the classic arabian conformation

THE CLASSIC ARABIAN HORSE

byPeter Upton

Published byTHE ARAB HORSE SOCIETY UK

Windsor House . Ramsbury .Wiltshire .SN8 2PE

The opinions expressed in thispublication are not necessarily

those of the Arab Horse Society

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSE


IndexSherifa ........................................................................................ 4

The Arabian -Development of Type .................... 5Characteristics: .................................................................. 5Development and Selection: .............................................. 5Breeders and the Strains: .................................................. 6Variation in type: ................................................................ 6The Stallion ................................................................................ 8The Mare .................................................................................... 8Note: ........................................................................................... 9A six month old filly ................................................................ 10Mare and Foal ......................................................................... 10A 30 year old Stallion ............................................................. 11A yearling ................................................................................. 11

1 The Head .......................................................... 13Good heads .............................................................................. 14Jibhá ......................................................................................... 17Mitbah ...................................................................................... 17Natural arch of kneck .............................................................. 18

2 The Neck, Shoulder and Withers .................... 193 Back and Body ................................................. 234 Quarters and Tail ............................................. 24Tail carriage ............................................................................ 25

5 Forelegs ........................................................... 26Good forelegs .......................................................................... 27

6 Hindlegs ........................................................... 287 Feet ................................................................... 288 Coat, Hair and Skin ........................................ 319 Colour and Markings ...................................... 31Fleabitten grey ......................................................................... 32Unusual face markings ........................................................... 32A ‘Bloody shoulder’ mark ....................................................... 33

10 Height ............................................................. 3411 Strength .......................................................... 3412 Action and Style ............................................. 35Good tail carriage ................................................................... 38Excited ...................................................................................... 38

13 The Paces ....................................................... 41Walk: 4 time ...................................................................... 41Trot: 2 time ....................................................................... 41Canter: 3 time ................................................................... 41paces - the walk ....................................................................... 42paces - the trot ......................................................................... 44paces - Canter .......................................................................... 46

10 Skeleton of the Horse .................................... 4811 Points of the Horse ........................................ 50

SHERIFAAn engraving after the oil painting of Sherifa byStephen Pearce 1819-1904

The Arabian -Development ofType

The Arabian is the oldest purebred (asil) horsebreed in the world and its blood flows strongly inmost modern breeds of horse and pony including theBritish Thoroughbred.Characteristics:

It is a horse of great beauty, full of quality,vigour, elegance, dignity and refined power - anequine work of art.

Hallmarks of the breed are its exquisite head andhigh tail carriage. Without these distinctivecharacteristics, without type, identity is lost. Typeand good conformation are essential, neither aloneis enough, and charisma is a bonus. This presence orcharisma is a notable feature of all high casteArabians.

The Arabian is of a gentle, kindly andaffectionate, though spirited disposition anddisplays much intelligence. This is possibly due inpart to its long history as a close companion of manin war and peace. Stallions should be full of vigourand fire yet tractable and gentlemanly.

The breed is also famed for its courage, soundconstitution and great powers of endurance.Development and Selection:

The development of type, temperament andother characteristics is the result of selection.Natural selection played an important role in theharsh world of the desert where only the strong andhealthy survived, but this is no longer a relevantfactor. We must however never lose sight of thisattribute.

Selection through ‘inbreeding’ and line-breedinghelps to fix desirable characteristics by reducingvariations in type. But too close relationships canaffect fertility or produce other undesirable features,therefore outcrossing is also essential. Purity ofbreeding among the Bedouin tribes was perpetuatedby their isolation in the desert. Ghazus “raids”provided an opportunity to acquire celebrated maresand obtain fresh blood, though tribes with very goodmares were prepared to travel them vast distances tovisit a top stallion of another tribe.

Undoubtedly, certain lines “nick” well - this maybe due to a naturally harmonious relationshipbetween their characteristics. Perhaps mutualattraction, “love”, could also be a contributoryfactor. Often a mare will stand to one stallion buttake no interest in another.Breeders and the Strains:

However, the major contribution to thedevelopment of the breed was and is selection basedon the ideals of the breeder. This led in the past tothe family strains, continuing through the mare lineaccording to Bedouin custom. All strains appear tooriginate in the Keheilet Ajuz. For example theSaglawieh got its name from an old Keheiletbroodmare (‘awdah) who was a kicker (sagla). Adescendant of hers, one Dalmaz belonged to IbnJedran and so she became a Saglawieh Jedranieh.Two chestnut (shakrâ) daughters of hers werepurchased by Mansour Ibn Sudan and so we get theSeglawieh Jedranieh of Ibn Sudan or the SeglawiehSudanieh.

