanshoul Shaker
Saleh Mahmoud
Tartous Charbel Farah Farah Awni Al Mokadam
Qunietra Tahan Mahmmoud Tahan Ghaleb Albakari
Hama Mohammed Al Khani Akram
Taifour
Idleb Hasan Al Nairabi Mohammed
Gouma’a Soultan
Al Hasaka Farhan Al Bello Najem
Abdullah Elhemiari
Latakia Mohammad Mohammad Nawaf Fadel King
Sweida Daher Al Shaeer Souleman
Alabdullah
Al Raqah Ahmed Homolat Elmatar
Rebuttal Committee
President of Committee: HE
Minister of Agriculture, Prof. Dr. Nour Elddin Mona
Dr. Mostapha Boulad
Mr. Mohammed Al-Wadi
Mr. Ameen bin Mahmood Al Zarqan
Mr. Basil Jadaan
Mr. Moustafa Al-Jabri
Mr. Adnan Al-Khani
Sheikh Hassan Al Nassif
Eng. Mr. Ghayath Al-Shayeb
and the Heads of the Arabian Horse Divisions in the Provinces
In particular, during the visit of the WAHO
Investigation and Inspection Committee, we were accompanied and assisted by the
following people to whom we extend our additional thanks.
Mr. Mohammad Al Wadi Director,
Syrian Arabian Horse Bureau
Eng. M. Ghayath Al-Shayab Head
of Field Investigation team
Mr. Waleed Khazna Registry Official
Mr. Mohammed Abed Suleiman Al-Rhayel Regional
Manager, Al Hassaka
Mr. Adnan Al-Khani Head
of Syrian Equestrian Federation
Mr. Isam Haj Hasan Translator
DIARY OF EVENTS
· Tuesday 23 July
Visit to stables of private breeder Mr. Mahmoud Al Anzarouti, Damascus
Wednesday 24 July
Meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Prof. Dr. Nour Elddin Mona
Visit to the Arabian Horse Bureau (Registry Office) – Damascus
Visit to stables of private breeder Mr. Mohammad Hamsho, Damascus
Visit to stables of private breeder Mr. Sami Al Attar, Damascus
Visit to The Centre of Martyr Basil Hafez Al-Assad of Asil Arabian
Horses (Syrian Arabian State Stud), Damascus
Visit to stables of private breeder Mr. Mohammad Sa'eed Al-Za'eem,
Arabian Horse Information Centre, Damascus.
· Thursday 25 July
Flew to Al Qamishli, Al Jazirah Province
Morning Visit to Al Sheikh Muhamad Abdull Razaq Al Ta’ai, Al Qamishli
Noon Visit to Al Sheikh Mezer Ojail Abdull Kareem, Shammar, Al Hassaka
Evening Visit to Al Sheikh Hemed Al-Daham Al Jarba, Shammar, Al Qamishli
Discussions with tribal elders and horse historians regarding the
history in Syria of the Bedouin tribes and their horses, with particular
reference to strains.
· Friday 26 July
Flew back to Damascus
Meeting of WAHO Inspection & Investigation Committee
Visited Al Sahra Stables of private breeder Mr. Hisham Al Ghorieb,
Damascus
Meeting with members of Arabian Horse Bureau and Investigation Committee
· Saturday 27 July
Dr. Hans-J. Nagel departed for Germany
Meeting at Arabian Horse Bureau
Visited stables of private breeder Mr Saleh Khaddam Al Srouji, Damascus
Drove to Aleppo.
Meeting with Mr. Mustafa Al Jabri, Arabian horse owner and breeder and
member of Arabian Horse Care Committee
· Sunday 28 July
Visited Al Jabri stables, Aleppo
Visted Hama and met with local Ministry of Agriculture and Equestrian
Federation representatives.
Drove to Homs. Visited stables
of private breeders Sheikh Hassan Al Nassif and Sheikh Abdul-Mohsen Al Naemi,
Homs.
Drove back to Damascus
· Monday 29 July
Final meeting at Arabian Horse Bureau, Damascus
Departure of Dr. Abu Bakr El Arifi, Val Bunting and Katrina Murray
The Members of the WAHO Investigation and Inspection Committee hereby
extend their heartfelt thanks to all the owners and breeders whose homes and
farms we visited, not only for their generosity and hospitality, but in
particular for sharing with us their undoubted passion for the purebred Arabian
horses of Syria.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Syria is a traditional home-land of the purebred Arabian horse. For several centuries, successive waves of
migrations of the Bedouin horse-breeding tribes have come and settled in the
fertile lands in the country we now know as The Syrian Arab Republic, in
particular to the areas known as Badiat Ash Sham and Al Jazirah, the latter
being between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers
These tribes and clans originated mainly from Yemen, the northern Nejd
and Al Hijaz. These tribes included the
Shammar; the Tai; the Enezah with its clans the Fedaan, the Sebaa, the Hasna,
the Ruwala and the Weld Ali; the Hadideen; the Al Jboor, the Al Mawali, the Al
Naim, the Iqaidat and many others. They
brought their horses with them and have continued to breed them according to
their particular tribe, clan or family’s strains and sub-strains, so the
historical link is very strong as many of the horses are still bred by
descendants of the founders of their strain to this day.
