The Blood of the Arab: The World's Greatest War Horse

By Albert W. Harris and Maj. Henry Leonard

“IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES the author deals with an exceedingly interesting subject in a most agreeable and instructive manner. His long experience with Arab horses in the East, in the West, on the ranch, in the park, and on Endurance Rides, fits him to speak with authority. I was one of the judges of the first Endurance Ride, conducted under rigid rules and active supervision, in this country, Mr. Harris rode an Arabian mare in this difficult contest, sixty miles per day, for five successive days, with two hundred pounds up, and brought her in in fine shape, to win first place. In addition to being a fine horseman and horsemaster, he is a renowned breeder of Arabian horses.

“If one were in quest of accurate and complete information, historical or practical, about the Arab horse—data which would not glorify the Arab at the expense of fact, I should unhesitatingly refer him to the author. He owned the best Arab sire I have ever seen, whether in this country, Europe, or Asia.

“He has a large stud farm of pure-bred Arabs. He also used his sires on mares of other breeding, or no breeding, with excellent results.

“Whether one agrees with his conclusions or not, I know of no one better fitted to write of the merits and accomplishments of the Arab horse, without indulging in befogging breed-enthusiasm, than the author.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Papamoa Press
• Release date: Apr 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781789121537

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Text originally published in 1941 under the same title.

© Papamoa Press 2017, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

THE BLOOD OF THE ARAB

The World’s Greatest War Horse

By

ALBERT W. HARRIS

WITH A PREFACE BY

MAJOR HENRY LEONARD

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

PREFACE 5

INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS 6

PART I 10

CHAPTER 1 — THIS HORSE GETS A NAME 10

CHAPTER 2 — HE STARTS ON HIS TRAVELS 12

CHAPTER 3 — HE TAKES A LONG SEA VOYAGE 17

CHAPTER 4 — HE JOINS THE EXPEDITION INTO OUR SOUTHWEST 21

CHAPTER 5 — A WAR HORSE TO THE LAST 24

CHAPTER 6 — A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE 27

CHAPTER 7 — WE GET SOME MUSTANGS 29

CHAPTER 8 — WHAT THEY LOOKED LIKE 32

CHAPTER 9 — GREAT HORSES AND RIDERS 38

CHAPTER 10 — BACK IN ARABIA COMPLETING THE CIRCLE 43

PART II 47

CHAPTER 1 — THE ARAB HORSE 48

CHAPTER 2 — AS A WAR HORSE 50

CHAPTER 3 — DEMAND FOR THE BLOOD 56

CHAPTER 4 — PRODUCING THE THOROUGHBRED 58

CHAPTER 5 — THE ARAB IN THE UNITED STATES AND WHAT THE BLOOD PRODUCED HERE 61

CHAPTER 6 — THE ARAB REGISTRY 67

CHAPTER 7 — LOOKING BACKWARD 71

CHAPTER 8 — REPORTS BY WELL KNOWN HORSEMEN 73

CHAPTER 9 — PERSONAL COMMENTS 78

CHAPTER 10 — SOME IMPORTATIONS 81

CHAPTER 11 — WE ESTABLISH A CAVALRY STUD 88

CHAPTER 12 — I SECURE A REGISTERED ARAB 90

CHAPTER 13 — THINGS JUST HAPPEN 94

CHAPTER 14 — SOME HORSES AND RIDERS 96

CHAPTER 15 — RESULTS OF FIVE ENDURANCE TESTS 105

CHAPTER 16 — THE HORSES OF TODAY 115

CHAPTER 17 — THE DESIRABILITY OF PRESERVING THE BLOOD 137

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 142

PREFACE

IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES the author deals with an exceedingly interesting subject in a most agreeable and instructive manner. His long experience with Arab horses in the East, in the West, on the ranch, in the park, and on Endurance Rides, fits him to speak with authority. I was one of the judges of the first Endurance Ride, conducted under rigid rules and active supervision, in this country, Mr. Harris rode an Arabian mare in this difficult contest, sixty miles per day, for five successive days, with two hundred pounds up, and brought her in in fine shape, to win first place. In addition to being a fine horseman and horsemaster, he is a renowned breeder of Arabian horses.

If one were in quest of accurate and complete information, historical or practical, about the Arab horse—data which would not glorify the Arab at the expense of fact, I should unhesitatingly refer him to the author. He owned the best Arab sire I have ever seen, whether in this country, Europe, or Asia.

He has a large stud farm of pure-bred Arabs. He has also used his sires on mares of other breeding, or no breeding, with excellent results.

