Arabian horse

Throughout history, Arabian horses have spread around the world by both war and trade, used to improve other breeds by adding speed, refinement, endurance, and strong bone.

The Arabian developed in a desert climate and was prized by the nomadic Bedouin people, often being brought inside the family tent for shelter and protection from theft.

The hip angle is determined by the attachment of the ilium to the spine, the structure and length of the femur, and other aspects of hindquarter anatomy, which is not correlated to the topline of the sacrum.

[20] On the other hand, the Arabian is also classified as a "hot-blooded" breed, a category that includes other refined, spirited horses bred for speed, such as the Akhal-Teke, the Barb, and the Thoroughbred.

[23] Though most Arabians have a natural tendency to cooperate with humans, when treated badly, like any horse, they can become excessively nervous or anxious, but seldom become vicious unless seriously spoiled or subjected to extreme abuse.

[28] However, studies at the University of California, Davis indicate that Arabians do not appear to carry the autosomal dominant gene "SB1" or sabino 1, that often produces bold spotting and some completely white horses in other breeds.

[27] Unlike a genetic roan, rabicano is a partial roan-like pattern; the horse does not have intermingled white and solid hairs over the entire body, only on the midsection and flanks, the head and legs are solid-colored.

[63] Recent trends in breeding for halter showing have given rise to Arabian horses with extremely concave facial features, raising concerns that the trait is detrimental to the animal's welfare.

[64] Comparisons have been made to a similar trend with some dog breeds, where show judging awarding certain features has led to breeders seeking an ever more exaggerated form, with little concern as to the inherent function of the animal.

While there are several variants on the tale, a common version states that after a long journey through the desert, Muhammad turned his herd of horses loose to race to an oasis for a desperately needed drink of water.

[66][67] Although the Al Khamsa are generally considered fictional horses of legend,[68] some breeders today claim the modern Bedouin Arabian actually descended from these mares.

[68] A different version says that Solomon gave a stallion, Zad el-Raheb or Zad-el-Rakib ("Gift to the Rider"), to the Banu Azd people when they came to pay tribute to the king.

[79] Another hypothesis suggests the southwestern corner of the Arabian peninsula, in modern-day Yemen, where three now-dry riverbeds indicate good natural pastures existed long ago, perhaps as far back as the Ice Age.

[80][81] This hypothesis has gained renewed attention following a 2010 discovery of artifacts dated between 6590 and 7250 BCE in Al-Magar, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, that appeared to portray horses.

[85] The desert horse needed the ability to thrive on very little food, and to have anatomical traits to compensate for life in a dry climate with wide temperature extremes from day to night.

[86] A good disposition was also critical; prized war mares were often brought inside family tents to prevent theft and for protection from weather and predators.

[108] By the time that the Ottoman Empire dominated Egypt, the political elites of the region still recognized the need for quality bloodstock for both war and for horse racing, and some continued to return to the deserts to obtain pure-blooded Arabians.

[116] RAS representatives traveled to England during the 1920s and purchased eighteen descendants of the original Blunt exports from Lady Wentworth at Crabbet Park, and brought them to Egypt in order to restore bloodlines had been lost.

[116] In the 1960s and 1970s, as oil development brought more foreign investors to Egypt, some of whom were horse fanciers, Arabians were exported to Germany and to the United States, as well as to the former Soviet Union.

[134] During the mid-19th century, the need for Arabian blood to improve the breeding stock for light cavalry horses in Europe resulted in more excursions to the Middle East.

Queen Isabel II of Spain sent representatives to the desert to purchase Arabian horses and by 1847 had established a stud book; her successor, King Alfonso XII imported additional bloodstock from other European nations.

Upon her death in 1957, the stud passed to her manager, Cecil Covey, who ran Crabbet until 1971, when a motorway was cut through the property, forcing the sale of the land and dispersal of the horses.

[156] The studs of Poland in particular were decimated by both the Nazis and the Soviets, but were able to reclaim some of their breeding stock and became particularly world-renowned for their quality Arabian horses, tested rigorously by racing and other performance standards.

[161] One of George Washington's primary mounts during the American Revolutionary War was a gray half-Arabian horse named Blueskin, sired by the stallion "Ranger", also known as "Lindsay's Arabian", said to have been obtained from the Sultan of Morocco.

Kellogg, Henry Babson, Roger Selby, James Draper, and others imported Arabian bloodstock from Crabbet Park Stud in England, as well as from Poland, Spain and Egypt.

Popular types of Arabians are labeled "Polish", "Spanish", "Crabbet", "Russian", "Egyptian", and "Domestic" (describing horses whose ancestors were imported to the United States prior to 1944, including those from programs such as Kellogg, Davenport, Maynesboro, Babson, Dickenson and Selby).

