Drinkers of the Wind: The Arabian Horse
In the latest of our articles on the Arab horse Frances Gillespie looks at the history, culture and characteristics of these fascinating creatures.
Contents: Saving the Purebred Arab | Characteristics | Myths and Legends | A Matter of Survival | Introduction To Europe | The Arabian Horse Today | Movie Documentary
Saving the Purebred Arab
The woman who is generally credited by equine authorities with saving the purebred Arab horse from effective extinction, the 19th century veteran Arabian traveller Lady Anne Blunt, wrote of the people of the Nejd desert:
'Truly is that horse prized by them above all else in the world...You may hear [them] remark: "Children of mine may hunger and thirst, but never my mare."'
Children of mine may hunger and thirst, but never my
mare.
This was the period when Orientalist painters, writers and poets fed the
European appetite for the romantic and mysterious East with romanticised
paintings of Arabia and colourful accounts of their travels, and the fascination
in England for the elegant and aristocratic Arabian horses found its voice
in poems, the best-known of which is The Arab's Farewell to His Steed,
set learning for children in innumerable Victorian classrooms. It narrates
the story of the Arab who is forced to offer his beloved Arab stallion
for sale, but at the end cannot bring himself to part with it:
'My beautiful! my beautiful! That standest meekly by.
With thy proudly-arched and glossy neck, and dark and fiery eye!
Fret not to roam the desert now with all thy winged speed:
I may not mount on thee again - thou'rt sold, my Arab steed!
Fret not with that impatient hoof, snuff not the breezy wind,
The farther that thou fliest now, so far am I behind,
The stranger hath thy bridle rein - thy master hath his gold;
Fleet-limbed and beautiful, farewell! - thou'rt sold, my steed, thou'rt
sold.' Characteristics
Arabian horses are known the world over for their intelligence, stamina
and spirit, and their distinctive head shape and high tail carriage
make them easily recognisable. Horses resembling Arabians are depicted
in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings, and archaeological evidence, including
rock paintings and inscriptions, suggests the Arabian may date back
as long as 4500 years ago.
Developed in a desert climate, the horse was prized, as Lady Anne observed, by the bedouin, and was often brought inside the family tent for shelter and protection. This close relationship with humans helped to develop a horse that was good natured and quick to learn. It also developed the high spirit and alertness that was essential in a horse used for raiding and war.
...archaeological evidence, including rock paintings and inscriptions, suggests the Arabian may date back as long as 4500 years ago.
Arabian horses have wedge-shaped heads with broad foreheads, large eyes
and narrow muzzles with wide, flaring nostrils. Some feature a slight
bulge between the eyes called in Arabic the jibbah, which adds extra sinus
capacity, an advantage in a dry desert climate. Many display a distinct
concave or 'dished' profile. Characteristic is the arched neck and high
tail carriage.
Some Arabian horses have 5 lumbar vertebrae instead of the usual 6,
and 17 rather than the usual 18 pairs of ribs; this adds to the compactness
of the body and means that even a small horse can carry a heavy rider
with ease. For this reason all Arabians, regardless of height, are classified
as 'horses', even though the traditional cutoff height between a horse
and a pony is 14.2 hands. They are especially noted for endurance, and
in Qatar are regularly used in Endurance
Races.
Purebred horses are recognised by the Arabian Horse Association with the colours
bay, gray, chestnut, black and roan, bay being the most common colour
and black rather rare. All Arabians, no matter what their coat colour,
have black skin, which evolved to provide protection from the hot desert
climate. 'White' Arabian horses are actually grays, as they are born
a darker colour and their coat becomes gradually lighter with age, often
ending up snowy white.
Myths and Legends
Many myths and legends feature the Arabian horse. One tells how after a long journey the Prophet Muhammed [pbuh] turned his herd of thirsty horses loose to race to an oasis for a drink of water. Before they reached the water he blew his war horn, summoning them back to him. Only five mares responded. Because they were faithful to their master, although desperately thirsty, these mares became his favourites and were known as Al Khamsa [the Five], and from them are said to be descended the five strains of the Arabian horse.
The wind-spout gathered itself into a prancing horse; hence the old bedouin name for a horse, 'Drinker of the Wind.'
