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Children of the Wind: Delving into the History and Breeds of Horses 🐎
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items The Bedouin call mares “daughters of the wind.” It's a fitting and poetic term for large and beautiful creatures who are graced with dazzling speed that makes it seem like they can fly.
I grew up drawing horses, and all their imaginary derivatives: unicorns, pegasii, and pegacorns. For me, they were the essence of speed and beauty. Horses were one of the reasons why I wanted to work with animals and become a veterinarian. To this da...
Note: This list may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission (at no extra charge to you) if you make a purchase using these links.
I grew up drawing horses, and all their imaginary derivatives: unicorns, pegasii, and pegacorns. For me, they were the essence of speed and beauty. Horses were one of the reasons why I wanted to work with animals and become a veterinarian. To this da...
Note: This list may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission (at no extra charge to you) if you make a purchase using these links.
Sections
5
An Introduction to Horses
Breeds of Horses
Celebrated Racehorses
Horse Essentials & Equipment
Horse Organizations
An Introduction to Horses
A look at this amazing four-legged ungulate, from prehistoric browser to modern day horse, plus the origin stories of some of the oldest breeds still in existence today.
Learn about the many different sizes, shapes, and temperaments of horses.
A Quick Guide to Types of Horses
Take a virtual trip to the Land Down Under and explore what life in the Australian wilderness is like for “brumbies” – the horses who were brought there more than 200 years ago. You must see this documentary – it combines mesmerizing narration with b...
Australia's Wild Horses And Their Remarkable Story Of Survival
A multi-part documentary that examines how horses evolved from small, deer-like creatures to magnificent steeds that carried humans into battle and across continents, and worked in many capacities – from keeping public order to pulling enormous loads...
Equus "Story of the Horse" Origins
A look at an ancient breed of horse and perhaps the most isolated in the world – the sturdy Icelandic.
Iceland - Home of Europe's Strongest Horses
A fascinating and detailed look at the spirited desert creature that many winning thoroughbreds today claim some degree of kinship with, the Arabian.
The Arabian, The Jewel of Arabia
Breeds of Horses
Horses range in size and shape, and have evolved to adapt to their respective environments in many astonishing ways. Here are some of my favorite breeds.
Arabian horses have been dominating the thoroughbred racing scene for a few centuries. They love to run! Many of the winners you see in the Celebrated Horses section below have an Arab as their sire (or dam), or both.
Arabian
I started drawing horses with *bellbottoms* of fetlocks after I became acquainted with Clydesdales.
Clydesdale
This relatively new British breed is a hybrid of several draft horse bloodlines (Clydesdale, Gypsy, Shire) that carries drummers and kettle drums during Band of Life Guard regiment processions.
Drum
I was absolutely smitten when I first laid eyes on this stunning coal-black Dutch breed. Those feathered legs, that flowing mane. Hard to believe that such beautiful and noble horses were once used in the cause of war and work.
Friesian
They're small but stocky with thick manes, and resemble ponies more than horses, but Icelandics have survived and prospered in some of the most inhospitable parts of the world for more than ten centuries. In the winter, they grow an extra coat to cop...
Icelandic
Ever wondered what it's like to dance on your toes? You've got to watch these iconic grey horses (which possess Arab, Neapolitan, Barbary, and Spanish bloodlines), at dressage--they are a breathtaking spectacle!
Lipizzan
One of the first breeds I learned about, and because of their graceful movements, noble bearing, and variety of coat colors (including palomino, roan, chestnut, black, and grey), became one of my favorites. Many doodles of horses in my teens used the...
Morgan
Epitomizing the spirit of the Wild West, mustangs are actually the feral descendants of Spanish horses that conquistadors brought over with them to the New World.
Photo by John Harwood - originally posted to Flickr as Arizona 2004, CC BY 2.0
Photo by John Harwood - originally posted to Flickr as Arizona 2004, CC BY 2.0
Mustang
Paint horses look like an artist with chiaroscuro on his/her mind went a little crazy. No two Paint horses look alike. This is a friendly and versatile breed, and you can count yourself lucky if you've ever ridden one!
Paint
Perhaps the only wild horses left in the world, these small, stocky Asian horses (whose name is pronounced shuh-VAL-ski), maintain a fragile and precarious existence in parts of the Far East where they have been re-introduced (China, Mongolia, and Ka...
