The Native British Spotted Pony with its exotic coat pattern has survived in Britain for thousands of years. With her wealth of practical experience and historical research, the author traces this unique British breed form the earliest recorded times, explains its many virtues, and provides numerous colour photographs of these delightful ponies, both at work and play. Although the popularity of the breed, and hence its numbers, has increased over recent years, the author hopes that this book will bring the many advantages of such a distinctive breed to the attention of a much wider audience.

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 31. Chapters: British Spotted Pony, Cleveland Bay, Dales pony, Dartmoor Pony, Exmoor pony, Fell pony, Hackney horse, Hackney pony, Lundy Pony, New Forest pony, Norfolk Trotter, Old English Black, Shire horse, Suffolk Punch, Thoroughbred, Welara, Yorkshire Coach Horse. Excerpt: The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered "hot-blooded" horses, known for their agility, speed and spirit. The Thoroughbred as it is known today was developed in 17th- and 18th-century England, when native mares were crossbred with imported Oriental stallions of Arabian, Barb, and Turkoman breeding. All modern Thoroughbreds can trace their pedigrees to three stallions originally imported into England in the 17th century and 18th century, and to a larger number of foundation mares of mostly English breeding. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Thoroughbred breed spread throughout the world; they were imported into North America starting in 1730 and into Australia, Europe, Japan and South America during the 19th century. Millions of Thoroughbreds exist today, and more than 118,000 foals are registered each year worldwide. Thoroughbreds are used mainly for racing, but are also bred for other riding disciplines such as show jumping, combined training, dressage, polo, and fox hunting. They are also commonly crossbred to create new breeds or to improve existing ones, and have been influential in the creation of the Quarter Horse, Standardbred, Anglo-Arabian, and various warmblood breeds. Thoroughbred racehorses perform with maximum exertion, which has resulted in high accident rates and health problems such as bleeding from the lungs. Other health concerns...

A standard reference on horse breeds, illustrated and updated Celebrating the animal that has been a stalwart servant to humankind for countless generations, Bonnie Hendricks’s International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds is the most thorough compilation of horse breeds ever attempted. The nearly four hundred entries, arranged alphabetically, include foundation breeds now extinct as well as extant breeds from across the globe. Each entry details the breed’s origin and background, size, appearance, chief use, and status (rare versus common). A list of breed associations and government departments that supplied data and photographs for the encyclopedia has been fully updated for this edition. With its breadth and depth of coverage, as well as 530 black-and-white and 32 color illustrations, the encyclopedia continues to be a standard international reference.

With a wealth of factual interest and superb photography, this addition to Graffeg's compact, accessible Nature Books series is the ideal introduction to the British native pony for all nature lovers.From their physiology, history and environment across the different regions of Britain to their inclusion in myth, legend, art and literature and the prominent place they hold in our culture, chapters are dedicated to the various breeds found around the UK:- Connemara- Dales- Dartmoor- Eriskay- Exmoor- Fell- Highland- New Forest- Shetland- Welsh

From the humble working horse to the fanciful show horse, you'll not be left disappointed by this gorgeous display of 40 of the world's finest equine beauties. Whether you're a horse expert or just a casual admirer, these magnificent mares and stunning stallions will capture your attention and leave you awestruck. With each glossy, professional photograph of the breed comes information about their individual histories, where they originated from, details about temperament, and notes about size and color. This way, you can get to know each glamorous individual from the experts. Featuring an illuminating introduction exploring the colorful history of the horse, and reportage photography offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the stars as they prepare for the show, Beautiful Horses is the perfect gift for any horse-lover.

Horses of the World is a comprehensive, large-format overview of 570 breeds of domestic and extant wild horses, including hybrids between the two and between domestic breeds and other equids, such as zebras. This beautifully illustrated and detailed guide covers the origins of modern horses, anatomy and physiology, variation in breeds, and modern equestrian practices. The treatment of breeds is organized by country within broader geographical regions--from Eurasia through Australasia and to the Americas. Each account provides measurements (weight and height), distribution, origins and history, character and attributes, uses, and current status. Every breed is accompanied by superb color drawings--600 in total--and color photographs can be found throughout the book.--AMAZON.