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Egyptian Arabian Breed Description

Breed Organization

Arabian Horse Association AHA

General Description

A beautiful, delicate head characterizes the Arabian, often with a "dished" or concave profile below large, prominent eyes; a high-set, arched neck; and a naturally high tail carriage. The back is short and straight; the withers are pronounced and long; the chest is muscular, deep and broad; the shoulders long and sloping; the legs muscular with broad strong joints and clearly defined tendons; and the hooves small with very tough horn, wide at the heel. These points of "type" give the Arabian its distinctive beauty. The ideal height for an Arabian is between 14.2 and 15 hands and may be chestnut, gray, bay, and black. White markings on the face and legs are common. The coat is fine and silky and the skin is invariably black. The mane and tail are full.

They are anatomically different from all other breeds of horse in that they have one less rib (17, as opposed to the usual 18), one less lumbar vertebra and one less tail bone than other horses.

History

All modern-day light horse breeds have descended from the noble desert-bred Arabian horse, who traces its lineage back at least 3,500 years to the deserts of the middle east and ancient Persia. Ancient civilizations and cultures all have stories that tell of the role their valued horses played in their daily lives.

Perhaps the most fascinating of these are the hieroglyphic inscriptions of ancient Egypt, which reveal the Egyptians with their horses as early as 1580 B.C.

In ancient history, the Bedouins developed friendships with their horses just as people do with dogs today. Even though a horse is considerably larger than your average house pet, the Bedouin's "Best Friend" often slept in the family tent on chilly nights and also took shelter there from the hot desert sun during the day. Centuries of close interaction with people have given the Arabians an innate ability to bond with humans.

Behavior

For centuries, Arabian horses lived in the desert in close association with humans. Prized war mares were sometimes kept in the family tent, along with small children. This gave rise to an inborn tendency of the horse to try to cooperate with and please humans. Because only horses with a naturally good disposition were allowed to breed on, Arabians today are one of the few breeds where the United States Equestrian Federation allows children to exhibit stallions in show ring classes limited to riders under 18.

On the other hand, the Arabian is also classified as a "hot-blooded" breed, a category that includes refined, spirited horses bred for speed, such as the Thoroughbred and the Barb. Like other hot-bloods, Arabians' sensitivity and intelligence enable quick learning and greater communication with their riders. However, their intelligence also allows them to learn bad habits as quickly as good ones. Because of this, they also can quickly lose trust in a poor rider and do not tolerate inept or abusive training practices.

Function

See Arabian Description

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