امیر صادقی
Member
History of the Arabian Breed
History says the breed originated in Saudi Arabia but according to the International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds, the horses actually began in Iran (Persia), Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Even today some of the best Arabian Horses are to be found in Iran and Jordan. The breed received its name Arab from the Arb people long before Saudi Arabia was even a country. There has been confusion with the term “Oriental Horse” which sometimes is used to describe horses that originated in Asia or the Middle East. Besides the Arab, which is one of the Oriental horse breeds, there is the Akhal-Teke breed. Some older resources say the Arabian horse is descended from other Oriental horse breeds such as the Turkmenian.
Invaders and migrants from the North, probably around 2500BC...
introduced the domestic horse to Asia Minor, Northern Syria, and Mesopotamia. At the time of the Hyksos ( Hittite) invasion of Egypt from what is now Turkey in the seventeenth century BC, these horses was still not present in the Arabian Peninsula . The people of the Arabian Peninsula rode camels at the time as they were better suited for the desert even though everywhere else in western Asia and Northern Africa the animals could be found.
Around 600 BC, just before the rise of Muhammad, the Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula began to breed horses. This was on a very small scale as the horse herds were limited by the amount of feed that could be produced. They obtained some of their first breeding stocks on raids into Persia (Iran). King El Nasir Mohamed, who ruled Egypt in 1300 AD, was known to have had the first pure Arabian Horses in Egypt. This proved the breed did not begin in Saudi Arabia. Because of the wide use of horses, there is still some confusion about the origins of particular breeds.
Oriental horses were introduced in the early 1700s to Europe and were believed to have come from the Arabs or Turks
At the time, the quality of the horses were more important than the ethnicity of the original owners. Also it's probable that the horses changed owners many times before reaching Europe. Then too there were language problems that could make the stories about points of origin questionable. Some feel that the Arabian horses in Europe were actually Turkmenians, or Barbs, or something else. Because of these problems, there still is confusion about the actual breeds of the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerly Turk which are the foundation sires of the Thoroughbred.
It was before the American Revolution that Arabian horses arrived in America.
It is said that the first purebred Arabian in America was the stallion Ranger. Ranger arrived in New London, Connecticut in 1760. General Harry Lee gave a grey, half-bred son of this horse to George Washington. George Washington was an early admirer of the breed. According to the Arabian Horse Club of America, the first imported purebred Arabian was Leopard, who was given to General Ulysses S. Grant by the sultan of Turkey in 1878.
Aong with another Arabian named Linden Tree. Grant owned the horses but the breeding decisions were left to Randolph Huntington, who wanted to use the Arabians as a part of the new American breed he wanted to establish. Linden Tree was never bred to a purebred Arabian mare, but Leopard produced a purebred colt out of Naomi named Anazeh. Some of today’s Arabian pedigrees can be traced back to Anazeh. Later Leopard and Linden Tree helped sire the Colorado Rangerbred.
The Magnificent Arabian Horse
The Arabian horse is one of the oldest pure breeds in the world. It has become the most widespread breed on earth. Through history it has been used to improve almost every other breed making it the influential of breeds. Almost every country in the world has an Arabian Horse Association. Arabians participate in just about any type of horse related activity whether it is working or competing. There isn’t a better choice of horse for endurance competitions.
Characteristics of the Arabian Horse Breed
The special characteristics of the Arabian horse distinguish it from all other breeds. The Arab’s head is smaller in comparison to other breeds but it is the way it carries its fine head and ached neck, standing very erect with tail carried high that gives it such a beautiful and distinguished look. Often the ordinary Oriental horse in the neighboring countries from where the Arab came is sold abroad as a pure Arab, but the Arabian horse has distinct characteristics that make it different. Arabians are known for their great beauty , and tremendous stamina. They are a lot like their Bedouin owner in their strength, calm, stamina, patience, intelligence, high spirits, alertness, leanness, and noble appearance. The is never shy or nervous but quiet, full of energy and well-mannered.
No horse has all the characteristics to make a perfect horse
but some of the Arabian horse...
attributes include a noble, harmonious, balanced appearance. It has speed joined with stamina is very surefooted. The Arabian horse has remarkable skill and adaptability. The health of Arabian horse is usually one of soundness, with freedom from respiratory troubles and ringbone. It has vitality, longevity and is very quick to recover.
