The Gleannloch Arabians Bloodline

The Early Gleannloch Breeding Program

The first Arabian horse that the Marshalls bought in 1953 was Fa Gazal, a half-Egyptian mare bred by Henry Babson who was a daughter of *Fadl out of *Kostrzewa, a mare that Babson imported from Poland. Fa Gazal was bred to the stallion Moneyn (Raseyn x Monica), owned by the Marshall’s neighbor, Frank Williams. The filly Kahla (Moneyn x Fa Gazal) was born in 1955 and this was the beginning of the Gleannloch Arabian horse breeding program.[1]

Kahla was a halter winner and produced several champions and influential progeny:

• Surur, by Surf, a U.S. National Top Ten Mare
• Surur’s full sister, Bint Surf, the 1968 U.S. Reserve National English Pleasure Champion

Kahla was also the granddam of the beautiful 1984 U.S. National Champion Mare, VP Kahlua, who was out of Kahlette, by El Hilal, a son of the Egyptian stallion, *Ansata Ibn Halima, imported and owned by Judith and Donald Forbis of the world-famous Ansata Arabian Stud.

The Marshalls began to tour the US looking for Arabian horses and bought more. Jim Reno, artist and horseman, was asked by the Marshalls to visit Wayne Mayhew’s farm in California for a mare and a stallion to further enhance the breeding program. He returned with the mare Jubilema and Surf, her foal by Sureyn. Surf, whom Doug Marshall was not initially pleased with (he had wanted a mature stallion, not a foal), proceeded to win numerous titles and eventually made Gleannloch a household name in the world of Arabian horses. [2]

Throughout the 1960s, Doug and Margaret Marshall purchased horses that represented a blend of Crabbet, Spanish, Polish and Egyptian bloodlines with the goal of producing athletic Arabians who blended beauty with utility. In total, the Marshalls bred and owned 116 non-straight Egyptian horses, 38 of which won 199 championships and 13 of which won 16 national titles.

The Gleannloch Egyptian Arabian Years

The passion that was ignited in Doug Marshall when he visited the El Zahraa Stud in Egypt during WWII was never extinguished. In fact, after years of touring the Middle East in search of the horses that most fit his and Margaret’s vision of the ideal Arabian horse, their quest led them back to the El Zahraa Stud. In 1961, the Marshalls imported *El Thabi, a stallion that belonged to Doug’s good friend Sherif Nasser Bin Jamil, King Hussein’s uncle. They also found five lovely mares at the Egyptian Agricultural Organization’s (EAO) stud in Egypt. The first Gleannloch Egyptian Arabians arrived in New York in a snowstorm after a three-week ocean voyage. Because of recent inoculations given in Eqypt, they tested positive for a banned disease and were shipped back to Egypt to the disappointment of Doug and Margaret Marshall who had travelled to New York to meet them.

Better luck prevailed in 1962 when the five Egyptian Arabian mares arrived [3] including:

• *Bint Maisa El Shaghira (Nazeer x Maisa). She would be the first imported Egyptian mare to win at the U.S. national level. To date, she is the only mare (regardless of bloodlines) to be named a U.S. National Top Ten winner in open halter, English pleasure and park. When bred to *Morafic, she produced the U.S. Reserve National Champion Futurity Stallion and prominent sire Shaikh Al Badi and Amaal. When bred to *Ibn Hafiza, she had the Legion of Merit winner, Shamruk.
• *Salomy (El Sareei x Malaka). When bred to *Morafic produced U.S. Top Ten Stallion *Saba El Zahraa.
• *Bint Bint Kateefa and *Bint Maisa.Both were important broodmares for Gleannloch.
• *Bint Nefisaa. She is notable for her son, El Hilal, by *Ansata Ibn Halima. El Hilal was a U.S. National Top Ten Stallion, was twice Top Ten at the Canadian Nationals and was a leading Egyptian Arabian sire of champions.

In 1963 and 1964, the Marshalls imported five more straight Egyptian horses from the EAO, the foundation of yet more winning offspring:

• The mare *Sammara (*Morafic x Samera) produced several champions, including U.S. National Champion Futurity Colt Al Metrabbi by *Morafic.
• *Sanaa (Sid Abouhom x Yashmak) was the dam of three national winners
• *Bint Mona (Nazeer x Mona) at that time was the only imported Egyptian mare to produce four national winners, including the 1971 National Champion Futurity Filly Il Muna.
• The mare *Hamdia (Antar x Nazeera) was in the group, but sadly died shortly after her importation.
• The stallion *Ibn Antar (Antar x *Bint Mona) sired national winners before he was imported to Australia.

Enter *Morafic

In 1964, Doug and Margaret Marshall and Tom and Rhita McNair made a trip to the EAO’s El Zahraa Stud that forever changed the history of Gleannloch Farms Arabians. Taking their time and studying at length the stallion *Morafic, they made a decision that would alter the Gleannloch breeding program forever and have a lasting impact on Arabian horses around the world, one still felt to the present day.

