Bint Al Bahr Arabians

Preservation Breeders of Straight Babson Egyptians

We spent many happy hours in the company of Nellie Jackson and her horses.  She was an amazing woman.  Nellie’s stallion Maar-Rab, Daara’s great grandsire, was our first introduction to the Straight Babson Egyptian, our current breeding program.

I very much enjoyed our visits to Jackson's Arabian Nursery.  We often looked at old photos and discussed the horses in them.  One afternoon Nellie took my hands, looked intently into my eyes and said she had some important advice for me. I eagerly anticipated hearing important breeding secrets.  She then told me in a very serious voice “If your house is too clean, you are not spending enough time with your horses.”  

Daara was a very smart mare.  She created and played a game on her own we called “Trail Horse.” Daara used round ground feeders that are about 3 ft in diameter and about 8 to 10 inches tall.  She moved forward, head down, in small steps until her toes touched the outer edge of the tub.  She then lifted each foot one at a time and placed them inside the feeder.  Daara inched her forefeet forward until her toes touch the tub wall again then lifted them carefully out.  She moved forward until her hind toes touched the outside wall of the tub then lifted them inside.  When all four feet had gone forward into and out of the tub, Daara looked over her shoulder and reversed the process, her hind feet in first, then out, then front in, then out again!   I used to get calls from neighbors passing by about her extraordinary games!

Daara was honored in 2008 through 2014 (so far!) when the above photo was used on the Arabian Horse Association Data Source web site in a photo slide show on their opening page.  Arabian Horse DataSource   (you might have to be a subscriber to view this page.)   

Daara and her lifelong best friend Jackpot Holly were happily retired here at Bint al Bahr Babson Arabians.  Daara went on to greener pastures in January 2007 at 29 years old.  We miss her.  She owned us for 25 years.