Chapter 123Lameness in the Arabian and Half-Arabian Show Horse

History of the Arabian

The Arabian is one of the oldest breeds in the world. The horse originated in the deserts of the Middle East and was used by the Bedouins for transportation and in battle. The Arabian breed was noted for its speed and endurance. Three Arabian stallions (the Godolphin Barb, Byerley Turk, and Darley Arabian) imported to Europe during the late 1600s and early 1700s became the foundation of a new breed of horse, the Thoroughbred. Today, 93% of all modern Thoroughbreds can be traced to these three sires. In the 1800s many royal families of Europe established Arabian stud farms. Two of the most notable were the Polish National Arabian Stud in Poland and the Crabbet Arabian Stud in England. The Arabian is thought to have an influence on many of the light horse breeds that have developed throughout history. A typical Arabian ranges from 14.1 to 15.1 hands in height. The American Horse Show Association breed standards describe the Arabian as having a small, slightly dished face with large eyes set well apart, small ears, deep and wide jowls, a small muzzle, and large nostrils. The horse should have a long, arched neck; a long, sloping shoulder; well-sprung ribs; a short back with a relatively horizontal croup; and natural, high tail carriage. The limbs should have large, well-defined joints, short cannon bones, sloping pasterns of good length, and round feet of proportionate size.¹

The Half-Arabian studbook originated with the United States Army Remount Service after World War II and was acquired by the International Arabian Horse Association in 1951. Half-Arabians must have a registered purebred Arabian sire or dam. The Anglo-Arabian is a cross between an Arabian and a Thoroughbred, whereas the more recently developed National Show Horse is a cross between an Arabian and a Saddlebred. Many Half-Arabians are double registered.

History of the Sporting Event

The International Arabian Horse Association was created in 1950 to join the local and regional clubs across America into one united association. The International Arabian Horse Association promotes and coordinates all Arabian and Half-Arabian horse show activities and develops horse show rules. The International Arabian Horse Association also maintains the Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian registries, whereas the Arabian Horse Registry of America maintains the registry and pedigree records for purebred Arabian horses in the United States and Mexico.

The first United States National Arabian and Half-Arabian Show was held in 1966. The United States National Show is held in October in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A separate Youth National show for riders under 18 years old is held in July of each year in Albuquerque. The Canadian National Horse Show is held in August in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Sport Horse Nations, an event for Arabians and Half-Arabians competing in dressage, working hunter-jumper, and carriage-driving categories, is held at a different time and location each year. The United States and Canada are separated into 18 regions, each of which holds an annual show. Horses can qualify for the national show by placing in the top five at a regional show or by accumulating points at Class A shows. Some of the major shows in the United States other than the regionals and nationals are the Scottsdale Show (Arizona), the Buckeye Show (Ohio), the Pacific Slopes Show (California), the East Coast Championship (Pennsylvania), and the Pro-Am Challenge (Texas). Major international shows are held in England, France, South America, and Australia.

Performance classes for Arabian and Half-Arabian horses cover a broad spectrum and are listed in Box 123-1. Each of these classes is held separately for Arabians and Half-Arabians. They may be divided further into sections for junior owner, adult amateur owner, amateur owner, junior exhibitor, and amateur. The Park horse has a strong animated trot, with the forearm horizontal and the limb extending fully forward. The hock has a well-raised driving action. The walk and canter are animated and collected. The English Pleasure horse is shown at a walk, trot, strong trot (faster and more animated than the normal trot), canter, and hand gallop. Its gaits are less animated than those of the Park horse, although the forearm, at the trot, is horizontal. The same gaits are used in the Country English Pleasure class, but horses have lower limb action, and high action is penalized. The Country English Pleasure horse must also halt, stand quietly, back, and walk off on a loose rein. With all pleasure classes the horse must give the appearance of being a pleasure to ride. Park horses and English Pleasure horses are shown with the head carried high and considerable flexion at the poll. Saddle seat attire is required.

