Horse Basics Category

American Standardbred horses can be trotters or pacers and their name comes from the standard qualifying speed test they must pass to qualify for registration (a mile in under 3 minutes).
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Most people recognize a zebra when they see one. Black & white stripes pretty much covers it right? There is a lot more variety than you might think.

Last week we met the more colorful Equus & Asinus members of the family, but today it’s all about the black & white. Because of their unique striping patterns the taxonomy of zebra species has been difficult at best & there is a lot of conflicting information out there.

Not only are their stripe patterns regional, but like fingerprints, no two zebras have the same stripes.

Sadly many of the zebra species are facing troubled times in their native territories. Due to hunting (for those beautiful coats) and habitat destruction.
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Learning isn’t always easy, but when it is about something you love it can be entertaining.

It’s amazing how much I’ve learned about horses while writing this site. Even more amazing is how much I have left to learn.

Here is a strange mix of basics, tips, ideas and facts that any horse lover can appreciate.

Basic Horse Tips | Random Horse Facts | Best Ways to Whiten Socks | Hiring a Horse Sitter | Name That Horse Breed Quiz | Horse Translated | How You Can Help Starving Horses

Visiting the Past

It’s been fun visiting past posts and re-reading things I had forgotten. I’ll be sharing more of The Equinest archives on Saturdays, hopefully new readers will find things they haven’t seen yet & older readers will enjoy revisiting old favorites.

The main goal of American Spotted Paso breeders is to create an animal with the beautiful pinto color patterns and the smooth easy to ride gaits of the Peruvian Paso.
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The Equus family is larger and more diverse than you may think. Each member with its own distinct look and coloring.

As I started delving into the equus family tree I realized just how colorful and beautiful these animals really are. I’m hard pressed to pick a favorite & sad to see so many of them in danger for their lives.

There are far too many colors to put in one post, so I’ve separated into sections. Today we’ll meet the horses, asses and onagers & next week the zebras.

These two groups contain all of the color & some of the most (and least) common members of the Equus family.
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Sport type ponies have been a staple in Europe for centuries, so it is no surprise that they made their way to the states.

Coming To America

The American’s quickly started their own breeding programs to establish bloodlines that suited their specific needs. Soon they had developed their very own American Sport Pony bloodlines and they have had their own registry since 1997.
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A large part of understanding horses is knowing the lingo, whether it’s the terminology of anatomy, horse tack, showing or just the basics.

Recently I’ve been using Saturdays to take inventory of the site and revisit some of The Equinest’s archives.

Here is a list of educational posts designed to put equine terminology into layman’s terms. This is an ever-growing list, and I will add to it as I post more.

Glossary of basics | Bridle Terminology | Leg Equipment
Anatomy | Foot Anatomy | Hoof Anatomy
English Show Lingo | Dressage A-E | F-O | P-W
Western Show Terminology | Reining | Cutting | Roping

What Am I Missing?

I know I don’t have everything yet and this is a good chance to take inventory. Don’t be shy, leave me a comment and let me know what I’m missing.

The original Shetland Pony came to the Americas from Scotland late in the 19th century and is quite different from the American Shetland. The imports quickly became popular among the people in North America and breeding programs were put in place to enhance desired characteristics.
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Also called the Kentucky Saddler, the American Saddlebred is one of the flashier American breeds, an animal developed specifically as a utility animal for plantation owners of the south.
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The American Paint Horse is a color breed which is bred and registered based on their color. However to add an animal to the registry their lineage must be of either Thoroughbred or Quarter Horse bloodlines.
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The American Mustang horse is descendant from Spanish horses (mostly Andalusian & Barb) brought to North America by Spanish Conquistadors. These animals were likely the first horses many indigenous people had ever seen and sadly played a large part in the Spanish conquests of those people.
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The American Miniature Mediterranean Donkey breed originally comes from the small Italian islands of Sardina & Sicily. During the 18th century the size of these animals made them handy for pulling grain wheels inside & as pack animals for mountain shepherds.
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