The largest breed of draft horse in the world is the English Shire Horse, which originated in the central shires of England. Members of this breed have been recorded up to 23 hands high or 7.5 feet tall measured at the withers and weighing nearly 3 tons. The Shire has been known by many names, such as the Great Horse, Giant Horse of Lincolnshire, English Cart Horse, War Horse and Large Black English Horse.
The origin of the Shire breed is lost in the mists of antiquity, which is true for many breeds, but it is believed that it is a descendant of the Old English Black Horse whose ancestors were considered the 'great horses' during medieval times. During the period between the reign of Henry II in 1154 and that of Elizabeth in 1558, the British government was constantly seeking to increase the size and number of horses called the Great Horse because the weight of a horse soldier in armor was nearly 400 pounds. During the reign of King John, from 1199 to 1216, one hundred stallions of large stature were imported from Flanders, Holland, and it is from the blending of these animals with the English breeds some 800 years ago, that some strains of England's heavy horses trace back to.
But the Shire Horse's history in England is not that simple. A direct ancestry could not be determined until the mid to late 18th century and up to that point it is still sketchy. The earliest suggested ancestor was the English War Horse that was used for jousting and cavalry purposes, but although these horses had size they did not have the traditional characteristics of the Shire today. With the invention of gun powder, the War Horse was not as valuable to the army and the cavalry wanted smaller, faster horses to ride, so the Great Horse was now turned out to pasture and to work on the farms. Horses declined in numbers during this time, but farmers were still breeding the remaining animals for size. Many believe this is where the Shire was really bred from: the horses of the Flanders and the smaller black Friesians.
Eventually there was a need to organize the breed as its own, so in 1878 the English Cart Horse Society was formed. But it was not until 1880 that the first copy of the stud book was actually published with 376 entries. The Society changed its name to the Shire Horse Society (SHA) in 1884. The first Shire Horse Show was held in 1890 and the breed's popularity soared. By 1905 there were 3781 entries in the stud book.
The Shire started out in Canada and the United States at roughly the same time. The new found popularity for the Shire was not only in England, but had spread to America. There had been importing of Shires since the mid- to late 1800's. The information before 1850 is sketchy, but there was a stallion named Tamworth described as a Shire that was brought to Canada by British troops in 1836.
The creation and promotion of the English Shire registry in the U.S. was partly due to Americans wanting registered stock, and of course, they wanted to continue with keeping records once the horses arrived on American soil, as well as having the desire to improve the quality of the breed. Since it was in the best interest of the SHA to insure a quality animal in the U.S. in order to continue their exports and fill an ever-increasing demand, the British contributed funds to help organize the registry in the U.S. and in 1885, the American Shire Horse Association (ASHA) was incorporated. Therefore, there have been close ties and good relations between the Shire Horse Society in Britain and the American Shire Horse Association, much more so than with the other draft breed associations. However, in the late 1900's, with limited knowledge and a spirit of independence, some of the American breeders appeared to resent those ties, so a continued effort for unity has been an ongoing topic of concern by the leadership of both associations.
Between 1900 and 1918 almost four thousand Shire Horses were imported to the United States, but when horses were replaced by cars, this led to a decline in demand for draft horses and then following World War II, this ancient horse was almost lost when the invention of the modern farm tractor nearly made the breed extinct. The low point came in 1950's. The 1960's saw a resurgence in the draft horse business as Americans rediscovered its usefulness. The Shire breed became so popular that in 1971 the National Brewing Company of Baltimore assembled an eight horse hitch of Shires for publicity purposes and traveled to two hundred and seventy-three parades between 1971 and 1973 promoting the company and the breed.
The Shire Horse is an animal of enormous size, standing from 16.2 and up to 19 hands or more, with 17.1 being average for the breed. The tallest horse on record is a Shire that stands approximately 23 hands at 4 years old, and he's still growing. This behemoth weighs nearly 3000 pounds, but the average Shire horse tips the scale at a mere 2200 pounds, with mares and geldings being slightly less massive. The traditional Shire Horse today can be black, bay, brown, or grey in color. Any horse that is roan, chestnut or splashed with white is not considered to be a true Shire Horse.
The head of the Shire Horse is long, lean and masculine, neither too large nor too small with the nose being slightly Roman. It has a long, slightly arched neck with a good crest that is in proportion to the body and that gives the horse a commanding appearance. Geldings tend to have a thicker, masculine neck. The eyes are relatively large, wide-set and alert, with the ears being long, lean, sharp and sensitive. Shoulder should be deep, oblique, and wide enough to support a harness collar with the horse also being wide across the chest. The Shire Horse's back is short, strong and muscular and should not be either dipped or roached and the body has a substantial barrel. The tail should be set well up and both head and tail should be carried erect. The legs are long and the abundant feathering should be fine, straight and silky. Mares may be slightly smaller with a feminine, matronly appearance and should have plenty of room to carry a foal.
When in motion, the Shire should move with force, using both knees and hocks, with the latter being kept close together. A 1-ton Shire is capable of moving a 5-ton load, yet it is one of the gentlest of horses.
