Royal Heritage – the story of Jordan’s Arab Horses

 

Who ameliorate to write a mass virtually the origins too history of the arabian Equus caballus inwards Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan than HRH Princess Alia, the eldest immature lady of the belatedly King Hussein, too noted creative individual too writer Peter Upton?

by HRH Princess Alia Al Hussein too Peter Upton

Medina Publishing, July 2011
210 x 218 mm Portrait, 264pp hardcover, stuff bound
RRP £35 – Buy now
ISBN: 978-0-9564170-4-6

 

Both require no introduction to the arabian Equus caballus globe – indeed, they concur diverse of import positions inwards the arabian too Equus caballus worlds, and, closer to home, are both patrons of the New Zealand Arab Horse Breeders Society.

Following the foreword past times her sister, FEI President Princess Haya, too some background on the history of the patch of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan past times Prince Rashid Al Hassan, Princess Alia takes us into the globe of Jordan’s Royal Stables.

In settling on a format for the book, Princess Alia decided to write virtually her memories too experiences inwards her ain words, thence avoiding what tin oft hold upward a dry out chronological style. This has been successful equally her resulting department “The Story too so Far”, is an engrossing read. It’s non only names too pedigrees, equally is too so oft the illustration inwards a “breed” book.

So Royal Heritage is business office personal memoir too business office history – too told inwards a most readable too fascinating way.

The mass is total of photographs – both historic too modern solar daytime – in that place is ever at to the lowest degree 1 paradigm per spread. The pupil of breeding too conformation volition taste seeing the family’s personal collection of photographs of people too horses.

The beginnings of the Royal Stud too the arabian horse’s subsequent history inwards the portion were non without drama. For example, at 1 fourth dimension infusions of thoroughbred blood added past times racing enthusiasts upward to the mid 1980s proved “disastrous to the pure Arab Equus caballus too largely responsible for its close extinction inwards its homelands”, Alia writes.

Other dramas including decease too revolution likewise shaped the stud, but it stayed truthful to its aims thank yous to those dedicated to the preservation of the breed.

Stories of favourite too influential horses are retold, including Mehrez, Bahadur, Bahar, too in that place is the interesting even out of the arabian mare Shamah, who was given to Ursula too Santiago Lopez. The couple, who worked at King Hussein’s Royal Stables for many years, were the most influential “outsiders” involved alongside the stud.

As good equally the horses, in that place are anecdotes on the people who were involved alongside the Royal Stables over the years, famous too infamous visitors, too horses who were bought, gifted too received equally gifts. Interestingly, these conduct keep included breeds other than arabian, including 3 Galiceno horses, appaloosas, too a yoke of palomino “tanks”.

Princess Alia’s extensive department draws to a unopen telling of her involvement alongside Equus caballus sports inwards recent years, too an acknowledgement of the forces – Equus caballus too human – that conduct keep shaped this book.

Peter Upton’s neat noesis of the arabian Equus caballus too the arabian people likewise shows through. In his shorter section, he looks at the breeding of the horses too the of import bloodlines that conduct keep shaped the arabian inwards Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – too the breed overall.

A talented creative individual – non only of equine subjects – Upton likewise paints a icon inwards words of Jordan’s Hashemite kingdom, its struggles too triumphs, too its sought-after horses, from the early on days inwards the 18th too 19th centuries when travellers came from far too broad inwards search of the arabian horse. These visitors included Lady Anne Blunt too her hubby Wilfrid from England, Ali Pasha Sherif from Egypt, Prince Sherbatov too Count Stroganov from Russia, too representatives from Poland too Hungary.

As expected, Upton’s department is packed alongside both historic images too his ain fine art function of the horses too the country.

Royal Heritage is non only a mass for the arabian enthusiast – it likewise earns its identify on the bookshelf of collectors of equine history.

Without the arabian, where would the Equus caballus globe be?

 

Princess Alia bint Al Hussein of Jordan is the immature lady of King Hussein of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan too his initiatory of all wife, Sharifa Dina bint ‘Abdu’l-Hamid.

As good equally several non equestrian interests, Princess Alia is managing director of the Royal Stables of Jordan, President of the Royal Jordanian Equestrian Federation since 1993, a patron of the Brooke Hospital for Animals, too a governor of the British Arab Horse Society. She initiated the festival of the “Arabian Horse at Home” inwards 1988 (now a yearly event). She likewise organized the Middle East Championships for Purebred Horses, Jordan.

Peter Upton studied fine art too fine art history at college too university, but considers that he actually learnt to a greater extent than from his uncle, Charles W Cain, the well-known etcher of Arabia inwards the 1920s, too from studying the function of those artists he most admires, notably Stubbs, Munnings, Edwards, Sorolla too the Pre-Raphaelites. Peter Upton is best known for his paintings depicting the desert scene too the Arab horse. He has held one-man exhibitions inwards U.K. too abroad, too his works, including many individual commissions, are inwards individual collections unopen to the world.

A past times President of the Arab Horse Society of Great Britain, an international judge, too a recognised goodness on the history of the Arab horse, his passion for this breed goes dorsum some 65 years to his initiatory of all pony, a white part-Arab. He writes regularly for the AHS News too other magazines, has been involved inwards films on the Arab horse, too is the writer of Desert Heritage: An Artist’s Collection of Blunt’s Original Arab Horses (1980), The Classic Arab Horse (1986), The Arabian Horse – History, Mystery too Magic (1998) too The Arab Horse.

 

First published on Horsetalk on Nov 9, 2011

 

 

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