From our Arieana Notebook:  Bred by Spencer Borden and transferred to the ownership of W.R. Brown who later sold her to General J.M. Dickinson, Guemura lived a very long and productive life with her influence distinctly visible within many future generations and on a world-wide basis.

We at Arieana Arabians look to Guemura for her place of significance in our pedigrees as the connecting branch for the invaluable Ghazieh tail female line and resulting mtDNA of our foundation mares. As we follow her descends, the Guemura daughter Ghanigat brings us down to her daughter Muhlis from whom descends Jolley Pico, the dam of our two foundation mares Haapey Pico and Gleeful Pico. She also figures prominently in the pedigree of Ashan Adar, a gelding whose traits and qualities set the standards for us at Arieana Arabians.

But even more exciting to us than her influence in our own foundation mares is that the reference sire of our three most recent foals, Blitzen of Pico, also carries this very same Guemura branch of the Ghazieh tail female line to Ghanigat's daughter Nigha, this branch now descending through Mounigha to her granddaughter Amazon of Pico, the dam of Blitzen of Pico.

And so we delight in our pedigree studies as we find the influential  Guemura as the key and joining branch for the Ghazieh tail female lines of both sire and dam of all our recent foals by Blitzen of Pico out of our foundation mares, with many, many similar crosses from the Bint Helwa descends scattered throughout their mid-pedigrees. 

We proudly look to this linebreeding on Guemura to take our goals forward into the future generations with all hopes justifiably promised and hopefully fulfilled for the same long-lasting athletic qualities, kindly dispositions, and productive traits of this highly-regarded, dynastic mare. Haat Pursuit carries that promise forward as a rising star and future herd sire as we now proudly pass the baton to his new owners: Tim and Kristi Johnson of Berlin, Wisconsin.

Guemura produced a total of 17 foals (11 colts and 6 fillies) and died at age 26 at Travelers Rest. Besides her beautiful daughter Ghanigat, among her other treasured Old California/CMK offspring were Ghazi, who for many years was one of the senior stallions at the Hearst Ranch, San Simeon, California, and Gharis, lead sire for Edna Draper's program and another famous stallion of the Old California CMK Heritage breeding tradition. When bred to Ribal, she also produced Ghabir, the grandsire of Rajilita Ku who was influential in the Kubela program. These are just a few examples of why the Guemura influence through her sons, daughters, and grand daughters is still highly regarded and sought-after by Arabian breeders throughout the United States today.

"A Pleasure to Own. A Pleasure to Ride."

Also from my Arieana Notebook: "Not to be undone by younger horses, Guemura at the age of 20 won a prize under saddle at the Spring Horse Show, at Nashville, though she would not tolerate a bit and had to be ridden with a true desert type of bridle" as the photo on the left illustrates. (Travelers Rest Catalogue, p. 100). 

And I smile to myself with fond memories of all the long and joyous rides on Ashan Adar when he too was happiest just going along in a bosal-type bridle or with just his halter and a lead rope for reins. A trait coming down to him from this *Ghazala 211 mare family? Most likely, as he had many crosses to both Guemura and her maternal half sister Gulnare through Mounigha and Gulastra. 

Looking back on those wonderful times riding our cherished gelding Ashan Adar, I cannot help but wonder and question upon the circumstances of why we even use bits in a horse's mouth, for this was a horse who could read our minds and was so sensitive to our needs that he could feel the turn of our head, and with that subtle shift in weight receive all the clues he needed to take us in any direction we wanted to go. I hear from Sandy Obermeyer that her stallion Blitzen of Pico was attuned to her in the same way and that she trained, rode, and even exhibited him bridleless. 

Oh, how rewarding it is as a breeder of fine Arabian horses to know the influence of Guemura will carry on now for others to enjoy. 

Happy Trails!

~Suzi Morris (revised 07/23/2012)

For more information on Guemura or to see for yourself how her influence lives on in the prized and cherished horses of Arieana Arabians, please contact us. Visitors are always welcome; appointments are appreciated.

Suzi Morris
ARIEANA ARABIANS
28952 Via Hacienda
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675-5546
Phone: 949-248-1260
e-mail: arieana@fea.net