To quote from the introduction to the Syrian Stud Book Volume 1 “Lineal
descent, traceable to the origin, was sacred to the Arabs, arising from their
belief that mental and physical qualities are genetically inherited. The continuation and safety of the race
depends upon the retention and strengthening of these traits. This principle was adopted to ensure their
future and was applied as rigorously to the Arabian horse to safeguard its
heritage. The Arabs were proud of their
horses’ purity and would learn by heart their pedigrees, keeping them as if
they were their own. The Arabs were so
keen to preserve this purity that they never allowed a purebred mare to be
impregnated except by a purebred stallion, under strict conditions, observed by
the owners and trusted witnesses, even though such an act may have had to wait
for years to be performed.”
Therefore the majority of the known Arabian strains, together with their
sub-strains, are represented in Syria to this day. such as the Keheileh, the
Saglawieh, the Shweimah, the Hadbaa, the Dahmaa, the Obayah, the Ma’anaghieh,
the Hamdanieh. However the strain name
alone is not considered sufficient identification in Syria. Verification of the origin and purity of a
mare requires affiliation to one of these strains and also attribution to the
owner. Thus, to give just a few
examples, strains found in Syria include Saglawieh Jedranieh, Saglawieh Shaifieh,
Shweimeh Sabbah, Obayah Sharakieh, Ma’anaghieh Sbeylieh, Keheilet Ajuz Ibn
Jleidan, Keheileh Da’ajanieh Kashra, Keheilet Krush Al Baida, Hamdanieh Ibn
Ghorab, Hamdanieh Semrieh, Dahmaa Amer and so on.
It is a matter of historical fact, and one of great pride to the modern
owners, that Arabian horses from Syria have been exported all over the world,
ever since the earliest visits by horse-buying expeditions from the west, and
can be found as foundation stock in nearly every major Arabian stud book in the
world. The history of these exports is
more than well documented so will not be repeated in this report.
GENERAL BACKGROUND TO THIS
INVESTIGATION
At the 1998 WAHO Conference in Bahrain, Mr. Basil Jadaan informed the
Executive Committee that WAHO’s approval of the Syrian stud book in 1990,
following several years of investigative work by the Syrian Ministry of Agriculture
and Arabian Horse Care Committee since 1984, had been of enormous importance in
Syria. He then explained that there was
known to be a group of horses which had not been included in the first Syrian
stud book. It was believed that these
horses would have all the same documentation and provenance as the accepted
horses, but they had not been presented for registration by their owners in the
1980s, for a number of reasons. Many of
these people were from rural areas and from the traditional Bedouin
horse-breeding and strain-owning families, who initially had not fully grasped
the function of a stud book and feared their horses might be seized by the
government or that they would somehow lose control over the provenance of their
own horses. However, once the first
stud book was published they did start to appreciate its purpose, and they also
understood that the Government would not take any actions which would be
detrimental to their horses or disadvantageous to themselves. They were therefore now prepared to present
their horses for registration.
The Executive Committee therefore agreed in principle that Syria should go
ahead and thoroughly investigate all previously unregistered horses, and should
present its case to WAHO, subject to a final visit to Syria by a WAHO
Investigation and Inspection Committee. One of the considerations behind this decision was the WAHO
principle of justice, of inclusion rather than exclusion and the support that WAHO
gives to individual Arabian horse owners and breeders through their respective
Registries. This decision was supported
by the General Assembly at Bahrain in 1998, when they voted not to close the
world’s Arabian horse stud books to new desert bred horses, until the
investigations of any additional acceptable horses were completed.
From 1998 to 2002 the WAHO Office kept in close contact with the Syrian
Arabian Horse Bureau as they undertook the extensive and time-consuming task of
investigating the additional horses that were presented to them for registration. Finally, in the spring and summer of 2002,
the work in Syria was completed and a visit was made by the WAHO Investigation
and Inspection Committee as detailed in this Report. In accordance with WAHO rules, the WAHO committee’s travel and
accommodation expenses during their busy trip were met by the Syrian Ministry
of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform.
It should be noted that all the arguments which were brought forward by
the Syrian Delegates in Bahrain in 1998 were confirmed in all meetings which the
WAHO Investigation and Inspection Committee had during their visits to various
places and discussions with different owners and breeders. In particular, discussions with the Bedouin
breeders in Al Jazirah were very interesting, as they showed clearly that these
owners were convinced in their own minds about the purity of their horses,
mainly due to the fact that they were a heritage from their ancestors. Some of their arguments and reasoning were
extremely simple but straightforward, and both together conveyed a convincing
impression of integrity and honesty.
