Origin of The Anglo Arab

Origin of the Anglo Arab Horse Breed...

At the end of the 18th century, once the English thoroughbred was established, an idea developed, that it would be possible to combine the skeletal mechanics and the speed of the thoroughbred with the endurance and un-demanding qualities of the better tempered pure bred Arabian.

In 1892, the German stud farm at Zweibrucken began to experiment with cross-breeding. Almost simultaneously cross-breeding was begun on much greater scale by the French, who achieved the greatest accomplishments in breeding Anglo-Arabs, especially in southern France on the French State stud farm in Pompadour.

The French hippologist Gayot (1888) recommended the breeders cross the English thoroughbred with the Arabian, and the full-blooded offspring then breed again to the Anglican and then the 3/4 blood progeny be crossbred again with the European Arabian.

The breeding of the Anglo-Arab received great attention in Pompadour and with careful selection, inbreeding, nutritional adjustments and training, a particular type of the Anglo-Arab established. Similar experiments were then practiced in the entire French state-breeding program, which was greatly supported by the French Government, as the Anglo-Arab was considered to be the best possible military riding horse.

The progeny of mating a pure-blood Arabian mare with an English Thoroughbred or vice versa, was designated a full or pure blood Anglo-Arab by the French. The products of other pairing combinations are called Anglo-Arabian halfbloods.

The biggest difficulty encountered in the breeding of Anglo-Arabs was in reaching uniformity among the full-blooded Anglo-Arabs. The most unbalanced, disunited individuals are the products of two fullblooded Anglo-Arabs.

The best and most suitable are direct crossbreeds, ie; 50% Anglo-Arabs..

Generally the Anglo-Arabs are taller and more massive than the Arabian, they grow in average to about 15’3 hands, have shorter Arabian heads on a longer, lower set neck; have well developed withers and shorter elbow and loins than the Thoroughbred, but they are longer and angular, have more or less slanted hindquarters and a longer and more slanted shoulder blade.

The Angloa-Arabs are excellent riding horses that combine a pleasant temperament and the endurance of the Arabian with the speed and movement of the Thoroughbred. They have a shorter gallop, higher and bolder trot than the English thoroughbred, but relatively flatter gaits than the Arabian.

When correctly trained they are also good racehorses, jumping well and with stamina and endurance over longer distances under a heavier rider.

As remounts they were very much sought after, by the military in many countries. In some places they are preferred to the more English types and in others to the full Arabian types.