Saqlawy Al Ahmar

When Hamdaany Kuwaiti died I was heart broken, wandering around the Royal Stables red-eyed for days. In an effort to ease my loss my employer His Highness Sheikh Isa kindly offered me an Arabian stallion from his own stud. Despite his generous gesture, it was some time before I could even think about a replacement, in my heart no horse could take Hamdaany's place. He then gave me some good advice, "never try to replace a lost friend, keep them in your heart but find another". After a while I found myself looking at the young colts with an eye to possibly owning another. At that time His Highness had a stable out in the desert that was kept purely for colts and racing stallions, over one hundred 'boys' lived here. Nowadays these teenage colts run free in large paddocks at the Royal Stud but in the 1960's they were kept in the traditional manner, on a shackle. The stallions stood happily side by side under the palm shades during the day and out in the sunshine on days when it was not too hot. To the Western eye to see the horses tied by one foreleg was quite shocking but to an Arab the Western habit of tying them by the head was regarded as dangerous and an insult to the horse.

I had decided that any other stallion I owned would have to be as physically different from Hamdaany as I could find. This decision immediately ruled out all chestnuts especially those with white blazes and white socks. On a visit to the colt and stallion stables my eyes were drawn to a leggy bay colt. It was the colour that caught my attention, the sun was hitting his coat at such an angle that he glowed copper pink. I walked over, he had very little white and I could see that he was the proverbial 'ugly duckling'. He nudged me in the ribs asking for the Dates that he could smell in my pockets. I always had very sticky pockets in those days! The groom who had been accompanying me round the horses did not speak much English. I asked in Arabic the name of the horse. "Saqlawy Al Ahmar" he replied. "The Red Saqlawy" I translated the name. I could see why he had been called red, his coat was a deep red bay and with the suns contribution he shone like a pigeons breast all shades of deep pink.

Having established the colts name without much problem, my Arabic and my ability to communicate with the groom took a downward turn. "How old?" I asked. Guessing from the colts size that he was about four years old I held up four fingers. Eager to please, the groom grinned nodded and held up four of his fingers in response. "Has he been ridden?" This question, accompanied by me miming riding a horse, produced yet another smile, a frantic nodding of the head, and said groom accompanying me on his imaginary horse for a couple of strides. Okay "Jibe Saqlawy" I said and headed for the boot of my car where a bridle and small training saddle now resided. Although most of the riding and racing was bareback I had succumbed to using a training saddle if only to keep myself dry of horse sweat for part of the day. The groom brought the colt over and I tacked him up and then looked for somewhere to clamber aboard. By this time several other grooms had appeared and had lined up to watch. I clambered up onto a concrete manger and the old groom led Saqlawy alongside. I slid gently onto the horses back and picked up the reins. Saqlawy staggered forward a couple of paces with his back resembling a camels, hunched ...! I had a hunch too, as the untouched mouth opened at the strange feel of the bit and the rubber neck bent round, he cat leapt a couple of yards before he settled into an unsteady walk that told me he was unused to carrying any weight. The hunch I had was that I had just backed the horse for the first time, much to his surprise and mine! As things were going quite well I continued out into the desert for ten minutes and then brought him slowly back to the stables. The grins on the faces of the grooms told me I had been correct in my assumptions, but who cared, I had found my new friend. That evening His Highness came down to the stableyard and his grin was even wider than that of the grooms back at the stallion stable. "I hear you have been breaking in my stallions.You will have to improve your Arabic, you are not safe." I had forgotten how fast news travelled on this desert island. We laughed over coffee and then he forestalled my request by saying "I suppose Saqlawy Al Ahmar is your choice as you have just trained him to carry you".

The following day accompanied by a friend armed with a camera I went back to see Saqlawy Al Ahmar, besides he needed his next lesson. I decided to continue where I had left off the previous day, tacked him up and rode him out into the desert on a short ride to get to know him.

He was very different from Hamdaany who was barely 14 hands 3", Saqlawy was just under 16 hands. He was moved from the stallion stable to Riffa where I could continue his training.

He soon began to fill out from the leggy unbroken colt and there was a hint of the beautiful stallion that he would become. Bahraini horses are not mature until they are at least seven years old.

