Arabians are thought to be the oldest breed of horse in the world and also one of the purest, their breeding dating back more than a thousand years. They have often been used to create or improve other breeds. Most common breeds of modern riding horses contain at least some Arabian blood in their background.
Arabian horses have always been bred for certain characteristics that make them stand out. They are instantly recognizable by their delicate, dished faces, their large eyes, and their high tail carriage.
Horses were a very important part of Bedouin life, sharing the Bedouins’ nomadic lifestyle and harsh desert environment. Sometimes the Bedouins would even invite their horses into their tents to escape the weather. They also would feed them dates and camel’s milk to make up for the lack of grazing and water in the desert. After countless generations of working so closely with humans, Arabians are known for their willing, friendly, and loyal temperament. As an Arabian proverb says, “My treasures do not clink together or glitter. They gleam in the sun and neigh in the night.”
Although Yatimah takes place in the ninth century, the Bedouins lived much the same then as they did in the very early twentieth century, when the following photographs were taken.
For hundreds of years, Bedouins lived a nomadic life, moving from place to place to subsist in the harsh deserts of northern Africa and the Middle East. They traveled in family units with a male leader, sheltered by tents that they could shift easily as they moved to find water and grazing for their livestock. The Bedouins took great pride in their horse breeding and could recite their horses’ lineage going back many generations, with emphasis on the great mare lines in the pedigree.
The Bedouins preferred to ride mares rather than stallions, especially when going on raids. They believed that mares were less likely to call out to other horses during raids, when it was important to be as stealthy as possible. The Bedouin war mares were swift of foot, with great endurance, and could show great courage during battle. War mares were never for sale at any price, changing hands only through gift or theft.
Arabians have spread far beyond their original homelands. They are one of the most popular breeds in the world and were the chosen mount of a number of historical figures, including George Washington, Napoléon Bonaparte, and Ronald Reagan.
Arabians are versatile horses and are used today in many different disciplines—trail riding, dressage, jumping, saddle seat, various Western events, and more. The sport in which Arabians are most dominant, however, is endurance racing, in which horse and rider travel up to one hundred miles, often over challenging terrain. The Tevis Cup in California is one of the best-known endurance competitions. Since its first running in 1955, nearly all of the winners have been all or part Arabian.