Breeding within the strain (inbreeding) seems tohave been practised rarely. No doubt in the pastcertain mares or “lines” bred consistently true andthis can be termed prepotency. The same is also trueof certain stallions. Indeed ‘family’ likenesses canstill be noted, but it would seem that today specifictype or colour can not be associated with particularstrains, for selection continues and new “strains” aredeveloped.Variation in type:

Although type is essential and the definition oftype should be standard, it can be ‘all things to allmen’, so variation in type is inevitable. But thosevariations must fall within the same broad conceptof what constitutes the ideal.

The contributions to the development of thebreed through selection possibly explain whytoday’s horses go back to such a small genetic pool.We don’t really know to what extent the originalhorses were related, but probably it was very closeas each strain came from the same family mare.

According to legend, all Arabians descendedthrough the Benat-el-Awaj (Daughters of theCrooked) to the Mare of Baz. He, Baz, was the greatgreat grandson of Noah, a descendant of Adam andEve, our own legendary genetic pool.

THE ARABIAN


The Stallion

The Mare

Note:In assessing type and conformation, allowance

should be made for sex, age and condition.Conformation must not be confused with condition.A stallion should appear masculine and the marefeminine. Foals and young stock changeconsiderably as they grow to maturity and oldhorses may be forgiven for the changes due to thenatural results of old age.

Arabians develop more slowly than theprecocious thoroughbred, but are well-known fortheir longevity and often they will continue breedingwell into their twenties - a mare with foal at foot orabout to foal may change in appearance due to hercondition and the same can be said of a horse inwork or racing fit.

Obviously a horse in healthy condition looksbetter than one in poor health, but too much‘condition’ (fatness) may well serve to disguisefaults and perhaps to amplify others.


A six month old filly

Mare and Foal


A yearling

A 30 year old Stallion - lookingwell but showing signs of his age



1 The Head‘A most intelligent and yet singularly gentle

look, full eye, sharp thorn-like little ear . . .’Palgrave 1862 ‘. . . marked depth of jowl also widthbetween the cheek bones. The ears are fine andbeautifully shaped but not very small. The eye islarge and mild, the forehead prominent and themuzzle fine, almost pinched . . .’ Blunt 1880.

One of the most distinctive features of theArabian is its head, which is extremely refined withthe bone structure clearly defined.

When seen from the side the head appearswedge-shaped, broad across the cheek bone andtapering to a fine ‘pint-pot’ muzzle. The eyes setlow in the head are large and of a limpid darkcolour. It is not a fault to have some white round theeye like a human eye. The nostrils in repose lieparallel to the profile of the face and are capable ofreal expression. The cheek bones are large, sharplyedged and set wide apart with clean flesh between (aclenched fist should fit between the jaw bones) -thus allowing throat room. The shafts of the underjaw are straight and not convex in shape, meetingcleanly at a clearly defined curb groove.

The narrow lower lip, particularly in certainmares, may be loose and pendulous in repose butwhen interested or excited it is drawn up tight. Themouth is long with a kind expression. A ‘dish’ in theprofile below the eyes is desirable but by no meansessential.

The forehead may be flat or can bulge somewhat(in a jibhá).

Seen from the front the head appears broadacross the forehead, the eyes set well out, and theedges of the cheek bones must be cleanly definedand the muzzle small. Yet the nostrils are large andfinely edged with a delicate curl and extremelyflexible with great expansion. Ears are quite closetogether, finely chiselled and expressive with thetips often curved. Mares often have somewhat larger

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEthe Head

Good heads

Jibhá

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEthe Head

Mitbah

Mitbah

Jibhá


Natural arch of kneck

If the head is heldvery high it maycause the kneck tobulge underneath alittle


2 The Neck, Shoulder andWithers

‘The head, too, and this is perhaps the mostdistinguishing feature, is set on at a different angle .. the neck of the Arabian is light.’ Blunt.

