Thursday, September 20, 2007

Breed History


Arabians are one of the oldest human-developed breeds in the world. The original wild progenitors, the Oriental subtype or "Proto-Arabian" was a horse with oriental characteristics similar to the modern Arabian. These horses appeared in rock paintings and inscriptions in the Arabian Peninsula as far back as 2,500 B.C. In ancient history, throughout the Ancient Near East, horses with refined heads and high-carried tails were depicted in artwork, particularly that of Ancient Egypt. Proto-Arabians may have been brought to Egypt by the Hyksos invaders.

Desert origins
There are different theories about where the wild ancestor of the Arabian originally lived. Most evidence suggests the "proto Arabian" or "Oriental" horse came from the area along the northern edge of the Fertile Crescent. Others argue for the southwestern corner of the Arabian peninsula, in modern-day
Yemen, where three now-dry riverbeds suggest good natural pastures existed long ago, though perhaps as far back as the Ice Age.
Some scholars of the Arabian horse theorized that the Arabian came from a separate subspecies of horse, called Equus agilus. However, Gladys Brown Edwards, a noted Arabian researcher, as well as other scholars, believe that the "dry" oriental horse of the desert, from which the modern Arabian developed, was more likely one of the
four foundation subtypes of Equus caballus that had specific characteristics based on the environments in which they lived, rather than being a separate subspecies.Horses with similar, though not identical, physical characteristics include the now-extinct Turkoman Horse, the Barb of North Africa and the Akhal-Teke of western Asia.
The Arabian horse prototype may have been
domesticated by the people of the Arabian peninsula known today as the Bedouin, sometime after they learned to use the camel, approximately 4,000-5,000 years ago. However, other scholars, noting that horses were common in the Fertile Crescent but rare in the Arabian peninsula prior to the rise of Islam, theorize that the breed as it is known today only developed in large numbers when the conversion of the Persians to Islam in the 6th century A.D. brought knowledge of horse breeding and horsemanship to the Bedouin.
Regardless of origins, climate and culture ultimately created the Arabian. The desert environment required a domesticated horse to cooperate with humans to survive. Humans were the only providers of food and water in certain areas, and even hardy Arabian horses needed far more water than camels in order to survive (most horses can only live about 72 hours without water). Where there was no pasture or water, the Bedouin fed their horses
dates and camel's milk. The desert horse needed to thrive on very little food, and possess anatomical traits to compensate for life in a dry climate with wide temperature extremes from day to night. Weak individuals were weeded out of the breeding pool, and the animals that remained were honed by centuries of human warfare.
In return, the Bedouin way of life depended on camels and horses: Arabians were bred to be
war horses with speed, endurance, soundness, and intelligence. Because many raids required stealth, mares were preferred over stallions because they were quieter and would not give away the position of the fighters. A good disposition was critical; prized war mares were often brought inside family tents to prevent theft and for protection from weather and predators. Though appearance was not necessarily a survival factor, the Bedouin bred for refinement and beauty in their horses as well as for more practical features.
For centuries, the Bedouin tracked the ancestry of each horse through an
oral tradition. The first written pedigrees in the middle east that specifically used the term "Arabian" date to 1330 A.D. Horses of the purest blood were known as Asil and crossbreeding with non-Asil horses was forbidden. Mares were the most valued, both for riding and breeding, and pedigree families were traced through the female line. The Bedouin did not believe in gelding male horses, and considered stallions too intractable to be good war horses, thus they kept very few male foals (colts), selling most, and culling those of poor quality.
Over time, the Bedouin developed several sub-types or strains of Arabian horse, each with unique characteristics. According to the
Arabian Horse Association, the five primary strains were known as the Keheilan, Seglawi, Abeyan, Hamdani and Hadban. There were also lesser strains, sub-strains, and regional variations in strain names. Thus, many Arabian horses were not only Asil, of pure blood, but also bred to be pure in strain as well, with crossbreeding between strains discouraged, though not forbidden, by some tribes. Purity of bloodline was very important to the Bedouin, and they also believed in telegony, believing if a mare was ever bred to a stallion of "impure" blood, the mare herself and all future offspring would be "contaminated" by the stallion and hence no longer Asil.
This complex web of bloodline and strain was an integral part of Bedouin culture. The Bedouin knew the pedigrees and history of their best war mares in detail, via an oral tradition that also tracked the breeding of their camels,
Saluki dogs, and their own family or tribal history.Eventually, written records began to be kept; the first written pedigrees in the middle east that specifically used the term "Arabian" date to 1330 A.D.
Important as strain was to the Bedouin, studies of
mitochondrial DNA suggest that modern Arabian horses recorded to be of a given strain may not necessarily share a common maternal ancestry.

