>
> She threw up her eyes and said, "I'd never have an Egyptian. Beautiful,
> classic head, but haven't seen one yet that is level-headed. And I've never
> talked with a trainer who has anything good to say about the temperament of
> an Egyptian."
>
The Babson horses are Egyptian imports (I believe you qualify for Pyramid
Society events with a strait-Babson horse, but I am willing to be
corrected if I am wrong), and they have a reputation throughout the
arabian horse world of having the most wonderful level headed
temperments, and are extremely popular in endurance (as they also are
well known for their nice athletic hips).
Can't speak about the more recent Egyptian imports, but the early imports
are renowned for thier wonderful dispositions.
kat
Orange County, Calif.
p.s. It has been my experience that temperment is VERY heritable, and
there are different lines of horse (not just arabians) that exhibit
specific dispositions. As an example, we have a *Karadjordge son who
demonstrates many behaviourisms that are exactly like his dad (and many
other KJ horses), and neither he nor I has never met his dad!!
How they are treated and handled (or mishandled) makes a BIG difference in
how they channel their temperment, but the basic temperment is something
they are pretty much born with.