Today the Shire horse is flourishing all over the world. There are approximately 3000 Shires in England and 1000 in the U.S. with the Canadian population at 130 horses and the popularity of the Shire has begun to grow again. The Shire is still one of the major breeds in Great Britain and will probably remain so for many years.
About Crystal Eikanger
Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Living Large in the Land of the Shire Draft Horse
Friday, October 23, 2009
Draft Horses - the Gentle Giants of the Equine World
A draft horse is a very large, yet compact and stocky looking, horse which has been bred for extreme strength in both muscle and boning to give the horse the ability to handle very heavy labor such as pulling a plow through hard or even frozen soil; or hauling a fully-laden cart or wagon used to transport heavy items such as lumber, coal, marble, or casks of beer and wine. They are often hitched in matching teams of two or more when the items to be hauled are extremely heavy; or if speed is essential in getting a heavy load to its destination, there may be several teams hitched together. Draft horses are quite recognizable because they tend to be extremely large equines that stand 15 to 17.5 hands high; larger than the average family riding or carriage horse. Some of the more common draft horse breeds include Percherons, Shires, Gypsy Vanner Horses, Belgians, and Clydesdales. Americans are probably the most familiar with the Clydesdales, since this breed of draft horse has been used extensively in advertising for Budweiser beer over several decades. And many have been surprised to learn that Clydesdales are not th only draft horse breed; they are simply more in the public eye than the others.
The draft horse appears to have originated in Europe with many draft horse breeds being centuries old. Some biologists support the “four foundations” theory of horse breeding, which suggests that modern horses evolved from four different horse populations, or types, which means that the draft horses are probably descended from the aptly named draft horse type. The Belgian draft horse is thought to be the oldest modern draft type going back to the "Great Horse" of medieval time, and that all other draft horses have Belgian in their foundations.
These horses have been used in a wide variety of environments; from farmlands to forests to urban settings for hundreds of years. They were once the main source of power for humans, before the engine was invented, and the mechanization of transportation such as trains (the Iron Horse) and automobiles (the horseless carriages) lessened the need for the heavy draft horse. To this day, engines are still rated in "horsepower"; a term that was coined by James Watt in the late 18th century, who determined by experimentation that a horse could move a total of 33,000 lbs a distance of one foot in one minute while hauling coal from a coal pit. However, that is actually about 50% more than the rate an average horse can sustain for an entire working day.
A number of things about the physical build, or conformation, of a draft horse set it aside from other horses. Draft horses are quite large yet they tend to have short legs and short bodies with very muscular hindquarters designed for pulling. They also have extremely strong shoulders and front legs for the same reason. Their heads tend toward being Roman-nosed, with broad flat faces that many people find endearing.
In addition to being bred for strength, the draft horse has also been bred for a very special workable temperament. Draft horses are extremely gentle and very friendly; children can ride them and play around their feet without fear. They are also docile and very patient; some well-trained draft horses will stand when told without needing to be tethered, for example, a very useful trait in horses used for deliveries. A rogue draft horse that cannot be trained or trusted would be the most dangerous horse that one could imagine.
But despite their heavy builds, many draft horses are very graceful and quite beautiful. Many breeds have feathered feet, which means that they have tufts of long hair on their fetlocks above the hooves and it is quite enjoyable to see that hair in action, since many breeds have a flowing, high-stepping gait; it's almost like they know their feet are beautiful and people are watching.
These gentle giants continue to be used for agricultural work in many regions of the world, and some become beloved pets as well as revered show animals in many of the equine exhibition disciplines.
About Crystal Eikanger
Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Arabian: The World's Oldest Horse Keeps Getting Better with Age
The Arabian horse is also known as "Al Khamsa" in Arabic and is a unique breed because it does not exist as a result of selective breeding with other breeds, but as a breed that stands alone and has been cherished for its purity for thousands of years.
Arabians are thought to be the oldest breed in the world, dating back at least 5000 years. The Bedouin tribes who lived in the deserts of the Middle East believed the horses were a gift from God and that they could "fly without wings". They bred them for centuries and breeding was done carefully to create horses that could withstand extreme conditions of the Arabian Desert and tribal wars. Arabians were bred with a large lung capacity, incredible endurance and superior stamina and courage as well as speed and agility. This unique breed has had a distinctive national identity throughout recorded history and is an original breed that many other breeds owe their ancestry to.
However, there is controversy as to just where the Arab originated and its history is full of romance, legend, complexity and contradictions. One thing we do know is that the original Arabian horse was somewhat smaller than today's specimens. Otherwise the horse has essentially remained unchanged throughout the centuries.
The Bedouins valued purity and many tribes owned only one main strain of horse. The five basic families of the breed include Kehilan, Seglawi, Abeyan, Hamdani and Hadban. Other, less "choice" strains include Maneghi, Jilfan, Shuwayman, and Dahman. Substrains developed in each main strain which were named after a celebrated mare or Sheik that formed a substantial branch within the main strain. Each strain developed characteristics that could be recognized and identified when bred pure.
