For many years Ferseyn was one of the three leading Arabian sires in North America, sharing honors with Alla Amarward 1140 and Abu Farwa 1960. All three stallions were owned by H.H. Reese in California.

Ferseyn’s sire, *Raseyn 597, was one of only three sons of the great Skowronek to come to the United States. One of these, *Raswan 607, died within months of his arrival in this country, but the other two, *Raseyn and *Raffles 952, both became extremely successful and influential sires here. *Raseyn, a gray foaled in 1923, was bred by Crabbet Stud in England and imported from there in 1926 by W.K. Kellogg, Pomona, California. Skowronek was a gray who turned snow white as he aged. He was bred by Antoniny Stud in Poland and was foaled in either 1908 or 1909. Skowronek was sired by the very good gray desert bred, Ibrahim, foaled in 1899 and taken to Antoniny in Poland in 1907. Skowronek’s dam, Jaskolka, a gray foaled in 1891, was considered one of the best mares at Antoniny. She came from very old and precious Polish lines going back to the very early 1800s - some of the oldest recorded pure Arab bloodlines in the world. Skowronek’s entire stud reputation was made at and by Crabbet in England. He was a horse of transcending merit and quality. He was an unusually prepotent sire who stamped his get strongly with his own ultra-classic Arabian type. *Raseyn inherited this classic type in full measure and he, in his turn, passed it on just as strongly as did Skowronek.

*Ferda 596, the bay dam of Ferseyn, was bred at Crabbet in England. Foaled in 1913, she was imported with *Raseyn and several others in 1926 by Mr. Kellogg. Today *Ferda is recognized as having been one of the breed’s great broodmares; her blood has bred on with positive significance for generations. Her daughter, *Farasin 615, produced the great athlete and sire, Farana 708, as well as several other important individuals, most of them full siblings of Farana. *Ferda’s daughter, *Ferdisia 595, was an elegant, extremely high class mare whose blood is relatively rare today, but treasured by connoisseurs. *Ferda’s son, *Ferdin 613, was for some years a successful Kellogg sire; he is found in pedigrees today through several sources. *Ferda’s strongest direct claim to fame, however, was her truly great son, Ferseyn.

Ferseyn 1381. March 1959, age 21. Carol Woodbridge photo.

While Ferseyn’s pedigree is considered 100% Crabbet, a detailed analysis of it reveals that the Crabbet makeup breaks down into 37.5% Ali Pasha Sherif Egyptian lines, 37.5% Blunt desert lines, and 25% Polish lineage. Because he bore the classic stamp of Skowronek and *Raseyn so strongly, Ferseyn is often regarded more as of Skowronek breeding than anything else, but actually he was basically linebred to Mesaoud. He was 25% Skowronek, but he was 28.125% Mesaoud. The latter appears in Ferseyn’s pedigree four times - twice via *Raseyn and twice via *Ferda. *Raseyn’s brown Crabbet-bred dam, Rayya, foaled in 1915, was the product of a Mesaoud grandson on a Mesaoud daughter, as was *Ferda. This was a favorite linebreeding formula of Crabbet Stud. *Astraled 238, a brown foaled in 1900 and bred by Crabbet, appears in Ferseyn’s pedigree twice. He was one of the greatest sons of chestnut Mesaoud, who was one of the two most influential sires ever to stand at Crabbet - the other was Skowronek. Mesaoud was bred by Ali Pasha Sherif in Egypt. Foaled in 1887, the Blunts took him to England in 1891. Traveling with Mesaoud to England was Merzuk, also a chestnut foaled in 1887 and bred by Ali Pasha Sherif. After being in England only a few months, Merzuk was sold into obscurity - and oblivion - to South Africa. His sale was later much regretted because his only foal, the chestnut Ridaa foaled in 1892, proved herself one of the greatest of all the Crabbet broodmares. Ridaa and thus Merzuk each fill two spaces in Ferseyn’s pedigree. Three important Blunt desert mares appear in Ferseyn’s pedigree. Ferida was a bay foaled in 1886 and taken to England in 1891. The magnificent Queen of Sheba, a brown foaled in 1875, was taken to England in 1879. Rodania, one of the most influential and important root mares in the Arabian breed, was a chestnut foaled in 1869 and taken to England in 1881. Rodania appears in Ferseyn’s pedigree three times, two of them via her great chestnut daughter, *Rose of Sharon 246, an extremely meritorious Crabbet-bred mare foaled in 1885. Queen of Sheba is twice in Ferseyn’s pedigree, both times via her son *Astraled, the previously mentioned Mesaoud son. The Blunt desert stallion, Hadban [1878], a bay purchased by them in India in 1883, is found in Ferseyn’s pedigree twice via his daughter, *Rose of Sharon. Ferseyn’s pedigree is linebred through the entire middle section with total outcrosses on the top, second generation, and the bottom, third generation.

As an individual, Ferseyn had the ultra-classic Arabian type which came so strongly through *Raseyn/Skowronek, but in his case there was added to this look a certain refinement and elegance which came from *Ferda.

Ferseyn 1381 at Sol de Villa. In 1960 at age 23. Photographer not identified.

Ferseyn was a small horse. l don’t know his height because I never measured him, but he was probably in the neighborhood of from 14-1 to 14-2 hands; I don’t believe he could have been much over that. His head was very much in the tradition of his sire’s and those of many Skowronek sons. In profile he displayed the flat, broad forehead associated with this Iine. He had a very mild dish and a refined, gentle rise over his nasal bone. His muzzle was pleasingly small. The line of his lower jaw tapered back to well defined, clean jowls. Overall, his head in profile was rather short and more or less wedge shaped. His face, from the front view, was exceptionally typy and extremely attractive. The great width between his eyes and his prominent eye cages were the dominating features. His nostrils were of average size and set up properly in his muzzle, but they were not quite as close together as is ideal. His head and face were characterized by fine chiseling and cleanness of bone. His eyes were very large and dark with a lively expression which reflected the lively brain inside his head. Ferseyn’s ears were short, small, and of very pleasing appearance despite the fact that they were placed a bit farther apart than is ideal. He used his ears extremely well. Ferseyn’s nicely shaped neck was of average length and he used it unusually well so that most of the time it looked beautifully clean and attractive. Ferseyn’s shoulders were average; they were of correct 45° slope and of adequate length and definition, but they were not of such excellence that they commanded specific admiring attention. This horse was not high nor clean enough in his withers. Ferseyn was rather long in the back and not entirely smooth over his coupling, but his back was strong and straight always. Ferseyn’s hindquarters were among his most beautiful features. His croup and hip were of good length, without being of really praiseworthy length, and the entire pelvic structure, from both side and rear views, was beautifully square and strong with excellent muscling throughout. His tail was well attached in a perfect manner. His tail carriage was true splendor. His tail was gaily carried in a high fountain arch, always perfectly straight (never in the least wry). His outstanding tail carriage, the arched way he consistently used his neck, and his overall abundance of Arabian type made Ferseyn a highly visible version of Arabian character.