*This article may have affiliate links, which means we may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links we provide (at no extra cost to you). For more details, please read our privacy policy/affiliate disclosure. Thank you for supporting the work we put into this blog!
What Makes Araยญbiยญan Horsยญes Unique?
Horse lovers know that the Araยญbiยญan horse is the best of all light horse breeds for genยญerยญal sadยญdle use or ridยญing.
In this artiยญcle, we will go through the hisยญtoยญry of the Araยญbiยญan horse in brief, with some inforยญmaยญtion about the physยญiยญcal charยญacยญter, feedยญing guide, Araยญbiยญan horse prices and facยญtors that might affect your purยญchase price.
Arabian Horse Ancient History
The hisยญtoยญry of the Araยญbiยญan horse is one of magยญic and mysยญtery that has been travยญelยญling through the cenยญturies. It is also known as the Arab horse and is among the most popยญuยญlar and appreยญciยญatยญed horse breeds globally.
Besides their strikยญing physยญiยญcal charยญacยญterยญisยญtics and remarkยญable intelยญliยญgence, they are also one of those ancient horsยญesโ breedsโ origins.
The Araยญbiยญan horse derives from the Araยญbiยญan peninยญsuยญla in the midยญdle east, where it was develยญoped for use by nomadic Bedouin tribes.
They have existยญed for over 3,000 years, such as their imporยญtance to their counยญtry of oriยญgin; a nationยญal proยญgram is estabยญlished to mainยญtain breeds standard.
The Araยญbiยญan horse has also been used as a horse for war. With time, they were bred and develยญoped into othยญer horse breeds, like the Andaluยญsian horse, which is an excelยญlent example.
They evenยญtuยญalยญly arrived in the new world with a Spanยญish conยญquisยญtaยญdor; even hisยญtorยญiยญcal figยญures such as George Washยญingยญton owned the Araยญbiยญan horse, his famousยญly known as Blueยญskin, and Marenยญgo was the famous war horse of Napoleone Bonaยญparte.
Arabian Horse Physical characteristics
The Araยญbiยญan horse has unique physยญiยญcal feaยญtures. If we have a look at their skeleยญtal anatoยญmy, we can see that instead of the usuยญal six lumยญbar verยญteยญbrae and 18 ribs of othยญer horse breeds. They only have five lumยญbar verยญteยญbrae and 17 ribs; this gives them their charยญacยญterยญisยญtics high liftยญed tail. Araยญbiยญan is shortยญer than the majorยญiยญty of horse breeds, meaยญsurยญing about 152 cenยญtimeยญtres in height. Their weight is between 300โ400 kg, they reach sexยญuยญal matuยญriยญty at around four years old and they have a life expectanยญcy of about 35 years old. Their coat is short and glossy with acceptยญed colours from Bay Chesยญnut, grey, black and Rome. The Araยญbiยญan horse presents a docile responยญsive charยญacยญter and is simยญiยญlarยญly communicative.Arabian Horse Feeding guide
Feedยญing Araยญbiยญan horsยญes should be based on qualยญiยญty, offerยญing hay oats, barยญley bran, wheat and corn in addiยญtion to grass grazยญing, and you can also comยญplete their diet with some speยญcifยญic horse feed.
Proยญvidยญing a modยญerยญate amount of vegยญetaยญbles as treats. Someยญtimes peoยญple feed their horsยญes an apple or carยญrot as a treat โ and someยญtimes, horsยญes choke on them. Cutยญting them up small help preยญvent choking.
Plenยญty of fresh, clean water is essenยญtial. Also, a salt lick is necยญesยญsary. Horsยญes require a daiยญly supยญply of salt. A full-sized horse requires at least one ounce (two levยญel tableยญspoons or 30 ml) of salt each day.
In cold seaยญsons, salt helps proยญmote enough water conยญsumpยญtion to preยญvent dehyยญdraยญtion. In warm seaยญsons, salt replaces what is lost from perspiration.
Overยญfeedยญing with supยญpleยญments and treats can cause seriยญous โ even deadยญly health issues. Your vetยญeriยญnarยญiยญan is your best source of inforยญmaยญtion about what will be best to offer your Araยญbiยญan horse and in what quantity.
