Straight From the Horse’s Mouth

I was walking in the beautiful countryside around Middleham in North Yorkshire recently and was quite surprised at the number of race horses that were trotting through the town centre. I later found out that because of the wide open spaces around those parts there were several racing stables nearby, I decided to find out a little more about this much –revered creature. It’s quite difficult to pinpoint when man first began to domesticate and train, what was essentially a wild beast of the open plains, – the horse. It is thought however, that it had started by 4000BC and was quite widespread by 3000BC. Nowadays horses are used for leisure activities, working purposes and sports. Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on the temperament of the animal: spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance; "cold bloods", such as draft horses and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work; and "warmbloods", developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe. Hot bloods tend to be spirited, bold, and learn quickly. They are bred for agility and speed. They tend to be physically refined—thin-skinned, slim, and long-legged. The original oriental breeds were brought from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe where these traits were bred into racing and light cavalry horses. Muscular, heavy draft horses are known as "cold bloods", as they are bred not only for strength, but also to have the calm, patient temperament needed to pull a plough or a heavy carriage full of people, they are sometimes nicknamed "gentle giants". "Warmblood" breeds developed when European carriage and war horses were crossed with Arabians or Thoroughbreds, producing a riding horse with more refinement than a draft horse, but greater size and milder temperament than a lighter breed. There are more than 300 breeds of horses in the world today, developed for many different uses. These breeds evolved out of the necessity to develop certain characteristics in order to perform a particular type of work. For example the powerful but refined breed, the Andalusian developed as a riding horse with an aptitude for dressage. Heavy draft horses developed out of a need to perform demanding farm work and pull heavy wagons. Other horse breeds developed specifically for light agricultural work, carriage and road work, various sport disciplines, or simply as pets. Historically, equestrians practised their skills through games and races. Equestrian sports provided entertainment for crowds and honed the excellent horsemanship that was needed in battle. Many sports, such as dressage, eventing and show jumping, have origins in military training, which were focused on control and balance of both horse and rider. Sport hunting from horseback evolved from earlier practical hunting techniques. Horse racing of all types evolved from impromptu competitions between riders or drivers. All forms of competition, requiring demanding and specialised skills from both horse and rider, resulted in the systematic development of specialised breeds and equipment for each sport. There are certain jobs that horses do very well, and no technology has yet developed to fully replace them. For example, mounted police horses are still effective for certain types of patrol duties and crowd control. Cattle ranches still require riders on horseback to round up cattle that are scattered across remote, rugged terrain. Search and rescue organisations in some countries depend upon mounted teams to locate people and to provide disaster relief assistance. So there you have it, a very brief history of horse breeding and equestrianism, I shall think more of those horses and how they were bred into perfect specimens next time I am walking in that area.

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