The head fits to the neck at an angle of morethan 90°, so that it appears to spring out in a naturalcurve which allows for an open throat line (Mitbah),giving the neck an arched appearance at all times.The modelling is clean and not fleshy, there beingno appearance of acute angles. Stallions usuallyhave a definite crest and may therefore be a littlethicker through the throat. Mares must have leannecks with extreme finesse through the throat.

Length of neck is important but Arabiansgenerally are not so long in the neck as theThoroughbred, although its flexibility, high carriage,natural curve and fine throat give an appearance oflength.

The shoulder is well laid-back, long and clearlydefined at the withers - which are usually lessprominent than the Thoroughbreds.

The neck springs from the top of the chest - notlow down - and runs well back to the withers. Thechest is deep and reasonably wide.

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEthe Shoulders and Withers

Lovely head, though the kneck isslightly underhung and the shoulderis upright

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEthe Shoulders and Withers

Good mare - note easy reach of thehead and natural curve of the kneck


3 Back and Body‘A little saddle-backed, just the curve that

indicates springiness without weakness.’ Palgrave.‘The back is shorter than in our thoroughbreds

and the barrel rounder.’ Blunt.The back is quite short and strong though often

somewhat longer in a mare. A slight concave line isdesirable between the well-defined withers and theloins which spring strongly in a curve to thequarters. Being a riding horse there must be a placefor a saddle.

The body is deep through and quite wide, for theribs are particularly round and well-sprung, theflank must be set low, giving a closely-coupled look.Although the back is short, the well laid shouldergives a long underline so that the horse stands overa lot of ground.


4 Quarters and Tail‘A tail set on high, rather thrown out at a perfect

arch.’ Palgrave. ‘The tail is carried high bothwalking and galloping and this point is much lookedto as a sign of breeding.’ Blunt.

Good length from hip to point of buttock isnecessary, and also good width across both hips andthighs when seen from behind. The point of croupmust not be higher than the withers and the line ofthe quarters should be nearly horizontal with the tailappearing as a natural extension to this line.

The thighs are strong and well-muscled up.A distinguishing feature of the Arabian is its

elevated tail carriage, arching away from the quarteror held like a flag particularly when the horse ismoving or excited. When very excited the Arabianmay plume his tail right over his quarters.

A slight sideways carriage of the tail isacceptable.


Tail carriage

Sideways twistto the tail


5 Forelegs‘Legs fore and hind that seemed as if made of

hammered iron.’ Palgrave‘The legs are strong but with less bone in

proportion than back sinews. This last is perhapsthe finest point of the Arabian, in whom abreakdown seldom or never occurs.’ Blunt.

The Arabian must stand over a lot of groundwith the forelegs set well forward thus leaving theelbows clean and free. The scapula should be welllaid back and long, the humerus short and relativelyupright so placing the radius well forward. SeeSkeleton. The forearm is strongly muscled and longwith well set down large, flat knees and shortcannon bones between the joints. Tendons are clean,clearly defined, hard like steel and parallel to thebone. Pasterns are of a reasonable length and slopewith an elastic action and joints must be clean-cutand not rounded.

When viewed from the front the legs must beparallel to each other and the chestnuts small.

Good forelegs

Good forelegs



6 Hindlegs‘The hocks are larger, better let down and not so

straight.’ Blunt.Hocks are large and absolutely clean with a

straight drop, i.e.. whatever the position of the hindleg when the hoof is on the ground an imaginaryline drawn from fetlock to point of hock if extendedupwards will meet the point of buttock. Gaskinsmust be strong and well muscled-up. Cannon bones,tendons and fetlocks as with forelegs but pasternsare a little steeper behind than in front.

When viewed from behind the legs should beparallel.

7 Feet“A neat round hoof, just the requisite for hard

ground.” Palgrave. “The hoofs are round and largeand very hard.” Blunt.

Fore hoofs are circular in form and open, thehind ones more oval in shape with a smooth surfacegiving a naturally polished look. The horn is veryhard and the angle of pastern and hoof should besimilar at approximately 45° although the hindpasterns tend to be slightly steeper than the frontones.

