[Aprilswissmiss]

This is really just for my own curiosity and for the sake of discussion. Of course, every horse is an individual regardless of breed, but does anyone know of performance Arabian lines that are known to produce brave, relatively calm (in the context of Arabs) animals?

My half Arab mare is terrified of the most random and annoying things. Things like semis and motorcycles are perfectly fine, but certain objects that she sees on a daily basis don't get any less scary. Barrels are terrifying. Signs are terrifying. Mailboxes are terrifying. Milkweed plants are terrifying. Painted lines on the road are terrifying. And we encounter most of these on every single ride in the exact same spots they've been in for as long as she's been here. If she spooks at something once, I know she's going to spook at it every single time.

She is perfectly tolerating of desensitization training. I've spent hours throwing hula hoops onto her neck and bouncing exercise balls off of her back and things of the like. She doesn't care one bit. She doesn't care about most things that move and make noise, and wild animals don't phase her one bit. But she hasn't ever gotten any less spooky about the stationary items she has constant exposure to and have obviously never tried to eat her. I can tolerate all her other quirks, but I am beyond frustrated when she throws herself into a ditch because she almost stepped on a painted line and noticed at the last second.

Anyway - the reactivity is a big part of what turns me off from getting another horse with Arab blood in the future. I know brave Arabs exist, but I'm wondering if there are lines that are known for it or if some individuals are just a lot better than others.

@Dreamcatcher Arabians and @phantomhorse13, I know you two have lots of Arab history.

 

[RoadRider / Rios Dad]

I have always had brave Arabs. IT is not the breeding but the person riding them
They are smart , sensitive and pick up on you the rider
I have no fear thus my arab's don't either

Rio is from the The Desperodo line

 

[Athenion]

Hi there, (this got long so fair warning) now this is just my personal experience (I grew up with Arabs and have 4 now) and I am no expert, but here's what I've found working with quite a few:

CMK (Crabbet, Maynesboro, Kellogg) and Selby lines are versatile, and one of my very best horses ever was highly Selby bred (they owned Raffles for a while). We trained her to ride and drive as an 8 year old, untouched pasture horse and she never once gave me a hard time. As a 15 year old kid I took her trail riding through a neighborhood with cars, trucks and flags.... it was her 3rd ride ever, and she acted like it was old hat. She could go saddleseat, western, jump and drive. Fantastic mare.

I knew quite a few Crabbet bred horses that were safe for beginner children even when the horses themselves were at a fairly young age.

I recently had a straight Egyptian mare somewhat linebred to Halima that was the most gentle soul ever, unfortunately I lost her minutes after she delivered her last foal.

She was one of the least reactive horses I have ever met, she would relax anywhere and just loved attention from anyone. I have her 2 daughters, one with domestic lines on top and a straight Egyptian filly. They both have great personalities but the straight Egyptian filly at just a few months old is able to be led with just a neck rope, calmly checks out new things and basically functions as my shadow. She's been hand raised unfortunately because of the tragic loss of her mother but even so, she's developed none of the issues I would expect from a bottle baby. She is very gentle, not at all pushy, and is extremely non reactive. I have, however met very hot Egyptian Arabs so this could just be her particular lines.

Halter lines are often quite hot, but some do make really good performance horses. Others... not so much.

My favorite riding horse is what I would consider reactive/hot breeding, with Padrons Psyche and a ton of linebreeding to *Bask, but while very reactive she is very good at watching her feet and luckily if handled calmly she is able to contain herself. She's amazingly responsive to aids, but if she gets overfaced she rears a slight bit, which is usually my fault so I don't blame her. She does react to Every. Little. Thing. On a ride, stall, wherever but her reactions are usually really small. That said, when my 70 year old mother leads her, the mare takes tiny, mincing little steps and waits patiently if mom drops behind a little.

I've had both ends of the spectrum with Polish lines, but I really like them.

Again, I am no expert and this is just based on personal experience. I'm sure there's others who can comment on lines I have no experience with, and of course each horse is an individual. There are for sure plenty of non reactive Arabs out there.