The Kehilan strain was noted for depth of chest, masculine power and size and stood up to 15 hands. The heads were short with broad foreheads and great width in the jowls and were most commonly gray and chestnut.
The Seglawi was known for refinement and almost feminine elegance. They were likely to be fast rather than have endurance and had fine boning, longer faces and longer necks than the Kehilan. The average height is 14.2 hands and usually Bay in color.
The Abeyan strain is very similar to the Seglawi and tended to be refined. They had a longer back than a typical Arabian, but were small horses, rarely taller than 14.2 hands. They were usually gray and carried more white markings than other strains.
Hamdani horses were considered plain with athletic, almost masculine, large boning. The heads were straight in profile, lacking an extreme Jibbah. It was one of the largest, standing as much as 15.2 hands and commonly gray or bay in color.
The Hadban strain was a smaller version of the Hamdani but sharing big bones and muscular build. They also possessed an extremely gentle nature. The average height of a Hadban was 14.3 hands and the primary color was brown or bay with few, if any, white markings.
In the 17th century, the Turkish rulers of the Ottoman Empire began to send gifts of Arabian horses to European heads of state. Such was the nature of the Godolphin Arabian (sometimes called "Barb") who was imported to England in 1730 as well as the Byerley Turk (1683) and the Darley Arabian (1703). These three "Eastern" stallions formed the foundation upon which a new breed, the Thoroughbred, was to be built and now 93% of all modern Thoroughbreds can be traced to these three stallions.
For centuries, Arabians have been used to improve and refine many different breeds of horses either by direct infusion or through the blood of the Thoroughbred. In other words, the Arabian has contributed to some degree, either directly or indirectly, to the formation of virtually all the modern breeds of horses. In fact, the Arabian, as the original racehorse, is becoming more and more popular competing at racetracks throughout the United States. They race distances similar to Thoroughbreds and there are more than 700 all-Arabian races every year. As an endurance horse, the Arabian has no equal.
In 1908, the Arabian Horse Club of America was formed and the first stud book was published. Recognition of the Arabian stud book by the U.S. Department of Agriculture established it as a national registry and the only one for the purebred Arabian breed. At that time, 71 purebred Arabians were registered in what is currently known as the Arabian Horse Association. Now there are more living Arabian horses in the United States than in all the other countries in the world combined and many breeders strongly support naming Arabian horses with traditional Arabian names, which to them, is as important as maintaining breed purity.
In terms of temperament, The Arabian is one of the 5 "hot-blooded" horses, which means they have more sensitivity and energy. This sensitivity has manifested itself in an interesting way. You see, the severe climate required the nomads to share food and water and they sometimes even shared their tents with their horses. As a result of being such a close companion, Arabians developed a gentle, pleasant personality and a close affinity to man with a unique ability to bond with their owners. An Arabian will take care of its owner as no other horse will. It has a loyal and willing nature that is unparalleled by any other breed. Foals, for example, have no fear of man, and are usually indifferent to sudden noises. The Arabian gentleness and tractability, while originally the effect of education, is now inherited, and is observed in foals bred in a foreign environment.
Today 's Arabian will never be mistaken for another breed of horse because of their distinctive dished profile on a wide forehead and large, wide-set eyes, small muzzle, small, curved ears and large, efficient nostrils. They have a graceful, arched neck, and a broad chest with a strong short back and are fine to medium boned. Arabians have a high, proud tail carriage. These horses weigh between 800 and 1,000 pounds, stand 14.1 to 15.2 hands high, and are usually grey, bay, chestnut, black or roan in color. They are an extremely sound breed, also.
Arabians have several unique genetic characteristics. They have 17 ribs, unlike other breeds which usually have 18. They also have one less lumbar vertebra and one less tail bone than other equines, and their skin is always black no matter what their coat color is.
Unfortunately they also have many disturbing genetic Diseases and Disorders such as Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA) where balance and coordination are affected; Guttural Pouch Tympany (GPT), a defect that can be corrected by surgery; Juvenile Epilepsy Syndrome (JES) that is treatable by medication; Lavender Foal Syndrome (LFS)/ Coat Color Dilution Lethal (CCDL) rare, but results in euthanasia of the foal; Occipitoatlantoaxial Malformation (OAAM) where the cervical vertebrae fuse together in the neck and skull causing injury to the spinal cord; and Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) which is the only genetic condition that can be tested for.
The traits that were bred into the Arabian since ancient times has created a versatile horse that is not only a beautiful, loyal breed, but one that excels at being an all-around family horse, show horse, competitive sport horse, race horse, and work horse.
About Crystal Eikanger
Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Go For the Gold with the Golden Palomino Horse
The modern Palomino is only a color and not a breed, as evidenced by the color being present in most equine breeds. The ideal body color is that of a golden coin, but the shade can vary from light, medium, to dark gold. The mane and tail should be white, ivory, or silver, with not more than 15% dark or sorrel hair mixed in. The word "Palomino" is a Spanish surname which was derived from a Latin word meaning "pale dove" and many Palominos are pale. Additionally, the coat of many Palominos changes shades from cream in the winter to golden in the summer, and these are referred to as seasonal Palominos.
