Arabian horses and dressage

And what about schooling? Like people, Arabians can vary in their response to work and to training; trained according to classical principles, they can be particularly rewarding, since their intelligence and natural curiosity about the world, affinity with humans and general willingness to go forward can combine in them to create a positive response to the idea of work. It is essential to make the schooling sessions as interesting and as varied as possible; nothing is more calculated to "switch off" an Arabian horse than endless repetitions of the same school figures. Since Arabians are so intelligent and sensitive, they certainly present a challenge to the trainer/rider, but the extra effort will be more than rewarded when the horse responds.

Another - and mistaken - objection to the Arabian as a riding horse consists of its supposed conformational limitations.

There is a mistaken tendency in this country to lump the Arabian together with the Thoroughbred as a horse built principally for speed rather than collection, even though the modern Thoroughbred is quite different from the Arabian (there are significant genetic as well as skeletal differences). The Thoroughbred in fact resembles the Central Asian "Turkoman" type horses far more closely than it ever did the Arabian. Even the movement is different: the long, low "daisycutting" action of the Thoroughbred is quite wrong for the Arabian, whose gaits should show plenty of elevation, with good flexion of all joints. The Arabian of true type is, in short, no greyhound-like speed-machine, nor an elongated, weedy in-hand show horse, but a compact, well-proportioned horse that combines elegance and beauty with great power and agility.

And indeed, there is nothing in the traditional High School movements which the Arabian does not perform at liberty. True, he may not perform these movements in as polished a manner as the trained horse under saddle, but he performs them nevertheless. The Arabian stallion, showing off to mares, arches his neck, shortens his whole frame and prances in a wonderful, elevated, collected passage. I have on four separate occasions seen my pure-bred Arabian mare perform a courbette that would not disgrace the Spanish Riding School. My pure-bred gelding, escaping the boisterous attentions of the youngsters who seek to play with him, will perform a perfect canter pirouette; while the stallion Nivalis shows amazing agility in performing all manner of classical "airs" and collected movements from sheer joie de vivre.

Some dressage "experts" complain that the Arabian's general conformation makes it unsuitable for dressage, and that this conformation makes it difficult for them to come"on the bit". They often point to the Arabian's high, level croup, maintaining that this makes engagement of the hindlegs difficult. This is only true if an excessively level croup is the result of a too-horizontal pelvis, often seen in in-hand show horses. This is not correct for the Arabian; the high tail carriage and the levelness of the croup should proceed from the set of the tail vertebrae, which does not affect function.

As regards the supposed difficulty of getting the Arabian to come "on the bit", there is no physiological reason whatsoever why this should be so. Indeed, if the hindlegs are properly engaged as they should be, the cleanness of the Arab's gullet, and the natural arch of the neck, should make it easy for the horse to "bridle". I believe that any problems are psychological rather than physical. Arabs are very inquisitive, not to say nosey, and some are very easily distracted by what goes on around them. They like to put their heads up so that they can see what is happening, and sometimes this lack of attention can be extreme and very frustrating for the rider. In addition, they can be very sensitive, and will easily become upset and hollow their backs if the rider uses crude or harsh aids, or is in any way unbalanced. It is therefore up to the trainer/rider to understand the reasons for the horse's distraction or upset, and to work through it with patience and sensitivity, but at the same time firmness.

Let a true expert have the final say. Peter Upton says in The Classic Arab Horse: "The hocks are engaged well under the horse so providing great impulsion and suppleness. The hind legs should track up well....This and the high carriage of the head and forehand tends to place the centre of gravity further back than is generally found in other breeds of horse." So far from the Arabian being unsuitable for dressage, the picture emerging is that of an ideal dressage horse!

Finally, many Arabians, if ridden correctly and sympathetically, seem to adore ridden work, possibly because it's just about the closest they can get to their human companion - and, believe me, Araians like to get close! As Major Pat Maxwell, one of Britain's foremost breeders of Arabian horses, says: 'If you want to make an Arab horse - especially a stallion - a friend for life, ride him! There's nothing he likes better!'