September 20, 2010

MY FAVORITE HORSE BREEDS ~ QUARTER HORSE BY DARBY American Quarter Horse!!!!! Why I Like Them: They are a sweet, good natured, all around horse breed. The are also very beautiful, and come in almost any coloring. History: Back in the late 1700’s the colonists came across a horse breed that combined the English horses with the Chickasaw breed, which was a descendent of the Arabia and Barb, brought into the southeast United States by the Spanish Conquistadors. What they had was a small, sturdy horse that was quick and nimble and showed signs of superior intelligence and a willingness to work. As flat land horse racing became popular, this fast animal, achieving speeds of up to 55 miles per hour over short distances soon dominated the quarter mile track and was aptly named the quarter miler, or quarter horse. As the quarter horse breed continued to gain popularity, its gentle nature led it to be used as a riding horse and due to its strength was soon performing other work on many of the early farms. The breed seemed to have a natural instinct for working around cattle as well. When the settlers began surging west in the 1800’s, the quarter horse breed was the horse of choice of the early cowboys, being used for cattle round-up due to their speed and agile maneuverability and quickly became the horses that cowboys counted on for their daily duties on cattle ranches. As with most activities undertaken by the early cowboys, the duties performed by them and their horses, quickly turned into competition, setting the stage for rodeo riding, and the quarter horse breed excelled at calf roping, team roping and barrel racing. ~~~ Facts: 1. The AQH has a small straight head, with alert eyes and ears. 2. The horse has a big, wide, broad chest. 3. The AQH can be used for any riding, from Western Ranch Sorting and Team Roping to Ausstralian Equitation. 4. The American Quarter Horse is one of the most versatile breeds, with affinities for racing, working, and riding. The Quarter Horse outnumbers every other breed of horse in the world. With a registry of over a million registered horses he is popular everywhere. The AQHA has been registering horses since the 1940s which is a relatively short amount of time compared to the much older Arabian breed. ~~~ Movies: Work'n Quarterhorse: Ranch Horse (Part 1), Casey's Shadow, The Winning Halter Horse Books: The American Quarter Horse: An Introduction To Selection, Care and Enjoyment, American Quarter Horse Journal, Horse Diaries #3: Koda, Legends: Outstanding Quarter Horse Stallions and Mares (Volume 1) Photos: Thanks, Darby!! This was a great idea for a column, Lisbeth! We love the Arabian and the Quarter Horse, too! Your Horse Pals, @raya and @very
MY FAVORITE HORSE BREEDS ~ BASHKIR CURLY HORSE BY ERICA Hey Araya, I wrote this report for school but I wanted to share it with all the horse pals too! ~Erica The Bashkir Curly Horse The American Bashkir Curly is a breed of horse. The exact origin is a mystery, but many believe that a herd was discovered in around 1898 in central Nevada by ranchers. The ranchers rounded them up along with other mustangs and trained them to be ranch horses. They were proven to be much easier and faster to train than the mustangs. They were also hardier, to survive even the fiercest winters. The ranchers then began breeding from the Curlies to improve their ranch. Also, some curly coated horses are mentioned in American Indian pictograms, dating back to the early 1800's. The Curly is unique in many ways. It is the only hypoallergenic horse breed. That means that people who are allergic to horses usually suffer no allergic reaction when with the Curly. It is also unique because of its curly coat. The body can range from curls in just certain points on the body to tight curls all over. They have a double main that falls on either sides of their neck in tight ringlets. Some of their coat is shed in the summer so the curls are more easily seen in the winter. Because the curly hair is dominate, crossbreeding often creates a curly coated foal. The Curlies coat can come in all colors and their size can range from mini’s, to draft sized horses, though the most typical hight for the curly is 15 hands high. It’s build is a heavy head with a wide forehead and a short muscular neck, it is stout, but has a well proportioned body. This horse is mainly used for riding and can do most all disciplines, from the precise movements of dressage, to sports like jumping and mounted games. Some are showing that the breed can even go the distance needed for Endurance riding. They can also handle the quick maneuvers needed for reining and other western sports. They have also been used for driving. Curlies have excelled at higher levels of some of these disciplines too. Racing and high stepping Park horses are the only 2 disciplines that the curly hasn’t been breed for. Some Curlies are also used for agriculture and work on cattle ranches. The horse has a very calm tractable disposition and are willing and want to please their rider. Because of this they have excelled in so many different disciplines. Also because of their calm, easy going nature they are good for beginners learning to ride who haven't been able to ride other horses because of their allergies. All in all they are easy keepers and do well living outside. They require normal care and can often go without shoes. Curlies are used for various disciplines, they have a unique and beautiful curly coat and are the only hypoallergenic horse breed. They are a good natured, willing and well rounded breed.

Araya & Avery


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