Arabian Horse Breeding

By Herbert H. Reese and Gladys Brown Edwards

In ARABIAN HORSE BREEDING, which was first published in 1953, the author has put into words the culmination of a lifetime of practical experience in the breeding, raising and training of the Arabian horse. Beginners, as well as seasoned horse breeders, will find this volume useful and enlightening in their day to day contact with the ‘Horse of the Desert.’ Here are fully explained both in text and beautiful drawings by Gladys Brown Edwards, foremost horse artist, what are the characteristics of an Arabian, what constitutes good conformation, how to breed Arabians, how to care for and feed the young Arabian colt, how to develop desirable characteristics and good habits right from the start. Written by a former manager of the world-renowned W. K. Kellogg’s Arabian Horse Ranch in Pomona, California, ARABIAN HORSE BREEDING belongs on the library shelf of everyone interested in this most desirable breed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Papamoa Press
• Release date: Jan 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781789123548

Herbert H. Reese

HERBERT H. REESE was a former manager of the world-renowned W. K. Kellogg’s Arabian Horse Ranch in Pomona, California from 1927-1939. He was instrumental in the development of the Kellogg Arabian breeding program. Mr. Reese became a leading authority of the day on Arabian horses and authored several books on the subject, including Horses of Today; Their History, Breeds, and Qualifications (1956), The Kellogg Arabians; Their Background and Influence (with Gladys Brown Edwards, 1958) and Training Arabian Horses (1961). He also wrote many government bulletins on horses and horse breeding. The son of John T. and Alice Reese, Herbert Harshman Reese was born in Cambridge City, Indiana. He graduated from Purdue University in 1908 and married Grayce Julian. Reese spent several years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland and was later in charge of the first U.S. Army horse breeding district in Fort Royal, Va. He was engaged by W. K. Kellogg to manage his Arabian horse ranch in Pomona, Calif. He held that position until he established his own Arabian horse ranch in Covina, California. He served as a founding member of the Cal Poly Pomona Arabian breeding program’s Advisory Board from 1950 until his death in Covina on April 7, 1963. GLADYS BROWN EDWARDS was a well-known American equine sculptor, artist and writer. Born in Oregon on June 3, 1908, she was an expert on the Arabian horse. She was long associated with the W. H. Kellogg ranch in Pomona, California. For many years, her works were used as trophies by the Arabian Horse Association and the American Quarter Horse Association. Most of her sculptures were produced by the Dodge Foundry in Los Angeles, CA from the mid-1930s onward. She died in Riverside, California on January 28, 1989, aged 80.

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Text originally published in 1953 under the same title.

© Papamoa Press 2018, 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.

ARABIAN HORSE BREEDING

BY

HERBERT H. REESE

Illustrated by Gladys Brown Edwards

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

DEDICATION 4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 5

PREFACE 6

CHAPTER I—Arabians—Their Characteristics 9

HABITAT 9

DESIRABLE CONFORMATION 9

CHAPTER II—A Closer Look 26

UNSOUNDNESS 26

CHAPTER III—Blood Makes the Breed 37

ESSENTIALS 37

CHAPTER IV—Sires Are Important 44

SELECTIONS 44

CHAPTER V—Mares and Foals 48

SELECTION OF MARES 48

CHAPTER VI—Training Leads to Pleasure 60

AGE 60

CHAPTER VII—Keeping Arabians Healthy 73

PREVENTION 73

CHAPTER VIII—You Can Sell Well 77

CHAPTER IX—Organizations Produce Strength 85

ARABIAN HORSE CLUB REGISTRY 85

CHAPTER X—Summing It Up 91

FOUNTAINHEAD 91

ARTIST’S MODELS 95

CLASS OF PEOPLE 95

ARABITIS 96

ARABIAN INCREASE 97

SUMMARY 98

SENTIMENT 99

THE ARAB’S FAREWELL TO HIS STEED 100

BOOKS ON HORSES 103

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 107

DEDICATION

Lady Wentworth with Skowronek

This book is dedicated to Lady Wentworth of England who has done so much for Arabian horse breeding. Author, artist and connoisseur of superb horse flesh, she has made her influence felt in many parts of the world through the excellent Arabian horses she has bred and exported. In America, alone, most of our prize-winning Arabians trace to bloodlines she has produced. If she has done nothing else, securing Skowronek and giving him an opportunity to perpetuate his excellent qualities would have placed her very high in the Arabian horse world. But she has done so much more! Her name will go down in Arabian horse history as a great in the advancement of the Arabian breed.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

MANY thanks are due to Mrs. James L. Nelson and my wife Grayce for their valuable assistance in the preparation of this book.

