Other than
my self-professed love for elephants, the horse that used to go in front in the
Temple procession at Thiruvallikkeni was also a hit... this year Brahmothsavam –
there were two of them... horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus
ferus. It is an odd-toed ungulate mammal belonging to the taxonomic family
Equidae. Humans domesticated horses and needed them to perform a variety of
duties. There is an extensive,
specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering
everything from anatomy to life stages, size, colors,markings, breeds,
locomotion, and behavior. One type of horse-powered work was the hauling of
heavy loads, plowing fields, and other tasks that required pulling ability.
At Anthiyur in Erode, in
Tamilnadu, takes place an annual gathering for sale of horses. Then there is the ‘Kathiawari’ a breed of horse originating in the Kathiawar
peninsula. Closely related to the Marwari horse, and resembling both that breed
and the Arabian horse from which they descend, the Kathiawari was originally
bred as a desert war horse for use over long distances, in rough terrain, on
minimal rations. Originally used as war horses and cavalry mounts, they are
currently used as mounted police horses and for the sport of tent pegging. Then
there is the draft horse (also a draft horse) meaning to draw or haul; less often called a work horse or heavy horse,
a large horse bred for hard heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labor.
This article on Clydesdale
prompted this post. The Clydesdale is a
breed of draft horse derived from the farm horses of Clydesdale, Scotland,
and named after that region. Although originally one of the smaller breeds of
draught horses, it is now a tall breed. Often bay in colour, they show
significant white markings due to the presence of sabino genetics. The breed
was originally used for agriculture and haulage, and is still used for draught
purposes today. The Daily Mail report
of date wonders about the magnificent heavy horse galloping across fields ahead of annual festival
celebrating vintage farming and old-fashioned land skills
It states that event at
Milfield, Northumberland, just over Border from Coldstream, Berwickshire, was
enormous attraction last year; the festival organised by the Cockburn family
will feature many equine roles including carriage driving and riding... main attraction
will be Clydesdales, breed of draft horses derived from farms of the
Clydesdale area, as the organisers hope that this year the event will once
again draw large crowds from all over the country.
On display will be an
assortment of vintage farming machinery, much of which is still in working
order. but for most, the main attraction will be the Clydesdales breed of
draught horses derived from the farms of the area after which they are named. Here are couple of photos of the attractive
horses, which we generally do not see in India.
Before concluding, Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for
three-year-old Thoroughbreds, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United
States, on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby
Festival ~ and here are some of the names of the horses that would be on
show.......... : Vicar’s in trouble; Uncle Sigh; Danza; Samraat; We miss Artie;
General A Rod, Vinceremos; dance with fate; Chitu; Tapiture; Intense holiday.... have you ever placed bet in a horse race ?
With regards
S. Sampathkumar
3rd May 2014.
First photo credit : Thirumazhisai Kannan and rest from Daily Mail.
