D15 Breeds and Classes of Horses

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Lesson Outline

Breeds

Classification

Types and Uses

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Breeds

After generations, as breeders selected and bred for desirable traits, a breed of horses developed.

A breed is defined as a group of horses with common ancestry that breed to produce common characteristics.

World wide about 300 breeds of horses exist. Many breeds of horses started with a foundation sire. For those

breeds, all registered foals must be able to trace their ancestry back to these stallions.

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Three foundation stallions make up the thoroughbred Darley Arabian Byerly Turk Godolphin Arabian

Justin Morgan is the foundation sire for the Morgan breed. Allen F-1, a Morgan stallion, was the foundation sire for the

Tennessee walking horse. Morgan stallions also contributed to the development of the

standard bred, quarter horse, American albino, and Palomino breeds.

Breeds

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Horse Breeds

The five most popular horse breeds in the world: 1. The American Quarter Horse 2. The American Paint Horse 3. The Arabian Horse 4. The Thoroughbred Horse 5. The Appaloosa Horse

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Certain breeds were developed with color requirements. For some the only registry requirement is color.

Palomino was the first color breed. Others include… Appaloosas Albinos Paints Pintos Buckskins Whites Cremes Spotted

Breeds

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Classification

Horses are also classified according to size, weight, build and use The common measurement for horses is the hand. A hand is equal

to four inches. The height of the horse is measured from the top of the withers to

the ground. A horse that is 15 hands is 60 inches or 5 feet at the withers.

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Light Horses

Light horses are 14.2 to 17.2 hands high and weigh 900 to 1400 pounds.

They are used for riding , driving, showing, racing, or farm and ranch work.

Light horses are more agile and can travel at greater speeds than draft horses.

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Draft Horses

Draft horses are 14.2 to 17.2 hands high and weigh 1400 pounds or more.

They are used for heavy work and for pulling loads.

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Ponies

Ponies stand under 14.2 hands and weigh 500 to 900 pounds Ponies are generally draft, heavy harness, or saddle type.

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Breeds

Horses are also classified based on there origin of breeding and temperament.

The three classifications are… Cold bloods Hot bloods Warm bloods

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Cold Bloods

In the northern regions of the world, the climate produced lush pastures. The horses that lived there became heavy, strong and slow moving. To help them survive the freezing weather conditions in winter, nature equipped these horses with long hair, a thick skin and a layer of fat underneath it.

Most of the work and heavy draught horses of today fall into the category of cold-bloods.

Cold blood horses generally have a very calm temperament.

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Hot Bloods

Hot-bloods developed quite differently from their northern relatives. In the south, where they lived, there were less extremes of climate. As a consequence, the southern horses had thin coats to keep them cool and comfortable in the hottest of weather.

Food was in short supply, so the horses learned to survive from poor grazing. which made them lighter. There were often few places for them to hide in times of trouble, so they became swift to escape their predators.

Hot bloods are light boned, fast and agile, and highly spirited. Most horses with Arabian breeding fit this classification. Thoroughbreds are another example.

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Warm Bloods

The warmbloods are a combination of hot and cold blooded breeds Warmbloods are also lighter horses used for riding. They may not

have the fiery temperament and may have a little more size than the hot bloods.

The seven most common warmbloods: Hanoverian, Holsteiner, Oldenburg, Selle Francais, Swedish Warmblood, Trakehner, Dutch Warmblood.

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Types and Uses

Riding horses are generally thought of as the gaited horses, stock horses, and horses used for equine sport.

Driving horses and ponies are used as heavy and fine harness horses and ponies.

All-purpose horses are used for family enjoyment, showing and ranch work.

Miniature horses are used for driving and as pets. Registered miniature horses are no more than 34 inches at the withers.

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Donkeys

Breeds registered by the American Donkey and Mule Society include the following:

The Mammoth or American Standard Jack The Large Standard or Spanish Donkey The Standard Donkey or Burro The Miniature Mediterranean Donkey The American Spotted Ass.

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Mammoth Donkeys

Mammoth Donkeys are a blend of several breeds imported to the U.S. in the 1800’s from Southern Europe.

They are the largest of the asses, with the jacks being 56 inches or more high.

The foundation sire was a jack named Mammoth whose name was given to the breed.

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Donkeys

The Spanish donkeys stand between 48 and 56 inches tall.

Burros or the Standard donkey, stand between 36 and 48 inches tall.

The miniature Mediterranean donkey, imported from Sicily and Sardinia, must stand under 36 inches to qualify for registry.

Height restriction is the only requirement for registration by the American Donkey and Mule Society.

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Donkeys

Miniature donkeys are not only used as pets, they are also used as companions to foals at weaning time to reduce the foal’s stress.

Miniature donkeys are also used to calm nervous horses, and they are placed in stalls with horses who are recovering from surgery.

They do not take up much room or eat much, and they have a great calming effect on horses.

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Donkeys

One characteristic unique to donkeys is the black cross found on all donkeys.

It consists of a dorsal stripe from the main to the tail and a cross stripe between the withers.

Both donkeys and mules lack the horse’s calluses or chestnuts on the hind legs.

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Mules

A mule is a cross between a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare).

A hinny is a cross between a female donkey (a jenny) and a male horse (a stallion). A hinny is similar to a mule but is smaller and more horse like with shorter ears and a longer head.

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A mule has a shorter, thicker head than a horse, long ears and the braying voice of the donkey.

The most noticeable points are its long ears and short thin mane, which may stand upright like a donkey's or be a little longer and flop over. The withers are low or non-existent, the back flat, the body flat-sided with weaker quarters than the horse, and also narrower and less deep-shouldered. The legs are, like the donkey's, straight, with small, hard, dense, upright, straight-sided hooves. The head is a little narrower than the donkey's, but otherwise very similar.

Mules

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Mules

Hinnies are more difficult to get than mules. While mules may display normal sex drive they are 98 or 99 %

sterile. The reason they are sterile is because of an imbalance in the

chromosome makeup of a mule. Donkeys have 62 chromosomes Horses have 64 chromosomes

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Mules

When a horse mates with a donkey, the stallion contributes ½ of his chromosomes (32) and the jenny contributes ½ of her chromosomes (31).

Combined they produce a mule that has 63 chromosomes, an odd number which makes the offspring sterile.

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Mules

Mules are classified as … Draft Pack/Work Saddle Driving Jumping Miniature The type of mule produced depends on the breed of horse and

donkey used to produce the mule.

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A male mule is called a john A female mule is called a molly Mules having hybrid vigor can grow taller than both parents.

Weight for weight they are stronger than horses, and are much longer-lived, although they mature slightly later. They rarely become ill or lame, have better feet and can often go without shoes where horses could not. Mules can withstand extremes of temperature, can live on frugal rations, have tremendous stamina and are exceptionally sure-footed.

Mules

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Mules have a reputation for being obstinate and bad-tempered, but as with donkeys, the mule's legendary stubbornness is in fact a manifestation of its talent for self-preservation.

If a mule takes care of itself, then it follows that it is also taking great care of its cargo, human or otherwise. It is easy to understand why mules are chosen rather than horses to take tourists down the Grand Canyon.

Mules

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The reputation for bad temper is due to the mule's untrusting nature. Until it has learned to trust a person, the animal is worried that the person may do it harm, and will take defensive action by kicking them, should it feel the occasion merits it. And mules are splendid kickers, They kick fast and accurately and rarely miss.

A mule’s temperament suggests that you cannot force him to do anything, but must persuade him, or organize his work so that he is only asked to do those things which he will want to do. Failure to appreciate this has led to many a battle between man and mule, and to the mule's bad reputation.

Mules