Starting your own Arabian Horse Library
by Joe Ferriss
In this fast paced information age of the internet one
wonders if books
are useful items to own and collect. The truth is that nothing can take
the place of those stolen quiet moments at your leisure or late at
night
when you can curl up with a book and browse or read intensely with a
greater
energy and speed than even the fastest computer, by candle light even
without
electricity.
The Arabian horse is a fascinating subject covered in
thousands of
books almost as far back as when books were invented. For this reason
books
on this subject become not only sources of knowledge but sometimes
valued
collectibles. Given the scope of the subject where does one start? Well
here are some simple suggestions for getting started.
PHYSICAL SPACE
Starting out you may think you only want to buy a book
or two on
Arabians and that will suffice, but odds are the process will continue
to grow. So it is a good idea to consider where in your house you will
want to shelve your books and as well as copies of your beloved
magazine
subscriptions. The standard convenient bookcase is the simple wooden
moveable
shelved one which is usually 6 feet tall by 3 feet wide by 1 foot deep
and has about six shelves, found in most any furniture outlet. This
will
help you designate how much wall or room space you want to provide in
case
you want to add more of these. Initially one of these bookcases will
handle
most of your books and a number of years of Khamsat Magazines, etc.
You may also want to give some thought to the reading
space location,
being near the book shelves, in a relatively quite place, with ample
lighting,
a window or two away from the road, and a comfortable chair to complete
the setting.
SUBJECT MATTER
It is a good idea to think about dividing up you
library into
categories of subject matter covered in your Arabian horse book
collection.
Some general suggestions would include:
• Riding, training, showing and handling
• Breeding, foaling and other veterinary and farrier
related topics
• Bloodline/pedigree oriented books
• Historical and collectible material
• Breed magazines
Unless you are planning to accumulate a massive library
rivaling urban
public libraries, you won’t need to concern yourself with the Dewy
decimal
system. You can get creative about how to divide up your categories on
the bookshelves, color keyed dividers or labels, etc.
GETTING STARTED
Some people are by nature ordered in their approach to
things, and
others enjoy doing things at random and/or on impulse like myself. So
there
is no formula for what to buy first, but if you follow your fancy, you
can store your purchases in an organized subject matter way as
suggested
above so as to be able to easily find them as your library grows (and
it
will).
I like to think that if your are new to Arabians it
is best to go
for the training and handling items first as I feel it is very
important
to get to know your horses first before you tackle that complex job of
delving into its pedigree and even deeper into its history. There are
certainly
a large supply of books on this subject and most often they can be
found
in the vending displays of the book sellers at major Arabian shows,
Scottsdale,
US & Canadian Nationals, Egyptian Event, etc.
Next it is a good idea to focus on veterinary and
farrier related
books. The Merck Veterinary Manual is a very useful reference volume in
understanding a wide rage of issues your veterinarian is likely to
diagnose
and deal with when he comes calling. It is really written more for vets
though. Books on soundness and lameness are also useful in
understanding
the mechanics of your horse’s movement and movement health. Books on
conformation
are useful for the basics but the longer you are involved with horses
conformation
is something not easily put into black or white rules. When you become
an experienced rider your opinions on conformation may adjust somewhat
to your own experiences and they specific type of riding you choose to
do. After you have gotten to know your horse and have dealt with riding
and basic health issues, you may have reached the point of wanting to
breed
your horse. Getting into the breeding environment will fill your
bookshelf
fast if you rely on books as it is a broad subject. What to buy in this
regard is best influenced by attending quality reproduction seminars
given
at various times by universities or large breeders.
Now that the foal is on its way perhaps you are
worrying if you should
have studied pedigrees and bloodlines more. There is no stopping point
to this area and the Arabian breed is profuse with books on bloodlines
and pedigrees. Within the breed there are a number of organizations
which
represent the bloodlines of interest to them and they are a good start
in getting their reference publications which define their bloodlines
and
pedigrees. Some of the more well known organizations are:
- Crabbet/Maynesboro/Kellogg (CMK) - American
breeding
through mostly
early Crabbet and English bloodlines.
- Arabian Horse Owners Foundation - similar to
above
- Korrona - Organization for Arabian bloodlines
representing Polish breeding
- Pyramid Society - Organization for Arabian
bloodlines generally representing
Egyptian breeding
- Al Khamsa - Organization for Arabian bloodlines
descending to most Middle
Eastern stock.
- Asil Club - Somewhat similar to Al Khamsa but
representing primarily
European breeding interests.
There are many other sources of pedigree information as
well sometimes
from smaller organizations or groups of breeders who cooperate to
identify
and preserve certain bloodlines such as The Davenport Conservancy,
Sheykh
Obeyd Foundation, The Pasha Institute, The Heirloom Research Group,
Bedouin
Source Group, Saudi Society, Desert Arabian Breeders Alliance and Bani
Sham Group just to name a few. As you come in contact with these
organizations
and breeders it is a good idea to buy their publications to round out
your
perspective on bloodlines and pedigrees.
There are also knowledgeable authors over the years
who have published
individually on the subject of bloodlines and pedigrees and these books
are well worth collecting. Actually I believe Al Khamsa publishes a
recommended
reading list which includes some of these authors both past and present.
For many years I used to purchase the AHRA stud books
as they came
out even when the microfiche became available. However nothing can
compare
as a resource in your library now to the Registry’s new CD ROM if you
are
set up with computer resources. This would be a comprehensive way to
generate
a pedigree of many of the Arabians worldwide. Please realize that no
one
publication or source is always the final word on pedigrees. In a breed
as ancient as the Arabian and so prized worldwide, pedigree information
can vary from publication to publication often with many contradictions.
ADDING TO YOUR COLLECTION
The more you delve into pedigrees the more you will be
drawn into
the history of the breed and that will lead to collecting old,
historical
books. There are many famous writers and travelers of the past who have
given their historical accounts of the Arabian horse and make for
fascinating
reading, not to mention that this part of one’s library increases in
value
as it involves essentially antique books. Historical books can be found
as far back as circa mid-19th century. These books are usually only
available
from specialty book dealers or private individuals or estate
liquidations.
They might be pricey but I have even found collectibles in used book
sales
from rural libraries—an adventure in finding them. However, a new
dimension
has now been added for locating the hard to find books. Namely, the
internet.
Some websites worth checking into are:
• www.amazon.com
• www.ebay.com
• www.alibris.com
MAGAZINES
I personally recommend that people save all their
Arabian horse
magazines. Over time they really form an educational and interesting
picture
of the trends in the breed as well as just plain fun looking for
pictures
of ancestors. Magazines are also collectible and I have heard that back
issues of Khamsat Magazines are now appearing in collectors libraries.
So be sure to plan on enough room for more than one book shelf.
Eventually
you will run out of room like I have.
This overview is general and intended only to give a
few constructive
suggestions for building your Arabian horse library. Specific authors
and
subjects are left to your preferences in your quest to build a library.
Besides time and space does not allow for book reviews on some of my
favorites
but, if you go where Arabian horses and Arabian horse enthusiasts are,
you will find plenty of books. Good luck on your quest. You will never
be bored by the experience.
Page 2,) A Few
Recomended Books
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