Edit: I cannot believe I forgot Khemosabi, I had the great fortune of meeting him when I was a kid, and he just exhuded calm confidence. He was stunning too. I met a stallion recently that was Khemo/Ferzon bred and he was so quiet, calm and relaxed even at a big show. I like the addition of a little Khemosabi to the hotter lines, though his lines seem to carry a lot of white markings which really just goes down to preference but I like less white on my horses.

 

[pasomountain]

My first horse was a polish (out of Winsz-->Cytrys-->Trypolis) arab gelding and he was pretty good with most things too except in the arena. In one corner there was several plastic barrels and the infamous "tarp flapping in the wind". Believe me I was not afraid of that corner but he absolutely refused to get close to it no matter what. No amount of baby steps or leading him over to look at it or anything else would convince him to change his mind. We would be walking along fine in the rest of the arena then when we neared that corner he would either veer away or kind of drop and go sideways!

Another time we were out trail riding and all of the sudden a cow elk came up over the ridge right in front of us. None of the horses reacted at all, including my arab. I was a bit startled but he didn't care--and she was almost as big as the horses themselves. The elk looked pretty surprised though and turned right around and went back down. 😄

 

[Knave]

I worked at an Arabian place, they were polish bred, and very well bred. I wouldn’t call a single one who was there reactive. There was one I didn’t like, but he was a cross breed with a paint, and I never could figure out why they had him. He wasn’t a horse who had won a ton, like the others, and he wasn’t a horse I enjoyed being around. He really just was a jerk, not reactive though, in my opinion.

I grew up hearing negative things about Arabs, and I really liked those horses.

ETA- the stud horse they had was SC Buckaroo Bay. He had died when I was working there, but I got to ride his brother who was outstanding. I wish he hadn’t been cut! I rode his offspring and started one on reining. The horses they had were high caliber and totally threw the view I had being raised with out the window. They were some of the best animals I had the privilege of putting a leg over.

 

[QtrBel]

My favorite riding horse is what I would consider reactive/hot breeding, with Padrons Psyche and a ton of linebreeding to *Bask, but while very reactive she is very good at watching her feet and luckily if handled calmly she is able to contain herself. She's amazingly responsive to aids, but if she gets overfaced she rears a slight bit, which is usually my fault so I don't blame her. She does react to Every. Little. Thing. On a ride, stall, wherever but her reactions are usually really small. That said, when my 70 year old mother leads her, the mare takes tiny, mincing little steps and waits patiently if mom drops behind a little.

This is my experience. I bolded the most important in my experience. A reactive person handling ng a reactive horse is a recipe for disaster. Seen and experienced the fall out first hand.

I'll see if I can look up my first mare's breeding as she was very much the same. The horses at the barn on my east coast travels were Russian and Polish mainly. A few Crabbet. One of my favorites was a Muscat son that was standing where I worked My experience was very similar. My only experience that had me questioning myself was with Egyptian but these were halter horses and hotter than the desert they came from generations back though they could blow cold as well. They had their own staff that traveled with them. I was more an observer.

 

[Aprilswissmiss]

Halter lines are often quite hot, but some do make really good performance horses. Others... not so much.

Yes, that is my issue. The Arab half of my mare is halter Arab. I joke all the time that she wasn't designed with riding in mind because her sire is a halter Arab and her dam was a Standardbred, assumably a harness racer with how ground-covering my mare's trot is. She got the Arab halter line brains and the Standy jackhammer racing trot. Neither particularly bred for or suited to riding. She's... a lot. 😂

 

[Aprilswissmiss]

My first horse was a polish (out of Winsz-->Cytrys-->Trypolis) arab gelding and he was pretty good with most things too except in the arena. In one corner there was several plastic barrels and the infamous "tarp flapping in the wind". Believe me I was not afraid of that corner but he absolutely refused to get close to it no matter what. No amount of baby steps or leading him over to look at it or anything else would convince him to change his mind. We would be walking along fine in the rest of the arena then when we neared that corner he would either veer away or kind of drop and go sideways!

