Tell me about your Arabs and Anglo Arabs please.

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NeilM

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I have begun to bring a friends eight year old Anglo Arab gelding back into work after a layoff of around a year.

I am riding him out of and back to his yard, and he does have to leave a couple of friends behind, but this seems to be less and less of a problem each time we go out.

He is a real gent, but he is both keen and at times on his toes and he is very cautious with 'scary' things. This can be anything from a gate, to a twig, to the most terrifying big blue bag you ever saw in your whole life.

In short, although he enjoys going out, he is a spooky and a bit self obsessed.

Initially I did walk out with him in hand, but although he enjoyed this, it really didn't have anything like the results I have had with Native ponies when doing the same thing (yes I know Arabs are VERY different from Natives)

We are making progress, but it's a bit slow, albeit I can only ride him once a week, and speaking to another Arab owner, I am not experiencing anything that she has not been through.

So, a few stories of how you have brought your Arabs and Anglo Arabs on, the work you did with them and the kind of progress you made would be great.

We have no big plan at this stage, we just want to get him fitter (Lord help me) and able to hack out alone. Then we can look at taking things further.
 
I have an anglo arab and when I initially got him he was frightened of everything and really didn't want to hack out on his own. He will now hack out happily on his own however he is always on the lookout for a horse eating monster!

Progress was slow. When I bought him I had actually underestimated his greenness and overestimated my riding ability ( after a twenty year break).

After our first horrendous hack out together on our own, I made sure that I only ever left the yard with company either another horse or someone on foot to ensure that each hack was a positive experience for us both.

Eventually I progressed to small hacks round a housing estate on my own but the biggest help was riding with other horses, however I always made sure for part of the ride, I was at the front.

Unfortunately he has never improved with buses, lorries or cars towing horse trailers.

This is partly my fault as I have not been persistent with his exposure because I rarely have company to ride with any more and I just don't have the stomach for it.

He is genuinely frightened of them. Strangely though he copes far better when large vehicles come from behind rather than heading towards him.

My plan is next year to send him to a professional who will be able to take him out on the roads with a nanny horse to build his confidence up with buses etc. however I imagine this is going to be pretty expensive and he will probably have to stay there for several weeks!

if he is frightened of something and won't go past I either wait it out and keep asking and every time he takes a step forward give him loads of praise or I get off and lead him past.

I am not an expert but patience and persistence seems to be the key.

He is nothing like the arab who I had twenty odd years ago who was generally fearless and not much rattled his cage except for the occasional killer plastic bag!!!
 
I took mine out on her own with my friend on foot when I first backed her, as she got braver we moved further and further away from my friend until we didn't need anyone with us at all. She makes me laugh because she will walk past road works but craps her pants at the logs that she sees every single day. She is convinced that one of these days they are going to eat her. Good luck
 
My pure bred spanish/egyption is the most kind gentle lad ever. But.. he can go from being a plodder to fire rocket within the blink of an eye. He is very bright, and self preservation is high on his list of priorities. The gas gun in the hedge or the combine harvester is fine, but you have to watch those extremely dangerous dock leaves and as for the dandelions blowing in the breeze, give them a very wide berth, even if in a flat out gallop. If her on top can't stay on, well that's her problem. Tee Hee.
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Thanks for both the relies, I recognise elements from both posts.

He does make me laugh as he is SUCH a scaredy pants, but I really need to move him on through this stage. It's good to hear that consistent and gentle work will take him through this.

What has caught me out a bit is that when I have been through the same thing with my New Forest and other Natives, they have cottoned on so fast that the issue is soon forgotten, but this lad just spooks and spooks and spooks at the same thing, mostly his owners black Spaniel who has been around the yard for several years and who has been out with us on almost every ride.

We have been out with another horse, a friend of his, but to be honest he is so concerned with himself he really hardly noticed that she was there.

