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Welcome to The Arabian Horse Society of SD, Inc.

The Arabian Horse Society of South Dakota, Inc. (TAHSSD) is a club rich in tradition. We are a forward thinking Club that endeavors to promote the Arabian horse through community education, horse shows, and youth involvement. We believe in and promote the ‘Magic’ of the Arabian horse!

The Arabian breed is the oldest and purest horse breed. The origin of the purebred Arabian horse was the Arabian desert, and all Arabians ultimately trace their lineage to this source. The Arabian horse has either directly or indirectly contributed to the formation of virtually all the modern breeds of horses.

Historically, the Arabian was a war horse capable of withstanding the extreme conditions of the Arabian desert and covering long distances, while moving quickly in and out of battle. He was also a close companion of the desert Bedouins who not only shared their food and water but also their tents with the Arabian horse. The Bedouin tribes zealously maintained the purity of the breed. This has led to the beautiful athletic breed we know today, which is marked by a distinctive dished profile; large, lustrous, wide-set eyes on a broad forehead; small, curved ears; and large, efficient nostrils.

Even today, the purebred Arabian is virtually the same as that ridden in ancient Arabia. The Arabian is an all-around family horse, show horse, competitive sport horse, and work horse. The Arabian's beauty, intelligence, spirit, loyalty, and stamina have captivated many around the world!

TAHSSD was incorporated in October 1979. On November 15, 1981, the first joint organization and annual meetings were held at the Royal Fork Restaurant on West 41st Street in Sioux Falls. Our Club has grown from a handful of members to over 75 members.

TAHSSD is affiliated with the Arabian Horse Association Inc (AHA) and having a full TAHSSD membership allows you to also enjoy the benefits of AHA.

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) is a 46,000 member equine association that registers and maintains a database of more than one million Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses. It publishes the bimonthly magazine Modern Arabian Horse, provides activities and programs that promote breeding and ownership, administers $4 million in annual prize money, produces national events, and recognizes more than 400 Arabian horse shows and distance rides.

At the end of April, TAHSSD sponsors the annual SD Spring Arabian Horse Shows held in the Expo Building on the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds. A portion of the proceeds is donated to the Handi-Riders Therapeutic Riding Program and W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds. Our Club offers a $500 scholarship for current TAHSSD members who are a high school junior/senior or a graduate through the age of 21. This scholarship is awarded at the SD Spring Arabian Horse Shows. We held our first open horse show in June 2001. Over 70 horses showed at our 2005 open horse show.

Members may also participate in our annual High Point Award program by earning points at open and AHA recognized shows. The annual awards banquet is usually held in December. Our quarterly newsletter provides Club and member news, dates and locations of our quarterly meetings, list of area events, etc. Members may also checkout videos and books from the Educational Library located at Performance Plus Arabians. Be sure to visit our web site at www.tahssd.com!

TAHSSD Youth Group was formed over 16 years ago. The group has over 20 members and does numerous activities and events throughout the year to promote the Arabian horse. These activities include training clinics; judging clinics; the youth lounge at the SD Spring Arabian Horse Shows, and the annual SD Horse Fair booth with stick horse contests, face painting, coloring contests, wheel of horses, and a tack/clothing sale. We are very proud of our youth!

Welcome to The Arabian Horse Society of South Dakota, Inc.! Enjoy the wonderful gift from the desert ~ the Arabian horse!