The thoroughbred horse can trace its ancestry to three sires.
The Darley Arabian, The Godolphin Arabian, and The Byerley Turk are often referred to as the foundation sires of the thoroughbred horse breed.
The three foundation stallions were first brought to England from the Mediterranean Middle East in the seventeenth century. These sires got their names from their owners, Thomas Darley, Lord Godolphin, and Captain Robert Byerley.
The foundation sires were bred to native English horses. The product of this breeding was a new bred of horse which could attain fast speeds over longer distances and support greater weight while carrying a rider.
The aristocrats of Englandbegan selectively breeding the thoroughbred horse to develop the breed into the sportiest horses on the planet.
For over three hundred years, breeding the best broodmares with the fastest stallions produced sporting excellence on the horse race tracks. It was difficult in the beginning for thoroughbred breeders to keep records on horses, because most horse went unnamed until they had proven ability. James Weatherby did great research and kept private pedigree records. James Weatherby went onto publish the very first volume of the General Stud Book.
Although the thoroughbred horse breed can be traced back to England, its genetics are ultimately traced back to Arabians. The foundation sires all have genetics which go back toArabia. It is often thought the native sprinting breed the Scottish Galloway mares produced the first thoroughbred horses.
The thoroughbred is generally around 16 hands high and its appearance resembles its Arabian ancestry. The thoroughbred horses’ head is very refined with a sporty neck which is often longer than the necks of other horse breeds. The thoroughbreds’ withers are extremely well defined and its back very evenly curved. Thoroughbred shoulders are muscular and sloped and the girth is deep but relatively narrow. Thoroughbred horse legs are long and show pronounced tendons to allow the horse to move very smoothly. Thoroughbred horse coat colors are usually dark bay, bay, chestnut, grey, and in some cases roan. White marking on the thoroughbred horse are often seen on their faces and on the legs or socks.
