The race that Allah created from “a breath of a south wind,” it is said. It is a luxuriously built desert horse that has influenced many breeds. It would be the oldest breed in the world. Its large eyes, its slender build and its dish, its hollow main profile, are striking. In terms of character are intelligence and direct reaction. It can be used for almost anything.
History
The breed descends from prehistoric horses from Asia and was taken by mainly Bedouins to the Middle East and especially the Arabian peninsula. They were looking for a horse that was suitable for the Arabian desert. Having a horse was a great luxury. This meant that they had to be very boss-oriented to prevent theft and because they lived with nomads, the horses also lived very close to the people and sometimes even in the tents. They had to accept that and actually appreciate it. They were later spread across Europe when they were used as war horses by the Muslims (7th century) and even further by Napoleon they were used again as war horses to Russia. It is said that the Arabs were the only horses to return with Napoleon, the rest of the horses were killed.
Appearance
Often between 1.40-1.50, although they are certainly larger and smaller. The colors are fox, brown, black and gray. However, black is very rare. They have very thin skin with fine hair, hard dry legs and the back should be short and strong. They have fewer vertebrae than usual. The head is very dry and fine, combined with special eyes. The eyes are large, set low and far apart in the head, giving the Arabs a very expressive expression.
They have large nostrils and open wide when aroused. They also carry the tail very high and sometimes even turn it on the back. Otherwise they have a very dry build, so the bone lines are easy to see and they are very slender build. Still they can carry considerable weights for (very) long distances.
Character
The Arab is often described in two ways. Fiery, temperamental and difficult to handle or vice versa: good-natured, amiable, meek because of his close relationship with people, his intelligence and his will-to-please. It is a keenly responsive horse (something happens immediately, not after 3 seconds) and fearless.
Purposes of use
In the past it was a horse on which the nomads based their life, then it became a horse for raids and conquests. Today it is a horse that you mainly see on show and endurance. They are also raced on the racetrack (in special runs) and are very suitable for western use. They are less familiar with dressage, jumping and driving, but they don’t find that a problem either. It is not a heavy draft horse and therefore not a heavy plowman, but otherwise an Arab can be used successfully for almost anything.
Others
An Arab is seen by many people as the ultimate horse. Penny girls dream about black Arabian studs that only they can handle, teen girls often think it exudes ultimate beauty. Even in adults they are often put forward as the ideal slender horse and the Arab has been added to many breeds to make these breeds more luxurious. To go from workhorses to riding horses. The Haflinger is a clear example of this.
