Sunday, November 2, 2008

Not Tagged, But....


Okay, so I wasn't tagged, but I found this challenge interesting. It's making the rounds of some of the equestrian blogs I follow, so I thought I'd try it also.

Here it is: Grab the nearest book at your present location, go to page 56, go to the 5th sentence on that page, and then post the next 2-5 sentences.

From "The Classical Arabian Horse" by Judith Forbis, Liveright, New York, 1976:

Solomon established a relationship with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, by taking Pharaoh's daughter in marriage and bringing her to the city of David. And as a wedding present, "Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gaza, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife" (I Kings 9:16).

Unfortunately, like his Egyptian contemporaries, Solomon fell prey to the charms of Ashteroth, the Eastern goddess to whom the horse was sacred, and he erected places of worship to her. Arab tradition relates that one day Solomon said: "Bring these [David's] horses to me in order that I may get acquainted with their breed and origin." And he spent time studying these horses from noon until sunset, forgetting his midday and afternoon prayers.

Hmmm. Solomon sounds like a typical horse person. Forgetting prayers, food, and other necessities when involved with horses.

Phantom is straight Egyptian Arabian. Although I don't recognize any of his close relations, his fourth generation ancestors are full of famous names, including the above *Ansata Ibn Halima. I see a resemblance, but I'm slightly prejudiced. ;-)

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