What do you think of Arabians?

My sister has 3 Arabians. My wife and have have paints and quarter horses. My experience is that the Arabians are VERY sweet and loving with people.  I have seen in many places that they are the most intelligent of all the horses. They are very spirited and some considered them flakey.

My niece use to jump one of them in Hunter/Jumper classes and he did very well. However, there is a judging bias against them. Judges tend to judge based on looks/size rather than execution of horse and rider. At least, that is the case here in SC.

I have also read that nationally Arabians are starting to get more respect in various horse show classes.

I agree that they are tops in beauty.  For me they don't appear durable for what I like to do.  I tend to think of them for fancy shows (LOVE to watch) and endurance riding.  I do know a lot of breeds are facing downfalls right now.  I also think of arabians as being very expensive.
 
I do truly love to watch the breed, their movement and personality is exceptional.

mt boy is half arabian and the rest jumbled with everything else LOL and i love him he can be a little too spirited for me sometimes but hes so loving and hilarious! he has his own personality that unique to him i wouldnt have him any other way...well maybe a little less ADH oooohhh shiney!

I LOVE arabs.  My first horse was a 20 yr. old, flea bitten gray mare, Della.  Wonderful, go-anywhere, safe kid horse.  We had another gray mare, Gracie that we had until she was 33.  Mostly she was calm but in certain circumstances, that girl could get excited!  My sister had an anglo-arab and he was a character!  Intelligent, playful, curious and the devil on hooves!  He could change direction in mid-air over a jump!
 
Just my opinion but I think the halter world breeds for that gorgeous, high headed look with a flighty personality which doesn't make the best riding horse.  Not sure if since those are the horses a lot of people see, they shy away from them? 
 
I think they are wonderful horses, versatile, very strong, nice, hard feet, amazing endurance, long-lived, good "family" horses and gorgeous doesn't hurt.  One reason I don't have an arab is because I typically don't buy by breed, I buy by performance and size and just didn't happen to find an arab when I was buying.  Actually, when I was getting a horse for my 13 yr. old, I fell in love with an arab/hackney mare but my daughter fell in love with a paint........ The other reason is I'm 5' 9" and really like a big horse with a big barrel and it seems that most arabs are around 14 hds or if they are tall, they are bred narrow......
 
Seems like most breeds have extremes at one point or another and then the pendulum swings back to sanity

I have had the pleasure of volunteering at a large ARABIAN show barn near here.  While I can't say that I endorse the trainers methods I can tell you each and every one of the Arabians in his barn are well mannered and easily handled.  I have groomed breeding stallions, given bathes, and blanketed a number of his horses and they all have willing temperments and a good work ethic.  I had more difficulty handling a spoiled rotten Arabian at a different barn however.  It all comes down to how the horse is handled on a daily basis.
 
My current mare possibly has some Arabian blood.  I was not looking for a registered horse and did not consider an Arabian at the time.  I wound up with a hot little pepper and being more experienced now I might consider an Arabian, but I don't have the space.
 
I do show locally and there is one family that regularly shows their Arabians.  They are the minority in a QH world.  I love to watch them ride though.

Ah, Arabians.  My mare is half Arabian, half Paint, and I have had the pleasure of riding two purebred Arabian geldings.  One of whom was the most amazing at dressage that I've ever ridden.  They are a wonderful breed, though I say this without having encountered a really "flighty" Arab. 

Can't beat them for beauty!  My friend has one - she used to ride endurance.  Now she mostly trails but has been on a foxhunt this year with him!
We rode Sunday on a trail ride!  This was last year..... Rebel the Arabian []

I was born and raised on Quarter horses, everything I had ever heard about Arabians is that they are flighty, small, and high strung.  I realize those are generalizations that are not true of every arabian - I just want to give you my perspective from someone whose horse experience comes from old time farmers and ranchers.  While I think that Arabians are beautiful in their own right, I am drawn more to the build and personality of Quarter horses and Paints.  Maybe it's because that's all I know, but personally, I would be more likely to buy a Tennesee Walker or even Appaloosa before looking at an Arabian.   
 
I understand that logically an Arabian can do just about anything a Quarter Horse or Paint can do, but it's like using a greyhound to be a hunting dog.  And similarly, if someone is attracted to the way a basset hound looks they are not likely to buy a Great Dane.  All breeds are built to do different things and their beauty is different - to me it is just a matter of taste.

[8|] Greyhounds actually ARE hunting dogs.
 
(I know what you mean.) []

Arabians have such beautiful heads, and great endurance, but I've always been drawn to Quarter Horses. 

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Must have never had a Haflinger??[]

I personally do not like most Arabs. I have found some to be beautiful though. I just think they look weird. I can't stand the pure breds head. The curve in the face is just. Ew.
But people also loose interest in them because they seem to have a history of being hot blooded. But like all horses it depends on the horse it self.

I personally do not like most Arabs. I have found some to be beautiful though. I just think they look weird. I can't stand the pure breds head. The curve in the face is just. Ew.
But people also loose interest in them because they seem to have a history of being hot blooded. But like all horses it depends on the horse it self.