Arabs

[Lilybetsey]

Talk to me about Arabs. I’m a middle aged woman, 10 stone who has recently started riding again. I rode from a young child till my mid 30’s then stopped when I had young children. I’ve recently started riding again with a horse share but I would love to have my own horse, I have always always wanted an Arab.

It would be a full livery situation in a very experienced yard, with the option of onsite lessons ..

Fortunately the finance is not the main issue, I’m more worried that I might not be able to handle an Arab horse as all the ones I have ridden have been quite spirited ,

I have worked around horses ( many years ago ) for about 15 years and in all honesty Arabs would be the last bread I would go for , they tend to be very highly strung and flighty . They also have legs like matchsticks and of the three that I knew well all had some kind or another of lung problems , but that may of just been coincidence.

Personally I would go for something like a Belgium warm blood , a much stockier breed and tougher in general but still driven and intelligent

Depends what you want to do with it?

I've had an Arab x, not full Arab. Highly intelligent and best when in full work, she wouldn't have been happy as an occasional hacker, circle around the school arena but may have just been her personality.

I'm also a big fan of Warmbloods - trained plenty of youngsters for showjumping but also wouldn't own one as a pleasure horse - imo much better being "ridden" than a passenger carrier.

@sporkle , I agree the warm bloods we had were predominantly dressage, with some show jumpers , they need to be worked , if they were dogs I would liken them to the working retrievers / German sheps , great animals but with both horse and dog they can be a pain it the ass if they are bored

Have to say I've had Arabs as endurance horses in trekking roles and found them very reliable to ride, plus form very close bonds with their rider if 1 on 1. That said, they were all flighty on the ground to handle, just not to ride. And it must be noted mine were doing many hours of ridden work a day - it's like buying a collie or other working breed of dog. They are desert horses, bred for travelling many miles across deserts in a caravan of nomads....they weren't 'made' for life living in with minimal grazing and only an hour of work 3 times a week. So really depends how much exercise you plan to give yours. I've found warmbloods to be just, if not more, difficult. Welshies and finer Connemaras can look quite Araby, but with a much calmer temperament.

Echo the above suggestion of a Connie for something with a pretty head without the skittishness.

I’ve got a very vague acquaintance who specialises in Arabs - breeding/dealing/showing/producing so if you decide thats the route you want to go down PM me, I think she’s got a very good reputation

Thank you for your informative and non judgmental posts ! I was half expecting to be told I was super stupid for considering this!

But I think I might go for an Arab x Welsh D / Connie ... I can ride every day in the Summer but not n the Winter which is why I'm considering a full livery so the horse could be exercised even if I am not able to ride ...

I definitely need to do some more research and think this all through a bit more ...

Another issue you may find is that pure bred Arabs are really quite hard to come by unless you are willing to buy an unbacked youngster which I really really would not recommend as a first horse

The Arab x welshies that I’ve known are proper whizzy things that need hard work.

I agree, Arabs are beautiful, I rode some in the actual desert once which was quite an experience!

As a first horse, there would definitely be question marks. It's not that there aren't sane, safe Arabs out there that make good amateurs horses, but I'd put them in the same bracket as other blood/sports horses and TBs in that they were bred to do a specific job and can tend towards flightly/spooky/strong/'hot' behaviour if not very well trained and kept in a routine that suits them - bit like working breed dogs when kept in pet homes really. On the plus side Arabs are probably the soundest/hardiest and long lived of all the 'blood' breeds, probably better suited to living out in an english winter and less likely to break than a WB or TB...

But then again, a bit like dogs, any horse has the potential to develop problematic behaviour if not properly managed, even breeds which are usually thought to be 'easier' have their issues, cobs and draught horses can be bolshy and bargy, welshes can be nappy and temperamental, connemaras can be strong and nervy etc etc. So if your heart is set on an Arab I wouldn't say it's totally out of the question.

Regardless of breed, for a first horse most people are well advised to buy an established horse that is already ridden by a competent amateur/novice and successfully doing the kinds of things you want to do, e.g. hacking. dressage, SJ. Avoid having to train a horse from scratch (i.e. by buying a youngster) or even worse, re-training a horse which has already developed problems with someone else or which has been a competition/professionally ridden animal and failed at that job, because in the latter case although it may be well behaved whilst professionally produced, the change of routine and leadership/handling in an amateur/novice home may upset them and cause them to push boundaries etc.

