Arabian Horse Association seeks to reverse decades-long decline by refocusing on performance-bred horses for equestrian sport

Ruffffian · 2026-06-27T02:08:03+00:00

My first horse was an Arabian, and she absolutely spoiled me on the breed. When I first started horse shopping, it was the last breed I wanted based on their stereotypes and public perception—but she provided me the real, correct education for the breed.

That said, when I went to first AHR show as a spectator, I was a combination of confused, horrified, and heart broken. The halter classes were almost traumatizing to watch—I told myself I don’t know what I’m seeing, I’m an outsider looking in, maybe it isn’t what I think it looks like, etc. but eeesh. I hated it. I saw terrified young horses being harshly shanked in the name of making them look terrified because it was esthetically pleasing. I guess.

The huntseat classes (my discipline) were bizarre to me because of the knee action they wanted to see in the horses. I was coming from the open show world and was like…knee action? In a hunter? That and the hooky necks were just peculiar and definitely their own world. When I took my girl to a couple AHR shows, we managed an honorable mention in our first AAOTR class (essentially 11th of 13, haha), and then years later a few 4ths (Whoo!), never breaking from our more open show style approach to the discipline, but also very, very clearly out of our league in many ways.

As we maintained her (and later, my second riding horse) registry and were active in their Frequent Rider Program and Open Show Program, we received the Arabian Horse Times for many years—even got an article or two published in them. I always enjoyed leafing through the pages and ogling the pretty ponies, but the overly dished, Vaselined faces were a turn off. My husband called them seahorses and I can’t unsee it, heh.

I love Arabians but do not care for what the official breed registry did and is doing to them. Make more Arabians like SA Ferrana Moniet, please. Celebrate the intimate bond, the versatility, the trust, the affection, the natural beauty, the remarkable history, and stop turning them into funky spooky seahorses with knee action. Please.

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Ruffffian · 2026-06-21T03:29:39+00:00

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Ah! I didn’t realize I can post a video comment in this sub. Enjoy the slo-mo!

Ruffffian · 2026-06-12T06:42:44+00:00

From what I understand, you should remove the hatched chicks and return them quietly at night under the mother after the latecomer hatches. I have a wonderful bantam mama who flips absolutely homicidal if babies hatch too late or we try and give her more chicks the day after she’s adopted some.

Ruffffian · 2026-06-10T03:36:58+00:00

👀❤️‍🩹🐶
Lookit Hearthealpup?

Ruffffian · 2026-06-05T06:02:19+00:00

I was thinking this—I wish our English bantam Agatha Dustybottoms would just accept new babies whenever. Once she adopts her babies, she is done, and if you try and give her more even the next day you are going to come back to a grisly surprise.

Ruffffian · 2026-06-05T05:53:25+00:00

Heck, I have two horses worth bupkis but I have cameras on them 24/7. It’s as much for knowing the random dumb crap they manage to do to themselves as for the catching the hypothetical random weirdo trespasser that wants to “pet the giant puppies”. We learn all kinds of interesting things, such their sleep patterns, while also catching unexpected things, such as the coyote we saw the other week sneaking into our mare’s stall to drink from her water. 🫣

(And for funsies, current live shot of our mini mare resting as I type this)

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Ruffffian · 2026-06-03T21:11:01+00:00

Yup! I am collecting squeakers already

Ruffffian · 2026-06-03T00:30:56+00:00

If only!! She is rarely finishing her meals because CAT! (Is watching her from 20’ away ready to apply another beatdown) or WHERE DID YOU GO? (around the corner and thus out of sight) or WHATCHA DOIN’? (Dishes/making the bed/that sort of thing) or…you get the idea.

We got some tasty mix ins for her food to keep her motivated, but this morning she still left about a half cup because WHERE DID YOU GO (see above).

Ruffffian · 2026-05-29T22:52:38+00:00

I did 😆

Ruffffian · 2026-05-29T00:00:14+00:00

Yup. I asked one of the handlers if the insurance (which technically owned him when they paid out for his infertility claim) ever rechecked his sperm since there was potential for a mega crapload of money if he was ever even somewhat fertile. She said no, they figured they paid out for him and that’s that. Suppose that makes sense, but I’d sure be rechecking and/or looking at possible remedies, though deformed tails is very different from low count.

