Horatio, an Al-Marah Arabian

This little guy has a fan following at Arabian Nights already, even though he is one of the newest horses featured in our dinner show. Horatio comes from Al- Marah Arabians in Tucson, Arizona, where he had a stellar career as a competition Reining horse for several years. His accomplishments include winning the Reining at The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, Reserve Champion at the Region 1 Championship Show and Top Ten at the Canadian Nationals.

Horatio came to Arabian Nights in November of 2009 to join our Holiday Show, and although he is small in stature, he made a big impression on both our staff and guests. Horatio stands at approximately 14.2 hands high (a hand is equivalent to 4 inches), making him just barely taller than a pony, but his refined features, excellent manners and boisterous whinny prevent him from being ignored.

It is not only his appearance and demeanor that make Horatio unique; he is also a very talented reining horse with a great deal of heart and athleticism. Easily 4 to 6 inches shorter than any of our other reining horses, Horatio can slide farther and spin faster than most of them—all while maintaining a pleasant and willing attitude that is the delight of his riders and the guests who watch Horatio’s energetic performance.

Horatio has been enjoying a little break after working very hard during the Holiday show season and will be making his debut in the new Native American Tribute act that will be featured in the Arabian Nights production soon.

Here's a picture of Horation in action.

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Guests and employees at Arabian Nights often remark on how beautiful and talented the horses in our show are and this week we feature Al-Marah Arabians.

Many of our horses are Arabian horses, a beautiful breed of horse that originated in the deserts of the Middle East and was prized for its stamina and beauty. These horses were imported first to Europe and later to the United States by horse owners and breeders who saw the incredible value of such athletic and refined horses.

One of the first American importers of these gorgeous horses was Bazy Tankersley, who still breeds and raises some of the finest Arabian horses on her farm Al-Marah Arabians, in Tucson, AZ.

Bazy’s son Mark Miller is the founder of Arabian Nights, and he grew surrounded by her fabulous horses, both on the farm in Arizona and at a farm they had in Maryland. His love for these beautiful horses is what prompted him to open Arabian Nights in 1988, and nearly twenty years later, a large number of the horses used in the show still come from his mother’s Al- Marah Arabians.

“We love our Al-Marah horses because they are unique in their beauty, athletic ability and willing dispositions,” Miller said.

Many of the Al-Marah foals are raised on Tankersley’s 2,000 acre Hat Ranch near the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona, and after their wild youth is over, some of them come to Arabian Nights to become star performers, while other go on to become competitors in Endurance, Show Jumping, Reining and Dressage riding.

Not all of the horses chosen from Al-Marah to perform at Arabian Nights are suited to the task, and the stable managers at Arabian Nights carefully monitor how the horses adjust to this high intensity performance environment. Horses that seem uninterested in this type of performance career are returned to Al-Marah after they undergo their first round of training, and many go on to have outstanding careers as competitive performance horses.

Others thrive on the performing life at Arabian Nights, basking in the applause of the audience and the praise from their riders and trainers. These horses go on to have long and illustrious careers as the stars of the Arabian Nights show, where they excite and entertain audiences each and every night.

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