Maybe in over my head, ím a first time horse owner and in a foriegn country to boot but the Arabians here are beautiful and ive always always wanted my own horse so my Turkish boyfriend bought me 2. I hope ya all can help me with questions cuz this is a bit overwhelming. Glad İ found you!
Hilary

Hello and welcome!

I am an Arab owner as well. I've been owned by mine for 15 yrs now. They are an amazing breed. I'd love to see some pics. Feel free to ask any questions. Just remember Arabs are very sensitive but once you bond you have a life long partner.

Jennifer

Dear Jenifer
Thank you, my girls are very nervous, they just arrived from eastern Turkey where they were used as race horses and i have no idea how they were treated. right now i'm just talking to them and giving them a carrot every now and then. i thought i would warm up to them buy leading them around for awhile. i'm used to Quarter horses, any advice to warm up to them?

I have never owned an Arab, but I think some things are the same no matter what breed. Are they comfortable enough with you to let you groom them? I think it's an excellent way to bond with them because it feels good to them, and they learn to associate that feeling with you. Giving treats are good too, just make sure when you give it to them they haven't just done something undesirable, you would be rewarding them for something you don't want. When my gelding was young(I bought him at 1 month old) I would just sit in the field or stall with him and read. He would come over and see me every once in a while, and then he would graze. After a while, he just stayed w/in 10-15 feet of me. I spent a lot of time just petting and scratching him. Learn their favorite places to be scratched. Try on the withers, between the front legs, on the rump just above the tail, Jack likes his ears but that's not too common. Just get to know them!

Welcome Hilary!

If you have had quarter horses, then the biggest difference you will probably notice is how smart and high strung your new horses are.* You just need to be a little more vigilant when working around or with them. They are also more sensitive, so they are going to notice things you do moreso than other horses. By being calm and consistant you will help them to relax. When you do have to discipline them (and you will!) be very deliberate and calm.

* I am not saying Quarter Horses are not smart. They are! But Quarter Horses have cow sense or common sense. Arabs have a different type of smarts. More intellectual. Kind of like the rocket scientist who always gets on the freeway going the wrong way.

Hiya Hilary

Having been owned by Arabian horses for the last 20 or so years, I can tell you they are vastly different than the stock breeds, not in a bad way, but in the way they process information and how they relate to their people.

If your two new babies are really nervous, then just talking to them, grooming them if they will allow it and lots of hand walking would be great. Basically just approach them like you would any other horse that is nervous and shy and keep in mind that they will feed off of your reactions.. if you're quiet and nonchalant they will pick up on this. Likewise if you are nervous they will pick up on this as well.

I would love to see pictures!

Welcome, Hope you enjoy the forum and glad you found it.

I am a firm believer in that a horse is a horse, yes there are different breeds and different personalities but in general you still do everything the same, you may have to adjust little things but not much. I have handled numerous breeds over the years and found that when it comes down to it you handle them all the same. Good luck

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.