A Racing Legend -- The Thoroughbred Horse
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The Thoroughbred horse is a breed of equine commonly used for racing. Some people mistakenly refer to a purebred horse by this name. In fact, this breed is in a class all its own. This breed was cultivated in the 17th century when English breeders crossed their mares with Arabian stallions. All Thoroughbreds can be traced back to their Arabian stallion sires. This breed of horse is beautiful and stately. It is not an overly large horse and it is not too small either.
This breed stands between 15 and 17 hands. Coat colors seen include chestnut, bay, black or gray. White is very rare. You may come across Pinto or Palomino Thoroughbreds. Pinto is a splotched coloration pattern commonly in brown and white. Palomino is a golden coat color with a white main and tail. Pinto and Palomino colorations can be seen in a variety of different horse breeds. This breed is considered a hot blooded horse, which means it is bred for racing purposes.
One of the most distinctive things about this horse is that it cannot be formally registered unless conceived under what is called live cover. This means the mating between a registered stallion and mare must be observed. Although artificial insemination can be used with other breeds, it is not allowed with this breed. The average horse gestation period between breeding and birth of the foal is eleven months. Most foals are born in January because the breeder likely wants the foal to have an advantage against the competition in age group competitions.
There are some controversies related to this breed of horse. The rate of injury in racing is one such controversy. Some horses start racing around the age of 2 when their bones are not completely formed. This leads to accidents, although older horses can have accidents on the racetrack as well. Another controversy is that of selective breeding. Selective breeding is used to produce racetrack winners which may have a detrimental effect on the skeletal structure of the animal.
There are approximately 35,000 foals registered in the United States alone each and every year. The Thoroughbred horse is commonly bred in states like California, Kentucky and Florida. The business of breeding these horses is a big one and supports many employees including workers, jockeys, veterinarians and businesspeople to name a few. While these horses are primarily used as racehorses, they also excel at other equestrian pursuits like dressage and show jumping.
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