Majestic Arabian Horse

The Majestic Arabian Horse
By Michael Russell

Bedouins believed that the horse was a gift from Allah. It was to be cherished, revered, almost worshipped. The Arabian horse has been bred for centuries, with its beginnings in the oases around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the countries known in our modern history as Iran, Iraq, and Syria, as well as other parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

Because the Bedouins cherished their horses, the bloodlines were a jealously guarded family treasure within the different tribes. There are records which indicate that the nomads began breeding these superb horses as early as 3000 to 2500 B.C. However, the modern Arabians trace their roots back to five mares which were owned by King Solomon around 1600 B.C. Those five mares were known as "Al-Khamesh", literally "the five". Those five bloodlines were Kehilan, Seglawi, Abeyan, Hamdani and Hadban. As substrains were developed in each of the bloodlines, those would be named for celebrated mares and/or sheiks who significantly contributed a substantial branch to the strain.

Each of the five original strains had significant characteristics which were preserved in breeding pure Arabians. A brief description of each follows:

The Kehilan had a deep chest, masculine power, and size. The average height for a pure Kehilan was up to 15 hands (60 inches, or 152.4 centimeters) at the shoulder. It had a short head with a broad forehead, and wide jowls. The most common colors were chestnut and grey.

The Seglawi had a refined look and was noticeably femininely elegant. The bone structure was fine and the face and neck were significantly longer than that of the Kelihan. The most common color was grey, and the average height was 14.2 hands (144.27 cm., or 56.8 in.).

The Abeyan was quite similar to the Seglawi. It shared the refined look, but tended to have a longer back than the other strains. It averaged 14.2 hands, was commmonly grey, and had more white markings that most Arabians.

The Hamdani line had a plainer look than that associated with Arabian horses. It was athletic and masculine in appearance, with a large bone structure. The head was straighter in profile than the typical Arabian and it lacked the bulging forehead which the Bedouins believed was "the blessings of Allah". This strain was one of the largest, standing 15.2 hands (60.8 in., or 154.43 cm.) at the shoulder. The most common colors were bay and grey.