the stallion *Haleb, who was a well-respected sire throughout the region, known as the "Pride of the Desert." Haleb had been given to the Pasha as a reward for keeping the camel tax low. Haffez then personally escorted Davenport into the desert, and at one point in the journey the two men took an oath of brotherhood. Haffez helped arrange for the best-quality horses to be presented, negotiated fair prices, and verified that their pedigrees were asil. Davenport chronicled this journey in his 1908 book, My Quest of the Arabian Horse. The impact of the 17 stallions and 10 mares purchased by Davenport was of major importance to the Arabian horse breed in America. While what are now called "Davenport" bloodlines can be found in thousands of Arabian horse pedigrees, there are also some preservation breeders whose horses have bloodlines that are entirely descended from the horses he imported. Davenport's efforts, as well as those of his successors, allowed the Arabian horse in America to be bred with authentic Arabian type and pure bloodlines. Arabians in America Upon his return to America, his newly imported horses became part of his Davenport Desert Arabian Stud in Morris Plains, New Jersey. By 1908, however, the Davenport Desert Arabian Stud was listed in the Arabian Stud Book as located in Hingham, Massachusetts, and he remained closely affiliated with Bradley's Hingham Stock Farm, which became the sole owner of the horses after Davenport's death in 1912. In 1908, Davenport became one of the five incorporators of the Arabian Horse Club of America (now the Arabian Horse Association). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognized the organization as the official registry for Arabian horses in 1909. Prior to that time, the Thoroughbred stud books of both the United Kingdom and the United States also handled the registration of Arabian horses. The reason a new organization, separate from the American Jockey Club, was needed to register Arabians came about largely because of Davenport. He had meticulously sought horses with pure bloodlines and known breeding strains with the expert assistance of Haffez, but once out of the desert, he was not aware that he also needed to obtain written affidavits and other paperwork to document their bloodlines. Additionally, because his Arabians were not shipped via Britain, they were not certified by the United Kingdom's Jockey Club before arriving in America, and without that authentication, the American