The Arabian: Darling of the Horse-lovers

A Bedouin legend states that Allah created the Arabian horse from the four winds; spirit from the North, strength from the South, speed from the East, and intelligence from the West. While doing so, he exclaimed, "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."

For centuries the tribes of Arabia passionately bred the Arabian horse. For them it wasn’t just an animal but a member of the family. Selective breeding evolved it into an intelligent, courageous, spirited and yet gentle and willing to please breed.

Its large round eyes, small ears, dished face, silky mane and gracefully arching neck render its appearance unique and endearing. When in action the Arab holds its chin upright and silky tail high alluding a sense of pride and confidence. The graceful gallop makes one feel that it is floating on air.

The purest and oldest of all horses, there are concrete evidences of its domestication since 2500 BC. The harshness of the desert helped it build huge reservoirs of courage, stamina and endurance, making it an ideal warhorse.

Traders and warriors introduced this noble breed to the World and it soon became the object of desire of kings, princess and nobles. The great Napoleon famously maintained a stud of grey Arab Chargers. In fact he was mounted on his favourite Marengo at the historic ‘Battle of Waterloo’ in 1815.

In India, horses formed the second most important item of import after gold throughout Ancient and Medieval periods. Interestingly the Raja of Vijay Nagar had asked his allies Portuguese to stop Arab horse trade of his rival Bahamani kings. It is recorded that it decisively helped him in the power struggle.

World over Arabs were crossed with local horses to develop new breeds suitable to local conditions which would have the qualities of the former. The anglo-Arab, Andalucian, Thoroughbreds and even India’s Kathiawadi can be cited as examples. No wonder Arabian horse is referred to as the big daddy of Equine World.

Currently Arabs are bred with pride in stud farms across the World. While they have done well in all horse sports it is endurance racing where they enjoy a complete monopoly.