The Davenports At The Kellogg Ranch

Arabian Visions May 1988
Copyright 1988 by Robert J. Cadranell II
Used by Permission of RJ Cadranell II
all rights reserved

With the exception of one small line, which accounts for some eleven living horses, all currently living 100 percent Davenport individuals trace to their ancestry in every line through the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Ranch back to the original 1906 Davenport imports. In other words, if one were to take the pedigree of most any living Davenport horse and work backwards toward 1906, generation by generation, no matter what route one took one would run into Kellogg animals. From the beginning of Mr. Kellogg’s Arabian horse breeding venture in 1925 until the death of the stallion Jadaan in 1945, the Kellogg Ranch owned, bred, or acted as agents in the sale of no fewer than 45 horses falling into the 100 percent Davenport category (100 percent Davenport horses, or “Davenports” being defined as those animals originally registered by the Arabian Horse Registry of America as imported directly to America from Arabia in 1906 by Mr. Homer C. Davenport, and by extension, animals bred exclusively from his foundation).

The bloodlines in current Davenport pedigrees which arrived at the Kellogg Ranch had left the Hingham Stock Farm in three large batches, eventually arriving in Pomona. This progression is seen in figure 1.

The horses of F.E. Lewis II left the Hingham Stock Farm first, ownership having been transferred on August 22, 1918. This band of Hingham bloodstock Lewis brought to his Diamond Bar Ranch in Spadra, California. The mares included Hasiker (*Hamrah/*Reshan), Tamarinsk (*Hamrah /*Werdi), Moliah (*Hamrah/*Wadduda), Freda (*Obeyran/Zitra) and *Saleefy (*Haleb/*Urfah). The stallions were Harara (*Deyr/*Haffia) and Letan (*Muson/*Jedah). The horses worked cattle, and the Diamond Bar mare band produced several foals a year.

Next, in September of 1921, Mr. & Mrs. John Gilbert Winant purchased a large number of Arabians from the Hingham Stock Farm. According to the Winant biography, He Walked Alone, the Winants were at this time newly married. Mr. Winant was later to become Governor of New Hampshire and then U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. The horses transaction included *Hamrah, *Haffia, Sheria (*Abbeian/*Urfah), and Sankirah (*Hamrah/Moliah). *Haffia had a filly at foot named Saba (by *Deyr), and Sheria had another named Poka (by *Hamrah). Sankirah was in foal to *Deyr. In less than a year, the Winants sold most of their Arabians to Morton S. Hawkins of Indiana, including *Haffia, Saba, Poka, and Sankirah, the latter by this time with her colt Hanad at foot. Hawkins was unable to keep most of the horses, which were scattered. Saba, Poka, Sankirah, Hanad, and others ended up in the hands of Charles W. Jewett of Indianapolis, one time mayor of that city.

The third large batch of horses went directly from the Hingham Stock Farm to southern California. This time the buyer was a man named Chauncey D. Clarke, who was working with the most interesting German fellow by the name of Carl Schmidt. Schmidt is better known by the name he assumed when naturalized as an American citizen: Carl Raswan. In a letter dated December 6, 1948, Raswan tells the story to Alice Payne, a lady who will always be remembered as the last owner of *Raffles and *Raseyn and for her concentrated *Raffles breeding.

“When I first started out in the USA (1921 I came here) I made an effort to save the priceless Davenport blood first – and so, in 1924 I succeeded to collecting (with Mr. Chauncey D. Clark’s help financially) eleven of the choicest Davenport … stallions (4) and mares (7). At Point Happy (near Palm Springs – Indio) we started to gather them and breed them.”

Mr. Clark’s failing health did not permit him to continue with the project, so in 1925 Mr. Kellogg acquired his first eleven Arabians from Chauncey Clarke. Of these, Jadaan (pictured) and the mares Fasal (*Hamrah/Amran, she by *Deyr/*Wadduda) and Killah (*Gomusa/*Hadba) were to produce foals which survived into current Davenport pedigrees. The old stallion *Deyr was also part of the group, but did not live to sire foals for Kellogg.

Kellogg’s next purchase was in December of the same year. This group from the Diamond Bar Ranch included the stallions Letan and Antez (pictured), and the mares Hasiker and Tamarinsk. Tamarinsk had been in foal to Letan, and died shortly after producing a filly in 1926. Raised on a milk goat, the filly was named Babe Azab. According to notes of Carl Raswan’s, “Azab” is an Arabic word denoting a mare which follows the milk camel.

Several of the Davenport horses later acquired for the ranch are also ancestors of living Davenports. The Lewis bred mare Schilla (Letan/*Saleefy) came from Harry M. Wegeforth in 1928. In 1929 Kellogg purchased a group from Charles W. Jewett of Indianapolis, which included Hanad (pictured), his dam Sankirah, Poka, and Saba. Saba arrived at the ranch in foal to Hanad, producing in 1930 the stallion Sanad. The Kellogg Ranch also owned the Lewis bred stallion Dhareb (Letan/Moliah) for a short time, apparently acting as agents in his sale.

While at the Kellogg Ranch horses of 100 percent Davenport bloodlines were trained and shown extensively, bred to each other, and bred to virtually every other bloodline at the ranch as well.

