Abdullah Al-As four: Horses use body language by 85%… And the language of sounds reveals their places for predators
The debate about purebred Arabian horses is permanent and does not stop. Research and renewal is a continuous process that does not stop for owners and lovers of purebred Arabian horses. From this logic, he discusses the horse lovers group in his new symposium “Horse Psychology Study” which is followed by the “Horse Site”.
The seminar began with words of welcome from Mr. Ibrahim Al-Oaf, owner of Al-Oqabiyya Farm in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, with the members of the group in general.
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And with a special introduction to the guest of the symposium, Professor Abdullah Al-Asfour, who specializes in the science of horse language and understanding its psychology, personalities and ways of thinking of Arabian horses. In his speech, Al-Eqab stressed that this field is unique, explaining that horse owners like to learn in a continuous manner and know the internal details of this field.
Mr. Abdullah Al-Asfour started recently by thanking the members of the group, explaining that he is interested in Arabian horses in particular, and foreign horses in general. And focus on the way to understand this science to know the methods of alerting and behavior of purebred Arabian horses, and understanding their system of thinking, and their language of communication with each other in the herd. Horse owners benefit from these characteristics in breeding, training and production programs.
In response to the question that constantly arises about the existence of a language for horses, Al-Asfour said that the purebred Arabian horses use body language and sounds to communicate. But it depends on the body in many cases, up to 85% on the language of the voice, because sounds can reveal their location to predators.
The bird revealed that there is another question raised by some about the importance of understanding the language of the purebred Arabian horses, and what are the ways of communicating with him?
Saying: If we understand the thinking ways of the Arabian horse and its language in which it has conversations with each other, it will make it easier for us, as trainers or owners, to communicate with the horse, and to understand what the horse wants through the gestures it makes through the body to reach information during behavioral breeding in the stable. The body of the horse from the two legs to the shaleel is concerned, as the horse speaks through these gestures, and the movements combine with each other to indicate the word.
Al-Asfour added that the movements are the language that the horse uses to express pain, happiness, understanding, tension, sadness and fear, stressing that the greatest evidence of this is the verse of Antarah bin Shaddad, in which he talks about the immunity of his father’s horse.
“It answers sensitive pronoun mentions
And it keeps you from a whip and bridle”
And also the description of the mutant.
“And disciplined it the length of the fighting
He points to it from afar, and he understands
She responds verbally and hears the revelations
And he hears her momentarily and what he speaks”
This is evidence that the Arabs were the first to understand horse body language.
Al-Mutanabi says:
“There are a few horses except as a friend
And if it abounded in the sight of the one who would not be tempted
If she does not see anything wrong with her good deeds
And its members, so good for you is absent”
Al-Asfour pointed out that purebred Arabian horses often enter adolescence at the age of two years, and in adolescence they want to impose their dominance, and thus psychological and behavioral change occurs in them, and this requires the horse owner to be familiar with these changes to be ready to deal with them, it is possible for the horse to suffer from depression due to misunderstanding. And dealing, and the symptoms of the disease are the pallor of the horse and the lack of energy and movement, so we have to understand the causes of the problems before solving them, for example the bad habits that the horse acquires, such as suctioning the air, this habit has two reasons, the first reason is boredom due to lack of play and lack of exit from the box and exercise, and the reason The second feeling very depressed.
Al-Asfour touched on the methods of training using positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement, saying: The first to tame the horse was “Ismail, peace be upon him.” In Arabic, reinforcement (dressage) comes through two matters of pain or stimulation, as humans use tools to communicate with the horse, such as the whip or stick, so if the horse does not move, the person hits him and this is wrong because he hears your orders for fear of hitting or pain, but at the same time you lose psychological contact with The horse, and reinforcement through stimulation is the most appropriate training, for example if the horse follows your instructions, give him a piece of sugar, and so on.
Al-Asfour explained that behavioral education begins from the moments of the first birth in purebred Arabian horses, so your presence next to the mother after childbirth gives the falo the impression that you are within this herd and thus begins the process of change in behavior, followed by the training process after weaning because the mother raises her baby during the first three months, so you must That the mother raises a proper upbringing from the beginning.
