Jill Waggener, age 9, of Canfield, Ohio, for her question:
HOW MANY BREEDS OF HORSES ARE THERE?
Today the " horseless carriage'' and the "iron horse'' have all but replaced the faithful horse as man's most important means of transportation. The autombile and train, along with the bus and the airplane, have proven to be more efficient and faster than the horse. Although it isn't too much in demand for transportation, the horse continues to be an important animal in the area of fun and work.
There are more than 300 different breeds of horses. Man has developed the natural qualities of the horse into various kinds. At one time you could find a fast horse and also a powerful horse but you would have two separate horses. Now, with careful breeding, we have crossed the fast horse with a strong horse to produce an animal that has both power and speed.
Generally, horses are divided into three general types: light horses, heavy horses and ponies. Ponies are less than 58 inches high and weigh less than 800 pounds, while the light horses scale in less than 1,300 pounds. Heavy horses are those weighing from about 1,300 pounds to more than 2,000 pounds.
Millions of people ride horses for pleasure. Saddle horses includes a wide variety of popular breeds including the Tennessee walking horse, the quarter horse, the Morgan, the Arabian and the American saddle horse
One of the breeds that has developed from the Arabian line is the Thoroughbred. This is a high spirited breed that has especially strong legs and powerful lungs. In addition to horse racing, Thoroughbreds are used for jumping and hunting. The polo pony is usually part Thoroughbred.
All Thoroughbreds can be traced back to three stallions: Darley Arabian, Godolphin Barb and Byerly Turk. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, breeders in Europe crossed these three stallions with their own horses to produce the world's first Thoroughbreds.
Draft horses are the strongest, tallest and heaviest horses you'll be able to find. In the olden days they did the heavy jobs that trucks and tractors do today. Included in this group is the Shire, Clydesdale, Belgian, Percheron and the Suffolk Punch. Largest is the Shire, who stands about six feet high and weighs more than 2,200 pounds.
On the lower part of the scale you'll find the Shetland, Welsh, Hackney, Connemara, Dartmoore and American Miniature Horse.
Some horsemen group the animals according to color type instead of by breed. The Palamino, for example, has a golden coat and a light blond or silvery mane and tail. He's one of the favorite North American breeds. Yet the Palomino may belong to almost every breed except the Thoroughbred.
Some group the dark brown or black leopard spotted Appaloosa as a color type, but they actually form a breed.