Congratulations on your new horses! I've never owned an Arabian, but I have three Peruvian Pasos. Even though they are all three pure Pasos, they really are three different personalities. The mare is a little bit hyper. One of the geldings is quiet and laid-back - however, he's the only one who has ever bucked anybody off! We've had these two since they were very young. The other gelding was 8 when we got him three years ago. He had three owners before us and I suspect he has had some rough handling in the past. But it is a pleasure working with him and seeing him get over his fears.

I'm certainly not a horse expert, but my advice is take your time and be patient. As some of the other posters have said - just get to know your horses. Spend some time observing them and don't put a lot of pressure on them at first.

You might want to consider clicker training. I've just started it so I hesitate to give it a ringing endorsement yet. There's nothing magic about the clicker and you can use it in conjunction with any other sensible training regimen. The big advantage I see so far is that it has enabled me to use treats to get my horses to do things without having them mug me for treats any time they get close to me.

Horse Feathers.