I am not a breeder of Arabians. My particular love is the Thoroughbred. However, I like and admire any type or breed which performs its allotted task, whatever that may be, pre-eminently well. I have seen the Arab horse, on many occasions, both in this country and in Asia, do just that.

Whether one agrees with his conclusions or not, I know of no one better fitted to write of the merits and accomplishments of the Arab horse, without indulging in befogging breed-enthusiasm, than the author.

HENRY LEONARD

INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS

ABYAD, Aziza and Her Foal

AL AZHAR, 16-year-old Chestnut Gelding

ALCAZAR

ALHAAMED, 4-year-old Grey Stallion

ANGLO-ARAB, Gelding

ANGLO-ARAB, 3-year-old Filly

ANGLO-ARAB, 4-year-old Gelding

ANITA, WAUSETA, AND DELLA RAE

ARAB GELDINGS, A Pair of

ARAB MARKS, THE, KHARTUM AND KADEJA

ARAB STALLION OF DESERT IMPORTATION

AZIZA AND HER FOAL ABYAD

BARAKAT, Tyrone Power Riding

BARAKI

BENTON, MAJOR C. A.

BISTANY, K. A., Mare Imported by

BUCK, GRADE ARAB

BUNKIE

CASTOR

CRABBET

CRABBET, RUSTEM BEY AND

CRIOLLO, A Champion

CRIOLLO, LUNAREJO CARDAL

CRIOLLOS, Argentine Gauchos (Cowboys) Mounted on

CRUSADER, The Arabian Gelding

DAVENPORT, HOMER, AND NEJDKAN

DELLA RAE, ANITA, WAUSETA, AND

DOLLY

DOLLY AND SCOTLAND, MORGANS, AND KEMAH PRINCE

EL BULAD

EL SABOK

FARANA

FINISHING 10 HORSES, THE, 1920 RIDE

FINISHING THE 1921 RIDE AT WASHINGTON MONUMENT

GOUYA

GRADE ARAB, 5-year-old Filly

Grade Arab, 15 Hands 1½ Inches, Stops to Have His

PICTURE TAKEN

HIDALGO

HOPKINS, FRANK T

INDIANS HAULING IN GREASEWOOD FROM RESERVATION

JEDRA AND KAHTAN, R. Douglas Stuart’s Arabs

JUDGES, THE, Harry Worcester Smith, Major Henry Leonard, and Major C. A. Benton

KAABA

KAABA, Grey Arab Stallion among Thoroughbreds

KABAR, Arabian Stallion, Wayne Van Vleet Up

KADEJA AND KHARTUM, The Arab Mares

KAHTAN AND JEDRA, R. Douglas Stuart’s Arabs

KATAR, 10-year-old, Boy Stallion

KAUKAB, Granddaughter of El Sabok

KEMAH

KEMAH PRINCE

KEMAH PRINCE, DOLLY AND SCOTLAND, MORGANS, AND

KHALIL, The Arabian Stallion

KHARTUM and KADEJA, The Arab Mares

KINGFISHER

KINGFISHER, Colonel Frank Tompkins and

KING JOHN

KYRAT

LADIES OF DESERT BLOOD

LADY WENTWORTH’S CHAMPION MARE SHARIMA

LAILA, Granddaughter of Nejdran

LEONARD, MAJOR HENRY

LILIANA OF TRAVELERS REST ARABIAN STUD

LITTLE BEAR, 5-year-old Stallion

LITTLE BEAR AND PONCA

MARE AND FOAL FROM KING IBN SAUD

MARE, Imported by K. A. Bistany

MERSHED

Mirage, Roger A. Selby with

MLLE. DENISE

MOSCOWA

MUSTANG MARKS, A Bunch of

NEJDRAN, Homer Davenport and

NEJDRAN JR. at 2 years

NEJDRAN JR. at 12 years

NEJDRAN JR., Ponca and Noam

PATHFINDER, Major C. L. Scott and

PICNIC PARTY OF SIX AT CARVERS ROCK, WISCONSIN

PICTURES OF THE 1920 RIDE

PONCA

PONCA AND NEJDRAN JR

PONCA, LITTLE BEAR AND

POWER, TYRONE, RIDING BARAKAT

RAFIL

RAMLA

RAS-EL-AYN

RUSTEM BEY

RUSTEM BEY AND CHABBET

SAAIDA

SCOTT, MAJOR C. L., AND PATHFINDER

SCOTLAND AND DOLLY, MORGANS, AND KEMAH PRINCE

SEGARIO

SELBY, ROGER A., WITH MIRAGE

SHAKIMA, Lady Wentworth’s Champion Mare

SILVER TAIL, 2-year-old Stallion

SMITH, HARRY WORCESTER

START FROM FORT ETHAN ALLEN, THE

STUART’S ABABS, R. DOUGLAS, KAHTAN AND JEDRA

SULTANA, DELLA RAE’S DAUGHTER

TAKEN ON THE 1924 RIDE AT WARRENTON, VIRGINIA

THREE TOP HORSES, THE

TOMPKINS, COLONEL FRANK, AND KINGFISHER

TONYWATHA AND THE WRITER ON A SCOUTING EXPEDITION

VAN VLEET, WAYNE, ON KABAK

VENDETTA

WAUSETA, ANITA, AND DELLA RAE

WELLESLEY ARABIAN, THE

ZAPE

PART I

CHAPTER 1 — THIS HORSE GETS A NAME

MANY BOOKS have been written about the horse, tracing his existence back into prehistoric times, on the cold-blooded horses of the North and the hot-blooded horses of the South and on the different species of horses. On a careful analysis of the information presented, one must conclude that there is just one Arab, that environment and selective breeding have developed only slightly different types of this species.

Different breeds of horses were developed from time to time from the different species—horses for war, draft, racing, show, and so on. However, the species that has been preserved up to the present time on account of its inherent qualities and the value of its blood in establishing new strains or improving old ones is the Arabian.