Good with hip bonesplaced high and wideacross

Straight hind legs



8 Coat, Hair and SkinThe coat is extremely fine and silky in quality -

i.e. so fine that veins and skin markings showthrough. Around eyes and muzzle the hair is sosparse that the skin colour predominates, giving anappearance of the application of kohl. The skin isrefined, velvety to the touch and of a deep blackcolour, except where natural white markings occurwhen the skin is pink. The thinness of the skin issuch that blood vessels are often visible. Manes andtails are fine and silky, not too profuse and of anatural length.

Legs and heels are clear of excess hair.An indentation, usually in the neck and known

as ‘the Prophet’s thumb-mark’ appears on manyArabians.

9 Colour and MarkingsColours are grey, chestnut, bay, brown and

black, but whatever the colour it should be strong.Some browns are so dark that they may appear

black, but a true black has black muzzle and flanks.Chestnuts range from dark liver (the colour of

Victoria plums) through copper to golden with analmost metallic iridescent sheen and their manes andtails vary from pale cream to red.

Bays vary from red through to so dark a bay thatit is almost brown. Bays always have black pointsand manes and tails.

Greys, born dark, go through stages of colourchange from rose grey - foaled chestnut, iron grey -foaled black brown to dapple grey. These dapplesare usually dark on a lighter ground, but can bemore rarely, light on a dark ground ‘snowflakes’.Eventually greys turn quite white, though the maneand tail may remain darker, or they go fleabittenwhich occurs with red or blue, black flecks. Somefleabitten greys are so heavily marked that thecolour of the fleck is more


Fleabitten grey

Unusual face markings


evident than the grey base. With greys the headoften whitens before the body. It may also benoticed that as greys go whiter

with age the skin tends to darken. This ispossibly due to the retention of melanin in the skinwhich would normally have passed into the haircolour. It may also be seen that foals who will turngrey are usually born with particularly dark coatswhether bay/brown or chestnut, though some greyusually appears around the eyes and the base of theears.

On some greys there appear ‘bloody shoulder’marks. These are like birth marks where partialflecking is retained.

White markings are a notable feature in manyArabians and so they have been for generations.They are most commonly found in the form of facemarkings such as stars, blazes and snips, or in legmarkings like socks or stockings. However onoccasions, white markings take unusual or extremeforms giving the horse a parti-coloured appearance.Body spots and white flecking are also found andwhen the flecking is excessive it gives anappearance of roaning.

A ‘Bloody shoulder’ mark


10 Height‘Their stature was indeed somewhat low, I do

not think any were above 15hh., but they were soexquisitely well-shaped that want of greater sizeseemed hardly, if at all, a defect.’ Palgrave. ‘Thepure-bred Bedouin horse stands from 14 to 15hands.’ (143cm - 153cm) Blunt.

There is no height limit.Arabians usually stand between 14.2 to 15.2hh

(143cm - 158cm) though many are both larger orsmaller than this. However quality and type tends tobe lost when increased height is of the firstconsideration.

Arabians should make perfect riding horses andalthough it may be said that lack of size is a limitingfactor, they in fact ride big, due to their naturalbalance, good conformation and harmony of action.

The average weight of the Arabian is 850-1000lbs (385kg - 453kg).

11 StrengthThe strength and power of the Arabian is well

illustrated by the example of Maidan, foaled in 1869in Nejd and sold to India. Not only did he win racesas a two year old on the flat but he was still winningsteeplechases 20 years later and in between times hehad served Lieut-Col Brownlow, a man of 19 stone(120kg), as a charger in the campaigns in India andAfghanistan and taken part in a famous march of300 miles from Kabul.


12 Action and StyleThe action is free and expressive and naturally

balanced, so that the horse moves lightly and easilyover the ground. There must be good flexion of allthe joints and not a stiff ‘daisycutting’ action.Therefore the forelegs should move freely withunrestricted shoulder and knee action giving a longstride with the movement generating from the top ofthe shoulder. The hocks are engaged well under thehorse so providing great impulsion and suppleness.The hind legs should track up well, i.e. the imprintsof the hind hoofs must overstep those left by thefront hoofs.

This and the high carriage of the head andforehand tends to place the centre of gravity furtherback than is generally

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEAction and style

found in other breeds of horse. The whole action isfull of such harmony that the horse appears to floatand dance.

