Arab Horses

Sorry, there are currently no Arab Horses.

If you are interested in listing your Arab Horses, click here.

Page:

After Muhammad journeyed through the desert, he let his horses loose so they can catch an oasis of water. Before, the horses could reach it; Muhammad called the horses to return to him. Only five of them responded and they became his favorites. Muhammad called the five mares, the Al Khamsa, which means five. According to legend, these five strains became the founders of the Arabian horse. Read on to get to know more about the Arab horses!

There are no clear accounts of when and where the Arabian breed came from. It was said that around 400 BC, a nomadic tribe known as the Bedouins, have brought their Arabian horses to the Arabian Peninsula.  On the death of the prophet Mohammed, the Bedouin warriors together with their Arabian horses joined other new believers as they spread Islam to other parts of the world. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the westerners took notice of them when they were imported to England. These horses also became the foundation of England’s Thoroughbred breed. Then, agents of wealthy English breeders and of other countries travelled to the Nejd Desert and the horse markets of the Middle East in order to buy Arabian horses.

For the Americans, it was Kentucky horseman Alexander Keene Richards who selected and imported Arabian horses in order to improve his American herd. However, the horses’ influence was ruined during the Civil War. In 1893, the Hamidie society imported 40 desert Arabians that were showcased in the Chicago World’s fair. Among the 27 million attendees, Homer Davenport, Randolph Huntington, Spencer Borden and other early American breeders have chosen those mares that they think would be greatly influential to the present day horses.

Arabian horses stand between 14.1 to 15.1 hands high. They weigh between 800 and 1,000 pounds and usually come in grey, bay, chestnut, black or roan colors. They are unique from other breeds because they only have 17 ribs. Aside from this, they have one less lumbar vertebra and one less tail bone, and their skin color is always black despite of their coat color. Because of their experiences in the desert, they have come closer with humans until today.

They can be used in various activities such as equestrian field competitions, dressage, cutting, reining, endurance riding, show jumping, eventing, equitation, pleasure and trail riding, and for working in ranches.