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What Strain Are You?

Description of strain types

By Laura GiegPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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Dahman strain Arabian - 3D model

When talking about Arabians, you will come across something called strains—those are different appearances certain Arabians take. So what are these strains and what do they look like?

The Kuhaylan strain is muscled but compact, with symmetrical rounded outlines. The ears are small, the eyes are large, the head carriage is moderately high with a broad forehead, with great width between eyes and the jaws. The head displays detailing such as veins, tear bones, wrinkles, and other features. The body and neck are in proportion to the head, with relatively close angles in the quarters. The chest is deep, and the body, when viewed from the front or rear, is broad. The back appears strong, and the body is deep with round, distinct muscles and broad, strong gaskins and forearms. A strong appearing back with deep body. Relatively close angles in the quarters. Kuhaylans display a gentle and kind disposition.

The Hamdani strain is similar to the Kuhaylan but with a larger, wedge-shaped head and greater width between the eyes and jaws. Detailing is more subtle. The Hamdani displays larger, longer, bigger bones than the Kuhaylan, with heftier joints, greater barrel and chest, and egg-shaped hindquarters. They have a strong back and moderate carriage that is lower than Kuhaylan. The withers are more prominent with straighter legs and a relatively straight profile. Hamdani are quiet and fearless, with their colours being mostly solid bays and greys with little white.

The Saqlawi strain is more elegant and refined than Kuhaylan, almost feminine in appearance. They have a slightly narrower and longer head the the Kuhaylan, with more bulge between the eyes. They display a higher neck and tail carriage, with flatter and less prominent muscling. The front and rear is narrower, with straighter hind legs. Saqlawi have finer bone structure, and the neck, back, and pasterns seem longer. They travel with their hocks close together. The front end of a Saqlawi seems more prominent. They display a hotter temperament with higher percent chestnut and more white markings.

The Abayyan strain is of the Saqlawi type, with a fine muzzle and greater bulge between the eyes. They possess strong shoulders and chest, making the front appear more prominent. The back appears longer and lower with the withers extending far back and the loins curving up towards the hips. The neck carriage is upright and the hind legs are straight with fairly long pasterns. Extremely high tail carriage. Abayyans are fine-boned with extremely high tail carriage. These horses are spirited with good endurance, are handy on their feet, and are small. Most are chestnuts with white markings.

The Dahman strain seems to be a blend of Saqlawi elegance and show along with Kuhaylan muscularity and carriage. The head is short with small ears, large eyes, and a deep dish, carrying prominent details; the hind legs are well under the body. Dahman strain Arabians may be taller than either Kuhaylan or Saqlawi.

The Hadban strain carries Saqlawi and Kuhaylan influences but is not actually a blend of the two strains. It reflects the strength of the Kuhaylan with more flowing lines. They have a large head with bony details, a relatively straight profile, and large eyes. Strong build, depth of heart, large shoulders, and substantial bone is a signature of this strain, but it is balanced by refined longer lines and style in movement. Hadbans are considered easy keepers of great endurance. Colours are predominantly bay and brown.

The Mu'niqi strain is a racing type strain, being taller than average, with longer, racy looking outlines. The head is narrower and higher, the quarters not as level as Kuhaylan, with open rear angles made for a sprinter conformation. The neck is long, not as muscled as a Kuhaylan. Mu’niqi have straight hind legs with short cannons and well let down hocks. This strain has prominent withers, not as deep a barrel—especially behind the ribcage, and varied carriage. Colour is often bays and chestnuts with plain markings.

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About the Creator

Laura Gieg

Website, brand, graphic, and visual designer-in-learning, gamer, 3D modeller-in-learning... yeah, I like designing... also writing comics to preface a game I’m also designing. You should hopefully see the writing side of me quite a bit.

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Comments (1)

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  • L.C. Schäfer6 months ago

    This was very interesting I'd have loved some pictures to help see the differences as well 😁

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