Anothยญer critยญiยญcal aspect of their coat is carยญing; you need to brush and bathe their coat regยญuยญlarยญly. You also need to offer good genยญerยญal hygiene care, specifยญiยญcalยญly needยญing to trim their hooves every six weeks or so.
Also, they will need plenยญty of physยญiยญcal activยญiยญty to avoid potenยญtial health problems.
Anothยญer critยญiยญcal aspect of their coat is carยญing; you need to brush and bathe their coat regยญuยญlarยญly. You also need to offer good genยญerยญal hygiene care, specifยญiยญcalยญly needยญing to trim their hooves every six weeks or so.
Also, they will need plenยญty of physยญiยญcal activยญiยญty to avoid potenยญtial health problems.
Arabian Horse Purchase Price
The price varies wildยญly, dependยญing on lots of facยญtors. Curยญrent listยญed prices via the Araยญbiยญan Horse Assoยญciยญaยญtion span the range from $500 to $155,000. A more typยญiยญcal price range is $5,000 to $85,000. Howยญevยญer, most Araยญbiยญan horsยญes will cost anyยญwhere from $5,000 to $20,000.Factors Affecting Arabian Horse Purchase Price
1. Age
The prime age for an Araยญbiยญan horse is between 7โ14. Horsยญes that are oldยญer than this may still have a highยญer cost than othยญers, dependยญing on the conยญdiยญtion of the horse and its abilยญiยญty to breed.
Itโs imporยญtant to rememยญber that horsยญes donโt enter into senior staยญtus until around the age of 20, so horsยญes furยญther away from that age tend to cost a litยญtle more.
Youโll invest more in younger horsยญes over time than in oldยญer horsยญes. Some younger horsยญes may be more expenยญsive. Howยญevยญer, it would help if you did othยญer pricยญing facยญtors that come into play durยญing the purยญchase process.
2. Genetics and Bloodline
Horsยญes can occur from solยญid bloodยญlines but have genetยญic issues that affect their health. An Araยญbiยญan horse with a known health issue or a minor injury will be cheapยญer than othยญer Araยญbiยญans. It is a good idea to bring in a trustยญed vetยญeriยญnarยญiยญan durยญing the sales process if you save monยญey this way to ensure that the overยญall health prospects of the horse are still posยญiยญtive when looked at in the long term. Horsยญes with Araยญbiยญan solยญid bloodยญlines and a chamยญpiยญonship pediยญgree will fetch a highยญer price. If bloodยญlines are essenยญtial to you, then the price of a horse with docยญuยญmentยญed genetยญics is worth the investยญment. If youโre lookยญing for an Araยญbiยญan that is more for recreยญationยญal purยญposยญes, you can save some monยญey by avoidยญing this pricยญing factor. The World Araยญbiยญan Horse Orgaยญniยญzaยญtion (WAHO) catยญeยญgoยญrizes and catยญaยญlogues Araยญbiยญans from varยญiยญous famยญiยญlies and may be helpยญful if you have pricยญing quesยญtions about an indiยญvidยญual horse.3. Arabian Horse Personality
Araยญbiยญans are brilยญliant horsยญes. They are curiยญous but not overยญly pushy in tryยญing to find out what you are doing. Many are mild-manยญnered, enjoy receivยญing attenยญtion, and will work with you withยญout much of an issue. Some Araยญbiยญans used to be the Alpha horsยญes of their herd. Stalยญlions, in parยญticยญuยญlar, can be someยญwhat stubยญborn and aggresยญsive, espeยญcialยญly if their behavยญiours have been allowed withยญout guidยญance or discipline. When there is a hot-temยญpered Araยญbiยญan, there is a good chance that the horseโs price will be lowยญer than a comยญpaยญraยญble mild-manยญnered horse. If youโre used to workยญing with horsยญes and donโt mind impleยญmentยญing some behavยญiour modยญiยญfiยญcaยญtion techยญniques, savยญing sevยญerยญal thouยญsand dolยญlars in this catยญeยญgoยญry alone is possible.
4. Coat Color
Araยญbiยญans have black skin. This skin colยญoration develยญoped in response to their origยญiยญnal locaยญtion in the APAC region and the Midยญdle East, where deserts are prominent.
Most Araยญbiยญans come in solยญid shades, includยญing chestยญnut, bay, gray, and black. Speยญcifยญic coat colours are sought after more than othยญers, espeยญcialยญly if the Araยญbiยญan has more white markยญings withยญin the coat than the average.
