First published in The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine December 2024
Breathe the name Ariela Arabians and you can immediately see ethereal mares, exquisite foals and dynamic stallions in your mind’s eye. Renowned worldwide, many of the Ariela Arabians horses are straight Egyptian, with much of the herd linebred to foundation mares AK Latifa and The Vision HG. Thanks to over twenty years of cooperation with the two Polish State Studs, some Egyptian-related damlines have been introduced to expand the Ariela Arabians gene pool. Nowhere has this been more successful than with the Egyptian-sired Polish-bred mare, Dumka.
Ariela Arabians is famed the world over for their beautiful Arabian horses. Located in central Israel, the farm is, and has been, home to some of the most well-known names in the Arabian horse breeding world. Household names such as Laheeb (Imperial Imdal x AK Latifa), The Vision HG (Thee Desperado x Belle Star) and AK Latifa (Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Siralima) provided the foundations for the modern-day Ariela Arabian – such as Bronze All Nations’ Cup Champion Edan AA (Al Ayal AA x Ekliptyka), a paternal granddaughter of The Vision HG.
Laheeb. Credit Shalomi Nissim
Edan AA is a perfect example of the type of outcross Ariela Arabians brings into their programme. Bred by Michałow State Stud, Edan AA’s dam is the famed Polish mare Ekliptyka (Ekstern x Eskpozycja), best known as mother of World Champion Equator (by QR Marc). The cross of their superlative straight Egyptian stallion Al Ayal AA (by Al Ayad) underlines the brilliance of Egyptian over Polish, as also evidenced with Paladin AA (ex Prometida by Kahil al Shaqab out of Panonia), one of just four Al Ayal AA foals bred by Janów Podlaski State Stud and who took the Bronze and Silver Yearling Colt Championship titles at the Mediterranean and Arab Countries Arabian Horse Championships in Menton and the Elran Cup respectively in 2022, and who is owned by Ariela Arabians. The success of the cross of straight Egyptian over Polish is evident – and that is where we come to the star of our story, Dumka.
Dumka with her championship garland. Credit Shira Yegar
Dumka is sired by Laheeb, the Ariela stallion who made history by being the first straight Egyptian stallion to be leased by the Polish State Studs in 1999 and 2000 – before he even had a foal on the ground. Selected as a two-year-old, Laheeb made such an impression on the Directors of the Polish State Stud breeding programmes that he returned to stand again in 2008.
It was from that first foal crop that Dumka was born, being bred by Michałow and foaled in 2000. Her dam was the Probat (Pohaniec x Borexia) daughter, Dąbrowa (ex Dębówka by Eternit out of Dębica), and she joined Ariela Arabians in 2001. Ariela Arabians’ owner Chen Kedar told The Arabian Magazine in 2012 that: “I enjoy these precious outcrosses. They add another interesting element to our programme. They are, simply put, different in some ways than our straight Egyptians, which makes them a lot of fun to be around.[1]”
Dumka was shown as a filly, taking the Reserve Israel National Champin Filly title. As a mare, she would be shown again to full National Champion honours.
However, it is as a broodmare that Dumka brought the greatest significance to Ariela Arabians, founding a line that remains relevant today and is one of the oldest damlines at the farm.
Dumka’s first foal was Al Duqa AA, sired by Al Maraam (Imperial Imdal x The Vision HG), who incidentally stood at the Polish State Studs. Al Duqa AA was sold to Shaul Ariel in Israel, and she has bred on with her progeny found across the Middle East.
Dafina AA. Credit Bar Hajaj
It would be Dumka’s second foal, however, who made such an impact on Chen and all at Ariela Arabians. This was Dafina AA, born in 2006. She is sired by the Al Maraam son, Al Bilal (ex Bahiha by Baahir out of Imperial Imtiarah), a stallion who was underutilised during his breeding career but who has sired some incredible progeny.
From the moment she was born, Dafina AA was special. She took the Filly Foal Championship title at the Israeli Nationals, following this with a Junior Female Israeli National Champion title as a two-year-old. 2010, as a four-year-old, saw Dafina AA win two Gold Senior Female titles – at the Israeli Nationals and in the Egyptian-related section at the Israeli Egyptian Event. Dafina AA briefly went to Europe, where she was shown and named Bronze Champion Mare at the Kauber Platte International B Show, in Germany.
