The Arabian horse is a true warrior!

There is no other horse that has influenced our modern breeds of horses so much as the Arabian. It was this horse that moved mountains and crossed rivers, he was the prized possession of pharaohs and kings… they say that Mohamed proclaimed that the Arabian was a gift from Allah himself…King Solomon stood in awe of this mighty breed…

No other breed of horse has influenced the world so much as the Arabian… Alexander the Great rode an Arabian… George Washington rode an Arabian…this was the horse that everybody wanted to have.

However, where did the Arabian come from, really? Well, Mohamed believed that the Arabian came from Allah… but people nowadays are not that sure as to the origins of the Arabian horse, it is believed that the ancestors of the Arabian were horses that ran wild around the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers… after domestication by the Bedouins, the Arabian became a prized war horse, perfect for life in the desert. The Bedouins started a selective breeding program; something that they were almost fanatical about… as the fame of the Arabian grew, each tribe had its own strain of Arabians, for extremely high prices you could buy some breeding stock, but when it came to the prized mares there was no use in even asking for a price, because you wouldn’t get one.

It was the mares that were the ones ridden in to battle… they had the lightness of foot and the speed necessary to get in and get out… many people think of the Bedouins as a people that liked to war a lot… and that was true about them to a certain extent.

Nevertheless, they had a politeness and a generosity about them that was unequaled in the more “civilized” parts of the world at that point in time. If you were a complete stranger you could go up and touch the center pole of a Bedouin tent and they were obliged to take you and your horse in and care for both until three days had passed. Kind of cool! Read the rest of this entry »

“A Dog looks up to a man, a cat looks down on a man, but a patient horse looks a man in the eye and sees him as an equal” – Anonymous.

Neigh! I love that sound. And I love horses. I love them because they define grace, power and respect to me. You could have got a horse and added a new member in your barn or you could have just got a companion for yourself or you probably have got the champion who is going to win you the race. No two horses are alike, like humans they react and behave differently in different situations. So, even if your barn is full of horses you will still need to take some effort to get know your new horse better. A horse is an absolute darling and a delight. He is that one animal with whom you can be friends and can fall in love too.

The whole idea is about being friends with your horse and letting him know what his role is. You have to teach him to accept the human dominance but still give him freedom and let him free. This requires a great skill and love for the fella. Owning a horse is not merely a symbol of royalty and passion but also a symbol of great responsibility and love for your equine friend. He is a friend you have invested money in, that’s kinda political!

How to Get to Know your New Horse Better

Take Your Horse to His Enclosure: Introduce him to this place and just let him be! Once you have got him to your barn or pasture, let him get accustomed to the surroundings. Stay around him when he is exploring his new residence and don’t forget to feed him well. Let him know that you are going to be there for him.

Groom Him: Groom your horse slowly, especially in the initial stage. Horses are sensitive, they would understand your touch and your motive. Grooming as an activity will create a bonding between the both of you and help you connect.

Spend More Time with Him: The main step to get to know your horse better is by spending more time with him. He is like this new person you want to be friends with. The more time you will spend with him, the more you’ll get to know him better. Read the rest of this entry »

The mighty Percheron is probably one of the most loved draft horses that we have on this beautiful earth, not much is known about the Percheron draft horse but they do say that its ancestors were the heavy horses used by the knights in the battle of Poitiers, that was where the moors invaded Europe and the battle of Poitiers was where Charles Martel defeated the moors and in the process, united Europe. After the battle, they had access to the Arabian and Barb horses of the moors and these were used extensively in the breeding and development of the Percheron draft horse.

Because of the invention of gun powder, the Percheron horses were no longer needed as war mounts; this was when they went from being battle horses to pulling the heavy coaches, they were well suited for the task however. They were prized for their power and their endurance, and not only did they pull the coaches of the rich and powerful, they were also used to pull the heavy mail coaches. Anyway, this did not last forever because the train came into being and the Percheron had to find other things to do. Percherons started appearing not only in the cities, but also in the county doing various tasks and the breed being modified to accommodate the new jobs, the Percheron became even bigger and heavier as he was used for just about everything that a horse could be used for; they used them in plowing and farm work, they were still being used in the city and they even started to use them in dock work, hauling goods from one place to another.

They say that is the reason why Percherons are such a versatile breed today, these days they are a favorite in the logging industry because these huge horses have put to shame modern man-made machinery, they are able to go places that a tractor can’t even dream of going, they also do not need roads; that comes in handy when there are young trees that shouldn’t be damaged. Percherons are also used on farms even to this day, they also have a reputation for being excellent jumpers, and pleasure riding horses.

The Percheron horse has a lot of muscling but at the same time, he has that look of grace about him that you don’t quite expect in such a heavy breed. The legs should have excellent conformation with a nice back, a big deep chest and well muscled forearms; one look at the neck and head and you can see the Arabian blood in the breed, they have a graceful looking neck and a delicate looking head with a wide forehead a strait face and a full jaw all topped with animated ears giving it that classic Arabian feel. In recent years, they have started to breed the Percheron for a finer leaner look to use in competitions and shows, although these are traits you will only see in show horses. Read the rest of this entry »