Breed Standards

The Arabian horse is instantly recognizable in any company. The world's oldest pure breed of equine, has retained, to a startling degree, the qualities and unique physical characteristics of his ancient, desert ancestors. Thus, modern breed standards for the Arabian horse are, in large part, those described by individuals who saw the horse in his native context, at a time when the Arabian was in actual use by the Bedouin tribes of North Africa.

For thousands of years, his  exquisite, finely-drawn head, with huge, low-set eyes, small muzzle, tip-tilted ears, large nostrils and thin, almost translucent skin, have immediately distinguished him from other horses. Those and other breed hallmarks are as treasured today as they were millennia ago.

"He is a perfect animal," noted Major R. D. Upton, who traveled to the Arabian desert in 1875. "There is a balance and harmony throughout his frame that is not seen in any other horse … the quintessence of all good qualities, in a compact form."

"The build of the Arab is perfect. It is essentially that of utility," stated famous American cartoonist Homer Davenport, who returned from Syria in 1906 with 27 Arabians, given him as a gift by Bedouin leaders he had befriended. "The exquisite head and high tail carriage, dignity, vigor, elegance and refined power, a short back and well laid-back shoulder … strong, clean legs with very hard hoofs …  and free, expressive action with natural balance… is the totality of the qualities that makes an Arabian horse."

Read more on historical perspectives of breed standards...