THE SYRIAN ARABIAN HORSE STUD
BOOKS
The Syrian stud book authority, The Arabian Horse Bureau, is a
Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform. The current Director of the Arabian Horse
Bureau, Mr. Mohammed Al Wadi, answers directly to the Minister of Agriculture,
Professor Dr. Nour Elddin Mona.
The WAHO Investigation and Inspection Committee were well aware that the
Syrian Stud Books, of which there are now four published volumes, are unique in
the world. The introduction to Volume
One gives a complete and detailed explanation of the methods used to register
the foundation horses in that stud book, a method which has been followed with
all subsequent registrations, and has been adapted and strengthened for the
investigations into the previously unregistered horses. Each entry for each horse presents a
complete record, giving not only the registered name but also the full strain
of each horse in the pedigree, together with all the owners of all the horses
in the pedigree at the time of registration.
This traditional method of retaining strain-names and sub-strain names,
which are each specifically linked to particular families within the Bedouin
horse-breeding tribes in Syria is a priceless historical record and is of great
value to pedigree researchers all over the world. To delete all this information for the additional horses by just
using the term ‘desert bred’ for unregistered antecedents, when known and
certified pedigrees are in existence, was considered to be unnecessary and
detrimental. It was therefore agreed
that Syria could maintain the same format for the additional horses, when
accepted, and for their future stud books.
Following the 1998 WAHO Conference in Bahrain, the Syrian Ministry of
Agriculture and Agrarian Reform passed a Ministerial Decree in order to set in
motion the detailed rules needed for the investigations into accepting
previously unregistered Arabian horses. The existing Arabian Horse Care Committee remained in charge, and
an additional Investigation Committee was formed which included sub-committees
and local Arabian horse experts for each Province, and a Rebuttal Committee.
Advertisements were placed in newspapers and on the television,
notifying owners and breeders of the proposed investigations into any eligible
unregistered pure bred horses. For the
past four years individuals from these committees, which come directly under
the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, have been travelling
all over Syria, examining documents and taking sworn statements from the owners
of the subject horses. (See Appendix
A).
The officials working for the Ministry were very strict with their
requirements. They asked for detailed
statements and written provenance for every subject horse submitted. This included covering certificates and
sworn witnessed statements for the provenance of every horse within three
generations and a ‘hojja’, which is an Arabic hand written sworn statement of
authentication containing a pedigree certified by signatures, thumb prints,
seals and stamps. These statements are all required to be certified as true by
swearing on the Koran.
Of the horses investigated, many were rejected by the Syrian committees
for a variety of reasons; for example those with pedigrees which could not be
proven; not tracing to known strains that could be certified by the strain
owner, in other words the dam-line of every horse within the three generations
had to go back to the original breeder’s family and any interruption in the chain
of ownership would mean rejection; incorrect identification; contradiction of
evidence; missing information, and so on. The committee members interviewed every single applicant by
visiting each area (province) and going to every village in which the horses
were located. As there are many
thousands of such villages in Syria, it will be appreciated that this procedure
took nearly four years, and involved the head of the Field Investigation team,
Eng. M. Ghayath Al-Shayeb, in an almost continuous 18 months of travel, with 15
different major field trips. Syria is a
very large country, and on most days he would drive some 400 kilometres.
The first step was for the regional committees to meet with each owner
or breeder who had submitted a request for registration. Every owner or breeder who submitted
information was interviewed, and his verbal statements were then checked
against written documents. Any
contradictions between written and verbal evidence resulted in rejection.
Having visited the horse owners and taken the first statements and
collected the first documents, done the markings and photographed the horses, a
further visit would be made later, to independently corroborate witness statements,
to interview any person who had signed any form, and to check with strain
owners that the details of the chain of ownership were correct. Once this was satisfactorily completed, the
blood samples would be taken and shipped to Germany for blood-typing and, where
possible, parent verification.
Finally a detailed pedigree for all horses which passed the stringent
acceptance procedures was prepared, ready to present to the WAHO Inspection and
Investigation Committee. For this
report, the new horses have been given registration numbers with the Prefix B,
to differentiate them from previously registered horses whose registration
numbers starts with the prefix A. It
should be noted that horses further back in pedigrees, some of which date back
to the 1940’s, have not been given registration numbers.
The pedigrees were studied by the WAHO Investigation and Inspection
Committee. It soon became evident
noticed that some of the horses concerned were the produce of previously
registered horses. Others had one ‘new’
parent and one which was previously registered. A further group had one parent previously registered and the
other unegistered. In addition, detailed
study or published Syrian stud books showed that a great many of the new horses
were either closely related to previously registered horses, in some cases full
siblings, or had previously registered horses further back within their
pedigrees. A detailed analysis has
therefore been carried out of the numbers of totally new horses; the produce of
one registered parent and one non registered parent; the produce of one
registered parent and one newly registered parent or of two newly registered
parents; and those that might be termed late registrations. This is shown in the table at the end of
this Report (Appendix B), which it is hoped will be self-explanatory.