Al-Asfour pointed out that the process of motivating and stirring horses in competitions using plastic bags is not desirable, explaining that it is not necessary to use stimulation methods through fear or the unknown, and the most important thing is to give the horse the skills required to deal with the emergence of sounds, and what it is required to implement at this time, and what are the sounds It is required to get out of the horse, and how to rise gradually.
Ways to communicate the horse with us: –
- The sound
- Signal
- Touch
And the Arabs are the best in understanding the purebred Arabian horses. After the advice and instructions given to the owners of the purebred Arabian horses, the bird offered: Horses are like humans, for God has made for nations and animals ways of thinking, personality and language, and in the field of horse training you should not train the whole herd in the same way because there are horses that are calm by nature that carry out the instructions calmly, and others Violent and stubborn, and therefore the owner’s understanding of the horse’s language is reflected in the correct behavioral breeding and leads to the following:
- Close the gap between the breeder and the horse.
- Contributing to prevention at the stall.
- The absence of any behavioral problems and hostility.
- No psychological problems appear.
- Following a sound and good education that will be reflected in the product of the generations.
And Mr. Ibrahim asked al-Oqab about the treatment of horse biting and the reasons for tongue biting and excretion?
The bird answered that biting in general is a dangerous matter that varies in degrees from horse to horse, and he explained that the Arabs classified biting into 3 types, and they are: –
- Biting the Nile: It is to search for food, and this is a lack of manners about horse ethics.
- Biting the imposition of domination: This is an attempt to dominate and control its owner.
- Hostile biting: in order to defend itself, and happen to horses that has gone through negative and violent situations and experiences.
Al-Asfour added that negative behaviors in general are treated, such as biting, if it began in an advanced stage, such as the foals at the age of two years, indicating that the purebred Arabian horses deal through memory, and the memory of horses is mental, and it is a picture. Bad and negative.
Professor Saeed Sami, Editor-in-Chief of the Emirati Sabah Al-Khail Magazine, asked about the methods of reproaching horses according to the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), that they absorb reproach …
The bird replied … that the methods of reproach start from the beginning, so before we admonish him there must be language between the horse and its owner, so when the horse makes a mistake and is chastised, he knows that he has made a mistake, citing an example of an incident that occurred in the stable in 2003 of a horse he owned, so one day I was going to The stable, and one of the workers told me, that this horse made mistakes and troubles in the stable, so I spoke loudly, and I said that he made a mistake, but all this without seeing me and after I finished blaming him and blaming him, I went to him and found him sleeping in his box and blaming himself, because I taught him from the beginning when He does a good job, motivate him, tell him he is good, and accept him, but when he makes a mistake, I blame him.
Horse Lovers Group discusses the rules and principles for evaluating the elements of horse beauty and the laws of “Ikaho”
Raouf Abbas, Razi Khalfan and Mahmoud Farag … the seminar’s guests
The “Ikaho” laws, rules and foundations for evaluating the beauty of purebred Arabian horses are discussed through a rich and useful experiment launched by the Horse Lovers Group, the aim of which is to hold educational seminars. It is a kind initiative by Mr. Ibrahim Al-Oqab, the owner of the Punitive Stud. The initiative was supported by the Sohail Media Group, and its founder, Mr. Ahmed Al-Shumaisi joined the seminars, the almighty referee Sami bin Saad, who in turn was the secretary of the seminars, and these seminars were the torch of knowledge and culture in the fields of horses and camels, and resulted in wonderful discussions that enrich the blessed community with science and culture for horse owners and those interested in this field. We, the media professionals, appreciate the pioneering role of those in charge of these useful seminars that are reflected On the horse community with good and blessing.
The Horse Lovers Group held the fourth symposium to discuss the rules and foundations for evaluating the elements of horse beauty in beauty competitions and what the judges see in the evaluation, where the discussion began with a welcome message to the guests by Mr. Ibrahim Al-Oqab, then moved to:
The themes of the symposium, which included: –
- Evaluating the elements of horse beauty when the judge?
- What does the judge look at and record during the mass movement of horses for each class?
When does the ruling establish the degrees of Arab identity and why?
When does the referee evaluate the head and neck?
