Re: Arabians as Western Horses

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

Interesting, but in earlier times ('40's and '50's) if one looks at Western
publications (Western Horseman as a prime example) the Arabs are right there
side by side with everybody else--Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Morgans, you
name it.  One saw Van Vleet's horses in Colorado, and a lot of the old
programs, the Arabs all in working western gear, doing their jobs on various
cattle ranches.  Many of the early breeders also had cattle.  I was born on a
cattle ranch in the '50's, and we all rode half-Arabs--the best working
stallion in the valley happened to be an Arab, so we all bred our mares to him
and never gave it a thought.  I still try to maintain the standards in my
program that those old breeding programs had--soundness, good conformation,
trainability, quiet dispositions, and all those traits that Arabs are SUPPOSED
to have. 

The Arab in the show ring today wouldn't stand a chance in the ranching world,
with his high head, poor back, weak loins, bad hips, incorrect action, and
crazy disposition.  But then neither does the modern Quarter Horse that is
winning in today's show ring, with his huge body on his tiny feet, navicular,
founder, various other forms of unsoundness, and too muscle-bound to be agile
chasing cows through the rocks and sagebrush.  Likewise, the narrow peanut-
rollers in the "riding" classes are a travesty--they have back problems due to
incorrect conformation, etc.  In both the Arab world and the QH world, the
REAL horses, in my opinion, are being bred by folks with goals other than show
wins in mind--Arab breeders after endurance or dressage horses, QH breeders
after cutting or other working horses.  I am amazed how much the really good
cutting horses in my practice resemble my good working Arabs--just a different
overlay of type.

Heidi Smith, DVM--Sagehill Arabians (Oregon)