MEETING WITH THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE H.E. PROF. DR. NOUR ELDDIN MONA
On the morning of Wednesday 24th July, His Excellency The Minister of
Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Professor Dr. Nour Elddin Mona, met the
members of the WAHO Inspection & Investigation Committee together with Mr.
Basil Jadaan and members of the Syrian Horse Care Committee, headed by Mr
Mohammed Al Wadi, Director of the Arabian Horse Bureau. Also present were members of regional
Ministry of Agriculture directorates and the Head of the Syrian Equestrian
Federation.
The Minister confirmed his support of the work being done by the Arabian
Horse Care Committee to approve registration of new horses that had been
omitted from the previous stud books and thanked WAHO for their support. However, he expressed his concerns that the Arabian
Horse Care Committee had rejected a very high percentage of the horses
presented for registration, and in particular that the Rebuttal committee had
also refused a number of appeals. He had
received a number of complaints regarding these refusals when visiting the
provincial offices of his Ministry, and believed from the evidence he had heard
that some of these rejections were unfair and should be re-considered. Dr. Hans-J. Nagel explained that the WAHO
Investigation and Inspection Committee would be willing, if required, to look
into all the appeals in conjunction with the members of the Syrian
Investigation Committee and Arabian Horse Bureau. He made it clear that the WAHO Inspection & Investigation
Committee were there to make every effort to ensure a thorough and detailed
consideration had been made for every horse, as this was the last chance that
Syria had to include previously unregistered but eligible Arabian horses.
The Minister again explained that the people who had not initially
presented their horses for registration were mainly from traditional rural
communities of Bedouin horse-breeding and strain-owning families, who initially
had not fully grasped the function of a stud book and feared their horses might
be seized by the government or that they would somehow lose control of their
own horses. This was a comment we heard
time and time again from many different people throughout our visit.
The meeting concluded with the Minister confirming his support for the
purebred Arabian horses of Syria, and for the World Arabian Horse Organization.
VISITS TO THE SYRIAN ARABIAN
HORSE BUREAU
The members of the WAHO Inspection & Investigation Committee first
visited the Arab Horse Bureau on Wednesday 24 July after their visit with the
Minister of Agriculture.
Basil Jadaan and Mr. Mohammed Al Wadi explained in detail the full
procedures, rules and committee structures that had been put into place to
investigate the previously unregistered horses during the past four years. They explained that the common interest was
more important than individual interests, because the Syrian Government
considered the Arabian Horses to be part of the Syrian national heritage. He added that they are not only the
treasures of the owners, but also of the country and of the world Arabian horse
community.
The Arabian Horse Care Committee had decided to effect very strict rules
for acceptance, as indeed there had been for the acceptance of horses into
Volume One, to secure the future of the purebred Arabian horses of Syria, so
that only those with full provenance would be registered and breed on into the
future. They felt that the next
generations of owners and breeders would depend on the work done not only by
the Syrian Committees, but also by the WAHO Committee, because if it was not seen
to be carried out properly there might be accusations of loss of purity which
is of paramount importance in Syria, and can only be preserved by applying rigorous
rules and being seen to adhere to those rules.
It was explained that the Syrian Committees had wanted to do everything
properly so the world could see they had done something to be proud of, that
the horses were registered purebred Arabians without any doubts. The Syrian Committees were of the opinion
that the world should trust the horses in their books, and for that to happen,
they had to do their job carefully and correctly, which is what they believed
had been done.
There were then a number of minor queries to be resolved, which had been
prepared in advance by the WAHO Office, from the information and pedigrees which
had previously been sent there. It was noted that every question asked was
answered almost immediately with any necessary supporting documentation to
hand. All queries were quickly and
satisfactorily resolved. Some horses
with progeny which had been investigated but which were known to have died in
the meanwhile and had therefore been deleted from the list of horses presented
to WAHO, were reinstated and will be given registration numbers.
The standard of the record keeping could not be faulted. Every horse, not only those being presented
for acceptance, but all horses previously registered in existing stud books,
had a detailed dossier. This dossier contained photographs, markings, blood
type reports and parent verification reports where available, 3 to 5 generation
pedigrees, breeding history, covering certificates, ownership history, and in all
cases of completely new horses an original ‘hojja’ for the subject horse, sworn
on the Koran.
Other official documents and registry-issued forms such as covering
certificates, identification forms, pedigrees, and change of ownership forms were
also examined. All horses are freeze
branded on the right side of their neck at the time of registration. Registration certificates are produced and
issued but not passports.
