Ooh… I’d be game for a hook-up with your Arabian world friend. And I have ridden Arabians and HAs for some time. This was not on purpose, but these little buggers are making me fall in love with the breed. And I’d like to think that I’m getting better and better at being a good owner and a good rider/trainer for them. These horses are so game and tireless and tractable and sound! I do wish people had bred better biomechanics into them. But hope springs eternal that I’ll find one with a good canter and a good shoulder so that he/she can jump well enough in the front end.
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Louder for the people in the back. At some point, moving up the levels requires a horse who is a good student who actually wants to engage in the training. I think Arabians are some of the best students out there.
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Where are you guys finding these crosses? I’m in the northeast and close with the dressage circuit around here and have never encountered one.
An accidental encounter and opportunity with a little Arabian mare in the mid 1990s is what hooked me. I started that 15 year old broodmare under saddle and had so much FUN with her. She would wait in the corner of her pasture and look down the road for our car. She was so quick to learn and eager. I had such a blast with her the two years that I worked with her. When I went horse shopping after I finished grad school, instead of seeking a WB as originally planned, I went looking for an “old-fashioned” Arabian like that mare.
There have been and are currently people breeding Arabians, Anglos, and Half-Arabians (plus Shagya-Arabians) with good biomechanics for jumping and good canters. “Main Ring” breeders are NOT the only source for Arabian-bred horses.
One of the reasons (besides just how cool that little broodmare was) that I got involved with CMK bloodlines was that there were multiple examples of horses from those bloodlines in eventing, jumpers, hunters (over fences), and fox-hunting. For instance, the Anglo-Arabian Vermiculus has been competing at 5* international events for several years and his full brother Snooze Alarm was his rider’s first 4* eventer. Historically, the late Austine Hearst bred for jumping aptitude with many of her horses competing successfully over fences (all breed competition). All of those horses are from the CMK bloodline group.
Other bloodlines also produce good jumping aptitude.
Laughing Dog Ranch in CA is currently purpose breeding Arabians and Half-Arabs for jumping. Her horses and ponies are successful at the AHA SHN, but also compete at USHJA shows.
Ann McKay in VA recently retired from active breeding but over 40+ years produced many Arabians, Anglos, Half and partbred Arabians for eventing (at least one AA competed well at Rolex), USPC, USHJA, and fox hunting as well as for the Arab breed shows. (Her horses are CMK bloodlines)
Larapinta Sport Horses in OK has bred many eventers over the years.
There have been and are others.
Even though my main interest is in dressage and I haven’t jumped in years, I still purposely incorporated jumping aptitude in my own breeding program. My foundation stallion was just 14H, but was schooling well at 3’9" in both XC and stadium when I sold him. He’d once handily jumped a 4’1" course with a working student who hadn’t noticed that the fences had been reset. He’s a gelding now and 20 this year, but still eagerly jumps anything he’s pointed at. His current owners do the AHA shows so the fences are relatively small, but he is still sound and eager to jump with good form. (He’s always had great knees!) Several of his offspring have been started over fences (before I sold them) and they all showed good technique.
My current homebred stallion is competing at Intermediare dressage, but he scored well over fences at the 70 day test (LOVED XC) with good scope and form. I considered campaigning him as an eventer instead of in dressage, but I prefer dressage and could keep him close to home with a dressage trainer while eventing would have meant keeping him out of state.
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There is a little Arabian at the barn I board that is schooling (and perhaps competing) at third level. I think the owner mostly focuses on working equitation but the train with the dressage trainer there and I do believe dabble in “pure” dressage as well. He’s a cool little dude! He seems very broke to ride!
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I sympathize with your frustration. I, too, looked for Arab or ArabX that had the size I felt I needed and the ability to do dressage well. I tried to contact a Shagya breeder and got no response. This was years ago though. Many years. Just keep turning over every rock and leaf.
Many folks used Rosenthal on Arab mares and got spectacular foals. Maybe one of those is still around. Maybe the collective eyes and ears of the COTH can find you something!!
My favourite little 5* eventing Arab in dressage
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That you know of. 
There have been a few at USDF Region 8 in recent years. Ashland Farm in MA used to breed some but she retired from breeding a few years ago IIRC. Most years, I go through the Region 8 show program to find all the Arabs and Half-Arabs. I didn’t have time to do that this year, but in past years there have typically been a few Half-Arabs competing there.
Some Half-Arabs are registered AS Warmbloods because their Arab parent is approved with one or more of the WB registries. So there are Oldenburgs, Hanovarians, etc. that are also Half-Arabians. You wouldn’t necessarily know they were Half-Arabian just by looking at them.
Many of the Arabian show world based sport horse breeders breed Half-Arabs more than purebreds because the HAs sell easier than the purebreds --and for more $. (though for less than a WB without an Arabian parent so can be a good deal for someone with a smaller budget.) Those breeders tend to market more to the AHA Sport Horse Nationals community than directly to the open sport horse world, because the AHA breed show community is where more people are actively seeking Arabian-bred horses for dressage (or h/j).
(I’m actually pretty well connected to many people in the AHA sport horse breeding community through my involvement in the Arabian Sport Horse Alliance organization. There are a TON of Arabian/half-Arabian dressage sales groups on Facebook. An ISO post will get you flooded with responses.)
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Luv me some Bug!
Notably, his older full brother “Snooze Alarm” was Lauren’s 1st international eventer. Their sire, Serazim, was from good old west coast CMK bloodlines. Both aptitude for dressage and jumping ability has often come from Serazim’s ancestral lines. (Their dam was the JC mare, Wake Me Gently. That was a good nick!)
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This!! I just looked at one FB page and an ISO as for low $$ got 78 responses.
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A lot won’t match the posted criteria (wrong age, geographic region, gender, training stage, etc.), but some will. 
There ARE some very nice ones out there.
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I’m a part of many of them and have sent messages to people who have commented on other people’s ISO posts. I’m not ready to make my own public ISO post until I’m ready to have one tomorrow. I could make it work right now for the perfect thing but realistically need to wait another month. It’s so hard.
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Love Bug!
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There’s a super cute and fun sized Arab Andy Morgan mare on Denver, CO Craigslist. It’s probably too far and timing is off but I mention her to enable someone other than me.
I really need to give Craigslist a break. I swear I am NOT shopping.
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Ooh this sounds like my kind of animal. Would you pm?
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I think I just did.
Let me know if you didn’t get it!
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Sent you a PM. :). 
Years ago, I saw an ad (possibly in COTH?) for a gorgeous race-bred Arabian colt (I think he may have only been 2 or so) called Spin Doctor. I thought he had a super sport horse build and was really something appealing. Unfortunately, he was outside of my budget at the time but I’ve never forgotten him. This thread prompted me to look him up and it looks like he has had quite a dressage career himself!
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My lovely little half Arab sports car mare is by Rosenthal. She is quite the nerd…loves to learn never forgets anything
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I know of several 1/2 Arabs by Rosenthal. I think, without exception, they are beautiful, smart and trainable.
