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Everything You Need To Know About
The Arabian Horse Breed
From Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org
The Arabian horse first appeared in the Arabian Peninsula at least 2,500 years
B.C.E. They were carefully bred to maintain desirable features (e.g. stamina,
soundness, strength, and beauty), and are therefore one of the oldest, if not
the oldest breeds in the world (this has been contested with the Akhal-Teke).
Early history of the Arabian Horse
According to the Bedouins, God created the Arabian horse from the South Wind,
saying "I call you Horse; I make you Arabian and I give you the chestnut color
of the ant; I have hung happiness from the forelock which hangs between your
eyes; you shall be the Lord of the other animals. Men shall follow you
wherever you go; you shall be as good for flight as for pursuit; riches shall
be on your back and fortune shall come through your meditation".
The nomadic Bedouins are the first known to have tamed these fiery horses. The
tribes were extremely protective of the purity of their stock, and many sheiks
could recite the ancestry of their animals from memory. These forerunners of
today's Arabian were bred for stamina and survival in the desert conditions,
as well as the speed, courage, and loyalty needed for the constant battles
between tribes. The Bedouins gained the reputation for breeding the finest
horses, and many horses were traded. The Arabian horse was so prized that in
battle, when horses were captured, the parties would come together and share
the bloodlines of the horses taken.
The Continuing Influence of the Arabian Horse
Around 630 AD, Islamic warriors began to fight their north and west. By 711,
they had taken Spain. Most of their mounts were Turkish or Barb, but a few
were Arabian. From the invader's horses developed the Andalusian (which were
taken to the new world and helped develop many of the breeds in the Americas
today). Meanwhile, European horses were infused with Arabian blood when the
knights came down to Palestine for the crusades and later returned home with
the horses.
In the 15th century, firearms were developed. The slow-moving war horses of
Europe were obsolete, and the faster Arabian horses were used to develop the
quick, agile cavalry horses which would be on the European battlefields into
the 20th century.
Arabians had also been brought to the Ottoman empire, where the studs used the
horses for racing. They were then introduced into European racing. The Darley
Arabian, one of three foundation stallions of the modern Thoroughbred breed
was brought to England in 1703 (the other two being the Byerley Turk and the
Godolphin).
The royalty of Europe took an interest in the Arabian, and established royal
studs. One such stud, probably the most famous, was the Crabbet Stud in
Crabbet Park, England. Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and his wife, Lady Anne Blunt,
began importing the breed in 1878. For nearly a century, the family bred the
Arabian and conserved the breed's purity, later exporting the horses for use
as foundation stock in Poland, Russia, Australia, and North and South America.
The stud was closed in 1971.
In 1893, the World Fair in Chicago exhibited 45 Arabians. The breed's interest
in the United States grew, and the United States stud book was established in
1908, with a total of 71 animals. By 1994, the number had reached half a
million. There are now more Arabians registered in North America than in the
rest of the world put together.
In the 1980s, the Arabian's popularity soared. Many people inexperienced with
horses were captivated by the beautiful breed. Celebrities bought the horses.
Prices soared, especially in the United States, with some horses going for
$150,000 to $1 million each. This created new breeders, and eventually to the
over breeding of the Arabian, especially the ultra-fine, fiery horses. To
exaggerate type, inbreeding was common. When tax laws for horses were changed,
the market collapsed, and the overload of horses were worth much less.
However, many horses were bred for racing and endurance, which were growing in
popularity, and allowed for an outlet for the overpopulation.
Today, there are many different types of Arabian. The Persian and Egyptian
types are though to be the oldest of the types, and have the most refined
conformation. Polish Arabians, produced from horses when the breed was
introduced in 1570, are not as beautiful, but are generally very athletic.
Hungary's strain, the Shagya Arabian, are generally larger and more
substantial.
Whatever the type, the breed is currently being bred away from the ultra-fine,
wide-eyed halter horses of the 1980s towards a quieter, more athletic horse. At
breed shows, the Arabian constantly displays its versatility. They are also
growing in demand for dressage, where their natural self-carriage and movement
is attractive. However, they truly excel in endurance and long-distance
riding, where the horse would complete up to 100 miles in a day. They hold the
world records for the sport, and are not only usually the first to finish, but
also win the "best conditioned" award as well.
Arabian Horse Breed Characteristics
The Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable breeds in the world. They
have short, fine heads, with large eyes, small muzzles and their famous
"dished" profile (the nose is concave). Arabians also tend to have very high
tail carriage. They have large nostrils and strong lungs, which contributes to
their powers of endurance, and have thin skin. They have an arched neck with a
fine, clean throat, delicate and clean legs, and a fine, silky coat. The coat
color of Arabians is diverse, with chestnut and grey as the dominant color,
followed by bay and black. Black Arabians are rare, mainly because they were
bred in the desert, where a black or dark coat would absorb heat and therefore
be detrimental to the horse. However, many breeders are breeding specifically
for black Arabians, so the color is not as uncommon as it used to be. Purebred
Arabians cannot be pinto, nor do they come in palomino, although many
half-Arabians are bred for these colors. The Arabian has a compact body with a
short back, partly due to the 5 lumbar vertebrae instead of the normal horses'
6, and usually stands between 14.0 and 15.0 hands. Arabians are always
referred to as horses, not ponies, whatever their height. The breed is also
known for its intelligence, versatility, and very affectionate nature.
The Arabian Horse Today
Because of the genetic purity of the Arabian horse, it is often used as a
refining influence on other breeds, and has played a significant part in the
evolution of almost every recognized breed, including Percherons,
Thoroughbreds, Haflingers,
American Quarter Horses, and all of the warmblood
breeds. The Arabian has influenced more breeds than any other horse.
The UC Davis Book of Horses, p. 20, compares Arabians with various other
breeds and lists this breed's temperament as "highly strung." It lists the
breed's categories as "speed, endurance, intelligence, courage, and
gentleness." Over the course of the breed's history they have for centuries
lived in close association with human families. They are emotionally very much
attuned to both their herd members and their human families. For that reason
they tend to be protective of humans and suitable as companions for children.
At the same time, they were in the beginning joined symbiotically with humans
in a hostile environment that occasionally included armed combat and other
sudden dangers. They are therefore adept at making sudden course corrections
at high speed, which can pose a challenge even to fairly accomplished riders.
Their athleticism also makes them a very versatile breed, and they are capable
of competing in many fields, including
Dressage, English Pleasure, Western
Pleasure, Cutting, Reining,
Endurance riding, and many others. They dominate
the endurance world because of their incredible stamina, which far exceeds
that of many other breeds. There is also Arabian racing, which is separate
from the more popular
Thoroughbred racing
Despite their fame for versatility, Arabians are generally known for their lack
of jumping ability, as the breed has the habit of jumping "flat" and with a
"splinter belly". Therefore, their use in jumping sports like show
jumping and
eventing is generally
not very common. However, a few Arabians make good jumpers, and many Arabian
crosses, most notably the Anglo-Arabian, are excellent.
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