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Historically the Arabian has maintained a reputation as the horse of
beauty, intelligence, courage, endurance, and romance. Because he was
bred and reared in close contact with man from the earliest records,
and existing in mutual inter-dependence, he developed an unequaled
ability to bond with humans. Indeed, his intelligence has been
celebrated in thousands of anecdotes. He is gentle, affectionate, and
familiar, almost to the point of being troublesome. Foals, for example,
have no fear of man, and are usually indifferent to sudden noises. The
Arabian gentleness and tractability, while originally the effect of
education, is now inherited, and is observed in foals bred in a foreign
environment.
Because the Arab often engaged in a form of desert warfare known as
"Ghazu," a form of quick mounted foray upon his neighbors, his life and
welfare depended upon the endurance and speed of his Arabian horse.
These stellar qualities of the Arabian horse were also the natural
result of a good original stock, which by intensive breeding in a
favorable environment had maintained its purity. His blood is
commanding to a remarkable degree, and invariably dominates all the
breeds to which it is introduced and contributes its own superior
qualities to them.
When imported to England, the Arabian became the progenitor of the
Thoroughbred. In Russia, the blood of the Arabian horse contributed
largely to the development of the Orloff Trotter. In France, the animal
helped make the famous Percheron. And in America, again it was the
Arabian horse which became the progenitor of the Morgan and through the
English Thoroughbred, to make the Trotter.
As the oldest of all the light breeds and foundation stock of most,
the Arabian is unique. The Arabian breed is different in that it does
not exist as a result of selective breeding, as were other modern light
breeds, where it was necessary to establish a registry prior to the
development of the breed, but was a breed that had been recognized for
thousands of years and had been maintained and cherished in its purity
over those years as much as is humanly possible.
The high intelligence, trainability, gentle disposition and stamina
of the Arabian enable it to excel at a wide variety of activities
popular today. Arabians are excellent on the trail as well as in the
show ring. Show classes in English and western pleasure, cutting and
reining, even jumping and dressage provide opportunities for fun and
enjoyment at both all-Arabian events and open breed shows alike. As an
endurance horse, the Arabian has no equal. The top prizes at endurance
events almost always go to riders of Arabians. In addition, the
Arabians' Bedouin heritage is evident in their unequaled ability to
bond with humans, making them the perfect horse for family members of
all ages.
With today's prices comparable with other popular breeds, excellent
Arabian horses are now accessible to a broad base of horse enthusiasts.
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