Horses The Egyptian Arabian

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The Egyptian Arabian
Written by Julia Heidbrink of El Masri Arabians published in Southeastern Equine Magazine, 2004

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The Arabian horse has captivated the hearts of man for centuries with its beauty, intelligence and stamina. Indeed, the Arabian horse is probably the most influential breed in the world, having been used to create and refine every breed of light riding horse that exists today.

The Bedouin tribes of Arabia created this oldest and purest breed of light horse in the merciless terrain of the deserts where they lived. The Arabian horses that they so carefully bred were used in tribal warfare. It was a tactical advantage to ride the best of these horses who were bred for stamina and courage. The mares and foals were an integral part of the Bedouin family, often sharing the tents of their masters. The tribe's women and children raised the foals, resulting in the kind and loving disposition that we still enjoy today in the Arabian horse.

The hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt reveal Egyptians with their desert horses probably as early as 1580 BC and the very heritage of the Egyptian Arabian horse evokes images of its classic beauty and heroic gallantry. It is not hard to understand how these horses have been admired and sought after by Kings, Pharaohs and, indeed, by all of mankind throughout the ages.

Those early Arabian horses became the foundation of today's Egyptian Arabian horses and from about 1895 to the mid 1980's these wonderful horses found their way to the United States of America. Today, horses from those rare and precious bloodlines are carefully preserved to retain their classic Arabian appearance. The Egyptian Arabian horse is a treasured source of the classic refinement found in many Arabian bloodlines today. Many other types and strains of Arabians have been crossed with Egyptian lines to improve type and beauty over the years, and it is sometimes hard to find an Arabian horse without some trace of Egyptian blood in its pedigree.

There are several hundred thousand Arabian horses worldwide but less than 3% of those can be correctly called Straight Egyptian, meaning in every line of their pedigree, as far back as it can be traced, there is no other type or nationality of Arabian in the pedigree than Egyptian blood from those rare and treasured early bloodlines that came up out of Egypt. The actual definition of a Straight Egyptian Arabian reads as follows:

“To qualify as a Straight Egyptian, as defined by The Pyramid Society, a horse must (1) be registered or eligible by pedigree for registration by the Arabian Horse Registry of America AND (2) trace in every line of its pedigree to horse born in Arabia Deserta; AND (3) trace in every line of its pedigree to a horse which falls within one or more of the following categories: (a) owned or bred by Abbas Pasha I or Ali Pasha Sherif: (b) used to create and maintain the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS)/Egyptian Agricultural Organization (EAO) breeding programs, with the exclusion of Registan and Sharkasi and their lineal descendants (c) a horse which was a lineal ancestor of a horse described in (a) or (b) above; and (d) other than those excluded above, a horse conceived and born in a private stud program in Egypt and imported directly to the United States and registered by the Arabian Horse Registry of America prior to the extension of the EAO's supervision to private Egyptian stud programs as reflected in Volume 4 of the EAO's stud book."

The Pyramid Society , which is the fraternal organization that was founded in 1969 by a few insightful and devoted breeders within North America, was created to protect the heritage of the Egyptian Arabian horse. Inspired by a belief that Egyptian blood is a historic source of unique and valuable characteristics, the organization promotes the breeding of straight Egyptian horses and the use of Egyptian bloodlines as an outcross perpetuating classic Arabian type. The Pyramid Society (www.pyramidsociety.org) has as one of its main goals to strive to be a unifying force within the Arabian breed, and to assist its members in producing superior quality Arabian horses through the use of Egyptian bloodlines.

Fortified by hard work, imagination, and a common interest, the Society today has hundreds of members throughout North America and around the world, numerous beneficial programs for its members, and executive offices at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.

In addition to orchestrating the Egyptian Event, The Pyramid Society also provides available books and reference materials, as well as hosts numerous social and promotional activities. As attested by one long-standing Pyramid Society member, "The Pyramid Society has been instrumental in bringing forth the respect the Egyptian horse deserves by recognizing and paying tribute to the great sires and dams that have contributed so much to the Arabian breed. The Society's tireless dedication toward bringing this awareness to the world, has indeed, brought fame and popularity to our beloved Egyptian horses."

To own an Egyptian Arabian horse is to experience the living legacy of thousands of years of careful breeding. Such a horse brings to its owner a legacy of timeless beauty, a noble face with large dark, soulful eyes, a gracefully arched neck, delicate looking limbs that are as strong as iron and a gaily carried high set tail. The coat, mane, and tail are soft and silky.

The Egyptian Arabian has won countless championships and honors at the world's most prestigious Arabian horse shows in both halter and performance disciplines. Egyptian horses also excel in Endurance. As a testament to their loving personalities, many of the stories you hear will be of the Egyptians as valued family companions. Not only are they gentle with children, but they seem to have a sense of understanding to be careful when little ones gather around them. Often, the owners of Egyptian Arabians will talk of their horses' loving interactions with children, of trail rides, of special moments shared with a mare and foal, and even of courage in the face of danger!

The Bedouins believed that their horses were rational creatures with great intelligence, sensitivity and loyalty. When you spend time with an Egyptian Arabian horse, it only serves to illustrate the truth of those sentiments. Another of the great pleasures in owning the Egyptian Arabian horse is the chance to form friendships with others that love and admire this very special horse. Members of The Pyramid Society are held together by a common bond, the love of Egyptian Arabian horses. If you are seeking a kind and willing riding horse for your family, a competitive trail or endurance horse with the legendary stamina of the desert warhorse, a versatile show horse to bring home trophies and ribbons in halter and performance classes, or the foundation stock of a new breeding program, remember the Egyptian Arabian! Big dreams or small, the Egyptian Arabian horse has a century's old tradition of making dreams come true.