Dr. Abu Bakre El Arifi, currently Consultant and Registrar in Qatar,
promised to send a sample of the Qatar passport to the Bureau for them to use
as a guide for producing their own passport, as it complies with all WAHO and
international requirements. The Arabian
Horse Bureau does have computers, but as yet no computerised studbook system,
so all registration certificates and pedigrees are produced manually and typed
individually.
The WAHO committee cross-questioned the Registrar and his staff on their
registration procedures and were more than satisfied with their answers. They considered the knowledge and expertise
of the members of the Arabian Horse Bureau were of the highest calibre.
Two further visits were made to the Registry Office to continue studying
documents and paperwork, and to complete the information required by the WAHO
Investigation and Inspection Committee in order to prepare this Report. Particular thanks are owed to Mr. Waleed
Khazna, who spent many hours typing all the pedigrees of the horses presented
for approval.
PUREBRED ARABIAN SHOWING, RACING
AND ENDURANCE IN SYRIA
The WAHO Inspection & Investigation Committee were also interested
to learn about the activities in which Syrian Arabian horses take part. One point of particular importance was the
founding of the Syrian Arabian State Stud, known as The Centre of Martyr Basil
Hafez Al-Assad of Asil Arabian Horses in honour of the son of the late
President. Basil Hafez Al-Assad, who
was tragically killed in a car-accident, was a very succesful horseman who had
been a great supporter of Arabian horses and the first stud books so it was
fitting that the State Stud was named in his honour. This Stud, set on a large
acreage near Damascus with space for some 250 horses, has been founded to
preserve the bloodlines and characteristics of Syrian Arabians without introducing
any imported horses into the pedigrees.
For many of the private owners as well, simply carrying on their
national tradition of breeding purebred Arabians was their main aim, and they
saw no need for any particular additional activities. However, we learned that riding is a popular activity in Syria, and
the foremost equestrian sport is show-jumping, although the riders generally
compete on warm-bloods, not Arabians.
Arabian horses are also used in riding schools, for pleasure riding, as carriage
horses in the towns, and for general farm work in the more rural areas. All organised horse activities come under The
Syrian Federation for Equestrian Sport.
In 2001 the first ever Arabian Horse Show was held in Damascus, which
proved a popular event with the private breeders, so this initiative is likely
to be continued. It should be noted
that breeding horses just for beauty and showing, as is the trend in the west,
is totally alien to the culture of the Middle East and of course to the
original Bedouin breeders of the Arabian horse. However, a handful of Syrian Arabians have travelled abroad in
the past to compete in international shows, where they have both won and been
placed. A small number of private
breeders are therefore now using imported stallions as they concentrate part of
their breeding programmes on producing horses that will be able to compete in
the modern show ring.
Endurance is another sport which is growing very fast in popularity,
especially with the encouragement and assistance given by the United Arab
Emirates in the region. At present, the
Equestrian Federation organises two Endurance rides each year, a 120km ride in
Palmyra and a 80km ride in Damascus. A
few Syrian Arabian horses have also competed internationally, and done
well. Further endurance rides conducted
under FEI and international Endurance rules are planned, and there are a increasing
number of enthusiastic competitors taking part, including horses and riders
from the State Stud.
As regards racing, the tradition of testing Arabian horses to see which
is the fastest or the strongest is one of the oldest in the breed, and the
Syrian horse owners and breeders are no exception to this rule. When the Committee visited the Tai and
Shammar breeders in Al Jazirah, it was notable that the young boys were keen to
show us their horses’ athletic abilities.
At the home of Sheikh Muhamed Abdull Razaq Al Ta’ai near Al Qamishli we
saw several colts, all ridden bareback by their young owners who were simply
enjoying the chance to match their horses’ speed against each other.
At the home of Sheikh Mezer Ojail Abdull Kareem of the Shammar in Al
Hassaka, a slightly longer race across the desert with about 5 mares taking
part was arranged for our entertainment, it seemed that this was a regular
activity. One of the mares taking part was
22 years old. The ‘finishing line’
appeared to be exactly where our group was standing, and it took a strong nerve
to stand still as the horses approached at full speed in a cloud of dust! Scenes like these have been played out in
the traditional Arabian horse breeding areas since time immemorial, and it was
a privilege to witness such a scene in the 21st Century.
From discussion with many of the horse owners and breeders that we met,
one of the most popular activities in which people would like to compete is
racing, but at present there is very little official horse racing in
Syria. Syria is not a member of any
International Racing Federation, the rules and regulations are laid down and
applied by The Syrian Federation for Equestrian Sport. Betting in Syria is strictly forbidden by
law.
The Equestrian Federation does arrange some flat racing for Thoroughbreds
(mainly unregistered), registered Purebred Arabians, and local-bred unregistered
horses. The race season runs from April
until October. There are 7 main race
meetings during a season, of which 3 are International and 4 are National. At each meeting there is just one race for
registered Purebred Arabians. The
private breeders have recently been asking the Equestrian Federation to put on
more races for their registered Arabians.
