Arabian Peninsula

Horses of the Arabian Peninsula are known as Arabian or Arab horses. One of the most recognizable horse breeds in the world, the Arabian has a distinctive head form and a high tail carriage. A horse breed that resembles modern Arabians can be seen in the Middle East as far back as 4,500 years ago, making it one of the oldest breeds. Arabian horses have historically been transported throughout the globe through trade and conflict, and they have been utilized to enhance other breeds by bringing speed, finesse, endurance, and a strong bone to them. Nearly every breed of riding a horse in existence today has ancestry from the Arabian horse.

The heads of Arabian horses are elegantly wedge-shaped, they have a broad forehead, big eyes, big nostrils, and short muzzles. The majority have a recognizable concave, or "dished," profile. The Bedouin refer to this tiny forehead protrusion between the eyes as the "jibbah," and it adds more sinus space, which is thought to have aided the Arabian horse in its original dry desert habitat. An arched neck with a broad, well-positioned windpipe resting on a neat, clean throatlatch is another trait of the breed. The Bedouin referred to this poll and throatlatch configuration as the mitbah or mitbeh. It should be long in the ideal Arabian to allow for the windpipe and bridle flexibility.