Arabian horses have long been admired in Russia by past royalty and there are some parallels between the Polish and Russian beginnings. However the real ascent of the Russian Arabian horse came as the result of the establishment of the famed state stud of Tersk. Dating from the early 1930s the stud had systematically assembled choice foundation stock from France, England, Poland and Egypt rather than adding any desert importations of their own.

What made the Russian "nationality" a celebrated bloodline choice was its selectivity in a closed breeding environment. Using racing as one of the important testing criteria, Tersk was able to selectively breed from various sources for generations in a relatively closed environment separate from show ring and under government control. The result was horses who could race and look classic. It was not until the 1970s that Russian bred Arabians began making an impact through their exportation to other countries.

Russian influence in Arabian horse breeding is strong today especially with the influence of celebrated stallions such as Muscat and Patron whose descendants account for nearly a fourth of the progeny of the top 20 most prolific sires worldwide.