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What makes the straight Egyptian Arabian horses special?

The straight Egyptian Arabians are the largest remaining breeding group of asil Arabians, which means that they can be traced 100% back to the desert and the Bedouin tribes of ancient Arabia.

The modern history of the Egyptian Arabian begins in the 19th century with Mohamed Ali Pasha, during the time Egypt was a province of the Turkish Empire. Mohamed Ali bore a passion for collecting the most superior desert-bred horses from the Bedouin tribes in Arabia. He built palatial stables and used every means to collect the best. After conquering Nejd, Mohamed Ali demanded Saud's most priceless desert-bred mares as terms of a peace treaty with the first Saudi state

Inheriting his herd, was his grandson, Abbas Pasha. He went to great length to prove the purity of each animal. He had also built an impressive herd of his own, primarily with desert-bred horses of the Bedouins. Like his father before him, he used political maneuvers and favors to add to his outstanding herd. The freeing of Feysul Ibn Saud was repaid with 290 desert-bred mares and a fine collection of stallions. . 

Abbas Pasha was assassinated in 1854 and his fabled stud was disbanded and his horses scattered. Some horses were added to European collections; others remained in Egypt with Ali Pasha Sherif, a relative with a passion for the finest of desert-bred horses. With the dispersal of his magnificent stud, the horses moved into many hands, among them those of Lady Anne Blunt, whose journeys in search of desert horses are legendary.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, princes of the Egyptian royal family and other notables of the time collected and bred pure Arabian horses, some from the celebrated ranks of the Abbas Pasha tradition; others directly from the Bedouin in Arabia.

The Royal Agricultural Society (R.A.S.) was formed in 1908 to assure the preservation of what was considered a national treasure. In 1952, following the overthrow of King Farouk, a few notable horses of the former Inshass Stud (Royal Stables of King Fuad and King Farouk) were brought into the R.A.S., newly named the Egyptian Agricultural Organization (E.A.O.).

Dedicated breeders of the Egyptian Arabian are committed to the preservation of the purest bloodlines. Within this group are several passionate researchers who have devoted their lives to the continued documentation of these asil Arabian horses.

The Egyptian royalty not only had a long tradition of collecting the finest desert horses in Arabia and had established relations not only with traders but with several of the horse breeding bedouin tribes themselves. Horse racing became immensly popular. Alexandria and Cairo became important places for American, European and North-African breeders to purchase the very best desertbred Arabian horses.

Although they are not necessarily better performers than the pure bred Arabians, the asil Arabian remains an important source to renew the characteristics of the original Arabian.
The straigth Egyptian Arabian horses are prized for the extreme toughness, speed and beauty of their desert-bred ancestors, which is unsurpassed in today's equine world.

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