Draft Horse

Phil Wiskell asked:


Anyone looking through a list of horses for sale needs to have a strong sense of what they are looking to buy. When buying horses in Texas, or anywhere else, most people are going to find right off the bat that they are not just looking for “a brown horse,” they are going to be looking for horses that will serve a particular purpose.

Cattle Horses

When some people look to buy horses, it is because they have a ranch and they need to have a horse that will allow them to keep up with a herd of cattle. Other people still view horses as an inexpensive mode of transportation that will enable them to move from one place to another with relative ease, despite the surrounding terrain. In other cases, people will be shopping for horses that will be workers - that will help to keep the herd together, move supplies, or even help pull the truck out of the mud.

In most cases, ranchers looking for a new horse will turn to American Quarter Horses, because they are well suited to the work. With strong hind legs, athletic bodies, speed and flexibility, American Quarter horses allow ranchers to get the job done every time, quickly and efficiently.

Rodeo Horses

Many people who are looking to buy horses are doing so because they are drawn to the competitive rodeo arena. Whether their goals include calf roping, barrel racing or steer wrestling, they know that the horses that they select need to be able to sustain fast speeds, be maneuverable and responsive to the rider.

In most cases, those individuals who are looking for rodeo horses are also going to be turning towards the American Quarter Horse, when they are shopping for a good horse. The reason for this is very much the same as the reasons that motivate buyers looking for ranch horses: American Quarter Horses have the necessary speed and athleticism to excel.

Horses for the Family

While those who have ranches and those who ride in rodeo events often have kids, they know that their horses may not be the most suitable horses for young, inexperienced riders. Therefore, plenty of riders look for horses that will be good for casual rides and for all members of the family.

Not surprisingly, many of them also gravitate towards the American Quarter Horse; however in this case, they often look towards older horses and those who have not been trained to participate in more competitive events.

Characteristics Of A Good Horse

In all cases, however, those who are looking for horses recognize that there are some characteristics that they absolutely do not want in a horse. They do not want to purchase a bad tempered horse that tends to bite or kick. They don’t want to make an investment in horses that have not been broken - especially when buying a horse for the family.

Most importantly, when looking for horses anywhere in the world, even in Texas or Oklahoma, the most crucial element that they are looking for a horse that is in good health. The horse’s hooves should be healthy. Its legs should be muscular and strong and should be free from scars and bulges. Similarly, the horse’s hearing and eyesight, teeth and heart should be in great condition.

Finally, people who are shopping for horses will want to find a horse that is a good fit for them. In part, this is a measure of the height and weight of the horse. In part it’s simply a determination that the horse is responsive, and is comfortable when you ride.

Texans Know Their Horses

It may be a common belief that everyone in Texas is familiar with horses, but those who are looking for horses in Texas know that this simply isn’t true. Like everywhere else, people have different experiences with horses. The horses for sale that they see listed will also have different experiences. Some will have training for particular tasks; others will be better suited for kids. Some will be athletes, born and bred, while others will be geared for work, or standing around in a pasture all day long.

When buying horses in Texas, or anywhere else, it is important to take the time to ask questions about the horse’s lineage - particularly if you are looking for a horse that can enable you to participate in rodeo competition. Understand that the look of the horse is less important than the horse’s demeanor and strength, and make a wise and educated choice.



my draft horse com

Sara G asked:


I’ve been trying to find a 90″-92″ size blanket for my Irish Draught but I’ve had next to no luck - I’ve looked at Greenhawk, Brubacher’s, and quite a few others - not even ebay has much options. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

draft horse sale

monkeemoo asked:

My Belgian Draft horse “CHARGER” runs into fence and races with my car

draft horse blankets

Abbie J asked:


I was wondering if anyone had a idea if a easy boot or a Old mac boot would work better for my draft horse.

russian draft horse

Abbie J asked:


I have a percheron that I am training in dressage. She has extremely sensitive feet and because of the high price in shoeing draft horses I have decided to buy some draft horse boot. I cant seem to find any brand that could fit a draft horse size. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas for what I should do.

