When I started to participate in the online breed community, one of the things that really surprised me was a diminishing level of scholarship, which resulted in a lack of understanding of the breed. This really puzzled me, as there is an overwhelming amount of material published about the Arabian horse, the majority of which is easily available, for everyone. With just the right books, one could gain a deep insight of the breed. Despite the wonderful collection of books, journals and magazines; if you were to ask someone, on the spot, to describe an Arabian horse, many would spend an awful long time telling you what the horse is not, rather than what he truly is.
More than a few weeks ago, I was able to borrow the 1942 edition of Carl Raswan's Drinkers of the Wind, through an Interlibrary Loan (published by Creative Age Press, 292 pages). It's a wonderful book, a first person account of life, lived within a Bedouin tribe. For me, Carl Raswan's yearning for the horse of his dreams, that horse which he knows so well and yet, is so elusive, connected me to the story and to the man who wrote it. To me, this was very real, because I lived what Carl Raswan had given a voice to.
When Carl Raswan reunites with a rested and well-conditioned Ghazal, the horse he had been riding through most of his desert adventure, he is able to finally recognize in Ghazal, the horse of his quest and he provides one of the best descriptions of the Arabian horse that I have ever read.
"I had no doubt that I found the horse of my quest. His head with its gazelle profile was fairly short as he tossed it up and down and neighed in high spirits, playing with the bright colored tassels of his halter, his mouth, with its small, firm lower lip, revealed teeth of gleaming ivory. His large, thin, wide-open nostrils were like petal tips of a rose or like delicate pink shells. Above the dark fire of his eyes, with their long, shining black lashes, rose high and shieldlike the bold, expressive forehead bearing the silvery white star. His head was wide between the jaws and had the afnas, a concave indenture of the whole nasal bone, whereby distinguished ancestry is recognized. The curve of the windpipe culminated in a wonderfully arched throat. The contour of the neck resembled an elongated wave, from which floated in brilliant ripples the silken mane. His small, straight, inward pointing ears quivered like lilies trembling in flowing water. His whole body swayed, lithe and slender with supple strength. His breast was deep and majestic, and his sloping shoulders had the characteristic swimming motion. His back, short, wide and distinctly seamed, was ideal for the saddle. The muscles of the level croup were strong, the secret of his ability to soar and poise, as the Bedouin says. The tail of fine hair, carried high in perfect arch, had grown again, tapering at the tip. His thighs, like those of an ostrich, were muscular, his legs light, but cleanly modeled and firm, with elastic pasterns, long and strong, and hoofs as hard as rock. He was of flawless proportions and balance. His short, fine, silky coat shone like a mirror. Looking at him now in his perfect condition, I understood why Al-Buraq, who carried the Prophet (PBUH) to Paradise, and Rukhsh, the famous charger of Rustem, were called the gleaming horses."
Drinkers of the Wind was first published in London, by the Hutchinson publishing house, approximately 25 - 30 years after Raswan's desert adventure. How much of the story was influenced by an older, more experienced Raswan and the horses he met over the 25 years prior to publishing Drinkers of the Wind? Remember, he was closer to childhood when he left for Egypt, than he was a man, when he wrote his adventure into book form. Was the description of Ghazal accurate? Could it be a cumulative description, reflecting many horses since Ghazal? How much of the description reflects how Raswan wished to see things but not how they were? Despite all these questions and more, I made the personal decision to pay closer attention to Raswan. Maybe Raswan's words can be the point of inspiration which leads you to improved understanding as to exactly who the Arabian horse is, instead of who or what he is not. It will be summertime in a couple weeks and Drinkers of the Wind can be a perfect addition to your summer reading list.
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