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RE: [RC] Smooth Traveling Arabs - heidiActually, in my estimation, there is a lower percentage of
modern Arabs suited to the sport than there was 30 years ago. A
few decades back, you could get on just about any Arab, and he would be
a decent saddle horse and a reasonable distance prospect--because that's
what classical Arabs were bred to do. As the breed has been
altered for the "extremes" of the show ring, I have to agree
wholeheartedly with the folks who say that it is tougher and tougher to
find a good Arab in just random searching.
Indeed, there are those breeders who still breed classical Arabs with
the intent of riding them--and many of us do use endurance as our
proving ground. But historically, the Bedouins did breed their
horses for the same sorts of traits that are necessary for
endurance--metabolic efficiency, agility and speed over all terrain and
for long distances, tractability, etc. Those are not prized traits
in the Arab "main ring"--and as such, one does have to look now for
Arabs that are "bred to do it" as opposed to the old days when that was
just the nature of the beast.
Heidi
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