The horse is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating creatures in the animal kingdom. At first, it may seem simple, but as we dig deeper into the learning process about it, more amazing attributes we discover.
The horse has been fundamental in the history of the human being since the Neolithic era, since it has the fundamental requirements other than its predisposition to “serve” and “accompany” the man, such as its physical strength and its powerful muscles to carry with weights, farm implements, pulling carriages, and their ability to travel a great distance.
The other fundamental use that the horse has had throughout history has been the military. In ancient times civilizations such as the Roman considered the horse as a “great warrior”. This allowed them to travel great distances and transformed the way of understanding war. In this way the armies had cavalry.
Nowadays, there a two notorious breeds: Mustang and Arabian. Let us analyze some of the characteristics that each breed present and point out if we can consider one superior to the other.
Mustang Horse
The Mustang is one of the most famous horse breeds in history. Wild horse of the western United States, all horses in this breed are descendants of escaped or lost domestic horses.
Currently, they are a symbol of the country, to the point that they are protected by law. Abusing or killing a horse of this breed is a federal crime.
The origin of these horses is found in the horses brought to the continent by the conquerors who accompanied Cortés in 1518. Specifically, they brought 11 horses and 6 mares. Legend has it that several of them escaped and that they were captured by the American Indians.
Later we found that many ranch owners released their horses so they would not have to feed them in winter. Later in spring, they would take them again (or acquire others) when they needed them again. These animals adapted to the wildlife were gaining resistance and security in their legs, and they were forming the race that we know today.
Before 1900 the Mustang horse population was estimated to be one million individuals. But the horse population was drastically reduced as these horses were a source of income (for military use or for meat), and many were captured and sold.
It decreased so much that in 1970 it was on the brink of extinction. Currently, the number of them is estimated to range between 40,000 and 100,000, most of them in Nevada.
The Mustang is a small horse, compact in size and very powerful, ranging in size from 1.40 to 1.58 m. Its appearance gives the appearance of neglect, demonstrating its wildlife from almost its origins. Their layers are the most varied, being able to find them even painted and speckled.
As we said before, the breed is very resistant to wild conditions. It can survive in almost all circumstances, be it in arid regions or mountain areas. It drinks very little, it can even feed on woody plants and thorny bushes, and it can withstand great heat to freezing winters.
Mustangs are considered difficult to tame horses due to their strong character. Its independence is one of its great characteristics. They are also very intelligent horses, capable of adapting to any circumstance and impediment they encounter.
The price of the Mustang horse ranges between $ 125 and $ 5000. The purchase price is not the only cost associated with buying a horse, the buyer must keep track of the expenses of food, living, training and maintenance.
Arabian Horse
Removing the fanciful factor of the origins of these Arabian horses, it is known that these animals are one of the oldest breeds known within this category and that this has made their evolution more effective, having characteristics that make them unique and unique. highly valued.
It is therefore said that these horses are part of the vast majority of horses that exist today and that the other breeds that have emerged in the rest of the world share ancestors with these Arabian horses.
There are many horse keepers and breeders who are always looking to create new breeds or stronger specimens, trying to have a thoroughbred Arabian in their genetics. These horses have a past in which they lived in the middle of the desert, making them very resistant animals, as well as beautiful.
As physical characteristics, we can highlight a very short coat and extremely thin skin, since when living in very hot areas, evolution has made this layer minimal, in order to give it greater advantages against its predators.
This information is important as long as one of these animals is kept in a stable and domesticated, since they must have blankets or stoves that help them combat the cold and humidity. Among the colors in its fur, we can find great variants, although the most desired at the same time rarest is black.
The average height of these horses is 1, 50 m, being very rare to find taller horses. Its body is very slim and slim, something that has made it used for horse racing or for those tests that require a lot of physical strength.
The Arabian horse, both for its anatomy and its physical qualities, has been used in countless activities to facilitate human life. On the one hand, and as we have already mentioned, the nomads were the first to use this breed of horses, which were a faster and more effective means of transport than they could count, since camels or dromedaries among others, they supposed to lose several days in the journey due to its slowness and also they were not as faithful and loyal as the horses.
Another of the uses that it was given was the war, being the main horses of the most important generals and trying that the more animals of this breed there were in the platoon, the better.
They all wanted to have a thoroughbred under their command, as this assured them that they would be better in all respects against their enemies. One of the most famous historical figures to use an Arabian horse was Napoleon.
In the World Wars, it was also used although it was gradually replaced by motor vehicles that required less care and could move faster.
To this day, these domesticated animals are still kept but for other mere leisure purposes or for competitions such as races.
Maintenance
The types of Arabs are various and different. Some are expected, some are not. They can be anywhere from $ 100 dollars which is rare to syndicated for millions.
In some places, the price of a purebred Arab, which is nothing special, could be around $ 2,500 and more without training.
A fully trained one from a horse auction could cost from $ 500, possibly for an outstanding stallion. If the Arabian horse has been trained in dressage or jumping, its price could fluctuate between $ 15,000 – $ 90,000 with $ 30,000 on average, which is quite normal for most breeds.
Some breeds increase in value from the moment they are born, among them are the warm-blooded, the Andalusian and even the Andalusian crosses will start to cost around 6,000 dollars.
Therefore, as we have consulted, there are many similarities between both breeds and certain differences.
Ultimately, it comes down really to what attributes a person may look for in a horse and for what he or she wants it. And of course, the resources to maintain it. So, which one is superior? Both are wonderful breeds of horses.