As for taking him out alone, I had contemplated trying that next week, and allowing him to trot for as long as possible, both for the exercise and also to run off some of the excess energy he seems to be constantly full of. When talking today to the lady who owns a full Arab that I know, she suggested doing exactly that, so, we may well give that a try this week.

He is pretty jumpy with agricultural machinery, this he will have to get over, as he lives in the middle of a farming area. His natural inclination is to run away, rather than face anything, but if I hop off and stand with him, facing the 'threat' then he will stand his ground, bless him, showered in lots of praise.

Looks like if I keep at it, very gently and allow him to make his own progress, then we may well get there in the end.

I do adore the big galoot and really want to help him find his potential.
 
Yey, an excuse to talk about my horse! :)

14.2 pure bred arab gelding. He's very honest and safe, forward thinking out but lazy in the school. He's not at all spooky in the school or familiar surroundings, but hacking places he doesn't know he can be very cautious about getting on with it. He's also very much a follower in life not a leader. I try to make sure I don't do too much on my own with him or his confidence dips, he needs regular hacking in bold company. I also need to ride him very positively, he needs, and seems to appreciate, quite bossy riding when he goes into cowardly mode. He gets an embarrassing amount of praise, encouragement and reassurance when he summons up a bit more bottle.

Overall my horse has come on miles with experience and confidence, why don't you go on some organised rides, the excitement and other horses makes most horses much keener just to get going and not fanny about worrying about what's up ahead?
 
I am being very gentle with him when he starts to fanny about, although I insist that whether it's a bag or a wet tree stump that's frightening him, we must go past it. I also encourage him to stop and have a good look, something he will do if I have him in hand, but that he's not so good at when I'm riding. So I will try being a bit more insistent with him and see how we get on with that.

Getting some good ideas together, thanks.
 
Anglo 1 - really sweet tempered, trainable and pretty much bombproof. This was the horse that got me hooked on arabs/part breds.

Anglo 2 - again has a lovely temperament. A bit spooky over silly things (eg crisp packets on the verge) and has napped in the past particularly at alpacas, but with a confident, kind rider will go past scary stuff (although I will jump off to lead her past things like fly tipping if the road is busy with traffic). Fabulous in traffic, over motorway bridges, steam engines, helicopters etc... and once had over a year off but I just got straight back on and she was just the same as ever. I've never need to lunge before getting on, even when the farmer who owned the livery yard was angle grinding and welding right in front of her stable while I tacked up (he kindly paused while i mounted ;)).

Arab 1 - she pretty much is a stereotypical native or quiet cob in arab clothing. Was very naughty as a yearling and spent a lot of her time on her hind legs, but became very sensible and grown up as a two year old. Completely rock solid, tolerates idiots. Infuriates me greatly as she can be awful to catch, although luckily that doesn't happen too often. Her backing was disrupted as she had some health problems but she remembered everything as if it was yesterday. Tries very hard to get things right.

Arab 2 - not straightforward as he is head and especially ear shy, due to being ear twitched as a foal. Very bold and non spooky when led out in-hand. A huge show off and very hot. He's not backed yet.

You can't bully any of the arabs/pba's that I've had/have. You need to set them up so that they get things right and so that they understand what you want. If they know that, they generally actively try to do the right thing. If they are getting hot, you need to maintain a serene calmness.
 
He does sound a little like a cross between Anglo2 and Arab2. He has had a complicated past, and gained a reputation for dumping people on the floor, so I was a little cautious of him to start with.

Now I have figured out he is a gentleman and really wouldn't hurt / dump me deliberately, I am keen to get him going as well as he can.

Sounds like we can get there given time, that's not a problem for me or his owner. I will do my best to maintain my Zen like calmness when I am around him.
 
I don't think you can generalise. They come in all different shapes and sizes, and can be hot or calm, spooky or bombproof, fast or slow, active or idle.

Even our two full brothers have very different attitudes to work. Spud thinks he's royalty and has to see the point before he puts any effort in (if he had his way he would have his own personal tent with minons), whereas Felix is an intellectual and likes to have things to think about and problems to solve - he really tries for you.

