The Arabian Horse, Equine Perfection
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The Perfect Horse
This Hub has been inspired by the death of my beloved Arabian Horse at the age of 30. Kwayiza, which means "Charming" in Arabic was the perfect horse, always pleased to see you, she would wicker softly to approve your presence. Never sick or sorry during her whole life she was always perky and ready to go.
The skeleton of the pure bred Arabian is usually more compact than the non Arabian. They have one fewer vertebrae and only 16 ribs instead of 17. This short back gives them immense strength. The tail carriage of the Arab horse is high and perky and this trait is often passed on to Arabian crosses. My half Arabian, half Welsh pony, Honey had this gay tail carriage and the dished face. The dished face is also a mark of the Arabian as opposed to the convex faces of Lusitanos from Portugal ad the Andalusians of Spain.
Straight out of the paddock, Kwayiza was always ready to go. I lived in a place in the UK that was surrounded by land criss crossed by Bridle ways (see my hub about walking in Wales) so it was possible to ride for hours with very little road work . Arabians have very dense bone and strong hooves. She did not need shoes and neither did her stablemate, Honey, a Welsh pony crossed with an Arab. Their blood has been used in just about every developed breed to give strength and endurance. The Thoroughbred of racing fame was developed from Arabian horses, the Byerly Turk and the Darley Arabian being two of the founding sires.
The Bedouins of the Arabian desert treasured their horses and even allowed them into their tents for shelter. The mares were more treasured than the males and only the best stallions were kept. The Bedoiun memorised the pedigrees of their horses which were derived from the mares point of vview. To this day the Arabian horse is a prized possesion.
The Perfect horse for every Adventure
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Comments
Thanks for the kind comment. It isnt the cool weather that they don't like it is the wet weather. My horses always had access to cosy shelter and in winter they had waterproof rugs. They lived out in the paddock with the stable doors open unless it was feed time. They each had their own stable and rarely used some one elses. Arabians can grow quite long woolly coats in winter and are very hardy.
They are so beautiful it was a joy to see them.
A wonderful tribute to your beloved Arabian. Alas, the only ones I've seen in person (that I know of) were at Wayne Newton's ranch north of Las Vegas. What beautiful creatures they were!
Equine perfection! Thanks for the comment
Love the hub! I own three Arabians of my own. I love the breed and they have such wonderful personalities! My 10 year old broodmare is a perfect example. Although she isn't broke to ride, she will let my two young children (ages 2 & 4) ride her. She's played "babysitter" for my son when he was younger. I plan on writing some hubs on here about my horses when I get a chance! Wish I had lots of places to ride on like you do :)
Thanks for the kind comment, silverwindintx. They are a delight to be around and so beautiful
Yes they are perfection,thanks for dropping by!
Alexander Mark says:
7 months ago
Neat! Although I don't own any, I have an appreciation for horses, having helped take care of a few, (long time ago). This article reminded me of the Return of the Black Stallion, which was the first of the series I saw when very young. Nothing could capture the beauty of the Arabian more though than the first movie though, and thanks to you, I know a little more about Arabians. That bit about the skull structure, the "missing" vertebrae and ribs and the denser bones now has me more in awe of the breed, and I see why they are so highly prized. There's is little more amazing than to see an Arabian horse with its tail high in the sky. How do they deal with cooler weather in Wales?