Horses Accept People In Their Herd

Equestrians all have one thing in common and that is their love for their horses, regardless of the breed. They are basically prey animals with a genetic instinct for flight or fight if they feel they are threatened. However, they will stay and fight if they sense by their leaving, it would put a foal, for instance, at harm. They are also herd animals, being comfortable around other horses as well as humans and, with the exception of wild horse or feral horses, adapt to being around people and their riders.

There are few true wild horses today, such as those usually called mustangs, in the  northwest and other small areas of the United States. Most are feral, meaning their ancestors, may have been domesticated, but the breed is now living wild. There are two schools of thought of how the different breeds came to be different sizes, mostly focusing on DNA evolution, but modern horse breeds were developed to perform specific activities.

For example, the Arabian horses were developed to be quick with endurance over long runs for the dry climates in which they were raised, The Belgian horse, typically about 19-hands high, about 76-inches, were raised for pulling plows through the fields and are still used for that purpose today in some cultures.

Cold, Hot and Warm Blooded Horses

While all horses are considered warm-blooded mammals, the term mean something different when it comes to their breeding. Larger horses such as a Belgian, Shire and Clydesdales are developed with the patience pulling plow or carriages of people and are considered cold-blooded. The Clydesdales are probably the most easily recognized due to the long hair above their ankles.

Horses considered hot-blooded are those developed for speed and agility as well as endurance. Breeds such as Arabian and Thoroughbred can give their riders an exciting ride as well as great satisfaction as they tend to be quick learners with intelligence and communication capability. They can, however also quickly learn bad habits from poor riders and they typically do not tolerate abusive training techniques.

Warm-blooded horses are usually a cross between hot and cold-blooded horses, such as the Irish Draught, and can be large enough for work on a farm as well being ridden by humans. They are also favored in most World Equestrian Games competition such as show jumping and dressage, being dominant in these events since the 1950’s.