| Breeders are not the only ones who have the | | | | Often, knowing the breed of your horse would tell you |
| knowledge of different horse breeds. Many horse | | | | what the horse is capable of doing and whether its |
| lovers do, too. The history of horse breeding as well as | | | | price is truly justified. |
| the features of different breeds are interesting learning | | | | Horse Species |
| that can give you a better understanding of these | | | | Despite the vast number of horse breeds, horses are |
| magnificent creatures. | | | | generally placed under three main groups - pony, light, |
| History of Horses | | | | and heavy horses. |
| Let us first examine how the relationship between | | | | The smallest kind of horses are known to us as |
| men and horses has evolved, as this will help us better | | | | ponies. As they are so small, some would even not |
| understand different horse breeds. Believe it or not, | | | | consider them horses at all. Even so, ponies can be as |
| horses first became valuable to humans because they | | | | hardy as other horses. Some breeds can carry adult |
| produced milk and could be eaten. Later on, however, | | | | riders and pull heavy loads. Because of their size and |
| humans realised that horses were strong and fast and | | | | mild nature, ponies are often kept as pets by children. |
| began to use them to carry or draw loads and as a | | | | Examples of pony breeds are the Shetland and Welsh |
| mode of transportation. | | | | ponies. |
| Now, horses are no longer just used to do labors. | | | | Next to ponies are the light horses. Some of the |
| Rather, they are more often kept for sports or leisure | | | | breeds under this group are the beautiful Arabian and |
| riding. Hence, people are breeding horses to serve the | | | | the fast Thoroughbred. Other breeds are the Quarter |
| different needs by human beings. | | | | Horse, Appaloosa and Morgan. These horses are |
| Breeding Horses | | | | primarily meant to be ridden for fun or for sport. In the |
| What the breeder do is to select specific male and | | | | past, they were popularly used to pull light wagons, |
| female horses with the desired characteristics to mate, | | | | carts, carriages or chaises. |
| so that the new-born horses will carry the traits | | | | Some horses belong to the heavy group. In the past, |
| desired by us humans. With the success of purposeful | | | | these horses were used for war. They were also |
| breeding, more horses are now bred in planned ways | | | | used for carrying and pulling heavy loads. Heavy |
| to meet specific needs. A widely known example is | | | | horses are therefore ideal for farm work. They are |
| the racing horses. In fact, there are different registries | | | | large but have well-formed, powerful muscles, |
| around the world that document the various horse | | | | shoulders and legs. Heavy horse breeds include Shire, |
| breeds. | | | | Clydesdale, Percheron and Lipizzaner. |
| To know about the different horse breeds is probably | | | | Keep in mind that even within the same group, |
| a hard mission for an average person, but a true | | | | different horse breeds can carry very different traits. |
| horse-lover can usually tell a lot of the breeds. This is | | | | Hence, it is always important to understand what sets |
| especially true for someone who is fond of horse | | | | your horse breed apart from the rest. |
| racing or simply would like to get himself a horse. | | | | |