Arabian horses, originating from the Arabian Peninsula, are one of the oldest horse breeds, valued for their speed, strength, and intelligence. They are visually distinguished by their unique head shape and high carriage tail, and have a cooperative relationship with humans due to their selective breeding in harsh desert climates. Today, they excel in various equestrian competitions, particularly endurance racing, and have had a significant influence on horse development across civilizations.

1. What
are
Arabian
horses?

2. Arabian
horses
are
a
breed
of
horse
that
originates
from
the
Arabian
peninsula.

3. Arabian
horses
are
visually
striking.

4. They
are
dis;nguished
for
their
recognizable
head
shape
and
high-­‐
carried
tail.

5. Arabian
horses
are
perhaps
the
oldest
breed
of
horses
alive
today.

6. Archaeologists
have
iden;fied
bones
of
horses
resembling
the
Arabian
breed
in
the
Middle
East
that
are
over
4500
years
old.

7. Arabian
horses
are
very
desirable;
valued
for
their
speed,
strength
and
intelligence.

8. Arabian
horses
are
oGen
bred
with
other
breeds
to
pass
on
their
good
quali;es.

9. Today,
you
can
find
Arabian
bloodlines
in
nearly
every
prominent
breed
of
horse.

10. There
are
many
physical
quali;es
that
make
Arabians
excellent
horses.

11. Firstly,
there
bones
are
strong.

12. Arabians
have
chiseled
bone
structure
that
is
highly
enviable.

13. The
have
an
arched
neck,
concave
profile
and
high
carriage
tail.

14. Another
dis;nguishing
feature
common
to
Arabian
horses
is
a
bulge
between
their
eyes
on
the
forehead.

15. This
feature,
known
as
a
jibbah
by
the
Bedouin
people
who
originated
the
bred,
expands
the
nasal
capacity.

16. It
is
believed
this
helps
the
horses
deal
with
the
harsh
desert
climate
they
were
bred
to
thrive
in.

17. Another
interes;ng
quality
that
was
determined
by
their
environment
is
their
skin
color.

18. Arabians
all
have,
regardless
of
coat-­‐color,
black
skin.

19. This
helped
protect
them
from
the
intense
sunlight
of
the
Arabian
Peninsula.

20. These
quali;es
have
been
intensified
through
selec;ve
breeding,
giving
us
the
high
quality
animals
we
have
today.

21. Those
quali;es
have
been
bred
into
many
other
types
of
horses.

22. Arabians
were
developed
in
harsh
desert
climates
and
as
a
result
they
have
an
incredible
endurance.

23. Through
centuries
of
selec;ve
breeding,
Arabians
have
developed
a
coopera;ve
rela;onship
with
humans.

24. A
well
trained
Arabian
is
quick
and
eager
to
learn
with
high-­‐alertness
and
spirit.

25. The
Arabian
people
who
were
breeding
them
originally
needed
horses
that
would
be
effec;ve
during
war
and
the
modern
Arabian
horse
is
the
culmina;on
of
that
effort.

26. So
much
sensi;vity
and
alacrity
in
the
horse
makes
it
necessary
for
the
owner
to
be
respecRul
and
competent.

27. That
being
said,
Arabians
have
been
connected
to
humans
for
such
a
long
;me
and
bred
with
such
exper;se
that,
although
they
are
classified
as
hot-­‐blooded,
they
are
excep;onally
well
tempered
horses.

28. In
fact,
Arabians
are
one
of
the
few
breeds
that
the
United
States
Equestrian
Federa;on
rules
allow
youth
to
show
stallions
in
compe;;on.

29. In
Legend

30. Arabians,
due
to
their
outstanding
gene;cs
and
long
history,
have
many
legends
and
fables
detailing
their
excellence.

31. They
have
reached
mythic
propor;ons.

32. One
such
legend
details
how
King
Solomon
received
a
giGed
horse
from
the
Queen
of
Shiba.

33. Solomon
named
the
horse
Safanad,
meaning
“the
Pure”.

34. It
is
said
the
horse
was
faster
than
the
zebra
or
the
gazelle
and
that
every
hunt
he
par;cipated
in
was
successful.

35. Naturally,
he
became
the
stud
that
would
create
the
Arabian
breed.

36. There
are
several
other
origin
stories
describing
the
beginning
of
Arabian
horses.

37. The
different
mythologies
are
evidence
of
how
old
the
breed
is
and
how
important
the
animals
are
to
the
culture
of
the
area.

