The Arabian and Arabian Derivative general knowledge page

18/01/2023

17/11/2022

Something to potentially learn if you would like to do this with your Arabian.

16/11/2022

Another one I like to trot out every year.
This chart has done the rounds for years.
It’s not opinion, conjecture or made up information.

This chart and it’s information belongs to Dr Deb Bennet.
She has dedicated her entire professional life to studying the equine body.

She arguably knows more about equine anatomy and physiology than anyone in the world probably apart from Sharon May Davis.

Please really look at the diagram for each year, see how much of the physique is simply not ready for weight bearing let alone racing, jumping or high level dressage.

Certainly most horses will do their jobs as youngsters and some will be successful.

The potential for horses who are started, worked and competed so early, is they can break down during a time of their life where they should be in perfect health and at their strongest.

15/11/2022

Just a little reminder for breeders out there to always have frozen colostrum in the freezer and to always have a foaling alarm on the mare.

The frozen colostrum has saved us $800 per bag of plasma, which is a massive help. The alarm has also alerted us to malpresentations and haemorrhaging, which has saved the mares.

20/10/2022

Very interesting...
"European and Western travelers of the past sought to offer a formula for organizing and describing the range of desert type they observed, in the writings of these travelers, these descriptions of type were often associated with certain families or strains since so much emphasis was placed by Bedouin on the strain or tail female line of the family "

11/10/2022

Always great to know as a fair few Arabians are prone to laminitis, please do consult your vet and farrier though.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3413167032301192&id=1479101332374448

Grazing time is important in managing the risk of laminitis. Around the hours of Sunrise are the safest after a moderate/warm temperature night. Compliment this with a low sugar and starch feed program with CEN. 🌅

Did you know, the NSC% (sugar and starch) of pasture is lowest at sunrise.
By mid-morning, photosynthesis produces NSC (sugar and starch) in pasture. 🤔

As the day progresses through the afternoon the sugar and starch content rises to become highest at Sunset. 😯

BUT The Overnight Temperature Is The Key:

If the temperature overnight is moderate to warm, NSC is used by pasture for growth and decreases throughout the night. 💫

If the temperature overnight is cold, the NSC is stored in the pasture and may not decrease enough to be safe for a horse prone to laminitis.

10/10/2022

Just interchange the horse with an Arabian and you should be good when it comes to judging your horse’s conformation.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=325176429436572&id=228673759086840

La teorÍa del Trapecio
Hay varias herramientas excelentes que puede usar para entrenar tu ojo y ver el equilibrio y la estructura general de un caballo. Uno que ha estado con muchos entrenadores y criadores es la teoría del "trapecio".

El Diario solicitó a tres profesionales de la industria de Cuartos de Milla que lo explicaran: AQHA Professional Horsewoman June Warren de Yukon, Oklahoma; Carol McWhirter de Doniphan, Nebraska; y Philip "Vic" Clark de Shelby, Ohio. Ellos colaboraron en una conferencia sobre el tema en el 2005 All American Quarter Horse Congress. Desafortunadamente, June murió en 2010, pero vale la pena transmitir su sabiduría, así como la de Carol y Vic.
"El trapecio me dice si un caballo está realmente equilibrado", dijo June. "Es más probable que un individuo equilibrado tenga buen movimiento, habilidad atlética y solidez".

Cuando busque el trapecio de un caballo por primera vez, intenta dibujarlo en tu mente o una buena foto tomada de perfil en una superficie plana o use una regla para marcar sobre el caballo.

09/10/2022

A bit of information about the different strains.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1353694301672681&id=346136179095170

08/10/2022

The movement and charisma of an Arabian is one of the most iconic features of this breed.

Firstly we want ground covering movement with equal action between the front and hind legs, this is because you are able to waste less energy and cover more ground.

The Arabian should also have a courageous and bolt attitude to go with their movement, remember these horses were war horses. You do not want a horse that cowers and is frightened of everything for your war mount.

As always more information can be found below from a chapter of the book The Classic Arab Horse, published by the British Arabian Horse society.

06/10/2022

The hindquarters on a horse are the equivalent to an engine in a vehicle, so naturally you want to get them as right as possible to create as much power.

Ideally you want to be able to draw a triangle from the top of the hip bone, to the pin bone and to the stifle. This helps create maximum power from your horse’s engine. Ideally your horse’s hindquarter should be a third of your horse’s body proportion to create balance.

We also do not want our horse’s hips to be too narrow, this is because it will make it harder for your mare to foal. We all want our mares to foal safely.

Extra information as always can be found below from a chapter of the book The Classic Arab Horse, written by the British Arabian Horse Society.

05/10/2022

Time for correct hoof conformation, this is incredibly important for creating longevity for your horse.

Picture credit: Veterian Key

04/10/2022

A chart of genetic diseases I have written down on a white board, I’ve tried to stop my naturally cursive writing so apologies if you still can’t read it😂.

What the chart tries to explain is the possibilities of passing on a genetic disease.

