Equine Industry Flashcards
What is a horse?
- Equus ferus caballus
- odd-toed ungulate
What is a horse’s lifespan?
25-30+ years
What is a mare?
mature female horse, greater than 4 years
What is a stallion?
mature male horse, intact, greater than 4 years
What is a gelding?
castrated male horse
what is a filly?
immature female horse, less than 4 years
what is a colt?
immature male horse, less than 4 years
What is a horse breed?
repeatable phenotype w/ a historical pedigree & registry
what are hinds high (HH)?
measurement of the horse from the ground to the withers, 1 hand = 4 inches
what is the owner of a horse?
the person who owns the horse, & generally pays the bills, may or may not be the main rider or caretaker of the horse
Who is the trainer of a horse?
- the person who trains the horse to compete
- may or may not also train the rider
- may or may not manage the horse day to day
Who is the rider of the horse?
- the person who rides the horse (may be the owner)
Who is the coach of the horse?
- the person who trains the rider
Who is the farrier of the horse?
- the trained professional who trims horse feet & applies shoes
What does broke mean in terms of horses?
- the horse is trained to be ridden
What does green mean in terms of horses?
- the horse is inexperienced
What does lungeing (UK)/ longeing (US) mean in terms of horses?
- exercise or training technique where the horse is moved around a handler in a circle on a long line
What does tack mean in terms of horses?
- equipment used for handling or riding the horse (ex: halter, bridle, saddle)
What are grooming supplies in terms of horses?
- brushes, hoof pick, anything used to clean the horse
How many horse breeds are recognized worldwide?
more than 200
What are some different ways to categorize/classify different horse breeds into groups?
- hot, cold, & warm blood
- heavy horses/draft breeds & light horses
- ponies, miniature
- saddle horses, harness horses
- registered, grade horses
What breeds of horses are Draft or Heavy horses?
- Clydesdale, Belgian, Percheron, Suffolk Punch, Shire
what are characteristics of draft or heavy horses?
- tall, muscular, broad back, feathered distal limbs
- 16-19 HH
- bred to pull (farming, logging, carts, wagons, sleigh, showing)
- also used for riding in a variety of sports
- harness horses may be used as a single or in a team
Which horse breeds are warmblood/ medium weight horses?
Hanoverian, Trakehner, Oldenburg, Dutch WB, Canadian WB
what are characteristics of warmblood or medium weight horses?
- more refined features than draft horses w/o feathering
- 15-18 HH
- many registries have “open studbooks”: do not require 2 pure blood parents, accept animals of similar phenotypes to improve the breed
- bred to excel at competitive English riding ex: dressage & jumping
What are light horse breeds?
- Arabian, Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, Paint Horse, Morgan
what are characteristics of light horses?
- greater than 14.2 HH
- each breed has specific characteristics, generally smaller/lighter build
- often bred for a specific sport or used for pleasure (track racing, endurance racing, cow horse/western sports (reining, cutting, barrel racing, rodeo), harness, halter
what are pony breeds?
- Shetland, Connemara Pony, Hackney, Pony of the Americas (POA), Welsh Pony
what are characteristics of ponies?
- shorter than 14.2 HH
- phenotypically distinct: thicker coat, mane, & tail; short/stocky legs; wider barrels; shorter/thicker neck; broad forehead
- used for riding, sport, pulling carts, sure-footedness
What are breeds of miniature horse?
- American Miniature Horses, Falabella, Dutch miniature
what are characteristics of miniature horses?
- < 8.2 HH
- legs longer than body is deep, more refined structure than some small ponies
- used as companion animals, harness, in-hand sport
What are donkeys?
- Equus africanus asinus
- donkeys & mules make up 2/3 of the world’s equid population
- working animals
What are the three common sizes of donkeys?
- miniature
- standard (small & large varieties)
- mammoth
what are mules?
- offspring of a male donkey & a female horse
- highly versatile animal (strength, endurance, & surefootedness of a donkey; athletic ability & speed of a horse)
- used for both work & sport
How many chromosomes do horses, donkeys, & mules have?
