Arabian Horses - The Earth’s Finest

Introduction

Arabian horses, one of the most popular breeds of horse, are renowned for their intelligence, spirit, and stamina. They’re arguably the finest endurance riding horses in the world. The breed is easily recognisable by its high tail carriage and distinctive head shape.

Often called the “Versatile Arabian", the breed competes in numerous fields of equestrian activities. Endurance riding however, is where they truly dominate.

Arabian horses originate from the middle East but can nowadays be found all over the globe in places like the USA, the UK, Spain, the Canary Islands, Canada, Brazil and Australia.

Background

Arabian horses have a very finely chiselled bone structure. Their concave profile includes an arched neck, comparatively level croup and high-carried tail.

The breed originates mainly from Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iraq. Arabians are one of the oldest horse breeds in the world. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of horses resembling Arabians dating back 4,500 years.

The horses were developed in the harsh desert climates of the Middle East and were so highly prized by the nomadic Bedouin people that they’d often be brought inside the family tent for shelter and protection.

Because of their close relationships with humans, the Arabian horses evolved into a breed that is good-natured, willing to please and a very quick learner.

Because of this willingness, intelligence and sensitivity, modern day owners need to handle their Arabians with a lot of respect and care.

Nowadays you’ll find Arabian bloodlines in almost every modern breed of riding horse. Throughout the centuries, Arabians were used to add speed, endurance and refinement to other breeds.

History

“And God took a handful of South wind and from it formed a horse, saying: "I create thee, Oh Arabian.

There are numerous myths and legends surrounding the origins of the world’s most famous horse. The Bedouin stories have shrouded the Arabian's roots in mystery.

One story is that Ishmael (Son of Abraham) was given a gift by God - a gift made of mist and dust as a reward for his faith and dedication to his father’s God. “Out of the mist and dust came the first Asil Arabian mare”. This mare produced a son and these two gifts from God were believed to be the beginnings of the pure Arabian horse.

The Bedouin race very much see the Arabian horse as a gift from god and accordingly treat it as an almost sacred creature.

The breed flourished in the rich grasslands along the Fertile Crescent, which has now become Syria, Iraq, Iran, and the Arabia peninsula.

“Arab” is a Semitic word, which means desert and has no reference to nationality. The origin of the name however, is to this day unclear. It possibly comes from the concept of nomadism. The word “Arabha" means a dark or treeless land in Hebrew. "Erebh" indicates a life that is in stark contrast with the ordered and stationary life of communities - therefore meaning nomadic wanderers. The Arabian horse became famous as the high-spirited horse of these nomadic dwellers.

Though we’re not sure of the exact origin of the Arabian horses, experts predict that the lineage traces back to around 5,000 years. It’s thought that the original Arabian horse was slightly smaller than its modern day counterparts. Apart from that they are incredibly similar.