| Dogs can work together with shepherd horses to guard the cattle. Horses are initially trained by developing their innate capabilities. Without needing any command from shepherds and herdsmen, these animals are quite capable of controlling the flock of sheep or a herd of horses. Border guards, geologists, and trekkers use horses and dogs in tandem. The friendly relations of these animals can also be attributed to the fact that that they have different eating habits: carnivores and herbivores. In addition, their behavior is determined by humans who's drive understands their certain instincts and create a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Although isolated incidents can’t be avoided – like the horse can kick a troublesome dog. But, its quite often that the dog learns the lesson and doesn’t annoy the horse again. There are also conflicts with cloven-hoofed animals: for example, with fighting rodeo bulls and even with ordinary cows.
The horse is basically a very peaceful creature, but it is quite able to stand up and defend itself. When confronted with a predator, the horse sets its hooves and teeth in motion. Particularly the herd stallions boldly fight with opponents. In their self defence, herd stallions show rage and courage, jumping towards the predators, standing squarely in the herd, when adults move the heap of foals towards the center, and they themselves stand close to each other with hind legs out. But most horses tend to just walk away from danger. They are rescued by their natural ability to run fast. Owing to this ability, it is not rare that horses save their riders.
The horse may be trained to work together with tigers, bears, and lions. Horse breeds:
Structurally, the horse world is based on breeds, groups of breeds and interbred hybrids - the latter often are simply referred to as outbreeds.
Breeds of horses are very diverse and numerous. Different breeds of horses are basically used for particular purposes. For leisure, recreational horses of the hobby class are used. Sport horses are used for tourism and horse riding, whereas for horse racing - racing and trotting horses are used. In Russia, racing horses make up one fifth of the two million horse population. The population of working and useful horses in Russia is about 1.5 million, although their demand is three or four times more.
As of 2011, there are 427 breeds of horses worldwide.
Owing to their endurance, speed and capability to perform useful work, horses are versatile multi-purpose working animals that can be used in agriculture and other industries, as well as in military and for sport. The horse is the most preferred animal when it comes to choosing a living labor. Only in some cases, especially when you want a smooth and steady movement, for example, during transportation of a load of packs on mountainous tracks or deserts, the phlegmatic donkey and ox or the less demanding camel are preferred over the horse.
Despite mechanization and automation, working horses are still needed for transporting small loads, ploughing fields, the harvesting of hay in inaccessible places and small stepped fields, and the carrying of hay, moving around mountain pathways, and the grazing of animals. They are very much useful for veterinarians, foresters and other professionals, especially in taiga and mountainous regions.
Looking back in history, the diverse needs of people during their contact with horses made it imperative for them to develop and build highly specialized breeds of horses as the time demanded. These requirements led to so many varieties of domestic horses – swift and dry riding horses were needed in the cavalry. Heavy carrier and draught horses dragged and carried heavy loads. Light draught horses, intended for trotting were more suited for light carriages and carrying people. Large, stately, and slow riding horses suited heavy riders (for example, a knight clad in armor), and they were also good for a colorful military parade, where the rider, above all, wants to show his physique. Smaller horses with a sort of ugly physique, but much more robust and tolerant to poor feed, from mountain steppe areas were suitable for long nomad movements and carrying heavy loads. Mountain horses with rider and loads on their back could move through narrow mountain trails, fearlessly jumping through the gaps.
Humans, throughout history, have tried to rear and train horses to a wide range of needs sometimes a bit too specific. For example, in Iceland, the small and shaggy Icelandic horses since time immemorial are being used in the fields. However, so that these horses did not trample on just made furrows, people taught the horses to walk with a special gait, called a tolt in Irish, in which the horse alternately puts the right front, then the right rear, left front and then left rear leg on the ground. While one leg is lifted, the other three are on the ground. Thus, Icelandic horses just stepped over the furrows, and humans made sure that this trait was carried over to later generations. Today, Icelanders are proud of their horses. Though these horses are very small (about 130 cm) and ugly, they are strong and sturdy enough to easily carry any adult male on the back, and using their famous tolt they reach a speed of 20 km / hr without any special fixtures or coercion.
The need for light draught horses, which could run with a confident trot or amble, and at the same time which could be comfortable for transporting people in carriages, not only led to the fact that in some countries people managed to develop these horses, but also led to the development of a powerful global industry today like the trotter and ambler racing. |