Another time we were out trail riding and all of the sudden a cow elk came up over the ridge right in front of us. None of the horses reacted at all, including my arab. I was a bit startled but he didn't care--and she was almost as big as the horses themselves. The elk looked pretty surprised though and turned right around and went back down. 😄

Ugh, the barrels. There are barrels in both arenas here and April has yet to get over them. She spends the whole ride actively avoiding getting within 15 feet of them. One time we came around a corner at a slightly different angle than we did in the previous lap and when she saw one of the barrels in a slightly different light, she teleported ten feet sideways without any warning and with a single leap. You could see four hoof-shaped chunks taken out of the grass where she pushed off the ground and four hoof-shaped chunks taken out where she landed.

Thankfully, April doesn't mind deer at all, or any wildlife we've encountered for that matter. Cows, on the other hand, she has a full on meltdown when she sees them from a quarter of a mile away. Usually her spooks are reflexive startles or balking, but when she sees little cow-shaped figures on the horizon, she freezes, shakes from head to toe, then bolts in the opposite direction, and nothing can screw her brain back on until they're well out of sight. She doesn't have this reaction for any other farm animals.

 

[Aprilswissmiss]

This is my experience. I bolded the most important in my experience. A reactive person handling ng a reactive horse is a recipe for disaster. Seen and experienced the fall out first hand.

I actually wish my mare's issues all revolved around my own lack of handling skills - at least then I'd have something I could work on fixing myself. I get along very well with reactive horses, and April is phenomenal on the ground anyway. She's also got a good mind under saddle when she's not spooking. Most of her spooks are jump-scare-style where we're going along relaxed and happy at a trot, then something comes into her vision and she startles at it immediately, then carries on a second later. It just gets obnoxious because her version of startling is slamming on the brakes from a brisk trot to a halt, and her version of carrying on is leaping back up into the trot. The balking can get annoying but at least then I can work with her through it.

 

[Aprilswissmiss]

I appreciate the input on particular lines - it's always fun to learn more about the diversity of Arabian breeding.

 

[jast]

I’m liking the Polish lines in terms of temperament and reactivity/sensitivity. Egyptian lines, in my limited experience, tend to be a bit more expressive. I’ve also been very wary of Arabs as I don’t need that kind of excitement in my life. But they grew on me again after riding at a barn with several Polish bred Arabs.

 

[walkinthewalk]

My Streeter (RIP) went straight back to Crabbet on his top side. He was a fantastic calm horse and loved little children.

I got him out of a bad situation and had planned to use him as a trail horse but once I got the weight back on him, I discovered he had an injured vertebra. He was only 13.3H, the Equine PT who worked on him said no more than 100# on his back.

Streeter loved to swim so I did take him to the river behind the the boarding farm and we would swim across the river a few times a week. The BO used him as a lesson horse for small children and he was great with the children.

 

[beau159]

This is really just for my own curiosity and for the sake of discussion. Of course, every horse is an individual regardless of breed, but does anyone know of performance Arabian lines that are known to produce brave, relatively calm (in the context of Arabs) animals?

My half Arab mare is terrified of the most random and annoying things. Things like semis and motorcycles are perfectly fine, but certain objects that she sees on a daily basis don't get any less scary. Barrels are terrifying. Signs are terrifying. Mailboxes are terrifying. Milkweed plants are terrifying. Painted lines on the road are terrifying. And we encounter most of these on every single ride in the exact same spots they've been in for as long as she's been here. If she spooks at something once, I know she's going to spook at it every single time.

She is perfectly tolerating of desensitization training. I've spent hours throwing hula hoops onto her neck and bouncing exercise balls off of her back and things of the like. She doesn't care one bit. She doesn't care about most things that move and make noise, and wild animals don't phase her one bit. But she hasn't ever gotten any less spooky about the stationary items she has constant exposure to and have obviously never tried to eat her. I can tolerate all her other quirks, but I am beyond frustrated when she throws herself into a ditch because she almost stepped on a painted line and noticed at the last second.

