The troubles with arabians are almost always man made. Not my type of horse, but good for what they were designed for; running thru the desert. If thats what you want in a horse they're about the best.
Good lord this forum brings back memories!
Years ago in another life time I spent all my free time and half my work time on or near horses. Ended up working for a local horse breeding/training facility as the rough stock guy. Nothing real bad around there in those days, mostly green broke silliness. However, the owner was from up North and still kept show horse contacts, so we got several Arabian and Saddlebred horses in for either initial saddle work or refreshing of soured show horses. Man, they taught me to hate anything but a quarter horse! Nervous as cats, especially the halter horse lines the Egyptian Arabs. I hated them!
With one exception. I would have never believed it if I had not road the rascal, but one time we got a middle aged Arab stud in that the owner was scared of. He was hot! Famous for dumping her and running, she resorted to all kinds of cruel bits but couldn't hold him with nothing!
Turned out he was just over fed, under worked, and ill managed. He was older, had a thick neck, and resented being made into a Saddle seat pimp!
He was more muscular than any Arab I had ever seen, with a more rounded croup and more weight in the hind quarters. First Arab I had ever seen like that. Short coupled, powerful, almost my kind of horse!
Anyway, one day when all the bosses were off to a show I happened to be at his turn out pen. Horse was looking off in the distance at the hay meadow, like he had never seen grass! Just for the hell of it I slipped my personal stock saddle on him, and wouldn't you know a bosal made for my own 2 year old quarter horse colts fit him!
I was young and crazy and thought I was about to step onto a cyclone, but you could not believe the change in that horse! After an hour of riding across the meadow easy like, another half hour of chomping real grass, why he was plumb nice!
I would have never dreamed it, but if there is such a thing as a natural Arab stock horse he was it! I ended up loving that horse. After a week of such light hearted fun he quit bucking, had a good handle, and was a little responsive to leg pressure. Good attitude!
Seemed to me the owner was making him into something he was not, was scared of him, and was keeping him cooped up too much.
It was very sad when later the bosses all returned, became horrified that I had put a stock saddle on an refined show horse, and shipped him back home. The last saga of this story had the owner getting near hurt by him on a blow up, after all the bad habits returned!
Poor horse!
