She was a one-of-a-kind right from the start. She was the first Straight Egyptian foal of her sire, El Hilal, and was born on Valentine’s Day in 1973. Much has been written about this special mare and the special family who loved and cared for her for nearly her entire life. Some excerpts from those who knew her personally seem to be in order. These were taken from a piece done at the direction of the Cruz family in The Arabian Horse World not long after her passing.
A young Cynthia Culbertson, who was working at Ansata Arabian Stud in Lufkin, Texas during a year long sabbatical from her university studies, recalled Maar Hala, who was there being bred to Ansata Ibn Halima at the time: “At Ansata the outside mares were kept in one large pasture. And the Ansata mares were in another pasture closer to the house. Maar Hala was honored as the rare exception to the rule: she was always turned out with the Ansata mares. Even the young mare Maar Hala had a special presence, a grace, that made you feel she was wise and knew things we would never know. A lot of that had to do with her extraordinary eyes. I’ve never seen a photograph that did them justice, you simply had to see them. In her later days, she was much photographed – a striking fleabitten grey – but in her Ansata days, she was a dark, dappled grey. In desert legend the Arabs say, ‘If your horse is colored like the stones in a river, that horse will replenish your camp when it becomes empty and will save you in combat on the day when firearms clash.’ Maar Hala was such a mare.”
After Maar Hala’s passing, the Cruz family had her body cremated. A good friend, Mohammad J. Al Marzouk of Kuwait, had a “sanduq,” a special Middle Eastern wooden chest with inlaid decoration, made to hold her remains… According to tradition, sentimental mementos of Maar Hala’s life – dried flowers, awards, special prose and poems – were placed inside, as well as letters from dear friends, including the following from Judi Forbis: “I remember well the days Maar Hala spent with us at Ansata in Lufkin, Texas. Your father, Dr. Felino Cruz, was an ardent fan of her grandsire, *Ansata Ibn Halima, and was anxious to breed her to him to intensify the qualities of both individuals. When she arrived at Ansata, the first thing I noticed was her classic chiseled head, and big dark eyes with soulful expression. Her overall harmony and balance perfectly reflected her pedigree, combining the classic lineage of Nazeer, Farida, and *Maaroufa. Her great great grandmother *Maaroufa had always been special to me since I saw her during her last days at the Babson farm in 1959. Maar Hala was an ideal tail female representative of this important Egyptian family. Maar Hala was kind-natured and a pleasure to be with. She got in foal to Ansata Ibn Halima and much to everyone’s delight produced a very typey, grey colt whom Felino named El Halimaar, combining the names of sire and dam… Whenever I think of Maar Hala, it seems like yesterday that we were in Lufkin and a part of each other’s lives. But time has passed, and so has she, having left a legacy that pays tribute to her inner as well as her outward beauty.”
She was a quiet, serene individual, with unforgettable eyes and regal aura. “She wouldn’t nibble ‘just any’ carrot but had her own way of selecting only the best of the bunch,” Jody says. In turn, she gave back her best to the family that loved her well and treasured her for nearly all of her long life. Today, on every continent where newborn Arabian foals prance over fresh spring grass, Maar Hala’s blood enriches the breed. Some call her phenomenal, extraordinary. ‘To me,’ said Dr. Felino Cruz, ‘she was the most beautiful horse in the world. It was as simple as that.’”
Opmerkingen