Thanks

strongest draft horse

LizzieLovesCheyenne asked:

the 29th of every month is now national draft horse day! well at our barn anyways haha so heres a vid of me and my friends riding our draft horse friends! the ppl in the vid r SaddlebredRider46, Aquahorses101, and my mommy and me! lolz lol hope u enjoy! cmnt, rate, sub!

canadian draft horse

***Country 4 Life*** asked:


this is for any type of show that a horse can enter.
also what about Dutch Heavy Draft and if you can what shows can you enter them in?

draft horse stallion

Florekeszti asked:

hungarian draft horse pull

draft horse gifts

Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil asked:


The Horses are mentioned in the Bible 175 times and in the Quran three times, i.e., the Bible cites the Horses 58 times more than the Quran does.

Furthermore, the total words of the Bible are 788,280 while the total words of the Quran are 77,473. It follows that, the Bible has the likely of more than 10 times than the Quran word-wise to talk about the Horses. In addition, the Bible has the prospective of more than 58 times than the Quran topic-wise to utter about the Horses.

The Horses in the Bible:

What the Lord says about the Horses?

• I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured Horses.

• I will destroy your Horses from among you

• I will strike every Horse with panic and its rider with madness

• I will blind all the Horses of the nations.

The LORD will bring a terrible plague on your Horses and donkeys

Kill the Horses, The Lord commanded Joshua and David.

A sword is against Horses.

Exodus 9:3

The hand of the LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your Horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats.

Joshua 11:6

The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their Horses and burn their chariots.”

Joshua 11:9

Joshua did to them as the LORD had directed: He hamstrung their Horses and burned their chariots.

2 Samuel 8:4

David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot Horses.

1 Kings 20:21

The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the Horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.

2 Kings 23:11

He removed from the entrance to the temple of the LORD the Horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the room of an official named Nathan-Melech. Josiah then burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.

Jeremiah 50:37

A sword against her Horses and chariots and all the foreigners in her ranks! They will become women. A sword against her treasures! They will be plundered.

Jeremiah 51:21

With you I shatter Horse and rider; with you I shatter chariot and driver,

Amos 4:10

“I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured Horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the LORD.

Micah 5:10

“In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will destroy your Horses from among you and demolish your chariots.

Habakkuk 3:8

Were you angry with the rivers, O LORD ? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode with your Horses and your victorious chariots?

Haggai 2:22

I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; Horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.

Zechariah 12:4

On that day I will strike every Horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the LORD. “I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the Horses of the nations.

Zechariah 14:15

A similar plague will strike the Horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.

Horses of fire

2 Kings 2:11

“…suddenly a chariot of fire and Horses of fire appeared …”

2 Kings 6:17

“…the hills full of Horses and chariots of fire all around…”

The Horses’ hoofs thundered, trample and seem like flint

Judges 5:22

Then thundered the Horses’ hoofs— galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.

The Horses’ hoofs seem like flint

Ezekiel 26:11

The hoofs of his Horses will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground.

Isaiah 5:28

“…their Horses’ hoofs seem like flint, their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.”

The Horse has no understanding

Psalm 32:9

Do not be like the Horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

This verse contradicts with the concept of the biologists who say that the Horse is an intelligent animal and understands.

The Horse is a vain hope for deliverance

Psalm 33:17

“A Horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.”

When God of Jacob rebuke, the Horse lie still

Psalm 76:6

At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both Horse and chariot lie still.

His pleasure is not in the Horse, nor in the legs of a man

Psalm 147:10

His pleasure is not in the strength of the Horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man;

A whip for the Horse and a rod for the fools!

Proverbs 26:3

A whip for the Horse, a halter for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!

Slaves on Horseback! Why not?

Ecclesiastes 10:7

I have seen slaves on Horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.

Where is this land?

Isaiah 2:7

Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of Horses; there is no end to their chariots.

Discover the Egyptians

Isaiah 31:3

But the Egyptians are men and not God; their Horses are flesh and not spirit.

Moreover, the Egyptians ******** were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of Horses (Look at the very clear-cut description).

Ezekiel 23:20

There she lusted after her lovers (the Egyptians), whose ******** were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of Horses.

Read my comment at article of Donkey

The Horses are swifter than eagles and leopards

The Horses are fiercer than wolves

Jeremiah 4:13

His Horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! We are ruined!

Habakkuk 1:8

Their Horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk

I will leave these two verses that contradict with sciences for the biologists to interpret them better than me.

At the sound of Horsemen every town takes to flight and they are cruel and without mercy. The sound is like roaring sea or thunder.