Anyway - the reactivity is a big part of what turns me off from getting another horse with Arab blood in the future. I know brave Arabs exist, but I'm wondering if there are lines that are known for it or if some individuals are just a lot better than others.

I will say that I personally have not owned an Arabian myself, but I used to board (privately) at a retired couples place and she had Arabians for the purpose of endurance riding.

As a general stereotype, Arabians tend to be very SMART and do tend to be more SENSITIVE. So...... you lack confidence one time, or mess up one time, they're going to remember that. (Now, not saying "you" as in "you" but just talking generalities.) These can be exceptional traits, when handled correctly. And of course, that can apply to any breed of horse - not just Arabians. My horse Lilly is like that. She is smart as a whip and super sensitive - I love it. But, when I make a mistake (and I do, I'm not perfect), then it takes longer for me to overcome that mistake with her, because of how she is. For example, a year ago, I made the mistake of getting after her too much when I was practicing opening a gate. I got frustrated and then she got frustrated, which was all my fault. It took MONTHS to regain where we were, and have her approach the gate calmly, with patience, instead of rushing and jigging. Red, Dexter, or Shotgun? Ah, they've forgotten by the next day and I'm forgiven, LOL. But not Lilly.

So you said, if April spooks at something once, she spooks at it again. There's that "smartness". She won't forget that scary object - she remembers.
So you have to work extra hard, to redirect her mind. You have to figure out how to get her out of the reactive fight-or-flight way of thinking, and back to thinking. Some horses have a hairpin trigger switch to flip to being reactive - very hairpin. And those are harder to train to "come back to you", but it can be done.

But I wouldn't necessarily label Arabians for being that way, because yes, all horses have their own personalities. And certainly other horses (quarter horses, paints, TBs, etc) can be a more reactive-type of horse.

I took a horsemanship clinic with Phil Haugen earlier this year. Excellent! He talks a lot about this. And he's a big advocate of simple, simple, basic steps. Like a one rein step. A pivot. A sidepass. Move the shoulders. Etc. Etc. You're just teaching your horse to be soft, engage their mind, and do some very basic things. And you can put those tools to use when the horse is in a reactive state, to bring their mind back to thinking.

 

[Athenion]

Ugh, the barrels. There are barrels in both arenas here and April has yet to get over them. She spends the whole ride actively avoiding getting within 15 feet of them. One time we came around a corner at a slightly different angle than we did in the previous lap and when she saw one of the barrels in a slightly different light, she teleported ten feet sideways without any warning and with a single leap. You could see four hoof-shaped chunks taken out of the grass where she pushed off the ground and four hoof-shaped chunks taken out where she landed.

My reactive mare is the same with barrels, she always snorts, she's gotten better but is never chill about it.

My pet theory is that with a steady horse, you show them a barrel, they check it out and decide its a plastic tube that's not a threat to them, but the reactive one sees the barrel, sees that they're hollow inside, and decides to always be cautious of all future barrels... as barrels, being hollow, could always harbor something dangerous inside.

Maybe I just tell myself that though to make sense of her aversion to them

 

[Dreamcatcher Arabians]

Marq My Words (Muscat & Vallejo Marquessa), SVS Il Divo (*Padron, Khadraj NA, Kouvay Bey), Desperado Moon (Sundance Kid V & Hucklebey Berry), Lady B (Barbary) SVS Viado (Desert Heat VF (Fame VF X Khadraja Bey)

There are lines that are considered "Halter" and "Performance" and most are all around types. I admit to being very partial to Russian, Polish and domestic lines bred by Sheila Varian and Bazy Tankersley (Al Marah Arabians). Sadly, Sheila and Bazy are no more.

Marq My Words was one of the best trail & parade horses I've ever ridden. He was one of the most level headed horses I've ever owned. He was by the *Muscat son, Nokitov out of Vallejo Marquessa, one of the best producing mares ever, so I expected no less. *Muscat was Russian, 1st Triple Crown winner (US National Champ, Scottsdale Champ and Canadian National Champ), all showing halter. He was also an excellent Western Pleasure horse, worked cows, and rode out on trail. I have always kicked myself for selling Marq.

