The History of Horse Racing:
The competitive racing of horses is one of humankind's most ancient sports, having its origins among the prehistoric nomadic tribesmen of Central Asia who first domesticated the horse about 4500 BC. For thousands of years, horse racing flourished as the sport of kings and the nobility. Modern racing, however, exists primarily because it is a major venue for legalized gambling.
Physical features:
Clydesdale horses usually stand about 16 to 18 hands high. In the horse world, a hand is 4 inches. It was a convenient way to measure a horse without a yardstick. They measure from the ground up to the horse's withers, which is the high part of its back between the shoulder blades. That means these heavy animals are quite large!
Clydesdales may weigh anywhere from 1700 lbs. to 2000 lbs. The majority of them are solid colored bay or brown with four white legs. The soft hair around their feet are called "featherings" and is a distinctive feature of the Clydesdales.
Facts About Horses:
Depending on breed, management and environment, the domestic horse today has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years. It is uncommon, but a few horses live into their 40s, and, occasionally, beyond. The oldest verifiable record was "Old Billy," a horse that lived in the 19th century to the age of 62. The size of horses varies by breed, but can also be influenced by nutrition. The general rule for cutoff in height between what is considered a horse and a pony at maturity is 14.2 hands(h or hh) (147 cm, 58 inches) as measured at the withers. An animal 14.2h or over is usually considered a horse and one less than 14.2h is a pony.
However, there are exceptions to the general rule. Some smaller horse breeds who typically produce individual horses both under and over 14.2h are considered "horses" regardless of height. Likewise, some pony breeds, such as the Pony of the Americas or the Welsh cob, share some features of horses and individual animals may occasionally mature at over 14.2h, but are still considered ponies. The difference between a horse and pony is not simply a height difference, but also a difference in phenotype or appearance. There are noticeable differences in conformation and temperament. Ponies often exhibit thicker manes, tails and overall coat. They also have proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavy bone, thick necks, and short heads with broad foreheads.
Light horses such as Arabians, Morgans, Quarter Horses, Paints and Thoroughbreds usually range in height from 14.0 (142 cm) to 16.0 hands (163 cm) and can weigh from 386 kg (850 lbs) to about 680 kg (1500 lbs). Heavy or draft horses such as the Clydesdale, Belgian, Percheron, and Shire are usually at least 16.0 (163 cm) to 18.0 hands (183 cm) high and can weigh from about 682 kg (1500 lb) up to about 900 kg (2000 lb). Ponies are less than 14.2h, but can be much smaller, down to the Shetland pony at around 10 hands, and the Falabella which can be the size of a medium-sized dog. The miniature horse is as small as or smaller than either of the aforementioned ponies but are classified as very small horses rather than ponies despite their size. The largest horse in history was a Shire horse named Sampson, later renamed Mammoth, foaled in 1846 in Bedfordshire, England. He stood 21.2½ hands high (i.e. 7 ft 2½ in or 2.20 m ), and his peak weight was estimated at over 3,300 lb (approx 1.5 tonnes). The current record holder for the world's smallest horse is Thumbelina, a fully mature miniature horse affected by dwarfism. She is 17 inches tall and weighs 60 pounds.
Horse breeding:
Pregnancy lasts for approximately 335-340 days and usually results in one foal (male: colt, female: filly). Twins are rare. Colts are usually carried 2-7 days longer than fillies. Females 4 years and over are called mares and males are stallions. A castrated male is a gelding. Horses, particularly colts, may sometimes be physically capable of reproduction at approximately 18 months but in practice are rarely allowed to breed until a minimum age of 3 years, especially females. Horses four years old are considered mature, though the skeleton usually finishes developing at the age of six, and the precise time of completion of development also depends on the horse's size (therefore a connection to breed exists), gender, and the quality of care provided by its owner.
Also, if the horse is larger, its bones are larger; therefore, not only do the bones take longer to actually form bone tissue (bones are made of cartilage in earlier stages of bone formation), but the epiphyseal plates (plates that fuse a bone into one piece by connecting the bone shaft to the bone ends) are also larger and take longer to convert from cartilage to bone as well. These plates convert after the other parts of the bones do but are crucial to development.
