Arabia’s Cultural Diffusion Through Arabian Horses

By many, the Arabian horse is said to be a treasured part of the Arabian culture and heritage. Though essentially Arabian, this breed of horse is now found in all areas of the world. Sociologically, one can say that a huge subculture of Arabian horse enthusiasts is in existence because of the cultural diffusion that has occurred. The Arabian heritage and culture is spread to all parts of the world through this horse breed thanks to this cultural diffusion. Horse shows focusing on the Arabian horse are held in many Arabian and non-Arabian countries to showcase the breed’s beauty, athleticism and extraordinary movement to a large audience. The biggest shows are the Salon du Cheval that is held in France, the Breeders World Cup that is held in Las Vegas and the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show that is held in Arizona, among others.

I attended the Qatar 20th International Horse Show and I met some of these previously mentioned enthusiasts. I noticed that because of their love for this breed, many of them have visited the whole Middle East and have made an effort to learn about the culture of the region. Some have even put their time into learning the Arabic language. Some shows also feature some sort of majlis seating area, with traditional Arabic food served to the audience and judges. Furthermore, some shows even feature a class for traditional horse and rider costumes, like the one seen in the photo below.

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Even though cooperative links and division of labor are said to be in existent in art worlds, they can also be said to exist within the Arabian horse enthusiasts breeding farm and/or training facility. Just like some works of art, labor is divided to make things easier for the people doing the work. For example, there are grooms who take care of the horses, trainers used for training, veterinarians to make sure the horses are in good health etc... So even though division of labor and cooperative links are said to exist within art worlds, technically one can see that they also exist in the work place.