When does the referee evaluate the body and the back line?
When are the lists evaluated?
When is horse movement evaluated? What do you need as a judge to see to be convinced of the degree to be monitored?
- The rules of the “ICAHO” tournament organization?
Then, additional axes were proposed for the symposium related to the “Champion” championships, namely:
- What is the effect of horse movement on the outcome of the championship?
- Do the horse scores in the class competitions have a role in determining the championship winners?
- Some horses top their class and it is very clear that they have no chance of winning. How do you deal with them during the championship?
After the additional axes were presented, Mr. Ibrahim Al-Oqab announced the guests and director of the symposium, namely the international referee Raouf Abbas, the referee Razi Khalfan and the referee Mahmoud Farag, all of whom were registered referees in the “ICAHO” organization. A brief summary of the discussions that took place in the group during the last period, then he asked the referee, Raouf Abbas, to give a vision about the symposium’s themes.
Raouf Abbas began a modern day that the Arabian horse has a special nature, as it has a different shape and is suitable for multiple uses, whether beauty contests, endurance or racing, explaining that horses that are suitable in camel competitions must be exaggerated in their beauty, from the shape of the head, neck, chest, shoulder, body, feet and movement Horse, all these specifications must be available in a camel horse, unlike the traditional classic horse.
Abbas explained that “ICAHO” is the organization responsible for organizing horse competitions in member countries, and “ICAHO” coordinates the schedule of competitions organized by “ICAHO” member states, and “ICAHO” organization issues and amends the laws to which such competitions are subject. As well as making tests or preferring the referees and broadcasters of the exhibition halls, and the DC committee in degrees, each in his specialty.
It also holds conferences periodically to discuss and solve any problems in the world of Arab horse competitions with ICAHO members, as well as there are several committees to organize all activities. Abbas said the horse in beauty contests distinguished by his head, so the smaller the head, the sweeter it is, and the blacker the eye, the more beautiful it is, as well as the smallness of the ear, the width of the forehead, the length of the neck, the bow and the shape of the shoulder at an angle of 45 degrees and the method of movement. The horse has affected its movement, body size, and clarity of the apparent skin from under the skin, so these specifications must be applied to it in order to be classified within the beauty.
Abbas added that he takes into account, as a rule, to look at the beginning of the Arab identity of the horse, indicating that each type of horse has a typical shape and the extent to which the horse is approached during the first glance of the typical form of gender, age and sex, in short as a judgment I evaluate the horse in one minute, so I must take care of it from the first glance Its identity as an Arabian horse and its personality in terms of type or variety, as for the gender, horses are the same as humans, including the male and female form, so the arbitration, for example, in the age group of males aged 3 years to 5 years, is different from the age group of one year of age. Her characteristic, her identity appears, and the grades rise, as for the age group of one year of age, when I find in the age group a year old, a horse outside the age frame, for example, it is not suitable for there to be a dowry that is one year old and smooth, explaining that this affects its grades and gets lower grades because it is outside the general form of this stage .
As for the age, each tooth has its clear characteristics and features, so the bigger the horse, the different its features, and here we have three elements to judge the horse for the horse to express its type or variety, to express its gender, whether male or female, and to express its age.
Mr. Ibrahim Al-Oqab, the owner of Al-Oqabiyah Stud in Medina Al-Munawwarah, asked about the timing of the horse’s stair
Raouf Abbas answered his question, collective entry to the class determines the best five horses according to the group and level of the horse, and this show is the first impression of the distinctive horses in the group and often the referee keeps the group’s elite in his mind or records each horse with its merits so that he can focus with him and give him the right to judge In this step, no marks are given, but the selection is made until the single presentation begins.
Most of the competitions start with movement, but the degree of movement is not put first because the movement is not only running and walking, so the degree of movement is not placed first, but the degree of type is placed at the beginning of the entry after the first round after the solo show, and after stability, the neck score is given when the horse shows his neck well. To show the symmetry of the neck with the body, and then it takes its path and then goes back to the rulers, and here the degree of the body and the degree of movement are placed the degree of “running” and then after the horse walks we look at his feet and the way he steps. Is it consistent or otherwise, then I can give it a body score, so a good trainer can hide some of the horse’s faults or can make the horse bring out all of its strength and movement and this thing is good for the work of the trainer and the model, but there is a part in the work of the referee which is the evaluation of the horse In its original form, untasted, a horse is in good health and well cared for the grade is sure to vary.
