They called him classic, a legend, a model of inspiration and considered him to be a treasure, one of the modern-day marvels of Egypt. And yet, all of these words fall short of conveying the full esteem that people felt for Tagweed, a 2004 son of the great Gad Allah (Adeeb x Omnia), out of the beloved Tee (Adl x Bint Ibtisam).
In the early days of his career, Tagweed was a promising young sire, in great demand by Egypt’s growing population of private breeders. As his sons and daughters matured into breath-taking horses, his siring excellence was proven and his role as a crucially important stallion and replacement for his sire could not be denied.
In an interview with Pat Canfield, published by Desert Heritage Magazine, Ahmed Hamza, Cchairman of the Egyptian Arabian Organization (EAO) said: “I want to return the EAO to its days of glory. I want El Zahraa to re-emerge as the soul of the Arabian horse. It must become the place where people come to get the best horses”.
Certainly, his words could not be any more prophetic, when one fully considers Tagweed. Bred cleverly by the EAO, his sire Gad Allah was out of the Akhtal daughter, Omnia, while his dam Tee was out of the Akhtal daughter, Bint Ibtisam. Akhtal, a very elegant grey stallion, was an important sire for the EAO, siring 55 foals, most of which were retained in Egypt. And yet, for as great as Akhtal was, Tagweed’s pedigree was filled with stallions who were vitally important to the EAO breeding programme: *Morafic (Nazeer x Mabrouka) and his son, Shaarawi (out of Bint Kamla), *Tuhotmos (El Sareei x Moniet El Nefous), Anter (Hamdan x Obeya), Ikhnatoon (*Farazdac x Bint Om El Saad) and his son, Adl (out of the Adaweya daughter, Enayah). However, the promise of any legacy for Tagweed was best expressed by the royal tail female line which ran through Ibtisam, sired by Nazeer and out of Mouna, a daughter of the Queen of Egypt, Moniet El Nefous. This was his heritage and the promise that his star would be very bright.
Saqlawi by strain, Tagweed physically captured the grace and elegance that is at the very essence of this strain. Timeless in physique, possessing a strong body with much substance, Tagweed had the characteristics one associates with the strain, that is, a longer back, longer legs, a longer neck with extra length in the poll and well-set, flowing like a palm frond out of powerful, well-angled shoulders and a broad, muscled chest. His head was pure enchantment and like sculpture, finely shaped with big, black eyes, a delicate muzzle and huge nostrils. He was the Arabian dream, come-to-life and for many Egyptian breeders, he became the living standard, against which, all other horses would be measured.
And so, this week, the world must now bid goodbye reluctantly, as Tagweed’s time on Earth was quickly cut short; although the legacy that he leaves us will ensure that his star continues to shine brightly, long after those who knew him well are gone too.
Goodnight our most wonderful friend and Godspeed. The world will surely miss you.
Words by Ralph Suarez
