In this presentation, Rebecca Skeeles discusses the origins of Arabian horses. Arabian horses are widely known to be amongst the most desirable horses. Their origins are shrouded in legends and myth.
22. Arabians
were
developed
in
harsh
desert
climates
and
as
a
result
they
have
an
incredible
endurance.
23. Through
centuries
of
selec;ve
breeding,
Arabians
have
developed
a
coopera;ve
rela;onship
with
humans.
24. A
well
trained
Arabian
is
quick
and
eager
to
learn
with
high-‐alertness
and
spirit.
25. The
Arabian
people
who
were
breeding
them
originally
needed
horses
that
would
be
effec;ve
during
war
and
the
modern
Arabian
horse
is
the
culmina;on
of
that
effort.
26. So
much
sensi;vity
and
alacrity
in
the
horse
makes
it
necessary
for
the
owner
to
be
respecRul
and
competent.
27. That
being
said,
Arabians
have
been
connected
to
humans
for
such
a
long
;me
and
bred
with
such
exper;se
that,
although
they
are
classified
as
hot-‐blooded,
they
are
excep;onally
well
tempered
horses.
28. In
fact,
Arabians
are
one
of
the
few
breeds
that
the
United
States
Equestrian
Federa;on
rules
allow
youth
to
show
stallions
in
compe;;on.
36. There
are
several
other
origin
stories
describing
the
beginning
of
Arabian
horses.
37. The
different
mythologies
are
evidence
of
how
old
the
breed
is
and
how
important
the
animals
are
to
the
culture
of
the
area.
38. In
fact,
there
is
li[le
agreement
in
where
the
breed
truly
originated.
39. Some
believe
the
Bedouin
people
of
the
Arabian
peninsula
began
domes;ca;ng
them
shortly
aGer
beginning
to
domes;cate
camels,
around
4500-‐5000
years
ago.
40. Others
maintain
that
Arabian
horses
began
to
develop
in
large
numbers
aGer
the
rise
of
Islam
around
the
7th
century.
41. Newly
converted
Persians,
moving
from
the
fer;le
crescent
to
the
Arabian
peninsula,
brought
the
knowledge
of
horsemanship
and
breeding
to
the
Bedouin.
42. Regardless
of
fabled
origin,
it
was
the
climate
and
culture
that
ul;mately
created
the
Arabian
horse
as
we
now
them
today.
43. Horses
cannot
survive
as
long
as
camels
without
water,
so
humans
had
to
provide
water
and
food
to
the
animals
in
the
deserts
In
Middle
Eastern
deserts,
it
can
be
leagues
and
leagues
before
you
find
water
and
a
horse
cannot
survive
more
than
72
hours
without
drink.
44. The
owners
would
feed
their
horses
dates
and
camel’s
milk
by
hand,
which
helped
to
forge
the
deeply
coopera;ve
rela;onship
between
the
horses
and
humans.
45. The
harshness
of
the
area
also
necessitated
very
selec;ve
breeding,
such
that
the
weaker
bodied
horses
were
not
allowed
to
reproduce.
46. Also,
the
ways
humans
used
the
horses
also
guided
their
development.
47. The
horses
were
trained
in
wars
and
raids,
so
traits
like
speed,
strength
and
intelligence
were
valued.
48. Arabian
horses
were
hugely
important
of
the
development
of
the
Middle
East
and
the
surrounding
areas.
49. They
pulled
chariots
in
Ancient
Egypt
and
carried
warriors
across
the
O[oman
Empire.
50. They
eventually
spread
into
Europe
and
were
brought
to
the
New
World
by
Spanish
conquistadors.
51. Prior
to
the
rise
of
industrialism
and
the
moderniza;on
of
warfare,
breeding
opera;ons
were
numerous
and
wide
spread.