Origin of the Arabian Breed

"And God took a handful of South wind and from it formed a horse, saying: "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." -- from an Ancient Bedouin Legend (Byford, et al. Origination of the Arabian Breed

After the fall of the East Roman Empire, Muslims from southern Arabia flooded into the Middle East. These Arabs rode the famous Arabian horse, and they used this horse as the main element of their armed forces, as they smashed their way into the civilized world, and into parts of Europe.

The prophet Mohammed was instrumental in spreading the Arabian's influence among the Arabs. He mandated that the Arabians' numbers be increased, as the horses would be crucial to the inevitable battles that would be required for his religious conquests. He also proclaimed that Allah had created the Arabian, and that those who treated the horse well would be rewarded in the afterlife. These incentives, coupled with the Koran's instruction that "no evil spirit will dare to enter a tent where there is a purebred horse," further spurred the breeding of the Arabian.

The Bedouin horse breeders were fanatic about keeping the blood of their desert steeds absolutely pure, and through line-breeding and inbreeding, celebrated strains evolved which were particularly prized for distinguishing characteristics and qualities.

The mare evolved as the Bedouin's most treasured possession. The harsh desert environment ensured that only the strongest and keenest horse survived, and it was responsible for many of the physical characteristics distinguishing the breed to this day.

Historical figures like Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Alexander the Great and George Washington rode Arabians. Even today, one finds descendants from the earliest Arabian horses of antiquity. Then, a man's wealth was measured in his holdings of these fine animals. Given that the Arabian was the original source of quality and speed, and remains foremost in the fields of endurance and soundness, he still either directly or indirectly contributed to the formation of virtually all the modern breeds of horses

Desert Horses of the East

There are no difinitive explanations for the origins of the Arabian, but there is very strong evidence of a race of fixed and recognizable Arabian character in and around the Arabian Peninsula at least 2500 years before the Christian Era.

The Bedouin tribes of the Arabian desert, who are closely associated with the Arabian horse, trace their relationship back to around 3000 BC to the mare Baz and the Stallion Hosbhaba. The former was captured in the Yemen by the great-great grandson of Noah.

The Bedouin tribes of the Arabian Peninsula kept few written records, but preserved horses' pedigrees by word of mouth. One of the first written accounts of the Arabian breed was made in about 786 AD by El Kelbi (an Arab historian) who attempted to record the history of the breed into four eras: Adam to Ishmael; Ishmael to Solomon; Solomon to the Prophet Mohammed; and from the Prophet onward.

The Bedouins meticulously maintained the purity of the strains and practiced the careful breeding responsible for the most desirable features in the subsequent stock. In the absence of outside influences they created a horse that was unmistakable in appearance, type and movement. The strengths, as well as to it's inherent soundness and powers of endurance, which cannot be matched by any other breed.

Because of these qualities, the Arabian horse can be found in the origins of almost every breed of light horse in existence and is still used today to refine other breeds.

Left: In memory of

HU-Kozara, owned by

Danielle Perez

         Right: JEF-Kastina,

   Kasey and Kari

Keith Wagner on Vegas

Muspasso

Kasey on JEF-Kastina

Georgianne Graves with Black Ice