CHAPTER VII 

 THE ARABIAN HORSE 



Although the Arabian horse played an important part 

 in the formation of practically all modern breeds of 

 horses, it is only recently that an organization has been 

 formed for its promotion. This breed performed its part 

 in the development of the horse because of merit. 



The native home of the Arab horse. — Arabia is the 

 native home of the Arabian horse. This is a vast country 

 some 1,500 miles long and from 400 to 1,000 wide, lying 

 east of the Red Sea, with the northern boundary not far 

 from the east end of the Mediterranean Sea. Though 

 large, its chief characteristic is the barrenness and aridity 

 of its soil. The inhabitants, called Bedouins, are of two 

 classes, the agriculturist and the warrior. The former is, 

 of course, the more domestic, while the latter is migratory, 

 having no occupation other than war, and keeps at least 

 one mare always saddled so that he may spring on her 

 back at the slightest alarm. While there are several 

 groups of these desert Bedouin tribes, the most powerful 

 are the Shammar race of Mesopotamia, in the north and 

 to the east of the Euphrates, and the Anezah in the 

 south. Turkey, Persia and parts of northern Africa, 

 notably the Sahara region, also possess many Arabian 

 horses. These countries and others are often collectively 

 spoken of as the "Orient" (the East) and their horses as 

 "Oriental horses." 



The origin of the Arabian horse. — The early history of 

 the Arab horse is obscure. Youatt states that as late as 

 the seventh century the Arabs had few horses and those 

 of little value. Major Upton and Lady Anne Blunt, who 

 lived among the Bedouins for months, Blunt with the 

 Shammar and Upton with the Anezah, and spoke their 



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