If indeed they changed hands it would be as a most honored gift. Breeding stock could be bought and sold, but as a rule, the war mares carried no price. Races were held with the winner taking the best of the loser's herd as their prize. Speed and endurance were essential as well, for the raids were often carried out far from the home camp, family and children. The best war mares exhibited great courage in battle, taking the charges and the spear thrusts without giving ground. Mares were the best mounts for raiding parties, as they would not nicker to the enemy tribe's horses, warning of their approach. Such a raid was only successful if the aggressors could attack with surprise and speed and make good their escape. A well-mounted Bedouin could attack an enemy tribe and capture their herds of horses, sheep, camels and goats, adding to the wealth of their own tribe. The Arabian horse was primarily an instrument of war, as were horses in general in most societies of the time. While other breeds developed in North Africa and the periphery of the Great Desert, these "Barbs" and "Turks" were not of the same blood as Arabians and were disdained by the proud Bedouin. Any mixture of foreign blood was strictly forbidden.
Traditions of breeding and purity were established to keep the breed "Asil" or pure, in the form intended by Allah.
The mythology and romance of the breed grew with each passing century as stories of courage, endurance and wealth intermingled with the genealogies.ĭue in part to the religious significance attached to the Arabian horse, as well as the contribution it made to the wealth and security of the tribe, the breed flourished in near isolation. The headmen of the tribes could relate the verbal histories of each family of horse in his tribe as well as he could each family of Bedouin. Long before Europeans were to become aware of its existence, the horse of the desert had established itself as a necessity for survival of the Bedouin people (nomadic inhabitants of the Middle East desert region). To the Islamic people, he was considered a gift from Allah, to be revered, cherished and almost worshipped.
In the sweet grass oasis along the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers in the countries that are now known as Syria, Iraq and Iran and in other parts of the Arabian Peninsula, this hearty horse developed and would later be known as the Arabian horse. Somewhere in the Near East, centuries ago, a prototype of a breed of horse came into being that would influence the equine world beyond all imagination.
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