Arabian Horse
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[-]"The Son of the Sheik" was a silent film in the 1920's which starred an Arabian Horse named "Jadaan" and the actor Rudolph Valentino. This horse later built his fame by starring in six other films. Prior to the horse's death in 1945 at the age of 29, it had been decided the horse was too worn to go on. He posed once more with Rudolph Valentino and was taken to the University of California of Agriculture at Davis and destroyed on May 29, then used for classroom display. Although it was requested that the horse's skin would be preserved and sent to Cody, Wyoming to be displayed in a museum, this never happened. [/-] [...]
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Equine CA or Cerebellar Abiotrophy, found almost solely in the Arabian horse bloodlines, is a neurological, genetic condition. Most foals appear normal and show no sign of cerebellar abiotrophy at birth but noticeable symptoms usually appear around four months of age. There are some cases where the first symptoms of cerebellar abiotrophy appeared in foals only a few days old or horses over a year.
Cerebellar abiotrophy develops when the neurons recognized as Purkinje cells, located in a region of the brain called the cerebellum, start to die off shortly after birth. It affects a horse's coordination and balance under six months of age but because of the gradual onset of CA symptoms, caretakers or owners often do not notice any physical problems in affected horses until they are much older. A horse without Purkinje cells has no sense of distance and space. [...]
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Lavender foal syndrome or LFS is a newly classified genetic condition that exists in the Arabian horse breed. It is caused by an autosomal recessive gene, which means that it is directly inherited from each of the parents. Both the sire and dam must have the recessive gene for LFS and must pass it to the foal in order for the foal to have the defect. A horse, either male or female, that has only one copy of the gene for LFS will not exhibit any signs or problems throughout their life, it will only be their foal, if they are crossed with another LFS recessive horse that will have the risk of being born with the syndrome.
The most telling diagnosis of LFS is the unique color of the foal. He or she will be born with a lavender, silver or pinkish tinge to the coat that is different from a gray or roan coloration, it is very abnormal in color. The eyes may also be somewhat bluish to gray in color, but this is often not as noticeable. The mare will usually have troubles during the delivery of the foal and the foal will be unable to stand or move his or her legs. [...]
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SCID fully known as severe combined immunodeficiency disease, is an autosomal recessive gene that has been identified in Arabian horses or Arabian cross horses. It is interesting to note that a similar condition exists in mice and humans, as well as several other species. An autosomal recessive gene is a gene pair that has to be inherited one from the dam and one from the sire, resulting in both parents contributing the recessive gene. Once the foal has a recessive gene for SCID from both parents, he or she will have the condition. The parents, each having only one copy of the gene, are considered to be carriers, even though they will show no signs of the genetic condition. It is estimated that 1 of every 567 Arabian foals will have SCID and approximately 82.9 percent of the population of Arabians are clear, which means they do not carry the recessive gene for SCID. SCID affects both male and female foals equally, so it is not sex linked in nature. [...]
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As a true recognized hotblooded type of horse, the Arabian does have some unique and specialized training requirements. As a hotblooded horse they are very intelligent, learn quickly, and have a considerable need for independence and a sense of partnership with the rider rather than merely being under the rider's command. Successful Arab trainers, owners, and riders know that trying to bully this type of horse, out-think the horse, or respond with aggressive or negative types of training methods simply won't work. Either the horse will become uncooperative and hard to handle or they will simply become despondent and passive, with no spirit or drive if they are harshly treated or used.
The first step in working or training an Arabian is to allow the horse to develop a sense of understanding and trust with the rider or handler. Typically the Arabian is not a horse that anyone can just jump on and ride and it will respond. Arabians will pick and choose who they will work well with and who they will not. If the horse feels threatened or anxious with a particular rider or handler this will often appear as poor behavior or non-compliance on the part of the horse. [...]