Shortly after being given Saqlawy I had to return to the UK and amongst the possessions I packed was my dog and my horse. Both had to endure quarantine for Sugar Puff the collie this was a direct flight and six months in a UK kennels but for Saqlawy the journey was much longer. At that time the UK had a ban on the importation of horses from the Middle East due to fears of African Horse sickness, so Saqlawy had to be transported overland and spend 2 years in Austria before being allowed into the UK. It was arranged that Saqlawy would travel back with friends Margarita and Derek Coekin who were taking home four mares and a filly foal of their own. As the only stallion on the horsebox it must have seemed to Saqlawy that he had a harem of his own but he was exceptionally well behaved for the whole journey. Saqlawy's journey to the UK began on the quayside in Manama where all the horses had to be loaded onto a dhow for the short trip to the mainland where the horsebox was waiting. The mares, foal and Saqlawy had to hop from the quayside down onto the wooden deck of the dhow and to my amazement each did exactly that. Saqlawy had never seen a boat in his life and as the dhow heaved and squeaked at its mooring I had severe doubts about whether he would willingly launch himself off the quayside but I had forgotten that he came from Alkhalifa "warhorse" stock hence he was bold and brave.

Saqlawy Al Ahmar was the first Asil Bahraini to arrive in the UK since Nuhra ( Wathna x Jellaby) had been presented to the Earl and Countess of Athlone in 1937. Nuhra had been a gift from the ruler of Bahrain to celebrate the accession to the throne of HRH King George VI. Nuhra became the foundation mare of The Barton Lodge Stud, and established renowned 'Nuhra Line'.

On his arrival in the UK Saqlawy's papers were presented to The Arab Horse Society for his inclusion in the Register. These consisted a Pedigree signed by His Highnesses Master of the Horse, two letters signed by His Highness The Amir and another from the British Political Agent verifying their authenticity. Months went by and I heard nothing from the Arab Horse Society, finally after much argument they wrote and said "in their opinion Bahrain was not a traditional source of Arabians and this affected my registration adversely". I pointed out that Nuhra was from the same stud as Saqlawy and that Lady Anne Lytton had just imported Grojec from the famous Comet/Kuheilan Afas line and that Kuheilan Afas was an Asil Bahraini colt. So why was Saqlawy to be treated differently? The silence was deafening...they refused to register Saqlawy.

On a trip back to Bahrain I sat with His Highness and when he asked if Saqlawy was "in the register" I handed him the letter. He smiled and shook his head and what he said next taught me a lesson that has stood me in good stead throughout my life. He asked "Who are these people and why do you want to be with them? You know the horse is pure and I know it, so their opinion does not matter. They don't know anything about my horses so why do you need them? When you go home, ride Saqlawy and enjoy him, do not have anything else to do with this register, do not ask them again." I felt humble and I felt angry with myself that I had allowed a bunch of ignorant nobodies to insult such a generous kind man and his precious families horses. Horses that had been under the care of the Alkhalifas for centuries longer than this arrogant UK Society had been in existence. I came home and took every ounce of his advice. I cancelled my subscription to The Arab Horse Society and set about enjoying my horse. I hunted him with the local farmers hunt, competed in the Golden Horse Shoe and gave pony rides at the church fete. What a horse he turned out to be! He had a wonderful stud career covering hunter mares, producing children's ponies with superb temperaments and teaching numerous children to ride. My own daughter Caroline would insist that she could ride him without help from a very early age!

Through Saqlawy Al Ahmar I learned from His Highness to be independent, not to follow the crowd and never to be scared to stand up for what you believe in. I believe the Asil Arabian horses of Bahrain are second to none. I have loved them with a passion since I saw my first Bahraini horse in 1966 and have been rewarded tenfold. I watch Bahraini foals playing in my fields here in Herefordshire. Horses with Bahraini blood from my stud have represented the UK at Endurance. On the racetrack I have seen them first past the winning post on so many occasions. I never look over my shoulder, I don't care what people think, I love my Bahraini horses unreservedly and together with my family they are my world.

My next Bahraini stallion was also a gift, Krayaan Dilmun and by the time he arrived in the UK in 1993 WAHO had been born . "The World Arabian Horse Organisation" knowledgeable people who did know what they were talking about gave Bahrain's horse the recognition they truly deserved. The Arab Horse Society now has to register all Bahrainis and this year they are getting them in 'stereo' as I have Twin Bahraini foals to register as well as a beautiful bay Bahraini colt!

Jenny & Tony Lees, Mill Farm, Preston-on-Wye, Herefordshire, UK, HR2 9JU

Phone: 01981 500225