SVS Il Divo aka Cloney is my gelding by SVS Fornaio who is a Khadraj NA son out of SVS Kouleysza (Kouvay Bey X Fetyszka) out of Patrice C, a Coleal mare, *Padron X Aaire, an SX Saladin daughter. That's Russian and Polish lines and all Halter and Racing (Fetyszka was a *Deficyt daughter), so you'd think hotter than a $2 pistol but he's anything but. Cloney CAN be hot, but it's all for show, he's not losing his mind while he does it and he's far from spooky. He's shown at the National level in Main Ring Halter, Sport Horse in Hand, Hunter Pleasure and up to 2nd Level Classical Dressage. He's super athletic and very good minded.

Desperado Moon is a Varian bred Western Pleasure horse I owned, by Sundance Kid V X Beyberryeloquence (Hucklebey Berry X Chosen Destiny (Well Chosen). I took him on because of his sire line, and pretty much in spite of his tail female line. A lot of people thought a lot of Aladdinn but he was never a particular favorite of mine. Moonie had been left a stallion solely because he was black and for no other reason. He was a good looking horse but he'd been allowed to be an absolute pig. So, the first thing I did was geld him. That improved him immensely. He turned into the sweetest Western Pleasure horse you could ask for. Even as a stallion he wasn't a hot head, he was just not real nice. After he was gelded and we showed for a season, he was the sweetest horse and I sold him as a child's show horse. By the time I sold him, I really didn't want to. I'd take another Varian bred horse any day.

Lady Barbieri (Barbary) was a Varian bred mare by Barbary, a champion Park horse, so you'd expect another hot horse. She totally wasn't. She was very kind and loved attention and going for rides. She taught me how to ride saddleseat, Country English Pleasure, she didn't trot high enough to be a Park horse like her sire. She was my first Arabian and got me into Arabian horses. She was a total character. Very dramatic, but not spooky in the least.

I also liked to cross Russian/Polish lines on Varian breeding (Bay el Bey). I had an old mare Cachmere (Ratzi X Sacudida) and her daughter Carmel Bey a Bay el Bey daughter, and her daughter Khadraja Bey by Khadraj NA. These mares made some lovely foals and they were mostly sensible. I also had SVS Viado who was by Desert Heat VF, a Fame VF son, out of Khadraja Bey. Desert Heat and Fame VF both were champions at halter and Western Pleasure stallions. Viado, unfortunately, was extremely high strung and spooky. Sometimes all you can do is all you can do.
I also loved Magic Dream CAHR (Ali Jamaal X The Dreamspinner) and he was very level headed. Crossed on Sanadik el Shaklan was a very popular cross but I found it produced horses that were so hot and silly that finding a trainer to work with them could be really frustrating. I bred a foal out of Sanadika Shaklana who was prettier than both of her parents but had a sieve for a brain.l Not a breeding I would repeat,.

Yes, that is my issue. The Arab half of my mare is halter Arab. I joke all the time that she wasn't designed with riding in mind because her sire is a halter Arab and her dam was a Standardbred, assumably a harness racer with how ground-covering my mare's trot is. She got the Arab halter line brains and the Standy jackhammer racing trot. Neither particularly bred for or suited to riding. She's... a lot. 😂

What's your mare's Arabian pedigree?

I agree that sometimes the reason a horse is spooky and nervous is because the handler/rider is spooky and nervous. For instance, the mare spooks at barrels and never desensitizes to them. Sometimes that is exactly what's happening. Other times, the rider/handler knows they're going to be passing near the barrel and expects the horse to spook, so tenses up and the horse feels the rider's anxiety and feeds on the heightened energy. Only you can know what it really is.

 

[KharenasMom]

Figured I'd chime in here:

I have my 2nd Arab now. She is young and VERY green, AND was just shipped up from TX where most of her life was spent in a pasture.

