Horses who look exactly like modern-day Arabians appeared etched in stone Egyptian hieroglyphics, pulling Pharoah's chariots, about 1500 B.C. Ancient writings, including the Bible and the Koran, are filled with references to beautiful, fleet-footed, courageous animals who most certainly were the ancestors of the Arabian horses we know today.
The "hot-blooded" horses of the East were ideal for the nomadic desert peoples of Northern Africa, the Arabian peninsula, and surrounding areas. The harsh enviornment allowed only the strongest and most intelligent to survive, and molded the characteristics for which Arabians are still noted.
For example: Their circulatory systems, with arteries and veins lying close to the thin-skinned surface, high-carried tails, and dark skin were defenses against the burning sun and allowed heat to more easily dissipate. Large lungs and a heart hidden beneath well-sprung ribs, with a deep girth and hooves like steel, gave the Arabian horse incredible endurance and strength over long distances.
It was to the desert-dwelling people that Mohammed spoke. Followers of Islam, passionately determined to spread the Prophet's message, rode Arabians as they conquered countries from Spain to China and points in between during the years after 600 A.D.
During the Holy Land Crusades of the Middle Ages, heavily armored knights mounted on large, ponderous European horses were no match for the fierce Muslims on their swift, little Arabians. The knights trudged home defeated, but word spread about the speedy, nimble horses who helped their riders triumph.
Soon, Arabian stallions were imported to Europe and England and crossed with native animals, resulting in impressive individuals, and eventually forming new breeds.
In fact, all Thoroughbred racehorses today descend from three Arabian horses: the Darley Arabian (who appears in about 90 percent of racehorse pedigrees), the Byerly Turk, and the Godolphin Arabian. In the late 1600's and early 1700's, these three were imported into England and crossed with the heavier stock there, resulting in the fastest horses in the world.
Indeed, it is partially through this Thoroughbred influence that the Arabian horse is today considered to be the "father" of nearly all light breeds: Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Saddlebreds, Standardbreds, Mustangs, Appaloosas, Tennesee Walkers, Morgans, Lipizzans, Hackneys, etc. Even the Percheron draft horse and the Welsh Mountain Pony have some Arabian blood.
During the 1800's, Arabian stud farms were established, especially by royalty, in Poland, Germany, Hungary, and several other European countries. Toward the end of that century, Sir Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt founded the world-famous Crabbet Arabian Stud in England with imports from Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. Crabbet horses became the seedstock for significant breeding programs in Russia, Poland, South America, Australia, and eventually the United States and Canada. The Blunts' only child, Lady Wentworth, continued their Arabian horse breeding tradition well into the 20th century. (Crabbet Park is now a business facility.)
The first Arabian horse in America to have some impact was a stallion imported in 1725 by Nathan Harrison of Virginia, who bred about 300 foals from various grade mares. These offspring were dispersed throughout the Colonies and were used in various capacities and breeding programs. George Washington even rode an Arabian during the Revolutionary War, but did not breed them. In 1853 and 1856, A. Keene Richard brought in desert horses and started a breeding herd. However, the Civil War ended his venture. A Turkish sultan in 1873 presented to General Ulysses S. Grant two Arabian stallions, Leopard and Linden Tree. Leopard eventually was part of Randolph Huntington's breeding program in New England.
