Why select the Arabian Horse?

There are, on reflection, many reasons why I choose the Arabian Horse against all other equine breeds.  Number one would have to be the fact the Arabian Horse has the most consistent notates pedigree making it one, if not, the oldest breeds.  In general, aside from the draught horses and some ponies, Arabian Horses would have to be one of the foundation horse breeds in the world today.   

Regarding the notation of pedigrees of Arabian Horses, the following sums it it rather well... 

A Bedouin does not keep records of his horses' forebears, but these are known to every member of his tribe.  This fact has been confirmed times without number when quite unrelated Bedouins have repeated word for word, in relation to some horse or other, all details communicated by its owner. This lends greater credibility to the tradition about the Prophet's five mares.  The Bedouins regard a lie about a horse's descent as a heinous crime that will undoubtedly be followed by divine retribution." (Sherbatov, 1900) 

Besides, most all other breeds have varying percentages of Arabian blood, be it pure or a derivative.  For me there is only the one 'hot' blooded equine - The Arabian Horse.

The following description from the 19th century is of the Arabian Horse as it was then...

THE ARABIAN HORSE
a survey

PRINCE A.G. SHERBATOV and COUNT S.A. STROGANOV

with photographs and pedigree tables

translated by GI Vasslltchikov;
foreword by The Earl of Lytton;
preface by CC Pearson;
introduction by PJ Gazder

J. A. ALLEN & Co. London

Reprinted here with permission from the Publishers

Arabian horses have the following characteristic features:

1. COLOURING

They may be of any colour, except piebald, greyish and other off-colours. There are few black; I, personally, saw only one black mare and even she had grey hairs here and there. Compared to other breeds, there are very many greys, but most Arabians are bays, of every shading; there are also quite a few chestnuts.

2. SIZE

Arabian horses are small - from 13.3 to 14.3 hands. This is due, no doubt, to their being reared on ground fodder with but an insignificant addition of other foods and this only when grass is totally lacking. Their height is also affected by the fact that dams in foal are ridden like the rest and by the shortage of stallions. The Bedouins have so few of those that many of them, I was told, have to cover from 60 to 80 dams*. In Russia, Arabian foals are bigger and given the proper selection of sires and appropriate feed, it is quite easy to obtain 4-year olds standing some 15 hands already in the first generation. But I feel that an excessive, artificial increase in height will affect the breed adversely. This is undesirable, since even a small Arabian horse of normal size can perform better under a heavy weight than many a larger horse of another breed.

*In her book, Lady Anne Blunt speaks of 200 dams to a stallion, but that is, no doubt, a misunderstanding; she probably meant 2oo matings.

A tall saddle-horse may be needed for special purposes, for example in some of the heavy cavalry regiments, the main, if not the sole purpose of which, is to charge in massed formations, for which the impact bred of the sheer weight of a galloping horse may be of importance. Height may also be needed in a dray-horse, especially one used for the slow transportation of heavy loads; this is due to the fact that the weight of a horse is usually proportionate to its size and a light horse has greater difficulty in over-coming the resistance of the load. But there is absolutely no direct relationship between a horse's weight and its strength, and since the latter is what is asked of a saddle-horse, superior height is not needed. Needless to say, we are referring here to differences within a given range, i.e. 13, 14 or 15 hands. Saddle-horses are supposed to move not slowly but fast and with a load that should normally not exceed 280-320 lbs. A horse standing, say, 15 hands should find it easier to carry this weight when walking, than one of, say, 13 hands. But at a faster pace, the one to tire more easily will not be the smaller of the two but the one that is slower by virtue of its breed and conformation. Moreover, a genuine saddle or cavalry horse should be good not only for sport, but should be able to perform at high speed under all possible conditions and over any type of ground - in sticky black soil, in deep sand, on marshy ground, etc. This requires an animal that combines strength with agility, speed and lightness. This statement will be confirmed by those who hunt with the hounds, riding not costly British hunters but cossack horses and this, not because they are more comfortable but because, notwithstanding their dullness, they perform better over difficult ground and extricate themselves with greater ease from swampy spots.

Kirghiz or Kabarda horses are, of course, no good for our Russian cavalry; but then neither are horses standing 15 hands, which, by their very nature, are unsuited for rapid motion generally, not to mention racing. The cavalry needs medium-size mounts which, though far more fleet-footed than the Russian horse of the steppes, are no less strong or hardy. The Arabian horse answers these criteria; being of medium height, it can easily carry our average cavalryman, though it may not suit those who require greater height for other reasons.

3. LENGTH

Compared, for example, to the English thoroughbred, the Arabian horse appears to be short. And yet it covers, standing, a large area of ground, for a simple reason: its conformation is better and more symmetrical than that of the thoroughbred. The latter's length results from the artificial development over a period of several generations of one particular feature, I.e. speed. Though they, too, appreciate speed greatly, the Arabs do not seek to enhance this factor artificially. They devote more attention to nimbleness and agility, which qualities they inculcate from a horse's earliest age. Turns, figure-eights, etc., are usually made at a canter, whereby the horse is sometimes sharply reined in and then spurred on again; but only rarely are Arabian horses allowed to gallop at full speed needlessly and even then only over short distances. The normal gait is the canter; the trot is never used. When walking, the horse is never egged on, but is allowed total freedom. This has gone on for hundreds of generations, which is why Arabian horses are not very long, such length in all animals resulting from sustained high speeds.