From the front the action is absolutely straight.Viewed from behind the Arabian may well swing thehocks inwards slightly on the forward movement -particularly at extended paces. (This is due to thenecessity of the stifle to move outside the well-sprung ribs especially if the horse tracks up well asit should.) Some families go wide behind instead.Both are alternative ways of overcoming ananatomical necessity.

When in action the head and the tail are carriedhigh.

Pride and spirit are distinguishing Arabiancharacteristics, which can be seen when the horse ismoving. Its overall outline, tremendous activity,arch of neck, high tail carriage and dilated nostrilscan then be viewed best, and of course some faultsare often more obvious when the horse is in motion.

Note: In assessing a horse the first overallimpression is usually based on type, action andstyle. This is then supported by a closer analysis ofthe head, neck, shoulder and withers, back and body,quarter and tail, legs and feet, coat, hair, skin andmovement.


Good tail carriage

Excited


13 The PacesWalk: 4 timeThe horse moves his legs laterally and consecutivelyso that there are 4 hoof beats to a stride. 2 or 3 feetare always on the ground and there is no period ofsuspension.(1) Off-hind(2) Off-fore(3) Near hind(4) Near fore (If the rhythm is irregular, the walk isimpure)Trot: 2 timeAlternative diagonals are moved simultaneouslygiving 2 hoof beats to a stride.The diagonals are separated by a moment ofsuspension.(1) Left diagonal -near fore and off-hind.(2) Right diagonal -off fore and near-hind.(If the rhythm is irregular, the trot is impure e.g.foreleg in advance, hind leg in advance, hind legs atcanter.)Canter: 3 timeA bounding movement of 3 hoof beats to a stride.Sequence of feet on ground (1) 1 hind and 2forelegs (2) 1 foreleg (3) suspension (4) 1 hind leg(5) 2 hind and 1 foreleg.Off-fore lead:(1) Near hind(2) Diagonal of off-hind and near fore (3) Off-foreFor near-fore lead(1) off hind(2) diagonal near hind and off fore(3) near-fore.(A disunited canter is impure as is a canter when 4hoof beats are heard which means that the diagonalhind is in advance of the fore leg.)

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEpaces - the walk

1

2

3

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEpaces - the walk

4

5

6

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEpaces - the trot

1

2

3

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEpaces - the trot

4

5

6

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEpaces - Canter

1

2

3

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEpaces - Canter

4

5

6


10 Skeleton of the HorseThe most important feature of the Arabian’s

skeleton is the particular quality and density of theivory-like smooth bone. It is not size of bone butdensity of bone that counts, this is not to say thatlack of bone is acceptable.

The skull is short and tapering with large roundeye sockets, small teeth and long mouth bars. A dipusually appears in the profile below the eye socketsand the underjaw has straight shafts and a largecircular jaw bone.

The Arabian often has only 17 pairs of ribsinstead of the more usual 18 or 19, 5 lumbarvertebrae, instead of 6 and 16 instead of 18 tailvertebrae. The cervical vertebrae, especially wherethe Atlas joins the occipital at the top of the skull,meets at a less acute angle than in other breeds.

The shaft of the ulna, the small bone of thelower foreleg, is complete.

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSESkeleton of the horse


11 Points of the Horse

1 Ears2 Forelock3 Eye4 Nose5 Nostril6 Muzzle7 Chin8 Chin Groove9 Shafts of jaw10 Cheek11 Throat12 Neck13 Poll14 Crest15 Jugular Groove16 Withers17 Shoulder18 Point of Shoulder19 Chest20 Forearm21 Knee22 Cannon23 Fetlock joint24 Pastern

25 Coronet26 Hoof27 Elbow28 Chestnut29 Trapezium30 Tendons31 Heel32 Back33 Body34 Belly35 Flank36 Stifle37 Gaskin38 Girth Groove39 Suspensory

Ligament40 Hock41 Thigh42 Point of Buttock43 Point of Hip44 Loins45 Croup46 Dock47 Tail

THE CLASSIC ARAB HORSEPoints of the Horse

Published byTHE ARAB HORSE SOCIETY UK

Windsor House . Ramsbury .Wiltshire .SN8 2PE

the classic arabian conformation

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