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T O P I C R E V I E W
justine
Posted - 12 Apr 2012 : 10:45:04 AM After the Genetics topic, Id like to know everyones ideal Arabian and why? I`ll start- The late EL SHAKLAN and The living Legend ALI JAMAAL. For me they are the opitomy of Arabian type. Great structure/conformation, move with elegance whilst showing extreme power, beautiful dished faces, very dry and typey, lovely hooky well set necks, chests with plenty of heart room, short strong cannons, long strong croups with good hips.... I can go on.... These are just 2 horses out of very many who have a good mixture of all thats required to be breed standard Arabians :)
25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
Etoile
Posted - 18 Apr 2012 : 6:16:53 PM Our ideal arab has good conformation, a good sturdy leg at each corner with a strong, neat hoof at the bottom, a lovely sloping shoulder for speed, a good strong, short back and a back end that gives both speed and power. In other words a performance horse who can turn his/her hoof to anything and everything and will last without breaking. Plus good temperament - easy to get along with both on the ground and when riding but with a little bit of edge and character there to make it more interesting.
Pretty is as pretty does and a lovely arched neck carried proudly with an eyecatching head is ideal, but not essential, just a well shaped head with a big kind eye. Certainly not the extreme sea-horse head that seems to be in vogue in the show ring.
Then there's that indefinable something that I can't put into words that makes them look/feel magical at times.
So our perfect arab would be epitomised by Crusader - performance, prescence and style which he passed onto his offspring (this of course is in no way influence by the lovely Salladin )
However perfect a specimen though he/she will only be your ideal arabian if the two of you click!
moonlight
Posted - 17 Apr 2012 : 4:28:53 PM African Emir - and i am lucky enough to have a son of his! Beautiful bay Crabbet stallion who has turned his hoof to many things over the years and has a wonderful temperament, am hoping my boy will follow in his hoofprints. Funnily enough they both have a fascination for farm machinery!
susan p
Posted - 17 Apr 2012 : 3:17:16 PM I love Mirage too Judi breeds lovely horses,,not that I am biased lol
justine
Posted - 17 Apr 2012 : 12:28:51 PM My ex stallion Jazzmeen, black, beautiful, sj, xc, dressage, spanish walk, great sire and a sweet gentleman :) Mares - Ludjteyna, Pandora el Jamaal, Lara el Ludjin, Imeleena (Jazzmeen x Illyria el Jamaal) mine :) her daughter Indyah el Aryes :) Seems Im choosing Jamaals/Ludjins again! Quite partitial to a bit of Bey Shah blood to add some serious presence :) Oh and some big Spanish eyes :)
Anne Harris
Posted - 16 Apr 2012 : 10:02:28 PM Long long list I have to admit and Kate Judal's Mirage has turned into a stunning man. I remember him winning the BNC at Malvern as a yearling.
Stivalary has totally changed my breeding programme. She blew me away at Malvern in 2010.
brychens mum
Posted - 16 Apr 2012 : 9:36:54 PM Been out of Arabs for many years, hoping to buy one in the next few years but small child now wants a pony so may be not. The one's I have seen in real life and loved were; Procyon - just fab Hanif - pretty amazing Silver dream Dawish Spey Cristal Jane cadris stallion by Banat Rostam Aboud - I don't like chestnuts but I loved him.
Main demonitors are nice head and tail betwix good bodies with substance.
I used to wish the uk had access to modern egyptian lines but I'm saddened by how hightened the emphasise on type Aka barbies horse has lead to the loss of rideability. A shame for a breed meant to be the ultimate war and race horse.
Pauline
Posted - 16 Apr 2012 : 8:52:30 PM How does one find their ideal Arab.
My friend has been looking for a while now for a 14.2 - 15 h mare or gelding that is 4-6 and most of all good legs and feet.
My friend as had 4 Arabs fail the vets because of either feet or legs.
I like the Crabbet myself good solid horses.
s.jade
Posted - 16 Apr 2012 : 11:02:39 AM So many amazing horses to pick out a few, but for me Padrons Psyche has that something. I have two of his daughters and the perfect Arabian in my mind is one of those, my amazing Rohara Faberge. Beautiful, correct, sweet natured and USEFUL! Not only does she know how to set a show ring alight, she is also a fantastic all round ridden mare and family horse, handled by children and adults alike (if anyone witnessed my then 4yr old sister riding her round straight after her in hand class at Wetherby last year they would see just what a sweetheart she is!) as well as a consistent producer of lovely fillies, two of whom I own also!!
