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After I purchased Golden Ecstasy, I knew I wanted to find a special mare to cross on him that would produce liver chestnut / flaxen foals with the "look of Phara" I was so in love with. What is the "look of Phara?" In her article The Golden Horses of The Sun: The Phara Breeding Program, Arlene Magid describes the Phara horses as "Golden or liver chestnut, with just the right amount of chrome, flaxen, nearly white manes and tails, extreme wedge shaped heads with huge eyes, and motion that spurns the earth - the Phara horses are unmistakable. Their beauty is legendary and irreplaceable." YES! That is exactly what I hoped to produce in my own breeding program!

 

When Annette Weber (founder of Phara Farm) started her program, her foundation stallion Golden Pharao contained the blood from two famous breeding programs - Henry Babson (who imported a superb group of horses from Egypt in 1932), and Herbert Tormohlen's Ben Hur Stud (which produced the “Aa” horses from foundation mare Aarah, who was straight Crabbet).

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Being that Golden Ecstasy carried the Crabbet part of the equation and was a grandson of Phara Farm's stallion Burgundy Sun (Eclipse of the Sun x Rose of Fadl), I began searching for a Straight Egyptian mare that carried the Babson lines. Not only did I find a gorgeous dark liver chestnut mare I felt would be a perfect compliment to the Phara horses (she was leggy and taller than the Phara stallions, yet like them had correct structure, gorgeous features and incredible movement), but one that carried lines to the same five Babson imports as Annette's horses did - *Fadl, *Bint Serra I, *Maaroufa, *Bint Bint Sabbah, and *Bint Saada.

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Even better, Kyobi Rihma (Ravenwood Monee x Asasi Moonbeam by Rasmoniet RSI) was located within a couple hours drive of where I lived and was owned by a dear friend. Shortly after her arrival at Dahabi Arabians, Rihma was bred to Golden Ecstasy for my very first Phara-related foal. I was excited beyond description, as I have been a fan of the Phara horses since I was a young girl. 

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Rihma was shy and slow to trust when she came to me. Over time we built a relationship based on mutual trust and respect. With each new challenge, our bond only became stronger and our trust deeper. Little did I know that trust would soon be put to the test.

 

One afternoon in late fall Rihma wasn't acting herself, and not wanting to take any chances I called the vet immediately. My regular vet was out of town so the vet covering for her was called. By the time the vet arrived, Rihma was sweating and trying to roll. I got her up and prayed she and her unborn foal would be ok. The vet's exam did not yield positive news - Rihma was in severe distress from colic and the vet did not feel she would survive colic surgery and recommended I put her down. There was no way I could give up on my mare, we had come so far and she was looking at me with eyes full of pain, and of love. She was depending on me, and I wasn't going to let her down. I called the surgery center (which was 30 minutes drive away), and told them I was coming in with a pregnant mare and to prepare for her arrival. Before I even stopped my truck and trailer, two vet techs came running out to the horse trailer and we got Rihma unloaded and into the clinic.

 

After examining my mare, the vet told me Rihma had a 50/50 chance of surviving the surgery and did not believe the foal would make it. Devastated, I pleaded for him to do his best to save my mare. Several hours later, my vet came out of the surgery room to let me know Rihma had survived, and thus far, so had her unborn foal. The coming months would be especially crucial, as winter was setting in and Rihma required special care during her recovery, especially with her belly increasing in size as the foal continued to grow in her womb. As the winter wore on, Rihma and I became connected in a way I am not able to appropriately describe in words. She acted as though she knew I had been her advocate and that she was still alive because of me. I told her over and over again how much she was cherished, and assured her I would never let anything bad happen to her. I truly believe she heard and understood me. From then on, she never challenged anything I asked of her but did it willingly and with complete trust.

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Months later, when about to foal, Rihma made sure to let me know she wanted me by her side to be present for her foaling. My friend MaryAnn, whom I had purchased Rihma from, was there as well. When the foal was presented, Rihma had difficulty as the foal was shoulder-locked - MaryAnn held Rihma while I manipulated the foal's position to release the shoulders. Within moments Rihma was the proud mom of an exquisite, delicate and very feminine chestnut filly. I didn't doubt for a second that Rihma knew she would need assistance delivering her foal, and I was so thankful that she trusted me enough to let me know she needed me.

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Rihma did not disappoint me as a producer - she gave me two incredible dark liver chestnuts with white / flaxen manes and tails, both sired by Golden Ecstasy. They each had extreme type and the fairy-tale look of the Phara horses, and both sold prior to being weaned. 

 

Unfortunately, my marriage had been on shaky ground and a few years later I reluctantly agreed to sell my stallions and broodmares in an attempt to salvage my relationship with my husband. I knew Rihma would not flourish with just anyone - she needed a very special, extremely kind, and patient owner. I thought of another dear friend, one who had admired Rihma since I first acquired her - one that, like me, had a breeding program focused on preserving the look and bloodlines of the Phara horses. Thus, when I could no longer keep Rihma, I did not hesitate to send her to Gloria Bowman of Belle Cheval. Rihma has thrived over the years, and has created a legacy for Belle Cheval. Rihma's produce include the 50% Phara stallions The Moniet Sun (by The Sun Prince), The Ebony Sun (by Burgundy Sun), and the 50% Phara mares The Sun Orchid (by The Sun Prince) and Magnolia Sun (by Burgundy Sun), owned by Gaye Myers of Sunh-Kyst Arabians in Vermont, and Orchid's son California Sun (by Burgundy Sun).