ACCORDING to ancient legend, the Arabian horse was born of a handful of the south wind and virtue is bound into the hair of its forelock, its master is its friend and he has been given the power of flight without wings.
The preoccupation with the horse is a thread traceable through the fabric of Arab society for five millennia. Once high profile in the social landscape of nomadic tribes in the Fertile Crescent, the horse has become far less a part of daily life but is nonetheless nurtured and loved in stables throughout the Kingdom. In an effort to reconnect the current generation with the history, romance and singular contribution to Arab culture made by the distinctive Arab horse, Ahmed Badraig invited members of the Saudi Natural History Society to what he hopes will be the first of many open days at his Al-Ward Arabian Horse Stud near Jeddah.
“Quite apart from the beauty of the horse and the relationship that people seem to develop with them when they meet them, they are quite literally living history” he said. “They are a wonderful way to connect with Arab culture.” Badraig’s superb string of 33 Arabians was the basis of a guided discussion, presentation of the breed and its history and a trial run for future visits by organized groups of children and adults.
Badraig grew up with horses — but, when in his 20s, he got to know Prince Faisal ibn Abdullah ibn Mohammed Al-Saud, the prince’s love and knowledge of the Arab horse, Badraig describes as ‘infectious’ and he never looked back. From his youth, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has been — and remains — a fine equestrian. The well-being of the Arabian horse is one of his great passions and continuing interests.
A couple of decades ago the number of pure Arabian horses in the Kingdom decreased alarmingly. Then Crown Prince Abdullah made it one of his goals to reverse the trend and so formed the Saudi Arabian Equestrian federation. Badraig is a board member of the Federation and feels it is now his duty to try to reintroduce the horse to people in general, not just to those who are already involved with them. “If you own a horse, it is your duty to the horse and the community to bring them together,” he said. “I believe in doing this as a service to the horse in return for what they have done for us. If people knew more about horses, they would take more trouble over them.” He wants to re-educate Saudis who, in recent times against all their traditions, have left the horse out of their lives
The exact origins of today’s Arabian horse are shrouded in mystery but its lineage goes back five thousand years and were slightly smaller than today’s Arabians. The modern animal is exceptionally similar in appearance to its ancestors. Excavations in Syria have turned up evidence — in the form of halters on the bones of horses — that the horse was domesticated as early as 2000 BC. By 1330 AD, the breed “Arabian” was referred to by name in lists of pedigrees although there was no mention of strains or types. As time went on, early travelers questioned the crossing of apparently different “breeds” by the people of the desert. These were in fact not different breeds but strains, or families, of the same breed.
In most cases, the Arabian was considered a gift from God, and treated as such by Bedouin society. The Arabian horse grew and flourished in the rich grass along the Fertile Crescent, in Syria, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula and was seminal in both the spread and defense of Islam. The Bedouin valued pure-in-strain horses above all others, and many tribes owned only one strain. The five basic families of the breed, known as “Al-Khamsa,” are Kehilan, Seglawi, Abeyan, Hamdani, and Hadban. Today’s Arabian is a prouct of the constant crossing of these strains; no individual carries the blood of a single, undiluted strain.
From the earliest record of the horse in Egypt, it is clear the animals had already become of great importance. Bedouin warriors mounted on the finest Arabian steeds proved to be invincible as Islam spread and it was largely the capability of Salahuddin’s horses that prevented Richard the Lion Hearted from conquering Egypt.
The recent history of the Egyptian Arabian begins with the Turkish ruler Mohamed Ali the Great when Egypt was a province of the Turkish Empire. He was a passionate collector of superior bloodstock and even demanded priceless desert horses in the terms of a peace treaty with part of what is now modern Saudi Arabia. His collection amounted to 1,100 of the best Arabian horses in the world. His grandson Abbas Pasha, who inherited the herd, was an extremely methodical man who kept very detailed records of each horse, its pedigree and heritage. When he died, his palace and stables were abandoned. Ali Pasha Cherif bought the best of the herd, which remained with him in Cairo but eventually was dispersed and sold. The 19th century British traveler, Lady Anne Blunt, bought the majority of the horses and divided them between her Sheikh Obeyd Stud in Egypt and her Crabbet Stud in England. Most of the balance of the herd remained in Egypt. The government of Egypt realized the significance of the horses and the degree of devotion among their breeders. In 1908, they formed the Royal Agricultural Society (known today as the Egyptian Agricultural Organization) and collected the best descendants of the Abbas Pasha and Ali Pasha Cherif herds for the country.
Since then the bloodline has been preserved, monitored and obsessively protected. According to Byford et al, “Origination of the Arabian Breed,” “Egyptian Arabian horses in the 1990s are highly valued both as straight individuals and as out-cross blood on other Arabian lines. They lend prepotent genetic vigor based on centuries of careful line-breeding and thoughtful culling.”
There are several characteristics that set the Arabian horse apart from other breeds, the most noticeable being the face. The Arabian’s head has a characteristic dished profile with a prominent eye, large nostrils and small muzzle. There is also religious significance in the Arabian’s features; the large forehead is said to hold the blessings of Allah; the high tail carriage was symbolic of pride and the arched neck and high crest signified courage. The Arabian’s broad chest, short, but strong back, and sloped shoulders give him power and ‘floaty’ gaits. Arabians have also become the breed of choice in the endurance racing world because of their stamina and agility. They are well-known for being affectionate and bonding well with humans and it is this particular characteristic that supports a discreet but invaluable therapeutic use for the ancient breed.
At first sight, it is almost impossible to imagine these spirited animals being ridden by any but the most experienced rider. However, put a severely autistic or physically disabled child in the saddle and, according to Judy Houry who does just this, something magical happens. Her Open Skies group, based at the stables, connects disabled children with horses and produces remarkable transformations in afflicted children. “I cannot explain why or how it happens, but the horse instinctively knows that it should treat this new rider with utter gentleness,” she said.
To see a diminutive eight year-old who, only three months earlier, had refused to talk, do anything physical and who had displayed all the symptoms of severe autism and ADHD lead a magnificent spirited Arabian to the mounting block or examine its hoof for embedded stones while the horse gently nuzzles the child’s neck is a moving experience. “The transformation that associating with these horses brings is a constant wonder to me,” said Houry.
Power, grace, sensitivity and a symbol of a long established and noble tradition, the Arabian horse has much to teach modern generations. Badraig’s ‘open days’ project should do exactly that.
