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The Arabian Horse Today
Because the Arab often engaged in a form of desert warfare known as "Ghazu," a form of quick mounted foray upon his neighbors, his life and welfare depended upon the endurance and speed of his Arabian horse. These stellar qualities of the Arabian horse were also the natural result of a good original stock, which by intensive breeding in a favorable environment had maintained its purity. His blood is commanding to a remarkable degree, and invariably dominates all the breeds to which it is introduced and contributes its own superior qualities to them. When imported to England, the Arabian became the progenitor of the Thoroughbred. In Russia, the blood of the Arabian horse contributed largely to the development of the Orloff Trotter. In France, the animal helped make the famous Percheron. And in America, again it was the Arabian horse which became the progenitor of the Morgan and through the English Thoroughbred, to make the Trotter. As the oldest of all the light breeds and foundation stock of most, the Arabian is unique. The Arabian breed is different in that it does not exist as a result of selective breeding, as were other modern light breeds, where it was necessary to establish a registry prior to the development of the breed, but was a breed that had been recognized for thousands of years and had been maintained and cherished in its purity over those years as much as is humanly possible.
The high intelligence, trainability, gentle disposition and stamina of the Arabian enable it to excel at a wide variety of activities popular today. Arabians are excellent on the trail as well as in the show ring. Show classes in English and western pleasure, cutting and reining, even jumping and dressage provide opportunities for fun and enjoyment at both all-Arabian events and open breed shows alike. As an endurance horse, the Arabian has no equal. The top prizes at endurance events almost always go to riders of Arabians. In addition, the Arabians' Bedouin heritage is evident in their unequaled ability to bond with humans, making them the perfect horse for family members of all ages. With today's prices comparable with other popular breeds, excellent Arabian horses are now accessible to a broad base of horse enthusiasts. And, with more living Arabian horses in the United States than in all the other countries in the world combined, America has some of the best horses and breeding farms from which to choose. Go back to Introduction |
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Historically
the Arabian has
maintained a reputation
as the horse of
beauty, intelligence,
courage, endurance,
and romance. Because
he was bred and
reared in close
contact with man
from the earliest
records, and existing
in mutual inter-dependence,
he developed an
unequaled ability
to bond with humans.
Indeed, his intelligence
has been celebrated
in thousands of
anecdotes. He
is gentle, affectionate,
and familiar,
almost to the
point of being
troublesome. Foals,
for example, have
no fear of man,
and are usually
indifferent to
sudden noises.
The Arabian gentleness
and tractability,
while originally
the effect of
education, is
now inherited,
and is observed
in foals bred
in a foreign environment.
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