Arab-Barb

The Arab-Barb is of medium size and has a square build, exhibiting the typical morphology of a saddle horse suited for speed, with a significant chest circumference.

It is used primarily for fantasias, as well as for agricultural work and pulling in rural regions of the Maghreb, although this applies mainly to horses with a majority Barb heritage.

This breed is primarily known as "Arab-Barb" in French, whether in Morocco,[1] Algeria, Tunisia, or France, with variations in the use of hyphens and capitalization, such as "Arabe Barbe" and "arabe-barbe."

However, Elise Rousseau, author of the unreliable Guide Delachaux, uses only the name "barbe-arabe" and considers "arabe-barbe" as a simple synonym.

In Arabic, the name provided by the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Horse (SOREC) in Morocco is العريب الرببري (ʿarīb barbarī).

[2] In English, the breed is called "Arabian-Berber" in the CAB International reference work (2016), or "Arab-Barb" in various scientific publications and in Mauritania.

The formation of the breed stems from the French colonization of North Africa in the late 19th century when purebred Arabian horses or crosses were mixed with the indigenous Barb.

The Arab-Barb is generally larger and sturdier than Arabian horses, with higher hindquarters and feet adapted for speed.

In contrast, the Barb is thicker, with a wide and thick neck, a convex or straight profile, a long and full tail set low, and a "desk-like" croup.

According to SOREC, the head profile of an Arab-Barb is generally straight or slightly concave, the neck has medium mass, and the croup has moderate inclination, with a median tail set.

However, the Delachaux Guide also indicates bay, chestnut with washed mane, and black as possible coat colors, often accompanied by white markings.

A study conducted in Tunisia showed a higher infestation rate in the southern part of the country compared to the north.

In rare cases, Moroccan Arabian-Barb horses can be genetically carriers of severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCID).

As a result, the majority of Arabian-Barb horses are presumed (without papers) and identified based on their morphology, in the absence of documents revealing their lineage.

Jamali's research indicates a deviation in granting Arabian-Barb papers to fantasia horses that do not exhibit the expected morphological type.

The confirmed genetic proximity between the Barb and Arabian-Barb led Jemmali et al. (2017) to classify them within the same gene cluster.

In Tunisia, everyday rural tasks such as agricultural traction are performed by Barb and Arab-Barb horses from small traditional breeding farms.

Local sources reflect this bias by describing the Barb as a stout and placid horse, and the Arab-Barb as athletic and spirited.

Present in six African countries, the Arab-Barb is one of the most widely distributed horse breeds on the continent, along with the Barb (and following the Arab and Thoroughbred).