The race-tracks are at Damascus, Lattakia, Palmyra and Hama. The provinces also run local racing and hold
around 10 meetings per year between them. We were informed that there is no prize money for racing, only
small gifts and trophies.
Some owners do send their horses abroad to race, for example to Lebanon
and Qatar. A few Syrian Arabians have
raced in the Emirates, but they do not seem able to compete for speed against
the horses with French and American bloodlines. One or two private breeders have recently imported stallions, for
example one from USA via the UAE, and one from France, in order to breed horses
which they believe will be better able to compete internationally. In these endeavours they are no different
from Arabian horse breeders all over the world, seeking improvement in each
generation.
Any fears or concerns that such horses might damage or even
over-populate the Arabian horse world outside Syria, especially on the
racetracks, is without foundation. In
the main, these horses still resemble most closely the original foundation
horses exported to the west so long ago, they have not been changed by showring
fashions or racetrack requirements. It
should be said that eligibility for registration was unrelated to the phenotype
of the horses, but only to their proven origin as purebred Arabians. However, despite the fact that the majority
of these horses do not conform to current western showring ‘type’, the WAHO
Investigation and Inspection Committee could not fail to notice the many
qualities that are the undoubted signature of the original ‘desert-bred’
Arabian - gentle temperaments, fine black skin, hair quality, large flexible
nostrils, excellent necks with clean throatlatch, good shoulders, strong backs,
clean limbs and in particular, the hallmark tail-set and tail carriage. It was also noticeable that in one
generation, those horses which were sired by the few imported Egyptian, Russian
or American stallions had not lost those qualities but the heads in particular
were enhanced.
VISITS TO STUD FARMS
There is no room in this report to fully do justice to the kindness and
hospitality shown to the WAHO Investigation and Inspection Committee wherever
we visited. Our programme was packed
from the moment of arrival to departure, we visited many stud farms as detailed
in the diary of events, saw hundreds of horses, and had many fascinating
discussions. To everyone we met, we
extend our most heartfelt and sincere thanks.
There is, however, just enough room to relate one occurrence, which we
believe highlights the importance of the Arabian horse in Syria to the people
whose lives have been intertwined with them for so many hundreds of years.
We were privileged to visit Al Sheikh Mezer Ojail Abdull Kareem, leader
of the Al Jarba clan of the Shammar Tribe.
The Sheikh himself owned a particularly fine grey mare of the Obeyah
Seheilieh strain which has been in their family since long before they migrated
from northern Nejd. When asked if she
was registered he replied that she was not, explaining ‘There is no need for me
to register her in any book. She is
registered in my heart’.
This kind of passion for their horses was instantly recognizable in all
the Syrian people we met. The Sheikh
thanked WAHO for the time and trouble they had taken to examine the Syrian
horses. He said that through WAHO the
world would be aware of their Arabian horses, which the different families and
tribes had been breeding for hundreds of years. He said that they were proud to share with the world what they
consider a national treasure and priceless heritage – the purebred Arabian horse
of the desert.
The connection with the past was strengthened when the Sheikh also
mentioned that Lady Anne & Wilfrid Blunt had met his aunt’s grandfather
Sheikh Faris, who had been ruler of the Shammar when they visited Mesopotamia on
a horse-buying expedition in the 1870s. (See “Lady Anne Blunt - Journals and Correspondence 1878-1917,
edited by Rosemary Archer & James Fleming”).
CONCLUSIONS OF THE INSPECTION & INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE
It should be noted that Syria first contacted WAHO in 1984, and has been
a Registering Authority Member of WAHO in good standing for many years. Their first Stud Book was accepted and
approved under the WAHO Definition in 1990. It has since produced four volumes of the Syrian Arabian Stud Book.
It must be emphasised that for the
purpose of this visit and this report, the WAHO Inspection and Investigation
Committee were only there to examine the evidence on the previously
unregistered horses that were omitted from the previous stud books.
Having thoroughly scrutinised the records and documents held by The Arab
Horse Bureau on all the horses presented for registration, the WAHO Inspection
& Investigation Committee were in full agreement that the registering
procedures at the office were of an extremely high standard and could not be
faulted in any respect. The filing
system was detailed and precise; a horse’s file with its full history could be
obtained in seconds. The Arabian Horse
Care Committee, which was responsible for the initial investigation into the
new horses, had implemented their own very strict rules to the letter, and
would not bend these rules for anybody.
The integrity of the Director and his staff and their undoubted
knowledge and expertise on the Arabian horses of Syria were unimpeachable.
During the four years that the local Field Investigation team criss-crossed
Syria, a total of 1,787 horses were
investigated of which 948 horses
were in Al Jazirah Province. It should
be noted that the horses are all from the known strains and families already
present in published stud books, and many are in fact closely related to previously
registered horses.