H. H. R.

PREFACE

SEVERAL PEOPLE interested in horse breeding have asked me to put in writing the points that I feel are essential in the breeding of horses in general and, more particularly, registered Arabian horses. So, in undertaking this task, it would seem logical to give the reader a few details about my experiences with horses.

My father’s people were great lovers of horses and bred fine saddle stock. Father, too, liked horses very much, although they were a sideline with him. So, my liking for horses probably came naturally.

At any rate, when very young I got a hankering for a pony. One of my chums told me about a Mr. Wallace who had a pony to sell, so after talking to his place he showed me Roaney, which proved to be a very fat strawberry roan. He let me ride him and Roaney turned out to be very gentle. Upon my inquiring about the price, Mr. Wallace said the pony had been his son’s who was away at college so they had no use for Roaney and consequently would take twenty dollars for him. It looked like a very low price so I told the owner about my getting a job, since it was school vacation, and hence would soon be able to make the purchase.

He replied, All right, you can take him and pay when you get the money.

This surprised me for paying before getting possession was customary. Anyway, Roaney carried me home. I was afraid to tell father about my agreement to buy Roaney, so simply said that Mr. Wallace had let me have him to ride. Roaney was a dandy and gave me a lot of fun riding him. In fact, we had so much fun that the job was entirely forgotten.

The first part of September Dad said rather emphatically, You will have to take that pony home because you will soon be in school again.

This put me in what at the time looked like a real jam. Not wanting to tell Mr. Wallace about my financial status and recalling Dad’s remark put me in a quandary. But it just happened that the next day another chum told me that there was a band of gypsies in town. So, I rode the pony to the gypsy camp, a gypsy came out, looked at Roaney, and asked how much I wanted.

Thirty-five dollars, was my reply. He shook his head and said, Too much.

Well, this is a dandy pony, I insisted, he is fat and nice and swell to ride and he’s surely worth thirty-five dollars!

The gypsy just shook his head decidedly again, indicating No.

What’s the matter with him that he isn’t worth thirty-five dollars? I asked.

He gave out with a statement that I’ll never forget.

Ringbone behind, crooked in front and a heck of a lot of age!

My Roaney sank in value rapidly. Finally getting up my nerve and inquiring, How much will you give for him? the gypsy began to pull out five dollar bills. When he had four of them in his hand, he answered that twenty dollars was all he’d give for him.

Wanting to make good with Mr. Wallace and save a call down by father, I quickly skinned off the pony’s back, grabbed the four five dollar bills, took my bridle and walked home. Even with the twenty dollars in my pocket, saying good-by to Roaney was tough. The next morning by paying for Roaney the owner was pleased and Dad didn’t give me a scolding. He had furnished feed for the pony all summer. So, my many good rides cost me nothing.

Realizing that it was necessary to learn more about horses’ ages, unsoundness and points of conformation, I started at once getting all the books I could on horse subjects and applying the information secured whenever possible.

It has been a great deal of fun handling horses and having my vocation and avocation tied up in the same interest. My work has never become drudgery but rather enjoyment. The opportunity my father gave me when I was a young boy of developing my interest and understanding in the management of horses is very much appreciated. Having since handled several hundred horses for myself and others, dear old Roaney, nevertheless, has never been forgotten.

After the foregoing pony incident, father’s driving horses served as my saddle mounts while I was going to school. During college days at Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, I trained imported Hackney ponies to help pay my expenses while taking a four-year course in animal husbandry, which included a practical course in veterinary medicine.

Graduating from Purdue in 1908, I soon after was given an appointment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct breeding experiments in crossing zebras with mares, which was good experience. Following this, I was placed in charge of the First Army Horse Breeding District by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and later went to Vermont as superintendent of the U.S. Morgan Horse Farm.

After nine years with the Morgans, W. K. Kellogg of Battle Creek, Michigan, asked me to manage his Arabian Horse Ranch at Pomona, California. This I did for twelve years. Feeling that there was a better future for me in breeding Arabian horses as a personal enterprise, and also fulfilling a desire I had cherished since childhood of having a horse breeding ranch of my own, we secured a very suitable location in West Covina, California and started our Arabian Horse Ranch in March of 1939. In 1952 we moved all of the stock to our ranch on Garey Avenue, one mile south of Pomona, California.

Since the California State Polytechnic College took over the operation of the former W. K. Kellogg Arabian Ranch near Pomona, I have served in the capacity of consultant in working out the matings and in scoring the registered Arabian horses there. I have also served on the Advisory Committee that is co-operating with Cal-Poly in the matter of working out the breeding program and policies to be followed in connection with the registered Arabians.

This book will be limited to the practical side of raising Arabian horses. Many of the points brought out, however,