# showjumping egyptian arabians?



## ArabianLover2456 (Oct 5, 2010)

hey i was wondering if egyptian arabians are able do to showjumping?
coz ive heard that they dont have the conformation for it. and i got a new one and i love showjumping
thanks for helping


----------



## mbender (Jul 22, 2009)

Do you think he/she is capable of jumping? Why not try and see what happens? I would if I could.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

There is no reason you can't do lower level showjumping on an Arabain. They are usually quick, catty, athletic jumpers. Because of their size and length of stride, they're not going to be as competitive over larger fences against TBs and warmbloods, but there's no reason not to have some fun with your horse over lower fences.


----------



## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I would imagine someone said that based on their tendency to be petite. There's no reason you can do it if your horse enjoys it. I have an Egyptian and I'm looking into doing endurance with him. He's the fastest, most athletic horse out of 24 at my barn and he's not even 3 yet.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I meant there's no reason you CAN'T do it. You will need to be more cautious if your horse has a fine bone structure like Egyptians (like mime)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

maura said:


> There is no reason you can't do lower level showjumping on an Arabain. They are usually quick, catty, athletic jumpers. Because of their size and length of stride, they're not going to be as competitive over larger fences against TBs and warmbloods, but there's no reason not to have some fun with your horse over lower fences.


Totally agree.


----------



## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

here's a list of anglo arabs to go GP successfully including one that did puissiance!
Anglo-Arabians - Hunter/Jumper News

cool stuff - im sure your arab will be fine!


----------



## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Anglo-Arabians, not straight Arabians. 

And the Anglo-Arabians on that link look very TBy, which makes sense. 

If you can find me a straight Egyptian Arabian that competes in GP, or even at heights above 4', I'd be very interested to see it. 

Puissance doesn't surprise me at all, because speed and length of stride don't matter in Puissance, only if you clear the height. 

I confess I assumed the OP wasn't asking about Puissance.


----------



## Azale1 (Jul 5, 2010)

Yes they can do it with the proper training and if they enjoy it. Arabians are one of the few breeds that excell at EVERY discipline. I had a friend who competed very successfully on a full bred Arabian in higher level jumping. Always came home with a ribbon. Whatever you do don't listen to other peoples comments on trying to put your horse down which I can almost guarantee you will come across. 

Here are a couple video clips of full arabs Jumping:


----------



## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Wow, 

My first post was meant to encourage the OP. and I stand behind everything I've posted here. Arabians are quick, catty and athletic, and they do very well at the lower levels of show jumping. 

However, at the higher levels, which I define as fences over 4', they can't compete against Warmbloods and TBs because they lack the stride and scope. There are probably some talented Arabians that can get around a 4' course, but are probably going to be beaten on time by a TB or WB. 

Azale, the videos that you posted are of a horse jumping a 3' course and a horse jumping a 3'6" course. 

I am baffled that my positive, encouraging post was somehow interpreted as dissing Arabians, when I meant nothing of the kind. They are incredibly versatile horses. However, saying they excel at every discipline is not entirely accurate. If they excel at showjumping, why are the upper levels of the sport dominated by Warmbloods and TBs? If they excel at dressage, why is that sport dominated by Warmbloods? Ditto eventing, ditto cutting, ditto barrel racing, arabians can participate in these disciplines successfully but other breeds excel. Arabians *excel* at endurance, that's why they dominate that sport. They are versatile enough to perform well in other disciplines, but do not excel at them. 

I hope the OP enjoys her horse and has fun at local SJ competitions. We had a couple of kids on Arabs in our SJ organization and they kicked butt in the 3' and under divisions. 

I particularly like straight Egytians, as I used to work for a breeder of them, and really like the old, traditional lines.


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Azale1 said:


> Arabians are one of the few breeds that excel at EVERY discipline.


This is completely incorrect. * NO* breed excels at every discipline. You've been buying into the Arabian marketing hype.

Before you have a meltdown and accuse me of hating Arabians, I've had them for the last 33 years. Lovely, talented horses who can do a variety of things well, but they absolutely cannot and do not excel at EVERYTHING.

