JULIO BRAHIM (My autobiography)

Written in human form by my good friend, Jackie Tone Polk

Mom told me about the early days, before I was born, and I loved listening to her sweet
voice. I have always been very exuberant, but when Mom talked about the old days, I
stood quietly, nuzzling her soft mane as I listened. She also told me how important it is to be kind to all humans, especially the young ones, as they grow up to be the kindest to us horses.

Mom told me that she loved her mother very much, and proudly told me that grandma was sired by the fabulous FADJUR, a great bay stallion that set records in the show ring, and was loved by people all around the world! Mom also told me that grandpa was sired by a beautiful grey stallion named RUMINAJA BAHJAT, a remarkable Egyptian Arabian! WOW!

I wanted to know more about ME, so Mom went back to her childhood, and told me how she loved the California Redwoods, and was born way back in the deep woods, where there was no electricity, but lots of water and beautiful tall trees. When Mom was a 2 year old, her Master decided she should be sent away to school, far from home - but there was nothing to be afraid of. Master was sending her for training to a blonde girl, which grew up in the same barn with grandpa FADJUR! The blonde girl loved my mom, and they won together in the horse shows. When Mom heard that her Master planned to sell her, the blonde girl cried, but soon she got an idea. Maybe Mom's Master would trade her for a breeding to *SIDI-BRAHIM! The blonde girls mom owned this handsome Spanish heart throb - and the plan worked! Mom's former Master wanted the second foal, not the first, and the romantic mating took place. From that moment on, my bay Mom became the silver grey *SIDI-BRAHIM's very favorite, and she was given the stall and paddock next to him - for life!

When my oldest sister was born, the excitement spread through the barns. Older and wiser broodmares were heard to exclaim "I couldn't have done better myself". The blonde girl and her mom and family beamed with pride. All of the little humans clapped and cheered. Mom said she will never forget that day. Her new Master named the black/grey beautiful filly with four low sox "LENITA BRAHIM", after a famous horse breeder in Brazil, and the handsome sire from Spain.

The plan was to breed Mom (her important registration papers call her FATIMA ALA BAHR) to her husband for life *SIDI-BRAHIM, and when my sister was weaned, Mom traveled back to the Northern California Redwoods to live and have her foal with her former Master. This was my favorite part of this story, because Mom was expecting ME! Most of Mom's horse friends were still there, and even the cow listened intently, as Mom told them of her new life with the blonde girl that loved horses more than anything! Mom was happy to learn that her old Master now had two little girls, so she wasn't so lonesome during her stay in the far away Redwoods.

On March 24, 1991, the phone rang in Stockton, California to announce that my birth date had come! The blonde girl and her mom talked on the phone, and they were told that I was a boy, and I was grey. They told Mom's former Master that a most beautiful dark grey stallion named IBN FADJUR was born on March 24th, and this was a very special day. Mom nuzzled me with pride, when she was told.

As I got older, our stall seemed to get smaller, and I begged Mom to take me out to see the sunshine and the tall Redwood trees. I noticed Mom was getting thin, and I tried to be careful as I nursed her sweet milk. We were worried about Mom's former Master, as the other animals whispered that she had gotten very ill. The little girls tried to feed us, and
they were sad too. All they had to feed us were old vegetables and fruits. We heard that their Mom had gone to a hospital, and we prayed for her. One dark and quiet night, an old man drove in with an old trailer, and suddenly he took my Mom out of our stall - and she was gone....... I cried silent sad baby tears, and prayed for her safety. I was so lonely and hungry.

Later that night I heard the barn door open, and the two little girls came in with a large sack full of old apples, old lettuce, old oranges, and other produce given to them from a grocery store they had to walk to - many miles away. I was so happy to see them, and they smiled as they fed me and themselves, and the other animals. Time went on, and we were all getting much thinner - but I loved sucking the juice out of the soft overripe oranges! I was almost a year old, when I overheard one of the older mares saying that she heard talk about my Mom, and that she was living with the blonde girl. I was very happy and very sad. Why didn't she take me too?

I didn't know at the time, but no one could reach my very sick Master, and the blonde girl wanted to know what I looked like. Well, her Mom had an old good friend that worked for a College in the Redwoods, and they called her. She agreed to spend the weekend looking for these horses far in the forest.........

I didn't know I looked so bad, but when the friend finally found us, and looked in my stall, she cried and cried. She cried with the little girls, and cried over my friend, the old cow too. A man came in to the barn and startled all of us, and said loudly "take them all, and find homes for them". I was suddenly afraid, and for the first time, I didn't want to leave my stall......

Early the next morning I heard the friend drive in with a horse trailer. I heard the other horses talking nervously, and knew I might not ever see them again. For the first time in my life, I almost panicked, but I kept remembering Mom's soft words, telling me to be kind to humans. They put a strange thing on my head (I didn't realize this was a halter), and asked me to step out the stall door for the first time. I COULD NOT DO IT. The humans gently waited, touching my thin neck, almost like Mom use to touch me, and rubbed their hands so softly over my hide. Suddenly my tailbone went up - and I leaped out the door! I DID IT!! They had a kind old mare in the trailer, and she kept whispering to me, and she said, "these are good humans", come on in. And I did. Mom would have been so proud of me.

