He's All Arab

11/20/2015

I get asked all the time at shows if Speedy is an Arabian. When I first started getting that question, it baffled me. I mean look at him ... doesn't he look like an Arab to you?

Photo by Lori Ovanessian

Way back in the beginning, when I moved from endurance to dressage, no one ever asked if Speedy was an Arabian. It was pretty obvious.

2011 - Photo by Edyta

There are a lot of different Arabian types. There are the super "dishy" Arabs with over-exaggerated features which stand in sharp contrast to the coarser Arabs who don't have the finer features of the classically bred Arabians. And then there are horses like Speedy. He's my favorite type, and I've had three others just like him. He is stamped with the elegance of the Arabian horse's finer features, but he has the solid bone structure that allows him to be a working horse.

Ignore what i am doing, but check out what a hunk he's become!

Now when people ask me if Speedy is an Arabian, I know why. He doesn't look like the Arabs they're used to seeing - the prancing gazelles of the horse world. He also doesn't act like the Arabs they're used to seeing - flared nostrils, eyes wide, tails flipped over the back ...

Walk to canter transition. Is that an Arabian?

At home though, Speedy can let his freak flag fly. In his own turnout space, he loves to show off and remind me that he is all Arab ... flared nostrils, eyes wide, and tail flipped over his back.

All Arabian ... I knew you'd have to see it to believe it.

Carly

11/20/2015 05:57:42 am

He is such a gorgeous, hunky dude.

Bakersfield Dressage link

11/20/2015 04:29:16 pm

Aw ... thanks, Carly. I don't expect everyone to look through rose colored glasses like I do, but thanks for wearing yours today. :0)

jenj

11/20/2015 06:47:28 am

That lovely face of his just screams Arabian to me. He's such a handsome guy!

11/20/2015 04:30:45 pm

He's more dorky than handsome, but he does have his moments. Don't tell him that though or he'll be an even bigger PITA than he already is. :0)

Karen

11/20/2015 06:48:46 am

Speedy is a beefcake!

That said, Arabs with more refined faces still have the bone structure to be a working horse. That's the proven appeal of an Arabian: the versatility to do whatever job you want - dressage, jumping, Working Equitation, racing, endurance, trail, reining and cow work. Good, solid, all-around horse.

11/20/2015 04:36:03 pm

Thanks. :0)

I didn't mean to imply that a pretty face can't work. I was really referring to those Arabs that have been bred to be caricatures of the sturdy desert horses that the Bedouins bred.

Having owned Arabs for twenty years, I get so frustrated when I see those horses with faces that have been so squished out of proportion that they can't breathe the way nature intended.

I compare most other horses' faces to that of the Arabian and always give the nod to those who share the same characteristics - the big wide eyes, a slight dish, a finer muzzle, and perky ears. I just wish more Arabian breeders would focus on form and function rather than how exaggerated they can get the horse's features.

Judy

11/20/2015 07:21:31 am

I love me some Speedy G!

11/20/2015 04:38:18 pm

Me too :0)

emma link

11/20/2015 08:35:19 am

lol he's such a goof - a very good looking goof :)

11/20/2015 04:39:12 pm

He IS a goof - thanks for noticing. I adore goofy horses because they're so much fun to be around. :0)

Jan link

11/20/2015 11:10:32 am

Lol! I see a ton of Arabs on our show circuit (they whomp everyone btw, I hate competing against them), and Speedy is looking just like them! I'll be taking Penn to the Pennsylvania Arabian Association's two recognized dressage shows next year (they are open to all breeds, yay!). Out of curiosity, what is a Polish Arabian vs Egyptian Arabian? Is it the fine features vs coarse?

11/20/2015 11:49:00 am

Polish vs Egyptian refers to where the breeding lines originally came from. Straight Egyptian is considered the most pure breeding lines and the lineage can be traced back to the Bedouins in the desert. Straight Egyptian horses tend to be smaller. They can have a range of head types but most tend to lean toward exotic with a defined dish. Large eyes, small muzzle with large nostrils, small elegant ears. Neck and back should not be too long. Polish Arabians in general are bigger horses for the breed (meaning taller and heavier). They are exceptionally gifted for Park and performance because they can have very high animated action when they move.

Hope this helps.