They are the leading breed in competitions such as the Tevis Cup that can cover up to 100 miles (160 km) in a day,[224] and they participate in FEI-sanctioned endurance events worldwide, including the World Equestrian Games.

[230] Other nations also sponsor major shows strictly for purebred and partbred Arabians, including Great Britain[231] France,[232] Spain,[233] Poland,[234] and the United Arab Emirates.

[243] Another Anglo-Arabian, Tamarillo, ridden by William Fox-Pitt, represents the United Kingdom in FEI and Olympic competition, winning many awards, including first place at the 2004 Badminton Horse Trials.

Some Arabians are used in polo in the US and Europe, in the Turkish equestrian sport of Cirit (pronounced [dʒiˈɾit]), as well as in circuses, therapeutic horseback riding programs, and on guest ranches.

A light gray horse moving at a trot through an arena with all four feet off the ground. The tail is carried high and the neck is arched.
A purebred Arabian stallion, showing dished profile, arched neck, level croup and high-carried tail
A defleshed skeleton of a horse put together in a standing position.
Mounted skeleton of an Arabian horse, showing underlying structure of breed characteristics including concave profile, short back, high-set tail, distinction between level croup and well-angulated hip. This specimen also has only 5 lumbar vertebrae.
A dark horse moving towards the camera with head held high and legs striding forward.
Arabians are noted for both intelligence and a spirited disposition
A horse with a white hair coat and dark skin showing around the nose, eyes and genitalia.
A gray Arabian; note white hair coat but black skin
A trotting horse with dark reddish-brown coloring on the neck, upper back, chest and legs, but white hair on the middle of the body and at base of the tail.
A chestnut rabicano Arabian horse
A horse with brown and white spots being ridden by a woman in a dark suit at a horse show
A tobiano patterned National Show Horse , a type of partbred Arabian
An unfinished painting of a saddled gray horse in profile moving away from something as if frightened.
An Arabian horse in the desert. Antoine-Jean Gros , c. 1810
A black-and-white photograph of a mounted man on a dark horse. A hawk is perched on the man's outstretched hand.
Carl Raswan pictured on an Anazeh warmare
A line drawing of a two-wheeled chariot drawn by two horses, with three men in the chariot. One of the men is holding a shield.
Hittite chariot (drawing of an Egyptian relief)
A mounted man on a dark horse attacking a line of mounted men
"Mameluck en Attaque" 18th-century painting by Carle Vernet
A painting of a battle with a long line of mounted riders side by side in front of a line of marching men. In front of the riders are a number of individual horsemen fighting.
Battle of La Higueruela , 1431. Spanish fighting the Moorish forces of Nasrid Sultan Muhammed IX of Granada . Note the differences in tail carriage of the various horses in the painting. The Arabian's high-carried tail is a distinctive trait that is seen even in part-blooded offspring.
Several noble families of Poland became major breeders of Arabian horses. Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko , painted by Juliusz Kossak .
A black-and-white photograph of a European woman dressed in Bedouin robes and head covering, standing in front of a dark horse equipped with a bridle and saddle.
Lady Anne Blunt with her favorite Arabian mare, Kasida
Engraving of a uniformed man on a white horse lifting his hat as the horse moves towards a line of soldiers
Washington Taking Control of the American Army, at Cambridge, Massachusetts July 1775. Copy of lithograph by Currier & Ives, 1876.
A black-and-white photograph of a man holding an unsaddled light gray horse
Exhibitor from Syria holding an Arabian horse at the Hamidie Society exhibition, World's Columbian Exposition , 1893.
Painting of a red colored horse with black mane and tail prancing
The Arabian stallion Hector, or "Old Hector" was an early import to Australia whose bloodlines are still found today in the pedigrees of some Australian Thoroughbreds.
A red postage stamp from the Soviet Union with Cyrillic lettering featuring a white line drawing of a horse's head with a silhouette of a black horse with a blue rider superimposed over the lower right-hand corner of the drawing
A postage stamp from the Soviet Union featuring the Arabian horse
Eighteenth-century painting of a dark brown horse being led by a man in blue clothes. The horse has a thin neck, tail carried high, and a small head.
The Darley Arabian, a foundation sire of the Thoroughbred .
A gray horse being ridden by a person in red, black, and white Arabic-styled robes with a white Arabic-style head covering. The saddle cloth and reins are also covered in ornamented cloth with tassels.
An Arabian horse in "native" costume, used in both exhibition and competition
Black and gray photograph of a man in bedouin costume standing in front of a saddled gray horse.
Rudolph Valentino and Jadaan. Publicity shot for The Son of the Sheik , 1926