What is it people don’t like about Arabian horses?

Abby K. wrote on October 14th, 2008 7:01 pm :

Most Arabs tend to have a wild tempermant. I’m not saying ALL,but all of the ones I’ve dealt with. I haven’t ever ridden an arab,but DO hope to some time in the future. I’m not totally against the breed,they’re beautiful horses,I can handle them like most other people,but they just tend to be tempermental. Sounds like you’re doing great with them though,keep it up!

Abby K wrote on October 16th, 2008 5:15 pm :

I do not know!! i have had the same problem!! i go on and ask a question and mention its my Arab mare, people just go on and say um no dont even buy Arabs. I think its cuz they cant handle them

i_hate_rocks wrote on October 18th, 2008 11:40 pm :

Most people find Arabian’s high strungness to be too demanding. Like you stated, they aren’t talented enough to understand them and handle them. They also, I’m sure, don’t like how intelligent Arabians are. It makes them harder to train but more rewarding to train.

I disagree with you though that other horses are boring. Mustangs definitely are intelligent and interesting like Arabians.

Amy P wrote on October 19th, 2008 7:11 am :

Well they’re hot bloods and some people aren’t ready to handle such a horse (myself included) They are very good at many things such as endurance and jumping and dressage but some people would rather a calmer warm blood or quarter horse.
What the people before me said

angelsweet774 wrote on October 19th, 2008 3:52 pm :

Arabian horses are not high strung they are a great animal. They are extremely smart and are packed with personality. I agree with you when all other horses are boring. I love watching the open park division and the native costume division. I have owned arabs all my life and love the breed

Flying mop dog wrote on October 19th, 2008 7:59 pm :

I don’t have a problem with Arabs. I have a problem with your attitude though. You don’t have to be particularly talented to ride an Arab.

EquineGurl wrote on October 22nd, 2008 1:16 pm :

It’s stereo-type. Most “choosing a horse” books, or breed dictionary’s say that arabians are hot, flighty, and mature slower. i have met arabs like this (most of them of polish arabian decent), but it is, like I said a stereo-type. A lot of arabians aren’t like that. My instructor breeds champion Quarter Horses, and she doesn’t like arabians one bit, why? She likes the stocky look, and tends to think stock horses are more sturdy. And, I think she’s probably never met a “good” one. She assumes they are all more spooky than her quarters. However, my 4-H leader owns 3 arabians, one green, and we use them at our rides. That’s right, with new young riders on them. However, she doesn’t have a lot of time to work with them, so they are all a little stubborn and two of them are very very spooky, but, she loves them. I love arabians and Quarter horses. But i have seen a lot more injuries…serious ones, with arabians, simply because they are so delicate, and if you aren’t aware of their every move, and yours, or you are inexperienced, it’s probably easier to get hurt on the back of a not-so-well-seasoned arabian that it is on a similar QH. I think you are right, it’s partly because they are not “talented” enough handlers, but also that romantic blockbuster feel you get with them. They are just so pretty, and are depicted as such stunning dream horses in Black Stallion, etc that inexperienced horse people buy them, and soon realize they can’t handle that wild temperament. This is exactly what happened to a friend of mine. after riding arabians for 2 years, and riding a little in westernaires, she bought a green, arabian filly from a rescue. She worked with her for 6montha, and got her to where she could be ridden for short amounts of time in a round pen, or lunge line, and could walk/jog in a familiar arena. She promptly broke two bones after falling because of a spook.

Sarahuin wrote on October 25th, 2008 11:21 pm :

It’s just down to personal preference.
Just like you think other horses ‘boring’ other people might find Arab’s temperamental and prefer a more sensible horse.
It has nothing to do with the talent of a rider being able to handle them, all horses can be difficult to handle if they want to be - whether it’s a racehorse, an Arab or a childrens pony.
Just like people prefer heavier horse or ponies, it is all down to your own opinion. If an Arabian is trained properly in ground manners then it will be no more difficult to handle than any other hot blooded horse.
Also just because you have an Arabian that could out jump your a Swedish Warmblood and scored higher points in dressage than Hanoverians doesn’t mean it would do that well in higher competitions. Every horse is different and has different abilities, not every Hanoverian or Warmblood has the conformation for higher level jumping or dressage and normally it’s down to the riders ability as well as the horse itself.

