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A Brief History of the Arabian HorseSource: http://www.alkhalediah-festival.com/en/ArabianHorse/History.aspx

The horse is widely considered to be the most influential animal in the history of mankind, while theArabian claims the distinction of being the most influential breed. Despite their captivating beauty, atrue appreciation of these horses requires an understanding of a history spanning thousands of years

and many of man's most glorious civilizations.

The exact origins of the Arabian horse remain a mystery. Most scientists believe the Arabian horseoriginated in the Fertile Crescent and was a relative latecomer to the Arabian peninsula. This theory isin sharp contrast with legend and lore which generally proclaim southern Arabia to be the birthplace ofthe breed. Rock art throughout the peninsula, although difficult to date with precision, depicts horseswith distinctly Arabian silhouettes, and continuing archeological work may yet yield evidence whichfurther defines the source of this ancient breed.

Regardless of when these early equines arrived in Arabia, their superior characteristics developed as aresult of two primary factors. The first was a harsh desert environment which necessitated many

physical adaptations, including fine skin, dark eyes, large nostrils, superior lung capacity, dense boneand high tail carriage. The second was the stewardship of the bedouins, a hardy and fiercelyindependent peoples who became perhaps the greatest horse breeders of all time, embracing theirequine companions with a passion unrivaled in human history.

The bedouin's survival was largely made possible by the camel, an animal uniquely suited to the desertand used for transportation, meat, milk and leather. While ideal for long marches across the desert,camels were unwieldy in warfare and for the type of surprise skirmishes that were the specialty of thebedouin, there was no greater advantage than to be mounted on a fleet, enduring, and courageousArabian horse. Reared lovingly by the members of the tribe, the Arabian horse responded to thebedouins with the loyalty and devotion that is the hallmark of their remarkable character. Over time, the

bedouin breeders observed that purity was paramount in maintaining the desirable attributes of theirmounts and great care was taken to ensure that only asil or pure horses were bred. Because of theirnomadic lifestyle, oral traditions abounded and the geneaologies of their horses were carefully passedfrom generation to generation. Eventually the bedouin, who preferred mares over stallions in warfare,began to give strain names to the matriarchal lineage of their prized horses and this practice continuesuntil the present day.

The celebrated Arab poets of pre-Islamic times immortalized their horses in verse, and their vividdescriptions illustrate the high esteem in which they held their mounts as well as the characteristicswhich were most highly prized purity, nobility, bravery, beauty and stamina. From the time of thebirth of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the Arabian horse would be inextricably linked with the

religion of Islam. The Prophet (pbuh), as the foremost lover of horses in Islam, taught his followers tohonor and respect the horse. As the religion spread beyond the Arabian peninsula, the Muslims wereconsistently victorious on their small and hardy horses. While their foes considered their own mountsmerely beasts of burden, the Muslims believed their horses were rational beings with an intrinsicunderstanding of morality. Two-thirds of the known world, from China to Austria, was conquered onthe backs of Arabian horses.

The Arabian horse remained a symbol of nobility and splendor through a succession of Islamicdynasties. During the Abbassid period, the famed poet Al Mutannabi wrote, "the best place to be found

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8/3/2019 A Brief History of the Arabian Horse

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on earth is on the back of a galloping horse" and a treatise written by Ibn Akhi Hizam during thesame period contains detailed instructions on the care and training of horses. It was during the time ofSalah ad Din, however, who founded the Ayyubid dynasty and gallantly defended the region against theCrusaders, that the armies of the West first encountered the Arabian breed. The Europeans quicklylearned the value of these horses in improving their indigenous breeds, and in the following centuriesmade innumerable journeys to the desert in search of precious bloodstock.

During the centuries of Mameluke rule in Egypt, Arabian horses were embellished with adornments ofunimaginable grandeur, rivaled only by the beauty of the horses themselves. Literature and art duringthis period continued to reflect a devotion to Arabian horses and numerous treatises elaborated theconcept of furusiyya, or horsemanship, which was elevated to an art form in this era. When NapoleonBonaparte arrived in Egypt in 1798 he so admired the Mameluke horseman that he adorned his ownArabian horse in their fashion.

Meanwhile, the source of the choicest bloodstock continued to be the deserts of Arabia where a greatempire arose in the city of Dir'iyyah. This verdant oasis of date palms in the Najd region became thecapital of the longest ruling dynasty of the Arabian peninsula the dynasty of Saud. During the 1800'sthe Sauds gathered a collection of Arabian horses said to be among the finest ever to exit. W. G.Palgrave, an Englishman who was the first outsider to visit the stables of Amir Faisal Bin Turki AlSaud confirmed that the horses of Najd were a treasure beyond compare. "Never had I seen norimagined so lovely a collection," wrote Palgrave, "their appearance justified all reputation, all value,all poetry."

During the mid-sixteenth through nineteenth centuries, royal families in Europe, including Poland,Spain, and Germany established studs for the breeding of purebred Arabians and emissaries wereregularly dispatched to the deserts of Arabia and the Near East to acquire new blood. The popularity ofthe breed increased as countless artists were inspired to depict these Eastern horses, both in their nativelands and as the mounts of the aristocracy.

The celebrated stud of Abbas Pasha I of Egypt was also founded on premium bedouin sources fromArabia and consequently became of a fountainhead of beauty and type for many renowned breedingprograms. Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt, of the famed Crabbet Stud in England, also traveled to theregion in the mid-1800's, procuring mares and stallions both from the desert and from bloodstockdescended from that of Abbas Pasha. President Ulysses S. Grant of the United States was the first toimport Arabians into that country, where the breed achieved an astonishing popularity.

Today, purebred Arabian horses are found throughout the world, treasured not only for theirunparalleled beauty, but also for their people-oriented character, versatility under saddle, and superorityin the discipline of endurance racing. All of these attributes are legacies from the bedouin breeders ofcenturies past, who also taught us that when these horses are regarded with respect and admiration, theyrespond with extraordinary loyalty and devotion.

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and throughout the Arabian Gulf and Near East, great care is beingtaken to preserve the cultural legacy of the Arabian horse. Breeders in the region have collected horsesfrom the finest international bloodstock and continue to garner the most prestigious show and racingtitles in the world. Though modern innovations have replaced the traditional role of the Arabian horse,mankind yet owes a debt of gratitude to these magnificent animals. Many of the greatest advances ofcivilization, including the profound Islamic contributions in mathematics, medicine, and science, wereaccomplished in partnership with the Arabian horse.