HISTORIE PAARDEN

MODERNE PAARDEN:

Domestic horses were introduced into Babylonia in about 2000 BC and into Egypt about 300 years later. The animals were brought into Egypt by the Hyksos from northeastern Syria. These Egyptian and Babylonian horses were the forerunners of the swift Arabian and related desert breeds of the Middle East and northern Africa. Another strain of horses was domesticated in Europe. Heavily built and slower but more powerful than the desert breeds, they are regarded as the early ancestors of the modern draft horses used for plowing, pulling wagons, and other heavy work. Some authorities also believe that a third ancestral strain found in the British Isles was the prototype of various breeds of modern ponies.
Throughout most of Europe, from the early centuries AD to about the 17th century, the powerful native horses were used for military mounts, for hauling heavy loads, and as pack animals. During the same period the Arab world had developed smaller, fast-galloping breeds, which were introduced into Spain after the Muslim conquest in the 8th century. The horses bred in Spain became famous for their speed and endurance and many were imported into England and Europe as early as the 12th century. Systematic attempts to improve extant breeds of horses, however, did not take place until the end of the 17th century, when Arabian stallions were imported to England and France to breed with mares of native stock.
The first domestic horses introduced into the Americas were of the Arabian type, brought by the Spanish conquistadores and explorers in the 16th century. They are believed to have lost or abandoned some of their horses, and these animals may have been the source of herds of wild horses found in various parts of western North America. Horses left by the Spanish also ran wild on the pampas of South America around the Río de la Plata. The English settlers, especially the early Virginia colonists, also imported horses.
In the last 300 years horse breeders have made continuous attempts to improve the various breeds of horses and to develop strains that are particularly suited for specialized tasks. The resultant new breeds include saddle horses and harness horses especially adapted for racing gaits, hunters adapted for endurance, carriage horses and draft horses for pulling heavy loads, and cattle horses, ponies, and polo ponies (small, fast animals that can be trained to the complicated maneuvers of roping or the game of polo).
The Arabian breed is often divided into three subbreeds: Turks from European Turkey and Asia Minor, Arabians from the regions between Damascus and the Euphrates River, and Barbs from the Barbary states of northern Africa. Arabians in general are comparatively small horses, standing between 147 and 152 cm (58 and 60 in) at the withers (the high part of the back, located between the shoulder blades), or 15 hands high. The height of a horse is frequently given in hands, one hand-the width of a human hand-is equal to 10 cm (4 in). Arabians have remarkable powers of endurance and are swift gallopers. All the saddle breeds are derived, in large part, from Arabian stock.
The Thoroughbred was developed in the early 18th century from offspring of three foundation sires-the Byerly Turk, the Darley Arabian, and the Godolphin Barb-and native English mares. It is primarily used for flat-track racing, hunting, and jumping. The American standardbred, developed in the northeastern United States in colonial times, is a light harness type and is most often used in trotting or pacing races. Biologically speaking, saddle horses are more properly types than breeds. Because of the popularity of various equestrian sports and activities, registry and breed associations have been established for such important show and racing horses as the American saddle horse, the Tennessee walker, the Morgan, and the quarter horse. Saddle horses weigh much less than draft horses.
The breeds of draft horses are more distinct than those of saddle horses. They include the Belgian heavy draft horse, the English shire, the Clydesdale, and the Percheron. The Belgian is one of the largest of horses, reaching a shoulder height of 173 cm (68 in) or more and weights of as much as 1125 kg (2500 lb). The English shire is about the same size, but has long hair on the back of its hind legs from its hooves up to the hock (a joint corresponding to the human ankle, but bending backwards). These breeds represent refinements of the original horses of their countries of origin. The Clydesdale, smaller than the above breeds, was developed in Scotland by crossing native horses with Belgian heavy draft horses and the English shire. The Percheron, which stands about 168 cm (66 in) at the shoulder, is a native of the former district of Le Perche in northwestern France and was produced by crossing Arabian horses with the old Flemish breed of which the Belgian heavy draft horse is the modern representative.
Ponies are identified as those breeds which stand less than 152 cm (60 in) or 15 hands high. The real differences between ponies and larger horses, however, are size and action. The body of a pony is deeper in relation to its height than that of a horse, and a pony usually is more sure-footed than a horse. Many ponies are native to Great Britain: the Dartmoor, the Exmoor, and the Welsh mountain pony for instance. The smallest of the ponies is the Shetland, which is only about 106 cm (about 42 in) high at the withers.
Scientific classification: Horses belong to the family Equidae of the order Perissodactyla. The domestic horse is classified as Equus caballus. Przewalski's wild horse is classified as Equus caballus przewalskii.

Horse, common name for hoofed, herbivorous mammals that include the domestic horse and three groups of undomesticated species. One group comprises the zebra, native to Africa; another consists of the ass, including the kiang and onager of Asia and the wild ass of Africa. The third group contains Przewalski's wild horse, which is now found only in captivity. The only extant true wild horse, it produces fertile offspring when crossed with the domestic horse. Other so-called wild horses in various parts of the world, such as the mustang in North America, are descendants of domestic horses that have reverted to a wild state.
Modern Horses
The most marked anatomical characteristic of the modern horse is the possession of a single toe on each of its four feet, which makes it a perissodactyl, or odd-toed ungulate, along with the rhinoceros and tapir. The horse's toe, which corresponds to the middle digit of the human hand, is much enlarged and protected by a horny hoof that surrounds the front and sides of the toe. Vestigial splints corresponding to the second and fourth toes are situated on either side of the foot above the hoof.
The skull of the horse is long; the facial bones are twice the length of the cranium. The mandible, or lower jaw, is long and has a broad, flat plate at its lower hind end. The spine is composed of 7 cervical, 18 dorsal, 6 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 15 caudal vertebrae. Horses have 44 teeth: 3 incisors, 1 canine, 4 premolars, and 3 molars on each side of each jaw. The incisors, which are used for cropping grass and other herbage, grow in the form of a semicircle. A pronounced gap exists between the canine teeth and the premolars; the metal bit used for controlling a horse is placed in this gap when the animal is ridden or driven. All the teeth have long crowns and comparatively short roots. The horse has a simple stomach, and fermentation of fibrous food takes place in a blind pocket, or cecum, analogous to the appendix in humans. It is located at the juncture of the small and large intestines. In a large horse the cecum may have a capacity of about 38 liters (about 10 gallons).
Both male and female horses are sexually mature by the age of two. They are seldom used for breeding purposes, however, before they are three years old. The gestation period is about 11 months, and single births are the rule. Twins are a genuine rarity, and only a few births of three or more foals have ever been recorded.

PRÉHISTORIE - GANGEN - MODERNE PAARDEN