Our purebreds have all been bombproof, though. Felix was a bit feral when he arrived as he hadn't had much handling, but he soon came round. My partbred (half Welsh) is far more reactive to his environment.

Arabs are meant to be war horses. Calm enough to live in your tent, but firey enough to take you into battle. A neurotic spooky war horse is no good to anyone.
 
LOL - I have ridden two Anglos (Mother and Daughter) and a purebred. The purebred only retired this year, I still have my old mare and ride the daughter.

They have all done endurance and two of them have done a bit of everything else. If there is one thing I say to people, it's that Arabian bred horses like to go out the gate and go places. Meandering along at a walk for hours on end is not their style! Two out of my three are chronic shyers, and my stickability has improved no end over the years. They do have a tendency to over react, but for all that they have an amazing sense of fun and mine have all loved doing whatever I have thrown at them.

Having said that Diva has never got used to milk tankers and both her and Ardashir regard the Pacific Ocean as extremely dangerous, despite years of training on the beach. Zara never got over seals and was always suspicious of letter boxes. Ardashir recons that hoof ball was invented just for him and would play all day if you let him. Initially however, he wasn't going anywhere near it! I could write a book.

I have another young horse and she is 3/4 TB and 1/4 Clydesdale. I really notice the difference in personality, but given that she is living with three of them, she has no choice but to "chanel" Arabian on a daily basis and is learning to bounce with enthusiasm.
 
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I teach a lady with a pure bread Arab. When she bought him he was a 3yo just backed and she was a returning rider who was not mega experienced.

Faracat said:
You can't bully any of the arabs/pba's that I've had/have. You need to set them up so that they get things right and so that they understand what you want. If they know that, they generally actively try to do the right thing. If they are getting hot, you need to maintain a serene calmness.
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^^ This. Although on paper it was not a match due for success, and initially there were problems. Because the owner got help, took it slowly so they both learned at once, the pair now do Pleasure Rides, Endurance with Endurance GB, Hunt Rides, Hunting, Show Jumping, Dressage, riding camp with XC........



EstherYoung said:
I don't think you can generalise. They come in all different shapes and sizes, and can be hot or calm, spooky or bombproof, fast or slow, active or idle.
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This too.

The Arab I know is excellent for his owner, but she has learned that he is fleet of foot, and if confronted with something he can be quick. But, she sits with, straightens him up and continues, usually laughing at his silliness. They hack all over on their own. She researches rides on the internet, boxes up to other counties and has a great time.

I take my hat off to her. She sees what she wants and moves towards it, but slowly so the horse comes with her (figuratively, I understand the Arab has a wicked gallop!).

Enjoy your Arab, and ignore people who say "Arab's can't........XYZ". I know a few and they have all been very versatile.
 
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NZJenny said:
If there is one thing I say to people, it's that Arabian bred horses like to go out the gate and go places. Meandering along at a walk for hours on end is not their style! Two out of my three are chronic shyers, and my stickability has improved no end over the years.
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Now that makes a lot of sense.

The first time I took him out of the yard, he was understandably very hesitant to leave his friends, but once out the gate, his eyes and ears were everywhere and it was quite apparent that he was enjoying being out.

Initial rides were slightly cautious affairs, but now he is getting used to me taking him out, he is very keen to get going, and I'm sure if I had all day to ride him, he would still be going like a train at the end of the day.

As for stickability, so far so good, I think six years on Native ponies has served me well.

More useful information, thanks.
 
