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The Thoroughbred is the best known of all horse breeds. One of Australia's
greatest heroes – Phar Lap – was a Thoroughbred. These horses,
although tall, are usually built slenderly, with long neck and legs.
The Thoroughbred horse began in the Royal Paddocks of Henry VIII in England
in the 16th Century. There are three stallions that were the main breeding
lines. Elizabeth I, Henry's daughter, continued selectively breeding up
the Thoroughbred, so that the racing industry in England began to meet
regularly. The Thoroughbred horse came mainly from a mixture of Arab,
Galloway, and Barb horses but details are not certain.
Today the breed is one of the main ones around the world – the others
are the Arab, Warmbloods (breeds that originate in warm contries), Coldbloods
(breeds that began in colder parts of the world), Trotters, and ponies.
Thoroughbred horses are very good-looking and can range in height from
14.2 to 17 hands high. They have great stamina and courage. They are also
very spirited and so enjoy sports like racing, eventing, endurance-riding
and cross-country events.
Registered Thoroughbreds may only be of a solid colour, but white markings
are allowed. Probably the best place to see a group of Thoroughbred horses
is if you go to the "races". The regular race meets are only
open to Thoroughbred horses. These "gallopers" are usually young
- between two and seven years old. The age of the horses is very important
because sometimes they have a race for three-year-olds only , for
example. For this reason, every horse in Australia has its birthday on
1 August (even if you have proof that they weren't born on that date).
This is when the "Spring Racing Carnival" begins, which includes
race meets like the Melbourne Cup which offer great prize money.
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