What are the different kinds of Arabians?

Answer 1

The Egyptian Arabian:

the purest of all the Arabian types, is essentially unchanged from ancient times and is the result of a blending of strains that existed among different Bedouin tribes during the breed's development. Over the centuries, Arab and Egyptian royalty perfected the breed even further, until the pure Arabian horse was considered the most exquisite horse in the world. When the Turkish ruler Muhammad Ali the Great began acquiring Arabian horses centuries later, he started to keep detailed records of the horses' breeding. He collected the finest horses from Arabia, and passed along his cherished herd to his son, Abbas Pasha, after his passing. When Abbas Pasha eventually died himself in the late 1800s, the herd was dispersed to buyers from other countries. A number of royal Egyptian families purchased some of the horses, thus keeping several of the Egyptian Arabians in the breed's land of origin. In 1908, the Egyptian government moved to protect the purebred Arabian in its native country. An organization now known as the Egyptian Agricultural Organization still keeps watch over these horses, tracking pedigrees and monitoring the whereabouts of the breed. Today, thanks to importations that took place through the 1900s, representatives of the pure Egyptian Arabian can be found in the United States. These horses are often crossed with other Arabian types to create superior show horses. A minority among Arabian horses, the Egyptians are one of the most prized of all the Arab types. Represented by the Pyramid Society, an organization dedicated to preserving the Egyptian Arabian in the United States, the Egyptian can be divided into two sub-types: the Straight Egyptian and the Egyptian-Bred. The Straight Egyptian is a horse registerable with the Arabian Horse Registry, whose line pedigree traces to horses born in Arabia Deserta, and who meets other specific breeding requirements set by the Pyramid Society. Egyptian-Bred horses are those who were produced by breeding a Straight Egyptian stallion to a purebred Arabian mare who is not Straight Egyptian, or a horse whose grandsires are both Straight Egyptian, and whose dam is a purebred Arabian that is not Straight Egyptian. Egyptian Arabians are extremely refined and elegant, and are known for their spirit, and their devotion to their caretakers. They are treasured for their success in the show ring, particularly in halter classes.

The Crabbet Arabian:

The Crabbet Arabian holds the same history as the Egyptian Arabian up to the point when Abbas Pash's herd was dispersed after his death. A British woman by the name of Lady Anne Blunt purchased a number of the Egyptian Arabians from Abbas Pash's herd, and took them back to the United Kingdom, to the famous Crabbet Stud of England. Founded by Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt, and their daughter, Judith, Lady Wentwort, the Crabbet Stud went on to breed some of the finest Arabian horses known in the world. Using the blood of Egyptian Arabians, Blunts and Wentworth developed a strain of Arabians that went on to influence the breed throughout Europe. Originally founded to recreate the Darley Arabian, an Egyptian Arabian used to found the Thoroughbred breed, the Crabbet Stud became known for producing the finest Arabians in England. In the United States today, very few purebred Crabbet Arabians can be found for a simple reason: These horses were known for their excellent ability to improve other Arabian types, and so were crossbred with other Arabians in the U.S. to the point where the bloodline has been diluted. Only 300 pure Crabbet Arabians can be found in North America today. The Crabbet type is also being diluted in England and other countries in Europe, causing this strain to dwindle to dangerously low numbers. Crabbet Arabians are refined and elegant, and are very similar in appearance to Egyptian Arabians. They make excellent halter horses because of their exquisite conformation. The Russian Before the advent of World War I, the Russian government attempted to establish its own Arabian breeding program by importing horses from the Crabbet Stud. The subsequent war and the Russian Revolution completely destroyed the results of this attempt, and neither the Russian horses or the paperwork to accompany them survived the overthrow of the Russian government. After World War I, in 1930, the Russian government again tried to restart its breeding program, sending a commission to France to buy Arabians. A stallion named Kann and six mares were brought to the government stud at Tersk, where cavalry horses were being bred using Arabian stallions on Russian mares. In 1936, Lady Wentworth of the Crabbet Stud sold 19 horses to the Russian government, for the Imperial Russian Stud. Private breeders in Russia also purchased Arabians from Lady Wentworth, and so established the Arabian breed in Russia.

