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Gulastra
AHR #521
Color: Dark
Chestnut
Sex: Stallion
Foaled: May 31, 1924
Sire: *Astraled (Mesaoud
x Queen of Sheba by Desert Bred)
Dam: Gulnare (*Rodan x
*Ghazala by Ibn Sherara)
Breeder:
W.R. (William Robinson) Brown
Maynesboro Stud
Berlin, New Hampshire
Last
Owner of Record:
Bazy Tankersley
Al-Marah Arabians
Markings: Broad
blaze, near fore stocking, near hind pastern. Height: 14.3
Weight: 900 lbs.
Double registered with The Thoroughbred
Jockey Club in their American Stud Book as No. 108963.
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From our Arieana Notebook:
Gulastra became the greatest progenitor of the Mesaoud
sireline in the United States. He was one of the most well-traveled
horses of the pre-international era, and left a valued legacy
wherever he stood at stud.
We
proudly present the photo above to illustrate Gulastra's strength and long-lasting
productive influence. All these stallions
pictured above are descending from the Rahas branch of
Gulastra's
sireline, and all, with the exception of of Tamarif, appear in the pedigrees of Arieana's Arabians.
Indentity (left to right) in this photo taken at the AHASC Club's Annual Fall Show at the Pomona Fairgrounds
in 1950 reads: Tamarif, who is the son of Tamarlane, who is the son of
Abu Farwa, who is
the son of Rabiyas, who is the son of Rahas, and finally
Gulastra himself at age
27.
Gulastra
sired a
total of 117 purebred registered foals and his name is synonymous with
the versatile, athletic traits for which the CMK Heritage breeding
traditions have become known and admired. In particular, Gulastra,
a highly-spirited "red head" with kindly disposition, was noted as himself having a fast flat-footed walk with lots of impulsion
and siring foals with the same traits. While under the ownership of
General J.M.
Dickinson of Travelers Rest, he sired Kolastra, a stallion accepted into Volume I of the
Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ Association of America Studbook Appendix
Section for his proven ability at the running walk. Some people
have mentioned Gulastra was "hot", but Bazy Tankersley noted in the
Arabian Horse Journal December 1976 "...that
he and his foals, if carefully broken, were sweet, but if handled
roughly, they rebelled and were fractious." It has also been noted that
purebred Arabians did not breed on within the Tennessee Walking Horse
breed for they
rebelled at the harsh training methods, and today we do not find them
readily listed
in TWH pedigrees. But that does not stop us at Arieana Arabians, for we
love the amble and encourage this gait in our horses. We believe, although not yet genetically proven, that this
natural gaiting ability is coming down to our own bloodstock through this branch of
the Mesaoud sireline.
Gulastra is "Blue
Listed" in the Ott Catalogue and considered pure Egyptian by some
sectors. The following gives a brief summary of his life and travels, his
owners and his foals.
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| 1924-1935 |
| Bred
by W.R. Brown and foaled at his Maynesboro Stud in Berlin, New
Hampshire. Covered his first mares at three years old and sired
a total of 14 foals there including Rahas,
Kolastra, and Nusi, and one for Albert W. Harris. |
| 1935-1938 |
| Purchased
by William Randolph Hearst during the Maynesboro Dispersal Sale and moved to
his stables at San Simeon, California where he sired three foal
crops including the stallion Balastra. |
| 1939-1944 |
| Purchased
by General J.M. Dickinson and moved to Dickinson's Travelers Rest Farm in Tennessee where he was highly
regarded as the sire of quality foals with excellent dispositions.