Palomino horses are found among the finest bloodlines of many breeds; their coloration and appeal is clearly international. They are admired not only for their beauty but for their versatility, maneuverability, and endurance and multi-purpose use across all disciplines within all breeds. Some have even become TV stars such as, Mr. Ed, Trigger, and Trigger Jr., all of which were registered with The Palomino Horse Association. And of course, who can forget the strikingly beautiful dark golden Palomino in the movie "Blazing Saddles"?
But nowhere has the history of the Palomino been recorded and the origin of the golden horse will probably never be determined since myths and legends of various countries cloud its beginnings. Although most agree that all light colored horses have descended from the Arabian and the Barb, they still aren't sure where it may have come from before that. The golden horse with ivory-colored mane and tail appears in the ancient tapestries and paintings of Europe and Asia, as well in centuries old Japanese and Chinese art dating back 2000 years. It was the choice of ancient royalty and also the beloved steed in Greek mythology. There are stories about them among the Arabs and the Moors. There are stories linked to the maille-clad Crusaders who saw the Golden Horses on the battlefield when they fought the desert chiefs of Saladin who rode them. During the days of the Crusades, the Emir Saladin presented Richard the Lion-Hearted with two splendid war horses; one was a gray and the other, a Golden Palomino.
Palominos were favored by her Majesty Queen Isabella de-Bourbon of Spain who kept 100 of these animals in the Remuda Real. Only the members of the royal family and the nobles of the household were permitted to ride them and commoners were forbidden to own one. History records that Queen Isabella sent a Palomino stallion and five mares to her Viceroy in Mexico to perpetuate the Golden Horse in the New World, and from there, the color spread from sea to shining sea in the Americas.
The Palomino of Spanish times was known as the Golden Dorado and was very close to being a breed. The Dorado was of Arabian, Moorish Barb and Spanish blood and was not bred by being crossed with sorrels as the modern Palomino is. The Spanish had many shades of golden horses, and when they used corral breeding (a way of isolating a mating pair); a light color Palomino mare would be mated with a very dark-colored Palomino stallion. This has been noted in a book that was printed in Barcelona in 1774.
There are two Palomino Horse Registries in the United States that began in the 1930's. The Palomino Horse Association (PHA) is the original Palomino registry which officially began in California in 1935, with the registration of the golden stallion El Rey de los Reyes by Dick Halliday who had researched the golden horse for many years. He wrote many articles that brought the Palomino into the attention of the public, and created a great deal of interest in the Palomino. Within a few years, hundreds of breeders were specializing in the production of this color. Horses from many different countries and from every breed have been registered with the PHA.
The PHA does not discriminate against any breed and recognizes all breeds based on color and conformation. If a particular horse is not registered with a breed registry and the color proves to be Palomino it will be registered on color. In the last few years they have decided to allow the creme colored horse with blue eyes claiming it has been researched and proven that these light colored Palominos always produce a Palomino and therefore, they are definite breeding stock for the Palomino. Yet on many horse genetics websites it is stated that Palomino horses do not breed true at all -- they produce both chestnut and cremello foals when bred together because the Palomino color is defined by a heterozygous dilution gene. However, Champagne is a dominant gene that dilutes pigment from black to brown and red to gold; and Champagne on a chestnut background (gold) produces a gold body color and often a flaxen mane and tail that can be mistaken for Palomino.
The other one is the Palomino Horse Breeders of America, Inc. (PHBA) that was founded in the late 1930's in California by a group of horse lovers who had a passion for the golden horse. PHBA became a corporation in 1941 as a member-owned, non-profit organization for the purpose of registering and improving the breeding of Palomino Horses. It is a color registry for Palomino horses standing between 13 and 17 hands high and exhibiting body color, with variations from light to dark, of a 14-karat gold coin. The Palomino's skin is usually grey, black, brown, or mottled without underlying pink skin or spots except on the face or legs. The eyes are usually black, hazel, or brown, never blue. The mane and tail must be white with no more than 15% percent of dark, sorrel or chestnut hairs.
There are three basic divisions for the Palomino horses within the registry. The Stock type is the western horse that is mainly represented by the Quarter Horse. The Golden American Saddlebred division is typically represented by Saddlebreds and the Pleasure type is represented by the Morgan, Arabian, and Tennessee Walking Horses.
Horse enthusiasts who own Palominos that are registered with any of the following breed registries: American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA), American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA), Arabian Horse Registry (AHR), International Arabian Horse Association (IAHA), Jockey Club (TB), and the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association (TWHBEA) are eligible to file for color registration and participating in events with the PHBA. Palomino Horses not registered with any of the above recognized breed registries are eligible for registration with PHBA only if one of the parents is registered with any of the above recognized breed registries. However, owners are asked to provide documents to verify bloodlines. Individuals with Palomino geldings and spayed mares of unknown parentage may also apply for PHBA registration based on color and conformation standards since they are incapable of reproducing.
