Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013: June 2013

Thursday, 6 June 2013

Mustang Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013

Mustang Horse Biography
Source(Google.com)

Mustang horses are known to have roamed the vast terrains of North America in large herds, to protect themselves from predators like wolves, coyotes, etc. These horses at one point of time dwelt in millions over the US terrain, however, today their numbers have been reduced to thousands. These small, swift, surefooted, hardy horses range from an average size of 14"2 - 15"2 hands and 1,000 lbs or more in weight. They come in a variety of colors ranging from reddish-brown, bay, sorrel, brown or black in color. Mustangs have a life span of about 25 - 30 years. Let us have a look at some more interesting Mustang horse facts.
Interesting Facts about Mustangs
The name 'mustang' has been derived from the Spanish word 'mustengo', meaning 'ownerless beast' or 'stray horse'. These Mustang horses are also called wild horses because of their reckless nature. In fact, the word 'feral' suits them even better, which means wild and menacing.
Mustang Horse History
The Mustang horses that rambled across the North American grasslands in prehistoric times were referred to as dawn horses. However, at the end of the last ice age nearly 12,000 years ago, the Mustang population was wiped out from the American land. For several thousands of years, the American land was void of the thundering sound made by the hoofs of the Mustangs. Conquistadors from Spain once again introduced Mustangs to the American terrain in the 16th century. By the mid 1800s, there were millions of Mustangs rambling across the American land. Towards the beginning of the twentieth century, Mustangs were hunted for pet food, however, the 1971 act was passed to protect these lovely horses.
Symbol of the American West
The United States Congress in the year 1971 honored the Mustang horse with the title of "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West, which continue to contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people." A federal law was also passed in the same year regarding the ban placed on capturing, harming or killing Mustangs freely roaming on public land.
Mustang's Characteristics
The Mustangs found in the US today, are mostly crosses between different horse breeds, thus, these horses appear in such a large variety of conformations and shades. These horses are medium-sized horses, with the average size being about 14 hands. It may vary from 13 to 16 hands. The weight is proportional to their height, with anywhere between 600 to 1200 pounds. In the wild, Mustangs have a lifespan of about 15 to 20 years, while domesticated Mustangs can live way up to 25 to 30 years.
They have low-set tails and short stature, however, their overall appearance is well-balanced. Their strong hoofs and legs make them less prone to injury, as compared to other horse breeds. All the decades spent in the wild has made this breed of horses to be extremely rugged, with great endurance level. The amount of stamina they have is also amazing. The way they travel long distances without getting tired out, is truly remarkable! They are sure-footed even in uneven paths.
Mustang's Personality
Spanish Mustangs are known to be quite domestic in nature. Crossbreeding may have caused the pure Spanish mustang variety to be more of a rarity, however, the crossbreeds do have Spanish characteristics in them. Thus, Mustangs are quite friendly and enjoy being around people. Once they get to know their owner, they get quite attached to them. Their affectionate disposition makes them wonderful pets, which is why Mustangs are being adopted these days.

Mustang Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013

Mustang Horse PicturesImages Wallpapers Photos 2013

Mustang Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013

Mustang Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013

Mustang Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013

Mustang Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013

Mustang Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013

Morgan Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013

Morgan Horse Pictures Definition

Source(Google.com)

The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States.[1] Tracing back to the foundation sire Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, Morgans served many roles in 19th-century American history, being used as coach horses and for harness racing, as general riding animals, and as cavalry horses during the American Civil War on both sides of the conflict. Morgans have influenced other major American breeds, including the American Quarter Horse, Tennessee Walking Horse and the Standardbred. During the 19th and 20th centuries, they were exported to other countries, including England, where they influenced the breeding of the Hackney horse. In 1907, the US Department of Agriculture established the US Morgan Horse Farm in Middlebury, Vermont for the purpose of perpetuating and improving the Morgan breed; the farm was later transferred to the University of Vermont. The first breed registry was established in 1909, and since then many organizations in the US, Europe and Oceania have developed. There are estimated to be over 175,000 Morgan horses in existence worldwide as of 2005.

The Morgan is a compact, refined breed, generally bay, black or chestnut in color, although they come in many colors, including several variations of pinto. Used in both English and Western disciplines, the breed is known for its versatility. The Morgan is the state animal of Vermont and the state horse of Massachusetts. Popular children's authors, including Marguerite Henry and Ellen Feld, have portrayed the breed in their books; Henry's Justin Morgan Had a Horse was later made into a Disney movie.
There is officially one breed standard for Morgan type, regardless of the discipline or bloodline of the individual horse. Compact and refined in build, the Morgan has strong legs, an expressive face, large eyes, well-defined withers, laid back shoulders, an upright, well arched neck, and a clean cut head.[2] The back is short,[3] and hindquarters are strongly muscled,[2] with a long and well-muscled croup. The tail is attached high and carried gracefully and straight.[3] They appear to be a strong powerful horse,[3] and the breed is well known as an easy keeper.[1] The breed standard for height ranges from 14.1 to 15.2 hands (57 to 62 inches, 145 to 157 cm), with some individuals over and under.[2]

Gaits, particularly the trot are "animated, elastic, square, and collected," with the front and rear legs balanced.[2] A few Morgans are gaited, meaning they can perform an intermediate speed gait other than the trot such as the rack, fox trot, or pace.[1] The United States Equestrian Federation states, "a Morgan is distinctive for its stamina and vigor, personality and eagerness and strong natural way of moving."[3] The breed has a reputation for intelligence, courage and a good disposition.[4] Registered Morgans come in a variety of colors although they are most commonly bay, black, and chestnut. Less common colors include gray, roan, dun, silver dapple, and cream dilutions such as palomino, buckskin, cremello and perlino.[5] In addition, three pinto color patterns are also recognized: sabino, frame overo, and splashed white. The tobiano pattern has not been noted in Morgans.

One genetic disease has been identified within the Morgan breed. This is Type 1 polysaccharide storage myopathy, an autosomal dominant muscle disease found mainly in stock horse and draft horse breeds caused by a missense mutation in the GYS1 gene. Morgans are one of over a dozen breeds found to have the allele for the condition, though its prevalence in Morgans appears to be quite low compared to stock and draft breeds.[6] In one study, less than one percent of randomly tested Morgans carried the allele for this condition, one of the lowest percentages amongst breeds in that study