CHARIOT FARM

Reading Raswan

SOME NOTES ON Arabians

by Carl R. Raswan

from Western Horseman Jul/Aug '44
also appeared in "A Collection of Articles by Carl Raswan"

Arabian fillies of outstanding qualities on the Henry B. Babson stud farm near Dixon (Illinois.

VISITING ARABIAN BREEDERS during the last eight months in various parts of the United States, I kept notes on questions which were put to me.

I feel that many of these same questions are being asked by readers of THE WESTERN HORSEMAN and, therefore, I want to answer the more important ones in this article.

1. Kuhaylan Arabians develop the slowest. They are not mature until the age of seven years --that is, their very masculine appearance may not be perfected until that age.

2. A long-and-low horse (really the ideal type) can be drawn within three circles. The high-legged horse never fits harmoniously into three circles.

Fay Ed-Din (sic) son of Fadl, out of Bint Serra. Fay Ed-Din's pedigree froms(sic) a perfect pattern of Kuhaylan and Saqlawi strains.

3. Muniqi-Sbaili spoiled the classic breeding in Syria; Abu Urqub in Palestine and Transjordan; Jilfan in Iraq (Mesopotamia).

4. Thirty-two per cent of the imported Syrian horses are refused in Egypt as original desertbred horses.

5. Grace, refinement and beauty in the Arabian are a sure indication of their enormous endurance, because their fine bone is dense like high grade tempered steel. Coarseness in the Arabian is not a sign of strength.

6. A good Arabian looks just as well at repose as in action. A "fleshy" horse, prancing about may seem to have a lot of "Arabian" points, but when he comes to rest he may "fold" together and the longer one looks at him the more bad points one discovers.

7. There are differences in the qualities of Arabians as to their origin among various tribes. The Mutayr, Ruala, Harb, Atayban, Ajman (all camel-breeding tribes who touch the Nufud desert in central Arabia) are the best breeders of pure-strain Arabians today. Tribes along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, on the Red Sea and in Syria and Transjordan no longer have good horses.

Hassan Bey, a Saqlawi-Jidran, has more Ali Pasha Sharif ancestors than any other Saqlawi stallion in America. He is owned by Irving Grisset, Tallahassee, Fla.

8. Narrowness between the jowls may be transmitted by two parents, each of whom has a wide space between the jaw bones, although one may be an Arabian of the angular type and the other of the rounded outlines.

9. Justin Morgan, the original progenitor of the Morgan race of horses and considered one of the three greatest horses in American history, was only fourteen hands high. the average Arabian of today in America is 14/2.

10. The Kuhaylan represent strength first, but they can be extremely handsome, too. Yet, the beauty of the Saqlawi is different--more slender bodies on finer bone (often taller). Saqlawi have to be watched to insure they do not get too fat (which covers up their graceful, refined details).

11. The straight hindleg of the Muniqi shows the hindquarters of the cross with a kuhaylan or Saqlawi upwards. (Kuhaylan and Saqlawi have curved legs above the hocks.) Result: the cross has hocks higher than knees.

12. Photographs (more than 100) published with my articles in THE WESTERN HORSEMAN should be used to compare these various types of Arabian horses with our standard breeds. It will appear that some Arabians are a perfect match to a Morgan, or a Steeldust type, or certain palominos, or American Saddle horses, etc.

13. Arabian horses, though carrying more weight in proportion to their own body weight in endurance tests (under the auspices of the United States Remount), suffered only 15 per cent lameness (Morgans 39 per cent and Thoroughbreds 90 per cent). The Arabians consumed only one-fourth to one-half as much feed as larger horses of other breeds.

14. The purity of an Arabian can be tested through incest-breeding. The dormant type and certain qualities appear quicker through incest-breeding than by any other method.

15. The native horse of England was a coarse and small, but wiry, Celtic horse. The Phoenicians and Romans brought Arabians, syrian and Barb horses to the English islands. The Romans started horse racing in England. The Crusaders brought Arabians to England, too. Upon these (improved) "native" English horses were grafted pure desert-bred Arabians--like the Darley Arabian (1703), a Muniqi (race-type Arabian) and the Godolphin Arabian (a Jalfan, a Muniqi-related, race-type Arabian) and thus the first "Thoroughbreds" were produced ("Thorough-bred" to the race strains).

Antez, Arabian stallion, raced the half-mile in 51 seconds (May, 1933). The record is the same as that of Sir Hugh (an Arabian) at Singapore in 1844.

Child of Isles, an Arabian, won the Epsom Derby in 2 minutes 48 seconds (other Derby times ranged from 2 minutes 43 to 2 minutes 59 seconds).

Grey Leg, an Arabian, defeated Shah Rock (a Thoroughbred) in the 1864 Forbes stakes (2 miles). Grey-Leg won 51 races out of 80.

But "Speed" is not the "business" of the Arabian (rather stamina and superb points of conformation, intelligence, docility and beauty).

16. Vonolel, a white Arabian of Nejd, brought to Bombay, India, by a horse-trader from Qawim (Central Arabia), was bought by Lord Roberts as a five-year-old. For 22 years the faithful horse followed the British general on all his campaigns in Afghanistan, Burma, India and South Africa. Queen Victoria personally conferred the "Distinguished Service Medal" on Vonolel in 1897 during the Jubilee procession. In some respects, Vonolel, the war-horse of the British general, reminds one of Marengo, Napoleon's charger, who followed the emperor everywhere and was wounded seven times.

An Arabian colt at the Jedel Ranch, Richmond, Calif. Photo by Carl R. Raswan.

Mrs Carl Raswan: Latest Editions Of
The Arab And His Horse and The Raswan Index

Chariot Farms

Davenports: Articles of History

CMK Pages

The Heirloom Pages

The Pasha Institute

Al Khamsa, Inc.

Arabian Visions'

 

 

 

 


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