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Re: [RC] Royal Arabian Studs of Bahrain - Maggie MieskeI have found the opposite to be true so far here in Qatar....the mares are highly prized, especially the endurance/race mares, and cost much more than a stallion or gelding. ?That may be because it is against Islam to receive money for the breeding of a stallion to a mare. ?Or so I am told...seems to me the sheikhs probably find other ways to profit.. ?:) ?Anyway! ?We had thought that if we ever bought a horse here, we'd look at mares so Malik would have a wife when we went back home to keep him occupied and maybe give us one last foal. ?But, I think we'll be watching for a gelding or a stallion, and honestly, so far, I have only seen one horse here that I hope we can lease for awhile before we make any big decisions about competing and/or buying. ?Oddly enough (and it is odd because
the only straight Egyptians here are show horses), he's straight Egyptian, but the athletic kind...not a dandy show horse, but good bone and substance like Malik. ?However,I was told that the Qataris have a prejudice against Egyptian horses, thinking that they are too inbred to be worth anything when it comes to racing or endurance and if they aren't pretty, they're nothing. ?As a result, this guy has not had much done with him beyond some schooling lessons and hacking (which I discovered is the local term for trail riding...they all laughed at me when I asked to be sure!). ?So, that might be a PLUS for us. ?:) Also, times are a changing in the Middle East...women are more and more powerful. ?The Emir's wife is quite involved in the educational policies of the country here. ?Women are going to university in droves and far outnumber the men (6000-3000 at Qatar University).. ?My students tell me that when they marry, their husband will PAY them
a monthly salary....not a household budget to pay bills, but for them and them alone to do with as they please. ?Qatari women drive, work and do pretty much what they want here. ?I think Saudi Arabia is not far behind. ?One of the royal sheikhs lives across the road from the stable where we went to look at horses today and he is in the process of building two new villas...one for each wife. ?:) ?Women get what they want here in Qatar, or so it seems. ?I have discovered to my dismay that some of my students are engaged to be married by arrangement...one of my 18 year old students is marrying her 30 year old cousin. ?She is delighted....she can't wait for her wedding! ?Of course, in the Middle East, they use the term "cousin" quite loosely so who knows if he is a close cousin or a distant relative? ?But he is probably a relative of some sort. ?Some days the cultural differences really get in your face with their glaring differences.
? Anyway, not so much horsey related when I remind myself that I was simply commenting on the status of mares here in Qatar. ?:) ?I am excited to report that I may soon be submitting ride stories from the position of a rider, rather than an observer. ?It will take us a few months to get to that point, but I'm going to give it a go! ?:) ?Stay tuned!! ? Maggie MieskeLecturer English Department/Foundation Program Qatar University P.O. Box 2713 Doha, Qatar "At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable.." Christopher Reeve (THE Superman) From: Steph Teeter <stephteeter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: Ridecamp Ridecamp <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, November 28, 2008 8:30:01 PM Subject: Re: [RC] Royal Arabian Studs of Bahrain > >>It seems they really think highly of their mares.? It was odd that i at the end found the statement..."Shaikh Mohammed...left 26 sons."? It seems they think more highly of their mares than they do of their women and wives or did i miss something?? The mothers of their children were never mentioned. > > It must be the culture. > tom sites>> Definitely, but to be fair (or unfair!) it's a world-wide culture. Family lines are traced primarily by the male. Most women take the male's name when they wed.? If you compare the time, the culture, when the above legend/story was accounted - and compare that to a parallel time in our (western) culture I don't think there would have been that much difference.? Most cultures, most men (who generally wrote the stories), cared more about sons to carry on the family name. Another question, is why do we now generally make such a big deal over the stallions, and so little over the mares?? Steph =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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