by Sarah Williams

Created on: July 30, 2008   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

In addition to being one of the most beautiful and majestic horse breeds, the Arabian is also one of the oldest. With origins dating back over 4,500 years, the Arabian horse has influenced countless ancient and modern day breeds, and has one of the richest histories of any horse in the world.

The first horses that made it to the Continental United States following the Ice Age were brought by Spanish Conquistadors. These horses were typically of Andalusian, Barb and Arabian origins and first entered through Mexico in the early 1500's. Many of these early horses escaped, or were stolen, and through migration became the foundation stock for the American Mustang. English colonists also brought horses with either pure or partial Arabian bloodlines, and it is said that one of George Washington's favorite mounts was a Half Arabian.

In 1893 the Hamidie Society brought 45 horses of pure Arabian breeding from Syria to the United States to be exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair. Several of these horses stayed in America and caught the eye of horse lovers and breeders. These horses were "prized" for their courage, beauty, athleticism and versatility. In the year 1908, the Arabian Horse Registry of America was founded with an initial registry of 71 horses.

Early breeders truly held the fate of the American Arabian in their hands, and luckily they were very diligent in their breeding practices. One such breeder was Homer Davenport, of Hingham Stock Farm, who actually purchased several stallions, and even highly prized mares, directly from the Bedouin peoples in order to create a strong foundation for his breeding program. One such stallion was the famous "Haleb", known to his people as "The Pride of the Desert", imported by Davenport in 1906. Another important early Arabian breeder was W.K. Kellogg, who began his breeding program on 377 acres in Pomona, California with several horses descended from Davenport's stock. Eventually, Kellogg went to England and purchased a group of horses from the famed Crabbet Arabian Stud and created one of the most important breeding programs in all of the Western United States.

The U.S. Army also played an important role in spreading Arabian blood across the United States. These horses were sought after as cavalry mounts because of their incomparable endurance, strength and bravery. W.R. Brown, of the Maynesboro Stud, imported many purebred Arabian stallions from the Middle East, England and Poland starting in 1918 for use in breeding Army

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