Wojtek Kwiatkowski’s majestic photography of Arabian and Andalusian horses takes our breath away. He is an author and a publisher of books about Arabians breeding all over the world. he is also a WAHO (World Arabian Horse Organization) consultant for Arabians pedigrees (Poland, Hungary, Wail/Germany). He has many years of experience in the field. For about 25 years he has gathered a wide photographic record library of the breeding in Poland. He states: “I passionately love Arabian horses and try to capture their beauty and soul in my pictures”
The Arabian or Arab horse, is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses that resemble modern Arabians dating back 4,500 years.
The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse, is a horse breed developed in the Iberian Peninsula. Its ancestors have been present on the Iberian Peninsula for thousands of years. The Andalusian has been recognized as an individual breed since the 15th century, and its conformation has changed very little over the centuries.

Spanish Horses (Andalusians), Lusitanos, Shagyas – Fantasia

Andalusian’s most common coat color is gray, although they can be found in many other colors. They are known for their intelligence, sensitivity and docility.

 

Arabian Horses Kumoterki .

The Arabian is a versatile breed. Arabians dominate the discipline of endurance riding, and compete today in many other fields of equestrian activity.

 

Arabian Horses

Arabian horses have refined, wedge-shaped heads, a broad forehead, large eyes, large nostrils, and small muzzles. Most display a distinctive concave or “dished” profile. Many Arabians also have a slight forehead bulge between their eyes, called the jibbah by the Bedouin, that adds additional sinus capacity, believed to have helped the Arabian horse in its native dry desert climate.

 

Arabian Horses – horse and dog

Throughout history, Arabian horses spread around the world by both war and trade, used to improve other breeds by adding speed, refinement, endurance, and strong bone. Today, Arabian bloodlines are found in almost every modern breed of riding horse.

 

Spanish Horses (Andalusians), Lusitanos, Shagyas – Conquistador

It has been known for its prowess as a war horse, and was prized by the nobility. The breed was used as a tool of diplomacy by the Spanish government, and kings across Europe rode and owned Spanish horses.

 

Arabian Horses Racing

With the rise of light cavalry, the stamina and agility of horses with Arabian blood gave an enormous military advantage to any army who possessed them.

 

Fiery war horses with dished faces and high-carried tails were popular artistic subjects in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, often depicted pulling chariots in war or for hunting.

 

Arabians dominate the sport of endurance riding because of their stamina. They are the leading breed in competitions such as the Tevis Cup that can cover up to 100 miles (160 km) in a day, and they participate in endurance events worldwide

 

Another breed characteristic with Arabian horses is an arched neck with a large, well-set windpipe set on a refined, clean throatlatch. This structure of the poll and throatlatch was called the mitbah or mitbeh by the Bedouin. In the best Arabians it is long, allowing flexibility in the bridle and room for the windpipe.

 

Other distinctive features are a relatively long, level croup, or top of the hindquarters, and naturally high tail carriage.

 

Like other hot-bloods, Arabians’ sensitivity and intelligence enable quick learning and greater communication with their riders; however, their intelligence also allows them to learn bad habits as quickly as good ones, and they do not tolerate inept or abusive training practices.

 

Andalusians are known for their agility and their ability to learn difficult moves quickly, such as advanced collection and turns on the haunches.

 

Although many Arabians appear “white”, they are not. A white hair coat is usually created by the natural action of the gray gene, and virtually all “white” Arabians are actually grays.

 

Strongly built, and compact yet elegant, Andalusians have long, thick manes and tails.

 

A Bedouin story states that Allah created the Arabian horse from the four winds; spirit from the North, strength from the South, speed from the East, and intelligence from the West.

 

Arabians are one of the oldest human-developed horse breeds in the world.

 

Generally standing between 62 – 66 inches, (157 and 168 cm) high, Andalusian horses are both elegant and strongly built.

 

At the 2002 World Equestrian Games, two Andalusians were on the bronze-medal winning Spanish dressage team, a team that went on to take the silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics (not the team in the image).

 

Historically, however, the Andalusians were also used as stock horses, especially suited to working with Iberian bulls, known for their aggressive temperaments.

 

Horses with refined heads and high-carried tails were depicted in artwork, particularly that of Ancient Egypt in the 16th century BC

 

With the rise of light cavalry, the stamina and agility of horses with Arabian blood gave an enormous military advantage to any army who possessed them.

 

Today there are more Arabians registered in North America than in the rest of the world put together.

 

Several Arabians, mostly of Polish breeding, were captured from Nazi Germany and imported to the U.S.A. following World War II.

 

In the 1980s, Arabians became a popular status symbol and were marketed similarly to fine art

 

Prices skyrocketed, especially in the United States, with a record-setting public auction price for a mare named NH Love Potion, who sold for $2.55 million in 1984, and the largest syndication in history for an Arabian stallion, Padron, at $11,000,000 (neither in this picture).

 

By 2003, a survey found that 67% of purebred Arabian horses in America are owned for recreational riding purposes.

 

The origin of the purebred Arabian horse was the Arabian desert, and all Arabians ultimately trace their lineage to this source.

 

A Purebred Arabian horse is one which appears in any purebred Arabian Stud Book or Register listed by WAHO as acceptable.

 

Arabians are versatile horses that compete in many equestrian fields, including horse racing, the horse show disciplines of saddle seat, Western pleasure, and hunt seat, as well as dressage, cutting, reining,endurance riding, show jumping, eventing, youth events such as equitation, and others.

 

Arabian horses are used as pleasure riding, trail riding, and working ranch horses for those who are not interested in competition.

 

Arabians are involved in a wide variety of activities, including fairs, movies, parades, circuses and other places where horses are showcased.

 

Arabians are mascots for football teams, performing crowd-pleasing activities on the field and sidelines.

Andalusians today are used for show jumping, western pleasure and many other classes at horse shows..

 

The dramatic appearance of the Andalusian horse, with its arched neck, muscular build and energetic gaits, has made it a popular breed to use in film, particularly in historical and fantasy epics.

 

Arabians also are used on search and rescue teams and occasionally for police work

Arabians also are used on search and rescue teams and occasionally for police work.