"Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth, namely twenty-four grinders, four eye-teeth, and twelve incisive. Sheds coat in the spring; in marshy countries, sheds hoofs, too. Hoofs hard, but requiring to be shod with iron. Age known by marks in the mouth."
-quote from Hard Times by Charles Dickens.
Horses are described in numerous ways; breeds, types, '
bloods' and purposes.
Breeds of horse are distinct genetic entities. Morgan horses will produce
further Morgans, however if
two cobs are bred together they may not necessarily produce further
cob type horses. They may produce horses of a variety of types dependent upon the various breeds that produced the
two cobs in the first place.
Horses are mainly used for hobby purposes, ie. riding (obstagles and dressage) and driving. In some places (
Finland and
sweden for example) some equine schools use horses for work too.
Communication skills are known to be highly developed in horses, but they are unable to speak to us in the same way that human beings do. It is vital that horse owners understand the fundamentals of horse care and horsemanship. A
rider MUST know his/her horse well before attempting
anything more than walking with it. Horses are very intelligent and have an excellent memory. You mistreat a horse once, he might kick you in the head 5 years
later :)
