History of the Arabian Breed
At the beginning of time, horses were seen on the caves as wall paintings. Many of these drawings strongly resembled today's Arabian horse. The Bedouins of the desert culled their stock and limited their breeding to select lines to manage the genetics of their prize stable. This practice was one of the promising techniques that introduced racking stock to the English studs in the 1800s
Exactly what part of the world these horses originated is impossible to tell for certain, but there is a school of thought that they may have originated in Africa -- near Libia. What ever the answer to the question of origin, one fact remains -- the Arabian horse genetics are very stable and they contribute to the improvement of other breeds. Their refinement, temperament, beauty and endurance (lung capacity) pass on to all crosses. Endurance horses capitalize on these traits in today's breeding programs. This quality blends the Morgan - Arabian breeding program into an extremely powerful opportunity.
According to Spencer Borden's book "The Arabian Horse", Arabians have 16 vertebrae rather than the 18 seen in other breeds, and the ulna (small bone of the fore leg) is complete rather than ending in a splint. They have a horizontal position of the pelvis, a large brain case, shortness of the skull, and slenderness of the lower jaw.
Arabian Strains or "Families"
Many countries have, over the years, established studs to breed specific strains or bloodlines of horses. The Arabian breed established itself across many countries -- including: Russia, Hungary, France, Germany, and European countries -- finally emerging to the United States. Some of the Arabian "families" are selected breeding or "strains" of Arabian blood.
- Imperial Russion Stud - Peter the Great
- Crabbett Stud - England
- Abbas Pasha Stud - Desert Breeding
- Prince Mohamad Ali - Egyptian Breeding
- Spanish breeding
- Egyptian breeding
Three Outstanding Well-Known Arabian Horses
Byerly Turk — Click on this link to learn more about Byerly Turk.
Darley Arabian — Name was actually "Manicka" and was purchased by Mr. Darley, a commission agent at Alleppo. The Arab was exchanged for an English musket and a sum of money to become the property of Mr. Darley. He sent him to his brother, John Brewster Darley of York about 1712. He was dark bay with white markings on the "near" legs with a blaze.
Godolphin Arabian — 1726 - Eastern origin - produced the modern English race horse. A photo exists and a nice story about this Arabian located on the attached link.
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