Now, in these trying financial times, wouldn't you really rather invest in gold? The gold of a Palomino, that is.
About Crystal Eikanger
Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Myth of the Mysterious Mule and Molly
Mules are hybrid animals of the equine family that result from the mating of a donkey stallion (called a jack) with a horse mare. In genetic terms, this is classified as an F1 hybrid between Equus caballus X Equus asinus. Male mules are called mules or Johns, and are unable to reproduce. However, although they are genetically sterile, they are still affected by the same male hormones as any other stallion and they can become dangerous if not castrated. An uncastrated male mule cannot participate in shows and it is useless to keep them as a stallion. Since no male mule has ever sired a foal, you cannot mate two mules and expect offspring. In fact, there appears to be no authenticated instances of mules breeding among themselves even when the stallion has not been castrated. Interestingly, jack donkeys appear to be reluctant to mate with horse mares and many have to be trained to do so, though in these more modern times, artificial insemination can be attempted if all else fails.
In contrast, a fertile female mule (called a molly) can sometimes occur from this breeding combination. But this is so rare that the Romans had a saying, "cum mula peperit," meaning "when a mule foals" which is similar to saying "when hell freezes over." In some regions, a mule giving birth can trigger fear and superstition. When a mule produced a foal in Albania in 1994, it was thought to have unleashed the spawn of the devil on the small village; and when a mule in Morocco produced a foal in 2002, the locals feared it signaled the end of the world.
But it is true that a molly can be mated to either a horse or a donkey stallion; sometimes with very interesting results. It has been reported that a mare mule in Brazil has produced two 100% horse sons sired by a horse stallion. In the 1920s, when a molly at Texas A&M named "Old Beck" was bred to a horse stallion, she produced a horse son and when bred to a donkey, she produced mule offspring, including a mule daughter. And according to the American Donkey and Mule Society, there is an unverified case of a mare mule that produced a mule daughter. The daughter was also a fertile mule and produced a horse-like foal with some mule traits which was called a "hule". However, there are no reports as to whether the hule was fertile since it may have been castrated. It has also been reported that female hules may be fertile, but their offspring are usually feeble and die at birth. In another case, a molly gave birth to 2 foals in Nebraska in the mid-1980 and this was the first genetic testing of a mule's offspring. Tests showed no evidence that the mother had passed along any genetic markers from her donkey father, who was also the father of the foals. This is called "hemiclonal transmission". It is now known that in most fertile mule mares, they only pass on their maternal horse DNA.
However, even if sterile, mollies still have the female hormones coursing through their veins, which give them a strong maternal drive. They have been known to kidnap the foals of other equines sharing the same paddock.
The hinny is also a hybrid equine, but it is the result of the opposite mating: a horse stallion crossed with a donkey mare (called a jenny) but it is much less common. They are harder to produce because a stallion/jenny mating is less likely to result in pregnancy. This was once believed to be due to the donkey mare having a smaller womb, but the difficulty in impregnation suggests that it is largely a genetic issue. Donkeys (Equus asinus) have 62 chromosomes while horses (Equus caballus) have 64 chromosomes; infertile mules and hinnies have 63 chromosomes that are a mixture of one from each parent. The chromosomes have different structures and with the difference in number, too, this usually prevents the chromosomes from pairing up properly and creating successful embryos. In attempts among other species to create hybrids, the hybrid is much less likely to occur when the male has more chromosomes than the female, than when it is the other way around. It is almost like the female egg does not recognize sperm that has too many chromosomes, but does not seem to mind if the sperm has too few. Hinnies are also sterile, but a fertile female hinny in China is believed to be a unique case.
Hinnies and mules look slightly different from each other, yet for all practical purposes, hinnies, mollies and mules are classified and shown together under the general term of Mule.
The rarer hinnies are often said to be more horse-like than the mule, but more often it is difficult to tell them apart. The mule has a large head that is more donkey-like than horse-like, while the hinny has a smaller head that is more horse-like. The tail of the hinny is much more like that of the horse than is the tail of the mule. Generally, this is accounted for by the males of both species transmitting with greater power these parts of their structure. Hinnies are smaller and finer boned than mules, simply because of the fact that most donkeys are smaller than horses.
Mules come in every size and shape imaginable and all colors except overo (again due to genetics). Miniature mules under 36" can be seen all the way up to 17 hand Percheron draft mules (by Mammoth Jacks). The Poitou donkey was used exclusively for breeding huge draft mules from a breed of draft horse called the Mullasier - the Mule producer.
Mules' ears are usually somewhat smaller than a donkey's, but longer than the ears of the horse parent, and are roughly the same shape. Every mule will have a unique bray that is a combination of the horse's whinny and the grunting of the donkey's bray. And they show a natural resistance to disease and insects.
Mules are used in the same sports as horses; under saddle, in harness, for cutting, roping or dressage. They have more stamina and can carry more weight than a horse of equal size. This is due to what geneticists call "hybrid vigor". There is one aspect where the mule outshines the horse: high-jumping. Mules only 50 inches tall at the withers have been known to clear jumps of up to 72 inches. Amazingly, these jumps are from a standing start inside a marked area, not from a galloping approach.
