Short History of the Arabian
"Allah said to the South Wind: ‘Become
solid flesh, for I will make a new creature of
thee, to the honour of My Holy One, and the abasement
of Mine enemies, and for a servant to them that
are subject to me.’ And the South Wind said:
‘Lord, do Thou so.’ Then Allah took
a handful of the South Wind and he breathed thereon,
creating the horse and saying: ‘Thy name
shall be Arabian, and virtue bound into the hair
of thy forelock, and plunder on thy back. I have
preferred thee above all beasts of burden, in
as much as I have made they master thy friend.
I have given thee the power of flight without
wings, be it in onslaught or in retreat, I will
set men on thy back, that shall honor and praise
Me and sing Hallelujah to My name." -- Bedouin
legend.
The Mohammedans believed that the Arabian horse
was created by Allah, but like all other creatures,
the horse evolved through the centuries. Two basic
strains of horses were developed from the ancient
horse: the Occidental and the Oriental. The Occidental
included horses common to early Europe, such as
the Celtic pony and the Great Horse of the Middle
Ages. The Oriental strain included the mounts
of nomadic tribesman from the Asian Steppes, Near
East, and North Africa. It was from this strain
that the Arabian horse developed.
The Arabian is the oldest purebred horse in the
world (approximately 3,000 years). The Bedouins
of Mohammed’s time were zealous in their
attempts to keep the Arabian strain pure, and
would breed only the best of the animals to ensure
that genetic faults were not continued. In direct
contrast to medieval European thought, the Bedouins
prized the mare over the stallion, and used her
on raids. A Bedouin so highly prized his Arabian
mare that he kept her in his tent and often gave
her the best of the food.
For more information on the Arabian horse, see
Resources.
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