I have found she is very sensitive to things. However, she is a smart, and a quick learner and doesn't explode, but rather tries to sort of think out the situation.

Once I realized just how limited her training was, I went backwards with with her training... started with basics, and groundwork.
When I first got her, she was terrified of everything in the ring. Now?
Now I can walk her over tarps, plastic baby mattresses, you name it.
I find the trick is like @RoadRider said... if you do not hesitate or have fear, then she/they will not.
My story with her is slow and steady, I'm building a wonderful relationship with her patiently.

But my post is just to say that I find most Arabs are a bit hot, or spicy if you will... but that is why I love them. They have such a dynamic personality.
I like my people like that too LOL

 

[gottatrot]

I've ridden some Varian horses and they had very gentle, less reactive temperaments. These included a Khemosabi granddaughter who was his same color with the high whites, and a Bay el Bay daughter. She could carry little kids.

My first Arab was a Bask granddaughter and mostly polish, she was the spookiest horse I've ever been around. She only stopped spooking quite as much when she was very old and I don't think she could see or hear as well.

Endurance bred Arabs like Rushcreek horses I've been around were steady and unflappable.
My current Arab is level headed and she has almost entirely polish bloodlines. The difference between her and my first polish Arab is that her lines are more performance oriented rather than halter, and no Bask.

I had another Arab that was definitely purebred but with no papers. She was not as spooky but super hot.
One thing I've found true with almost every Arab I've been around. They're sensitive, and if you treat them right they are people oriented. I think people believe that sensitive and spooky go hand in hand. They really don't. My super spooky Arab was that way regardless of any rider nerves and continued to be that way after lots of training and many experiences. My less spooky Arabs were also that way naturally.

It's always helpful to work with a horse and give them more experiences, but don't think you'll stop a very spooky horse from being that way just by being confident. @phantomhorse13 is a very confident and very experienced rider and she also has had Arabs that were very spooky despite what she brought to them as a rider and handler.

 

[Aprilswissmiss]

I will say that I personally have not owned an Arabian myself, but I used to board (privately) at a retired couples place and she had Arabians for the purpose of endurance riding.

As a general stereotype, Arabians tend to be very SMART and do tend to be more SENSITIVE. So...... you lack confidence one time, or mess up one time, they're going to remember that. (Now, not saying "you" as in "you" but just talking generalities.) These can be exceptional traits, when handled correctly. And of course, that can apply to any breed of horse - not just Arabians. My horse Lilly is like that. She is smart as a whip and super sensitive - I love it. But, when I make a mistake (and I do, I'm not perfect), then it takes longer for me to overcome that mistake with her, because of how she is. For example, a year ago, I made the mistake of getting after her too much when I was practicing opening a gate. I got frustrated and then she got frustrated, which was all my fault. It took MONTHS to regain where we were, and have her approach the gate calmly, with patience, instead of rushing and jigging. Red, Dexter, or Shotgun? Ah, they've forgotten by the next day and I'm forgiven, LOL. But not Lilly.

So you said, if April spooks at something once, she spooks at it again. There's that "smartness". She won't forget that scary object - she remembers.
So you have to work extra hard, to redirect her mind. You have to figure out how to get her out of the reactive fight-or-flight way of thinking, and back to thinking. Some horses have a hairpin trigger switch to flip to being reactive - very hairpin. And those are harder to train to "come back to you", but it can be done.

But I wouldn't necessarily label Arabians for being that way, because yes, all horses have their own personalities. And certainly other horses (quarter horses, paints, TBs, etc) can be a more reactive-type of horse.

I took a horsemanship clinic with Phil Haugen earlier this year. Excellent! He talks a lot about this. And he's a big advocate of simple, simple, basic steps. Like a one rein step. A pivot. A sidepass. Move the shoulders. Etc. Etc. You're just teaching your horse to be soft, engage their mind, and do some very basic things. And you can put those tools to use when the horse is in a reactive state, to bring their mind back to thinking.