38. In
fact,
there
is
li[le
agreement
in
where
the
breed
truly
originated.

39. Some
believe
the
Bedouin
people
of
the
Arabian
peninsula
began
domes;ca;ng
them
shortly
aGer
beginning
to
domes;cate
camels,
around
4500-­‐5000
years
ago.

40. Others
maintain
that
Arabian
horses
began
to
develop
in
large
numbers
aGer
the
rise
of
Islam
around
the
7th
century.

41. Newly
converted
Persians,
moving
from
the
fer;le
crescent
to
the
Arabian
peninsula,
brought
the
knowledge
of
horsemanship
and
breeding
to
the
Bedouin.

42. Regardless
of
fabled
origin,
it
was
the
climate
and
culture
that
ul;mately
created
the
Arabian
horse
as
we
now
them
today.

43. Horses
cannot
survive
as
long
as
camels
without
water,
so
humans
had
to
provide
water
and
food
to
the
animals
in
the
deserts
In
Middle
Eastern
deserts,
it
can
be
leagues
and
leagues
before
you
find
water
and
a
horse
cannot
survive
more
than
72
hours
without
drink.

44. The
owners
would
feed
their
horses
dates
and
camel’s
milk
by
hand,
which
helped
to
forge
the
deeply
coopera;ve
rela;onship
between
the
horses
and
humans.

45. The
harshness
of
the
area
also
necessitated
very
selec;ve
breeding,
such
that
the
weaker
bodied
horses
were
not
allowed
to
reproduce.

46. Also,
the
ways
humans
used
the
horses
also
guided
their
development.

47. The
horses
were
trained
in
wars
and
raids,
so
traits
like
speed,
strength
and
intelligence
were
valued.

48. Arabian
horses
were
hugely
important
of
the
development
of
the
Middle
East
and
the
surrounding
areas.

49. They
pulled
chariots
in
Ancient
Egypt
and
carried
warriors
across
the
O[oman
Empire.

50. They
eventually
spread
into
Europe
and
were
brought
to
the
New
World
by
Spanish
conquistadors.

51. Prior
to
the
rise
of
industrialism
and
the
moderniza;on
of
warfare,
breeding
opera;ons
were
numerous
and
wide
spread.

52. What
About
Today

53. Rebecca
astride
First
Ghazi
in
compe;;on

54. Today,
Arabian
horses
are
used
in
many
different
ways.

55. They
compete
in
nearly
every
type
of
compe;;on
at
every
level.

56. From
racing,
show
jumping,
cubng,
reining,
and
dressage,
the
Arabian
horse
is
a
successful
in
all
disciplines.

57. The
event
where
the
Arabian
has
the
most
gene;c
advantage
is
probably
endurance
racing.

58. For
example,
at
the
Tevis
Cup,
an
endurance
race
in
California
where
compe;tors
cover
100
miles
in
a
single
day,
Arabians
are
the
leading
breed.

59. In
America,
there
are
spor;ng
compe;;ons
that
are
Arabian
and
half-­‐Arabian
only,
under
the
direc;on
of
the
Arabian
Horse
Associa;on.

60. Arabian
horses
are
amongst
the
most
beau;ful
and
faithful
horses
someone
can
own.

61. Their
high-­‐spirits
and
bodily
prowess
has
earned
them
a
well-­‐deserved
reputa;on
of
excellence.

62. Arabians
were
hugely
influen;al
in
the
rise
and
fall
of
civiliza;ons,
the
spreading
of
ideas,
and
the
migra;on
of
people.

63. Rebecca
Skeeles
is
someone
lucky
enough
to
grow
up
riding
Arabian
horses.

64. She
has
shown
them
in
compe;;on
and
been
delighted
by
their
intelligence
and
sensi;vity.