And God took a handful of South wind and from it formed a horse, saying:
"I create thee, Oh Arabian. To thy forelock, I bind Victory in battle.
On thy back, I set a rich spoil And a Treasure in thy loins.
I establish thee as one of the Glories of the Earth...
I give thee flight without wings."
-- from Ancient Bedouin Legend

I will never forget the image in the movie, “The Black Stallion,” of an Arabian running along the beach, nose in the wind, and tail flying. The star of this film, Cass Ole, a purebred black Arabian stallion, brought the power of the Arabian horse to moviegoers with his flowing mane and incredible confirmation. Arabians have existed for centuries to insure that generations to come can enjoy a glimpse of great horses like Cass Ole. The oldest breed of horse, Arabians are the only true purebred in the equine world. By 1500 B.C. the people of the East had domesticated the Arabian horse (Origins of the Arabian Horse). The Arabian had become a necessity for the Bedouin people to ensure their survival (History and Heritage of the Arabian Horse). The horses were of great importance to the tribes, and "the head men of the tribes could relate the verbal histories of each family of horse in his tribe as well as he could each family of Bedouin (History and Heritage of the Arabian Horse). Beginning with the Christian Crusades, European horses were improved with Arabian blood, as the crusaders returned to Europe with their booty. Invention of firearms led to a desire for lighter horses as the heavy horses were no longer necessary to carry armor. It became a standard to use purebred Arabians to lighten and improve European stock (Byford, et al. Origination of the Arabian Breed). Poland was one of the first countries that imported purebred Arabians into their breeding programs which resulted in some of the most famous Arabian stud farms. Polish Arabians originated from mostly Kehilian and Seglawi strains "to keep that so-called Arabian "type". Poland's purebred Arabian traditions date back to the days of the "Amber Trail," the trading thoroughfare between the Black and Baltic Seas. Polish Arabians are popular today because they tend to have more substance and still retain type and refinement. In 1993, the definition of "pure polish" was adopted by the Korona Polish Arabian Breeders Society, yet it remains disputed by breeders internationally. The older "pure Polish" horses were bred for athleticism, similar to the Lipizzaner and this is where the breeders today are headed in establishing the Polish Arabian of the future.

This tragic turn of events at the end of World War II nearly ended this pristine breeding program. When the Russians attacked from the east, it was common knowledge that they were starving to death and any horse that was not eaten was pressed into service as a draft horse by the army. It is still shocking to me to see the conditions under which those horses worked during the Second World War (which was, frankly, a continuation of the first with a small intermission). The German army depended on horses for the majority of their logistics for all their vaunted mechanization!

After Poland fell to the Russians, the situation was still fluid enough that General Patton was able to intercept many of the Polish Arabians from the famous stud farms before they became dinner or a draft horse chained to overloaded wagons. He imported these to the United States and from what I have been able to research (for the most part) they are all that is left. From these horses, a scientific breeding program was begun in America. The success of that program is remarkable. My lovely mare is a result of that program and for that I will be eternally thankful to the memory of General Patton. (By the way Cass Ole is the grandfather of my foal!) I know that Patton has been a much maligned and controversial personality through the movies and armchair historians. I think he was a soldier of the old school, a man 100 years too late.  I certainly never knew the man. But, anyone who loves horses that much must be a loving and caring person.  Besides, I am a “glass is half full” kind of person.

The history of the Lipizzaner Andalusians and the Polish Arabians is a story so fraught with peril and danger, that someone should make a movie. I think that Disney did one of his docudrama potboilers (more drama than docu!) with Tyrone Power. But, it was so distorted as to bear little resemblance to the truth. The Truth is stranger and more exciting than Fiction!

Three cheers for the Arabian horse and the people who love them.