434 THE HORSE ARABS 



no historical record or reliable evidence of any kind that the 

 Arab tribes possessed horses until after the beginning of the 

 Christian era. Arabia contained wild asses and wild camels, 

 but no horses were numbered among the flocks and herds 

 mentioned in history. Camels were, before horses, the 

 Arab's stand-by. He ate their flesh and drank their milk, 

 and they carried him into battle. It was not till Arabs 

 became expert horsemen that they attained distinction as 

 warriors. In Eastern countries, as in Western and Southern 

 Europe, the horse was first used to draw chariots, and never to 

 carry mounted men, probably owing to the smaller size of 

 the early representatives of domesticated horses. 



The name " Kohl " and its derivatives, Keheilan horse and 

 Keheilet mare, originated in kohl, a powder of antimony used 

 by Eastern women to darken the skin round their eyes. The 

 eyes, especially of grey and white Arabs, show dark 

 peripheral rings ; but, correlated with the unfailing darkness 

 of the uncovered skin near the eyes and muzzle, is a blue- 

 black skin beneath the hair of the body and limbs, except 

 under a white snip, a blaze, or stockings of varying dimensions. 



The true Arabian horse belongs to one or more of the 

 strains of blood known as Al Khatnseh, The Five, 1 viz., (i) 

 Keheilan, (2) Seglawi, (3) Abeyan, (4) Hamdaire, (5) Hadban. 

 There are some sixteen other less-noted strains, with 

 numerous sub-strains. Contrary to the general opinion held 

 in this country, probably over 85 per cent, of Arab horses are 

 dark in colour. The preponderating colour, as in the English 

 Thoroughbred, is bay, and it is on good authority admitted that, 

 with some conspicuous exceptions in favour of white or grey, 

 the best Arabs are bays, usually with black points, although 

 Major-General W. Tweedie 2 says the true nutmeg-roan or nut- 

 meg-grey runs the bay colour close for the place of excellence 

 in the Arab breed. Chestnuts of different shades are numerous, 

 though some are hot-tempered and even violent. No Arab 

 foal is ever born white, but " always bay, chestnut, or dark 

 brown." Blunt says, " Roans, piebalds, duns, and yellows are 

 not found among the pure-bred Arabs, though the last two 



1 Ridgvvay gives several traditions which unconvincingly attempt to 

 account for the origin of The Five, pp. 165-7. See footnote, p. 388. 



2 The Arabian Horse, His Country and People, published by William 

 Black wood Sons, 1894. 