Then, the symposium moved to the additional axes of the “Champion” championships.
The first question was: Does horse movement affect the outcome of the championship?
The second question is whether class scores affect the championship or not?
Referee Raouf Abbas spoke if the movement was not important, it would not be added to the arbitration score, and as we all know every horse performs the movement before the championship, the movement of course affects because it is an important part of the horse’s identity. And in order to be honest in talking the direction in the tournaments be of the type.
Then Abbas touched on the second question and said the honest referee with himself considered that the championship is independent and has nothing to do with the class. We are dealing with a living creature, it is possible that the horse’s temperament is not good on the day of the championship or it is possible that the exhibitor has dealt with him badly outside, so his shape is different inside and this affects the horse, it is also possible that the horse has high marks on the day of class Especially in movement and he is superior to other horses, but on the day of the championship he comes in a bad mood and bad grades are put to him and from my point of view that in general the grades of the class do not affect the grades of the championship.
Mr. Sami bin Saad spoke, and thanked the referee, Raouf Abbas, for his valuable intervention regarding the symposium’s axes, and then asked Mr. Razi Khalfan to give his opinion on the first and second axis of the tournaments.
Referee Razi Khalfan began welcoming and then addressed the movement of horses in the tournaments and described it as the task, explaining that it is part of the Arab identity and relies on it in evaluating the championships, especially the fairest, because as a referee I am interested in the movement of the falcon, and the movement must be appropriate and required as an Arab stallion or horse, explaining that the laws of “Ichahu” stipulate that On it.
Then Razi touched on the second axis and said that the grades should not affect the evaluation of the horse and its ranking as first or second.
1- Identity
2- Movement
3- General balance
4- Attractiveness of the horse
5- Who is the right horse?
Then Mr. Sami bin Saad spoke and asked Mr. Mahmoud Farag to address the two axes of the tournaments.
Referee Mahmoud Farag began his speech about the tournament laws and its three classifications, and these laws belong to an organization
“Icaho” and the organizer is the one who chooses the classification. As for the movement of horses in the championship, it is the main thing that we care about, and the referee must strive very hard to separate the five parts with the horse.
Farag explained the arbitration system in the competitions organized by the European Association for Purebred Arabian Camel Contestions “Ichahu”.
1- Method of awarding points for the competing groups
In this method, points are awarded to the horses participating in the competition from each category while running, standing and walking in accordance with the instructions issued by the field manager and the Discipline Committee, and this is evident in the “ICAHO” regulations. Judges award points for each class independently without referring to the lists of horses, using the following criteria:
Type, head, neck, body, back, legs, and movement based on the twenty-point system (with half-point in mind). The points awarded by the referees are collected and then divided by the number of referees.
2- Regulations for the draw in the qualifying centers
In the event of a tie in the qualifying places for a class of horses, the first place will be awarded to the horse with the highest points in that category. If the tie remains, first place is awarded to the horse with the highest points in the movement.
If the higher and lower points are excluded, only the horse’s type and movement points are taken into consideration when breaking the tie, but if a decision cannot be made on either of these two measures, then one judge is chosen by ballot to determine the preference. .
3- Rules for relationships in tournaments
In the event of a tie in the championship, the highest position is awarded to the horse with the most points in the qualifying classes. If the highest and lowest points are eliminated, only the remaining points for the total, type and move are taken into account when breaking a tie. If there is a tie, the tournament rules will be applied according to the “ICAHO” system, noting that the selection and classification of the final tournament rests with the organizer in the first class, whether it is a tournament in the standard “ICAHO” method. Or the standard “Ikaho” with modification or the “Open Championship” as it is written in the “Blue Book of Ikaho” on page 40/35
Therefore, there should be a clear mechanism for the educators participating by the organizing committee in accordance with the regulations
“Ikaho” to put forward the classification of approved tournaments in its terms in advance, so that the educator would be the decision-maker to choose the tournaments that are suitable for the participation of a horse.