I could actually go on and on about why I think she's inherited a sweet and dumb personality from her Standy side, but I think I'd be typing all night! She is the "forgive and forget" type, always very quickly. She doesn't understand new concepts fast and she takes a while to retain training (this isn't just me - I've trained a handful of horses and she's been the slowest of them all, and much more skilled riders than me have had no more luck with her than I have. Though, trick training for treats has a faster effect with her). It's almost more like she forgets the "scary" objects entirely and then re-startles herself every single time.

I have attempted the "bring her back to thinking" a handful of times and it just makes her hotter, no matter how cool and collected and soft I keep myself as I'm asking. Definitely works for other horses I've had to use it on, but not her. I've talked on the forum in a few different places about how easily she gets amped up with certain aids because of how someone in her previous home rode her. With balking/fixation-type-spooking in particular, it's like she goes "Mom, look! I don't like it." and when I go "how about we sidepass? Circle? Shoulders out?" she goes "BUT MOM!!! LOOK! AT! IT!" We have done this for upwards of half an hour before, hoping eventually she lets go of her fixation, but she will work herself into a lather of her own accord and snap her head back toward the spooky object at every opportunity.

Out of everything I've tried, what works best for her spooking is to just keep moving steadily forward and keep my outside leg and rein on (in perspective to scary object being on the "inside" - and I do this to keep her from stepping straight into the road or thick brush, which she absolutely does if not stopped). She doesn't necessarily get over it, but it keeps her from escalating, and then we can let it go once we're past. It's like saying "Yes April, I see it, but it's not a big deal," so she goes "Okay... fine, but I still don't like it." And she will just never like it.

 

[Aprilswissmiss]

Marq My Words (Muscat & Vallejo Marquessa), SVS Il Divo (*Padron, Khadraj NA, Kouvay Bey), Desperado Moon (Sundance Kid V & Hucklebey Berry), Lady B (Barbary) SVS Viado (Desert Heat VF (Fame VF X Khadraja Bey)

There are lines that are considered "Halter" and "Performance" and most are all around types. I admit to being very partial to Russian, Polish and domestic lines bred by Sheila Varian and Bazy Tankersley (Al Marah Arabians). Sadly, Sheila and Bazy are no more.

Marq My Words was one of the best trail & parade horses I've ever ridden. He was one of the most level headed horses I've ever owned. He was by the *Muscat son, Nokitov out of Vallejo Marquessa, one of the best producing mares ever, so I expected no less. *Muscat was Russian, 1st Triple Crown winner (US National Champ, Scottsdale Champ and Canadian National Champ), all showing halter. He was also an excellent Western Pleasure horse, worked cows, and rode out on trail. I have always kicked myself for selling Marq.

SVS Il Divo aka Cloney is my gelding by SVS Fornaio who is a Khadraj NA son out of SVS Kouleysza (Kouvay Bey X Fetyszka) out of Patrice C, a Coleal mare, *Padron X Aaire, an SX Saladin daughter. That's Russian and Polish lines and all Halter and Racing (Fetyszka was a *Deficyt daughter), so you'd think hotter than a $2 pistol but he's anything but. Cloney CAN be hot, but it's all for show, he's not losing his mind while he does it and he's far from spooky. He's shown at the National level in Main Ring Halter, Sport Horse in Hand, Hunter Pleasure and up to 2nd Level Classical Dressage. He's super athletic and very good minded.

Desperado Moon is a Varian bred Western Pleasure horse I owned, by Sundance Kid V X Beyberryeloquence (Hucklebey Berry X Chosen Destiny (Well Chosen). I took him on because of his sire line, and pretty much in spite of his tail female line. A lot of people thought a lot of Aladdinn but he was never a particular favorite of mine. Moonie had been left a stallion solely because he was black and for no other reason. He was a good looking horse but he'd been allowed to be an absolute pig. So, the first thing I did was geld him. That improved him immensely. He turned into the sweetest Western Pleasure horse you could ask for. Even as a stallion he wasn't a hot head, he was just not real nice. After he was gelded and we showed for a season, he was the sweetest horse and I sold him as a child's show horse. By the time I sold him, I really didn't want to. I'd take another Varian bred horse any day.