Breed Mythology


Arabian horses are the topic of many romantic legends. The most popular are those told about their origins.
One creation myth tells how the
Islamic prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H)chose his foundation mares by a test of their courage and loyalty. It is said that after a long journey through the desert, Muhammad (P.B.U.H) turned his herd of horses loose to race to an oasis for a desperately-needed drink of water. Before the herd reached the water, he blew his war horn, summoning the animals to return to him. Only five mares responded. Because they faithfully returned to their master, even though desperate with thirst, these mares became his favorites and were called Al Khamsa, meaning, the five. These mares thus became the legendary founders of the five choice "strains" of the Arabian horse. Although the Al Khamsa are probably fictional horses of legend,some breeders today claim the modern Bedouin Arabian actually descended from these mares.
Another tale claims that King
Solomon of Ancient Israel was said to have been given a pure Arabian-type mare named Safanad ("the pure") by the Queen of Sheba. Another version says that Solomon gave his renowned 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. This legendary stallion was said to be faster than the zebra and the gazelle, and every hunt with him was successful, thus the Arabs put him to stud and he became a founding sire of legend.
Yet another creation myth puts the origin of the Arabian in the time of
Ishmael, the son of Abraham. In this story, the Angel Jibril (also known as Gabriel) descended from Heaven and awakened Ishmael with a "wind-spout" that whirled toward him. The Angel then commanded the thundercloud to stop scattering dust and rain, and so it gathered itself into a prancing, handsome creature--a horse--that seemed to swallow up the ground. Hence, the Bedouins bestowed the title "Drinker of the Wind" to the first Arabian horse, a stallion named Kuhaylah.
Another
Bedouin story states that Allah created the Arabian horse from the four winds; spirit from the North, strength from the South, speed from the East, and intelligence from the West. (Other versions of this myth claim Allah used only the south wind) While doing so, he exclaimed, "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." Other versions of the story claim Allah said: "I call you Horse; I make you Arabian and I give you the chestnut color of the ant; I have hung happiness from the forelock which hangs between your eyes; you shall be the Lord of the other animals. Men shall follow you wherever you go; you shall be as good for flight as for pursuit; riches shall be on your back and fortune shall come through your meditation."

Influence on other horse breeds


Because of the genetic strength of the desert-bred Arabian horse, Arabian bloodlines have played a part in the development of nearly every modern light horse breed, including the Thoroughbred, American Quarter Horse, Morgan, American Saddlebred, Appaloosa and Warmblood breeds such as the Oldenburg and the Trakehner. Arabian bloodlines have also influenced the development of the Welsh Pony, the Marwari and the Percheron draft horse.
Today, people cross Arabians with other breeds to add refinement, endurance and soundness. In the USA, Half-Arabians have their own registry within the Arabian Horse Association, which includes a special section for
Anglo-Arabians, an Arabian-Thoroughbred cross. Some crosses originally registered only as Half-Arabians became popular enough to have their own breed registry, including the National Show Horse, an Arabian-Saddlebred cross; the Quarab (Arabian-Quarter Horse); the Welara (Arabian-Welsh Pony); and the Morab (Arabian-Morgan). In addition, some Arabians and Half Arabians have been approved for registration by some Warmblood registries, particularly the Trakehner registry.