Meanwhile, her dam, Dumka, was sold to Valley Oak Arabians in California, USA, where she would win at the Arabian Breeders’ World Cup in Las Vegas and go on to create her own legacy for Manny Vierra.
Dumka at the Arabian Breeders’ World Cup in Las Vegas. Credit Nancy Pierce
As a mare, Dafina AA has been exceptional for Ariela Arabians. Her first foal Daliyah AA (by Nader al Jamal by Ansata Sinan out of Savannah CC), a beautiful grey filly born in 2010. She was named Reserve Israeli Champion Filly Foal and Gold Champion Egyptian-related Filly Foal at the Israeli Egyptian Event, before taking Bronze Junior Female Israeli Champion as a yearling.
Durar AA (by Gazal al Shaqab by Anaza el Farid out of Kajora) followed in 2011, Dafina AA’s second foal. She, too, enjoyed success in the show-ring as a filly, taking the Silver Israeli National title as a yearling as well as Bronze Champion at the Palestinian International Championships. She was then sold to the United States, where as a two-year-old she was unanimously named Region 9 Champion Filly.
Damdiyah AA. Credit Alessio
Dafina AA produced two daughters in 2014. While Dunyah AA (by Al Ayal AA) was sold locally, it would be Damdiyah AA who would become the heart of Ariela Arabians. This ethereal mare is a grey daughter of Ajman Moniscione (WH Justice x Anthea Moniscione out of Padrons Ghibli) and her daughters are the next step in the Ariela breeding programme. Damdiyah AA’s first foal was Despina AA (by Jyar Meia Lua by RFI Maktub out of Jiullya el Jamaal). Foaled in 2019, Despina AA was shown in Europe as a filly, taking second place in a competitive yearling filly class at the Mediterranean and Arab Countries Arabian Horse Championships and Bronze Yearling Female Champion at the Elran Cup.
Despina AA. Credit Alessio
A bay full sister to Despina AA followed in 2020, Doniya AA – who unfortunately was never shown due to a leg injury, but is just as good as her older sister, maybe even better. She is now carrying her first foal. Also foaled in 2020 was the grey Damdiyah daughter, Darine AA (by Emerald J by QR Marc out of Emandoria), Top Five Yearling Filly at the Israeli National Championships. Darine AA foaled the enchanting grey, Donna Bella AA (by AJ Marzan by AJ Portofino out of Hed AB Maria) In 2021, Dana AA, a full sister to Darine AA, was foaled, Gold Israeli National Champion Filly Foal and Silver Yearling Filly Champion at the Bruges International B Show.
Doniya AA. Credit Bar Hajaj
Darine AA. Credit Bar Hajaj
Donna Bella AA. Credit Bar Hajaj
Dana AA. Credit Paola Drera
Damdiyah AA’s final foal to date is the chestnut filly Dahab AA (by Al Ayal AA), Bronze Israeli National Champion Filly Foal in 2021. Damdiyah AA is quite the mare, reflecting the qualities of her damline through her beautiful progeny.
Back to Dafina AA herself and, in 2015, she foaled a full brother to Damdiyah AA, Denaar AA. A champion in his own right, Denaar AA was sold to a local breeder and was named Gold Champion Colt at his first show.
In 2017, Dafina AA had two foals, both sired by GT Shardh, the mare Daania AA and the stallion Damis AA. Daania AA is a beautiful grey mare and was named unanimous Gold Junior Female Champion at the Galilee Arab Horse Show as well as Bronze Junior Female Champion at the Israeli Nationals as a two-year-old. This year, she produced her first foal for Ariela Arabians, a filly named Dirran AA sired by AJ Marzan. Both foals are of great quality.
Daania AA. Credit Alessio
Dafina AA’s final foal is the 2020 filly Dinarah AA, sired by Emerald J. This year, she foaled her first foal, a three-quarter sister to Dirran AA with the showy bay Dalida AA (by AJ Marzan).
While Dumka may only have been at Ariela Arabians for a few years, her female line is now into its third generation. It is clear to see that this Egyptian-sired, Polish-bred mare carved her own dynasty, one that shines as brightly today as it did when she first danced onto the sands of Ariela Arabians.
[1] The Legacy of Ariela Arabians, The View from Ariela: Expect the Exceptional, and Ariela Arabian – The Best is yet to Come, both by Tzviah Idan and published in The Arabian Magazine
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