Depending on maturity, breed and the tasks expected, young horses are usually put under saddle and trained to be ridden between the ages of two and four. Although Thoroughbred and American Quarter Horse race horses are put on the track at as young as two years old in some countries (notably the United States), horses specifically bred for sports such as show jumping and dressage are generally not entered into top-level competition until a minimum age of four years old, because their bones and muscles are not solidly developed, nor is their advanced training complete.
Horses are adapted to grazing, so their teeth continue to grow throughout life. There are 12 teeth (six upper and six lower), the incisors, adapted to biting off the grass or other vegetation, at the front of the mouth, and 24 teeth, the premolar and molars, adapted for chewing, at the back of the mouth. Stallions and geldings have four additional teeth just behind the incisors, a type of canine teeth that are called "tushes." Some horses, both male and female, will also develop one to four very small vestigial teeth in front of the molars, known as "wolf" teeth, which are generally removed because they can interfere with the bit. There is an empty interdental space between the incisors and the molars where the bit rests directly on the bars (gums) of the horse's mouth when the horse is bridled.
The incisors show a distinct wear and growth pattern as the horse ages, as well as change in the angle at which the chewing surfaces meet, and while the diet and veterinary care of the horse can affect the rate of tooth wear, a very rough estimate of the age of a horse can be made by looking at its teeth.
A Horse Is A Horse When...
· A horse is usually not considered to be a "horse" until it is 5 years old. Before that, males are known as colts and females are known as fillies. However, it is still acceptable to call a colt or filly a horse.
· A foal is a very young horse and can be either male or female.
Horse Facts: Height
· Horses height is measured in units known as "hands." One hand is equal to 4 inches.
· A horse is usually considered to be 14.2 (14 hands, 2 inches) or taller when mature.
· Anything under 14.2 when mature is usually considered to be a pony.
Police using a horse trailer to catch speeding motorists Featured :
Police Officers in North Wales UK are using a horsebox parked by the side of the road to hide a speed camera. The horse trailer with 2 officers inside was parked near Llanrwst in the Conwy Valley last Sunday. The Police, renowned for its campaign against speeding would not comment on its use but said enforcement activity would increase as the days lengthen. . The road has a 60mph limit but is renowned for speeding. The chief constable of North Wales Police, Richard Brunstrom has previously admitted an "obsession" with tackling speeding motorists. Last year speed cameras in north Wales caught 55,704 offenders. Another 5,610 were caught by officers with hand-held laser devices.
History Of The Arab / Arabian Horse:
The Arab or Arabian horse originates from the desert lands of Asia and the most famous are the horses of the Bedouin Arabs, known as the Original or Elite Arab. Through selective breeding the Bedouins developed an Arab horse which was tough and yet beautiful. It was these Arab horses that were used as a calvary horse by the Moslems and taken to North Africa and into Spain and France. Many Arab horses were left behind when the Moslems left and were left to breed with local horses creating such breeds as the Andalusian horse. The UK imported Arab horses in the late nineteeth and early twentieth century from Arabia.
Height Of The Arab / Arabian Horse:
The Arab horse stands 14.1 to 15 hh.
Colour Of The Arab / Arabian Horse
Arab horses are most usually bay or chestnut but grey is also seen.
Breed Characteristics Of The Arab / Arabian Horse
The Arab horse has a small head with concave profile, large eyes and small muzzle, arched neck, sloping shoulder, strong level back, strong hindquarters, strong legs. Tail carried high, fast and free action, plenty of stamina.
Temperament Of The Arab / Arabian Horse
Arab horses are brave, spirited and intelligent.
Uses Of The Arab / Arabian Horse
The Arab horse is used as a general riding horse, for horse racing, and is particularly suited to endurance
Kinds of hourse:
There are about seventy horse breed registries in the U.S. The two largest are the Jockey Club [thoroughbreds] and the American Quarter horse Association. Other countries have their own organizations. A registry is a listing of horses that includes the names of the horse's father [sire] and mother [dam]. The listing will also include grand and great-grand parents plus any other important information about the horse's ancestry. . There are different breeds of horses that are raised for different kinds of jobs. Some of these jobs might be:
Race horses that will race alone or pull sulkies [trotters] or jump.
Farm horses that will be ridden or work around the farm.
Ranch horses that will cut cattle from herds
Pleasure horses just to ride.
Show horses that are taken to horse shows and get trained to do different moves.
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