angafeabeta wrote on October 27th, 2008 7:07 am :

For me, it’s simply that our personalities don’t click. Arabians are too hot and impatient for me. I ended up with Tennessee Walkers because I found that they consistently show the qualities I breed for in horses. It’s not that I cannot handle them, I’ve ridden many, I simply enjoy a horse that is engaged as much in a trail ride as they are in the show ring. Every single Arabian I have ever ridden has either taken off with me, refused a jump and launched me over their head, or been so scared of everything around them that they were impossible to enjoy. Some people like horses that are a bit of a fireball all the time, I like mine to get hot when I ask them too. I have an Anglo Arab, he is about 22 and a former jumper, and I have helped a neighbor longe train her Arab filly, along with riding several.

It has nothing to do with the talent of the rider, it has to do with each riding liking a different horse. Just how some people are cat people, others are snake, dog, ferret, and tarantula people. I often find that people don’t like smart horses, too. I have several highly intelligent Walkers, and some people won’t ride them because they feel intimidated. That is one thing I will give Arabians, they are almost always very intelligent and that will turn off some people.

However, I have loved every last Pintabian I have ever met. Sweet, smart, calm, and a blast to ride. I just like my gaited horses.

Buttons2008 wrote on October 27th, 2008 2:56 pm :

Arabs have had a bad name because some have been out of control and crazy. My daughter use to compete against a little arab horse and she got her butt kicked in dressage by this one. I think if you are comfortable with the horse there is no problem.

Tigerlily wrote on October 29th, 2008 11:20 pm :

Arabs are ugly horses and they have a reputation for being crazy. I much prefer warmbloods

Karin C wrote on November 1st, 2008 11:38 am :

Daisy, different strokes for different folks. I owned an Arab for 23 years, loved him dearly. I went to school at Cal Poly Pomona University so I could work with the Kellogg Arabian Horses, and I greatly admire Arabs. At the same time, they are not everyone’s kind of horse, and that is no reason to put people who choose other horses down.

I’ve been working with Arabs since the mid-1970’s, and I think a lot of the sourness that some people feel about them can be dated back to the “Arabmania” of that time. For a while, Arabs were the celebrity horse du jour, and anything that had a “classic” head and neck got bred. There were a lot of Arabs at that time that had beautiful heads, necks, and toplines; classical tail carriage; and god help them, I don’t know what was keeping their ears apart, because it sure wasn’t brains. And that goes double, squared, for the Egyptian-bred Arabs.

People were not breeding Arabs for use under saddle. The goal was to have a “most classic” type that could go National Top Ten in halter. I know Arabs during that time that weren’t even broke to ride, because halter was the big deal and the celebrity or semi-celebrity owners didn’t ever plan on riding them.

They were also not very sound. The worst-moving horses I have ever seen were Arabs. There were people who got on kicks about inbreeding them– if you dig up some of the older Arabian horse magazines, and by older I mean early 70’s, you’d see ads for horses that were advertised as “73% Raffles blood” or “66% Fadjur” or whatnot. Hate to say it, a lot of these horses were about what you would expect, rats with hooves.

Withal, there have been breeders who bucked the trend and produced horses that were athletic with good minds. Sheila Varian of Varian Arabians has consistantly bred horses that are sound, athletic and have good minds. Bazy Tankersley ditto. And here and there, there were other pockets of sanity that said “hey wait a minute, if all you want is to see a pretty horse, you can own a picture, but to be useful a horse needs to be sound and have a good mind!”

Your Arab sounds exceptional, but by and large even the best Arabs are outperformed over jumps and at dressage by other breeds. It’s sure as heck easier to find a world-class dressage horse or eventer or jumper among warmbloods or Thoroughbreds than among Arabians.

If I had my way, if I could make one change to improve the Arabian breed, it would be to require Arabs that compete in halter classses to first have won a championship, or a certain number of points, in some performance discipline. And I would re-educate judges so that they never, ever place a horse that is typey but not correct or athletic over one who is correct and athletic but not typey.

