Once Upon a Time in September

The Arabian Horse, by the French artist, Jean Louis André Théodore Géricault. Executed by the artist for Adam and Zoë Elmore, during his London stay in 1821

In honor of his 96th birthday (8/2026), Desert Heritage Magazine published a new article written by Dr. Hans J. Nagel, titled: Nagel's breeding aims and its historical roots. A guide in turbulent times. I recommend the article to you, dear reader. It's good. While the majority of the article examines the historical heritage of the Arabian horse, (which in of itself, will offer you the opportunity to understand the breed a little more intimately); Dr. Nagel caught my attention when he discussed the modern Arabian horse of today. For many years, I understood that the breed was at a crossroads and now, well, it seems that we are past that point. With a global population somewhere around 200,000 horses, it is interesting to consider the  breed-changing influence exerted by the halter show ring upon the world-wide community of Arabian horse breeders. Which sort of makes sense, once you understand the metrics, in terms of the greater volume supporting halter showing. For example, in disciplines that are better-suited to the Arabian horse's historical strengths, horse racing or endurance riding, there are a smaller number of horses (1,500 to 4,000) participating, as compared to the 30,000 horses participating in halter presentations.  Of the remaining population (160,000 horses), a large chunk of that number are employed as breeding horses, in programs that are focused on producing halter horses for the showring. If you missed it, what Dr. Nagel is saying is that it takes 20 percent of the breed to support the production of the 2% who will be competitive in today's modern show arena. And by "competitive," we are referring to horses who align with modern show ring type per the scoring categories used by the judges: type, head & neck, body & topline, legs & feet and movement. The phenomenon has taken what is at its very core, an Eastern horse with thousands of years history behind it, to an Arabian horse shaped by Western ideas of correctness, untested or unproven through sport. Think of it, thousands of years of history, initially shaped by the unforgiving desert climate and fine-tuned through selection by the Bedouin for speed and endurance, has evolved to become a horse who can score perfect twenties, within an artificial setting. 

"How regrettable would it be if one of the oldest and most beautiful creatures produced by the Orient were to lose its originality. In its originality, this Arabian horse is a unique world cultural treasure - shaped by constant confrontation with the forces of nature, formed by the wishes and demands of its breeders and adapted to the limited possibilities available to a wandering, unsettled population that existed for a thousand years." - Dr. Hans J. Nagel