The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1875-07-09
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THE HORSE.

u,
COLOR, &C INTERESTING RACING TRIALS.
The following is short description of
the Arab horse as he is found in his native
desert, q few notes Of (which are taken from
tourist who recently visited the centre
of Arabia and its capital, Neied, being one
of the few Christians who has ever pcne-
trated so far into the great desert; and the
writer's own experience on the desert and
in the camp of the Arab sheiks on the
confines Of the Arabian desert.
Much confusion exists with regard to
the Arab horses. This has arisen partly
from the vast district occupied and ira
versed by the Arabs partly from the mis-
application of the terms and words A
man possessing an Arab horse says he is of
such breed, instead of saying of such a
family of tho Arabian breed; therefore it
has got about that there arc upward of one
hundred different breeds Of Arabian horses.
1t is not infrequent to hear people speak
OF horses as Egyptian, Syrian, or Turkish.
Arab. If it were intended to convey the
idea that such horses were of pure Arab
blood, only foaled or bought in those
countries, they might simply be styled
Arabs; but as it really infers that they are
not of pure Arabian blood they should
simply be called Syrian, &c.
The horses of the great Anazah and 9TH
er Bedouin tribes of Nejed, are subdivided
into many families; among them the Co
massa have, perhaps, the best horses in the
known world. There are five principal
families mot breeds) of the Arabian horse,
derived from five celebrated mares, not the
orEt Of ,hoI
hammed." They are usually styled Sc
gawi. Koneilan or Kochlani, Abeyan,
Hadban and Hamdami The Bedouin
would scorn any horse or mare that could
not be traced to orc of these five families.
These numerous divisions that have sprung
from these five families have derived their
names from their owners, from the events
that made them famous, or from some per-
sonal quality: as Kohelian-ras cl-Fcdawi
CThc Headstrong.) This was the family
from whence sprang the renowned barley
Arabian. In breeding, the toal takes the
name of the variety of the dam; thus n
colt or tily whose dame was Seglawi,
and whose sire was Kehcilan, would be
Seglawi. Animals of the first class are
those only which are the produce of both
horses and mares of-the first class, nor will
this alone suffice; for if the colt or flly
were possessed of any unlucky marks, or
should they fail to come up to n certain
standard, they are not considered first
class, are not the specific adjunct of their
dams, but drop into the third-class, and
retain their generic name only. None but
tirst-class horses are allowed for the first
class mares, and when an inferior horse
| mot one of less pure blood has through
carelessness or by accident been left with
a mare of the tirst-class, such mare is her.
| self lost to her class, and becomes Of the
second, as does her offspring. This is how
q sccond-class has been established.
The great Anazan describe an annual
circuit: coming up from Nejed to the des-
ert near Aleppo in the spring, they cross
over to the Euphrates, and return to
Nejed for the winter. Other tribes take
their horses to Syria, and Bagdad on the
borders of Persia, and dispose of them at
fabulous prices. Some of them are cross
ed on comparatively large Persian horses,
hence the large Arab horses are sometimes
heard of, but in reality they are only half
bred Arabs. No Bedouin would own such
an animal; he would not have him at any
price. The average height of the pure
bred Arab Of the desert is IA hands, some
few are Is hands, but none ever attain the
height of more than Is hands. If over
that they are most certainly crossed with
the Dongola, the Persian or some other
large breeds. The above height of the
Arabs apply to stations, the mares arc
never more than IA to 14.3. The prevail,
ing color of the Arabian is gray unmixed
with any other color, some are bays, and
chestnuts, with two or more white feet, but
rarely all the feet the same color, sometimes
n star or blaze. There are no browns OF
blacks of any well bred family. Among
some tribes the grays predominant, Others
have mostly bays. In the desert near Alep.
pc there are more bays than any other col
OF. The stud of King Fisul at Nejcd, tho
centre of Arabia, is composed mostly o.
gray Arabs, the same with his cavalry
while the Royal stables of the Khedive o.
Egypt are equally divided as regards the
three colors. There arc more grays than
any other color among the winners on the
turf.
The great. endurance of the Arab han
been so often discussed and is SO well un
derstood, even in this country, that til
unnecessary to speak of it here. l vii
however relate few incidents which may
interest some of the admirers of the beau
tiful Arab.
The famous Turk, Abd-el- Kader who
owned many fine 1, Arabians, has stated
that an Arab horse can travel distance
Of fifty English miles, day after day, ant
this without fatigue, for three or fou
months; and ifrequircd could accomplish
100 miles in one day, but should be care
fully ridden the next" u.
In the ninety-milc match between al
English Thoroughbred horse and an Aral