Arab Horse
The Arab is the oldest pure-bred horse in the world.Evidence suggests that it evolved from the group of prehistoric wild horses that spread across Asia to the Middle East. Rock-paintings in southern Libya dating back 8000 years illustrate a horse that looks remarkably similar to the modern Arab.
The Arab was captured and domesticated inseveral countries, and various strains have developed showing slight differences in size and appearance according to the local conditions. However,the horses of the Bedouin Arabs are the most famous, and the desert line is known as the Original or Elite Arab.
The Bedouins wanted horses that were tough enough to survive the harsh desert conditions and beautiful enough to be proud of, and they have selectively bred their horses for several centuries and possibly for as long as 2,000 years. Mares were chosen for their stamina and courage, and stallions for their beauty and intelligence. The Bedouins have always paid ruthless attention to purity of line; only asil (pure) horses could be bred into an asil line. The Bedouins in-bred their horses in order to reinforce the breed’s characteristics, unlike the Europeans,who have always believed that inbreeding creates weaknesses.
The Islamic religion was a major influence on the development of the breed . At the time when the Islamic empire began to expand in the 8th century, the king of the Islamic empire at that time called Mohammed realized the importance of having tough, fast, agile horses in battle. He instructed his followers to pay great attention to the care of their horses, and wrote that for each grain of barley that a man fed to his horse, he would be forgiven a sin in heaven.
The expansion of the Islamic empire brought the Arab to western Europe, where its superiority in battle over the heavy war horses of the Europeans became apparent. Once the Moors had been driven out of Spain, the Arab horses that were left behind were crossed with native horses to produce new type of battle horse, the Andalusian, that was large and powerful, yet also fast and very agile.e Arab’s reputation for stamina, speed and agility spread, and it was soon in demand through-Europe for cross-breeding with local horses.
The Arab’s ability to stamp its conformation and soundness, its free, floating action, stamina and
nature on all its offspring have made it very popular for founding and refining other breeds, with
result that it has had more influence on the world’s horse population than any other breed. All Farm-blood breeds contain Arab blood, as do many breeds, and even a few of the cold-blood horses.
The Arab is still as popular as ever and Arab studs exist in countries all over the world. However, there
a danger that indiscriminate breeding in order to apply this demand could lead to a deterioration.
In addition to being popular for cross-breeding, the Arab makes a good riding horse. And although the pure-bred Arab is not used for show-jumping event, it is ideally suited to competitive events like endurance riding.