Breeds of Horses
At least 100 different equine breeds exist today.
They can be separated into three major categories: ponies,
light horses and heavy
horses.
Ponies: A pony stands between 10 and
14.2 hands. Ponies are generally independent in nature,
are surefooted and can live in harsh environments. Most
ponies are used for agricultural labor and as children's
mounts.
Light Horses: A light horse stands
between 14.2 and 17 hands. Light horses have smooth
gaits and are used to compete in equestrian sporting
events such as racing, working cattle, jumping and dressage.
Heavy Horses: A heavy horse stands
between 16 and 18 hands. These horses are very strong
and heavily muscled, and were mainly bred for labor in
cities and on farms.
Is the Welsh Cob a Horse or Pony?
The only horse that does not fall easily into
any of these categories is the Welsh Cob. The Welsh Cob
is a breed that has several different classifications
within its studbook, each used as the foundation of
different horse and pony breeds:
- Welsh A: The foundation of all Welsh Cob types
- Welsh B: The riding pony of Welsh Cob type
- Welsh C: A cross between the Welsh Cob Pony and
the Welsh Cob Horse
- Welsh D: The horse version of the Welsh Cob.
General Differences In Horse Breeds
Breeds of horses develop certain
characteristics depending on the pressures placed upon
the breed by the environment in which it has evolved and by
those who breed it.
Environment: Horses in cold climates
developed thicker coats to protect them from the harsh
conditions, while horses in desert areas develop in
other ways to become more "heat resistant." Wheat
Germ Oil and Yucca Supplements can be
beneficial to horses in both climates.
Breeding: Horses are either
selectively bred for the promotion of desirable traits
or without a lot of restrictions. These requirements
depend on the breed and association rules which are
widely published.
Some pony breeds have a reputation for
being stubborn and independent, while draft horses are
considered compliant and very gentle. Those horses
raised in semi-feral conditions, regardless of the
breed, may not be receptive to human attention and
attempts at domestication.
Horse Ancestry
Depending on ancestry, horse breeds fall into
one of three categories:
- Hot-blood: Quick, light-boned
horses that developed largely from Arabian and Barb
bloodlines. These horses are generally volatile in
temperament.
- Cold-blood: Heavy draft horses
that developed in the cold Northern European
climate. These breeds are generally known for their
calm, even temperaments.
- Warm-blood: Ancestry is a mixture
of hot-blood and cold-blood breeds. They tend to have
manageable energy, with temperaments somewhere
between hot-bloods and cold-bloods.
Origins of Horse Breeds
Experts believe that four types of primitive
horses existed before the domestic horse, and that all
modern equine breeds developed from these breeds.
- The Przewalski's Horse: This
horse was indigenous to Mongolia, but now exists
only in zoos throughout the world. Instead of the 64
chromosomes found in the modern domestic horse, the
Przewalski's Horse has 66.
- The Tarpan: This is a
swift-moving horse from the deserts of the Middle
East and North Africa. Technically, the Tarpan is
extinct, but one herd is maintained in a Polish zoo.
- The Forest Horse: The Forest
Horse is an extinct breed from Europe's forests and
swamplands. This horse is most likely a major
contributor to the European heavy horse breeds.
- The Tundra Horse: The now extinct
Tundra Horse lived in Siberia and influenced the
development of the Siberian Yakut pony.
Horse Breed Sub-Species
Prior to domestication, four sub-species of horse
developed that served as prototypes for the modern horse
breeds:
- Pony Type 1: Native to Northwest Europe and
probably resembled the Exmoor Pony.
- Pony Type 2: Indigenous to Eurasia and related to
the Highland Pony.
- Horse Type 3: From central Asia and similar to the
Akhal-Teke.
- Horse Type 4: Lived in western Asia and is thought
to have resembled the Caspian.
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