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Arabian Horses Spread to Europe
European horses soon felt an extensive infusion of Arabian blood, especially as a result of the Christian Crusaders returning from the East between the years 1099 A.D. and 1249 A.D. With the invention of fire arms, the heavily armored knight lost his importance and during the 16th century handy, light and speedy horses were in demand for use as cavalry mounts. Subsequent wars proved the superiority of the Arabian horse as the outstanding military mount throughout the world.
In the 1800's travelers in the Victorian era became enamored with the horse of the desert as significant Arabian stud farms were founded throughout Europe. The royal families of Poland established notable studs, as did the kings of Germany and other European nations. As a result of Lady Anne Blunt and Wilfred Blunt's historical sojourns into the desert to obtain Egyptian and desert stock, the world-famous Crabbet Arabian Stud was founded in England. This stud eventually provided foundation horses for many countries, including Russia, Poland, Australia, North and South America and Egypt. |
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With
the rise of the
Prophet Mohammed
and the dawn of
Islam, circa 600
A.D., Arabia underwent
a change in culture.
Fired with zeal
over their new-found
Islamic faith,
the Arab warriors
swept out of the
desert mounted
on "Arabian
horses," spreading
the word of their
Prophet. Bred
in the desert
their remarkable
horses had evolved
like finely tempered
steel into the
swift, elegant,
graceful and magnificent
war horse by whose
means the Arabs
shook the civilized
world. The Middle
East, North Africa,
the Mediterranean
countries as far
west as Spain
and others as
far east as China,
fell to Islam. (Picture
courtesy Arabian
Horse Trust)
After
the Crusades,
people of the
western world
began looking
to the people
of the east for
Arabian bloodstock.
Between 1683 and
1730 a revolution
in horse breeding
occurred when
three Arabian
stallions were
imported to England.
The Darley Arabian,
the Byerly Turk
and the Godolphin
Arabian founded
the Thoroughbred
breed. Today the
majority of all
modern Thoroughbreds
can be trace to
these three Arabian
sires. By direct
infusion, and
through the blood
of the Thoroughbred,
the Arabian has
contributed, to
some degree, to
all our light
breeds of horses.
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