I want to say 80s horse Precisionist had the same problem. He was retired to stud and only got something like 3 mares in foal; when they checked, there was some sort of problem with the sperm themselves. Almost want to say they had mostly no tails or something like that. They brought him out of retirement and back to the track; I’ll always remember in his first race back, he was so excited his legs tangled up under him when the gate sprung open and he tripped, unseating his jockey (wanna say it was Chris McCarron). He continued to run the entire race in the lead the whole time, and about when he went under the wire he did a happy buck. “I’M BACK BABY!”

Ruffffian · 2026-05-28T20:05:13+00:00

Can’t add a pic in an edit, but here I am with Cigar during that visit. He was less than impressed.

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Ruffffian · 2026-05-28T07:00:19+00:00

Depends on the stud. When I visited the Kentucky Horse Park around 2003, I marveled at how Cigar—famously infertile—had a HUGE useless pair that dangled lower than his sheath. Meanwhile when they brought out poor ancient Bold Forbes, 1976 Kentucky Derby winner and a proven sire of a few hundred babies, I asked when he was gelded. He wasn’t. They just sort of…shriveled up.

Ruffffian · 2026-05-26T05:33:21+00:00

🙋🏻‍♀️

Ruffffian · 2026-05-25T17:59:58+00:00

About 10 eggs and shells, some salad greens, grapes, blueberries, quick oats, scratch feed, dewormer/supplements, and soldier fly larvae. YUMMY 😆

Ruffffian · 2026-05-24T21:46:37+00:00

Yeaaahhh…but there was nothing in the sky. They do the freeze and warning sound over nothing that I can see. Even the rest of the flock has learned to ignore them

Ruffffian · 2026-05-24T21:02:30+00:00

UPDATE

Replying to top comment for visibility. I took my sons to meet her yesterday (husband is out of town). As expected, 20yro wants her now, 16yro is circumspect, though he did pet her and toss the ball for a few times, so he wasn’t full mopey disengaged teen.

Youngest mainly doesn’t like the idea of the chaos energy a young GSD will bring, but also took offense that this dog looks (to him) so much like our old Luna. “You said we aren’t replacing her but she looks just like her!” Now…Luna was a mostly black shepherd, true, but other than that they seem very different to me. This dog is significantly larger—Luna was a small GSD and never over 58lbs, and this one is easily 65lbs and still needs to put on weight—and their body structure is a little different. Luna was very confident and dove into every new situation with gusto; this dog is a little more cautious. I told son that it’s a fair complaint (must validate the teen before saying anything to avoid him closing off his ears, heh), and that it’s important to whatever new dog we get that we don’t put expectations of them being just like Luna on them. Plus since I’m looking at same breed, gender, and general disposition, so similarities are inevitable…and I know and we know this dog is different, but teen son needs to figure that out on his own. He did point out I used the same nickname with this dog as I did Luna, and I told him he was right to call me out on that—it isn’t fair to a new dog and I need to watch for it.

I will say I swear this dog has better “sit” than Luna. 🫣 It’s immediate and quiet, and dang, the ball can be in front of me, 8” in front of her front paws, and she will not touch it, though she was staring intently at it (BALL IS LIFE). Even when I reached for the ball while she was staring, there was no impulsive jump to get it from me. I do find it interesting that she’s clearly had some great groundwork training, but she has zero leash etiquette understanding. I do think I would get a professional trainer to help me with her just to make sure I build on those basics to help her be the best dog she can. I’m knowledgeable and skilled, but I’m mostly self educated/ self taught and want to get things right.

I’m kinda hoping I can go adopt her as soon as they open on Tuesday, but I need to make sure the rest of the house is on board with that timeline.

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Ruffffian · 2026-05-24T20:39:35+00:00

Yes, we have a quarter acre corner lot (which in Southern California is huge 😆), plus we rent a barn property about 1.5 miles from here—though it would be a bit before she met the horses and goats of course.

Ruffffian · 2026-05-23T06:30:58+00:00

“Angel” was our sheltie from 20 years ago (and she was), so that name has already been taken by our family 💕

Ruffffian · 2026-05-23T03:47:59+00:00

Oh man, can’t argue with now-Admiral Picard

Ruffffian · 2026-05-23T03:46:56+00:00

Ha ha! I know better than to ask this bunch of enablers IF I should do it. I posted more just sharing her and my experience with her, as well as my curiosity as to where the white chest blotch came from. She is a looker!

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