Peggy Fleming also recalled in a personal communication that Gulastra
was schooled by her father's old groom in five gaits (walk,
trot, canter, running walk or slow gait, and rack) and was able
to present them quite creditably, winning prizes at the five
gaits in horse shows, and that Gulastra was "...very
showy and willing, never a problem in any way." (Fleming,
May 14-17, 2002). |
| 1944-1949 |
| When
Dickinson closed down his operation in Tennessee, Gulastra went to Clifford
A. Lodwick of Ohio and later on to H.V. Tormohlen of Indiana. |
| 1949-1954 |
| By
this time, Gulastra was owned by John Rapp and living near Santa
Fe, New Mexico "...running loose and living in a shack and
not being cared for." In 1950, Howard M. Marks of Tracy, California,
sent his accountant down there to buy him for $2,500, sight
unseen at age 25. Howard Marks was totally satisfied with his
purchase and is quoted as saying: "He was a good-headed
horse, with a big eye on him, short ears, and he was a chestnut
without too much white." (Parkinson, p.265) |
| 1954-1955 |
| In
1954, in
one of the biggest moves in his life, Gulastra was flown
across the United States by Howard Marks in a lease-exchange for Indraff
in cooperation with Bazy
Tankersley of Al-Marah Arabians who at that time was located in Maryland near
Washington D.C. Bazy Tankersley believed Gulastra to be the oldest living Arabian stallion
still breeding, and Gulastra rewarded their efforts with
eleven purebred foals for that 1954
breeding season and his last foal crop ~ remarkable
indeed considering that by then Gulastra was 29 years
young. Unfortunately Gulastra was never to see
California again. In March 1955, Gulastra injured or fractured his right
forearm, and
it was decided with a phone call to Howard Marks to have
Gulastra put down. Gulastra was 30 years old at the time of his
death. (Hoffman, p. 4). Gulastra's headstone was a gift from Howard
Marks to Robbi Pruitt as she was the last owner of Gulastra's
youngest son ROH Beta Gulastra. (Synowski,
p. 2). |
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fitting tribute Albert W. Harris said of Gulastra: "Good himself, from
the best blood that produces better than himself."
(Hoffman, p. 4). Gulastra's pedigree reflected the Blunts'
preference to blend their direct-from-the-desert sources with
horses acquired in Egypt from the stud of Ali Pasha Sherif. Of
particular note Gulastra was line bred to the Ali Pasha Sherif
sire Aziz II, having four crosses to this chestnut sire of two
important horses in the Blunt program: Mesaoud
and Bint Helwa (Synowski, p. 2). With his own 13 crosses to Gulastra, we
look now to the Arieana-bred rising star and future herd sire Haat Pursuit
as he carries forward his sireline Gulastra heritage,
traditions, and legacy. |
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Happy Trails!
~Suzi Morris
(08/20/2012)
Research Resources:
Brown, W.R., The Horse of the Desert. Originally
published 1929. Reprinted by the Macmillan Company, New York, New
York. 1947.
Conn, George H., "Pure-Bred Arabian Horses
Imported Into The United States (1879-1948)," The Arabian
Horse in America. A. S. Barnes and Company, New York, New
York. 1972. pp. 192-194.
Dickinson, J.M., A Catalogue of Travelers Rest Arabian Horses
1947. Reprinted by the Arabian Horse Trust, Denver, Colorado.
1988.
Fleming, Margaret (Peggy). Personal Communication via e-mail. May
14-17, 2002.
Hoffman, James C. "Gulastra". Copy of undated
4-page article courtesy of Sandy Obermeyer. Atascadero,
California.
Maynesboro Arabian Stud: Catalogue for Season 1927. Berlin,
New Hampshire, U.S.A. 1927.
Parkinson, Mary Jane. ...And Ride Away Singing. Al-Marah
Arabians. Arabian Horse Owners Foundation, Tucson, Arizona. 1998.
pp. 56-59.
Parkinson, Mary Jane. "Foundation Breeder: Howard Marks Family." Arabian
Horse World. August 2002: pp. 264-273.
Synowski, Rick.
"Gulastra". Article prepared for the 2009 Al Khamsa/CMK
Symposium. Bend, Oregon. 2009.
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