Though Davenport horses had generally arrived in Pomona in large groups, they tended to leave one at a time, scattering as widely as the rest of the horses sold from the Kellogg Ranch. After leaving the ranch, Antez, Dhareb, Poka, Hanad, and Sanad gave nine key Davenport foals. Beyond these, modern Davenport breeding depends on 100 percent Davenport foals bred by Kellogg’s:

Kasar 1929 stallion (Letan/Fasal)
Schilan 1929 mare (Antez/Schilla) (All Lewis)
Salan 1930 stallion (Antez/Fasal)
Anlah 1930 mare (Antez/Killah)
Badia 1930 mare (Jadaan/Babe Azab)
Antarah 1931 mare (Antez/Hasiker) (all Lewis)

We can “tag” various historic Davenports with the name of the party which purchased them from Hingham, and designate three basic elements incorporated in modern Davenport pedigrees: “Lewis,” “Winant,” and “Clarke.” there is some logic to this designation process. Each of the three purchases was sizable, and each represented the selections of the “eye” of some human purchaser, who must have made an effort to review the available Hingham horses and choose from among them according to his or her taste. In the same way the “eyes” of two men — Davenport and Haffez — put together the 1906 Davenport importation from Arabia. Far more than a random boatload of Arabian horses, the Davenport importation necessarily reflected the tastes of the men who assembled it. In this context, “straight Davenport” breeding makes more sense than certain other kinds of straight pedigree breeding.

Noteworthy is the fact that the “second foundation” stallion Tripoli (Hanad/Poka) was all Winant, while the full siblings Dharanah, El Alamein, Dharebah, and Dharantez (Dhareb/Antarah) were all Lewis. The markedly Kuhaylan influences of Letan, *Reshan, and *Werdi came only through Lewis breeding. The Winant animals Hanad, Tripoli, and Sanad are all extreme Saqlawi influences.

As one might expect, nearly every living Davenport traces to all three elements. However, those living Davenports not tracing to Fasal have pedigrees incorporating only “Lewis” and “Winant” animals. With two exceptions, these animals are concentrated on the hands of Joyce Hampshire and Craver Farms. Another group does not trace to any Winant animals, descending only from the “Old California” (in California before the Kellogg Ranch), Davenports. The pedigrees of these horses lack Hanad. All of the latter are at Craver Farms.

To understand the history of the Davenport breeding group is to gain an insight into Davenport horses alive today. The Kellogg Ranch was a key factor in the continuity of the bloodlines.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The author would like to thank Ralph Clark of the Arabian Horse Registry for his assistance in research. Great thanks are also due to the staff of the Arabian Horse Trust, in particular archivist Ruth Boyd for her efforts to aid my research on the Davenport topic. Especially appreciated is the Trust’s permission to use the photographs of Hanad, Jadaan, Sakavez, and Pep, which are part of the Sturm Collection held by the Arabian Horse Trust. Sincere gratitude must also be expressed to Melissa J. Paul of the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library at Cal Poly Pomona, for her help in my perusal of the Kellogg Ranch Papers. Correspondence quoted from the Alice L. Payne Collection appears courtesy of Joyce Hampshire. The photograph of Antez appears courtesy of Craver Farms.

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Under the photo of ANTEZ 448—

1921 chestnut Saqlawi Al Abd stallion (Harara/Moliah). Bred by F.E. Lewis II. Antez was one of the Diamond Bar horses Kellogg bought in late 1925. Mr. Kellogg had a special affection for this horse following a riding accident in which Mr. Kellogg fell underneath Antez, injuring his back, and the horse stood perfectly still until help arrived. Antez was used as a sire at the ranch, getting eleven foals before his sale to General Dickinson in 1930. Dickinson was rather proud of the horse’s performance in a speed trial, and Antez was exported to Poland in 1934. There, the Antez son, Hashim Bey (out of Dywersja) won the 1940 Polish Derby. Antez himself was reimported to America in 1938. Antez has living Davenport descendants through his son Salan, and his daughters Schilan, Anlah, Antarah, and Antan (out of Gamil, she by Kasar/Schilan).

Under Pep’s photo: PEP 611 — 1927 chestnut Saqlawi Al Abd stallion (Letan/Fasal). Pep was one of the first Arabians bred by W.K.Kellogg, and the very first “trick” horse featured in the Sunday shows. He was exported to the Phillipines in 1935. Pep sired no foals in this country, though his full brother Kasar is represented in current Davenport pedigrees, as is his half brother Salan. Like a number of other early tail-female descendants of *Wadduda (such as Hanad, Jadaan, Antez, Dhareb, and Markada). Pep was renowned for his uncanny intelligence. Among the Kellogg Ranch Papers is a typewritten manuscript by Adelaide Davenport Armstrong, in which Mrs. Armstrong mentions that *Wadduda was rather a character, “and she had almost human brains.”

Under Sakavez’s photo: SAKAVEZ 507 — 1923 grey Kuhaylan Haifi stallion (Letan/Hasiker). Pictured here with Dorothy Adamson, Sakavez was bred by F.E.Lewis II and was sold as a two-year-old to Charles M. Hackley of Santa Monica, California. Sakavez was exported to Mexico in 1929. Though Sakavez sired no foals in this country, his full sister Makina was the dam of the popular sire Alla Amarward. Sakavez’s half sister Antarah (by Antez) became the tail female ancestress of the most numerous family of existing Davenports. His sire Letan appears in today’s Davenport pedigrees through his sons Dhareb and Kasar, and his daughters Schilla and Babe Azab.

Under Hanad’s photo: HANAD 489 — 1922 chestnut Saqlawi Al Abd stallion (*Deyr/Sankirah). Purchased for the Kellogg Ranch in 1929, he remained until his sale in 1936. Hanad was one of the ranch’s sires, getting 19 foals at the ranch, as well as breeding outside mares. Known for his upright carriage and showy bearing, he was a regular feature in the popular Kellogg Sunday shows. Hanad was also extremely intelligent, and was trained as a five-gaited horse, to do the Spanish walk, and to jump rope. Hanad is represented in current Davenport pedigrees through his sons Sanad, Ibn Hanad (out of Gamil), and Tripoli (out of Poka), and through his daughter Dhanad (out of Dharanah).