Eventer4life wrote on November 4th, 2008 7:24 pm :

some people just don’t like them, just like you don’t like riding other horses, some people don’t like quarter horses, some people don’t like thoroughbreds, some people just don’t its a matter of preference

Riana A wrote on November 6th, 2008 7:07 am :

I personally love Arabians. It’s the first horse I had ever ridden when I began taking lessons. That just goes to show how gentle some Arabian horses are.

Some Arabian horses tend to have a wild spirit… but there are the exceptions of course. It may be a challenge for some people, but that just means a more rewarding experience.

Howdy&Bwoo wrote on November 9th, 2008 8:03 am :

It’s not I don’t like the breed. I don’t like the owners. Now I’m not saying you and I’m not saying all the arabian trainers out there. But a lot of them in our halter and pleasure shows, well they get a bit out of control. Not just the horses but the riders/handlers. Nothing wrong with that, and I’m not saying that we aren’t, as I quote “talented” enough to handle them. I think the owners are a bit pscho and you can’t say that all other horses are boring. That’s being a hypocrite in my mind. You question why people don’t like arabs but than you’re turning around and saying all other breeds are boring? And also as you say you’ve only owned arabs how would you know all other breeds would be boring? So than my question is why are all other horses boring? Also yes, arabs make fine eventers etc. Almost any horse can in my opinion if they set their mind to it. So your horse out jumps one warmblood. That’s one swedish warmblood in the whole world you’re talking about. This isn’t “battle of the breeds”. Breed should hardly matter. (I suppose a little bit, understood that a shetland can’t go winning the grand prix)
It’s just personal opinion. Sorry I don’t mean to come on as a bitch but my experience with sharing the show ring with them irratates me a little.

loggy wrote on November 12th, 2008 1:32 pm :

its a stereotype, just like with what seems like every other freaking breed on the planet.

People usually think of them as being ‘hot headed’ and ‘temperamental’. Thoroughbreds as being ‘nervous’ and ‘brainless’. quarter horses as being ‘quiet’ and ‘beginner friendly’

well almost every arab with the exception of a few have been perfectly fine to handle.

All the TB’s I’ve ridden could of been handled by a intermediate (all OTTB’s) and some of them by beginners. and every singe one of them? were lazy. Yep, when you rode, you had to be more concerned that said horse was not going to lie down in the middle of the arena and start snoring!

Quarter horses, well my first horse was a quarter horse nut case, and litterly tried his hardest to hurt people. My friends QH will randomly bolt with you (espically if you pitch forward).

there’s always going to be the goods and bads of a breed, people are just way to stereotypical.

Also I don’t think its that people aren’t talented enough to handle them. There just horses, and if trained correctly no different than anything else in the barn. One of the horses I use to ride was an arabxtb you could throw anyone on him, and do anything on him and he wouldn’t bat an eyelash. He was the horse that taught me how to canter….in the middle of a thunder and lightning storm (indoor arena), and the horse that people fought over to ride (haha I was so glad I was a fast runner, during camp we would get to pick the horse we wanted to ride, and whoever got his tack box first got to ride him).

forwardxmotion wrote on November 16th, 2008 12:32 am :

I think that’s an obscure question… isn’t the arab one of the top 20 breeds in the U.S.?

I’m sure people have just had bad experiences because the breed is fairly common. I don’t think it’s fair to say that “people are not talented enough to handle them” because even some professionals don’t particularly care for the breed. My personal experience with the breed is that they can take longer to get to know but the relationship you develop with them is more substantial than with many other breeds (well, excluding my experience with Trakehners – who I feel are very arab like in their personalities as far as bonding goes). Also, they tend to be hot tempered. Just because someone wants a breed that is known for being a steady-eddie doesn’t mean they don’t have the ability to handle an arab, or even enjoy an occasional ride on them, but they look for something else in a horse.

Likewise, with dressage, I would hope that Arabs score on par with warmbloods. I had an Arab gelding on free lease all (didn’t choose the breed, he got plopped in my lap) through high school and we cleaned up at the shows because he was so steady (well minus the occasional spook, and the day we left the arena because someone slammed a nearby car door…) and all around good, even though he didn’t have the flash movement of a warmblood. Then again, my trainer had a Prix St. George appaloosa/QH mix and they kept winning until they go to Intermediarre I. Dressage is as much about training as it is about movement, so Arabs should be on level footing until the upper levels. From there, some have the literal talent to excel into FEI levels, as with my trainer’s appy/qh.

