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Horse Breeds can be grouped by blood type. There are
3 blood types – coldbloods, warmbloods, and hotbloods. (These terms have
nothing to do with temperature.) Grouping by blood type helps identify
some basic characteristics, behaviors, and purposes.
Coldbloods
Heavy draft horse breeds are in the coldblood group. They originated in
Northern Europe and survive in colder temperatures because of their thick
skin and coats. In general, these horses have a very large skeletal
framework; short, strong legs with feathering; a heavily muscled, thick
neck; and a short, wide back with rounded withers. They are usually
docile and willing. The size and strength of the coldblooded horse breeds
made them our work horses and invaluable in the development of our
societies. In the past, this group hauled millions of tons of armor and
war machinery, and worked in our fields and forests until mechanization
took over. Today, many of these breeds are in danger of disappearing.
Hotbloods
They originated in the desert climates and have a thin skin and
coat. This allows them to tolerate higher temperatures. The hotblooded
horses are fast moving and have great endurance and stamina. They can
travel quickly and over long distances. They have been used for
transportation, racing, and many other types of sport.
Warmbloods
The warmblood group of breeds comes from cross-breeding the hot
and cold blood types. The warmblood group contains the largest number of
breeds and many of the breeds were developed as an all-round horse to
perform a wide range of activities. An example of this is the Irish
Hunter – bred from Irish Draft and English Thoroughbred. It was developed
as an all-purpose type horse and filled the needs for transportation,
working the land, and riding.
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