Another ancient tale recounts that King Solomon presented the Queen of Sheba
with a pure-bred stallion named Safanid [the Pure]. Yet another creation
myth puts the origin of the Arabian as far back as the time of Ishmael
the son of Abraham. In this story the Angel Jibril descended from heaven
and woke the sleeping Ishmael just as a wind-spout came whirling across
the desert floor towards him. The wind-spout gathered itself into a
prancing horse; hence the old bedouin name for a horse, 'Drinker of
the Wind.'
A Matter of Survival
Whatever its origin, legendary or otherwise, the Arabian ultimately evolved as the result of a combination of climate and culture. To survive in a desert environment, a domesticated horse had to cooperate with humans, as providers of food and water, in order to survive.
A horse can only live about 3 days without water; far less than camels. If
no water or pasture were available, the bedouin fed their horses on
dates and camels' milk. Only the strongest individuals survived the
harsh life.
The bedouin depended entirely on their camels and horses for their way of life, and horses were bred to be used in raids and had to have speed and endurance. Mares were preferred over stallions because they were quieter and less likely to give away the whereabouts of the riders.
A horse can only live about 3 days without water; far less than camels.
For centuries, the bedouin maintained the ancestry of each horse
through an oral tradition. The purest-bred animals were known as Asil,
and cross-breeding with non-Asil horses was forbidden. Pedigree families
were traced through the female line. The gelding of horses was never practised
by the bedouin, who kept only a few male foals for breeding, selling or
culling the rest. There were the five primary strains already referred
to, and many sub-strains which went under various regional names.
The same oral records of the ancestry of camels and saluki hunting
dogs were also passed down among bedouin families, along with their
own family or tribal history. Eventually written records began to be
kept. The first written pedigrees that use the term 'Arabian' can be
dated to 1330 AD.
Introduction to Europe
During the Crusades of the early Middle Ages, many knights brought Arabian
horses back to Europe with them from Palestine. These were interbred
with other breeds and used to produce faster, lighter breeds to replace
the heavy armoured war horses. The Ottoman empire from the 14th century
onwards also introduced Arabian horses to Europe. But the breed was
not kept pure, and it was not until Lady Anne Blunt established the
Crabbet Stud that purebred Arabian horses were once again seen in Europe.
The Arabian Horse Today
Qatar has a history of hosting equestrian events on a national, regional and
international scale. A variety of national events are held annually,
such as HH The Emir's Cup, Horses Single Championship, Seniors Single
Championship, Youth Single Championship, the Cadets Single Championship,
Best Team Cup, Best Coach Cup and the Sporting Spirit Cup.
Doha
also hosts a number of international FEI sanctioned events throughout
the year, including the International Horses Beauty Contest and the
International Equestrian Federation Jumping competitions.
In this country some of the finest Arabian race horses in the world can be
seen at Al Shahania Farm, founded and owned by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin
Khalifa al-Thani. The horses have the very best care available lavished
on them and the results are impressive: seven victories out of fourteen
runnings in the prestigious Emir's Sword race, leading owner status
10 times during the past 14 years, and millions of riyals in prize money
won by horses from Al Shahania.
Twenty-seven broodmares are at pasture, producing around 20 foals per year.
In 2008, twenty-two foals are expected. In all 157 horses are kept at
Al Shahania, including 58 horses in race training and five in endurance
training.
Caring for these valuable animals in the Middle East is not easy, since nearly
everything from feed to veterinary supplies has to be imported. A few
years ago few people would have imagined that the dry desert region
of Qatar, now made green through water from desalination plants, could
become home to so many top-class Arabian horses, both at Al Shahania
and at the Umm Qarn Farm owned by Sheikh Mohammed's brother, HH Sheikh
Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani.
Among the Gulf states, many of which have superb stables and stud farms of Arabian horses, it was Qatar that developed the first Purebred Arabian Horse Festival for the Arabian show horses of the Gulf in 1991, and created the first marathon and endurance races for Arabians in the early 1990s.
Video Documentary
Bedouin Story: Training and living with Arabian Horses
Frances Gillespie has contributed to several publications related to Qatar, is the author of Discovering Qatar and also writes regular feature articles for a national newspaper on the cultural heritage and natural history of the country. She is a former chairperson of the Qatar Natural History Group, and is still active on the committee.
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Endurance Riding | The Arab Horse: The Beginning | Qatar Camels | Qatar Camel Racing
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