4. CONFORMATION

Generally speaking, the Arabian horse is extremely harmonious and the various parts of its body are admirably proportioned. This, indeed, is its main virtue because it is to this that it owes all its other qualities, including its beauty. In analysing its characteristic features, I shall not only stress its good points but shall also mention its most frequent shortcomings.

The back is, generally, excellent; saddle-backs are few but although long-backed animals are no rarity, this defect is not very current. Indeed, the ratio of back-length to that of the animal as a whole is smaller in the Arabian horse than in the English thoroughbred. Those who are used to the latter's long croup and the development - in length - of its croup muscles, may find the Arabian's croup short; and it is indeed shorter, for the various reasons mentioned above in connection with length. Drooping buttocks are rare; on the contrary, the back and the croup are often in line. This typical characteristic of so many Arabian horses is particularly noticeable in motion, when the dock of the tail soars high. But even when the back is good and the muscles above the kidneys are well-developed (which is the rule), the sacrum too is often high and this gives the impression that the spine is distorted; but the eye soon becomes accustomed to this, especially since - and my own experience confirms it - it in no way affects the animal's performance.

The Arabian horse is usually of average width. The chest is admirably developed; narrow-chested animals are virtually unknown. The shoulders are magnificent, at the right angle, and well, though not excessively, muscled. The girth is Just right and the ribs are steep. The thigh muscles are quite often under-developed. Generally speaking, the hind part of the horse is less developed in width than the fore part.

5. LEGS

Most Arabian horses have admirable lean forelegs*. These are properly set, well-developed and have ideal hooves. The most frequent shortcomings in the forelegs are: small knees and narrow legs below the knees. I personally do not regard this as a shortcoming; in the first place, the bone of the Arabian horse is extremely compact and the slenderness of the foreleg is thus amply compensated by its quality. And then, what is important is not so much the size of a tendon as its strength and the absence of so-called "weediness". In most Arabian horse, however small their knees and slender their tendons below the knee, the latter are amazingly "dry" and strong. Such legs, as my own experience shows, can do anything. The pasterns vary in length, but I saw none overly long or weak. There are more numerous shortcomings in the hindlegs than in the forelegs, but even so the joints are near to excellent, and defects very rare. Many horses are cow-butted but this is due to the Bedouin's way of riding them, constantly reining them in and turning sharply at high speed.

Apart from the callouses and growths due to wounds and injuries, which are frequent and result from sharp-edged stones and from the Bedouins' way of riding their horses.
I saw no breakdowns in Arabia; neither did Lady Blunt during all her extensive travels there.

6. HEAD AND NECK

When analysing a horse, the Arabs always start with the head, to the shape of which they attach particular importance. They have most definite criteria in this connection. The size of the head, for instance, must be proportionate to the body. The space between the ears should be narrow; the ears them- selves, longish, like those of an antelope, well-shaped and very mobile; the tips should be as close together as possible.

The forehead should be very prominent, widening from the ears to the eyes so that these are as widely spaced as possible. The eye should be large, bright and intelligent; the brow-bone should stand out. The cheeks should be well-developed; the whole head, seen in profile, should be wed e-shaped, i.e. tapering down-wards; not only should the nose not be even slightly humped, but the bridge should be definitely concave; when the horse is standing at ease, the nostril should resemble a long, narrow cleft; in motion, on the other hand, it should dilate as much as possible; the head, generally, should be lean, without the slightest trace of superfluous flesh.

In actual fact, the Arabian horse's head frequently lives up to this ideal. Generally speaking, it is lean (as is the entire animal), harmonizes well with the body, and is handsome. The eye is intelligent and expressive. Prominent foreheads are frequent, far more so than in other breeds. The nostrils answer the described requirements and are particularly striking in motion. I saw no bump-nosed animals, the bridge being either quite straight or concave.

The Arabs attach much importance to the distance between the cheeks and they are right to do so; when the cheeks are close together, there is little place for the larynx and this hinders the animal's breathing. The neck is fairly long and elegantly arched; but some animals have a different type - shorter and straight. The stallion's neck is more arched than the mare's, but never exaggeratedly so.

7. VARIOUS OTHER CHARACTERISTICS AND GENERAL APPEARANCE

The Arabian's skin is extremely thin, the coat very soft, silky and fairly sparse. The fetlocks are usually clearly visible. The winter coat differs little, as a rule, from the summer coat. The tail is high and when the animal stands still resembles that of any other breed, but in motion it immediately soars and spreads out; this is a distinctive feature of all Arabian horses. Some carry their tall unusually high, so that the dock is almost vertical. Indeed, a horse that does not carry its tall high cannot be of pure Arabian stock. The hair of both tall and mane is like pure silk.

