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I can't help but think that
it's not Arabs in general, but individuals in particular that deserve bashing
from time to time. We now have nothing but Arabs, and I find them to be
intelligent and generally dependable. I've ridden individuals that were a
menace to the life and welfare of the human being. But the really reliable
ones I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world, and we've had at least a
couple of those in our lifetime. Those really dependable ones had spirit,
but not hysteria, and were smart enough to wait for us to get them out of
trouble (i.e. barbed wire) rather than fight until they were irreparably
injured. They were forward on the trail, surefooted, always interested in
life, and would do anything I asked of them. One time, mounted on my
favorite horse of all time (1/2 Arab, 1/2 QH), I asked him to try moving a
Shorthorn bull that just wasn't about to go anywhere, much less where I wanted
him to go. So I asked the horse to body slam the bull.....he just jumped
forward and bumped the bull in the ribs with his chest, obviously not too hard
but enough to take the bull unaware. Finally, the bull got tired of
this gutsy little horse and moved, in the direction I wanted him to go. If
I could bring that horse back as an 8 year old, I would do so in a
heartbeat.
Barbara McCrary
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2002 6:58 AM
Subject: Re: [RC] arabs
I have noticed the same thing- LOTS of Arab-bashing going on. I am
a newbie and I I learned to ride on Arabs so it never occured to me at first
that they are any different than other breeds. I now own a six year old
Arab and I kinda like having to be on my toes all the time. I am never
bored riding him, that's for sure! He never fails to amaze me and I am
totally in awe of his intelligence and strength. So it was really
strange to me to hear all these negative things when people talk about
Arabs. I guess each breed is different and therefore different riders
prefer different traits. To each his own, right... Sometimes I
almost feel like I have to defend myself for riding an Arab. Often I
hear, well, you don't HAVE to ride an Arab to do well in endurance... I
got my little guy and then discovered endurance and I just finished my first
50 (it happened to be the Old Dominion 50)on him and he did GREAT, and I was
so proud of him!
So, I guess my point is that you don't have to have an Arabian, but they
SURE are fun!
Birgit
----- Original Message -----
From:
Karla Watson
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 1:50
PM
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [RC] arabs
When people talk about some of the
personality traits of Arabs they always talk about them as being negative
traits. I guess I'm one to *prefer* their hotness, attitude and
ultra-sensitivity and all that rolled into a beautiful package! They are
just a blast to ride!
My background growing up was hunter/jumpers-all
thoroughbreds. Now that I ride an arab I really appreciate its
smaller/compact size. Its easier to saddle, bridle, care for. I LIKE the
fact they don't get tired and have this BIG attitude. I always feel like I
have the power of a warmblood in this little compact horse. Kind of like the
little dog that thinks its a BIG dog!! You just have to relax and enjoy the
ride cause it will be an interesting one.....!!
Karla
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