Jeremiah 4:29

At the sound of Horsemen and archers every town takes to flight. Some go into the thickets; some climb up among the rocks. All the towns are deserted; no one lives in them.

Jeremiah 50:42

They are armed with bows and spears; they are cruel and without mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their Horses;

Revelation 9:9

They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many Horses and chariots rushing into battle.

The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes

Jeremiah 31:40

The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the LORD. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

How do the Horses look like? Locusts, human, or lions

Jeremiah 51:27

“…Send up Horses like a swarm of locusts.”

Revelation 9:7

“The locusts looked like Horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.”

Joel 2:4

They have the appearance of Horses; they gallop along like cavalry.

Revelation 9:17

The Horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the Horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.

Eat the Horses, The Lord commands

Ezekiel 39:20

At my table you will eat your fill of Horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind,’ declares the Sovereign LORD.

The Horses trampled the sea

Habakkuk 3:15

You trampled the sea with your Horses, churning the great waters.

The colors of the Horses: red, brown and white, black, fiery red, and pale

Zechariah 1:8

a man riding a red Horse! Behind him were red, brown and white Horses.

Zechariah 6:2

The first chariot had red Horses, the second black,

Zechariah 6:6 dappled Horses

Revelation 6:2 a white Horse

Revelation 6:4

Then another Horse came out, a fiery red one.

Revelation 6:5

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black Horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.

Revelation 6:8

I looked, and there before me was a pale Horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

How to make Horses obedient?

James 3:3

When we put bits into the mouths of Horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.

The power of the Horses was in their mouths and in their tails

Revelation 9:19

The power of the Horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

Examples of the Mercy:

Blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the Horses’ bridles

Revelation 14:20

They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the Horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

Revelation 19:11

[The Rider on the White Horse] I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white Horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.

Revelation 19:14

The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white Horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.

Revelation 19:19

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the Horse and his army.

Revelation 19:21

The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the Horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

The Horses in the Quran:

Surah 3:14

Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons; heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; Horses branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world’s life; but in nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (to return to).

Allah made man love women, sons, gold, silver; Horses, cattle, and well-tilled land. This meaning of inherited human behavior and tradition is not mentioned in the Bible.

Surah 8:60

Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever ye shall spend in the Cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly.

This is a prophylactic verse to prevent wars between nations.

Be ready with all of your power, and then your enemies will be afraid of you.

No doubt that USA is the first country following this verse.

Surah 16:8

And (He has created) Horses, mules, and donkeys, for you to ride and use for show; and He Creates (other) things of which ye have no knowledge.

Allah Creates what we do not know.

This verse preceded the sciences at any time, now and in the future.

Read my comment at my article about the Donkey.

Back to the main issue of my series of articles; this is my question to you smart readers: “Is the Quran quoted from the Bible”?



draft horse training

Ibrahim asked:


Horse is an important and valuable member of the mammalia. Among the earliest evidence of the importance of the horse to human culture are the unearthed wall paintings in the caves of Lascaux, in southern France, dating around 30,000 B.C. The horse first became useful in welfare sometimes before 1500 B.C. when Mesopotamian people began to use horses to pull their chariots. There is however a question rose by Canon Taylor in his Origin of the Aryans (p.161), whether the horse was at first used for drawing chariots or for riding. He, and William Ridgeway (Academy of 3rd January, 1891) says that, “At first the horse was very small and incapable of carrying man and that it was after generations of domestication under careful feeding and breeding that the horse became of sufficient size to carry man on his back with ease.” According to Max Muller, it appears from the Vedas that, in India, it was used both for chariot-driving and riding.

The thoroughbred racehorse, whose remote ancestor, Eohippus, was a small, hoofed quadruped about the size of a fox, is the most beautiful animal bred by man. By a careful process of selection through the race-course test over a period of two hundred and fifty years, a noble and courageous beast has been fashioned in the hands of skilled breeders, from an original blend of the imported, pure-bred Arabian, and so called Turkish or Barbary sires, and the English hybrid mares existing in Europe at the end of 17th century.

