Appropriating and Re-Appropriating the Arabian Horse for Equestrian Sport: The Complexities of Cultural Transfer

ABSTRACT

For the past few decades a concern with heritage in the countries of the Arab Gulf has led to the reclamation of the purebred Arabian horse as one of the iconic animals of the Bedouin identity and to developing a thriving horse breeding industry in the region. While stud farms and equestrian sport events are intended to reinforce the Arabian identity of the breed, a closer look at its history demonstrate in fact the complexity of its identity. The complexity of cultural transfers with respect to horse breeding between the East and the West from the Early Modern period on, highlights the connected history of both the Arabian horses and the Thoroughbreds, and the ongoing cultural re-appropriation of both breeds as ‘native’ to the Arabian Peninsula.

KEYWORDS:

• Thoroughbred
• Arabian Horse
• heritage
• equestrian Sport
• Arabian Peninsula

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the editor of the special issue for patience and careful comments on earlier versions of this article, and also thank Yann Rodier and Alexander Yarbrough for fruitful discussions on the first draft of this article. All remaining inconsistencies and mistakes are the author’s.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.