Criticism of the Arabian horse usually...
is that the joints are too fine and that the shoulders and trunk are too short with high standing legs thus resulting is bad gaits. This problem is usually more with the Oriental horse than the true Arab. Even though it is impossible to breed only the highest quality, the desert life has destroyed all weaklings with serious faults.
There are two faults that do appear in a true Arabian horse...
One is that occasionally they have cow hocks which is really only a minor fault resulting from too early use and does not affect performance. The second is its small size which is caused by the aridity of the climate, extremes of temperature, ruthless selection by performance, frequent starvation, and dry concentrated, not entirely vegetable feed. Even though its size is small this desert horse could carry a man far and fast.
Some details of type and confirmation...
* Head...dished profile with prominent forehead, small, curved, well shaped ears and large eyes that are low , wide set and also very expressive and prominent. The jowls are deep and wide between the branches. The head is actually comparatively small from poll to muzzle with a small muzzle and large, fine-edged nostrils. The Arabian head has a well chiseled look.
* Neck...the neck is long ,light and set high. It is well arched and runs well into good withers. The Arab has a fine and clean looking throat.
* Trunk...the trunk is well muscled with long sloping shoulders and a broad, muscular chest. The horse has a deep girth, well-sprung ribs with a short back. The loins are broad and strong. The coup is long and level with the quarters being muscular and round. The tail is high-set and carried high.
* Legs...the legs are straight and of regular formation with large, strong and clearly defined knees and hocks. The bones are flat and very dense. The Arab has short cannons with prominent tendons and moderately long, slopping pasterns. The hoofs are round, hard, smooth with clean heels.
* Colors...the Arab is of solid, bright, strong colors except on legs and face. It has dark skin and fine, silk mane and tail. The hair is fine with a satiny coast that has almost a metallic sheen.
* Height...14.1 to 15.1 hands
* Gaits...the walk is long, free, regular, covering much ground. The trot is smart, free, swinging, but not used in the desert. Gallop is easy, smooth, balanced, extended and untiring. The arabian horse...a magnificent animal!
History says the breed originated in Saudi Arabia but according to the International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds, the horses actually began in Iran (Persia), Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Even today some of the best Arabian Horses are to be found in Iran and Jordan. The breed received its name Arab from the Arb people long before Saudi Arabia was even a country. There has been confusion with the term “Oriental Horse” which sometimes is used to describe horses that originated in Asia or the Middle East. Besides the Arab, which is one of the Oriental horse breeds, there is the Akhal-Teke breed. Some older resources say the Arabian horse is descended from other Oriental horse breeds such as the Turkmenian.
Invaders and migrants from the North, probably around 2500BC...
introduced the domestic horse to Asia Minor, Northern Syria, and Mesopotamia. At the time of the Hyksos ( Hittite) invasion of Egypt from what is now Turkey in the seventeenth century BC, these horses was still not present in the Arabian Peninsula . The people of the Arabian Peninsula rode camels at the time as they were better suited for the desert even though everywhere else in western Asia and Northern Africa the animals could be found.
Around 600 BC, just before the rise of Muhammad, the Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula began to breed horses. This was on a very small scale as the horse herds were limited by the amount of feed that could be produced. They obtained some of their first breeding stocks on raids into Persia (Iran). King El Nasir Mohamed, who ruled Egypt in 1300 AD, was known to have had the first pure Arabian Horses in Egypt. This proved the breed did not begin in Saudi Arabia. Because of the wide use of horses, there is still some confusion about the origins of particular breeds.
Oriental horses were introduced in the early 1700s to Europe and were believed to have come from the Arabs or Turks
At the time, the quality of the horses were more important than the ethnicity of the original owners. Also it's probable that the horses changed owners many times before reaching Europe. Then too there were language problems that could make the stories about points of origin questionable. Some feel that the Arabian horses in Europe were actually Turkmenians, or Barbs, or something else. Because of these problems, there still is confusion about the actual breeds of the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerly Turk which are the foundation sires of the Thoroughbred.
It was before the American Revolution that Arabian horses arrived in America.