The earliest dates for horse-racing have not yet been confirmed. Such contests were however held in Babylonian, Syria and Egypt. Clay tablets excavated in Cappadocia in Asia Minor, written in 1400 B.C. reveal on the training of horses for racing. The four horse chariot races were introduced into Olympic Games of Greece in 23rd Olympiad, or about 664 B.C. It was 33rd Olympiad that the race for mounted horses was first introduced about 624 B.C., and the first race for saddled horses was held in the games of 564 B.C.

Horse-racing is derived from warfare, chariot racing, and the chase, and it is not without significance that, at the time of the Roman occupation of Britain, Queen Boadicea and her people, the tribe of the Iceni, lived on Newmarket Heath and that their gold and silver coins were stamped on the reverse side with the effigy of a horse. The earliest horse-race in England, of which a record still exists, took place at Netherby in Yorkshire in about A.D. 210 between Arabian steeds brought to Europe by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus Alexander, who made special arrangements for the shelter and training of these delicate horses. In the reign of King Richard I, the horse race became a fashionable pastime for the barons and knights. It was not until the reign of King Henry VIII that the first race-course was officially established on the Roodee at Chester in 1540, and an annual prize first instituted, which took the form of a silver bell; and moreover this monarch did much to improve the royal studs and the breed of the horse in general throughout the country.

The Arabian is regarded as the oldest pure breed, but its exact origins remain unproven for lack of scientific evidence. Antique sculpture and ancient rock drawings depicting horses of Arabian appearance found in the Arabian peninsular, as well as wall inscriptions in Egypt, confirm that an Arabian type has existed in the Middle East for well over 3000 years. These Eastern or Oriental, horses are considered to be the taproot stock of all Southern hot-blooded equines, as opposed to the Northern cold-blooded.

As an old pure breed the Arabian is extremely prepotent, and for centuries has been used up-grade, with the result that there is hardly a breed of light horse that does not contain some Arab blood - the most outstanding breed to evolve from Arabian sources is the Thoroughbred. The foundation stock was an admixture of eastern mares and stallions, and Gallowavs and other British horses. Three phenomenal stallions -The Darley Arabian, The Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk - dominated Thoroughbred ancestry, and every Thoroughbred traces in the male line to just these three.

Originally most Arabians were nomadic. With a climate of extremes, scarcity of food, and the hard work expected of horses, it was a cast of survival of the fittest. In the days when the tribes were constantly at war or raids were a regular occurrence, the Arab relied on the speed and endurance of his mount for his very survival. Mares were used for forays against enemies, as stallions could not be relied upon to remain quiet, and the Arabian mare thus became a most treasured possession of their owner.

When fighting the rider carried a lance (which in some Northern tribes could be as much as 6 meters long) and the mare had to be extremely agile, able to stop dead in her stride, spin on her hocks, and dart off again. The mares were kept tethered in the Bedouin camps and sometimes shared a tent with their master. Centuries of living in close proximity with humans have endowed the Arabian with an exceptional ability to form strong companionships with people. It is probable that there were no horses in Arabia prior to the Christian era, and that they are direct descendants of the wild Libyan horse of North Africa, which was domesticated in Egypt. Ridgeway states the kings of Egypt had these horses 1500 years B.C., and they probably came to Arabia through Palestine between the 1st and 6th centuries.

According to Encyclopaedia Americana (14:391), “Horses begin to appear in Arabia in the 1st century B.C., and by the time of (Prophet) Muhammad a distinct and unique type of Arabic horse had evolved.” The Prophet used horses to great effect in the holy wars. They proved faster and more maneuverable than camels. It was the Prophet who directed that horses should be bred by the faithful, so that they would be better prepared to gallop out and spread the Faith of Islam. The order from the Prophet, enshrined in the Koran meant that horse breeding began to spread among the Bedouin and the true Arabian breed began. Historian Ibn Khallikan (3:476) writes that “We know that in the 12000 Berber cavalry who disembarked in Spain under the command of Tariq bin Zihad, there were twelve Arabian horses. Hence the Arabian horses introduced into the West.” Thus, Arab became the home of England’s Derby.

The common Arabic word for horse is faras, whether stallion (fahl) or mare; as a collective al-khayl. The word khayl for horse occurs five times in the Koran. The title and the first verse of Sura 79 (Those that Draw, al-naziat) and Sura 100 (The Runners, al-adiyat) are probably further references to horses. The title of Sura 37 (Those who Dress the Ranks, al-saffat), Sura 51 (Those that Scatter, al-dhariyat) and Sura 77 (Those that are Sent, al-mursalat) may also refer to them as well.

