Posts Tagged ‘Physical Attributes’

Few breeds of horse have captured the imagination like the Arabian horse has. Since the dawn of history, Arabian horses have inspired and influenced many people.

In the days of early history, Arabian horses were prized as warhorses and mounts for royalty. The Old Testament in the Bible contains many references and descriptions to these horses, the most notable being in the book of Job, where a horse “rejoices in his strength” and “is not frightened – he devours the distance with fierceness.”

Artwork of the time depicts these chariot horses with many of the physical attributes of modern Arabian horses, such as the dished face and high-set tail. The most prized warhorses were bred in Egypt, and it was indicative of the great wealth of King Solomon that he built entire cities to house Egyptian-bred warhorses and their handlers. These attributes of courage and speed are still prized in Arab horses today.

Arising much later, Islamic legend recounts how Allah made the first Arab horse from the four winds (or the south wind, depending on which version of the myth the teller uses), gifting it and all Arabian horses with “flight without wings” and naming it, “Lord of the other animals” and one of the “Glories of the Earth.”

The Bedouin people in particular bred Arabian horses with great care for the purity of the bloodline, which they called Asil. They took this purity of the blood so seriously that if a mare was ever bred to a non-asil stallion, both she and all future offspring would be “contaminated.”

Legend has it that the Asil strain are descended from the five favourite mares of the prophet Mohammed. It is ironic today that some Bedouin-bred Arabian horses are not considered or registered as purebreds, because the breeders do not see the need for paperwork to guarantee a horse’s breeding and do not register their horses.

Arab horses have also played a vital role in the development of Thoroughbred racehorses. All modern Thoroughbreds can trace their ancestry back to one of three founding Arabian stallions, known as the Byerly Turk, the Darley Arabian and the Godolphin Barb (“Turk” and “Barb” were synonymous with “Arabian” at that time).

Arabian horses today are creatures of great beauty. Although they are not tall horses – some measure only 14 hands – they are never called ponies, even though they technically fall into this definition. The distinctive features of the breed are the dished or concave face (as opposed to the more Roman nose of, for example, the Shire horse), the flowing high-set tail, the large expressive eyes and a dark skin colour. The most common colours for an Arabian horse are grey (which includes white), chestnut and bay. Black is a rare color, though not completely unheard of.

It may have been a more common colour in antiquity; the Old Testament lists black horses alongside “white”, “red” and “dappled.” Arab horses are surprisingly strong and tough for their size, and these qualities mean that they are popular choices when breeding cross-breeds.

There is very little work that the Arabian horse cannot do. Their powers of stamina make them very suitable for endurance work. Their intelligence and beauty gives them a competitive edge in the show ring, and for show jumping and eventing. Speed makes the Arab horse an excellent racer – their role in developing the Thoroughbred has already been mentioned.

Intelligence also makes Arab horses suitable for stock work – one modern tale tells of how the owner of an Arabian stock horse was mocked by fellow-workers because of his “fancy show-pony” until they saw just what the horse could do. And as they have a willingness to please and a great capacity for affection – a result of millennia of close contact with humans – Arab horses are popular as pleasure horses and companion animals.

For more information on horses, try visiting http://www.interestinghorses.com – a website that specializes in providing horse related tips, advice and resources including information on arabian horse.

Author: Samantha Davis
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

The name Sport Horse is given to type of horse rather than a particular breed of horse; it is a term to define a horse that will excel in equestrian sports such as Showjumping, Dressage or Eventing.

Sports horse breeders follow intensive breeding programs. The breeding goals differ from registry to registry, some more geared towards Showjumping others Dressage, Eventing or all-round top quality riding horses, this is reflected in the breeding, for example to produce a top class jumping horse only prestigious jumping blood lines are used to produce a horse with the physical attributes and athletic ability which is needed for show jumping.

Quality Sports horses have certain attributes which incorporates the following:

o Correct confirmation – Sports horses should have correct confirmation as this has a direct affect on the movement and jumping capabilities of the horse.

o Temperament – Sports horses must have a trainable and willing nature.

o Movement – Sports horse should have an athletic gait with good suspension in trot and canter.

o Jumping ability – Sports horses that are bred for jumping have excellent jumping form and conformation that allows them to jump higher.

If you are looking to buy a horse to compete, a sports horse would be a very good choice. You should set yourself some guide lines on the criteria of the horse you wish to buy; a good place to start is to identify your capabilities as a rider. Less experienced riders should look for an older experienced horse that knows its job; an accomplished rider may want to bring on a younger horse and take it through the grades, it is absolutely essential for the rider to realise their capabilities. Unfortunately many people make the mistake of “over horsing themselves” this is when a less experienced rider has bought a horse that is far too much for the rider to handle. This can ruin good horses and ruin a rider’s confidence. Set a budget, the height range that would suit you best and what you intend to do with the horse. This will narrow down the market and get you focused on the right market of horses for sale.

There is an abundance of Sport horses for sale currently in the U.K. you only have to look briefly at the equestrian classifieds and you will be sure to see several advertisers offering Sports horses for sale. There are many competition yards that have Sports horses for sale.

 Professional horse producers will often travel to Ireland and mainland Europe to source Sport horses from breeders and farmers.  The horses that are brought back to the U.K. are to be sold to the equestrian competition market. A good professional horse producer will help you find the right horse; you will usually find that there will be quite a few Sports horses for sale at any one yard so you will have plenty of Sports Horses for Sale to view. There are lots of yards devoted Sports horses for sale, so you will always have plenty of horses to look at, if they don’t have a horse that is suitable they will often be able to source a Sports horse for sale that meets your requirements, as they are more than likely to have established equestrian links with farmers and breeders overseas.

It is also possible for you to go to Ireland or the Continent to look for a Sport horses for sale yourself. It is good to look on the internet for Sports Horses for Sale to see if there are any abroad that you like, many yards will offer a service where they collect you from the airport and accommodate you while you view their Sport horses for sale.

If you are ever in doubt about what horse would be most suitable for you must always seek professional help from a reputable source, a person who has expertise in your preferred discipline.

Sports Horses for Sale [http://www.horsewizard.co.uk/marketplace?page=show_category&catid=39]

Horses for Sale

Author: Paul Simms
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: PCB Prototype & Manufacturing