Your main problem if looking for an Arab or Arab cross specifically, is that their popularity as general/leisure riding horses has massively declined in the UK over the last 25 years so your 'pool' of potential horses to consider will be much much lower than if you wanted a different breed or weren't fussed on breed. For sports horses, warmbloods and irish horses are much much more popular, and those few breeders/producers/dealers who focus on the amateur riders market will mainly have native ponies/crosses, cobs and ISHs/crosses as this is what most people seem to want these days. I think if you go for an arab you will need to be really patient as one suitable for a first horse won't come onto the market every day, be prepared to travel to view lots of horses and rigourously say no to ones that aren't suitable, be prepared to consider an older horse (arabs do often stay sound and healthy well into their 20s so don't write off a teen), make lots of contacts with the arab showing scene and perhaps endurance as well?

Good luck!

My favourite kind of Arab is someone else’s 🤷🏻‍♀️

As PPs have said, they are hard work. Stubborn, wilful, poor doers the list goes on. They’re amazing to look at and I definitely see the attraction, I had an Arab x myself. But even that horse was as hot blooded as they come.

Connie is a great choice.

There are a few Arabs at my yard and they're all lovely. One has recently been exhibiting dominance type behaviours but I think it's related to a long term lameness issue where he had to be kept on his own for a long time. Before that he didn't have any issues at all.

My take is that while there's nothing wrong with wanting a particular breed, once you start horse shopping, you might well end up with something that doesn't fit your ideal vision. It's kind of like dating. You have an idea of what you want, then you meet someone who unexpectedly sweeps you off your feet even though a piebald cob was the last thing you thought you wanted. But maybe I shop too much with my heart instead of my head.

Lastly, I had a papered Welshie who looked so much like an Arab that at least one person refused to believe she wasn't. Lovely dish face, light frame. She was an absolute hellion though -- probably would have been better off with an actual Arab!

If you're going for a cross, definitely look for Connie or Welsh B/C rather than Welsh D....I've personally owned 2 Welsh D x Arabs and have to say that particular combination makes for a difficult pony. You've got the strength and stubbornness of the Welsh cob, with the flightless of the Arab. The purebred Arabs were all much easier! Connie x Arabs are like gold dust though. Quite a few Arab x TBs around, and an Arab x ID makes for a saner type...

You are all so helpful. Thank you - I definitely would want an older established horse, not able to consider developing a youngster or any horse with known issues. The very last thing I want to to end up with is a horse I've ruined / am scared of riding / etc.

This is a project so I have time to look about, think and consider. I have the opportunity to travel and I think I'm able to be quite hard headed when making such an important decision.

I have seen quite a lot of Arabs advertised but as you said they are either young horses (lightly backed) which would not be suitable , broodmares or stallions (also completely unsuitable) so I can see it might be hard work. I'm giving myself 6-9 months to try and make some contacts / explore a bit / see whats out there with a view to actually buying in Summer 2021 ...

There is also the small ( ! ) matter that the yard I want to use does not have many livery horses so getting a space and a horse at roughly the same time might be an issue ...

I might also look for a loan or share in an Arab just to see ... while recognising that one horse is not the same as another. I used to be able to manage skittish / hot horses quite well .. but I'm older now and less brave than before ...

having said all that ... what do you think of this ...

classifieds.horseandhound.co.uk/horses-for-sale/endurance/stunning-12yo-arab-gelding-555310

Why is it only starting to be schooled at 12? That would raise red flags to be.
Also, they put forward going, which could mean a multitude of things.

Yeah beautiful horse but reading between the lines not a novice ride and has either been worked very hard (and not very successfully due to lack of stated comp record!) in a competitive endurance home and/or has had some significant injuries to be only just starting school work at 12... That sort of horse is exactly the type that I meant when saying they may not settle well in an amateur home, a horse that's been conditioned for endurance races will not be used to only doing an hours pootling around a day so who knows how they'll react (no offense meant, I am a pootler too!) ... POA usually means horrifyingly expensive also! Sorry to be a nay sayer but I'd be asking some very searching questions of the dealer!