04/10/2022

A fantastic photo to show the anatomy of a spine, as the Arabian has one less lumbar I thought it would be helpful to show what I actually mean by that.

Picture credit: Veterian Key

04/10/2022

Back and body are massively important when it comes to carrying you and transporting oxygen around the body.

Firstly the Arabian is known for having a shorter back then other breeds, they should have one less lumbar in their spine. The reason for this is that a shorter back is stronger then a long back meaning they can carry more weight.

What proportion do we want in the body? Ideally we want to be able to split the shoulder, back and hindquarters into even thirds to create a more balanced horse. Reasons for this again is to create a stronger horse.

Additionally we would like to have a wide chest on a horse, this is because it allows for a bigger heart which again improves the horses ability of transporting oxygen around the body creating better aerobic power. Additionally with a wide chest we like to add a deeper girth to again allow for a bigger heart and bigger lungs, for the same reason as above.

We also do not want our horse’s loin circumference area to be too thin either, the reason for this is because it takes away the strength of the horse and can lead to some soundness problems in their sacroiliac.

We also want our body in most cases to be uphill, this is because it makes it easier for them to be light in the front and put their weight more on their backend. A downhill body is more useful for speed based disciplines such as racing, endurance, mounted games ect. So this is going to be a case of pick your discipline, if you pick showing, dressage or eventing a uphill body is best suited to what you want.

Extra information can be seen below from a chapter from the book The Classic Arab Horse, which was published by the British Arabian Horse Society.

Sorry for the long post but there is so much that needs to be covered.

03/10/2022

Visual post for shoulder angle, yes the horse isn’t Arabian but same principles still apply🙂.

Picture credit: Horse courses online

03/10/2022

The neck, shoulders and withers are massively important in the transportation, balance and movement of your horse. Some of this information can also be crossed over to other breeds however this explanation will be based around the Arabian.

Having a lovely highset, long and well shaped arched neck with a clean throat latch helps your horse by firstly making it easier for them to breathe and cool down the air travelling through. The shape also makes it easier for the horse to travel collected and round under saddle as it is more comfortable and easier for them to breathe.

Having a nicely angled shoulder helps create more extravagant and ground covering movement, this is because the angle of the slope of the shoulder dictates how far the horse can get it’s front leg out in front of it. The more ground covering the movement is the more ground can be covered wasting less energy, the ground covering movement is also great for dressage.

More information can be seen below from a chapter of the book called The Classic Arab Horse, written by the British Arabian Horse Society.

03/10/2022

The head on the Arabian is often the main identifiable characteristic of an Arabian, however not many can give you the reasons why it is structured the way it is. Which is why we are here, to help you learn.

Firstly large nostrils are desired because they allow for a greater intake of air which greatly helps with getting that oxygen to the working muscles.

The dish which is almost synonymous with the Arabian is desired because it helps cool the hot air coming in from the desert due to there being more surface area. The dish is often accompanied with what we like to call the jibha, the jibha is the bump on the forehead which allows for extra nasal capacity to cool that air down.

The eyes should be well placed and far apart to allow for a greater vision field for your desert war horse to see.

Extra information can be seen below from a chapter from the book called The Classic Arab Horse, which was published by the British Arabian Horse Society.

Hope this information helps😊.

03/10/2022

Helpful visual guide to leg conformation😊

02/10/2022

https://fb.watch/fU_QbDg6rW/

02/10/2022

Fantastic video made by Arabian Horse Times
https://fb.watch/fU_D_PXMPS/

02/10/2022

As the first piece of knowledge posted on this page I thought we would start with one of the most important.

Leg conformation is one of the most important things that breeders should keep in mind, it can mean the difference between a healthy horse and a horse that breaks down and is expensive to maintain.

This document was gracefully shared to me by a friend who would like to remain unnamed, would just like to say I have permission to share so this post doesn’t get taken down.

02/10/2022

Rules to this page to create an inclusive and cohesive community 😊.

1: Any advice or information given must not be illegal in the country of Australia or be abusive, abusive is defined as physically causing harm to a horse.

2: Please be respectful to everyone, no abusing one other or swearing at one another. Everyone has different ideas and there is no wrong way. Anyone to not follow this will be banned.

3: Any advice must be relevant to Arabians or Arabian Derivatives.

4: Everyone who has had experience is allowed to share their knowledge as everyone has different skill sets and can be beneficial to learn from.

5: No sale or advertisement on this page.

02/10/2022

Welcome everyone to this new page, this page is created to give as much knowledge and information about breeding, conformation, competition preparation and training as possible. This is so beginners or people who just want to learn can access as much information as possible to make it less intimidating competing or breeding Arabians.

This page will hopefully include information on as many disciplines that Arabians or Arabian Derivatives compete at as possible.

This page would love it if as many professional trainers, long time breeders or people who have experience with these amazing animals would be able to write posts or make videos giving out information for those who would like to learn. You may pick what topic you would like to cover in your expertise, it doesn’t matter if there are double ups on topics as everyone has something to bring to the table.