Arabian Horse

A breed of horse with historic roots in West Asia, developed in the Middle East and especially on the Arabian Peninsula, and one of the oldest modern horse breeds; archaeological evidence points to horses resembling the modern Arabian in the region as far back as roughly 3,500 years ago. It is recognized by a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, stands between 14.1 and 15.1 hands and weighs 800 to 1,000 pounds, with dense, strong bone and notable endurance. The breed was shaped in desert conditions by Bedouin nomads, who bred for speed, intelligence and a cooperative temperament so the horses could serve as war horses and still live closely with the family, prized mares sometimes kept inside family tents. Arabians today dominate endurance riding and compete across many equestrian disciplines, and as one of the ten most popular horse breeds worldwide their bloodlines run through nearly every modern riding horse breed.