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Hotblood Horse Breeds
Hot blooded horses are used for racing in the West, but the tribes who
still roam the reaches of outer Mongolia breed and ride these horses as
a way of life. Arabians have a long history of domestication.
In the Middle Ages, Arabs were breeding their horses according to what
is now long-established practice: for speed, strength, conformation and
temperament. Several hundred years later, Arabians are the most prized
and costly horse breed. "Hot blooded" refers to their temperament,
which has been described as difficult by some and passionate by others.
There are only two recognized hot-blood breeds; the Arabian and the
Thoroughbred. Arabians didn't reach the European continent until the
16th or 17th Centuries, but once they did, they revolutionized horse
breeding.
Breeding the Arabians with English horses created the Thoroughbred,
which is used for racing and other sporting events. Hot blooded horses
are known for their speed: with lighter bodies and a passion that
outstrips other breeds, their quickness makes them ideal race horses.
But the same fire that makes them fast makes them high strung or fiery
tempered. Hotbloods, often likened to passionate human artists by those
who understand their temperaments, can injure themselves in training or
racing when their need for speed outpaces their bodies' capacity for
endurance. Because they are high strung, hot blooded horses may also be
injured when trying to escape from something frightening, when upset at
being transported or when faced with a new situation.
Race horses demand a lot from their owners and handlers. For the
specialist with the money for training, stabling and racing, hot
blooded horses can be an exciting life. But these horses have to be
handled by people who know what they're doing; experts with plenty of
experience. Because of their sensitivity, hot blooded horses can be too
easily harmed by ineffective or inexpert handling. Their legs are
delicate and must be protected by careful handling and the right kind
of support. They are the most expensive horses, being costly to breed
and buy, which makes them the playthings of the very wealthy and the
backbone of the extremely lucrative worldwide racing industry.
Here are some horse breeds considered hot bloods:
Akhi-Teke
Anglo-Arabian
Arabian
Moroccan Barb
Pintabian
Shagya Arabian
Spanish Barb
Thoroughbred
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