Callisto
Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 11:48:03 PM Actually I think Tiger is an excellent example of the ideal Arabian - he's even my favourite colour
Jess.And.Tiger
Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 9:38:33 PM Well for me Tiger haha
He's SO much more than 'Just a pretty face'
hazelcat74
Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 8:28:22 PM Happy to say the one I own, she is not registered and I'm not up on breeding but was told she is mainly egyptian. More importantly to me she has fab temperament, definitley would be happy to share a tent with her, she is very intelligent,loyal and gentle but also fiesty and full of spirit, (and is chestnut)and although I have had her 5 years she still takes my breath away when she is in full arab mode flying round the field with tail flagged and on her toes.
garnet
Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 7:06:14 PM Mikeno (Kharidian knows where I am coming from with this one!) Aureme - the most beautiful filly; all these years after I saw her at Malvern she still sticks in my mind.
misterei
Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 3:48:02 PM Ideal? in order, tough question. 1. Temperament. It must be easy to handle on the ground, come when called (mostly), have some attitude but at the same time show physical respect (so not bullying), trust me, come to me for comfort when unsure, support me when I stumble, play with me and with the others, know its place in the pecking order, but be allowed to find that place, communicate with me, but I must listen, and mostly be a friend. 2. Ridable. It must be sound, fit and able to carry a fairly dead weight, (watch me ride, you will see what I mean). I try my best and don't ride often or for long (about 10 minutes in the school is all I can manage, but they are usually ridden for up to three hours by more accomplished riders), and I try to respect to them and understand what they put up with. Soft mouths, no yanking to get them going, (seen a judge do that, what we refer to as ruining a horse), willing, comfortable for us and the tack must be comfortable for them, it must be a two way understanding. I love the fun of riding and dealing with the unexpected. I enjoy a spin, a spook, etc. it makes horse riding like being on a motor bike, on ice and is more a test of your ability to balance and be in sync with the horse, at the risk of coming off. I also like a horse that does go only where you point it when asked. So, if you don't want to come off or want the horse to spin, tell it where you want it to go. With trust and good two way communication they usually will. 3. Health - Don't like expensive vet bills, don't enjoy watching a horse that is unwell and not understanding why it is suffering, how much it is suffering or where the pain is. Sometimes vets don't seem to know either, but horses are not always any better than babies at explaining these things. 4. Condition - Some of the above come about through having good confirmation, good legs, strong back, sound muscles and bone. Some of this is passed on from good parents, and some from the correct amount and type of exercise, so you don't make a weakness worse, you don't over work or under exercise a horse. 5. Colour - I am really fond of chestnuts, bays and steel greys. I like others, and I have four greys, but I am not keen on white, but when I see a white grey I often think, he/she looks very nice. I think my ideal is the colour of a two or three year old steel grey, when they are still dark with patterns where the white is coming through and they have dark legs. That is sometimes magical, but then they get older and lighter. Still the thread is about Ideal. 6. Shape of head - I don't like roman nose thoroughbreds but I do like almost anything arab, from plain to medium disk, I get concerned by what I call Extreme Dish, as it may impede breathing in a few generations time if it is passed on and the gene pool shrinks due to something being decided as good by humans and not nature. It has happened with so many other types of animals, scares me a bit, the Arab is too precious and we should as responsible breeders encourage some gene spreading. (I must admit I am guilty of breeding from a limited herd with Russians, but in the wild a herd would tend to in-breed to some degree, and for the next generation we may decide to breed out, as we did with our first). 7. Movement - For sheer physical athleticism, a floating trot is one area when I think our human judgement sees this as something special. (I know I am not consistent, I have faults, I am a man and human, ipso facto). The flicky toes is great to witness, especially with a rider on board. 8. Verstile - It is nice if you can show it in hand and also ride it and do endurance or pleasure rides, dressage, some jumping, maybe racing. 9. Sex - Mare or Stallion, I don't mind, we have a wonderful gelding but feel sad that his genes are definately the last of his breeding to be passed on. He has mostly Crabbet and is quite a horse. Our others are all girls, but I would like a colt so I can learn about the behaviour of a boy. We just don't seem to be able to breed one. 10. I couldn't select one arab, they all come with imperfections and as owners we can spot them much easier than anybody else, My ideal horse is the one I am with at the time, if it has any of the above I am happy. If it has none of the above, I suspect it isn't an Arab.