These histories of the horse would indicate that this Arabian horse has been maintained the longest, hence, figuratively speaking, has more breeding to type back of it than any other breed. It is therefore percentagely capable of impressing more of its characteristics on its progeny than any other.

While a relatively small horse, when bred to mares of other breeds or of no distinct breed the most surprising result is an increase in the size of the progeny. It is not surprising that its characteristics would be likely to be reproduced, but that the average size of the progeny would be increased is hard to understand. Nevertheless, I have found this to be true; so the meaning of a statement I had many times read, namely, they used the Arabian horse to breed up, or they injected Arabian blood to breed up their horses, has been cleared up. This I first took to mean only improving their horses, but it did not occur to me that it also included making them larger, because that did not seem logical. This tendency, of course, adds greatly to the desirability of using Arabian blood.

While most writers agree upon the results attained by these ancient breeders of horses, they never seem to agree upon the how, the where, and the when. It would not change the breed in the least if they did agree on these matters, but some time, somewhere—although historians do not agree because of its antiquity—there appeared a breed of horses, now called Arabs, whose type and disposition combined to make them the ideal war horse. They had what it takes. War then was waged with the aid of horses and all over the world the fame of these horses spread and their blood was coveted and secured whenever possible. This blood was so prepotent it proved to be a leaven, or yeast, by the use of which the breeds of horses generally could be improved. The claim that it originated in Arabia or in North Africa has never been proved, but, as the blood has been esteemed and guarded more assiduously in Arabia for a longer period and still is, the name Arab has attached itself to this blood, or breed of horse.

There is ground for believing this species of horse was native to Northern Africa. Herodotus tells us of a scrap of Egyptian history he discovered and translated wherein the Egyptian historian relates his version of the Shepherd King’s invasion of Egypt. This was to the effect that the Egyptians were not able to drive the invaders out until they secured help from the Libyans, who had horses. Then, having driven them into the city, they besieged them and secured their surrender on condition that they leave the country. This is the Egyptian version of the Israelites’ sojourn in Egypt. The interesting part for us is that perhaps this species of horse was in the Barbary States before it was in Arabia, in any event, it would seem that, as far as the blood of those horses was concerned, the Arabs might have been carrying coals to Newcastle, as perhaps they were.

How this blood has carried on and impressed itself upon the horses of the world is so well known by horsemen generally that a detailed account of it is unnecessary here. Needless to say, through song and story, history and tradition, the reputation of the Arabian horse has been carried around the world. Now that wars are no longer largely won by cavalry, now that the mechanical age has arrived and the war horses of ancient times are forgotten, it is gratifying to know that the blood of this horse has not been lost, but still carries on. It is my purpose to tell where and how, with some sidelights on the prepotency of this blood, and other facts and characteristics, for the benefit of those still interested in these the world’s most famous war horses. My first objective will be to trace the Arab blood from Arabia into the Western Hemisphere, through the many wars and adventurings of over twelve hundred years with the people it served, and take it back again to Arabia to be merged with the blood of its ancestors.

CHAPTER 2 — HE STARTS ON HIS TRAVELS

MOST OF US have read of the founding of Mohammedism by the Arabian Prophet Mohammed, who was born at Mecca about A.D. 570. This was many hundreds of years after the Arabian horse had been recognized as a breed and valued on account of his many desirable qualities, but more particularly as a