I shall not venture to describe the overall appearance of the Arabian horse or its unique beauty; I shall merely say that, in motion, this animal, and especially the mare, becomes transformed. The Bedouin does not know how to show off a horse; indeed, he does not even try to do so. When doing up or leading up a mare on a long halter, he never makes her stand as she ideally should, but lets her do as she pleases. The mare, who is often lean and tired, stands listlessly and sleepily, with half-closed eyes, and is indeed not much to look at. But as soon as she is mounted, she comes to life, her tall soars and she is unrecognisable. This is hard to describe and should be seen. The Arabian horse is not all it is said to be. Its shape is not rounded, its neck not unusually arched. Why it is such a beautiful creature is, in fact, difficult to say. Perhaps it is the admirable symmetry of all its parts, its harmonious lines, and especially the unique, indescribable grandeur that are the best proof of its flawless pedigree.

8. DISPOSITION

The Arabian horse is intelligent and even-tempered, as is its owner; it has never known cruel treatment; has grown up surrounded by human beings and has been ridden - by small boys - since the age of one. The Bedouin rides usually without a bit; by way of a bridle, he uses a woollen halter with a single long rein, also of wool; he guides his horse from left to right by means of this rein and from right to left with the hand, or with a stick. To stop, he needs only draw in the rein slightly, raise the right hand and utter a gutteral sound somewhat like khams and the animal stops in its tracks instantly, even at full gallop. The Arabian horse's even and trusting temper is very appealing; at the same time, it is very bold and not easily scared. But despite its gentleness, there are many nervous and temperamental animals and these can easily be spoilt by brutal or clumsy treatment. I never encountered any lazy animals; they are invariably full of spirit, even when tired. Indeed, spirit and stamina are among, the Arabian horse's most valuable qualities.

9. MOVEMENTS, STRENGTH, ENDURANCE

In order to appreciate the Arabian horse's qualities, it should be ridden over considerable distance or for hunting to hounds, when it immediately wins a considerable distance or for hunting to hounds, when it immediately wins one's affection on account of its spirit, intelligence, admirable movements, sure-footedness, strength and endurance.

All paces reveal the following characteristic trait: the Arabian never raises its forelegs very high and these are hardly bent at the knee and pastern, but are thrown forward boldly as if the animal was seeking to stand on its hoof-tips. This movement is elegant, giving an impression of great elasticity and tautness of muscle.

The pace is loose and long, the hindlegs clearing the forelegs with ease; when in free motion, the horse steps low, is very attentive about where it is going but trips quite often. It has no idea of how to trot, but learns to do so easily.

The gallop is, of course, its best pace; it does so with exceptional lightness, elegance and springiness. It stretches out less than the English thoroughbred does, the beat is more frequent and one has the impression that the horse enjoys itself and is not making the slightest effort.

The Arabian horse is undeniably fast; though it yields of course in speed to the thoroughbred, it is superior to all other breeds, whatever the distance.* But its most valuable asset is its extraordinary strength and stamina. To begin with, its respiratory organs are remarkably developed; even untrained animals never seem short of breath. Then its conformation enables it to perform better than other breeds. I know of no horse on which it is more comfortable to gallop, sitting quite at ease, over long distances, without the slightest fatigue. We ourselves observed how horses, tired out as they may have been by a ride of 60 or 70 kilometres without water in very hot weather, were given free rein; after galloping a few additional kilometres, they would take over from their riders and, competing with one another, would gallop a further 15-20 kilometres. I should add that these were all dams in foal and that the ground was littered with large stones. One must bear in mind that the Bedouins do not train their mares for such performances, that the latter are often half-starved through insufficient fodder and that notwithstanding this, their speed over great distances is not affected. It goes without saying that they are very undemanding as regards feed; that they drink very little, usually only once a day, and can go without water altogether for up to 24 hours.

It follows that the Arabian horse today is blessed with all the qualities required of a saddle-horse and that the purity of its blood enables these qualities to be transmitted to the breeds with which it is crossed. Alas, these natural gifts are going to waste owing to our boundless enthusiasm for the English thoroughbred. The English so-called "thoroughbred" is without question an outstanding animal, but to seek salvation only in it, and to view all other breeds as no good, in comparison, is to go to extremes.

When galloping, it never stumbles; it is amazingly sure-footed. The ground in Arabia is not only strewn with stones and pebbles but is so pitted with the holes of rodents that one wonders how it avoids them even at a walk; but the Arabian horse not only boldly gallops over them but also just as boldly descends steep, rocky slopes.

~o~o~

It is said the Bedouin, when he examines a horse, looks first at its head, by which he determines its origin. Then he attaches importance to certain markings; the animal's overall appearance comes only third. There are few definite criteria as regards speed, since both when fighting, pursing or escaping (which is never in a straight line) endurance is most important. Moreover, a horse often acquires a reputation for speed, when in fact it is simply very agile and sure-footed. ...And yet their mares get very little feed and remain sometimes for a whole day without water, besides enduring such other hardships as extreme heat or, on the contrary, cold and strong winds.  Of course, their upbringing has prepared them for this, though it certainly affects adversely their size and speed.

Do you think your images match the Arabians of today?  

Then as a comparison, consider the text above specifically describes the Arabian Horses below !