The Organizational meeting for the Heritage Arabian Racing Club was held today, 28 February 2015, in Abu Dhabi
28 February 2015, Abu Dhabi, UAE ~ In a meeting today in Abu Dhabi, Arabian breeders and breed representatives from Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Morocco, Poland, Turkey, the UK, the UAE, the USA, and Russia gathered to form the Heritage Arabian Racing Club (HARC).
The classic look, style, and performance of the Arabian horse has ignited pride, passion and the popularity for the breed. That expressive eye, dished face, the graceful small figure, and the high tail carriage are the traditional mark of the Arabian horse, while his agility and speed are traits that made him precious spoils in the history of the world. Decimated by wars, the Arabian horse became a prized possession in Poland, and in 1932, racing was introduced there as a means of testing for stamina and athletic ability; only proven horses could go on to breed future generations.
That classic style of the Arabian has long been the premise for the breeding and racing program of HH Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed al Nahyan and Stud Manager, Deirdre Hyde, at W’Rsan Stud in Abu Dhabi. The acquisition of US racing legend, the Wiking son Monarch AH imparted the Arabian look, style and speed on many in the farm’s racing program.
In the past decade, the development of a larger and faster Arabian is now literally racing around the world. Some changed their programs to embrace the new order, but not W’Rsan Stud. Sheikh Sultan remains steadfast in his will to preserve what he has come to think of as the Heritage Arabian.
Abu Dhabi, often in the forefront of new development, is not leading into the future this time, but taking a stance on the history of the past and the type of the Arabian horse they feel is part of their heritage. A group of like-minded breeders has been formed which is called the Heritage Arabian Racing Club (HARC), with the aim to protect the classic genetics of the Purebred Arabian horse, and to create more opportunities for the horse type that is now being passed over in Arabian racing.
HARC will have headquarters in Abu Dhabi and has formed a Steering Committee to solidify management and practical concerns of the group, with the goal to create racing opportunities that will allow the continuance of Heritage Arabian racing.
Editor’s Note: Napoleon’s war horse was an Arabian stallion named Marengo, and three Arabian stallions were the founding sires of the modern Thoroughbred racehorse: The Godolphin Arabian, the Darley Arabian, and the Byerly Turk. In 1893, Arabians were introduced to the American public at the World’s Columbian Exhibition, or World’s Fair, in Chicago.
“As old as time itself and as fleet as its flying moments,” the Arabian horse has remained practically unchanged throughout the more than 3,500 years of the history of the breed.” Quoted from The Classic Arabian Horse by Judith Forbis.
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