The Pyramid Society Foundation

07/14/2026

It is with profound sorrow and a deep sense of grief that the Foundation learned of the passing of the esteemed leader and horseman, His Highness the Father Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
The Foundation wishes to extend our most heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to the honorable members of the Al Thani Royal Family, and the people of the State of Qatar during this time of mourning.
The Father Emir's progressive governance fundamentally shaped Qatar into the prosperous and globally influential nation it is today. Beyond driving internal development, his dedicated leadership left a permanent mark on global diplomacy, educational advancement, and regional peace.
While he is celebrated for building modern Qatar, His Highness was also a passionate horseman whose dedication transformed the equestrian world. He established Al Shaqab as a premier global sanctuary to protect ancient Arabian horse genetics. This vision led to the breeding of iconic, world-class sires, establishing Qatar as a pinnacle of equestrian excellence and cementing a heritage that will be celebrated for decades.His legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire future generations.
Please share with us photos of your Straight Egyptian and Egyptian Heritage horses descended from the breeding program of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

06/05/2026

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of our friend, Jack Ford. We extend our sincere condolences to Jack’s partner and husband, Kent Mayfield, and trust that the many memories of happy times shared will be a source of peace and comfort to him and those closest to them.

Jack Ford, 91, who died on May 23 was an artist, first as principal fashion director for Marshall Field’s in Chicago and then as the creative director for Lands’ End in Dodgeville, WI.

It was in Wisconsin that Jack and his partner, Kent Mayfield. saw what was to become the focus of their life with the Arabian horse. She was standing somewhat apart from a mixed herd of horses near their home. Jack singled her out – “If we want a horse, that is where we should start.” She was HADAYA FAYEKAARA (*Ramses Fayek x Imaara, by Fa-Serr). To Jack’s eye she was the model of the Arabian horse described by Terrentius Varro c70 BC and she anchored the breeding for Kent and Jack’s program at Second Wind for the next quarter-century. Although, incorporating Egyptian Arabian lines, it was committed to antique, authentic, asil, desert Arabian lines, intent on a preservation agenda, genetic integrity and rigorous conformational assessments. To that end, Jack encouraged the Pyramid Society and the Institute for the Desert Arabian Horse to sponsor breeders seminars, foster regional and international alliances of breeders, and build a scholarly network of equine genetic specialists.
His devotion to old-line mares never wavered. On his bedside table in Chicago was a watercolor print by Peter Upton, a flea-bitten gray mare of the Beni Sakhr.

04/01/2026

In the Chinese zodiac, 1918 was the year of the Earth Horse, specifically spanning from February 11, 1918, to January 31, 1919. This was also the year World War I ended and the Spanish Flu pandemic wiped out over 1% of the population of Egypt. That same year at the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) farm in Bahteem , the Hadbah Inzihiyah mare Bint Gamila produced a grey c**t by Mabrouk Manial. This c**t was named Baiyad (alt. spelling - Bayyad) meaning "whiteness," symbolizing purity and light. Baiyad had the misfortune of being overshadowed by his maternal brother Ibn Rabdan born the prior year. Historians described Ibn Rabdan as a striking liver chestnut with almost perfect conformation. After a very successful racing career, Ibn Rabdan was retired to become the lead sire for the RAS. This meant that Baiyad would be used sparingly and only produced two daughters, Bint Bint Sabbah in 1930 and Samha in 1931.

When Henry Babson made his trek to Egypt in search of Arabian horses in 1932, he was also very impressed with the Ibn Rabdan offspring, importing 2 daughters and a son of his for the Babson breeding program. In total, he selected 6 horses for his program. However, for some reason, the RAS decided not to ship one of his selected mares but offered instead the two year old daughter of Baiyad, Bint Bint Sabbah.

With that substitution the history of the Straight Egyptian horse was forever changed. Bint Bint Sabbah produced thirteen foals for the Babson farm and her line is found in some of the most important horses in Straight Egyptian history such as RDM Maar Hala, Simeon Shai, Dorian Oreana, Laheeb, and Imperial Mistilll.

While Bint Bint Sabbah was changing the course of Straight Egyptian breeding in the US, Baiyad’s other daughter Samha was also making her impact in the Middle East and Europe. Although not as prolific as Bint Bint Sabbah, Samha produced 4 daughters, 3 who would establish their own legacies. The female descendants of Samha were known for being very refined with exquisite heads. Two examples of this are: Lutfia (Alaa El Din x Bint Kamla, by El Sareei) 1967 grey foundation mare for both the Babolna stud in Hungary and NK Katharinenhof in Germany and Gelgelah Albadeia (Imperial Madori x Anhar Albadeia) 1995 grey mare bred by Albadeia Arabians and the 2003 World Champion Senior mare.

