CHAPTER XX 



A TRUE ARABIAN 



The term ' English horse ' includes varieties from the 

 diminutive pony to the enormous cart-horse, as well as 

 the thoroughbred horse. But among the tribes of the 

 desert of Arabia, the Arabian is the 07ily horse. He is 

 one by himself ! Horses are not numerous in Arabia, 

 and in many parts they are rarely seen. They belong to 

 certain families or tribes rather than to the people at 

 large. The mistake that there are many breeds of Arabians 

 arises from mistaking the various distinguishing names of 

 strains of the same blood. These are often only the 

 names of owners, and come from some action, having 

 rendered the name famous, and which names are applied 

 to all successive generations. The Najd is of the country 

 of Najd. Keheilan is the generic name of the Kuhl, or 

 Arabian breed. 



A true Arabian horse is a Keheilan, and the mare a 

 Keheilet. The blood of the Kuhl race has been handed 

 down by the Bedaween in a perfectly pure state by ' Al- 

 Khamseh ' (the Five), which is a collection of five distinct 

 breeds of Arab horses. The Arabic for a horse is Hisan, 

 'a strong, noble horse,' from the Arabic word Tahassan, 

 meaning that the horse is a 'defence from attack.' 



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