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Less reactive Arab lines?

2337 Views 47 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  Remali
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.
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I found a couple of old pics of Dreamlet and her filly by Cloney. So, Sana's Magic Dreamlet (Magic Dream CAHR X Sanadika Shaklana (El Shaklan)) and SVS Il Divo (Khadraj NA X Koulesza (Kouvey Bey)) X Patrice C (*Padron X Aaire (SX Saladin)). Talk about halter bred.

Horse Vertebrate Liver Mammal Fawn



Horse Liver Terrestrial animal Working animal Pack animal
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And that's why I like to know my horses' pedigrees. You can't ride paper, but it can sure tell you a lot about what kind of ride you're probably gonna get. I'd love to see a picture of her. Her pedigree is interesting, so I'd be curious to see if what I'm picturing from it is anywhere near what the actual horse looks like. ;)
Here ya go:

Horse Liver Sorrel Sky Tree

Horse Head Eye Liver Working animal
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A few more “real life” photos (previous ones were taken professionally for their website when they had her up for sale):
Cloud Sky Plant Tree Working animal

Horse Plant Sky Cloud Working animal

Horse Sky Liver Sorrel Tree
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She's really quite lovely, though not quite as exotic as I expected from her breeding. I suppose that was unrealistic because if she had been, she'd be out showing with them. She kind of reminds me of Regal Actor JP.
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Only thing I can say to that is they said she didn't seem happy in the ring and thought she'd be happier on the trails.

But thank you! This has been educational! 😁
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Only thing I can say to that is they said she didn't seem happy in the ring and thought she'd be happier on the trails.

But thank you! This has been educational! 😁
Then she's exactly where she needs to be. It's funny how they end up where they're supposed to, isn't it?
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Then she's exactly where she needs to be. It's funny how they end up where they're supposed to, isn't it?
Yes it is!
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I'm super late to this, but I wanted to add, you can't beat Babson-bred Arabians for great dispositions! Very quiet and wonderful horses.

My Arabians were a Polish/Crabbet mix. My gelding was an *Exelsjor son out a Crabbet mare. And my mare was a *Hal Gazal granddaughter out of a Crabbet mare. Both were bomb-proof, go anywhere and do anything horses, never spooked or got silly. Both did a little showing (dressage, western and English pleasure), but we liked trail riding most of all.
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