I cut my teeth on Arabs, and didn't even start working other breeds until '91 or so. They're "thinkers" and are usually one step ahead of their riders on that front. They're also extremely sensitive in that it only takes a fraction of the pressure or que that you would give a cooler horse to get them to do what you want. A lot of times, they just look for an excuse to blow off some steam and play too. Had one 'ol cowboy say once that an Arab will do anything as long as you make it like a game for them......
For as long as I've been in the Arab business, I can honestly say that I've come across more cooler Arabs than hot ones. However, I've mostly worked with Polish Arabs as opposed to the Egyptians, which are notoriously hot. That being said, 18 months ago I buried the best horse I have ever been on, owned, or been owned by, and he was a purebred, registered Khemosabi (domestic) bred gelding. I always said he was a lousy Arab, but a great horse, and I'd give my eye teeth to have him back again. He was pretty calm as a 4 yr old, and only got better with age so that by the time he died, there wasn't much of anything that would ruffle his feathers. He had too much common sense for that, and after all, spooking required entirely too much energy in his mind. He did anything and everything I set him to from training racehorse yearlings to pony and gallup in company, to pushing cows, which was hillarious as he had NO inbred cow sense whatsoever. However, once he figured out "the game", he would take over and do it himself. Alls I would do is point him in the right direction, and turn him lose. He was a babysitter deluxe, and to give an example of just how smart they are, he knew the difference between a child, an inexperienced rider, a rider who THOUGHT they knew something, and one who actually did. Point being that he wasn't really all that unique. I don't have enough fingers on my hands to count the Arabs I've come across that were more like him than not.
I could go on and on about the breed, and not in defense of it either. They just take a different mind set when working with and around than most other breeds do. They absolutely WILL reflect your handling and your mindset, so be calm, cool, slow, and have a light touch with your hands, and have a quick mind. More often than not, they're 3 steps ahead of you. :lol: