The Arabian Horse

Arabians are probably the most popular horses in today's world. Because of there spirit, endurance, and athleticism, they excel in all sports, including jumping, dressage, and endurance racing.

 An Arabian's most distinctive features are its arched neck, dished face, high-set tail, and large nostrils on a small muzzle. Also unique to the breed is that it has five lumbar vertebrae, seventeen ribs, and sixteen tailbones, while other horses have eighteen ribs, six lumbar vertebrae, and eighteen tailbones. Furthermore, every Arabian has dark skin, which protected them from the blazing Middle Eastern sun.

 Arabians have lived with the Arabian Peninsula's nomadic tribesmen, the Bedouins, for thousands of years. The Bedouins were so fond of their horses that they even brought them inside their tents. Even Mohammed used the hardy, loyal horses as a way to spread the word of Islam.

For original photo,  click here

 However, it wasn't until the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, when the Turkish government sent forty-five to the event, that the Arabian finally became popular in America. At the time, a businessman by the name Peter Bradley had bought a lot of them. Thirteen years later, he funded an expedition for cartoonist Homer Davenport to buy more of the treasured horses and send them to America. Two years after that, Davenport, along with Arabian enthusiasts, founded the Arabian Horse Registry of America.

Then, in 1950, the International Arabian Horse Association was finally formed. It offered shows specifically for registered Arabians and half-Arabians. Finally, the two organizations(Arabian Horse Registry and the International Arabian Horse Association) united as the Arabian Horse Association.

Arabians are very spirited horses.(Click here for original photo)

   Arabians perform well in almost every event, both Western and English. Because of this, Arabians have been crossbred with other breeds to improve the breed and create good sport horses. Nowadays, most saddle horses can be traced to the Arabian.