Physical Characteristics
Arabians generally stand between 14.0 and 15.2
hands and weigh between 800 and 1,200 pounds.
A hand is 4 inches. The medieval equivalent would
have been a man’s fist. So, a fifteen hand
horse is 60 inches at the withers (the bone at
the base of the neck). An Arabian can carry nearly
half its weight. The Arabian’s head is its
defining characteristic. Small, concave (dished),
and triangular in shape, the Arabian’s head
is unique and a dominant feature that it has passed
on to other breeds.
Arabians are solid colored, but white is allows
on the face and legs. Bay, brown, chestnut, gray,
and black are acceptable colors. High white (stockings
above the knee) is undesirable. Though many people
think that most Arabians are white, this is not
the case. "Whites" are simply greys
who have turned white with age. They have dark
skin pigmentation, unlike albinos, whose skin
is pink. Undoubtedly, during the middle ages,
horses of color (pintos, buckskins, and palominos)
found their way into the Arab breed. However,
these horses would not have been considered pure
of line, and many Bedouin tribes would not allow
these horses into their camps, even if ridden
by a stranger. Today, Arabian stallions are often
matched with other breeds to bring out the best
characteristics of the breed.
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