According to the Koran: “By the adiyat that run panting, and those that strike fire dashing” (100:1-2). Most of the commentators suggest the meaning of adiyat as panting horses on the authority of Ibn Abbas.

“And (He created) horses and mules and ***** for you to ride and as zinat” (16:8). The Arabic word zina or zinat means ornament, amusement, or entertainment. Hence, the horses, mules and asses, in which horses are prominent; are meant not only for riding, but breeding and racing.

The tradition has it that the first to ride a horse was Prophet Ismael. Others again claim that the Arab horses are descended from those of Solomon. The latter inherited 1000 horses from David. It is said that the tribe of Azd once came to Solomon and asked for a present, he gave them one of the steeds, to which they gave the name zad al-rakib; from it are descended all the Arab horses.

An ancient race that came to prominence with the rise of Islam. They have bred closely guarded pure strains of hot blooded desert horses for centuries – it is said an Arab can recite the pedigree of his favorite horses going back to 600 A.D. The best horses were never sold and never left Arabia. God is said to have created the horse out of the south wind, and some Arabian horse bear the Prophet’s thumb mark on their neck, where Mohammed was supposed to have touched them

Horse Racing (sibak al-khayl or ijra al-khayl) had been a major sport and a favorite pastime in pre-Islamic Arabia. It was a part of equitation (furusiyya), regarded as essential for military training and also as an object of entertainment for the people from all walks of life. During the Islamic period the breeding, maintenance and training of horses became one of the means of facilitating the prosecution of the holy war. The Prophet regarded horse-breeding as a meritorious calling, and assigned to it a share in the booty obtained on the battle field. This religious sanction fostered a competitive attitude amongst the breeders and encouraged the augmentation of the stock, which suffered considerable depletion in the course of the wars of that time. Cavalry was in fact to become an important factor in the military success of the Muslims.

Kunwar Muhammad Ashraf writes in Life and Conditions of the people of Hindustan (Karachi, 1978, p. 187) that, “Horse-racing was just as popular. It had the additional advantage of the blessings of the Prophet who had prohibited other amusements and gambling in no uncertain terms, but was indulgent towards betting on horse-racing. A regular literature soon sprang up on the study of the habits, the foods, and the nourishment, the care and the training of horses, which does credit to the scientific methods of the age. It is quite reasonable to infer from these facts that the number of pedigree horses was quite large in the studs of the Sultans and the nobles. Special Arab horses were imported for racing purposes from Yamen, Oman, and Fars. Each animal is reported to have cost from one hundred to four thousand tankas.”

It is therefore not surprising that a rich literature came into being which contained information on hippology, horse-breeding, the genealogies of horses and their various categories, on race-courses, horse-racing, farriery and equitation. No other animal evoked from the writers of the time so large a number of literary works, both in prose and in poetry. Ibn Nadim in his famous catalogue of Arabic books, compiled in 377/987, Kitab al-Fihrist (tr. by Bayard Dodge, London, 1970, pp. 80-213), mentions the following works on the horse and on matters relating to it: Kitab al-Khayl by Abu Ubaidah (d. 210/825), Kitab al-Khayl, Kitab khalq al-Faras and Kitab al-Sarj wal-lijam by Asma’i (d. 213/828), Kitab al-Khayl by Ahmed bin Hatim (d. 231/846), Kitab khalq al-Faras by Ibrahim al-Zujaj (d. 310/914), Kitab khayl al-Kabir and Kitab khayl al-Saghir and Kitab al-Sarj wal-lijam by Ibn Durayd (d. 321/925), Kitab al-khayl and Kitab Nasab al-khayl by Mohammad bin Ziyad al-Arabi (d. 231/846), Kitab khalq al-Faras by Abi Thabit, Kitab khalq al-Khayl by Hisham bin Ibrahim al-Kirmani, Kitab khalq al-Faras by Kassim al-Anbari, Kitab al-khayl al-Sawabik by Khawlani, Kitab khalq al-Faras by Washsha (d. 325/930), Kitab al-khayl by Hisham al-Kalbi (d. 207/822), Kitab al-khayl wal-Rihan by Madaini (d. 215/830), Kitab al-Hala’ib wal-Rihan by Ahmed al-Khazzaz (d. 258/871), Kitab al-khayl bi Khatt Ibn al-Kufi by Mohammad bin Habib, Kitab al-Fursan by Abu Khalifa (d. 305/909), Kitab Sifat al-khayl wal Ardiya wa Asmaiha bin Makka wa ma Walaha by Abu al-Ashath, Kitab Akhbar al-Faras wa-Ansabuha by Abul Hasan al-Nassaba, Kitab al-khayl by Qadi al-Ashna’i, Kitab al-khayl by Attabi, Kitab al-khayl by Utabi (d. 228/843), Kitab al-khayl al-Kabir by Ahmed bin Abi Tahir (d. 280/894) and Kitab Jamhara al-Ansab al-Faras by Ibn Khurdadhbih (d. 300/904). Masudi (d. 345/950) in his Muruj al-Dhahab (Paris, 1861, 4:24-5) refers a book, called al-Jala’ib wal Hala’ib by Issa bin Lahi’a, a work which, according to him, included a detailed description of almost every race (halba) of pre-Islamic and Islamic periods.