Baiyad may have been overshadowed by his brother but it did not stop him from leaving his mark. Please share photos of your Baiyad descendants with us!

03/07/2026

Join us on our podcast on We Love Arabian Horses as we share our vision for the future. Barbara Cole Doubling Gap Ranch LLC

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/we-love-arabian-horses/episodes/Barbara-Cole--JP-Bilbrey--Preserving-the-Legacy-of-Straight-Egyptian-Arabians-e3g2bh2?fbclid=IwY2xjawQZJCRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFseld6bnZTcUZaZlE4RTEyc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqReR8_AhEEPXggN2ZWa5C1ln0v_jOw17KqO5_GndRpxXBVqJGPsoYkWxc7c_aem_y-WkeNNya7etyhyq9nyxrg&%24web_only=true&_branch_match_id=987754105476772680&utm_source=web&utm_campaign=web-share&utm_medium=sharing&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAAwXB2VKDMBQA0L%2FxrWWxWHWm4wClLTiBwqAsL0xIL2EJW0BDXvx2z6nXdVreFWWZxrWpJOGA15EvOwHlHk%2FTnjVDp4AygaamFbVbrfyoSsKax8kVmb61WIS5Z0cMbtGPqV9YGbobMq2G9Kxz4ssC7PFSDnlMvnKcM%2BcQxY4kz56aibwmN6vCSRii1pXojAwUk0NwdgU6UwNR07rNEUSvhVk7zj2l1NfzBBu2xgb1t2gDoR0%2F58AorsMjmrbU%2Bp69630Zsy7ZyJEUGPpC7pIOfF%2FiI6yylvPbIDdOn%2F44VMB5M9Ci5KNYgJ%2Fsmo89%2FAPdTBuNDQEAAA%3D%3D

In this episode of the We LOVE Arabian Horses Podcast, host Paul Kostial welcomes Barbara Cole and JP Bilbrey for an important conversation about one of the most historically significant bloodlines in the Arabian horse breed: the Straight Egyptian Arabian.Barbara and JP are helping guide the renewed...

02/18/2026

To celebrate the Chinese New Year 2026: Year of the Fire Horse, the Foundation is commencing a series of articles on pivotal moments and events that occurred in previous Years of the Horse that have had a profound impact on the Straight Egyptian horse and community. This first article is dedicated to the memory of Tzviah Idan (1952-2026).

The year 1906 was also a Year of the Fire Horse. Two seemingly insignificant events occurred that year that forever changed the history of the Straight Egyptian. Somewhere in the Arabian Desert along the lower Euphrates a dark bay c**t with white stockings on its hind legs was born. And in the same year, over 3000 miles away in England, the marriage of Wilfred Scawen Blunt and Lady Anne Blunt was dissolved. Soon afterwards, Lady Anne established her home at Sheykh Obeyd, her stud farm outside of Cairo, Egypt where she focused her time on preserving and protecting the purebred Arabian horse. As part of this effort in 1911 she acquired an 'Ubayyan Sharrak stallion bred by Shaykh Mishari Ibn Sa'dun of the Muntafiq. The dark bay stallion with white stockings on his hind legs was named Saadun (also spelled Saadoun) after his breeder.

Saadun was said to be a favorite of Lady Anne and in 1916 was bred to a Dahmah Shahwaniyah mare named Dalal. The following year Dalal foaled a bay filly that Lady Anne named Durra. Unfortunately Durra was to be the only offspring of Saadun as he died that same year. On 15 December of that same year Lady Anne also departed this life. Although she tried to protect the horses by placing them in a trust for her granddaughters, Wilfred still managed to disperse most of the horses at Sheykh Obeyd. It is believed that both Durra and her dam Dalal were among a group of horses sold to Prince Kamal al-Din. Dalal would produce another filly for the Prince but no record of Durra existed until the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) purchased her from a Mr. Kasdoughli of Cairo in 1924. Edouard Aldahdah has conducted significant research on the Kasdoughli (Casdagli) family that can be found at https://daughterofthewind.org/the-casdagli-family-of-cairo-and-manchester/.

Without this fortunate transaction, the line to Saadun would probably have been lost to the Straight Egyptian world. Why does this matter? Without Saadun there would be no:

Bint Maisa El Saghira
Imperial Madheen
Messaoud
The Vision HG
Ruminaja Ali
Lutfia
Bint Bint Durra
El Sareei
Ramses Fayek
Thee Desperado
Shaikh al Badi
Simeon Sehavi
Mishaal HP

and so many more! Happy Lunar New Year!