11/20/2015 04:51:17 pm

I think Karen answered the question pretty well. :0)

My last mare, Montoya DSA, was predominately Russian bred meaning her nearest ancestors were from the Russian Stud book at Tersk. Interestingly, she was only 8 or 9 generations from being desert bred, meaning the parentage of those ancestors came straight out of the desert.

Many of the foreign Arab stud books are run by the government. Usually, their criteria for entry into the book, especially for stallions, is quite stringent. Here in the US, any foal born from registered Arabian parents can be registered; there is no approval process.

Today, when you hear people refer to their horses as Polish or Egyptian or Russian, their horse is probably a mixture unless he was imported. Many breeders do tend to focus on a type though which means they might select individuals from one country's studbook because they carry the characteristics they like (as Karen mentioned).

I see very few Arabs at shows here in central/southern CA. Hilda Gurney does show Arabs, but hers are usually the only ones I see. I've been told that most Arab owners here in CA show at the Arab shows rather than in the open shows like I do. I do not know if it is true, but I've also been told that the quality of the tests that are ridden are not very good at the Arabian shows. It was explained to me that the Arab trainers don't see enough classically trained horses to bring that into the Arabian shows. Again, that's just what I've been told. I would like to go to a breed show to see for myself, but as I mentioned before, I don't want to pay AHA's excessive membership fees.

I am envious that you see enough Arabs competing to have formed such a high opinion of their ability. :0)

11/22/2015 11:30:51 am

Very interesting about the different Arabian lineages! If I can continue asking questions... What's the /++ (and variations) mean after the names? I see it all the time at the recognized shows. There's usually breed awards at the shows I go to, and the Arab list usually has at least ten names!

The Arabs in our area compete quite successfully at almost every level (including grand prix!). I'm not sure if they do the Arab circuits as well, but they are a force to be reckoned with at USDF shows!

11/22/2015 05:52:49 pm

Easy question, Jan! The symbols are part of a performance award offered by AHA. As your horse earns various placing at shows (dressage, hunters, endurance, etc.) they earn "points" towards the //// and +++++. "Legion of Honor," the first one, requires 75 points and earns a "+" after the horse's name.

You can see the symbols and requirements on this page: http://www.arabianhorses.org/activities/aa/haa.asp

Since I can't breed Speedy G, I was never interested in paying AHA for the symbols. I didn't bother with my other three Arabs either. It's a lot of money for symbols that most people won't ever see or recognize.

lytha

11/21/2015 03:09:50 am

The reason they aren't sure of his breed is cuz you banged his tail. I told you not to do that.: )

If I understand correctly from my research, the Arabian breed began in Syria, but Egypt was the first land whose government began official recordkeeping. So all Arabians trace back to Egypt's records, and before that it's unknown. I find it interesting that Baasha's pedigree had "desertbred" in it as recently as the mid 1800s, where the Thoroughbred breed has been documented back to the late 1600s. So although the breed isn't older than Arabians, the English were better at recordkeeping back then and they tracked individuals by name (for example, "the Godolphin Arabian"). It seems odd to me that one of the oldest breeds can't be traced back as far as "modern" breeds can.

S and I were discussing whether or not "asil" means purebred, as I always thought. S sent me the wiki quote that asil Arabians are those who can be traced on both sides back to the peninsula. I thought, "Well, yes, that's the same thing as saying it's purebred!" But it's not that simple, I guess. I just learned that some supposedly purebred Arabians are not exactly pure, such as Skowronek. So I guess I was right and wrong, asil does mean pure, but pure isn't always as pure as I thought. http://www.asilclub.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=64

The US organization that differentiates pure from asil is Al Khamsa. After all these years, I still have so much to learn about my breed.

Tracy link

11/30/2015 07:35:48 am

For those of us that haven't been around Arabians very much, I think sometimes we have the classical look in our mind. And while Speedy certainly has many of those lovely features, he's gained so much muscle (especially in his hind end!) that he's more sporthorse looking than classical, petite Arabian.

But then he picks up his head and tail and you can see it for sure! Either way, he's handsome for sure!!

Bakersfield dressage link

11/30/2015 04:38:30 pm

I am never offended when people roll their eyes when I say I have an Arab. When they're dismissive of the breed, I know they haven't had much experience with the better examples of the breed. Not that Speedy is a "perfect" specimen by any means, but he is a good ambassador for his breed. I am honored when people look at him and are pleasantly surprised by his ho hum attitude and hunky good looks. He's not unique to his breed - maybe he'll change someone's mind about the versatility of Arabians. :0)

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