Colors that do not exist in purebreds


Arabians are crossed with other breeds to produce half-Arabians with additional colors. Purebred Arabians never carry dilution genes such as the dun gene, nor the cream gene. Because they do not carry any dilution genes, purebred Arabians cannot be cremello, perlino, palomino or buckskin. Arabians also never carry the proposed "dominant white" (W) gene that produces a true white horse (with pink skin and blue or light-colored eyes).
Purebred Arabians today do not possess genes for most spotting patterns, such as
pinto or Appaloosa, except for sabino, discussed below. Spotting or excess white was once thought by some to be a sign of "impure" blood, was disfavored by Arabian breeders, and believed by some to be a mark of impurity until DNA testing for verification of parentage became standard. For a time, horses with belly spots and other white markings deemed excessive could not even be registered, and even after the rule was softened, excess white was sometimes penalized in the show ring. Nonetheless, there is pictorial evidence from depictions of chariot horses in Ancient Egypt and some later artwork that suggests that some of these patterns may have existed in antiquity.
Thus, though the purebred Arabian produces a limited range of potential colors, there is also a positive result: because they never carry the white gene ("W") or the
frame overo gene ("O"), they can never produce foals with lethal albino or lethal white syndrome. (Though a partbred could carry these genes if the non-Arabian parent was a carrier). Sabino in the Arabian.One spotting pattern, sabino, does exist in purebred Arabians. The sabino gene (or gene-complex), produces white markings such as "high white" on the legs (above the knees and hocks), irregular spotting on the legs, belly and face, white markings that extend beyond the eyes or under the chin and jaw, and occasionally, roaning. While, many Arabians meet the definition of having minimal to moderately expressed sabino characteristics,Sabino Arabians, particularly those that appear to be nearly white, are controversial.
Today, some researchers call "Sabino-white" horses - those that are over 90% white (with pink skin) - "maximum" sabinos. "Sabino-white" is exceedingly uncommon, possibly exhibited by as few as eleven Arabians worldwide. Some groups consider a "Maximum" Sabino to be a horse that is over 50% white. In either case, studies at the
University of California, Davis indicate that the gene (or genes) which produces sabino in Arabians does not appear to be the autosomal dominant gene "SB1" or "Sabino1," that often produces completely white horses in other breeds. To date Arabians do not appear to carry it.((Rabicano or roan)).Another unusual color pattern seen on rare occasions in Arabians is rabicano. This is a partial roaning pattern, often slight, usually limited to the belly, flanks, legs, tailhead, or any combination of these areas. Some geneticists suggest that all roaning in purebred Arabians is actually the action of the rabicano or sabino genes. There is scientific debate over whether roan Arabians actually exist. Unlike a true roan, a rabicano horse's body does not have intermingled white and solid hairs over the entire body, nor are the legs or head significantly darker. Another area of confusion is that some people confuse a young grey horse with a roan because of the intermixed hair colors common to both. However, a roan does not change color with age, while a gray does. There are very few Arabians registered as "roan," and fewer, if any, have been DNA tested for the roan gene.