- horses: 64
- donkeys: 62
- mules: 63 -> infertile
What is a group of donkeys called?
drove/herd/pace
what is a male donkey called?
Jack
What is a female donkey called?
Jenny
Horse dam + donkey sire
Mule
donkey dam + horse sire
Hinny
what is a female mule called?
mare/molly
What is a male mule called?
horse mule/ john mule
horse sire + mule dam
Hule
donkey sire + mule dam
Jule
What are feral horses?
- multiple populations in Canada (AB, BC, SK, Sable Island)
What is a mustang?
- free roaming horses (feral) in Western USA, descended from Spanish horses
- managed by the Bureau of Land Management
What is Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii / Equus przewalkskii)?
- endangered horse native to central Asia
- dun markings, stocky
What other wild horse types are there?
Zebras & Wild asses
What are identification methods of equids?
- hot iron brand, freeze brand, m/c, tattoo, official brand inspection, registration papers, DNA, Coggins test papers, halters or collars w/ name or number, passport
What are breed registries?
- many breed are represented by a national or international breed registry/association
- qualification for most registries is based on the pedigree of the parents
What is a closed stud book?
2 pure bred parents, no outside bloodlines accepted (Thoroughbreds, Trakehner)
What is an open studbook?
- animals may be registered even if parents were not
- most warm bloods
- semi open for Quarter horses (will include TB & paints)
What kinds of requirements do certain breeds have?
- genetic, conformational, or height
- many are working to reduce genetic diseases in their breed
- some require genetic testing to prove parentage
What kind of genetic testing do they do for breed registry for the Arabian Horse Association?
- DNA testing performed on all registered animals to prove parentage
- breed recommends testing for SCID, Cerebellar Abiotrophy, Lavender Foal Syndrome, & Occipitoatlantoaxial Malformation
What kind of genetic testing do they do for breed registry for the American Quarter Horse Association?
- DNA testing (5 panel plus) required for most breeding stock
- Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency, Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia, Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis, Malignant Hyperthermia, Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Type I, Myosin Heavy Chain Myopathy
What kind of genetic testing do they do for breed registry for the Friesian Horse Association North America?
- DNA testing for stallions to be approved for breeding & for mares & foals for parentage verification (must be collected by a veterinarian or a breed official)
- distichiasis, Friesian Horse Dwarfism, Friesian Horse Hydrocephalus
What kind of genetic testing is done for breed specific disorders?
- Connemara Pony Hoof Wall Separation Disease
- Equine Familial Isolated Hypoparathyroidism (Thoroughbred)
- Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa (Belgians)
- Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome Type I
What are colour genetics?
testing used for breeding purposes if a specific colour is desired
What colours or colour patterns are linked to genetic diseases?
- Overo Lethal White Syndrome: homozygous for the overo coat colour pattern gene
- silver dilution is associated w/ Multiple Congenital Ocular Anomalies (MCOA)
- grey gene associated w/ an increased risk of melanoma
- leopard complex causing congenital stationary night blindness in appaloosas
What is a walk in terms of horses?
4 beat gait w/ each foot hitting the ground independently
What is a trot in terms of horses?
2 beat diagonal gait w/ contralateral limbs moving synchronously
What is a canter in terms of horses?
3 beat gait
- left lead: RH, LH + RF, LF
What is a gallop in terms of horses?
3-4 beat gait
- same as canter except the diagonal hind foot hits the ground slightly before the front foot
What are gaited horses?
- unique gait specific to certain breeds (~30 breeds)
- often claim to be “smoother” ride
What are uses of horses?
- sport, recreation, companionship, breeding, labour (mounted police, farm & ranch work, logging industry, transportation), teaching & research, equine therapy, production (PMU & Meat), entertainment, tourism
American Standardbred gait?
trot or pace (2 beat unilateral gait)
Icelandic horse gait?
tolt - single footed pace
american saddlebred gait?
racking - 4 beat lateral gait
Peruvavain Paso gait?
paso llano (4 beat gait) & sobreandando (pace-like)
Tennessee Walking Horse gait?
running walk