It is said that the first purebred Arabian in America was the stallion Ranger. Ranger arrived in New London, Connecticut in 1760. General Harry Lee gave a grey, half-bred son of this horse to George Washington. George Washington was an early admirer of the breed. According to the Arabian Horse Club of America, the first imported purebred Arabian was Leopard, who was given to General Ulysses S. Grant by the sultan of Turkey in 1878.
Aong with another Arabian named Linden Tree. Grant owned the horses but the breeding decisions were left to Randolph Huntington, who wanted to use the Arabians as a part of the new American breed he wanted to establish. Linden Tree was never bred to a purebred Arabian mare, but Leopard produced a purebred colt out of Naomi named Anazeh. Some of today’s Arabian pedigrees can be traced back to Anazeh. Later Leopard and Linden Tree helped sire the Colorado Rangerbred.
The Magnificent Arabian Horse
The Arabian horse is one of the oldest pure breeds in the world. It has become the most widespread breed on earth. Through history it has been used to improve almost every other breed making it the influential of breeds. Almost every country in the world has an Arabian Horse Association. Arabians participate in just about any type of horse related activity whether it is working or competing. There isn’t a better choice of horse for endurance competitions.
Characteristics of the Arabian Horse Breed
The special characteristics of the Arabian horse distinguish it from all other breeds. The Arab’s head is smaller in comparison to other breeds but it is the way it carries its fine head and ached neck, standing very erect with tail carried high that gives it such a beautiful and distinguished look. Often the ordinary Oriental horse in the neighboring countries from where the Arab came is sold abroad as a pure Arab, but the Arabian horse has distinct characteristics that make it different. Arabians are known for their great beauty , and tremendous stamina. They are a lot like their Bedouin owner in their strength, calm, stamina, patience, intelligence, high spirits, alertness, leanness, and noble appearance. The is never shy or nervous but quiet, full of energy and well-mannered.
No horse has all the characteristics to make a perfect horse
but some of the Arabian horse...
attributes include a noble, harmonious, balanced appearance. It has speed joined with stamina is very surefooted. The Arabian horse has remarkable skill and adaptability. The health of Arabian horse is usually one of soundness, with freedom from respiratory troubles and ringbone. It has vitality, longevity and is very quick to recover.
Criticism of the Arabian horse usually...
is that the joints are too fine and that the shoulders and trunk are too short with high standing legs thus resulting is bad gaits. This problem is usually more with the Oriental horse than the true Arab. Even though it is impossible to breed only the highest quality, the desert life has destroyed all weaklings with serious faults.
There are two faults that do appear in a true Arabian horse...
One is that occasionally they have cow hocks which is really only a minor fault resulting from too early use and does not affect performance. The second is its small size which is caused by the aridity of the climate, extremes of temperature, ruthless selection by performance, frequent starvation, and dry concentrated, not entirely vegetable feed. Even though its size is small this desert horse could carry a man far and fast.
Some details of type and confirmation...
* Head...dished profile with prominent forehead, small, curved, well shaped ears and large eyes that are low , wide set and also very expressive and prominent. The jowls are deep and wide between the branches. The head is actually comparatively small from poll to muzzle with a small muzzle and large, fine-edged nostrils. The Arabian head has a well chiseled look.
* Neck...the neck is long ,light and set high. It is well arched and runs well into good withers. The Arab has a fine and clean looking throat.
* Trunk...the trunk is well muscled with long sloping shoulders and a broad, muscular chest. The horse has a deep girth, well-sprung ribs with a short back. The loins are broad and strong. The coup is long and level with the quarters being muscular and round. The tail is high-set and carried high.
* Legs...the legs are straight and of regular formation with large, strong and clearly defined knees and hocks. The bones are flat and very dense. The Arab has short cannons with prominent tendons and moderately long, slopping pasterns. The hoofs are round, hard, smooth with clean heels.
* Colors...the Arab is of solid, bright, strong colors except on legs and face. It has dark skin and fine, silk mane and tail. The hair is fine with a satiny coast that has almost a metallic sheen.
* Height...14.1 to 15.1 hands
* Gaits...the walk is long, free, regular, covering much ground. The trot is smart, free, swinging, but not used in the desert. Gallop is easy, smooth, balanced, extended and untiring. The arabian horse...a magnificent animal!