Daughter of the Wind: a blog on desert arabian horses, past and present

Page 241:

‘’At an early time the Bedouin Arab have formed his breed of horses in accordance with the sure decree ’’Boni et fortes  bonis et fortibus  creantur’’. If special and exclusive breeding, directed to a certain object, explain our English race-horse, there is no need to go further for the Arab’s foray mare.

This view is not in conflict with that which has elsewhere been presented of the Badu’s weak points as a horse breeder. One may exercise much skill in choosing the parents of each fresh generation out of the preceding one, without possessing a full idea of the more important questions which are here involved. Darwin cites it as an illustration of the natural tendency to preserve the useful, that the savages of Terra del  Fuego in times of famine save their cattle and kill off their old women. And so the nations living by the chase, the first rude kind of “selection” is to keep the likeliest puppies in a litter when they will not rear all of them. To do this with the idea of ‘’Breeding’’ comes much later; but the Arabs must very early have given their adherence to “heredity”. During a great many generations it has formed a part of their system that a mare of renown may add a new strain, called by her name, to one of the sub-groups of “Al Khamsa”. This kind of selection may not be, in the full scientific sense ,”Methodical” but it is tolerably practical. In  applying it ,the Bedouin are aided by considerable powers of perception. Their code about ‘’Blood’’ forms a gathering up, it should be remembered, of the results of their experience. A mare’s ‘’Standing pretty”, as the late Sir Tatton Sykes used to call it, is one of many other points which are beyond them; for galloping, not standing, is what they would breed up to. But a short and upright pastern is an eyesore to them; and equally so too long a one, especially when it is either too oblique or too upright. The greyhound girth, well spread ribs, and breadth behind the saddle, all delight them.’’

Note from Joe:

Fortus creantur fortibus : the strong create strong. This text comes from Horatus’ carmina : ‘Fortes creantur fortibus ac bonis’, which means something like: the strong create but strong and good.