Mules are not really stubborn, they simply will not put themselves in danger. A horse can be worked until it drops, but not a mule. That stubborn streak is the mule's way of telling humans that something is not right. It is not a good idea to abuse a mule, for they are clever and seem intelligent enough to plot revenge. However, treated kindly, they will do their best for their owner and with the utmost patience.
About Crystal Eikanger
Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.
Monday, October 19, 2009
When Is A Horse Not A Horse? -- When It's A Donkey
A donkey is a long-eared equine that looks similar to a horse, shares the genus Equus with the horse, but is a completely different species.
Donkeys (Equus asinus) have 62 chromosomes while horses (Equus caballus) have 64 chromosomes. Crossing donkeys with horses results in hybrids called mules or hinnies, each of which ends up with 63 chromosomes. The male mules are always sterile, but on rare occasions, a fertile female can occur. The chromosomes between the two species have different structures and with the difference in number, too, this usually prevents the chromosomes from pairing up properly and creating successful embryos.
However, donkeys bred to donkeys always produce donkeys. You may hear many of the following terms: donkey, burro, ass, jackass, jennet, miniature donkey, mammoth, jackstock, standard, Mexican burro, and all of them are terms for donkeys. "Burro" is a colloquial term for the Spanish or feral type of donkey (wild burros). The term is used almost exclusively in the West and is correct only when referring to donkeys that are feral.
So where does the donkey come from, if not from a horse?
Well, after collecting and analyzing skin samples from donkeys in 52 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa; and the dung from wild asses in Sudan, China, and Mongolia; scientists have concluded from mitochondrial DNA that African wild asses in Northeast Africa are the true ancestors of modern donkeys. These findings suggest that two populations of wild asses in Africa were the first to be domesticated about 6,000 years ago: the Nubian ass (Equus africanus africanus) and the Somali ass (Equus africanus somaliensis). Both of these wild asses are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. These two sub-species are thought to have had a role in the development of the modern donkeys that traveled with humans to other parts of the world.
The earliest domesticated donkey bones date to 4600-4000 BC, at El-Omari, a predynastic Maadi site in Upper Egypt near Cairo. Bones also have been discovered at sites in Syria, Iran and Iraq between 2800-2500 BC. In addition, donkey burials have been found at some sites which may reflect the value of a trusted domestic animal. Analysis of the skeletons revealed that they had been used as pack animals, judging by the signs of strain on their vertebrae. And the body morphology was midway between that of wild asses and modern donkeys, leading to the argument that the domestication process continued as a slow process over periods of several centuries. Interestingly, domestic donkeys are smaller than the wild ones, and in particular they have smaller feet.
The history of donkeys is tied to human history because when and where they were first used tends to mark the shift to more a mobile, trade-oriented society. But despite the critical role that it played in transportation throughout human history, the donkey is the least studied of all domesticated animals. Donkeys are desert-adapted and can carry heavy loads through arid lands allowing shepherds to move their households along with their herds. In addition, donkeys were ideal for the transport of food and trade goods throughout Africa and Asia.
Donkeys range in size from the Miniature Mediterranean that is less than 36 inches to the elegant Mammoth Jackstock that is 14 hands and up. The rare French Poitou donkey, which is characterized by a huge head and ears, and a very thick, shaggy, curled black coat, can stand 14 to 15 hand high. Unfortunately, there are estimated to be about 400 purebred Poitous left in the world today.
Donkeys in the USA are not grouped by "breed" but rather by type. The only exception to this is the Miniature Donkey. As of May 2008, they may now be recognized as a breed since they pass their unique breed traits on to their offspring consistently. The types of donkeys are labeled by their sizes; 36" and under are Miniature Mediterranean, 36.01-48" are Standard, 48.01" to 54" are Standard jennets or 56" for Large Standard, and 54/56" and over, Mammoth stock.
Donkeys differ from horses in conformation and the most noticeable difference is the ears. A donkey's ears are much longer in proportion to their width than a horse's. The necks are straighter than in horses, and most donkeys and all zebras lack a true wither. The croup and rump are also a different shape in the donkey since they lack the double-curve muscled haunch. Hoof shape varies as well; donkey hooves are rounder with more upright pasterns. The tail resembles a cow's; covered with short body hair and ending in a tassel of course hair. The coarse mane hair is stiffly upright, rarely laying over. Donkeys do not have a true forelock, although sometimes the mane grows long enough to comb down the face between the ears. Show donkeys wear their manes clipped short or shaved close to the neck.
Donkeys come in most of the same colors and patterns that horses do, but they look just a bit different. The colors of true pinto, horse aging gray, appaloosa, palomino and buckskin do not occur in the donkey or the mule or hinny. They also have a few unusual colors that are unique to the species such as dappled roan, blue-eyed ivory, frosted spotted and a unique spotting pattern called tyger spot that is similar to Appaloosa. Most donkeys have dark ear marks; dorsal stripes and shoulder crosses; as well as the light points of white muzzle and eye rings, and white belly and inner leg. Leg barring may be present as well. Occasional small dark spots at the throatlatch are called collar buttons and are good identifying markings. These typical donkey markings may be passed on in part or whole to mule or hinny offspring.
