Have you seen those beautiful animals running in fields?  Those are horses of course.  These animals are not just in one large group their in several groups.  All of these groups have different names and different past.  They are also built differently.  You will learn how to care for them and their behaviors.  Also a few of the ones that were popular back in the 1800s.

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      Water is important to horses in many ways. After a strenuous exercise they need to be sponged or hosed down.  You need to use tepid water to cool them off.  Cold water can make them uncomfortable, it can also stiffen their muscles.  The horse needs to take sips of good quality water.  Horses drink eight to twelve gallons a day (Burns). The source of the water needs to be checked daily, because ponds can become stagnant, and automatic water can malfunction.  But if you were to use a automatic water you would not know if horse was ill as soon (Burns).  They could malfunction, leaving horse without water for days.  It could break flooding paddock, or stall.  It is dangerous if horse has more access to more water.  They could get bloated which could make them very sick.

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          It is  important to understand certain behaviors when dealing with a horse.  Biting and nipping is important (Jones).  Snaps at the air means that the horse is nervous.  Sometimes they can become nervous by the way their being groomed or how the girth was tighten.  If they start biting they need social contact.  Never beat this out of your horse, the horse can retaliate.  If your horse starts refusing the bit, check their teeth.  If the horse is two years or younger they might have a cap.  But if the horse is older than two years, they might have a jagged tooth or an infection (Jones).  Horses are fine with clipping to a point.  Some are clipp-phobic.  All that means is that it is sensitive to grooming.  You will notice when they hold their breath when you get close to their head (Jones).  Sometimes you might see a twitch.  Some might go crazy and need to be tranquilized.  If you  start to get onto the horse, and they sink their back or hump their backs, then they have cold-back.  To avoid this you need to properly prepare their backs.  Slowly introduce the riding equipment at a young age, if you do not slowly introduce or warm the horses backs up before it will stay for a really long time.

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         The American Quarter is beautiful with an interesting backstory.  The first quarter horse was being bred by the Chickasaw Indians.  When the Europeans came they bred the horse with a North African Barb and a native stock.  They were crossed as early as 1611 (American Quarter Horse).  In the American Revolution, thoroughbreds gained upper hand, at the Atlantic Seaboard.  They were breeding for sleek, tall horses (American Quarter Horse).  The breed was revolutionized by the horse the Godolphin Arabian.  Then came John Randolph's imported grandson named Janus.  These horses were bred together to make the American Quarter Horse prototype.  Sir Archy was an imported stallion, he foaled in 1805.  The final breed was a mustang.  Janus, Sir Archy, a Printer, and Tiger, the mustang is what makes the Quarter Horse unique.  The importance was shown on the open range or in the trail driving era.  In 1844 after five years the great horse Shiloh was born.  Shiloh had a son out of the great Steel Dust.

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           The paint horse was called many breeds over the years.  It is a combination of a western stock and a pinto.  Diaz del Castillo described one horse as a, “pinto with white stockings.”  Others described is as a “Dark roan horse” with white patones (Horsepedia).  Stock types make excellent help for riding and ranch work.  They represent and display remarkable refinement and beauty.  This breed has a distinctive stock body (Horsepedia).  The coat are the basic colors, with splashes of paint.  The paint has three color classifications tobiano, overo, tovero, the horse needs all of these characteristics to be classified as a paint.  These horses  are very intelligent and easy to train.

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           There are many breeds that were popular in the 1800s here are a couple.  The Morgan was brought as a two year old stallion acquired by a teacher in 1791.  Morgans were draft horses after the Civil War.  They almost died out in the 1870s.  The Appaloosa was bred by the skilled horse breeders the Nez-Perce Indians.  Produced by equines that were suited for war and hunting (Clemmons).  The Arabian was a gift brought here in 1877.  He was sent by the Sultan of Turkey, the  gift was a pair of stallions.  They were given to General Ulysses Grant who bred them with a Arabian mare.  The Missouri Fox Trotter developed in the Ozark Mountains.  It is a mixture of a Morgan, thoroughbred, and Arabian.  Also had some Tennessee walker, and a Standard bred.  They excelled in plowing, hauling logs, and working in the fields.  They were the favorite of Sheriffs and marshals (Clemmons).  They were a favorite because they could go at a fast pace for five to eight miles without tiring.

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           Now you know more about these beautiful creatures.  You learned how to care for them with water and their behaviors.  You know some of the most fasinating facts about some of the popular ones.  With their sleek body’s they probably could do anything.  So the next time you see a horse on TV or out in the fields you might be able to name the horse.

other cites

most common: http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-horse-is-horse-breeds-common-in-old.html

 

the paint horse: https://www.breyerhorses.com/American_Paint_Horse

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the Quarter Horse: https://www.breyerhorses.com/index.php?pageId=642

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Work Cited

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“A Horse Is a Horse: Breeds Common in the Old West." Sweethearts Of The West. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2017.

 

Burns, Deborah. Storey's Horse-lover's Encyclopedia: An English & Western A-to-Z Guide. Pownal, VT: Storey, 2001. Print.

 

"Breyer." American Paint Horse. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2017.

 

"Breyer." American Quarter Horse. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Tellington, Linda Jones. The Ultimate Horse Behavior and Training Book. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.