In the English Show Hack class a horse must perform each gait (walk, trot, and canter) in a normal, collected, and extended manner. A transition between gaits should be noticeable, and high knee action is not expected. Horses in the Hunter Pleasure division are shown under saddle at the walk, trot, canter, and hand gallop. The neck should be carried lower, the head should be carried with less bend at the poll, and the horse should be in a generally longer frame than the English Pleasure or Show Hack horse. Working Hunters are shown over a course of fences set at levels of 0.6 to 1 m and are judged on performance, manners, and soundness. Jumpers are shown over courses of jumps that vary in height from 0.9 to 1.05 m. The maximum width (spread) is 1.5 m.

Horses in driving classes are shown pulling a four-wheeled (Formal and Pleasure) or two-wheeled (Pleasure and Country Pleasure) vehicle. The gaits judged in the Formal, Pleasure, and Country Pleasure driving classes correspond to the Park, English Pleasure, and Country English Pleasure classes under saddle. The Roadster is a driving class that focuses on the trot at three different speeds.

The Western Pleasure horse is shown at the walk, jog (trot), lope (slow canter), and hand gallop. Ideally, contact with the reins is light, the head is carried low (approximately at the level of the withers), and the jog and lope are slow, easy gaits. The Working Western horse classes include reining, working cow horse, trail, cutting, and Western riding.

Training: Impact of Industry

The Arabian and Half-Arabian are versatile breeds, as shown by the many sports in which they compete. These include halter, endurance (see Chapter 118), pleasure, jumping, dressage, reining, cutting, and racing (see Chapter 111). Young performance horses are not shown under saddle until they are 3 years old. They then compete in futurity classes for horses 3 years of age or junior horse classes for horses 5 years of age or younger. Because these horses do not compete in performance classes until 3 years of age, this allows more time for adequate skeletal development compared with racehorses and Quarter Horses that start training before 2 years of age. The reason that training of Arabian show horses is started later than some other breeds may be partly smaller size and late maturation, but it is also related to the fact that no performance classes are available for 2-year-olds, and therefore no economic incentives exist to start intensive training early.

Early training and conditioning typically involve a substantial amount of work in a round pen or by lunging. Excessive training in small circles causes increased torque on the joints and support structures of the distal aspect of the limbs. Young horses trained in this manner commonly develop bilateral distal forelimb lameness involving numerous structures. These problems tend to be exacerbated by uneven and excessively hard or deep footing.

Rules govern the shoeing of Arabian and Half-Arabian show horses. The rules vary with age, breed, discipline, and the country of the competition. Foot length, shoe weight and shape, and pad usage are individualized for each horse to optimize the height and arc of flight of the forelimbs and hindlimbs. In English Pleasure horses, a common shoe is the toe-weighted shoe, constructed by forging more steel in the toe of the shoe. The long foot and weighted shoes are used to enhance forelimb motion. Unfortunately this can contribute to strain on the suspensory ligament (SL) and joints of the distal aspect of the limb.

In all performance divisions horses are shown in a collected frame. In each division the type of work performed, the body position required, and the conformational defects of an individual horse contribute to the common lameness conditions. Differences are apparent in gaits, degrees of collection, and head and neck position in the various divisions. In the English Pleasure division, for example, the degree of collection, neck elevation, and poll flexion required shift weight to the hindlimbs and increase the work of the back and abdominal muscles. These positional factors can cause hindlimb lameness (especially involving the stifle and SL) and back pain. In the Western Pleasure and Reining divisions, similar problems are seen because of the amount of collection required. These horses also incur a variety of lameness conditions because they commonly are worked for longer periods than English Pleasure horses. In the Western Pleasure and Reining classes, because any departure from a quiet, steady position is penalized, fatigue can be part of the class preparation.

Conformation and Lameness

Mild-to-moderate carpus valgus and toed-out conformation commonly are seen and do not appear to have a major impact on soundness (Figure 123-1). One reason is that the carpus is not a common location for lameness. If these conformational faults are severe, horses are at risk of suspensory desmitis. Horses with long sloping pasterns, back-at-the-knee conformation, or offset knees are also predisposed to suspensory desmitis. These conformational faults are more common in the Half-Arabian and National Show Horse than in purebred Arabians and are more common in certain pedigrees.