Donkeys can also perform all the gaits horses or mules do, and some are even gaited and can perform a single-foot gait.
Donkeys (geldings) can be wonderful guard animals for an entire herd of cattle, sheep or goats, or even a flock of chickens, geese or ducks. Their natural aversion to predators and inborn dislike of dogs will inspire the donkey to severely discourage any canine or coyote attacks on the herd. Dogs and donkeys usually don't mix, although they can be trained to leave the family dog alone. Only large Standard geldings, at least 3 years old, are recommended for guard duty. Miniatures are not suitable as guard donkeys.
Donkeys characteristically get by on less food than a horse of similar size, and need a lower protein content in their feed. Good grass hay and pasture is usually all a donkey needs.
Donkeys can be used just like horses under saddle and in harness, although donkeys are more laid back. . Donkeys are not really stubborn; they simply will not put themselves in danger. That stubborn streak is the donkey's way of telling humans that something is not right. It is not a good idea to abuse a donkey, for they are clever and seem intelligent enough to plot revenge. However, treated kindly, they will do their best for their owner and with the utmost patience, unless you are asking them to get their feet wet.
Otherwise, they are very friendly, and their versatile nature makes them excellent for children.
About Crystal Eikanger
Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Is It A Pony Or Is It A Horse? Sorting Out the Difference
Conversely, the term "pony" is occasionally used to describe horses of normal height. Horses that are used for playing the game of polo are referred to as "polo ponies", even though they are usually of Thoroughbred breeding and often well over 14.2 hands. The term "pony" is sometimes used to describe a full-sized horse in a humorous or an affectionate sense. This is true in American Indian tribes that had a tradition of referring to their horses as "ponies" when speaking English, even though many of the Mustang horses they rode in the 19th century were close to or over 14.2 hands. Today, horses of full height that are owned by Native peoples are still traditionally and affectionately referred to as ponies.
To add further to the confusion, if the preference of a given breed registry is to classify their breed as a "pony," then that is what it will be known as, even if some individuals have horse characteristics. And, of course, some breeds that appear to be pony breeds are called horses simply because the languages of the countries of their origin had only one word for equine and that word translated into English simply as "horse".
But size isn't what makes a pony.
A pony is not simply a small horse. There are horse-sized ponies, and there pony-sized horses, For example, the Miniature Horse, at 8 hands 2 inches high, is a horse, yet the Welsh Pony has many individuals over 14.2 hands, but is still a pony. But being a pony has absolutely nothing to do with size.
So what DOES it have to do with?
Well, the difference between a horse and pony is not simply one of height, but also one of phenotype or appearance. There are noticeable differences in their conformation. Ponies often have thicker manes, thicker tails and a thicker overall coat. They have proportionally shorter legs that give them a lower center of gravity for better surefootedness. And they also have wider barrels, heavier boning, small heads with broad foreheads, and shorter, thicker necks.
Ponies are believed to have originated from the wild horses that developed a small stature due to living on the edges of livable horse territory and needing to survive on what little food was available to them. The ability of taking care of themselves under harsh conditions has led most pony breeds to have a longevity of over 30 years. These smaller animals were eventually domesticated and bred for various purposes all over the world.
Historically, ponies have been used for driving carts carrying people or cargo, as well as a child's first horse. Larger ponies can be ridden by adults, such as the Welsh ponies that were ridden by 15th century knights. And they have been used as "pit ponies," hauling loads of coal up from the mines during the Industrial Age. They are also competitors and performers, too.
But that isn't what makes a pony.
There are noticeable differences in temperament. They often have calmer temperaments than horses and also a high level of equine intelligence that may or may not be used to cooperate with human handlers, which sometimes gets them described as stubborn or devious.
But that STILL isn't what makes a pony.
Even though horses and ponies may look different, both in size and basic body structure; and even though they have what appears to be a different temperament in a generalized sense; all pony breeds and all horse breeds are members of the same genus, species and subspecies for the domestic horse. According to scientific classification, they are Equus caballus caballus. However, this designation can be further broken down into the group classification of Equus caballus caballus pony, which in scientific nomenclature actually refers to an unspecified breed. But when you have to divide the taxonomy of a species' classification all the way down to the group level, there really isn't that much difference between any of the members of the species at all.
So, basically, it is what we can't see, the genetics, that tells them apart -- not the size, not the structure, and not the temperament. Which means that every pony is indeed a horse, but not every horse, even a pony-sized one, is a pony.
And currently, there is debate over whether the feral Chincoteague ponies of Assateague Island are horses or ponies. Perhaps genetics will give the answer.
About Crystal Eikanger
Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.
My Original Articles Have Been Stolen -- AGAIN!
OK, so, who the h*ll is Phillip Wiskell and what the h*ll is HIS name doing on MY horse breed articles that I wrote during Sept-Nov 2008?
