The ancestor of the Arabian thoroughbred spread from Central Asia to Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, and as far as the Pyrenees mountain range some 2,500 years ago. The Arab tribes owed their military successes mainly to their horses. The desert nomadic tribes practiced careful breeding according to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. The horses bred by the Wahhabis living on the Nejd Plateau stood out from the horses of other tribes for their endurance and beauty. During the wars, most of the horses on the Nejd plateau fell into Egyptian hands. Stallions from this region played a role in the development of horse breeds around the world, including the breeding of English thoroughbreds. In the 7th century, Berber tribes invaded what is now France via Spain with their Arabian horses. This had an indelible impact on horse breeding in Europe.
Arabian horses appeared in Europe in the 16th-18th centuries. First, following the Turkish conquests, the local stock began to be bred, and then expeditions were launched to Arabia to acquire new horses. It was around this time that the most famous Arabian stud farms were established, with breeding beginning in Bábolna in 1816.
The first Hungarian expedition was led by Herbert Eduárd in 1836, when several Shagya Senior Arabian thoroughbred stallions were brought to Bábolna.
Beauty and endurance
In 1967, the World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) was founded. The founders agreed that any horse listed in any Arabian stud book or registry reviewed and approved by WAHO could be considered a purebred Arabian. Breeding is done with pure bloodlines, with the aim of preserving the classic beauty and endurance of the Arabian thoroughbred.
