Horse Classification Paper

Everyone saw the Clysdale horses on the super bowl commercial, and Ill bet everyone looked at them in wonderment at their size, beauty, and grace of those horses. Millions of people bet on Thourobreds as they race down the track, their slender bodies flattened out against the wind, and don?t even know that there are other type of racing, using different horses. And lastly has anyone besides me ever marveled at the nimbleness, or the graceful way Arabian prance around and never seem to loose their breath? These three different types of horses that I just mentioned are the three categories in which horses are classified today, the Workhorse, the Racehorse, and the Endurance horse.

The workhorse, more commonly known as the Draft horse is a horse with little use in today?s world. Back before farm machinery, these massive horses were used to pull wagons filled with children and families; plows through muddy fields, and pull stumps out of the land. Since these horses have been replaced, they can only be seen pulling small carriages, for wedding couples, or formals dances, or in pulling contests where team s are hitched to a machine called a Dynamometer, which measures in pounds a team can pull. Or they participate in shows, where owners prance their horses around judges to be judged on their beauty and size. Draft horses can be anywhere from six to twelve feet tall, and weigh in excess of 2 tons. They have heavy feathering on their feet to protect them from coarse bog grasses, and muddy swampy ground. The smallest breed of draft horse is the clysdale standing on average just over six feet tall. The clysdale is used more for shows, because of its attractive gaits, and can also be used for light urban work. Because of this their shape is slighter than its antithesis, the Shire. The shire is the biggest, broadest horse in the world, he often grows close to if not exceeding ten or eleven feet tall, and can weigh over two tons, and have no fat to spare. No matter how big the size, the Draft breed is know for its docile, and all business temperament. These horses, despite their massive size, are gentle, and ready to earn honest days worth of food.

The word ?Racehorse? has become synonymous with the word ?Thoroughbred? And although Thoroughbreds make up the majority of the racing world, they are not the only horse used. Thoroughbreds are used mainly in distances less than a mile long. They are tall and gangly, no bulging muscle, just smooth, streamlined bodies, and long legs, to eat up the ground. They are rather unrefined, and have jittery, temperamental personality, which is characteristic of their breed. Another type of racing is quarter mile racing in which Quarter horses are used. Quarter horses are mainly used for pleasure, and recreation riding, but when it comes to racing, they are the fastest piece of horseflesh for a Quarter of a mile. They are stoutly made, being compared to a bulldog. They had bunching shoulder muscles, and muscular hindquarters, and broad muscled heads.

The last type of racing is endurance, and this involves the Arabian, the best, most graceful most spirited breed, above the rest, in my opinion. Arabian are the oldest domesticated species in the world. Arabians originated in Arabia, said to have been created my Allah?s own breath, they called her Banat er Rih, or daughter of the wind. This phrase given to the breed best describes them. Fleet of foot, and light at heart these delicate little horses danced and pranced their way into Americans hearts. Raised in Arabian under the hot sun, their skin, under their coats, instead of being normally pink, is jet black, to protect them from the sun. Their legs are slender, lightly boned, and delicate. The y has small bodies, al in perfect proportion, with arched necks, and exquisitely detailed heads. Their fiery eyes tell anyone who looks in to them, about their disposition, fiery and high strung. For these reasons, these horses are perfectly suited for long grueling treks under hot sun and little water.

The last category is the pleasure horse. Pleasure horses are still being used today, the same way they were when they originated, for riding around, back and forth between houses or barns. The quintessence of pleasure horses is the Tennessee walking horse. This horse has three gaits, the walk the Running walk, and the refined gallop. The Walker, for short, was bread for smooth sustained travel, meant to pleasure the rider, and his gaits reflect that. The running walk is so smooth that the rider can hold a cup of water in his palm, and not spill a drop. The refined Gallop is the fastest of the three gaits, having a high rolling joyousness about it. The horse?s appearance reflects the smoothness of its gates. Its elongated body can accommodate more that one person comfortable, and they are well muscled, but nothing bulky or uncessary. Their patience, and complacent temperament, makes them a joy for anyone to have around.

So the next time your at Fairmount looking at the Thoroubregs, or watching the Budweiser horses, think about them, their beauty and grace, and the wild freedom that you can every once in awhile catch a glint of in their eye.