This is the 6th installment of this series which began June 7, 2024, wherein we continue to highlight the stories of Straight Egyptian Arabians that were originally featured in the Legacy Section of Volume XII of the Reference Handbook of Straight Egyptian Horses. This special section featured the horses themselves along with endearing stories of the special relationship they shared with the humans in their lives. It has been fun hearing from not only the owners of these horses, but also from others who had the opportunity to interact with them as well. We trust you’ll enjoy them, too, and look forward to hearing from you about the impact these horses may have had in your own lives, either individually, up close and personal, or through their descendants.
Serenity Sonbolah was imported from Egypt in the late 1960s when she was just a long yearling. As a 3 year old she was Champion Mare at the Buckeye Sweepstakes Show, Eastern Canada Regional Champion Mare and U.S. Top Ten Mare in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Then in 1971, as a 4 year old she returned to Oklahoma and was named U.S. National Champion Mare, the same year that Ansata Ibn Sudan was named U.S. National Champion Stallion. In her early years she was owned by Mr. & Mrs. Bradford Heck of Serenity Farms Limited and was subsequently sold to Douglas & Barbara Griffith of Imperial Egyptian Stud where she spent the rest of her days. Some of her descendants of note include ZT Faa’iq (Anaza El Farid x ZT Jamdusah [Jamilll x IES Sondusah]) through SF Bint Sonbolah (x Khofo); and Imperial Al Kamar (El Hilal x Imperial Sonbesjul [Hossny x Serenity Sonbolah). She was a product of the cross that had worked so very well: Sameh on the Nazeer daughters. Before Sonbolah came to the U.S., her full blood sister, Shamah (Sameh x Rafica [Nazeer x Om El Saad], was imported and shown to several championships by Gleannloch Farms. Others of this cross also made their way to North America: Ansata Bint Misr (Sameh x Ansata Bint Bukra [x Nazeer]); Deenaa (Sameh x Dahma II [x Nazeer]); Fawkia (Sameh x Mamlouka [x Nazeer]); Omayma (Sameh x Nazeera [x Nazeer]); Romanaa II (Sameh x Nazeera [x Nazeer]); and Serenity Sabra (Sameh x Shahrzada [x Nazeer]). These mares represent a significant and powerful pattern. As observed by Judith Forbis in this fitting tribute: “Hopefully in the future another exotic beauty such as Sonbolah will come forth through her lineage. The Arabian horse world awaits the day!”
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