From the total number originally investigated, 45 were breeding stallions. 34 of those stallions
were rejected, with the resulting rejection of all their progeny. This part of the investigation was
particularly time-consuming, as all a great deal of cross-checking of pedigrees
was required to eliminate all those with the rejected stallions in their
pedigrees. By the end of the first
phase of the investigation, at least one third of the horses presented for
registration had been rejected.
By the end of the second phase, during which initial statements and
documents had to be corroborated independently, a further large number were
rejected. The decisions and the reasons
for acceptance or rejection were published and announced in the Provincial
Ministry of Agriculture Directorates and regional Arabian Horse offices. Owners were then given a set amount of time
to provide missing information or documents, and to appeal against rejection. From those rejected, 462 were the subject of appeals which were passed to the Rebuttal
Committee. 52 of these were then accepted and the remainder of the rejections
were confirmed. Again these decisions
were published and announced in the regional centres.
As the WAHO Inspection & Investigation Committee had promised during
their meeting the H.E. The Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, they
also re-examined all the cases which were the subject of further formal appeals. They only looked into those cases which the
Arabian Horse Bureau were prepared to re-open, as they considered that owners
of rejected horses who had not appealed had accepted the decisions of the
Arabian Horse Care Committee and Rebuttal Committee.
As a result, 31 cases were
re-examined, one of which related to a particular stallion which was the sire or
grand-sire of a further 28 horses. It was considered that of these, 8 should remain on the rejected list
due to insufficient or conflicting evidence, the remainder were accepted.
The Syrian Arabian Stud Book Authority have agreed that no further
previously unregistered horses will be presented for approval or added to their
stud books in the future.
The final total which have full provenance and documentations and have
been approved by the Syrian Committees and which are presented for acceptance
by WAHO number 280. All living horses have been blood-typed and,
where possible, parent verified. Of
these:
- 43 are new registrations, with both sire and dam not previously registered,
although a number of the antecedents do appear in pedigrees in the
published stud books.
- 111 are what could be termed “half-new” horses with one parent either
previously registered or newly registered, and the other parent not
registered.
- 110 are the progeny of a combination of sires and dams previously
registered and registered within the new group.
- 16 are the progeny of previously registered parents, making them essentially
late registrations.
THE TOTAL OF ‘NEW’ HORSES PRESENTED FOR ACCEPTANCE IS THEREFORE 154.
IF THESE ARE ACCEPTED, IT FOLLOWS THAT THE REMAINING 110 PROGENY SHOULD ALSO BE ACCEPTED,
TOGETHER WITH THE 16 LATE
REGISTRATIONS.
This list is therefore comprehensive and final, and comprises the total
number of horses presented to WAHO for approval and acceptance into the Syrian
Arabian Stud Book Volume 5. (See
Appendix B)
RECOMMENDATION TO THE WAHO
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND TO THE WAHO VOTING DELEGATES
At a meeting held in Damascus, Syria, on Friday 26 July, the WAHO Inspection
and Investigation Committee were unanimous in their decision that the horses
listed in Appendix B should be accepted.
They hereby recommend, in the first instance to the WAHO Executive
Committee, and then to the General Assembly at the next WAHO Conference in
Istanbul 2002, as follows:-
The members of the WAHO
Investigation and Inspection Committee to Syria hereby recommend that the 155 horses
listed in Appendix B, together with their 110 progeny and the 16 late
registrations, as investigated and approved by the Syrian Arabian Horse Care
Committee, be accepted by WAHO for registration and be duly entered in the
Syrian Stud Book Volume 5, thereby coming within the WAHO Definition.
FOOTNOTE:
At the 2002 WAHO Conference in
Istanbul, the voting Delegates approved the above additional horses for acceptance,
by a very large majority. These horses
are therefore now accepted by the World Arabian Horse Organization and fall
within the WAHO Definition.
APPENDIX - A
Decision No. 1175/WLA
Minister of Agriculture &
Agrarian Reform
Based on the provisions on the governmental Law No. 1 for the year 1985. And on the minutes of the meeting held on
8.1.1997 by the Arabian Horse Committee, which included the proposal of making
an announcement opening registration on the non-registered Arabian Asil horses. And on the committee minutes of the meeting
held on 27.7.1997. And for the public
interest, decides the following:
Article 1
A Committee will be formed consisting of the following members:
Eng. Amin Al Zarqan Arab Horses Bureau Chief
Eng. Hisham Al Khani Arab Horses
Bureau Member
Eng. Haitham Daia Arab Horses Bureau Member
Head of Horses Section at Directorates of Agriculture (Mohafada) Member
Representatives of Farmers Union
(Mohafada) Member
Arabian Horse Specialist at the Governorates (Mohafada) Member
Member of the Arabian Horse Committee at the Ministry of
Agriculture Member
Note: Eng. Amin Al Zarkan was
later replaced, due to ill-health, as Chief of the Committee by: Eng.M. Ghayeth
Shayeb Arab Horse Bureau Chief
Article 2
Committee Tasks:
A Study the horse
registration forms submitted to the Arabian Horses Bureau coming from the
Directorates of Agriculture at Mohafazat and check the accuracy of the
information included in the submitted documents.