However, just because some arabs excel in these areas and most arabs are reasonably capable in dressage and jumping, doesn’t mean that they are the most idea; candidate. Therefore, someone who is jumping 3’9” and looking to move up probably won’t consider a horse under 16hh just because of logic. Same as someone who wants an FEI level dressage horse – the percentage of Arabians capable of that movement is very small when compared with some other breeds.

And why are you bashing other horses calling them boring when you’re crying out for more respect for the breed you prefer? I don’t understand why you would criticize someone else’s choice in horse as a response to you thinking more people should like Arabs. Criticizing other people’s ability to handle horses and other people’s choice in breeds just doesn’t seem compatible with the question you are asking! I had an Arab for 4 years and loved him dearly, we won regional dressage championships at 1st and 2nd level and he worked part time as a therapy horse (where I eventually retired him to). He was great for me, and even with me he would randomly spook at something we had passed 10 times already, he was honestly one of the most affectionate horses I’ve ever known and always took care of the disabled riders who couldn’t ‘handle’ him. I like the breed and will always advocate their ability and versatility. That being said, I would never actively look for another Arab to own – however, when in the market I will never scoff at an Arab until I have seen/ridden him/her.

partly cloudy wrote on November 17th, 2008 10:38 pm :

i think most people do not have the finese to deal with these highly intelligant horses. they are differnt than many horses in that if mishandeled by some well meaning schlep, they seldom forget it and may become “difficult” to handle. on the other hand the ones that i have seen which were professionaly managed or just always well handeled, were wonderful, wonderful horses. they get the same bad rap as thoroughbreds. again it is becasue most people are just too clumsy and inexperienced to be bothered with dealing with a highly sensitive horse. they want the luxury of being able to make mistakes, and not have the horse “hold it against them”…LOL

rodeo girl bull rider wrote on November 19th, 2008 1:35 pm :

THIS IS ONE OF MY SPECIALTIES THESE HORSES WERE ONE OF THE FIRST WILD BRED WITH A WILD ANMOST STUBBORN TEMPERMENT THEY DON’T ALWAYS LISTEN AND THEY TEND TO PLAY WHEN THEY SHOULDN’T MY GRANDPA RAISES PRIZE ARABIANS SO I SHOULD KNOW BECAUSE HE LET’S ME TRAIN THEM AND I’M ONLY 13 ONETIME THIS YOUNG COLT AND FILLY NOW THEY WERE BOTH TWINS THE COLT TRAINED FINE THE FILLY TOOK 3 MONTHS SO THAT IS WHY NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE BUY THEM

shawnamberly wrote on November 22nd, 2008 12:45 am :

i personally LOVE arabs!the are full of spunk and personality..thats why a lot of people dont like them..they go for the more laid back kind of horses..especially the green riders..they are usually a little harder to handle because of their hyperness too..they either like you or they dont…the first horse i ever got on a was a arab and they will always have a place in my heart.but opinions are like butts..everyone has one they just arnt all the same.

Sophiesmom wrote on November 23rd, 2008 3:52 am :

I hate them…that’s why i own 3 LOL. I don’t look at that breed any different then i do others. People have different preferences and that’s a right they have, they can own, ride or whatever any breed they like.

aunt t wrote on November 25th, 2008 1:41 pm :

I think a lot of people see Arabs as prissy because of their refined little heads, beauty and elegance. When in fact an Arabian horse will run most other breeds into the dirt when it comes to endurance and stamina. They are high strung and most people can’t handle this. My little Arab mare will go all day on the mountain trails and never tire. The only other horses that can keep up with her are my 2 mustang quarter crosses.

Owned by Maggie ? wrote on November 26th, 2008 1:26 pm :

I think people just assume that Arabians are overly high-spirited and can be pushy. I have nothing against any particular breed…

Pippin4Evr wrote on November 29th, 2008 6:00 am :

I’ve known some very nice Arabs. And I’ve known a couple horrible mean ones… But for the most part, I love everything about them except how spooky they can be sometimes. But I think they are very nice horses, flashy, absolutley stunningly gorgeus, etc. Personally I think sometimes they have an iffy rep because of how they can be spooky, although I’ve known some very calm Arabs too.