"In the beginning"...

The earliest of version of equus is said to be the four-toed Hyracotherium or formerly, Eohippus (the Dawn Horse), with fossils being found in what is now known as the North America (McBane & Douglas Cooper, 1997) dating back some 50 million years putting it in the Eocene period, which is noted for the first grasses to appear, which is a resource for herbivores; trees thrive. Some modern mammals appear: advanced primates; camels, cats, dogs, horses and rodents

Reference chart

To review a map of the world relevant to this era, the continents were certainly not as we see them currently.

Horse Genetics - online reading

Ancient Breeds of Horse from The Noble Horse

Other Interesting reading - Evolution

Wentworth - The Authentic Arabian Horse, Three Voices Concerning the Horses of Arabia - Tradition (Nejd, Inner East); romantic Fable (Islam); The Outside World of the West (3rd edition - 1979)

RD Upton - Gleanings from the Desert of Arabia Olms Press

The book The Authentic Arabian Horse also instills the author's parents's conceptual beliefs of life in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. Stated not only within the text itself but also within the Forward (by Sir Henry Abel Smith KCMG, KCVO, DSO) and by the author's herself within her conclusion. These beliefs state the pre-Islamic concept of the Arabian Horse's beginnings is different to the post-Islamic concept. The pre-Islamic concept dealing entirely with the evolutionary process of man and horse in the region.

There is also strain theorizing as perceived within the Middle East today.

More on the Al Khamsa / Post Islamic concept:

Quote 1 : Quote 2 : Quote 3 : Quote 4

R D Upton's writings - Newmarket to Arabia and Gleanings from the Desert of Arabia, particularly the latter, as with Wentworth's The Authentic Arabian Horse promotes the concept of pre-Islamic beginnings of the horse of the desert. Both of RD Upton's books are interesting reading.

Another reading which I have had access to is by the European Skorkowski, through his findings (examining skeletal structures of desert bred Arabians amongst others) suggests there are six sub-species to the Arabian Horse. The reading does go into some detail and can be relative to the evolutionary theory of the amalgamation of the breeds along with the 'tastes' or preferences of the Bedouin themselves by selectively breeding for their particular tribal and/or personal preference. Breedings consisting of in-breeding, line-breeding and where and when essential 'out-crossing' to suitably asil lines as defined by the Bedouin themselves. Most importantly, as westerners, our concepts of cultural purity are probably not the same as that of the eastern peoples (Middle East, specifically). For me, this is something that must be referred to constantly when reviewing the Arabian Horse. The notations of Upton in the segment "The People pp. 246-249:" does somewhat describe the zealousness and strength of purity pursued by the Bedouin.

The Russian travelers, Stroganov and Sherbatov, in their book, "The Arabian Horse: a survey", follow their peers' theorizing (post-Islam) is enlightening in their openness. They were trying to achieve a reason why desert bred Arabian Horses should be registered in imperialist Russia. Their only objective from what they have written and my interpretation of their work, was to share information of their findings within the desert environment with the aid of the Blunts and RD Upton amongst other peers.

Early Historical articles (follow the Arabian Vision link, amongst others, from the Link page)

Recently, I've read Klynstra's book, Nobility of the Desert, where the author proffers a somewhat evolutionary explanation to the equine we now know as the Arabian Horse. The author uses the reasoning of other popular Arabian Horse Historians to explain the differences / variances the early travelers saw in the strains as presented / bred by the Bedouin. .

What Klynstra and Forbis have in common, is they suggest the equine became apparent in the region (Egypt and Arabia) around a similar time - 2500BC. Four millennium ago ~ 'tis an awfully long time for the Bedouin to hone their breeding skills and preferences, as has been suggested… "a measure of taste"! Along with natural selection of the strongest surviving all that is put before them.

Two recent revelations on separate issues have exposed some 'interesting' history of the Arabian Horse in the mainstream modern breeding programs. The ramifications of this information are such that they could be ignored, treated with speculation or accepted for the values they show.

The Abbas Pasha Manuscript tells us that the Egyptian ruler, Mohamed Ali the Great, used a French veterinarian to run his stables. His duties included breeding decisions - essentially crossing 'native' Egyptian mares with Arabian Horses and then crossing the resulting female progeny back to their sires or other Arabian Horses. However, further in this book it is stated that Mohamed Ali the Great's grandson, Abbas Pasha I, collected Arabian Horses from the Arabian Peninsula and bred these horses separately and in conjunction with his grandfather's collection. It's plausible the exact impact of this information will never be known.

Similar can be said of information the first Russian Studbook tells, as transliterated and translated by Melissa Paul et al. Essentially, the Imperialistic Russian program incorporated the Arabian Horse into their various horse breeding programs. However, the Russian's also maintained the value of Bedouin-bred desert breeding and kept two distinct records of 'desertbreds' (of direct desert heritage) and highly bred derivatives from suitable 'native' foundation mares.

Timing was issue for both of these works, amongst others. In the case of the Russian text, it appears this information was not revealed until it was politically opportune and an enthusiasm to reveal, in English, what the Russian text holds. Not unlike the work of Sherif and Forbis with their opportune find of old Egyptian manuscripts and efforts to transliterate, translate these to we now accept as The Abbas Pasha Manuscript. To my mind, the impact of the Russian text is just about as great an impact as the Egyptian text!

Text (Adobe Acrobat reader is needed): Russian version The Arabian Horse - a survey ~ can't read Russian - try the English version as translated by GI Vassiltchikov.

Early Russian Perspectives

Another translation/transliteration by Melissa Paul

Not only is there the history of the Arabian Horse but there is the horse itself.

RD Upton in both his writings on the Arabian Horse - Newmarket to Arabia and Gleanings from the Desert of Arabia one can read how well versed RD Upton was at assessing the Arabian Horse in its own habitat. The one very clear point made through some of his descriptions was the lack of consistency in uniformity of the Breed as a whole!

Then there is Stroganov's and Sherbatov's The Arabian Horse: a survey, which also gives adequate descriptions of the Arabian horses they saw, also showing via early photographic work some of the selections they made and reasons why their selections were made.

C Raswan's work is somewhat controversial and very opinionated (which its entitled to be). His book The Black Tents of Arabia: my life among the Bedouins, explains some of his thoughts. The Raswan Index is an invaluable read.

I feel it is coming or has come to a situation where there will need to be decision to include all Arabian Horse types, as explained throughout this web-page and its links, as the Breed it was; with all its varietal types or to continue to homogonise the Breed into a modern show styled horse based on the Westernisation of its historical fable-isation.

To include all types into the show ring will need an over-haul of the Breed Standard as it is currently written. The Breed's global Societies/Registries will need to confer and adjust the documentation (Arabian Horse Breed Standard). Education of judges to implement and include the adjustments in the judging assignment(s) will be vital. As is the education of junior judges ~ the future of the Breed. Publications giving a clearer picture of the Breed in general will need to be published and readily accessible.

This maybe a life-time achievement but it will benefit the Breed, to the best of a westerner's ability, as the Bedouin bred the Arab horse in its desert environment.