*Morafic and 13 other straight Egyptian horses were bought and imported by the Marshalls in 1965. “These horses who looked different, who were just a little more refined and “dry” than most American-bred Arabians, would begin to change dramatically the way that breeders looked at the Arabian horse in the show ring and beyond.”[4]

Sale of Champions

It was a brave, painful and fateful decision. As the 1960s progressed and as the Gleannloch Farms horses were expertly guided by the McNairs to championship after championship[5], the Marshalls were acquiring more and more straight Egyptian Arabians. The breeding program was now decidedly focused on Egyptian Arabians and so in 1968, Doug and Margaret Marshall announced their decision to sell all their non-Egyptian Arabian horses, including Surf.

The “Sale of Champions” as it was called was notable both for the record breaking prices reached, but more so for the strong emotions it evoked. Tom McNair wrote in the sale catalog, “as these horses leave Gleannloch, a little bit of me goes with each one. Needless to say, on the back of Surf goes not only a very large part of Gleannloch’s reputation but a very large part of mine as well. No horse could ever do as much for me again or take his place in my heart.” When Surf was sold, there was hardly a dry eye in the house. “It was simply a very traumatic experience.” Doug said in a 1989 interview. “He was more than just a horse for us; he was a friend.”[6]

The Gleannloch Farms Legacy

From 1964 through1981 Gleannloch Farms acquired and imported 63 Egyptian Arabian horses, the most famous of which was the stallion, *Morafic. *Sakr, imported by H.J. Heubner of Silsbee, TX , and later bought by the Marshalls, was their greatest show horse. Among the best-known mares are *Nahlah, *Fawkia, *Romanaa II, *Omayma, *Kahramana, *Magidaa, *Gamilaa, and *Berlanty. Along with *Morafic, the stallions, *Faleh, *Zaghloul and *Ibn Hafiza helped shape the famous Gleannloch breeding program.

In that period 2078 championship titles were won by Gleannloch horses including 89 U.S. and Canadian national titles in such diverse divisions as halter, English pleasure, park, country pleasure driving, hunter pleasure, western pleasure, sidesaddle, native costume, jumping, dressage, show hack, working cow horse and reining. [7]

The straight Egyptian horses of Gleannloch Farms may have moved from life to legend, but their descendants continue to fill trophy rooms of owners and breeders around the world up to the present day.

Using a different measure, we can see the global impact of the Gleannloch breeding program today. Each December the Salon du Cheval in Paris, France, hosts the World Championships for Arabian horses at halter. Gleannloch Farms bred two of the horses named world champions – Shakhs (*Morafic x *Shiaa) in 1977, and Hadidi (*Norus x Hebet Allah) in 1997. Of all the world champions, 2002 through 2013, all but one horse traces to horses imported or bred by Gleannloch Farms. That means that 50 titles were won by 45 different Gleannloch-influenced horses, decades after Gleannloch Farms passed into history.

[1] Culbertson, Cynthia; Forbis, Judith (2014). Gleannloch Farms The Legend and the Legacy (1st ed.). The Pyramid Society. ISBN 978-0-615-99437-6. “The Marshalls: A Marriage, A Passion, A Life of Adventure” by Marian Carpenter. Page 16

[2] Culbertson, Cynthia; Forbis, Judith (2014). Gleannloch Farms The Legend and the Legacy (1st ed.). The Pyramid Society. ISBN 978-0-615-99437-6. “Part 1: The Early Years; An All American Showcase” by Marian Carpenter. Page 32.

[3] Culbertson, Cynthia; Forbis, Judith (2014). Gleannloch Farms The Legend and the Legacy (1st ed.). The Pyramid Society. ISBN 978-0-615-99437-6. . “Part 1: The Early Years; An All American Showcase” by Marian Carpenter. Page 40

[4] Culbertson, Cynthia; Forbis, Judith (2014). Gleannloch Farms The Legend and the Legacy (1st ed.). The Pyramid Society. ISBN 978-0-615-99437-6. . “Part 1: The Early Years; An All American Showcase” by Marian Carpenter. Page 41.

[5] Culbertson, Cynthia; Forbis, Judith (2014). Gleannloch Farms The Legend and the Legacy (1st ed.). The Pyramid Society. ISBN 978-0-615-99437-6. . “Part 1: The Early Years; An All American Showcase” by Marian Carpenter. Page 42

[6] Culbertson, Cynthia; Forbis, Judith (2014). Gleannloch Farms The Legend and the Legacy (1st ed.). The Pyramid Society. ISBN 978-0-615-99437-6. “Part 1: The Early Years; An All American Showcase” by Marian Carpenter. Page 42

[7] Culbertson, Cynthia; Forbis, Judith (2014). Gleannloch Farms The Legend and the Legacy (1st ed.). The Pyramid Society. ISBN 978-0-615-99437-6. “The Marshalls: A Marriage, A Passion, A Life of Adventure” by Marian Carpenter, research by Arlene Magid. Page 19