I’m writing today representing The Pyramid Society Foundation, and not just as Keri Wright. There are times in our lives when everything around us and within us is quickened and we feel and we see things much differently than we have before. And yet, when it comes right down to it, is it really all that different in the end? T.S. Eliot put it this way in the fourth and final poem of his Four Quartets:
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, remembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;”
Such was my experience this past April. I had been invited to attend The Pyramid Society Morocco’s first Arabian Horse Breeder’s Forum. I had never been to Morocco before and I didn’t know what to anticipate, really, but as the plane was making its final approach for landing I looked out and suddenly many things started coming back to me. I was passing through this “unknown, remembered gate.” In those few minutes I could hear my mother reading to me from Marguerite Henry’s, King of the Wind, I was remembering some of the lines from the now classic movie, Casablanca, and perhaps, most poignantly, especially in light of world conditions today, I was recalling the courage of the then young sultan, Mohammed ben Youssef, who on his own, with little, if any, backing from other nations, repelled the mandates of the Vichy regime (and through them, the Nazis) with his now famous defense of all his subjects, Jews and Muslims alike. The common denominator in all of this? MOROCCO! The plane landed and what unfolded could not have been more wonderful to me. Everything was top drawer, no detail overlooked. The welcome, the facility, the organizers, the videographers capturing important moments and details the eye may have missed, the farm tours, the hospitality, the food, the horses… they had all gone above and beyond to make it an event to remember. I was intrigued with the many things the breeders there are doing to attract interest among the general public. We can all learn from each other, and I’m very much looking forward to receiving the reports of how their efforts are being received. When it came time for me to leave I again recalled the words of the brave young sultan, “We’re all Moroccans here.” And we all felt it. Here in Morocco we had gathered from several nations around the world…from Germany, from France, from the United States of America, from Syria and Senegal and many other countries, all united in our love and passion for the Egyptian Arabian Horse.
During the Forum I was very honored to have been invited to speak to those assembled there, giving a brief report on the recent merger of The Pyramid Society with The Pyramid Foundation, the reasons for it, and then speaking to how we would be moving forward in the future as The Pyramid Society Foundation. Quite in the moment, while at the same time fully aware of a project we’d been working on and how close we were to completion, I chose to announce that at long last The Pyramid Society’s Reference Handbooks of Straight Egyptian Arabian Horses were ready and would soon be released in digital format. It gladdened my heart to have this news received so eagerly. Several articles were written about the forum and have been shared through various media sources, and I, too, had shared our experiences there within the posts on my personal Facebook page, but chose to wait to report the forum on The Pyramid Society Foundation’s official page when I could make good on my promise and share with the whole world that the Reference Handbooks of Straight Egyptian Arabian Horses are now available on our website!
As some of you may recall, this is something we had originally envisioned as being part of the publication of Volume XIII of the Handbooks, but unforeseen challenges arose when it came to the technology involved and we had to set it aside for a time. I am so grateful for the collective efforts of so many who’ve made this a reality:
First of all, I want to mention and express my sincere gratitude for the generosity of Abdul and Rakan Altobaishi of Al Fala Stud in Saudi Arabia who made the funding of the digitization process possible. Nothing ever just happens on its own and I am so very grateful to the Altobaishi family for their support of Volume XIII and this project. Without their magnanimity and kindness it would not have happened. May they long be remembered for what they’ve made possible for all.
Next, to Judith Forbis, Founder of The Pyramid Society and Trustee, whose indefatigable support of all things related to the Straight Egyptian Arabian and The Pyramid Society Foundation and its mission has made all the difference. I’ve not known someone her equal and cannot say even the smallest part of what I feel in terms of my personal gratitude and that of the organization for all she has done over the years, but especially as it relates to The Reference Handbooks. It was her vision that brought them to life and her tenacity and dedication that has kept them going.
Next, to our immediate Past President and Trustee, Rebecca Rogers. She’s a walking encyclopedia of the history of the organization. With every aspect of the work being done, Becky jumped in, became a real student of the task and processes at hand and found ways to make it all come together. Her knowledge, expertise and can-do attitude made it possible for us to complete the project and bring it to you at this time.
Many of you may not be aware of just how involved Joe Ferriss has been with the publication of the last several volumes of The Reference Handbooks. Beyond Joe’s passion for the horses, and his commitment to education and preserving the essence of the horse and its heritage, he also possesses many talents when it comes to publication, design and putting the book together. We all benefit so much from his work and his talent, and wanted him to know of my personal appreciation for him and his long history of love and support for the Straight Egyptian Arabian.
And finally to Kimberly Cornelius, our trusted and much appreciated “make all things happen” go-to person who worked tirelessly with various iterations of what we wanted it to look like and how we wanted it to function. Thanks so very much, Kim.
The Reference Handbooks, especially the earliest volumes, are now a collector’s item, and you’re lucky if you can find them. My personal set is well worn due to continued use over the years. As Judith Forbis noted in an article entitled, The Story Behind the Pyramid Society Reference Handbooks, “while technology changes the way we view things from day to day, there is something about a book that will remain constant. Holding a book, one feels the energy of those who contributed to make it a living document.” It is our intent to continue producing the Reference Handbooks, but will also digitize them for a wider distribution and audience than would otherwise be possible.
Many distribution options were available to us such as paid subscription services like AHA’s DataSource, and because they are copyrighted we also had an obligation to make sure they would be protected from unauthorized use and publication such as we see on various social media sites and pages. In the end, after considering the pros and cons of the many alternatives before us, we have decided to make them available to everyone through our website (see link below). One of our main objectives in sharing the Reference Handbooks in this manner is to empower breeders with the knowledge and resources needed to produce high quality Straight Egyptian Arabian horses and to foster a collaborative community of breeders and scholars of this ancient yet living treasure – this Gift from the Desert. The Pyramid Society Foundation envisions a world where the legacy of the Straight Egyptian Arabian is preserved, celebrated and perpetuated. This lies within our hands as Guardians of the Treasure. We trust you will appreciate, enjoy and make good use of this important resource that has been over 50 years in the making!
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