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.
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