Quit Horsing Around by Krystle Vliem

When my father passed away in April 2019, my mother wanted to pick up a new hobby that would keep her busy. With little horse riding experience, my mom bought three Arabian horses; one for herself and her two daughters (Tiffany and Krystle), all at the age of 1 when they were purchased in the summer of 2020.

Their names are Sunday Gloves, Wing Doozy, and Tommygunz. Sunday and Doozy are mares (female) while Tommy is a gelding (male).

The Arabian horse breed is known for its upbeat and spunky personality and is a sight to behold as one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds of all. Their dished faces, high tail set, and graceful carriage are something that horse lovers everywhere have come to admire.

Here are some interesting facts about the Arabian horse breed:

1. The Arabian horse is the oldest of all the horse breeds. They’re thought to be at least 3,000 years old, with some sources dating back 5,000 years. And what’s even more amazing is how this breed’s look has been preserved over time. Because of careful breeding, the look of the Arabian has remained essentially unchanged throughout the centuries.

2. The Arabian breed has been used to develop several popular breeds. Some of these breeds include the Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, and the Morgan. In old times, these horses were praised for being fast, requiring less feed, living longer, and having much more stamina than other horse breeds.

3. Many Arabians have one less vertebra in their backs, which accounts for their shorter length. Additionally, they also have one less in their tail, which is what gives them their famous high tail set. And for their ribs, they have 17 instead of 18 like other breeds of horses do. And this unique rib cage improves their stamina when running long distances.

4. Arabians are known for being people-oriented and it is believed this temperament was fostered in them by the way they were treated by the Arabs. It is believed that they raised the foals alongside their children and even brought the mares to live in their tents with them.

5. It’s common knowledge that Arabians are amazing endurance horses. This is in part due to where they come from – the desert sands of Arabia – and in part due to their structure. A unique quality of the Arabian horse is its large percentage of fast-twitch fibers. These horses are genetically designed to be fast, and their large and flexible nostrils allow them to breathe better while running, too.

6. Many of the world’s most famous men in history chose Arabians as their mount, including Napoleon and Alexander the Great. George Washington, who also chose this breed for his mounts, brought the first Arabian horses to U.S. soil and bred them with other horses to create a stronger Calvary mount.