The Horse That Carries a 5,000-Year Message of Peace

The horse is the thing that I think levels the playing field. When people of any tribe or any nation or anything, rivalries get set apart when they see the Arabian horse. They know what that horse means. They know what its lineage is. They know what it represents, what it symbolizes. Welcome to another episode of Silicon Valley Front Row. We are back with Ann Leslie-Smith at the Jack Tone Ranch. It's a 177 years old ranch that started around the same time as the Gold Rush in California. Hosted a lot of famous horses including the one we're going to be talking today, Amir. Ann, thank you again for coming to our show and we want to know everything there is to know about Amir. He's one of the most celebrated horses in the U.S. and why is he so special? He's special because he comes from a very unique bloodline, from a very famous Arabian horse, was named Fajr. Fajr resided at this ranch. Why was he famous? Because he broke all the records in confirmation when you show him. Not only that, but his personality was so, he had human characteristics. He had a housed in a beautiful body with everything to perfection as the Arabian people have their standards of what an Arabian horse should look like. So Fajr met all those, you know, check the box on those. But more importantly was his, he had like a soul. He understood people. He could read your mind type of thing, you know. He was very human, humanistic and he had empathy. So my horse Amir Fajr Salam, which means the Prince of Peace. Amir means prince in Arabic, so it's an Arabic name. Amir Fajr Salam has that same empathy factor in him. It's really amazing. So these horses started like 4,500 years ago, you know, in the desert, the Arabian deserts, and they were cultivated by the Bedouin people who somehow or another, you know, they didn't have computers back then, but somehow they induced these qualities, these human-like qualities of empathy, you know, that most horses and some people don't even have deeply in these horses that has lasted 4,500 years. And you could see that when Amir comes out. Well, Fajr really had it. He really had that empathetic factor big time. And that's why he was so famous. He fathered a lot of horses and a lot of the horses were used in a lot of the Hollywood movies, like the Black Stallion is from the Fajr line. I mean, it's amazing. King Mosabi was from Fajr. They all lead right back to Fajr. All the famous horses, all the ones that won in all the shows. So Amir is like a grand, grand, grandson of Fajr. Yeah, he's about five generations down, four or five, but it's there. Yeah. So tell us more about the ancestry of these horses, how they came about and how they're related to ancient or ancient past in the world. And that's the word is ancient. Like about 4,500 years ago to 5,000 years ago, these horses were in the Arabian desert and the Bedouin people cultivated them to become part of their family. In fact, they were treated as members of the family better than some of the family members themselves. For example, if there was a shortage on wattage, the horses would get it on water. There he is. There he is in his national costume, the Arabian costume. That's Amir Fajr Salam. So tell us now, what is he doing? Is it just part of his exercise? Well, he's showing off how he prances and he's got that. Fajr was a great prancer and he knew how to show. He had a personality. They still have a lot of spirit, so they're not like a dead horse. They're very spirited and he knows what's going on. He'll show off. They like when you clap. Yes, they're very noble. He's got that big diamond on his forehead. Yes, he he's only 18 months old right now, but he knows what to do, especially with that costume on. Yeah. So they're just very noble horses. The Arabian people are very proud of them. They venerate these horses. They love them. What are some of the things that a judge or in a competition they would look at? Is the shape of the horse, the way he moves? Things like that. They look at the dished face. They look at the spirit of him and they'll look to see how he's prancing. They'll look to see the tail carriage. It's high. They have a larger rear. Very powerful. A slender neck that's curved. Musculature that shows, you know. Now this costume, the blue costume, what does it represent? It's an ancient costume? Yes, it represents the Arab culture and the tassels mean something. I'm not quite sure. I can't remember now, but each tassel means something and also the colors mean something. They love to dress these horses up. Like I said, this is their crown jewel of the Arab nations, the Arabian horses, and it is the oldest horse in the world. The oldest breed of horse in the world. Yeah, see? And also with the ears. They like to have the ears forward. See how he's listening? They're just so aware, but he wants to obey. He knows he has to obey. See? One of his legs, they're white. Does it mean, is it significant? The markings come from a certain strain a long time ago of the Arabian, one of the Arabian breeds that the Arabs had and it just, it doesn't matter. They call them socks. It doesn't matter. Yeah, it looks like a sock. But I love his diamond. That huge diamond on the forehead is, I think, is significant. Yes. Yeah, he's a rare color. It's called a liver chestnut. The horses come in gray and bay, which is that dark brown color, and some come in black and some, you know, the gray ones turn white, but this is the rarest color right here. This is highly sought after. Is he being ridden? Not yet. He's only 18 months. Arabian horses take a little bit longer to mature, so I don't think he'll be ridden until he's