VISION
To revive the Arabian horse breed based on the Arab Bedouin culture.
MISSION
To empower future generations to advance a diverse Arabian horse breed based on the Arab Bedouin heritage.
AL-ITAQ, Global Arabian Horse Council, is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the revival of the Arabian horse breed and the preservation of the horse breeding traditions of its first custodians, the Arab Bedouins. Founded in 2023, Al-ITAQ aspires to become a premier global Arabian horse organization. As AL-ITAQ recognizes the fundamental cultural connection between the Arab people and the Arabian horse, its board of directors consists of a majority of Arabic speakers.
Online Community
Foster a community of breeders and researchers.
Open, collaborative, and dynamic web-based platform.
Science & Technology
Work with scientists and researchers.
Scientific research and genetic testing procedures.
Cultural Events
Design, organize and promote cultural events.
Sports competitions based on Arab equestrian heritage.
Digitization
Promote digitization and translation.
Foundational historical texts about the Arabian horse.
The term al-‘itaq is one of the oldest terms that the Arabs used in referring to their horses. It is the collective plural of ‘atiq, which means authentic, ancient, precious, and free of flaws all at once. Al-‘etq, the quality of a horse being ‘atiq, appears in Arabic poetry as early as the sixth century CE, when ‘Alqamah al-Fahl recited these verses:
“He is tightly built, his joints as the braids of a rope. Graced, alongside his ‘etq with a full body, tall not short. You could tell his ‘etq from the shape of his ear tips. Pricked like those of a frightened oryx amidst her herd"
AL-ITAQ is guided by the appreciation for both the social values of the Arab Bedouins and the role of modern Western equine science.
Arabian Horse Identity
A horse’s identity as an Arab is based primarily on its authenticity, purity and perceived quality, notions that are all encompassed in the Arabic language concepts of atiq in ancient times and asil in more recent times. Al-Itaq accepts and cherishes the identity of the breed as it has reached us from its trusted sources, and values its Arab Bedouin chronicles. It is the collective responsibility of the community to maintain the breed with the same identity and integrity for the future generations.
Explore Al-Itaq twelve governing principles covering identity, knowledge, quality, and preservation.
Definition
The Arabian horse traces through all its ancestors to the ‘atiq horses of the Arab Bedouin.
Read the complete definition and the detailed definition notes of what constitutes an ‘atiq horse.
