Last weekend a Mr. Charlie Goodrich called my office. He told me that an old friend of mine, who had given me very high recommendations, had referred him to me. Mr.
Goodrich said that he was looking for a horse. He was not sure what exactly he was going to use it for, but he was examining a couple possibilities. Since my job is to help people decide which breed of horse would best suit their plans and lifestyles, I needed to know exactly what it was he wanted to use a horse for. He told me that he owned a very reputable stable, with a variety of expensive breeds, and he was looking to expand his stock. Mr. Goodrich said that he wanted a stallion with a future in racing, and good siring bloodlines.
That is what many owners do with retired racehorses. After the horse’s racing career is over they are sent to what is like a retirement home for horses. Here they live out the rest of their lives, breeding and siring many young foals. I explained to him that two of the best horses for racing were the Thoroughbred and the Arabian. My personal favorite is the Arabian, I told him, because of it’s unique beauty and rich heritage. In order to try and find which would be the best for him I researched both breeds and presented him with the results.
While both the Thoroughbred and the Arabian are very beautiful, and both are well reputed in the racing world, the Arabian horse is far superior. Its ancient, mysterious origins, and unique beauty make it a very desirable horse. It excels on the track, and produces incredible offspring. The Arabian stallion has also been the subject of many novels, etching its figure into many hearts, and making it even more popular. The term Thoroughbred describes a breed of horse whose ancestry traces back to three foundation sires – the Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian, and the Byerly Turk. Named after their respective owners – Thomas Darley, Lord Godolphin, and Captain Robert Byerly – these three stallions were brought to England around the turn of the 17th century and bred to the stronger, but less intelligent, native horse.
They were bred to native spring mares – very probably Scottish Galoways – and the resulting foals were the first real thoroughbreds. Keeping in mind the fact that the foundation stallions were Oriental horses, it should be noted that the descendants of these sires were the first actual Thoroughbreds. They were the progenitors of the breed, as it is known today. The foundation sires stand at the beginning of the Thoroughbred bloodline, but a number of generations were needed to create horses which would consistently pass down the distinguishing characteristics of the Thoroughbred horse. The origin of the Arabian horse remains a great mystery.
Although this unique breed has had a distinctive national identity for centuries, its history is nevertheless full of subtleties and complexities. The Bedouins have generally been given the credit for beginning the selective pure breeding of Arabian horses. Most of their records were kept verbally, passed down from generation to generation. To this day, many Arabian pedigrees can be traced to “desert breeding” meaning that no written record is available but because of the importance of purity to the Bedouins, we accept desert bred as an authentification of pure blood. The Thoroughbred is a very brilliant and versatile horse. It is known for its ability to carry speed over extended distances, and is also a very popular choice by sportsmen for things such as hunting, jumping, eventing, and polo.
The key to the Thoroughbred’s greatness is its speed and endurance. The Arabian is very much like the Thoroughbred in this aspect. It excels greatly in racing and other events. It is one of the greatest competitors in the racing profession, and often ends up in the winner’s circle.
The high intelligence, trainability, gentle disposition and stamina enable it to excel at a wide variety of activities, such as the trail and the show ring. The top prizes at endurance events almost always go to Arabians.According to the IAHA, the breed excels at endurance racing because