I backed my anglo arab (with 1/8 irish cob but basically AA!) a few months ago and have found her quirky, but that may simply be because I'm not used to mares (being a gelding person!). To begin with, she was dreadful at having mini panic attacks - for days she'd be fine with me putting a saddle or rug on her then every nown and again she'd go nuts as I lifted it over her back as if it was the first time I'd ever done it! Same with other stuff too, you could tie her up in the stable fine most of the time but nown and again she'd have a big paddy for no reason whatsoever. But I just took things really slowly with her and now she's great and is coming on under-saddle really well. She loves hacking round the stubble fields and will jog the whole way round but surprisingly she's not overly spooky, my Luso x was a million times worse. She learns very quickly and is incredibly intelligent which makes her quite sharp but I prefer them like that. My last AA was exactly the same. Lovely, sweet nature and extremely trusting and honest. You just have to work through the beginning mini dramas ;)
 
My anglo is the most loving boy on the planet, he prefers humans to horses (not that hes ever in anyway nasty to other horses) im pretty sure he was born fearless of cars/trucks/motorbikes etc but stupid things like when a patch of grass is slightly different colour and neighbours wheelie bin (thats exactly the same as ours) is scary!

He never tires, he would go for days without stopping if I let him!

Hes also abit of a brat at times he will make it clear when he dosnt want a rug on or dsnt want to be ridden, if he dosnt want to, I dont make him because I know when he is in the mood he is so eager to please and tries his best at everything so if hes not in the mood theres probobly in his terms a valid reason and its not worth making him as I will end up worse off lol
Arabs are the most amazing horses on the planet! Not that im biased in any way, honestly :D
 
Great posts, thanks. I'm getting a really good feel for what I'm dealing with now.

I have to say, if I had the room at home, I would have whisked him away a year or two ago. He is so handsome, and has all the best attributes from both sides of his breeding, with Arab looks, and TB legs and lungs.

He is also very gentle and kind on the ground and although he can be a bit bargy when he gets carried away with himself, it only takes quick word to make him realise he has overstepped the mark and he is always very apologetic.

As somebody else said, he does make me laugh out loud when he shy's at things like, a twig on the ground, or a dark / wet patch of tarmac, bless him.
 
I had to sell my purebred Arabian as he was far too much for me. He was incredibly spooky and would turn tail and go, at pretty much everything. I was far too worried to take him out of the gate!

I sold him to a lady who competes at endurance. She isn't scared of anything and now neither is he! In his case, he needed a job, a proper one that would test him. And he needed a rider braver than him to hold his hand. It sounds like not much phases you OP, so you should form a great relationship with this horse. It's a joy to see my old lad and his girl working together, they have an incredibly close relationship that obviously pays both of them in spades.

I'll never have another Arabian, but I still catch my breath when I see one out and about, and I can't say that about any other breed of horse. Enjoy!
 
SadKen said:
It sounds like not much phases you OP,
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Ha ha ha, I don't know about that, he's already given me a couple of half decent scares, I just don't let him know about it.

I am very much getting the message that the softly softly approach I have taken so far has served it's purpose, and I now really need to get him working.

I'd better start putting some thoughts together about how I can up his workload.
 
A bit late to this party. I have 4 Shagya Arabs including a stallion and two ShGxCB. They are very brave, our four year old hacked out alone just two weeks after we backed her.

Our stallion does his second 80km endurance next weekend. At his last competition he was sent out after two teenage girls on mares, for his third circuit. The starter did a double take "I did not realise he was a stallion, he is so well behaved".
 
Love my girl (pure Arab). She is the easiest horse I've ever had. So uncomplicated.
Though everything is done with prancing and snorting lol.
Went down a field full of honking geese without a thought then had a nervous breakdown when a horse and trap came belting down the lane towards us.
So agile that instead of turning she will spin which can be a bit unsettling if you are not used to it.
Hacks out alone without a problem.
Can ride her today then leave her for a month and she will be exactly the same.
Just totally fab.
I would have another Arab any day.
Just totally love her 😆
 
Oh yes, the spinning thing is a hoot isn't it?

A couple of weeks ago there was a particularly aggressive tractor driver thundering back and forth through the tiny village where this chap lives. This is VERY unusual, as it is a rural and horse friendly area.

Anyway, I was out with the owner, who was riding another horse, which does not like tractors. So, big tractor comes round corner, we walked the two horses into someone large driveway, tractor roars past and two horse start spinning round and round... backwards. It was rather like the Turkish whirling dervishes, on horseback.

