The story about the Rabda strain in Bahrain has reached legendary status, because it was recorded in poetry more than two hundred years ago, and is still recited today whenever horsemen gather around the campfires in the desert.

During the reign of Mohammed bin Khalifa, the Shaikh of the Anaza, Mashan bin Hethal had a famous mare, which he praised as the fiercest, and swiftest war mare around. The Shaikh of Bahrain heard of this mare and sent an emissary with a letter of request for her. As it happened Abbas Pasha of Egypt had also sent an envoy, laden with gold, hoping to secure the same mare. Both men arrived at the same time. After the evening meal with all the courtesies over, Shaikh Mashan asked his visitors to state their business. Abbas Pasha’s man said he had come to buy the mare, Rabda Nazhan, and the Bahraini simply handed his letter requesting the mare. Shaikh Mashan replied that under the circumstances, he would like to think the matter over until the next day. On the following morning, with the prayers over, all the grey beards gathered around the coffee fire to discuss the problem of whom to give the mare. The advice to Mashan was to send her to Abbas since he was a powerful ruler and generous with the gold. Shaikh Mashan thanked the graybeards for their advice, but sent the mare to his kinsmen in Bahrain – and his regrets to Abbas Pasha.

A year later Shaikh Mashan bin Hathal came for a visit to Bahrain. Great was his welcome as it was well known whom he had selected to be master of Rabda Nazhan. He was told that while in Bahrain, anything at all that he saw and would like to have, would be his. While in the market place Shaikh Mashan had seen a most magnificent slave, and he expressed his desire to own this man. Alas, to the Shaikh’s embarrassment the ‘ slave’ was the Amir (mayor) of Manama.

Instead, two ships full of provisions were loaded for Shaikh Mashan, who looked at the bounty and requested to have one of the ships sent to his friend, a poet, in the Al-Hasa province. Shaikh Mashan bin Hathal was later slain fighting the Turks, but his memory will be alive for as long as there is even one Rabda mare left in Bahrain.