Over time, the Bedouin developed several sub-types or strains of Arabian horse, each with unique characteristics, and traced through the maternal line only. The five primary strains, attributed to have descended from the Al Khamsa were known as the Keheilan, Seglawi, Abeyan or Obeyan, Hamdani, and Hadban or Hedban. Carl Raswan, a promoter and writer about Arabian horses from the middle of the 20th century, held the belief that there were only three strains, Kehilan, Seglawi and Muniqi or Maanagi.
Over time, Bedouin tribes developed distinct types of Arabian horses, each with unique traits traced through their mothers' lineage. These five primary strains, believed to be descended from the Al Khamsa, were known as Keheilan, Seglawi, Abeyan or Obeyan, Hamdani, and Hadban or Hedban. Carl Raswan, a 20th-century Arabian horse expert, proposed that there were only three strains: Kehilan, Seglawi, and Muniqi or Maanagi.