During the 1980’s the Americans and Canadian breeders were willing to pay record prices for top quality Straight Egyptian mares from the Marbach State Stud in Germany.  At Marbach the breeding of their Hadban Enzahi daughters with Gharib had produced some very classical offspring. These Gharib daughters out of the Nadja daughters, Nabya, Nedjari and Noha were subsequently sold to Stonebridge Farms in Canada and private breeders in the United States due to an exclusive contract between Marbach and Stonebridge Farms.

A high period of the Egyptian Arabian breeding. Not only were they valued for their rare bloodlines but in Canada, Stonebridge Farms was trading shares in Egyptian horses on the stock exchange in Toronto. Canada had at that time a very favourable tax incentive that allowed investors to invest heavily into these Stonebridge offerings and to use horses ownership and breeding as a tax deduction. When Canada changed the tax law to match the one of the U.S. almost overnight the Straight Egyptian industry fell and the Egyptian Arabian lost its value.

My exciting collection of facts read and information from witnesses of that time seem similar a thriller, but I want so much that the reader feels that this is about an asilarabian mare who has lived through these very trying times:
 
It was Nardschis (Gharib x Noha) the 11th foal of the 16 foals out of her dam Noha. Nardschis was born on 21.05.1986 at Marbach and sold to Stonebridge Farms Canada in 1988.

When Stonebridge Farm filed bankruptcy the Montebello Farms in Montebello, Quebec, took over many of the investor packages and a large number of the horses. Nardschis was one of the horses. As known Nardschis hadn’t produced a foal before 1993.

It was not until 1994 that Nardschis produced her very first foal the stallion MB Jallisch by Royal Jalliel. During her time at Montebello Farm they were to busy with trading from one investment group to another, money and papers traded hands but no breeding was being done with Nardschis.
 
Then it was Montebello who was going out of business and another investment group, Edwards Arabians took over. At Edwards Nardschis was again bred to Royal Jalliel and she produced a filly, EAI Arda Royalle who was born in 1998. At the Edwards Arabians-dispersal sale she was sold to Ontario were stil today her owner runs challenge contests with her.

Edwards Arabians announced that they were dispersing all the horses. A sale was announced and in July,1999 over 300 horses were up for public auction. The horses were in very poor condition and were auctioned off without even a halter. Some were not even halter trained and some not even registered. A lot of the horses had injuries. Although there were not that many attending the auction there were some top breeders there such as Hansi Heck-Melnyk and Judith Forbis.

When the bidding started and Nardschis came up it was a race between Dr. Jody Cruz and Judi Parks of Al Abbasiyah to acquire her. Nardschis went through the sale with a huge leg wound but she was still one of the best mares at the sale.

Al Abbasiyah (Judi & Al Parks) were the lucky bidders that day and they brought Nardschis home. As she was in very poor condition and her knee was the size of a watermelon it took over a year to put her back into breeding condition and to repair her knee. Judi thought it was a crime that Nardschis had only been used as an investment package and barely used for breeding.
















In 2001 Nardschis was bred to Ahsen El Serag, senior sire at Al Abbasiyah and she produced a lovely colt called Naeem El Ahsen in 2002. In 2005 Nardschis was bred to Ansata El Ibriz and she produced the colt REA El Nabriz. This lovely colt now known as Safir Al Asil was sold to Ayman Al Qattan’s Al Asil Stud in Kuwait.

Nardschis brought Judi Parks two lovely foals and Nardschis herself became prettier and prettier. It was never a problem to get Nardschis to foal and giving birth always went well. Judi told us that Nardschis has tons of character, always wanting attention. Judi Parks also had Nardschis’ full sister Nasim. Nasim was known as one of the most valuable mares at Stonebridge Farm - once considered the largest breeding farm of Straight Egyptian arabians outside of America. Nasim was the more compact of the two full sisters but she also gave Al Abbasiyah some excellent foals, including the black Nisma, who is now in Saudia Arabia. Stonebridge Farms had also acquired the full brother, Norus who was at the dispersal too.

As Judi Parks was cutting back and moving her farm Bart Van Buggenhout, manager of the stud Al Rayyan/Qatar contacted her and expressed an interest in Nardschis for his Al Ghoroub Stud.

Arrangements were made for Bart to acquire Nardschis for his ET program and she was exported back to Europe. Bart Van Buggenhout took Nardschis, out of his love of Noha’s last foal, RN Farida as well as for romantic reasons. Undoubtedly RN Farida is considered as one of the most beautiful Egyptian mares in the world. When Al Abbasiyah announced that Nardschis was on her way back to Europe Bart Van Buggenhout received congratulations for buying Nardschis from all over the world as she was remembered as one of the classical mares of the Nadja-daughters. Since Bart Van Buggenhout acquired Nardschis the interest of German breeders for the Marbach N-line has once again come alive. In the past German breeders were not given the opportunity to own such gems.

I had followed the story of Nardschis with great interest because it was told that Ansata Arabians had tried in the past to include the Dahman Shahwan line of Nadja in their breeding programme with Nadima (Gharib x Nabya) but they had not been successful. Would Bart Van Buggenhout have more success? The answer is a big Yes! The result from Bart’s ET programme is the beautiful Nada Al Ghoroub by Nebras Al Rayyan out of Nardschis. She is so wonderful and if everything goes well, she will do her mother great honor as a very worthy representative of the N-line.

It was tried four times to get a foal from Nardschis via ET. Two times were successful with Nada Al Ghoroub by Nebras Al Rayyan in 2009 and Nimr Al Ghoroub by Ansata Nile Echo in 2010.

In the summer of 2009 Bart Van Buggenhout didn’t know if his breeding program had worked out but he wanted the best for the care of Nardschis in the evening of her life. Bart realized my love and engagement in these bloodlines and said that Nardschis would belong to me and Ralf for providing a safe and good retirement home for her. So Nardschis started her last and final journey back to Germany, her birthplace, her native country.

It was a nice situation that on Nardschis’ day of arrival the well known breeder Doris Melzer was present. She said that „We are indeed looking at a historical monument!“

After Nardschis arrived at our farm we received requests for ET breedings with Nardschis and although Bart wanted to give us a medical certificate indicating that Nardschis was still capable of getting in foal we declined as she deserved a safe retirement.

Nardschis was an original Asil authentic desert like mare, very classic and a big piece of German breeding history. A jewel of a past era and she resided in our stable!!! The breeding concept of Mr. Dr. Wenzler (Marbach) produced classic originals and we beamed with pride. My dream had really come true.

To see Nardschis out grazing in our pastures and to be bossed around by her meant a lot to us, we were very happy. I was proud to be considered her chambermaid. Nardschis was very courageous and sensitive: One day some parents came along the paddock with a handicapped child. The child made inarticulate sounds which spooked Nardschis. Nardschis ran off and half-way back to the end of the grazing land she turned around, snorted as if to attack, tail up and calling. Suddenly she stopped and paused as she just realized that the strange sounds had come from a child!

It was very hard to inform Bart Van Buggenhout and Judi Parks, who had rescued Nardschis and took care of her, that Nardschis had passed away. Judi Parks in Texas was overwhelmed with grief and Bart Van Buggenhout called from Qatar to offer condolences. Nardschis was special to us. She was loved and while she was with us in her final days she could just be a horse without having to fulfill any purpose. Aside from her history she will be remembered as being our friend.

As we told Judi Parks the 2010 colt Nimr Al Ghoroub out of Nardschis by Ansata Nile Echo, will come to us. This is a comfort for us because Nardschis is very much alive in him and we thank Bart Van Buggenhout for his generosity.



We visited Dr. Eriks who is a veterinary for ET in Belgium. Dr. Eriks clinic is in the middle of the city and we went to see the famous RN Farida, Nardschis’ maternal half sister. It was so familial and familiar to be with her. It was as if we had known each other for years, and I told her all about Nardschis. Dr. Erik showed us the box that Nardschis once occupied and presented us with a gold coloured plate with her name. It was the only name plate in the veterinary.






Nardschis truly moved us and she left footprints.

We wrote this in memory of Nardschis, a wonder of creation.

Rosi + Ralf Straub













(Text published in the Arabian Horse World)