Horse and Pony Breeds ("Horse & Pony" Magazine Library) - Hardcover

Budd, Jackie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1860540813 ISBN 13: 9781860540813

Publisher: Ringpress Books Ltd, 1996

Synopsis

An introduction to 40 of the world's favourite breeds of horses and ponies in the HORSE AND PONY MAGAZINE LIBRARY series. With 150 colour photographs.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Welcome to one of the first books in a brilliant series from Horse & Pony Magazine! This fact-packed guide is all you need to explore the exciting world of horse breeds. Join us for a whirlwind tour of some of the most beautiful and unusual equines in the world, from the tough native ponies of Britain to the heavy horses who pull their weight for a living. Learn about how the horse developed from a tiny, three-toed creature to the courageous animal we know and love today. Discover which breed enjoys eating herring and how the Quarter Horse earned its name. You'll find everything you need to know about your favourites, plus some fascinating facts about horses and ponies you've probably never heard of! We've used one hundred stunning photographs to bring these wonderful breeds to life. The pages of this beautiful book are simply crammed with easy-to-understand info for you to enjoy. It's essential reading for horse-mad people!

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

There are more than 200 official breeds of horses and ponies in the world today. Breeds are groups of horses that always reproduce the particular features, such as their height, action, shape (called conformation) and sometimes colour, that makes them different to other types. Some breeds are extremely old and have been created in a natural way. Perhaps a herd of ponies has been isolated in a particular region and, as they have bred between themselves, all have come to look the same. Today, however, many breeds are man-made, created by people using selective breeding to produce a certain type of horse or pony, usually with a particular job of work in mind. In this instance, breeders choose only the best mares and stallions which show the typical features of the breed. Many breeds today are not pure, but have been created by mixing or crossing different breeds to get the best combination of good or useful features. To be called a breed, a group must always breed true to type - this means its chracteristics must always be passed on to its foals. These features are clearly defined, often by a breed society which keeps a special list, called a stud book, detailing the individual horses belonging to that breed and their pedigrees.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ringpress Books Ltd
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1860540813
• ISBN 13: 9781860540813
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 64