Last week we came across another tractor, just me riding, so rather than repeat the spinning things (fun though it was, this is not a desirable habit), I backed him into a narrow driveway and allowed him to see the big roaring dragon, as the driver took the tractor past nice and slowly. Lots of pats and "good boy's", so hopefully we can build on that.

He may well have been a brave boy two years ago, but whatever happened to him while out on loan(s), I now have a forward going cowardy custard, albeit a damn fine looking one.
 
I have two purebreds who are quite different. My boy can be spooky but I don't believe he is really scared just being a brat and he is old enough to know better! My mare is very hot and not particularly spooky unless she works herself up and then tends to get very bouncy! They are both better for regular and consistent work and as already mentioned you don't ever bully just be firm and fair. With my mare the best thing is to push her forward into a trot if she is getting worked up and I laugh at both of them a lot, I also find the "don't be so ridiculous attitude" as opposed to the "there there it's alright" works better. Most of the time they are both extremely well behaved, it just that odd moment. However my friend has a 23 year old Anglo who is far more challenging but again better with consistent work and is a sweetie on the ground although easily upset by any change to routine. I think you just have to be supremely confident and gain their trust and they will try their hardest for you. They are the greatest fun and very addictive so beware you might end up with one of your own!
 
A bit of feedback to all those who offered excellent advice.

A bit of a surprise, I got to ride out with someone else today. This obviously helped to get him going forward, but there were still lots of scary things. However, he dealt very well with a big yellow lorry, twice, which included squeezing past it to get into a farm yard... trouble is that the farm yard was full of scary machinery and the fields beyond full of scary, and eventually boring pheasants. We had several gates to open / close, traffic (wet hissy roads), black plastic bags, a stream to cross and all the usual tribulations of hacking out.

Although we had a few stops and one or two tap dancing numbers, on the whole he was much much better, plus we did a lot of trotting and also had a really nice collected canter along a suitable bridleway.

I have to say, for a horse that has been pretty much turned away for nine months or more, he is still fit and found a long trot up a pretty steep hill absolutely effortless and I had to slow him down in order to allow the fit TB with lightweight rider aboard time to catch up.

So, gentle walking bad, longer working hack good.... which is kinda what you all said.

Next week (weather permitting) we'll go a bit further still.

Once again, thanks so much, it has given me a different focus to his work and I'm sure he really enjoyed himself today, which is, after all, the whole point.
 
I am on my 3rd arab in 25 years. They have all been completely different, in type as well as temperament, but one thing that someone said and I 100% agree with is that they NEED to go somewhere, not just dawdle about. If they trust you, and you have to earn that, they will do anything for you. If they are scared of, say a bag, YOU have to show them that the bag is harmless, that you are not scared of it, if you are not, neither will they be ... I swear they have a warped sense of humour some of them though.

All of mine have been tremendous trail horses, 2 of them were fabulous hunters (they almost died of over excitement first time out) but they went home, thought about it and were like seasoned campaigners ever afterwards - still never did a step of walk, but hey they had to uphold the "arabs are dizzy" reputation didn't they?

The current one is the best trail horse I have ever ridden, she will go past, over, under, through, around anything I ask her to, she's knocking on a bit now, but still a shouty, joggy diva that is genuinely happy to see her tack coming.

I am an arab convert, grew up thinking all the bad things about them, until I rode one ... I wouldn't be without one now, I love everything about them, but, I don't think that they are for everyone, by that I don't meant that you have to be a BETTER horse(wo)man, or person than anyone else, just that you have to be in tune with them.
 
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I like Arabs, I have done since I got properly involved with horses a few years ago. In addition I have known this chap for four years and always thought he was a character, it is only now that the opportunity has arisen for me to ride him.

Enys; I agree completely with what you say about scary things, and I've had exactly the same with natives and done exactly that, often when walking out in hand. I would walk this chap out if I could, but he is so fast in a walk I practically have to jog to keep up, so we really have to do it under saddle, and get past whatever it is and then give him lots of praise afterwards.