close to four years old. They just mature a little bit slowly. Their backs are what they call short couple. They have one or two vertebrae less than most horses, so they have a well-shaped back. See how he's, yeah, they're very aware of everything. Yeah, and it's his, Fajur is buried here on this ranch, and Amir was born in the barn that's from 1849, just about 25 steps away from where his great-great-great-grandfather lays their Fajur. So that's kind of, not too many people could say that. Yes, he is American born, but he is 100% Arabian all the way, with no mixtures in between all the way back. The ancient Arab people used to keep oral records of the breeding because it was so important, because, you know, they used to steal each other horses and things, you know, the tribes, so they would wear this thing around their neck. Now you call him the Prince of Peace. Tell us more about the efforts you are doing about, you know, bringing peace to the world with Amir. Well, I figure with my life, I wanted to do for part two of my life, which I call it, I wanted to do something really important, not just bring him to shows, but do something that would have a wider stance, and I was reading about the origins of the Bedouin people, and actually they're from Ishmael, who was the son of Abraham, and Abraham is a historical fact, you know, in the Bible, it's history, that he had Abraham's first son, even though Abraham was a Hebrew, his first son was with an Egyptian slave named Hagar, and his name was Ishmael, so his very, very first son, he had a lot of sons after that, but Ishmael was his first son, who's an Arab, so the Arab culture was started, the Arab people were started from Abraham with Hagar, and then they got Ishmael, and so the Bedouin people are all from Ishmael, from Ishmaelites, so the horses that they had were these Arabian horses, so they were the people who actually instilled all the qualities, the good qualities in these horses, empathy, kindness, generosity, intelligence, loyalty, dependability, plus they used them as a war horse, and they were so loyal to their owner, that in fact, if the owner was killed, they would stand over the body and not let anyone touch it or anything, they're that loyal, the horses, so whatever the people, the Ishmaelite people did, you know, the Bedouins, still is going on today, you know, 4,500 years, it still has extended out that far, that's pretty amazing. And the connection, in so many ways, is the horses that carry, you know, that tradition. Yeah, they carry the tradition, but the most important thing is, in the message, is that when Abraham was with Hagar and made Ishmael, God actually pronounced a promise and a blessing on the Ishmael people, on the Arab people, saying that they would be a great nation, and that they would be prosperous, and they are, and that God would oversee them. Ishmael's name actually means God hears, and even though they ended up in the desert being cast out, God still stayed with them, and still is with them. The promise still stands today, even though, regardless of politics, cultures, the diaspora of the Arab people around the world, God's promise still stands today, that they are protected, they are blessed, and they are remembered, and they're loved by God, and that's a great message of peace, you know. So, with everything that happens in the world right now, the conflicts, including the recent conflict in Iran, of course, what is your message, and what is your hope to bring to the world, you know, with these horses? With the horse, well, the horse is the thing that I think levels the playing field. When people of any tribe, or any nation, or anything, rivalries get set apart when they see the Arabian horse, they know what that horse means, they know what its lineage is, they know what it represents, what it symbolizes. So, we have to go back to the beginning, you know, just go right back to the, and do things a different way, think a different way, you know, think of what this horse symbolizes. All these years, 4,500 years of saying, wait a minute, this is about peace, this is about authenticity, you know, this is about a message from God that says, you are protected, regardless of what you do, or what you say, or what politics, or what side you stand on the line, you are protected by God, you have a blessing there, you know, and that's big, that's really big, and it's still there, it's still alive. So, it's clearly a message of peace, not just in the Middle East, but all over the world. All over the world, to do things differently. To realize that 5,000 years ago, they were brothers, they were all together, and to remember that message. Yeah, remember, so he's like a messenger of remembrance, you know, he's like the prophetic remembrance, you know, just to like say, hey, wait a minute, we've forgotten about, we've come so far, 5,000 years is a long time, and we've come so far from that original message, that original blueprint that ensures them that they are taken care of, they are loved, they are included, they're not cast aside, they've always been included, you know. That's a fantastic message to bring about, especially today, and especially through such a peaceful and beautiful method. And thank you so much, I appreciate your time, it's a beautiful ranch, a beautiful horse, and we appreciate your time, and your motivation for doing this. Oh, thank you, yeah, thank you. Thank you for watching another episode of Silicon Valley Front Row. Please put in your comments your thoughts about Jack Tone Ranch, about Amir, and about your thoughts about horses bringing peace to the world in these troubled times. Thank you, and see you next time.