The Arab Conflict

Oh the Arabian horse! How stunning! Celebrated as the most beautiful breed in the world, the hardiest and most enduring horse, and the most intelligent. They hold their tails high like flags, they scream with the fire of thousands of years of selectively bred war horses. The head is a masterpiece in itself; small, alert ears accentuate the forehead's jibbah, said to hold all the wisdom of the world, just above huge, blazing eyes, curving to a tiny, tapered muzzle with large, snorting nostrils, carried on a long, fine, mitbah. One look into the eyes of an Arabian, and all of the mysteries of the world unravel, souls intertwine, and dreams are created. A more beautiful creature God has not made.

Keeping all of this in mind, it is not uncommon that I should hear derogatory remarks about these great animals.
"Oh, you ride one of THOSE horses..."
"They're only good for looking pretty."
"They can't jump worth a crap."
"Be careful, they're so hot-headed."
I, for the life of me, will never understand this. Half of the people that say stupid things like this have never even ridden one!!!! OMFG so ONE Arabian you've met has snorted a lot or shied away from something, BFD! YOU were probably being a bad rider!! Yes, I went there!! Since when does that mean that every single one out there will do the same? And NO, Arabians are not hot-headed, period. I have owned one for 3 years, taken lessons and ridden them for 6, I think I would know. I have never met a hot-headed Arabian. The only time I've ever seen an Arabian that appeared distraught or frightened was when I was at an Arabian show. You know why he was frightened? Because he was at his first show, and his reaction wouldn't have been different if he was a quarter horse. Speaking of quarter horses.....naw, I'll go on about them in a different post. But my point is, if someone from a different country were to piss you off, would you label everyone from that country forever? Don't do the same with horse breeds. My last horse was an Arabian, and we won high-point championships at open breed dressage shows, competed (and won) up to level 3 jumpers, consistently placed at 3-day events up to novice, and schooled up to 5'3" at home. The only reason I sold him was because of financial reasons, and now that things are better, if I could I would buy him back in a heartbeat. Arabians are wonderful, athletic horses that try for their owners and achieve as much as they possibly can. They are loving, kind gentle, and sweet. They are intelligent and will do whatever is asked of them. They are responsive and quick. But most notably, they are diamonds in the rough, super horses with powers that few have discovered. And one day, when I'm much older and have my own stable, I will find an Arabian with extraordinary ability and train it to be an international caliber show jumper. Because they have it in them, and I want to prove that to the world.