Yes, that is true. I have been trying for a YEAR to get the buyer of my 70 horse breed articles that I blogged about in December to send me the link to MY writing that he said he was going to post on HorseClicks.com under my name in the articles section. He has never responded back to me even after repeated requests to two of his email addresses. Why? Because he never posted them on HorseClicks at all, and certainly not under my name anywhere, but rather under someone else's name somewhere else without my permission and without telling me of the change in plans!
This is the second time that my hard work has been all for naught, as far receiving proper credit for authorship has been concerned.
The first time, well, read the very first article in my blog archive for THAT horror story, which is why this blog exists. I tried to avoid that issue with this buyer, only to end up not having my name on any of them at all! I very carefully explained that I wanted my name on them for HorseClicks.com, which he said he would do, but that I did not want them distributed willy-nilly across the internet to untraceable blogs under my name IF they were using that "paragraph scrambler software" that my first buyer used. Well, they were NOT using that kind of mass distribution software, so putting my name on would have been fine.
After all, I am proud of my work, and since I do my best to give a client a quality product, you'd think that the least they could do is give proper credit where credit is due. Even letting me know the pseudonym he chose for the article would have been a reasonable gesture, though it would have nice if it had been a female name. That is, assuming it is actually a pseudonym, and not an outright theft of the authorship of my articles.
Well, great... just great!
Scrambled paragraphs with someone else's ESL phrases mixed in are still all over the internet with my name on them. But my high quality, unchanged, unedited works are all over the internet and yet attributed to somebody else. *sigh*
What a great way to establish one's self as a writer, eh? Have the buyers of your articles jerk you around; mess with your writing; and then attribute the good stuff to themselves and the trash to you... and good luck having any professional credibility at all after that. I think I know now why so many authors do use pseudonyms. It appears to be the only way to protect oneself from the poorly edited and embarrassing trash that some buyers inflict on authors.
The links below are to MY articles (but with Philip's name) and I can prove they are mine with the link to RAC showing that I was awarded the project for writing those articles. Just click the title of this post to see that project description and its history.
Of the 70 articles, these are the only ones I could find. He, or someone else, may have changed my titles to make it harder for me to locate them:
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-American-Quarter-Horse---Faster-Than-a-Speeding-Thoroughbred&id=1529966
http://ezinearticles.com/?Have-Some-High-Times-With-the-High-Stepping-Tennessee-Walker&id=1587034
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Arabian---The-Worlds-Oldest-Horse-Keeps-Getting-Better-With-Age&id=1562410
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Appaloosas-Heritage-is-As-Colorful-and-Unique-As-Its-Coat&id=1562601
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Thoroughbred-Horse---Thoroughly-Bred-For-Distance-Racing&id=1547563
http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Splash-of-White-Gives-This-Paint-Horse-a-Dash-of-Flash&id=1540990
Heartbreaking, isn't it? If you are also a writer, you can understand the frustration of this situation better than a non-writer can. Non-writers just can't seem to fathom what all the fuss is about. But then, they are clueless about copyright issues, too, as they blithely continue their illegal downloads, and look at you with blank, puzzled faces when you try to explain why it's wrong.
Well, the only thing I can do now, aside from reporting the issue to the website to get his name off and mine put on (which I did), is to do what I had to do the first time my good name and credentials got trashed by the buyer: post every single article in the series here in my portfolio in order to re-claim my rightful authorship.
However, rather than post all 70 of them at once, I am going to post one every few days or so to make it easier on my subscribers. The first week will have daily articles just to get a few of them into my portfolio, and then the posts will be spread further apart. It may take several months to get through all of them, but at least they will be correctly attributed with my name on them. So far, they stretch out to May 2010 and I still have another 15 to upload and prepare for publishing, so they may stretch into July. I figure that the professional folks who are interested in my portfolio for the purpose of hiring me for a writing job won't have time to read every single article anyway, so it doesn't matter if they aren't all posted at once. But the first three posts that you will see are ones that lay a foundation for the rest of the articles.
A Sneak Preview with all my goofy, but informative, titles can be found in my archives here on my December 20th post, or you can cut and paste this link into your browser:
http://ei-kan.blogspot.com/2008/12/70-original-horse-breed-articles-for.html
I will not be posting them in the same order as that list though. They will be random, just like a typical blog post. You never know what's coming next on those either.
Each article will also include linkbacks to the site they were originally written for, specifically to the individual breed-for-sale page that the article relates to. This way you will be able to see pictures of those horses that might interest you further. And I'm sure there will be a few horses you will have to see to believe! Gypsy Vanner, Fjord, Akhal-Teke, and Bashkir Curly come immediately to mind, and you may need other web sources to truly appreciate the beauty of these, and other, unusual and rarer breeds.
So, open the gate to your back yard and let these equines wander in as they appear in your neighborhood over the next few months. Look each newcomer over carefully, (but not in the mouth!) and either bed him down in a nice stall and keep him for life, or slap him on the rump and send him out to another corral.
Enjoy!
YeeeeeHAW!