| reeds of horse have captured the imagination like the | | | | development of Thoroughbred racehorses. All modern |
| Arabian horse has. Since the dawn of history, Arabian | | | | Thoroughbreds can trace their ancestry back to one |
| horses have inspired and influenced many people. | | | | of three founding Arabian stallions, known as the |
| In the days of early history, Arabian horses were | | | | Byerly Turk, the Darley Arabian and the Godolphin |
| prized as warhorses and mounts for royalty. The Old | | | | Barb ("Turk" and "Barb" were synonymous with |
| Testament in the Bible contains many references and | | | | "Arabian" at that time). |
| descriptions to these horses, the most notable being in | | | | Arabian horses today are creatures of great beauty. |
| the book of Job, where a horse "rejoices in his | | | | Although they are not tall horses - some measure only |
| strength" and "is not frightened - he devours the | | | | 14 hands - they are never called ponies, even though |
| distance with fierceness." | | | | they technically fall into this definition. The distinctive |
| Artwork of the time depicts these chariot horses with | | | | features of the breed are the dished or concave face |
| many of the physical attributes of modern Arabian | | | | (as opposed to the more Roman nose of, for |
| horses, such as the dished face and high-set tail. The | | | | example, the Shire horse), the flowing high-set tail, the |
| most prized warhorses were bred in Egypt, and it was | | | | large expressive eyes and a dark skin colour. The |
| indicative of the great wealth of King Solomon that he | | | | most common colours for an Arabian horse are grey |
| built entire cities to house Egyptian-bred warhorses | | | | (which includes white), chestnut and bay. Black is a |
| and their handlers. These attributes of courage and | | | | rare color, though not completely unheard of. |
| speed are still prized in Arab horses today. | | | | It may have been a more common colour in antiquity; |
| Arising much later, Islamic legend recounts how Allah | | | | the Old Testament lists black horses alongside "white", |
| made the first Arab horse from the four winds (or the | | | | "red" and "dappled." Arab horses are surprisingly strong |
| south wind, depending on which version of the myth | | | | and tough for their size, and these qualities mean that |
| the teller uses), gifting it and all Arabian horses with | | | | they are popular choices when breeding cross-breeds. |
| "flight without wings" and naming it, "Lord of the other | | | | There is very little work that the Arabian horse cannot |
| animals" and one of the "Glories of the Earth." | | | | do. Their powers of stamina make them very suitable |
| The Bedouin people in particular bred Arabian horses | | | | for endurance work. Their intelligence and beauty gives |
| with great care for the purity of the bloodline, which | | | | them a competitive edge in the show ring, and for |
| they called Asil. They took this purity of the blood so | | | | show jumping and eventing. Speed makes the Arab |
| seriously that if a mare was ever bred to a non-asil | | | | horse an excellent racer - their role in developing the |
| stallion, both she and all future offspring would be | | | | Thoroughbred has already been mentioned. |
| "contaminated." | | | | Intelligence also makes Arab horses suitable for stock |
| Legend has it that the Asil strain are descended from | | | | work - one modern tale tells of how the owner of an |
| the five favourite mares of the prophet Mohammed. It | | | | Arabian stock horse was mocked by fellow-workers |
| is ironic today that some Bedouin-bred Arabian horses | | | | because of his "fancy show-pony" until they saw just |
| are not considered or registered as purebreds, | | | | what the horse could do. And as they have a |
| because the breeders do not see the need for | | | | willingness to please and a great capacity for affection |
| paperwork to guarantee a horse’s breeding | | | | - a result of millennia of close contact with humans - |
| and do not register their horses. | | | | Arab horses are popular as pleasure horses and |
| Arab horses have also played a vital role in the | | | | companion animals. |