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There is both a positive and a negative side to being the most popular breed of horses worldwide. The positive side is that there is a large genetic pool for breeding purposes, plus there is little chance that the breed will dwindle in numbers or become extinct. The negative side is that many people tend to get involved in breeding, resulting in horses that are bred with less than desirable qualities due to the breeders simply not knowing enough about the breed.
One of the major concerns with the future of the Arabian horse breed is the different groups that define and recognize the Arabian horse worldwide. Some groups such as the World Arabian Horse Association will accept almost any Arabian listed in any Stud Book in the world as Arabian as long as the ancestory can be traced back to the Arabian desert. The Al Khamsa Arabian horses must be Arabians that can be traced directly back to the Bedouin horse breeders of the Arabian desert or Arabian peninsula and can have no influence from other lines. [...]
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There are very few breeds of horses that have been as instrumental in foundation stock as well as shaping the development of horses worldwide. The Arabian horse truly is one of the most highly desirable breeds for adding refinement, stamina, reliability, spirits as well as loyalty and elegance to any type of horse from the heavy draft breeds and ponies through to the competitive sports horses from around the world.
Some of the modern breeds of horses and ponies that have been founded on Arabian stock include the Quarab, Trakehner, Lipizzaner, Haflinger, Percheron, Anglo-Arab, Orlov Trotter, French Riding Pony, Westphalian, Hackney, Anglo-Norman, and the Missouri Fox Trotter to name just a few. Most of the Eastern and Asian breeds were also strongly influenced in very early breeding programs with the Arabian blood.
Traditionally used in the East as a horse for long treks across challenging and difficult terrain, the hotblooded Arabian was strong, an easy keeper, a willing worker and a horse the possessed incredible stamina, endurance and a natural intelligence. [...]
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The practice of cross breeding the Arabian horse is certainly not a recent phenomenon. All of the modern so-called "light breeds" are the results of native crosses with the beautiful and versatile Arabian. Breeds like Lipizzaners, Thoroughbreds, Morgans and American Walking Horses are just a few that can trace their lineage back to Arabians. They've also been in America longer than many realize, with George Washington even owning a Half-Arabian called "Blueskin." Today, the Half-Arabian is one of the most popular horses in the United States with nearly 300,000 Half-Arabians registered with the Arabian Horse Association. Here we'll take a look at some of the more popular crosses and what makes each cross special. [...]
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Registering a Half-Arabian is not as difficult as it may seem. Unlike other breeds, Half-Arabians are welcome with open arms in a variety of different registries, most notably the Arabian Horse Association. Some of the crosses with Arabians have become so commonplace and popular that they have become recognized as breeds themselves and have their own registries. Here we'll take a look at how to register a Half-Arabian with the Arabian Horse Association and other registries that will accept some of the more popular Arabian crosses. [...]
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Half-Arabian horses are certainly ranked among the most versatile of horses. Because they inherit traditional Arabian hallmarks such as stamina and proud bearing, they are naturals as performance horses, and custom cross breeding means that anyone can have the horse they need for a specific job thanks to selective breeding, to include the best traits of the other breed. The truth is that breeders are only limited by their imagination when it comes to creating a Half-Arabian to order! Here we'll take a look at the just some of the ways Half-Arabians are being used with a great deal of success. [...]
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Were it not for the question of whether a horse could be created with the physical traits of a Thoroughbred and the temperament of an Arabian, the Anglo-Arabian may have never come into existence. The most comprehensive breeding program of Thoroughbreds and Arabians came about in a region of France on a state held stud farm. It was a complicated undertaking that took many years of careful selection to get off the ground before a true Anglo-Arabian breed could be established. However, once the endeavor took off the Anglo-Arabian became a top choice for a large number of individuals, including organizations such as the military and police. While they are a most reliable breed many enthusiast enjoy the fact that each Anglo-Arabian can be a little bit different based on the percentages of its bloodline.
Many enthusiasts agree that the Anglo-Arabian is a great example of what happens when the best elements of two bloodlines are allowed to mix together and bubble to the top. [...]
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Arabian Horse
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