OP, your horse should do well enough for whatever you wish to do with him/her. It's tough to win at an open competition with an Arabian though, unless it's an exceptionally talented horse.

Most serious Arabian owners who want to show stick with breed shows, since it levels the playing field a little better.


----------



## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

maura said:


> If they excel at dressage, why is that sport dominated by Warmbloods? Ditto eventing, ditto cutting, ditto barrel racing, arabians can participate in these disciplines successfully but other breeds excel.


I agree with your post, Maura, except in my opinion Arabs can excel at cutting. Arabs have won national and world titles. Perhaps our definition of "excel" might be different, but it is not that rare to see a good cutting Arabian. In my mind saying a breed excels means they can win at the top levels and it's not a "once-in-a-lifetime" occurrence. The small stature and quickness of Arabs make them well suited for cutting so it's a natural discipline for them to compete in.


----------



## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Here's an example of what I mean: TBs do not excel at dressage, because they are not bred or built for it. They are bred for racing at speed, and have different balance and musculature than most successful dressage horses. However, you could cherry pick a certain individual TB, with suitable conformation and temperment for dressage, and do very well. There have been many TB Grand Prix horses, and at least one Olympic medalist (Hilda Gurney's Keen.) However, that doesn't mean TBs excel at dressage. It means certain cherry picked individuals can do well, but that there's a reason the sport is dominated by warmbloods - they are both bred and built for the sport. 

I think that applies to Arabs and cutting as well. I am aware that there are some Arabs who have been successful cutting (just as there have been TBs successful as dressage horses.) However, it is not what Arabians were primarily bred and built for, and there is a reason the sport is dominated by QHs - QHs are bred and built for it. 

Can we now please get back to the nice OP and her new horse.


----------



## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

maura said:


> Anglo-Arabians, not straight Arabians.
> 
> And the Anglo-Arabians on that link look very TBy, which makes sense.
> 
> ...


yeah i said anglos.
looking for a straight arab... no luck yet.
i still say the anglo-arabs are very cool! and there's no reason a pure arab can't do 3'+ jumpers and so on imo


----------



## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

> no reason a pure arab can't do 3'+ jumpers


Never said they couldn't, as a matter of fact, what I said was this:



> We had a couple of kids on Arabs in our SJ organization and they kicked butt in the 3' and under divisions.


I also said that they could compete in the higher divisions, but wouldn't be successful (meaning win or place above) against TBs and WBs because of their size and scope. I still stand by that response. 

Now, can we please stop splitting hairs and find out about the OP's new horse?


----------



## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

Not wanting to split hairs so back to the OP (I was trying to point out that while there are disciplines Arabians are most definitely NOT built right for, cutting isn't one of them). 

If you want to do show jumping with your Arab you might want to carefully critique your horse. First, does the horse have the temperament to learn to face obstacles (this can be improved on, but only to a point). Then look at how your horse is built physically. Does the horse have the conformation to stay sound if you jump? If it were me I would spend several months schooling the horse in beginning jump work. I wouldn't have my hopes up, but just try to see if it was a good match for the horse. If everything seemed to work out OK, then I would continue on with the training. However, I would keep in mind that this horse might not make it above a certain level and not have my heart set on a big goal. Then if the horse excelled, it would be a great thing, but I would start out with smaller goals.

That's just me, I would prefer to be very realistic to start out and be pleasantly surprised instead of disappointed later on. One of my Arabs is just never going to be a good jumper. My other one "could" be, but I won't know until we do more training. Either way, they are great horses and they both "excel" at endurance.


----------



## ArabianLover2456 (Oct 5, 2010)

ok thanks everyone


----------



## Jannett (Mar 1, 2011)

It's not so much the breed, it's the conformation, heart, and willingness that makes a champion. Is your Arab conformational able to clear jumps, AND be fast ? Does it have the heart to compeate against other horses? Specifically against WB + TB who have been bred to jump. Is your horse willing to put up with the demands of a rigorious training schedule and still jump like their life depends on it? Again it's not the breed, but the horse. WB+TB have been bred to jump for centuries.Because of this they're more likely to produce a champion. That's why their so much more popular. To make a long post short. Can Arabians competivaly jump? Yes, but can yours? That's a different story


----------

