Char Mahrsab

REMEMBERING CHARLIE
By Jody Dvorak and Gayle Tyler

Char Mahrsab (Charlie) became part of Gayle Tyler’s and my extended families in 1992 after two years of negotiations with his owner, Shari Barnard. (Shari is the surviving member of the Krausnick family; her parents developed the famous Shar Char Farms.) Charlie was the last Babson stallion with the Fay-El-Dine sire line and Gayle and I wanted to try to save that sire line. He was 19 at the time we purchased him and he hadn’t been used as a stallion for years.

As with lots of horse ventures (and adventures) there were some glitches with this one. We were told by Shari that Charlie was underweight but we could make arrangements with her to put him on grain and bring his shots up to date. We did so immediately. Next we found that horse haulers don’t travel north and south much and certainly not to some small town in the Nebraska sand hills. So, Gayle and I opted to take a road trip. Our hauling Charlie ourselves turned out to be a good decision because, on arriving in Nebraska , we found that Charlie was barely in condition for transport. It seems funny now, but Gayle and I weren’t sure we were going to be able to get him back to Texas standing --- except --- except he had a certain sparkle in his eye. (Some of you have probably seen it in your own horses. It’s what tells you not to count them out yet.)

What a motley crew we were heading south – two horse-crazy women, one old truck, a rented two-horse trailer, and a Babson stallion that couldn’t chew the hay that was in front of him! Add to the mix that Gayle and I were being frugal by planning to run the trip with no layovers. The 750 miles to the north had been pretty much non-stop. However, after seeing Charlie, we knew that the trip back would involve rest stops at least every two hours. It’s a wonder things didn’t get really ugly. Up front the hot floorboards of the truck cooked the veggies that Gayle and I had packed as snacks, and in the back Charlie was struggling to develop the sea legs he needed for the swings, sways, ups, and downs of the trailer. All in all, we think Charlie came of the trailer in better shape than we came out of the truck.

On arrival in Texas , Charlie was only too happy to prove his fertility and immediately set out to reward us for our efforts by producing --- fillies. (Some of you will remember our laments over the years about all the fillies. Remember, our goal was to produce colts and continue the sire line.) Then, Ser Amirah produced a colt for Gayle. He came before there was a treatment, other than surgery, for contracted tendons. Gayle worked for some six months, to no avail, to save her colt. Next, AK Kasida had a colt for me. Here too there was failure. The colt was a mal-presentation at birth and we couldn’t save him.

Charlie kept right on producing --- fillies. In order to extend our chances to produce a colt Gayle and I had Charlie’s semen frozen. It looked reasonably good on post-freezing thaw, but, as you may know, the real test is in impregnating a mare. We were never able to accomplish that. Charlie stayed with Gayle during the last years of his life. Theirs was a special relationship. Early in his stay there he had access to an area in which there was a door with a small window. Every morning Charlie passed by the door and stopped to look at his reflection in the window. He would admire his good looks for a few minutes before continuing out to his run.
		Charlie learning how to tie a shoe .

One day Gayle had company including a young lady in a wheelchair. Gayle’s guest was totally enamored of horses, as many young ladies seem to be, and wanted to see Charlie. Gayle rolled her into his stall where the two bonded immediately. Charlie very gently nuzzled her and practically laid his head in her lap. He seemed to understand what was needed of him and, with the patience of age he never moved another muscle while the visitors were in his stall.

Charlie was particularly attached to an orphan colt Gayle had. He was certain the colt was his very own special little boy. Although they were never turned out together their runs were next to each other and Charlie took full responsibility for the babysitting services. He and Mystic Vision (a.k.a.”Dirt”) would stand side by side for hours. When “Dirt” grew older and bolder he began to nip and bite Charlie through the fence. In spite of the bother, Charlie continued his duties as the colt’s surrogate mother, father, and baby sitter. Charlie’s adopted son misses him.

So, now that Charlie is gone, there are no surviving Babson stallions with the Fay-El-Dine sire line. I guess some things are not meant to be. During the 12 years we had Charlie, we were more than repaid for our trip to Nebraska with his very special fillies and the pleasure of his company.

In memoriam,

Jody Dvorak and Gayle Tyler

Char Mahrsab #97374 Black Bay stallion 05/28/1973	Mahrouss #9374 Grey 05/30/1954	Fay-El-Dine #1170 Grey 09/01/1934	*Fadl #896 Grey 06/17/1930
			*Bint Serra I #897 Bay 03/03/1923
		Khedena #5128 grey 0/3/25/1948	Khebir #2378 Chest. 05/16/1942
			Fa Deene #1431 Grey 08/071937
	Shar Sabbah #39175 Bay 06/04/1966	Negem #11461 Black 05/25/1956	Fa-Serr #4482 Grey 07/10/1947
			Fay Negma #1584 Bay 05/19/1930
		Gammousa #3887 Bay 03/30/1946	*Fadl #896 Grey 06/17/1930
			Fay Sabbah #1583 Bay 05/15/1938

Chara Mahrsab was the sire of 12 registered purebred foals. Five of them were Straight Babson Egyptian, all daughters.

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CHAR MAHRSAB