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Video of Andalusian horses
I have spoiled my readers a bit; after a breed post, soon another will follow with videos of that breed. So, today I would like to show you an absolutely beautiful video of Andalusian horses being trained for dressage. OMG, OMG, I just loved it! So, here we go:
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What is a draft horse?
The draft horse (or drought horse, or dray horse, or working horse, or heavy horse) is bred for hard farm labor, used since the pre-industrial era. Today it’s used for a wide variety of purposes, including crossbreeding for the production of sport horses, farming, logging and recreation. Although they are mainly carriage horses, they are ofted ridden. The physiology of this equine species is quite special; heavy, strong, patient, obedient, tall and also extraordinarily muscular. The shoulder is upright, the lower leg is heavily feathered, the back is short and broad and the bones are heavy. These are the characteristics making it an impressive and hard-working carriage animal. The metabolism…
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A leopard’s coat: The Apaloosa
Today I have been exploring the special Appaloosa breed. The Appaloosa is an American horse known for the beautiful, leopard-spotted pattern on its coat.It is considered the most popular stock horse in the United States and is mostly used in western riding riding disciplines. From prehistorical cave artwork in Europe it is assumed that the Appaloosa has lived in the old continent as well. Similar artwork has been found in China. The original, American Appaloosa is claimed to have been bred by the Nez Perce, a native American population who lived in the Pacific Northwest. It is also claimed that the numbers of the original breed dramatically fell as a…
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The beauty challenge: grooming a friesian horse!
All creatures have the right to beauty and horses are no exception, especially when they participate in shows. We want them clean, shiny and impressive at special occasions. Besides, it is also a matter of hygiene, preventing funghi and bacteria. Problems that add to the costs’ part of the owner’s budget. If you are not too enthusiastic about grooming, then a friesian horse is probably not for you. Yes, it’s all this hair that it carries. And imagine all this hairy stuff getting sweaty and messy in summer, at high temperatures (42 celcius, for example). You don’t want a stinky horse, that carries loads of organisms that you can’t see,…
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The Cretan horse breed
Someone has said the Cretan horse “doesn’t waste the time of those who waste its own time”. This is just one of the comments about the special characteristics of Crete’s indigenous equine breed. The Cretan horse is also called “Georgalidikon”, or “Messaritikon”, and is very different to any other breeds that I am aware of. It has been used in rural work, commerce and warfare, its glorious moments unfolding during World War II. Many of them were used for the defense operation of the Greeks against the Italians in Epirus and some of them -though very few- returned alive. But in general, Cretan horses were used throughout the Greek territory…