Shetland ponies are the smallest members of the stables at Arabian Nights, but they are no less memorable for their tiny stature!

Standing a maximum of 46 inches high, Shetland ponies are known for their intelligence, bravery and athleticism as well as their hardy nature! Two main types of Shetland ponies are recognized by the American Shetland Pony Club; the Classic and the Modern Shetland pony.

Tap Dance Kidd, or “Dancer” struts his stuff during the VIP Experience at Arabian Nights.

The Classic American Shetland ponies’ ancestry dates back to the Shetland Islands, where ponies roamed the hills and moors as early as the 8th and 9th centuries. Shetlands were brought to this country in the 1800′s and first registered in the United States in 1888 by the American Shetland Pony Club. These ponies were primarily bred to pull carts in coal mines, and still excel at driving to this day.

The Modern Shetland Pony combines the historic hardiness of the Classic Shetland Pony with an out-cross of an animated and a superior and more refined breed. These ponies are typically more refined with extreme action—lift from the knee while moving—and a spirited personality. Either variety of Shetland Pony comes in a variety of colors and can display a wide range of markings.

The American Shetland Pony and Miniature Horse Association was kind enough to donate two Shetland Ponies to Arabian Nights as breed Ambassadors. Brush Creek’s Success or “Gus”, a black pony, and Tap Dance Kid or “Dancer”, a bay (brown with black points) pony.  Dancer is a veteran show pony, with three National Halter Championships! Gus plays a special role in the Black Stallion Literacy Foundation’s first grade program. Both ponies are learning a variety of tricks to become a part of the Arabian Nights show, and their bravery and intelligence is instrumental in that process.

Brush Creek’s Success is better known as Little Black to those who work the Black Stallion Literacy Foundation!

Come see Gus and Dancer perform at Arabian Nights in Orlando, Florida, and see why everyone falls in love with these amazingly cute Shetland Ponies. Visit www.Arabian-Nights.com for show times and dates—and don’t forget to check out our VIP Experience!

Guests and employees at Arabian Nights often remark on how beautiful and talented the horses in our show are, so our featured breed this week is the American Saddlebred.

The American Saddlebred is a very sensitive and alert horse, making it an ideal candidate for various riding disciplines, including Dressage. These are very beautiful horses and their movements are especially graceful, making them a great fit for Arabian Nights.

An American Saddlebred

American Saddlebreds are recognized by their long and lean body type and wide-set, expressive eyes. These horses are usually black, bay, chestnut or brown in color, but grays, buckskins, palominos, pintos and occasionally roans can be found as well.  Saddlebreds are typically 15-16 hh (hand high), but they can also be found as small as 14.2 hh and occasionally as tall as 17 hh.

The origins of the American Saddlebred can be traced back to natural-gaited horses which came to North America from the British Isles. These horses thrived in their new environment, and through selective breeding the Narragansett Pacer was developed along the eastern seaboard. The Narragansetts were crossed with Thoroughbreds imported to America in the early 1700s. By the time of the Revolutionary War the result of that crossbreeding was recongnized simply as the American Horse.

These horses possessed the size and beauty of the Thoroughbreds, but retained the ability to learn the easy-riding gaits of the Narragansetts. They were used for riding, pulling carriages and other work. Thoroughbreds continued to be crossed with other breeds including Arabians and Morgans. When the first horse shows were held in Kentucky and Virginia in the early 1800s, American Saddlebreds were generally referred to as Kentucky Saddlers.

Today, the American Saddlebred is known as the ultimate show horse. High stepping and elegant, the breed performs up to five gaits: the walk, trot, canter, slow gait and rack.

This American Saddlebred is performing a rack maneuver in Dressage.

The slow gait is a four-beat gait performed in a prancing motion where the horse lifts its legs very high. The rack is a more ground-covering four-beat gait and is much faster; the horse snaps its knees and hocks up quickly while performing this gait. The Saddlebred’s ancestors were naturally gaited, and many Saddlebreds today retain that natural ability. Most can learn additional gaits, too.

To learn more about American Saddlebreds, stay tuned to the blog because we are going to do a story soon about Confetti, a Saddlebred at Arabian Nights.

If you’ve been to the Arabian Nights show and want to share what a fun time you had, please visit this site and leave a review!

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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