| There are well over a hundred different horse breeds | | | | what the horse is capable of doing and whether its |
| in the world, and it may be impossible to get to know | | | | price is truly justified. |
| every single of them. But, if you are a true horse-lover, | | | | Classification of Horses |
| you may already know a vast number of them and | | | | Although there are many horse breeds, horses are |
| are still keen to know more. | | | | generally placed under three main groups - pony, light, |
| Humans and Horses | | | | and heavy horses. |
| To understand horse breeds, it is important to first | | | | Most of us would probably already be familiar with |
| understand how the relationship between humans and | | | | ponies. These are definitely the smallest of horses. |
| horses began. Believe it or not, horses first became | | | | Some would even not consider them horses at all. |
| valuable to humans because they produced milk and | | | | Even so, ponies can be as hardy as other horses. |
| could be eaten. Later on, however, humans realised | | | | Some breeds can carry adult riders and pull heavy |
| that horses were strong and fast and began to use | | | | loads. Because of their size and mild nature, ponies are |
| them to carry or draw loads and as a mode of | | | | often kept as pets by children. Examples of pony |
| transportation. | | | | breeds are the Shetland and Welsh ponies. |
| Nowadays, specific horses are bred for specific | | | | Light horses are also strong like ponies but they are |
| purposes. They are no longer just used to do labors. | | | | definitely taller, faster and have a sleeker look. Most |
| Rather, they are more often kept for sports or leisure | | | | light horses are used for riding and racing. In some |
| riding. | | | | cases, breeds of this kind also help with cattle rounding |
| Horse Breeding | | | | and carriage pulling. Examples of light horse breeds are |
| In order for the new-born horses to carry certain traits, | | | | Arabian, Thoroughbred, Appaloosa, Quarter Horse, |
| breeders usually need to select specific male and | | | | Morgan and Standardbred. |
| female horses with the desired characteristics to mate. | | | | Some horses belong to the heavy group. In the past, |
| With the success of purposeful breeding, more horses | | | | these horses were used for war. They were also |
| are now bred in planned ways to meet specific needs. | | | | used for carrying and pulling heavy loads. Heavy |
| A widely known example is the racing horses. In fact, | | | | horses are therefore ideal for farm work. They are |
| there are different registries around the world that | | | | large but have well-formed, powerful muscles, |
| document the various horse breeds. | | | | shoulders and legs. Heavy horse breeds include Shire, |
| To know about the different horse breeds is probably | | | | Clydesdale, Percheron and Lipizzaner. |
| a hard mission for an average person, but a true | | | | With the many different horse breeds, there is |
| horse-lover can usually tell a lot of the breeds. This is | | | | definitely a horse for every horse lover. Do remember |
| especially true for someone who is fond of horse | | | | though that horse breeds that belong to the same |
| racing or simply would like to get himself a horse. | | | | group may also have different traits of their own. |
| Often, knowing the breed of your horse would tell you | | | | |