For one month, I stayed up in the Redwoods, with my new human friends. They phoned the blonde girls Mom, and told her that I was too weak to travel, and that they would gradually start me on bran and oats, and tiny bit of hay. Every day the kind man came to visit me, gently touching my hide and legs. I liked him. He wore an old leather apron that smelled like horses! Soon I even let him pick up my feet, and guess what? It didn't even hurt when he snipped off my long ragged toes! I felt so light and airy! They let me stay in a small corral with their lambs, and I could not believe how warm the sunshine felt, and how tall the Redwood trees were! I kept looking up, and tried to get the lambs to admire them too. Life was beautiful again! As my strength came back, I had great fun kicking up my heels and frisking around with the lambs. They giggled at me, as I tossed my mane and forelock. It was great to be alive, and the thoughts of seeing Mom again was almost too exciting!

One month later, I happily pranced into the trailer and headed south with my human friends down the Redwood Highway. Then we drove inland to the San Joaquin Valley and finally drove in to the Los Acres barn. I could see lots of happy humans, and little clapping humans waiting to see me! As I backed out of the trailer, suddenly my tail flung over my back and I snorted three times!!! I was home!!!

The blonde girl touched my forelock, smiled at me, and took the lead rope. I pranced by my Dad, and paraded past my Mom, and there, at the end of the aisle, was my own stall! I hopped in the door - made a little circle, and spied the most lucious alfalfa hay in the manger - but suddenly, at my door, were little humans holding out their hands with half eaten apples for me! My heart almost burst from happiness as I careful ate them. As the little humans watched me, one of them said "What is his name?" Mom always called me baby boy, but I was big now and almost one year old. The blonde girl smiled at me, and said I have a very special name for him. His beautiful grandpa in Spain is named JACIO, and a famous handsome human Spanish singer is named JULIO. We will name him JULIO BRAHIM! I LIKED IT! I LIKED IT! The little humans jumped up and down singing JULIO! JULIO! JULIO!

I loved my new home. It was great fun getting turned loose in the indoor arena. I could see all the horses on both sides of the aisle, and they all watched as I ran and slid and tossed my mane, and my tail would stand straight up like a beautiful flag! One day the blonde girl decided to take me out with a long lunge line, in front of the barn, so some human visitors could see my spectacular trot - well, I got too excited and reared over the lunge line - and took off too fast. Before I knew what happened, I was loose and heading down the long driveway out to the road. I was going very fast, when suddenly the sound of my Mom's voice came to me, saying I must never run on the road that trucks and cars use...... My feet skidded to a STOP, and with my lunge line dragging behind, and humans running everywhere, I turned, and ran all the way back, through the barn, and dashed back into my very own stall. I NEVER want to leave home again.

By the time I was a 3 year old, they tell me I was very handsome - large dark eyes, short head, long mane with a thick long forelock flowing all over my face! I had never been to a show, but I heard the other horses talking about them and it sounded like great fun. One day, my Master told me that I'm so darned pretty, we decided to take you to a show at Reno, Nevada in July. I never heard of Reno, Nevada, but I was "rearing" to go! It was so exciting! They took me up to the arena a little too early, and I walked on my hind feet (Mom told me later, that you should always walk on four feet when being judged). I had a blast in that indoor arena! It was much bigger than the one at home, and I snorted and blew and pranced and danced. My blonde Master couldn't stop laughing while she was holding on to me in the arena, and I never did stop and just stand there like the other guys in my class. I thought I won the thing! Mom told me later, that she heard I had placed third. Why did everyone come look at me after I came out of the arena? Does it really matter who wins third and who wins first? Some humans came to my stall and said I reminded them of one of my beautiful relatives named IBN FADJUR, and I was so very happy. When I got home from the Reno Show, one of the human high school girls (a niece of my blonde Master) decided she wanted one of my babies!! She lived way down south at Irvine, in Orange (YUMMY - I LOVE oranges!) County, but planned to go to college in Northern California. The young human decided to keep this a secret (I loved the idea!) and not tell her folks. She picked a beautiful bay FADJUR daughter as my first bride, and told me she wanted a bay filly, with four white feet, and a star. I loved my dapple-grey color, but it was August, and time to breed that first mare. WOW! Bays are wonderful.

Believe it or not, the following year, on July 11, 1995, my first daughter was born! I'm a Dad! She is a bay, with four sox and a star! WOW. Her human owner named her JULLIETTE, and her family was so surprised! They love my daughter and me so much, they moved up here, and built a lovely home on Los Acres to be near us. And you know what? Julliette's stall is right next to mine. I get to admire her and talk stories to her daily.

I got to go to Reno again - just to be on exhibition this time, with my human family. They were being honored along with other old time Arabian horse breeders, and they got to choose one horse to represent their breeding. You guessed it - they picked ME!!! WOW, it was fun! People loved me again, and a human artist fell in love with me too! She said I inspired her to paint me. ME! JULIO BRAHIM!!!

Jackie Polk

LOS ACRES