B Conduct the field
investigation of the horses.
C Submit a detailed report
which includes the work results to the Arabian Horses Bureau.
D Submit the result of the
field investigation and horses classification at the committee meeting to be
adopted.
Article 3
The results of the committee works will be distributed to the
Directorates of Agriculture at the Governorates to be circulated for the
Agriculture Sections and Extension Units there and for Horse Breeding
Societies.
Article 4
A period of 45 days will be fixed for the submission of objection to
Directorates of Agriculture after the announcement of the results and the
objections will be studied by a specialized committee for this purpose.
Article 5
Names of local experts will be specified according to the following:
Directorate Name Names of Local
Experts
Dara’a Sedki Al Zourekat Hasan
Raji Al Naasan
Aleppo Kamal Abdel Khaleq Radwan
Shabarek
Damascus Fayek Al Hakeem Nader
Karkoush
Homs Ahmad Ghalyoun Fawaz
Al Rajab
Deir Ezzor Eklah Al Hanshoul Shaker
Saleh Mahmoud
Tartous Charbel Farah Farah Awni Al Mokadam
Qunietra Tahan Mahmmoud Tahan Ghaleb Albakari
Hama Mohammed Al Khani Akram
Taifour
Idleb Hasan Al Nairabi Mohammed
Gouma’a Soultan
Al Hasaka Farhan Al Bello Najem
Abdullah Elhemiari
Latakia Mohammad Mohammad Nawaf Fadel King
Sweida Daher Al Shaeer Souleman
Alabdullah
Al Raqah Ahmed Homolat Elmatar
Article 6
The decision No. 101/W/A1 – dated 10.2.1998 including forming a
committee of classification, identification, field investigation for Arab
Horses and considering their application forms.
Article 7
This decision is to be circulated and informed for implementation.
Damascus 11/11/1998
Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Asa’ad Mostafa
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ARABIAN PURE
HORSES BREEDERS
(Published in newspapers and
broadcast on television)
The Ministry of Agriculture
and Agrarian Reform starts the registration of Arabian Pure Horses all over the
country.
Those who wish to register
their horses should check at Arabian Horses branches at Directorates of MAAR
and submit the following documents:
1
Registration
Form, including the number of horses which will be registered, and their
locations.
2
Parentage
certificate includes the horses pedigree for three generations at least. The horse itself is considered to be a
generation, its parents considered to be a generation, and its grandparents are
considered to be a generation.
3
Two photographs
for each horse, one of them will be of the head and the other will be of the
whole body.
4
Those who applied previously
to register their horses, should check at Arabian Horses branches to fix the
registration, pay the fees of blood typing, and complete the required
documents.
The deadline for accepting
the applications and fix the registration will be till the end of the official
work day of 15.3.1997 and each application form received after this date or
which does not fill the required conditions will not be accepted.
With the compliments of the
Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform.
THE ADOPTED CONDITIONS FOR THE
STUDY OF THE ARABIAN PURE HORSES FILES APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION
Submit an application signed by the person who wants to register his
pure horse.
Submit a certificate by the stud (strain) owner, verified by the
concerned persons owning the horse and its grand-parents respectively.
The horse should be known starting from three generations.
The horse will not be investigated if it does not have a Syrian Origin.
The horse is rejected for the following reasons:
1
If its parentage
is not verified and its strain couldn’t be reached.
2
It there is a
difference between the investigation statement and the certificate statement.
3
If the horse to
be registered has more than one sire and one dam.
4
The horse is
considered a continuous series of which any missed link in the chain may cut
it, which means that if the origin of any generation of the three generations
is not verified or known, the horse is rejected.
5
If the horse was
applied for registration before and its parentage was not verified, while it is
accepted if applied before and there was shortage in certificates (later
provided).
6
If one part of
the parties concerned with the horse doesn’t attend after informing him and
giving him an extra period of time, the horse is rejected.
7
If one part of
the parties concerned with the horse denies his signature on the certificates,
the horse is rejected.
8
Any information
in the required certifications cannot be modified after submitting them by the
concerned person.
9
If any condition
of the aim registration conditions is defaulted, the horse is rejected.
Signed: M. Hisham
Al-Ghorieb. Kassem Junaid. M. Abd. Suliman Rhayel.
M. Mohamad. M. Ghayeth Shayeb
(Note. the WAHO Investigation
and Inspection Committee was further informed that all certificates and
statements submitted must be signed and sworn/witnessed on the Koran. If anyone refused to do this, the horse was
automatically rejected with no further investigation.)