The Arabian
by Liana Cibery

"And God took a handful of South wind and from it formed a horse, saying: 'I create thee, oh Arabian. To thy forelock, I bind Victory in battle. On thy back, I set a rich spoil, and a Treasure in thy loins. I establish thee as one of the Glories of the Earth... I give thee flight without wings."
-from an ancient Bedouin legend

Maybe some of you were first introduced to the Arabian horse by Walter Farley's The Black Stallion (dubbed the Most Famous Fictional Horse of the Century), but indeed, the story of the Arabian Horse goes back much further than that.

3,000 years ago, the first written documentation regarding Arabian horses was recorded. In its text was a description of the Arabian horse, which was not that different from the Arabian we know today. However, we can trace the Arabian horse even farther back than that. The late Professor H. F. Osborn from the American Natural History Museum recorded the discovery of drawings on the walls of limestone caves that clearly depict the Arabian horse. What is even more interesting is the drawings of animals accompanying the horses that were hunted 25,000-40,000 years ago. 25,000 years before the Christian era, it is known that the Bedouin tribes of the Arabian Penninsula prized these fine animals. The Islamic prophet Mohammed further popularized this ancient breed by securing a place at the cornerstone of his Holy Wars. These people prized the mares in their holdings. They were the key to producing prized stock, as well as being known for their fearlessness in battle. They were quieter than the stallions they kept, therefore being an assest when travelling, and forming surprise attacks on their enemies. In 1725, Nathan Harrison of Virginia imported the first Arabian stallion into the colonies. But it wasn't until 1893, at the Chicago World Fair, where tribesmen displayed the beautiful animals, that their popularity grew. Now, they are the fourth largest breed in in America. With 392,000 purebreds, and over 322,000 crossbred Arabians registered in the United States, you can see they are quite popular. Nowadays, the breed has been popularized even further with famous breeders such as Wayne Newton and Patrick Swayze. In historical times, Napoleon, George Washington, Gengis Khan, and Alexander the Great all rode Arabians.

The Arabian horse gains his name from their relation to the eyes and skin of the Arabic people. The Arabic name, Kohl-ani, is directly derived from the Arabic word Kohl, meaning the bluish black substance that Eastern women, prior to the days of Cleopatra, used to darken their eyelids. The substance Kohl is much the same color as the skin of Arabian horses.

The beautiful horses have characteristics that are quite particular as compared to other breeds. Even though the Arabian horse has quite an impact on other popular breeds, such as the Morgan, Quarter Horse, Percheron, Orlov Trotter, Hackney, Standardbred, American Saddlebred, and of course the Thoroughbred, they do have distinct characteristics. From their dark expressive eyes and finely shaped ears to their high tail carriage, it is easy to tell an Arabian horse from most breeds. Their exquisite dished face (or concave face) is often accented by a jibbah. The jibbah is prized by tribal breeders, indicating more room for a large brain. A jibbah is a pronounced region of the forehead that almost bulges when the profile is seen. A long arched neck, with a clean throatlatch, leads to a short strong back. Large nostrils and trachea ensure a good flow of air into the horse's lungs. From this anatomical feature derives the nickname, Drinkers of the Wind. A flat croup that leads to straighter then average hind legs allows the Arabian to cover great distances effortlessly. Combined with their airflow feature, they are the ideal endurance horse. Most Arabians are between 14.2 hands and 15 hands when full grown, though they are known to be late bloomers. When they reach maturity, the average horse is approximately 1000 pounds. Another interesting note regarding conformation of the Arabian horse, is that while most breeds have 18 rib bones, 6 lumbar bones, and 18 tail vertebra, the Arabian only has 17 rib bones, 5 lumbar bones and 16 tail vertebrae. Again, this leads to a short strong back and endurance. One of the most popular characteristics of the Arabian horse is its lifetime. Arabians reach their prime around 20 years of age, while most horses are already into their late years. Many Arabians have been known to live well past 30 years of age, something unheard of in other breeds.

Of course, the Arabian horse excels not only in endurance competitions but other fields as well. Their unique respiratory system enables them to run for great distances and fast paces effortlessly. Arabians have left their mark as Western Pleasure horses, Reining and Stock horses, and in the English arena as well, demonstrating competitiveness as dressage horses and jumpers. Of course, nobody can pass over their brilliance as Saddleseat horses. They compete at three levels, Country English Pleasure, English Pleasure, and the highly gaited Park Horse. Many Arabians begin their career as racehorses.

The International Arabian Horse Association commands all horse show related subjects, while the Arabian Horse registry documents registration of the horses. Each group operates individually, but they work together to promote the purest breed. In regards to naming the animals, the Registry dictates that there must be no punctuation, the name must be no more than three words, and contain 17 or less characters. Once a horse is registered, its name may not be changed. The registry dictates that colors of the Arabian horse, as recorded in the booklet The Arabian Horse, are black, bay, chestnut, grey, and roan. The book states, "One never sees duns, piebalds, or palominos, but chestnut speckling is fairly common in older grey horses and is referred to as 'flea-bitten'."

One of the most famous horses regarding the Arabian horse is the legend of the "Bloody Shouldered Arabian"...

Legend has it that the Prophet Mohammed was riding his prized mare into battle when he was wounded. The faithful mare travelled to the tribe's camp, carrying the prophet. As he bled from his wound, he stained her white coat with his blood. Her shoulder then bore the mark from his bleeding. From that moment on, Allah marked "the good ones" with the mark of the bloody shoulder.

Liana's article will continue with the November/December issue of Bloodlines, this time discussing the various strains of the Arabian and important horses of each type.

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