Przewalski's
Celebrated Racehorses
As a former event planner, I have been tasked with organizing several corporate client events at the local racetrack. Hence my introduction to Thoroughbred horse racing. Horseracing has produced some of the most astonishing winners, on and off the track. I focus on thoroughbreds here (as opposed to standardbred) because I am more acquainted with the former.
All my recommendations below are books that worth reading (the exceptions being A Horse Named Nijinsky, which is a documentary, Kincsem, who has, to date, no books or movies written or produced about her outside of Hungary, and Sunline, whose book is...
Named for Russian ballet dancer Nijinsky, Nijinsky II was the large, Canadian-bred son of the diminutive Northern Dancer. He won 11 of his 13 races, including the English Triple Crown. He continued his sire's amazing and influential legacy by himself...
A Horse Called Nijinsky
(DVD)
A champion Thoroughbred with Native Dancer, War Admiral, and Man o' War bloodlines, American Pharoah became the first U.S. Triple Crown winner in 2015 after a 37-year dry spell. This gentlemanly racehorse has produced stakes winners of his own.
American Pharoah: Untold Story of Triple Crown
I watched her story in the news in 2012 with bated breath (she had already swept 20 consecutive races on the track), and I thought, how much longer can she sustain this winning streak? This large Australian beauty --who tipped the scales at 1,260 lbs...
Black Caviar
(Gerard Wheatley)
Citation had a 16-race winning streak, and was the first U.S. Thoroughbred champion to cross $1 million USD in earnings from his victories, places, and shows on the track. He is one of the few racehorse greats to not have Mr. Prospector, Native Dance...
Citation: In a Class by Himself (Phil Georgee)
Mr. Prospector. Princequillo. Fair Play. Northern Dancer. Read about these and 20 other stallions who passed their winning genetics onto multiple generations of their progeny to become sires of sires, leaving an indelible mark on Thoroughbred racing ...
Dynasties: Great Thoroughbred Stallions
In the 19th century, this mare absolutely dominated racehorsing, winning all of her 54 races across 5 European countries, and is (rightly) considered a national treasure in Hungary. She still holds the record for the largest unbeaten streak. I It's a...
Kincsem
Nicknamed Big Red, this Thoroughbred racehorse won 20 of his 21 races during the era of the first World War, set speed records that have held for decades, and created an enduring legacy through generations of his winning sons and daughters.
Man o' War
Nicknamed the Gray Ghost, this colt won 21 of his 22 races. His winning descendants include Affirmed, Curlin, Cigar, Northern Dancer, Ruffian, Funny Cide, Smarty Jones, Barbaro, and American Pharoah.
Native Dancer: The Grey Ghost Hero of a Golden Age (John Eisenberg)
No North American Thoroughbred colt, stallion, or gelding ever had a perfect winning record at the racetrack – but one filly by the name of Personal Ensign, did, winning all 13 of her races. Her legacy does not end there; she was an influential brood...
Her lineage is notable for having Damascus as her grandsire; Buckpasser as her great-grandsire, and both Tom Fool and War Admiral as her great-great-grandsires.
Her lineage is notable for having Damascus as her grandsire; Buckpasser as her great-grandsire, and both Tom Fool and War Admiral as her great-great-grandsires.
Personal Ensign: Thoroughbred Legends (Bill Heller)
A chestnut gelding with a big heart (literally--it is double the size and weight of the average horse's heart) who took the racing scene in Australia by storm (winning 37 of his 51 races) and capturing worldwide attention during the Great Depression....
Phar Lap, The Story of Australia's Greatest Ever Racehorse (Geoff Armstrong & Peter Thompson)
The inspirational and simultaneously heartbreakingly-too-short story of an extraordinary racehorse who captured hearts with her beauty and blazing speed on the racetrack. The first filly to win the New York Triple Tiara (in its original incarnation),...
The book (I have read my copy to pieces) and the movie (which follows the book very closely) will make you cry.
The book (I have read my copy to pieces) and the movie (which follows the book very closely) will make you cry.