Breed Colors


The Arabian Horse Association recognizes purebred horses with the coat colors bay, gray, chestnut, black, and roan. Bay is the most common color, followed by gray, and then chestnut. Black is somewhat rare. As noted below, true roan may not actually exist in Arabians; rather, roaning in the Arab could simply be a manifestation of the sabino or rabicano genes.
All Arabians, no matter the
coat color, have black skin, except under white markings. Black skin provided protection from the hot desert sun.
Although many Arabians appear "white," this is the natural action of the
gray gene. Gray horses are born bay, black or chestnut, then get progressively lighter as they age, until their hair coat eventually turns pure white or becomes "flea-bitten" gray. Their skin is black and remains so throughout their life. Therefore, all "white" Arabians are actually grays. There is no such thing as a genetically "white" Arabian, although there have been an extremely small number of Arabians registered as "white" for other reasons.
Black Arabians are not common. There are assorted and contradictory myths about black horses alleged to come from the Bedouin. Some areas considered black Arabians to be a bad omen, in other areas they were a valued treasure. One scientific reason that black is not common is that the black gene is genetically suppressed by the more dominant
Agouti gene that creates the black points of a bay horse. Some breeding farms now use DNA testing to increase the probability of producing black Arabians.
The Bedouin had other assorted beliefs about color. It is also said that a particular type of
"flea-bitten" gray with localized aggregations of pigment, known as a "bloody-shouldered" horse, was prized as a superior animal, particularly if a mare. Yet another myth is that the first "bloody shouldered" horse was a mare who mourned her rider, killed in war, and forever kept the stains left from the blood of her long-lost companion.

Breed Temperament


For centuries, Arabian horses lived in the desert in close association with humans.For shelter and protection from theft, prized war mares were sometimes kept in their owner's tent, close to children and everyday family life. Only horses with a naturally good disposition were allowed to reproduce. The result is that Arabians today are one of the few breeds which 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 other 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. They can quickly lose trust in a poor rider and do not tolerate inept or abusive training practices.

Breed Size


The breed standard for Arabian horses, as stated by the United States Equestrian Federation, describes the Arabians as standing between 14.1 and 15.1 hands (140-155 cm) tall, "with the occasional individual over or under.Thus, all Arabians, regardless of height, are classified as "horses," even though 14.2 hands is the traditional cutoff height between a horse and a pony. Because many horse owners in Europe and the Americas prefer taller animals, the Arabian has been bred for increased height, and many Arabians today are between 15 and 16 hands (60-64 inches at the withers).

Breed characteristics


Arabian horses have refined, wedge-shaped heads, a broad forehead, large eyes, large nostrils, and small muzzles. Most display a distinctive concave or "dished" profile. Many Arabians also have a slight forehead bulge between their eyes, called the "jibbah" by the Bedouin, that adds additional sinus capacity, believed to have helped the Arabian horse in its native dry desert climate. Another breed characteristic is an arched neck with a large, well-set windpipe set on a fine, clean throatlatch. This structure of the poll and throatlatch was called the mitbah or mitbeh by the Bedouin, and in the best Arabians is long and somewhat straight, allowing flexibility in the bridle and room for the windpipe.
Other distinctive features are a relatively long, level
croup and naturally high tail carriage. Well-bred Arabians have a deep, well-angled hip and well laid-back shoulder. Most have a compact body with a short back. Some, though not all, have 5 lumbar vertebrae instead of the usual 6, and 17 rather than 18 pairs of ribs.Thus, even a small Arabian can carry a heavy rider with ease. Arabians usually possess dense, strong bone, sound feet, and good hoof walls. They are especially noted for endurance.

Arabian horse


The Arabian horse is a breed of horse with a reputation for intelligence, high spirit, and outstanding stamina. With a distinctively chiseled head and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world.
Arabians are one of the oldest
horse breeds. There is archaeological evidence of horses that resemble modern Arabians dating back 4,500 years. Throughout history, Arabian horses from the Middle East spread around the world by both war and trade, used to improve other breeds by adding speed, refinement, endurance, and good bone. Today, Arabian bloodlines are found in almost every modern breed of riding horse.
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. This close relationship with humans has created a horse breed that is good-natured, quick to learn, and willing to please. But the Arabian also developed the high spirit and alertness needed in a horse used for raiding and war. This combination of willingness and sensitivity requires modern Arabian horse owners to handle their horses with competence and respect.
"The Versatile Arabian" is a slogan of the breed. Arabians compete today in many fields of
equestrian activity, making the breed one of the top ten most popular in the world. Arabian horses are now found worldwide, including the United States and Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, continental Europe, South America (especially Brazil), and its land of origin, the Middle East.