The entire range of horses known to us, from the mighty carthorse down to the smallest ponies, is the result of human breeding. Speed and agility are two examples of traits humans strongly preferred for horses. Some genes from modern horses are completely absent in ancient horses, which leaves geneticists to believe that many forms of the domesticated horse arose from mutations. There are hundreds of mutations that have been discovered as a result of domestication. A single gene mutation in horses can endow them with a wider repertoire of gaits. For example, the three typical styles of horse gaits include the walk, trot and gallop. However, certain breeds can perform an extra gait called pacing in which the legs on one side of the body move together. The American Standardbred and some Icelandic horses can pace, which is useful in certain types of
The entire range of horses known to us, from the mighty carthorse down to the smallest ponies, is the result of human breeding. Speed and agility are two examples of traits humans strongly preferred for horses. Some genes from modern horses are completely absent in ancient horses, which leaves geneticists to believe that many forms of the domesticated horse arose from mutations. There are hundreds of mutations that have been discovered as a result of domestication. A single gene mutation in horses can endow them with a wider repertoire of gaits. For example, the three typical styles of horse gaits include the walk, trot and gallop. However, certain breeds can perform an extra gait called pacing in which the legs on one side of the body move together. The American Standardbred and some Icelandic horses can pace, which is useful in certain types of