Qatar has since the late 1980's to early 1990's been a home for the Straight Egyptian Arabian/Peninsula Horse. These Arabian horses have mostly originated from this Southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, covering Qatar, Bahrein, the Southern region of Saudi Arabia and parts of the UAE.  During the rule of the Ottoman Empire many these desirable horses were spread all over the Empire, where they were cherished by the rulers and Pashas of every region, most especially those which were collected to the rebellious Khedivate of Cairo by Muhammad Ali of Egypt.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Khaled Al Thani, the original founder of Al Rayyan Farm, started to study, collect and breed these specific Arabian horses with great passion and determination. Many great horses, stallions and mares have been bred over the years by him and laid the foundations for other breeding programs within the Arabian Gulf countries. His passion brought forward a real renaissance for these original Peninsula horses in the Gulf.

The real cornerstone of the Al Rayyan breeding program goes all the way back to one particular mare named El Dahma. Today Al Rayyan boasts several different families whom all trace back to this one mare. While this El Dahma family is important, a few other families are kept as well to weave in alongside, carefully preserving the type and function of these horses.

For this reason Al Rayyan has become of intrinsic value for Qatar and its citizens and well protected and cared for by HH The Father Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani.