Endurance Rider Part of American Museum of Natural History Exhibit

May 17 2008

A new exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History, "The Horse", opens today in New York City. The exhibit examines the powerful and continuing relationship between the horse and humans, and examines how horses have, over time, changed many facets of human life.

One of the photographic contributors to this exhibit is endurance rider Maryanne Gabbani of Egypt. Her photograph is of Mme. Wegdan el Barbary presenting one of her fillies at a private showing. The owner of Shams el Assil stud in Giza, Egypt, Mme. Barbary ("Dani") has been breeding the Arabian horse for over forty years. Now in her 90's, she is still active at her farm. "She's one of Egypt's national treasures," says Maryanne. "She's forgotten more horse lore than most of us have ever imagined."

Maryanne has been taking random pictures in Egypt for nearly twenty years, and was contacted by the ANHM to ask if they could use her photo.

The exhibition runs through January 4, 2009.