I personally would never buy a horse in double figures age wise.
I’d want to know what they meant by forward going. I’ve got an overgrown Connie who is forward going- he’s nicely off the leg if not a touch sharp in open spaces but has a mouth like butter and pulls up on a sixpence
I’ve also got two basically retired ex racehorses One of which Could also be described as forward going but is absolute twit who needs to do everything at 100mph and gets ferociously strong.
It can mean everything from nicely off the leg to bolts all the time I’ve found!

@Lilybetsey I've ridden arabs both for racing and endurance. They are (for the most part) a handful and require confident and experienced rider with calm head. They can be nicer than TBs for racing but also smaller so way easier to get you off. Arabs are definitely smart animals and need to be kept entertained mentally a lot.

The one you posted about seems to be in full work, I'd check with the owner how he does being only ridden occasionally.

It really depends what you want out of this. A happy hacker? Show pony? Horsemanship friend?

@Lilybetsey also this: " Very forward going and light in the contact" translates to "bolts and when you try to stop him gets angry at the bit" (hence showed in a bitless bridle in the pics). I'd ride him in tack you plan to use before even considering to buy.

I'd say don't look for a particular breed. Look for one that is established in what you want to do, is the right size and has a nice temperament. It's a bit lime finding a husband. Not many people would specify that he needs to be from Norfolk or have brown eyes, it's how you get on together that counts.

I've had three Arab X's over the years and they've all been lovely with very distinct characters but none were novice rides.
More recently have been riding over in Spain and have become rather smitten with Andalucians, lovely to look at with good inquisitive temperaments.
I've found them to be really comfortable rides as usual conformation is short backed.

Definitely agree that the best thing to do is to consider temperament before type. I was lucky to have a lovely pure Arab on loan for a year who really was a saint. She didn’t put a hoof out of line in the time I had her. She took my 10 year old. daughter from being a complete beginner to confidently popping round an 75cm course. She was fabulous to hack out, You could literally sit back and enjoy the ride. She did it all, dressage, XC, SJ, fun rides, showing. In short a genuine school mistress. Only vice was she weaved. In contrast the Connemara I have now has been sharp as shit, 100 times more challenging and I wouldn’t have put a beginner on her although I do adore her!
Good luck searching.

My favourite horse ever was an Arab / Welsh C cross. He was amazing. Flew over fences. But! He got very excited, as was a real handful hacking out in company. I never had a quiet, ride on him, always some drama. I was much younger when I rode him, don’t think I’d even get on one like him these days.

I have a Arab/TB and an Arab/Luso - both are so laid back they are horizontal!

If you have any interest in Lusitanos let me know, I'm in Portugal and even with transport costs they are very, very cheap compared with UK prices.

@lilybetsy

You are all so helpful. Thank you - I definitely would want an older established horse, not able to consider developing a youngster or any horse with known issues. The very last thing I want to to end up with is a horse I've ruined / am scared of riding / etc.

This is a project so I have time to look about, think and consider. I have the opportunity to travel and I think I'm able to be quite hard headed when making such an important decision.

I have seen quite a lot of Arabs advertised but as you said they are either young horses (lightly backed) which would not be suitable , broodmares or stallions (also completely unsuitable) so I can see it might be hard work. I'm giving myself 6-9 months to try and make some contacts / explore a bit / see whats out there with a view to actually buying in Summer 2021 ...

There is also the small ( ! ) matter that the yard I want to use does not have many livery horses so getting a space and a horse at roughly the same time might be an issue ...

I might also look for a loan or share in an Arab just to see ... while recognising that one horse is not the same as another. I used to be able to manage skittish / hot horses quite well .. but I'm older now and less brave than before ...

I know some lovely arabs, who are not hot/skittish as described. There is something about them, but they are all brave, honest horses who are sensitive but not over sensitive. That said, they are all in a good amount of work- I wouldn't want to leave any of them for weeks without getting on and assume they would be fine.

But PBAs are also lovely!

I do think buying arabs these days can be tricky, as they are not a very popular breed anymore- so you are either buying young straight from stud or perhaps an older endurance horse who needs a step down. But keep an eye on arabian lines, as sometimes you do see good ridden arabs come up on there!

WRT livery, it's very likely when a stable becomes free you'll need to put down a deposit to hold the place, and possibly pay a monthly fee to keep the stable open. That's what's normal IME when you're looking to get a space on a popular yard!