Jebel Toubkal barbs
The Barb horse is known to possess swiftness, incredible endurance, and surefootedness, enabling him to gallop headlong up and down steep ravines that would give most other breeds pause. It is prized for its speed over short distances, and its loyalty and docile attitude. It comes in pretty much all colors. With all the Arab blood in today's Barbs, Iberian/Barb horse conformation traits can be found in the breed as well as those of the Arabian, sometimes leaning more one way, sometimes the other. If the infusion of Arab blood is kept up in the future, the Barb will sooner or later cease to exist, and become another strain of Arabians.
The true Barb horse does not resemble the Arabian in conformation or disposition. It has a convex ("ram") head, where the Arabian has a concave, or dished, profile. The Barb has a longer back than the Arabian, and a sloping croup, with an according tail set, while the Arabian is known for his rather horizontal croup and high tail set. The Barb horse has the ability for collected movements like the Iberian, while the Arabian is built for flat, strong-out running.
The Barb horse contributed its blood mightily to the English Thoroughbred, because one Barb stallion became one of the three foundation sires, a founder of one of the three male lines all Thoroughbreds go back to. This stallion was the Godolphin Barb. Here again, the typical confusion with the Arabian horse is to be noted, as this stallion first became known as the Godolphin Arabian, then later, when some enlightened horse experts realized that there was a difference, the name was changed to Godolphin Barb.
The true Barb horse does not resemble the Arabian in conformation or disposition. It has a convex ("ram") head, where the Arabian has a concave, or dished, profile. The Barb has a longer back than the Arabian, and a sloping croup, with an according tail set, while the Arabian is known for his rather horizontal croup and high tail set. The Barb horse has the ability for collected movements like the Iberian, while the Arabian is built for flat, strong-out running.
The Barb horse contributed its blood mightily to the English Thoroughbred, because one Barb stallion became one of the three foundation sires, a founder of one of the three male lines all Thoroughbreds go back to. This stallion was the Godolphin Barb. Here again, the typical confusion with the Arabian horse is to be noted, as this stallion first became known as the Godolphin Arabian, then later, when some enlightened horse experts realized that there was a difference, the name was changed to Godolphin Barb.