The Saint Paul globe., 1904-03-06

Prize Steeds From Oriental
Stables Coming to the St.
Louis Exposition.


barbaric warriors of the African desert,
the animal whose beautiful equine per-
fection has been chiseled in marble by
the ancient Grecian sculptors and
transferred to canvas by the genious
of the old masters of Rome, the horse
of ancient mythology and the source
OF inspiration for song and story OF
poets of all ages, the horse that is en-
Veloped in a veil of Oriental mystery
and romance-again, it can be said, the
Arab horse steps proudly to the front
in the horse world of America, and this
time under auspices so favorable as
to predict the long deferred recognition
due him in the Oceident. The Arab
horse is TO be prominently exploited in
the live stock department of the Louis
lana Purchase exposition.
Already President Francis has in his
private stable on the worlds fair
grounds the only pure bred Barb upon
the American continents present
sent him several months ago by the
route for display at the fair six Moor
iSh stations from that mysterious
monarch of the African desert kingdom,
and they are said to be the finest types
of Arabs and Barbs, whose pedigrees
have been religiously kept by the old
sneiks Of the Sahara tribes. One of
these is pure milk-White stallion
from the sultan,s private stable sent
as a present to President Roosevelt.
But we'll organized movement is
on foot to bring about a recrudescence
Of the Arab horse in America. The re-
cent formation of the Arabian Horse
Breeders association in New York is
for the purpose of reviving interest in
the horse of the desert by bringing
him into prominence at the Louisiana
Purchase exposition in so emphatic
manner that his standing and worth
for breeding purposes will forever after
remain undisputed in this country.
Working in harmony with this as
sociation, and fully recognizing the
merit of the movement, Chief F. D. Co
the live stock department of the fair,
have established a class for Arabian
horses and America Arabs in the
horse division, and prizes and diplomas
will be awarded by the most competent
judges to be obtained. Besides the
pure bred Arabs from foreign lands
there will be many fine animals of the
Americo-A Arab type, which is product
from native American mares by Arabs
or Barbs.
In these momentous days, when the
military spirit seems to be aroused in
every nation in the world, it Is a most
opportune time to revive interest In
the Arabian horse, for 1t Is generally
recognized fact in all European coun-
tries that he is particularly adapted
for military campaigns. In fact, the
Arabian hcrse is linked with the glory
of some OF the greatest military gen.
r.1x i,z~4 hi low, 90 t1,n Mo-
poleon rode to fame on an Arab horse,
whose skeleton today rests in the ma
tional museum of France. The Duke OF
wellington, whose glory was complete
when he defeated Napoleon at Water
loo, rode an Arab. Gen. Washington,
who made it possible for the Louisiana
Purchase exposition to be held as a
celebration of the advance of liberty,
rode a proud Arabian steed. Lord Rob-
erts rode an Arab in his Egyptian cam
paign. and also during the Boer war.
The present development Of the Arab
horse in America began with the pres
entation of two famous stations to
Gen. Grant, when he was In Constantf-
nople, by the sultan of Turkey.
< The origin of the Arab horse is lost
In the mists of tradition. After the
most diligent research of expert scien-
fists and horse fanciers, it is generally
bred by the wild tribes of Western
Africa. OF these barbaric hordes the
AnaZeh tribe is known to have the best
horses. PedigreeS are traced, and none
are considered pure except from Ke-
heilet or pure mare, and a Keheilan,
or pure sire. The Keheilet Ajuz family
is considered the choicest.
Through all history the Arab horses
have been sought for and highly priced
oil iy;o ...,1
them on the Parthenon, the Romans on
their triumphal arches. Through the
races of Northern Africa they were
taken by the Moors to Spain. The
ancient Romans took them to Gaul,
Belgium and Britain, where they be-
came modified by food. neglect, care
and climatic conditions. Not infre
quently has the history of Europe been
changed by the nation having the
strongest and best horses. This fact is
so we'll recognized that today every
government in Europe breeds pure
Arab horses as foundation stock from
which to produce the army horses. In
the recent English-Boer war it was
the Superior horsemanship of the Beers
that compelled England to send $4,000
soldiers to South Africa to conquer 40,-
600 frontiersmen. Then it was demon
strated more than ever before that the
horse is one of the really great ele-
ments in modern warfare.
Horses brought to America by the
Spaniards under De Soto, and those
they left behind became wild on the
prairies of Texas and Mexico and
known as the, mustang, which, through
the mixture Of scrubs, Is now degene-
rated into the modern bronco.
One hundred years after this country
was settled by the English the people
of Great Britain were importing many
Arabian horses to Virginia and New
York Also few direct importations
of Arab blood were made by the col
onists. From these strains have grown
the English and American thorough
bred trained for generations to run at
a high rate Of speed for a short dis
tance. The thoroughbred has lost many
of the qualities of his Arab pregenitors,
and he now forms a class by himself.
Similarly the trotting horse of America
is largely the outcome of Arab blood.
As has been stated, the present de-
yelopment or revival of the Arab horse
In America began when the sultan of
Turkey presented to Gen. Grant the
two stations, leopard and Linden Tree.
Randolph Huntington was the first to,
breed to them, and later he imported
the Arab mare Naomi and her daughter
NaZlf, and the stallion Nimr. From
these, by judieious breeding, he has
established a family of pure Arab
horses that are self-reproducing and
uniform in type. and from fifteen to
sixteen hands high. During the Chi
cago Worlds fair the Russian govern
ment sent several pure Arab horses for
exhibition, and some remained in this