The director of the seminar, Sami bin Saad, poses another question. There are some horses that top their class, although there is no possibility for them to win. How do the referees deal with them during the championship ..?
Referee Razi Khalfan answered this question, saying, of course, the horses that gathered points specifically from the movement, in turn, got high scores that made them reach the championship with horses with an Arab identity better than them. Acting in this situation first, you must know that the movement is important, but not everything exists. Other things like the body and the important focal point that we care about the Arab identity, as well as the good menus, so that the horse can carry the rider, it is possible to find a horse that has good movement, and was able to get a lot of points, but it is in the body and the identity is very bad.
There is a horse that moves, but the body is very weak, so this horse when it reaches the championship and there are horses whose movement is less than it, but it has well-balanced bodies rich in desirable qualities and with the required symmetry, and the appearance of the front of the chest and its adhesion to the neck in a smooth manner, so the judgment here distinguishes a horse with a good Arab identity. The degree of his movement from the other horse.
The second part of the issue: If the horses congregate in the championship, whether they have horses of a lower level or less in age and the level is better, then I must be accurate in my decision and fair the horses in the order of those with more benign and complementary characteristics.
After that, Mr. Sami bin Saad asked the ruling Razi whether this arbitration in the “ICAHO” tolerates the seal by a quarter of the thumb nail or half of it?
Razi Khalfan answered that if the defect was of this magnitude, then the general view is whether there is a defect or not, it may be the quarter in which the jaw movement remains or relaxes with him from the halter or the pinch, the tension on the jaw, so the amount is very accurate, but is it a defect in the shape, i.e. does it have a defect Or not, and based on this light, the judgment determines whether it will punish and affect the degree or not, according to the rules of “ICAHO”.
After that, Mr. Ibrahim Al-Oqab asked what are the different criteria between the judging of mixed and pure horses ..?
Here, Sami bin Saad responded and said there is a specific question from the questioner directed to Professor Razi, referring to his remark on the name that “Arabian horses”. Arabian horses are called purebred Arabian horses. Its location is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), the Bahraini horse (Bahrain), the Straight Egyptian (preserved in Egypt and spread to the West), and the Polish horse (Poland) are specific breeds and part of the Arabian horse in general.
He explained that many give wrong names for clear matters, including that the pure Egyptian horses, which are supposed to be the Egyptian horse breed, all Arab horses except the Egyptian and the Jaziri are called Polish (Polish), and this is a confusion with the generalization of the Polish breed to all other Arab horses. Or it is called Mix (mixed) and it is originally Arabic and has nothing to do with someone whose door is closed to specific blood from a large community. The rules for arbitration for purebred Arabian horses with “ICAHO” are one, and after that the referee was asked Razi to answer this question ..?
The response was as follows: the same criteria in the rules of the “Ikaho”, whether the arbitration was in the Arab horses of the Max or the Arabian horses of the Egyptian breed, but there is one difference, which is to evaluate the head. Max horses gave 20 degrees to the head only. In the Egyptian breed, for example, it gave 20 degrees for the head and another 20 degrees for the neck.
Sami bin Saad intervened with a note about the head and neck ranks and the separation of their scores, explaining that this depends on the championship law. All of them are the same as we mentioned.
A member of the group, Abdul-Jabbar Al-Shaiban, the owner of Hala Stud, asked the question, which is better, is the open or closed championship for the champions, and is winning a luck who collects points in the class?
Sami bin Saad replied with regard to the open or closed championship, meaning the method of choosing the golden champion, so in the closed tournament, the selection is made from the first grade, the first classes, for example if the championship for the year-old category is 3 classes and 2 horses qualify from each class, then we find in the tournament the number of 6 horses, then the first three They are in the first row and the other three are in the second row, so gold is forced from the first row and then silver and bronze are chosen from the rest of the horses. As for the championship being fortunate to collect points, it was an old method and was replaced by the open championship, meaning that the number of 6 horses are all eligible to choose the golden champion and enter According to their numbers in the catalog, they are lined up in one row, not two rows, and the judges committee comes and chooses the winner from them.
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