In the Hidayah (2:432), it is said that horses are of four kinds: 1) Birzaun or Burzun (a heavy draught horse brought from foreign countries). 2) Atiq (a first blood horse of Arabia). 3) Hain (a half-bred horse whose mother is an Arab and father a foreigner), and 4) A half-bred horse whose father is an Arab and whose mother is a foreigner).

Long maydans (hippodromes) were set apart for this purpose in Arabia. According to Hilayat al-Fursan fi Shi’ar al-Shujan (Leiden, 1872, p. 142) by Ibn Hudhayl, “Islam forbade gambling (maisar) but allowed the placing of wagers on archery (nasal), foot-racing (qadam) and horse-racing (hafir)” The Egyptian scholar Isa bin Lahiah (d. 762) is already credited with a book entitled al-Jala’ib wal Hala’ib in which he mentioned every race, where horses were run in pre-Islamic and Islamic times. The work of al-Asma’i, Kitab al-khayl (ed. Haffner, Vienna, 1875) and Kitab al-Sarj of Abu Ubaidah are very rich to provide the relative informations.

According to Fadl al-khayl (p.389) by ad-Dimyati (1217-1306), “Contrary to the hadith of the Prophet which permitted competitions with camel, horse and arrow (khuff, hafir, nasl), some people even contented that racing for stakes was permissible only for horses, as this was what the Arabs of old were accustomed to.” We may also quote what ad-Dimyati has to say in the 5th chapter of his Fadl al-khayl that, “Ibn Banin (1181-1263) has mentioned in his book that the Messenger of God raced horses with garments that had come to him from Yamen as stakes. He gave the winner (sabiq) three, the second horse (musalli) two, the third horse one, the fourth horse one dinar, the fifth horse one dhiram, and the sixth horse a rod (qasabah). He said: “May God bless you and all of you, the winner (sabiq) and the loser (fiskil)”.

Abul Hasan Ahmad bin Yahya bin Jabir al-Baladhuri, Ibn Sad, al-Waqidi, Abd al Muhaymin bin Abbas bin Sahl bin Sad, his father (Abbas), his grandfather (Sahl), who said: “(Once) when the Messenger of God raced horses, I was riding on his az-Zarib. He gave me a Yamenite cloak.”

He (al-Baladhuri) said: I have been told by Muhammad bin Sad, al-Waqidi, Sulayman bin al-Harith, az-Zubayr bin al-Mundhir bin Abi Usayd, who said: “Abu Usayd as-Saidi raced on the Prophet’s horse Lizaz, and he gave him a Yemenite garment.”

Al- Khuttali reports in his book a tradition of Ibn Lahiah, Bakr bin Amr, Ibrahim bin Muslim, Abu Alqamah, the client of the Banu Hashim (stating) that the Messenger of God had ordered the horses to be raced, and he put up as prizes for them (sabbaqaha) three bunches of dates from three palm trees. He gave one bunch to the winner, one to the second horse, and one to the third horse. They were fresh dates.” (vide Fadl al-Khayl by ad-Dimyati)

According to Dar-Qutni (2:552), “Sanjah was another horse the Prophet used to ride on. Once it was made to have a race. It won and the Prophet was much delig



draft horse gifts