Lady Barbieri (Barbary) was a Varian bred mare by Barbary, a champion Park horse, so you'd expect another hot horse. She totally wasn't. She was very kind and loved attention and going for rides. She taught me how to ride saddleseat, Country English Pleasure, she didn't trot high enough to be a Park horse like her sire. She was my first Arabian and got me into Arabian horses. She was a total character. Very dramatic, but not spooky in the least.

I also liked to cross Russian/Polish lines on Varian breeding (Bay el Bey). I had an old mare Cachmere (Ratzi X Sacudida) and her daughter Carmel Bey a Bay el Bey daughter, and her daughter Khadraja Bey by Khadraj NA. These mares made some lovely foals and they were mostly sensible. I also had SVS Viado who was by Desert Heat VF, a Fame VF son, out of Khadraja Bey. Desert Heat and Fame VF both were champions at halter and Western Pleasure stallions. Viado, unfortunately, was extremely high strung and spooky. Sometimes all you can do is all you can do.
I also loved Magic Dream CAHR (Ali Jamaal X The Dreamspinner) and he was very level headed. Crossed on Sanadik el Shaklan was a very popular cross but I found it produced horses that were so hot and silly that finding a trainer to work with them could be really frustrating. I bred a foal out of Sanadika Shaklana who was prettier than both of her parents but had a sieve for a brain.l Not a breeding I would repeat,.



What's your mare's Arabian pedigree?

I agree that sometimes the reason a horse is spooky and nervous is because the handler/rider is spooky and nervous. For instance, the mare spooks at barrels and never desensitizes to them. Sometimes that is exactly what's happening. Other times, the rider/handler knows they're going to be passing near the barrel and expects the horse to spook, so tenses up and the horse feels the rider's anxiety and feeds on the heightened energy. Only you can know what it really is.

Thank you for sharing! I absolutely love a lot of the horses in those lines. I have a soft spot for the working Arabs with straighter profiles. I looked up Marq My Words and saw pictures of him in another one of your posts - he's absolutely stunning.

I think you have seen April's sire's pedigree (Infidels Design) before so it might look familiar. He doesn't have much of the modern halter Arab appearance but he has The Minstril in his line twice not very far back, which I understand is known for his fire.

"Sieve for a brain" is pretty accurate for April too 😂

 

[Aprilswissmiss]

Figured I'd chime in here:

I have my 2nd Arab now. She is young and VERY green, AND was just shipped up from TX where most of her life was spent in a pasture.

I have found she is very sensitive to things. However, she is a smart, and a quick learner and doesn't explode, but rather tries to sort of think out the situation.

Once I realized just how limited her training was, I went backwards with with her training... started with basics, and groundwork.
When I first got her, she was terrified of everything in the ring. Now?
Now I can walk her over tarps, plastic baby mattresses, you name it.
I find the trick is like @RoadRider said... if you do not hesitate or have fear, then she/they will not.
My story with her is slow and steady, I'm building a wonderful relationship with her patiently.

But my post is just to say that I find most Arabs are a bit hot, or spicy if you will... but that is why I love them. They have such a dynamic personality.
I like my people like that too LOL

There are definitely a lot of horses out there whose spooks can be fixed with a bit of confidence, but there are also some that are just inherently spooky no matter what. I know it's hard to speak without subjectivity, but I would call myself a relatively confident rider. I ride a lot of the tricky problem horses that no one wants to sit on and I don't seem to have problems with them. I've put lots of people of hugely varying experience on April too, and none have been able to "cure" her spookiness. She tries hard to babysit inexperienced and nervous riders by staying far, far away from anything that's scary, which can be problematic in itself. She gets very worked up and almost explosive with overly confident people who push her too fast too hard through a spooky area. And, nothing is going to stop her reflexive and instinctual fraction-of-a-second startles as we're leisurely trotting along.