If youโre willยญing to setยญtle for a litยญtle less than perยญfecยญtion in terms of coat appearยญance, then you can potenยญtialยญly save a lot on the final price of your new Araยญbiยญan horse.
5. Ongoing Costs
The iniยญtial investยญment into an Araยญbiยญan horse is essenยญtial, but it is good to conยญsidยญer the ongoยญing costs. Vetยญeriยญnarยญiยญan serยญvices must regยญuยญlarยญly be proยญvidยญed to the horse, includยญing vacยญciยญnaยญtions, rouยญtine physยญiยญcal inspecยญtions, and potenยญtial emergencies. There are feed costs to conยญsidยญer, so even though you may pay an averยญage of $10,000 for the Araยญbiยญan iniยญtialยญly, youโll likeยญly be payยญing an averยญage of $300-$600 per month to care for the horse. If you need to board your horse at a third-parยญty staยญble because you donโt have the room to keep the Araยญbiยญan on your propยญerยญty, then the ongoยญing costs may double.
Because the ongoยญing costs are relยญaยญtiveยญly the same for expenยญsive or inexยญpenยญsive Araยญbiยญans, purยญchasยญing the best qualยญiยญty horse you can afford makes sense. That way, you can enjoy being a horse ownยญer withยญout worยญryยญing about your budget.
6. Training
Trainยญing an Araยญbiยญan to perยญform speยญcifยญic tasks or comยญplete cerยญtain jobs takes time. That time and the final skill the horse has develยญoped in comยญpletยญing tasks or duties will be into the final price of the horse. The qualยญiยญty of the horseโs trainยญing will also increase the cost. If a well-known trainยญer has worked with an Araยญbiยญan, the price of that horse will be higher.7. Competition Experience
Araยญbiยญans who have comยญpetยญed in some way will always be priced highยญer than those who have not fought. Even if the horse comยญpetยญed and failed to win anyยญthing, comยญpeยญtiยญtion increasยญes the price. The longer a horse spends racยญing, in a show ring, or perยญformยญing equiยญtation, the more the ownยญer will ask before agreeยญing to a sale.8. Location
Difยญferยญent parts of the world can comยญmand difยญferยญent prices for an Araยญbiยญan horse. In counยญtries like the Unitยญed States, there may be othยญer price strucยญtures on the East Coast comยญpared to the West Coast. Of course, the actuยญal cost is relยญaยญtive. If you live on the East Coast and the price of an Araยญbiยญan is $12,000, it is still cheapยญer to purยญchase localยญly than to buy a $10,000 Araยญbiยญan on the West Coast and then spend $4,000 in transยญportaยญtion costs.9. Breeder Reputation
Sevยญerยญal well-estabยญlished Araยญbiยญan breedยญers are operยญatยญing around the world. Many of them will introยญduce you to their operยญaยญtions and work with you to find a horse that is best suitยญed to meet your needs. If youโre lookยญing for an Araยญbiยญan that will ride trails and be a therยญaยญpeuยญtic expeยญriยญenยญtial treatยญment option, thatโs a very difยญferยญent need than wantยญiยญng an Araยญbiยญan who can perยญform under high-presยญsure racยญing conditions.10. Geldings
This is a reaยญson for some ownยญers to increase the price. There is the cost of the proยญceยญdure that must be in mind. Also, many geldยญed horsยญes tend to become ridยญable when this may not be the case. In genยญerยญal, Comยญpared to othยญer breeds, the price of an Araยญbiยญan is reaยญsonยญably modยญest. If youโre lookยญing to purยญchase a horse: you typยญiยญcalยญly get what you pay!Araยญbiยญan stud farms are worldยญwide, includยญing in Canaยญda, the Unitยญed States, Europe, the Midยญdle East, and Asia.
Last but not least,
Araยญbiยญan horsยญes can be lovยญing, loyยญal, responยญsive comยญpanยญions. Many oldยญer Araยญbiยญans make loveยญly famยญiยญly and beginยญner horsยญes, whether ridยญden or driยญven in harยญnessยญes. They tend to be more peoยญple-oriยญentยญed than some othยญer breeds and enjoy the comยญpaยญny of their human families.