Ruffian: Burning from the Start
(Jane Schwartz)
Of course I watched the 2003 novelization with Toby MacGuire as the down-on-his-luck jockey, “Red” Pollard. He finds a kindred spirit in Seabiscuit (a grandson of Man o' War), who is an unlikely, undersized, physically undesirable, and lazy horse--ye...
Seabiscuit: An American Legend (Laura Hillenbrand)
This New Zealand-bred mare won 32 of her 48 races, and earned $14.2 million NZD over the course of her racing career in New Zealand and Australia, making her the world's highest earning female racehorse of her time. She came from the same family as P...
Sunline: Heart of a Champion
(Fiona McKee)
A grandson of Man o' War, Secretariat is the other racehorse to be nicknamed “Big Red.” He was the first racehorse that I ever learned about. He was just 2 when his amazing track career took off, and he set records for each of the Triple Crown races ...
The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat (Lawrence Scanlan)
That he was smaller than many of the mares he covered did nothing to take away from Northern Dancer's incredible legacy as a sire of champions. Winner of the 1964 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, this Canadian racehorse and grandson of Native Dan...
The Kingmaker: How Northern Dancer Founded a Racing Dynasty (Avalyn Hunter)
Winx has drawn strong comparisons to Phar Lap. She tore up the Australian racetrack from 2013-2019, winning 37 of her 43 races (and all of her last 33 races, in amazing fashion – making her the highest money earner for female racehorses). She is a gr...
Winx: Full Story of World's Best Racehorse
Winning 19 of her 20 races (and finishing in 2nd for the remaining one), and being the first (and, to date, the only) mare to win the Breeders' Cup Classic (which, before 2009, was all-male entrants), this large (measuring 17-hands high and weighing ...
Zenyatta, Queen of Racing
(Team Zenyatta)
Horse Essentials & Equipment
Whether you are keeping horses for recreational riding or competition purposes, here are some online websites that you'll want to keep in mind for equipment, health, riding wear, and other essentials.
Find blankets, grooming supplies, stylish rider and equestrian wear, health and maintenance supplies, stable equipment, and so much more on this European-based website, which offers a wide range of brands, from Acavallo to Zandona.
Divoza.com
Discover English and Western equestrian supplies for the horse and horseman (or horsewoman).
ForHorsesUSA.com
Enjoy high-quality, affordable products spanning the gamut from riding equipment to health supplements.
Horse.com
The world's largest online tack shop offers an extensive range of apparel, gifts, blankets, stable, tack room, stall and arena equipment, trailer supplies, blankets, riding equipment, and health products for horses.
HorseLoverZ.com
Horse Organizations
Learn about some of the organizations that have been formed to help horses and humans who work with and care for them; and preserve, and promote knowledge of a particular breed.
For those of you who have horses, ponies, mules, miniature horses, and draft horses with this beautiful coloration (as well as red dun, dun, grulla, dunalino, and perlino with dun factor colorations), ABRA is the place to register your equine and dis...
American Buckskin Registry Association (AmericanBuckskin.com)
If you are a fan of this ancient desert breed that's been gifted with beauty, stamina, intelligence, spirit, and speed, you'll want to join this organization. Shop, find an event, explore prize money programs, and more!
ArabianHorses.org
Owners of these beautiful Spanish and Portuguese horses (and their derivatives) can find a central place to shop, promote, preserve these two breeds and find shows and events at IALHA.
An Andalusian jumping, by Realinou, own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Soberano III, a Lusitano, competes in dressage, by Pole Equestre Carlos Pinto, own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
An Andalusian jumping, by Realinou, own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Soberano III, a Lusitano, competes in dressage, by Pole Equestre Carlos Pinto, own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
International Andalusian & Lusitano Horse Association (IALHA.org)
Miniature horses have been used as animal-assisted therapists, and I was privileged to see a few up close (with beautiful blue eyes!) at a local wildlife rehab center event several years ago. Based in Arizona, U.S.A., METSA encourages safe practices ...
Miniature Equine Therapy Standards Association (miniatureequinetherapy.org)
This organization provides grants to NPOs (not-for-profit organizations) to care for thoroughbreds who have may retired from the racetrack and need to be rehabilitated, repurposed, and rehomed.
Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA.org)
This international charity works to improve the health and welfare of horses around the world through local, sustainable partnerships.
WorldHorseWelfare.org