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Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is designed for speed. It can run 40 miles (64 km) per hour and cover 20 feet (6 m) in a single stride.
Lean and efficiently muscled, the Thoroughbred is tall and light. It excels at races ranging from 5/8 to 1 3/4 miles (1 to 2.8 km).
Height: 16-17 hh (horse hands)
Color: All Solid Colors
Body Type: Light
This breed comes from...
England
Explore the traits of this breed!
SIDE VIEW
The shoulder is sloped at a 45 degree angle and the neck is long. Both traits contribute to this breed's longer than average stride.
The average Thoroughbred is tall, about 16 hands (5 ft 4 in, 163 cm) high at the withers. But it is also light, weighing only 1,000 pounds (454 kg).
Look at its long and lean-muscled legs. The Thoroughbred can perform 150 strides in a single minute!
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FRONT and BACK VIEW
Thoroughbreds have big eyes and flat foreheads. Their big nostrils allow them to breathe in lots of air quickly.
A champion Thoroughbred's heart is the size of a soccer ball! During a race, it pumps 75 gallons (284 l) of blood per minute.
Look at its thin and silky coat. This trait reflects their Arabian horse ancestry.
The color of this horse is bay, a reddish brown. It has a black mane and tail.
Lean and powerful hindquarters provide the power for galloping at top speeds!
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The Thoroughbred Story
In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, three stallions named the Byerley Turk, Darley Arabian, and Godolphin were imported to England. They came from the area of the Middle East and North Africa. The stallions, which were most likely Arabians, were crossbred with English running horses (locally bred racehorses of various breeds). The result was the Thoroughbred, a new breed or racehorse. Today, it is believed that all Thoroughbreds can trace their origins back to these original crossbreeds.
Thoroughbreds are mainly racehorses. They also compete in the steeplechase, field and show hunting, eventing, and polo. Breeders use Thoroughbreds to alter existing breeds as well as to create new breeds. All of the European warmblood breeds (Hanoverian, Dutch Warmblood, Swedish Warmblood, Selle Français, etc.) have been influenced by Thoroughbred genes.
Appaloosa | Arabian | Belgian Draft | Connemara | Dutch Warmblood | Friesian | Haflinger | Hanoverian | Icelandic Horse | Lusitano | Miniature Horse | Morgan | Oldenburg | Paint | Percheron | Quarter Horse | Selle Français | Thoroughbred
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All images, © AMNH