Province
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The Arabian Horse
| Hail is world famous for the quality of its Arabian Horses. There are 15 horse farms in the province, and horses are sold to other provinces in the Kingdom and internationally |
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The origins of the Arabian horse are uncertain. Archaeological remnants record similar breeds coming from America, Asia, The Caspian Sea and Barbary Coast. By 870BH (400BG) one thing is certain: the Arabian horse exists in Hail, and it is different to all other horses in the world.
The Arabian horse is small. It stands 140 to 160 cm high, and seldom weighs more than 453 kilograms. It is also disproportionately fast and tough because of strong, "dry" tendons and an exceptionally hard bone structure. They also have different vertebrae which enhance both their strength and appearance.
The Arabian horse is not as fast over a short distance in comparison to other light horses (the Quarter Horse, Morgan and Thoroughbred) yet all those horses can attribute their better qualities to the Arabian.
Every Thoroughbred in the world is descended from just three Arabians: the Darley Arabian, the Byerly Turk and the Godolphin Barb which were imported into Britain between 1097H and 1141H (1687 - 1729) and bred to English horses.
On a journey to Hail in 1294H and 1296H (1878 -1879) Lady Anne Blunt saw the fabled stables of the region's ruler, Ibn Rashid. Her account of her journey, titled 'A Pilgrimage to Najd' is also a classic account of the Arabian horses she brought back to England which subsequently formed the nucleus of the famed Crabbet Stud in Sussex.
What the pure bred Arabian horse has, and is bred for, is stamina, courage and loyalty. It can carry heavier loads, over longer distances, faster, than any other horse in history. Attributes which have made this horse a loyal companion in battle - not only in Arabia, but throughout the world.
George Washington rode an Arabian throughout the American Revolution; Queen Victoria gave a medal to one (called Volonel ridden by Field Marshall Lord Roberts in the Indian campaigns); and Napoleon rode 80,500 km on Marengo, the Arabian immortalized in Delacroix's famous painting.
The Arabian horse appears in literature, painting poetry, and the Quran. In the desert they are the symbols of nobility and power. In poems, desert heroes praise their horses and address verses to them. The strength and prosperity of the tribe is measured by the number of its horses, which are called 'sibaya' - bringers of booty.
Early in the morning, while the birds were still nesting, I mounted my steed‚
Well-bred was he, long-bodied, outstripping the wild beasts in speed‚
Swift to attack, to flee, to turn, yet firm as a rock swept down by the torrent‚
Bay-colored, and so smooth the saddle slips from him, as the rain from a smooth stone,
Thin but full of life, fire boils within him like the snorting of a boiling kettle,
He continues at full gallop when other horses are dragging their feet in the dust for weariness.
By Imru al Qays: 96 BH (530) |
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