The majestic Arabian horse

The horse was a gift from Allah, the Bedouins believed. It should be cherished, revered, almost worshiped. With its beginnings in the oases surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Arabian horse has been bred for centuries in the countries known in our modern history as Iran, Iraq and Syria, as well as in other parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

Since the Bedouin held horses in high esteem, bloodlines were a jealously guarded family treasure within the various tribes. There are records that indicate that the nomads lived as early as 3000 to 2500 BC. Khamesh", literally "the five". These five bloodlines were Kehilan, Seglawi, Abeyan, Hamdani and Hadban. As sub-strains were developed in each of the bloodlines, these were named after famous mares and/or sheikhs who contributed a significant branch to the strain.

Each of the five original strains had significant traits that were retained when breeding pure Arabians. A brief description of each follows:

The kehilan was deep chested, manly in strength and size. The average height of a pure kehilan was up to fifteen hands (sixty inches or one hundred and fifty-two point four centimeters) at shoulder height. It had a short head with a broad forehead and broad cheeks. The most common colors were chestnut and gray.

The Seglawi looked classy and was strikingly feminine and elegant. Bone structure was fine, and the face and neck were noticeably longer than the Kelihan. The most common color was gray, and the average height was fourteen point two hands (one hundred and forty-four point twenty-seven cm or fifty-six point eight inches).

The Abeyan was quite similar to the Seglawi. She shared the refined looks but tended to have a longer back than the other strains. It averaged 14.2 hands long, was usually gray, and had more white markings than most Arabians.

The Hamdani line had a plainer appearance than that associated with Arabian horses. He had a masculine and athletic appearance, with a large bone structure. The head was straighter in profile than the typical Arab and lacked the bulging forehead that the Bedouin believed was "the blessing of Allah". This variety was one of the tallest, standing 15.2 hands (60.8 inches or 154.43 cm) at the shoulder. The most common colors were bay and gray.

The hadban was configured similarly to the hamdani, with the large bone structure and musculature. But it was shorter in height and extremely gentle in nature. The average height was 14.3 hands (145.28 cm or 57.2 in), and the dominant colors were bay and brown with little if any white markings.

Bedouins "adopted" the horses no matter how they got into the desert. Whether they were strays, fugitives or whatever, they didn't care. Once the horse was part of their herd, they set about breeding offspring with speed, endurance, strength, and courage. As mentioned, the different strains each had their own characteristics, but all Arabians were bred to withstand the rigors of desert life.

When Europeans decided to improve their riding horses, Arabians were the breed they imported to cross with their native stock. When they began the process, their horses were the larger breeds that carried heavily armored knights into battle. Their lighter stock had its roots in the pony breeds. They had no breeds that could compare to the smaller, faster horses on which the invading Middle Eastern forces rode. Therefore, they selected purebred Arabian stallions with the desired characteristics and crossed them with selected native strains. Ninety-three percent of the English Thoroughbred breed today descends from three different Arabian stocks: Byerly Turk, Darley Arabian and Godolphin Arabian (sometimes called Godolphin Barb).

The first Arabian stallion imported to America dates back to 1725. He is said to have sired three hundred stallions from broodmares. And between 1853 and 1856, a breeder named A. Keene Richard imported several stallions and mares to establish the first breeding program of significance in the States. Unfortunately, his horses were confiscated or destroyed during the Civil War, the breeding line was broken and nothing survived.

On a visit to Turkey in eighteen hundred and seventy-seven, General Ulysses S. Grant was presented with two thoroughbred stallions which he imported to America. He passed one of these stallions on to Randolph Huntington. Mr. Huntington then imported two more thoroughbred stallions and two pure Arabian mares from England in 1888. His breeding program is believed to be the foundation of the first all-Arabian strain in the United States.

Other breeds influenced by pure Arabian stock include the Orloff Trotter of Russia, American Thoroughbred, Morgan, Percheron, Connemara Pony, American Quarter Horse and National Show Horse. Many horse breeds around the world, including the Austrian Lipizzan, have also bred this strain.

Arabians are considered the oldest of all light-breed tribes, and their influence can be traced to many foundation tribes. But the pure strains are still cherished and preserved by growers in the Middle East today.

The modern purebred Arabian outside of the Middle East typically has a "domed" or concave profile on a nicely shaped head. The eyes are prominent, the nostrils are usually small, and the snout is usually "teacup" in shape and size. The neck is gracefully arched and the head is naturally held high.

The back is short and level. The shoulders are long and sloping. The chest is broad, deep and muscular. the tendons are clearly defined and their legs are long. The Arabian has small hooves of a very hard consistency, wide at the heel. The hindquarters are sloping and the tail is clearly arched before dropping.

Overall, you can clearly see that this horse defines strength, speed and endurance in a beautifully shaped body.

The coat can be chestnut, grey, brown or black and is very fine. The underlying skin is always black. It is not uncommon for purebred Arabian horses to have white patches on the muzzle and legs. The mane and tail are bushy but soft to the touch.

The most common color was gray, and the average height was fourteen point two hands (one hundred and forty-four point twenty seven cm or one hundred and six point eight inches).

Depending on the strain and characteristics, Arabians are used for Western and English riding, racing, jumping, endurance competitions, shows, cut and reining and dressage. This is a very versatile horse that bonds naturally with people and can also be used as a family horse for people of all ages.

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