IN MEMORIAM: PATRICIA “PAT” CANFIELD (1937 – 2025)

Patricia “Pat” Canfield (3 October 1937 – 15 November 2025) was an American Egyptologist, writer, photographer, and pioneering figure in the Egyptian and international Arabian horse world. Over several decades she built an unusual, independent career spanning archaeology, cultural fieldwork, equestrianism, and cross-cultural consultancy. She spent much of her adult life between Pennsylvania and Egypt, eventually settling permanently in Egypt, first in Harania and later Maadi, Cairo.

Early Life & U.S. Background:

Pat was born on 3 October 1937 in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. She grew up and lived for many years in Pennsylvania during which period she became deeply embedded in the Arabian horse scene of the Mid-Atlantic, attending local shows and eventually becoming a recognised figure within the broader U.S. Arabian horse community.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was active enough in the industry to be featured and profiled by Arabian Horse Times, and later appeared in a 1988 professional profile that described her as both an Egyptologist and a serious equestrian professional.

First Encounters with Egypt & With Horses in Egypt:

Pat first came to Egypt as an Egyptologist, spending extended field seasons - often half of each year – in and around Cairo. She developed close ties to a family in a village near Giza; the family “adopted” her and hosted her whenever she lived in Egypt. That relationship gave her deeper access to daily Egyptian life than most researchers ever achieve.

Her interest in Arabians, sparked in Egypt, soon grew into a transcontinental career.

Expanding Her Involvement in the Arabian Horse World:

Back in Pennsylvania she began attending Arabian horse shows, but the turning point came in 1982 when she traveled to the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. The scale of Scottsdale - starting with the famous Lasma sale (complete with Bob Hope as entertainment) - convinced her to enter the Arabian horse world in earnest.

She began importing native Egyptian costume trappings and exhibiting them at major Arabian shows across the U.S. She also became part-owner of the Renaissance Equestrian Center in Chester County, where she trained and showed an Egyptian-bred Arabian mare in dressage, intending to compete in both open and Arabian rings to prove the versatility of Egyptian bloodlines.

By the mid-1980s Pat had carved out a niche as a cultural interpreter of Egyptian horse traditions, a promoter of native tack and costume, and a bridge between American breeders and Egyptian breeders.

Life in Egypt – Harania & Later Maadi:

By the 1990s Pat was spending the bulk of each year in Harania, the arts and weaving village near the Pyramids. She lived among a community of craftspeople, artists, horsemen, and expatriates, occupying a role that blended scholarship with cultural mediation. Her home there became a hub for horse people, Egyptians, and expatriates involved in Arabian breeding, heritage conservation, and rural traditions.

She remained in Harania until after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, when she moved to Maadi, a quieter and more stable suburb. There she lived the remainder of her life.

Writing & Photography Interests:

Pat wrote on horses, Egyptian culture, and daily life. She also documented Egyptian Arabian farms, rural rituals, and equestrian practices. Her photography circulated informally in equestrian communities and among friends but formed a significant visual record of Egyptian horse culture in the late 20th century. She was also widely known socially for her independence, generosity, and her knack for explaining Egyptian traditions to foreigners and explaining foreign equestrian practices to Egyptians.

Later Years & Passing:

Pat remained in Maadi until her death on 15 November 2025, at home. Egyptian friends arranged for interment in their family mausoleum. Pat leaves behind a legacy that spans Egyptian cultural documentation, Arabian horse preservation, cross-cultural education, and the establishment of Egypt’s modern horse exhibitions.

She will be remembered as a legendary icon of the Egyptian Arabian horse community worldwide. HT