My Quest of the Arab Horse / Homer Davenport / 1909 Dodge HB, FE, Illus.

Description: My Quest of the Arabian Horse (My Quest of the Arab Horse) 1909 by Homer Davenport Brown cloth over boards. Pictorial design on front cover with ink titling to spine. Multiple illustrations and B/W photos. First edition. Davenport played a key role in bringing some of the earliest desert-bred or asil Arabian horses to America. A longtime admirer of horses, Davenport stated in 1905, "I have dreamed of Arabian horses all my life." He had been captivated by the beauty of the Arabians brought to the Chicago Columbian Exposition in 1893. Upon learning that these horses had remained in America and had been sold at auction, he sought them out, finding most of the surviving animals in 1898 in the hands of millionaire fertilizer magnate Peter Bradley of Hingham, Massachusetts. Davenport bought some Arabian horses outright between 1898 and 1905, paying $8,500 for one stallion,[69] but he later partnered with Bradley in the horse business. Among his purchases, he managed to gather all but one of the surviving horses that had been a part of the Chicago Exhibition. In 1906, Davenport, with Bradley's financial backing, used his political connections, particularly those with President Theodore Roosevelt, to obtain the diplomatic permissions required to travel into the lands controlled by the Ottoman Empire. Roosevelt himself was interested in breeding quality cavalry horses, had tried but failed to get Congress to fund a government cavalry stud farm, and considered Arabian blood useful for army horses. He traveled throughout what today is Syria and Lebanon, and successfully brought 27 horses to America. To travel to the Middle East and purchase horses, Davenport needed to obtain diplomatic permission from the government of the Ottoman Empire, and specifically from Sultan Abdul Hamid II. In December 1905, Davenport approached President Roosevelt for help, and in January 1906, Roosevelt provided him a letter of support that he was able to present to the Turkish Ambassador to the United States, Chikeb Bey, who contacted the Sultan. To the surprise of both Davenport and the Ambassador, the permit, called an Iradé, was granted, allowing the export of "six or eight" horses. Davenport and his traveling companions left the United States on July 5, 1906, traveling to France by ship and from there to Constantinople by train. Upon arrival, the Iradé was authenticated, and clarified that Davenport would be allowed to export both mares and stallions. Davenport's accomplishment was notable for several reasons. It was the first time Arabian horses officially had been allowed to be exported from the Ottoman Empire in 35 years. It was also notable that Davenport not only was able to purchase stallions, which were often available for sale to outsiders, but also mares, which were treasured by the Bedouin; the best war mares generally were not for sale at any price.One reason for Davenport's success in obtaining high-quality, pure-blooded Arabian horses was his (possibly accidental) decision to breach protocol and visit Akmet Haffez, a Bedouin who served as a liaison between the Ottoman government and the tribal people of the Anazeh, before calling upon the Governor of Syria, Nazim Pasha. Haffez considered the timing of Davenport's visit a great honor, and gave Davenport his finest mare, a war mare named *Wadduda. Not to be outdone, the Pasha gave Davenport the stallion *Haleb, who was a well-respected sire throughout the region, known as the "Pride of the Desert." Haleb had been given to the Pasha as a reward for keeping the camel tax low. Haffez then personally escorted Davenport into the desert, and at one point in the journey the two men took an oath of brotherhood.Haffez helped arrange for the best-quality horses to be presented, negotiated fair prices, and verified that their pedigrees were asil. Davenport chronicled this journey in his 1908 book, My Quest of the Arabian Horse.The impact of the 17 stallions and 10 mares purchased by Davenport was of major importance to the Arabian horse breed in America. What are now called "Davenport" bloodlines can be found in thousands of Arabian horse pedigrees,

Price: 90 USD

Location: San Diego, California

End Time: 2025-01-19T23:02:46.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5.75 USD