The True Arabian Horse – by Howie Kale

As part of our tribute to Howard ‘Howie’ Kale, who passed away on 9 September 2024 at 82 years of age, we share his words from our 2008 edition, where he talks about the true Arabian horse. For the full feature, click here. 

“Within the master design of the Creator, there exists the ultimate concept of the Arabian horse, where beauty and function fuse into the perfect essence of Arabian type. The refinement, dryness and strength that we so admire in the Arabian horse is the result of its evolution; survival in the harsh conditions of its desert birthplace has moulded and perfected the Arabian horse over the centuries.

“Long revered among horsemen for its form and function, the Arabian has been used to improve other breeds throughout the world. But today we find ourselves out of step with history. The Arabian horse, traditionally honoured by horsemen and artist alike, is now being denigrated as merely an entertainment or a decoration rather than a complete and functional being.

Howie Kale with Muscat

“The standards of the breed are derivative of function. Yet these standards carried to extreme will spell the destruction of the breed. The standard is for a small head, but the head cannot be so small that the horse cannot breathe. The feet cannot be so fine and small that it cannot run. The croup so level that it cannot move its hind legs underneath it. In the desert, horses exhibiting theses characteristics did not survive, nor would serious horsemen accept them.

“We, as Arabian horse breeders, dishonour the Arabian if we declare a horse a champion, a model of the breed, yet a horseman could not affirm that this horse is excellent in its most functional applications.

“The Arabian is first of all a horse. It must be, and deserves to be, a beautifully competent being in its own right. We must not condemn it to a future of a show-ring bauble or pasture decoration. Survival in the most demanding of environments over thousands of years has tempered and produced this unique entity, the Arabian horse. Now this responsibility is placed in the mind, heart and hands of its breeder. Above all, the Arabian horse is to love and it deserves the respect of honesty and integrity.”