Russian Arabians:

Arabian breeding program, the Janow Podlawski Stud, was evacuated during the war, and during the escape of the Polish Arabians and their grooms, the invading Russian army took possession of the horses. The 80 stallions, mares and foals made the 1,000 mile journey to the Tersk Stud on foot. Eleven of the stallions and 41 of the mares were eventually registered in the Russian stud book. Russian Arabians first came to the United States in the early 1960s, and now are common among the U.S. Arabian population. Most known for their athletic abilities, Russian Arabians are often seen in western performance events, driving and endurance, and have been used for racing, dressage and jumping.

The Polish Arabian:

The Arabian Horse was introduced to Poland very early in that country's history through various invasions from other nations, including Turkey. Arabian horses were used by the Turkish army, and Arabian horses were often seized by the Polish as spoils of war. By 1699, when peace with the Turks was achieved, Polish horsemen had to find another way to procure Arabian horses. They began traveling out to the desert and purchasing horses from native tribesman. The horses they obtained were used to upgrade the local stock, and the offspring were used for farm work, cavalry and carriage pulling. World War I nearly wiped out the Polish studs, which were maintained by Polish royalty. When Poland became an independent nation in 1921, a new official Arabian breeding program at the Polish State Stud at Janow Podlawski was established. Horses for the program were imported from all over Europe. Before the advent of World War II, Polish Arabian breeding was very successful. In 1927, a group called the Polish Arab Horse Breeders Society organized, and issued the first stud books for Polish Arabians. The society began testing the mettle of horses before it registered them, using racing as a guide to the horses' disposition, stamina and athleticism. It wasn't long before Americans began importing Polish Arabians to the United States. Poland and its people were ravaged during World War II, and the Arabian horses of that country suffered terribly. The Janow Podlawski Stud was damaged almost beyond repair, and many horses killed. The invading Germans and Russians took a good number of the surviving horses, leaving only a few behind that were hidden by Polish horsemen determined to keep the Polish Arabian in the country. After the war, Hungary sent Arabian mares to Poland to help rebuild the country's breeding program, and in 1960, the Janow Podlawski Stud was rebuilt. Because of Poland's close ties to Russia, the Polish Stud also had access to Russian Arabians that it could use to rebuild its breeding program. The Cold War prevented further importation of Polish horses to North America until 1958, when British woman Patricia Lindsay traveled to Poland and became motivated to bring Polish Arabs to the U.S. By the early 1960s, working with the Polish government, she had imported a number of stallions and mares to the U.S. Since that time, importations of Polish Arabians to the U.S. has become commonplace. Today, Polish Arabians are common in the North American Arabian population, and are known for both their beauty and great athletic ability. Not only has the Polish Arabian proved to be a success at halter, but also in performance events. In fact, racing is a particular talent of the Polish Arabian, thanks to the emphasis Polish breeders put on this special skill.

The Shagya Arabian:

Some consider the Shagya Arabian a separate breed, rather than a type of Arabian. The Shagya was developed in Hungary, and stems from one sire, who gave the type his name. The development of the Shagya Arabian begins with the creation of the Babolna Stud by Hungarian monarchy in the late 1700s. Arabian horses were imported from the Arabian desert to breed to local mares in an attempt to improve local stock. They were also crossed to each other, making the Babolna Stud both a purebred and crossbred breeding program. The concept behind the Babolna Stud was to create a saddle horse for the military, as well as a horse that could be used for the improvement of other breeds. The majority of horses in the program had desert Arabian blood, although Lipizzan and Thoroughbreds were also used. In 1836, a Hungarian named Baron Von Herbert purchased several stallions and mares from Syria. One of these stallions was a horse named Shagya, who was nearly 16 hands-very tall for an Arabian. The resulting horses from Shagya breedings became known by several names, including "Part-Bred Arabians" or "Babolna Arabians." In 1978, the World Arabian Horse Organization in Europe officially recognized this horse as a separate Arabian breed (or type) and the name was designated as the Shagya. The Shagya Arabian is probably the most distinct Arabian type in appearance. More heavily boned than most other Arabian types, the Shagya can measure from 15 to 16 hands, making it rather tall--most Arabians, are typically 14 to 15 hands. Shagyas are known for being athletic saddle horses, and also for their fine talent under harness. More popular in Europe than the United States, the Shagya has been used extensively in the creation of warmblood breeds.

Answer 2

There are five main types of Arabian horses: Egyptian, Crabbet, Russian, Polish, and Shagya Arabians. Each breed has it own distinct characteristics.

For more information on the different types of Arabian horses, please see the Related Links section below.