LadyLuck1
Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 1:12:50 PM Kirstie is my perfect Arab love her 14.2hh, bay, fab temperment and my instructor says she is incredibly forgiving with me as I am a clumsy fool. I wanted a confidence giver, which she is considering that she is only 5. For boys I love Rusleem, H Tobago and Av Montoya
Alyth Long
Posted - 14 Apr 2012 : 06:53:23 AM It's a jolly good thing that there are so many different types of Arabian horses!!! You can go for the smaller silver Crabbet types, the larger Crabbet "super horses" the Russian athletes, the modern day "show" types, the Spanish "conquistador" types.....and so on and so on. To me temperament is the number one priority. It doesn't matter how beautiful the horse is, or how well he has done at shows or racetracks, if he is not your partner and mate you might as well forget him....The next priority, for me is movment. Not flashy. Simply straight, true, purposeful movement that will get you where you want to go......if the movment is good the conformation cannot be too bad!!! Look to Wilfred Blunts comments. So there have been many Arabians that have inspired me. Aliha....Drug....Naseem....Crystal Fire....Ferzon....I think I am partial to the "silver" lines!!!! But the best of all is my little 13.3hh 3/4 Gainey mare that has been with me all her life, we have been through so much together and she has only once graced a showring - never again for me!!! But I would turn down a million dollars (or pounds sterling!!) for her....she is the mare I will ride in my old age....!!!!
Kharidian
Posted - 13 Apr 2012 : 11:19:45 PM Mmmn, good point, Cinnypony! I suppose it's because of the sheer number of progeny/market influence a stallion can influence?
Caryn
Cinnypony
Posted - 13 Apr 2012 : 11:15:27 PM Just wondering why v few have mentioned mares as their ideal Arab?
Just an observation...
justine
Posted - 13 Apr 2012 : 9:43:03 PM Keep this going, its free for all and no onw will judge!
taranstorm
Posted - 13 Apr 2012 : 8:03:31 PM WH JUSTICE every time for me!
MinHe
Posted - 13 Apr 2012 : 6:43:15 PM If you look at Jenny Lee's Bahreinis, direct from the desert, from a gene pool with no western influence, they are all over 15hh. Not all of the Blunts' original imports were small either. However, it has to be said that Bedouin were not terribly big men, living as they did on a very meagre diet, and all the arms they carried originally were a sword and lance - later a carbine and bandolier of cartridges. So they are hardly to be compared with the amount of arms/armament the Paras carried in the Falklands, for example.
Keren
phoenixbruka
Posted - 12 Apr 2012 : 10:59:07 PM
Originally posted by glo
I would like, good bone 9in plus, good conformation, good movement, solid with a leg in each leg corner, good shaped feet ( lot of Arabs have irregular feet) dished faces (not extreme) The list could go on and on. Must be up to carrying the people of to day, not the Arabs that are 15hh tall, and 6in wide that are very pretty but not good for anything except posing, and would have a hart attack if had to ever be ridden by someone over 8 stone.
Arabs had to carry men in full battle dress, some of today's Arabs are not up to that job, in fact they are not up to being ridden, we need the breeders to breed stronger, sounder, better conformation horses that are true to what the Arab breed is all about not the weedy weak deformed excuses that are in fashion at the moment.
Sorry it sounds harsh, but sadly its true.
Thats exactly what I'd want..... hang on ... I've got it!!
Susie
P.S
Posted - 12 Apr 2012 : 10:04:09 PM I think alot of the arabs that are fashionable have had an extremely good advertising team behind them- seems to me that with enough advertising/airbrushing and right handlers you could get a yack/arab into the top 10. It bewilders me how many mares are bred from that are 'lacking' and how many stallions are used from a glossy picture. Ever more distressing is how many horses are being placed in major competitions with club feet,weak/deformed legs and conformation that would never carry a roller let alone a man across desert in battle. Funny how thousands of years of selective breeding can be ruined in less than 100- whats with all this inhand OR ridden arabs- pap to that- Im looking forwards to the day that fashion goes back to dictating my arab can go and win the inhand classes in the morning, the undersaddle in the afternoon and then hack home 20miles!
RUTHIE
Posted - 12 Apr 2012 : 9:39:57 PM I feel I have the right Arab for me. He ticks all my boxes. 98.6% Old English Crabbet. Plenty of bone, deep girth and all the 'Flash' I need. Good length hip to hock so I know he will be fast. Good endurance horse with elegance for dressage and with enough power behind to jump too. A good all round riding Arab.!
Esther
Posted - 12 Apr 2012 : 9:00:20 PM The bay one in my field (and my sig). We've shared a lifetime together.
(Procyon x Blue Quatrain (Sha'ir))
natntaz
Posted - 12 Apr 2012 : 8:58:16 PM Kate b your boy is stunning
Glo i have to agree with a great deal you have said.
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