As you say Faracat, lots of stamina and really enjoys using his abilities. Very fortunately, where he lives there are lots of bridleways and also lots of hills, so I fancy by spring, we are going to have a much happier and MUCH fitter horse.
 
My Arab is just a superstar, but some of the points made above ring SO true! Particularly regarding the fact they like to have a job and get on with stuff, also being firm and fair but never trying to bully them, and most particularly that once you have earned their trust they will do absolutely anything for you. Mine definitely responds better to 'don't be ridiculous' approach when spooking at something, it's almost a game for him if his brain isn't being suitably challenged. He has a great turn of speed and I would genuinely trust him with my life - I was still riding him when I was a day overdue with my daughter and got back on and went for a hack 6 days after she was born. He jogs if he can, and will 'spook' at silly things like funny Tarmac but send a juggernaught past and he won't bat an eyelid. He's also an extremely competent RC all rounder, I've done very low level BSJA bd and BE with him, he's done endurance, showing and Trec, and now aged 18 has a 16 year old sharer who loves jumping so in the last fortnight had won an 80cm hunter trial with 25+ in the class (fastest round by about 25 seconds!) and also won an 80cm SJ class with 30+ competitors.
They are definitely addictive.... I would love an Anglo as the only downside to my boy is he's only 14.2!
 
A further update from todays ride.

This was the first time we have been out totally alone.

We got out of the village fine, but when we got to the entrance to the local woods we had a bit of a paddy. I wanted to stay on the road, he wanted to go in the woods. After a bit of plunging and spinning, I was able to persuade him to carry on the road. For a while after this I could feel him hesitating slightly during a stride and thinking about turning back, a bit of gentle leg pressure sorted that every time and after a while he started to walk, jog or trot nicely (if a jog can ever be considered nice).

A little further down the road, we pass between two roadside buildings and then immediately left there is a cricket pitch, well, this just scared him absolutely silly, despite the fact we came past it in the opposite direction last week. After a few minutes of trying to ride him forwards, I decided he was just getting too frightened so I hopped off and walked him past. We stopped for a good few minutes at the next gate and he just stared and stared at the cricket ground and the cows in the fields beyond. Once I had him calm, I walked him on in hand a little further then got back on.

The rest of the ride was OK, we had a few stops, a spin or two, a fair bit of mild spooking, although he did seem to really enjoy a long trot (maybe a mile or so) up a pretty steep hill and he actually seemed to relax, if his ears were anything to go by. After that we saw a galvanised water trough in a field and then a pallet blocking a hole in a hedge and as both were light coloured / white, we had major spooks again.

I have no idea what this chap has been through while away on loan, but anything white scares the living bejeezus out of the poor soul, he also does not like the sound of car engines. Although he will pass a stationary vehicle no problem, as soon as they rev up slightly to pull away (once we are past) we shoot forwards.

It occurred to me part way around the ride, that this may well be only the third time he has been out on his own since coming back into work, so I actually thought he did brilliantly, and told him so, but at present I cannot tell if he is enjoying himself, or is scared out of his pants the whole time. He keeps his head up and his ears pricked most of the time, but you could read that either way.

I'm pretty sure he has no pain issues, as he was at Langford not that long ago and also had some rehab with our local back lady, who runs her own competition yard and is a superb horsewoman, so had there been any issues other than behavioural, she would have spotted them a mile off.

So, I plan to do exactly the same ride next week, and we'll see how we get on. I also want to really get him doing some longer distances over Christmas, when I have nearly four weeks off work. That is in addition to doing some cycling and riding my own pony.
 
Well done on both of you getting back safe and sound! :)

I agree that repeating the same ride a few times will improve his confidence with each repetition. I would also have hopped off when the horse got really stressed, they don't learn anything when they are wound up.

Mine love hills too, they seem to relish the challenge.
 
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