So what is the big deal with horse breeds? A horse is a horse of course of course. Right? Well, not exactly. There are more horse breeds than you can count. We're just going to touch on a few examples here, otherwise we're going to need a book about 2000 pages long.
Let's dive right in.
Examining
Horse Breeds from A to Z
For example, and we'll
just start with the letter A, there is the Australian Stock Horse.
This is one of those horse breeds that arose from selective breeding due to the demands of the environment. The history of this
breed actually began in 1788.
When the first horse
breeds were brought to Eastern Australia by the First Fleet.
These horses were of mixed English Thoroughbred and Spanish stock and
they were hardy enough horses that they were a perfect choice for the
cavalry.
Moving along to horse breeds that start with
the letter B, we have the Basotho Pony. This horse is found only in
Lesotho, which is in South Africa. The horse is used almost
exclusively for riding. The breed itself was developed sometime
after 1825 from the Cape Horse.
A Breed That Almost Disappeared
By the start of the 20th
century this breed almost completely disappeared due to exporting of
the horses and cross breeding with Arab and Thoroughbred horses.
Fortunately, during the later part of the 20th century, a society was
formed to revive the breed.
One of the most famous horse
breeds starting with the letter C is the Clydesdale. This horse
was developed in a district of Scotland. It is a heavy draft horse
breed.
The breed itself was developed by farmers in Lanarkshire, which is the old name for Clydesdale. This horse was mainly bred to meet the agricultural needs of farmers. The Clydesdale is a real work horse. Make no mistake about that.
Horse
Breeds That Begin with the Letter D
The letter D
gives us the Dartmoor Pony. This horse is one of nine horse
breeds that are specific to the British Isles. This particular
breed comes from a barren moorland called Dartmoor, which is located
in Devon, England.
These are very old horses
which go all the way back to the reign of King Henry I. Today,
Dartmoor Ponies are found all over Great Britain as well as countries
like France, Sweden and Germany.
Moving along to horse
breeds starting with the letter E, we have the Eriskay Pony.
This particular pony is the only surviving variety of the Hebridean
pony. It is found on the Hebrides Islands off the coast of Scotland.
Today this particular breed of pony is almost extinct.
Horses of Ancient Origin
Recent DNA testing of
these animals show that they are of very ancient origin. These
horses are mostly used for transportation and common chores such as
pulling carts and even taking children to school.
And in case
you are wondering, yes there are horse breeds that begin with
the letter Z. One of them is the Zaniskari Pony, which is found in
Northern India. This particular breed is what is called a riding and
pack breed.
More
Horse Breeds Than You Can Imagine
Yes, there are
more horse breeds than you can possibly imagine. If you're
interested in doing more research on horse breeds you can do
so by going to http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/ You'll have
enough to read to keep you busy for many years to come.
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