Re: Arab/AT/WB long

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/2/99 11:14:57 AM Pacific Standard Time, tjones@COINET.COM
writes:

<< "We know that in the Diluvian era there existed only three kinds of wild
 horse: 1) the ancestors of all the European cold-blooded horses, 2) the
 Tarpan and Taki, ancestors of East European and West Asian horses and 3) the
 Przewalski horse of Mongolia and Southeast Asia. From this third type
 developed two varieties: the Equus caballus Mongolicus (the Mongol pony) and
 the Equus caballus Arianus, the Arabian and Turkoman (or Akhal Tekke) horse.
 Whether the Arabian developed from the Turkoman or the other way around we
 will never know. >>

It was always my understanding (from many well-researched sources) that there
were actually four sub-specied of Equus caballus--the Przewalski, the Tarpan,
the Great Forest Horse, and the early Arabian.  Only the Przewalski and the
Arabian exist in anything near original form (the Przewalski likely being the
most true to type), with both the modern Arabian and the forerunners of the
Akhal Tekke being man-bred offshoots of the original Arabian.  The Tarpan and
the Great Forest Horse as such are extinct, but their genes survive in crosses
with Arabian-type horses to form virtually every other breed in existence.
The Great Forest Horse is primarily responsible for draft and many of the pony
breeds, whereas the Tarpan influence is seen in other "light" breeds.  I did
an extensive literature search on this subject many years ago to do a paper on
the subject--I know I had something like 50+ sources in my bibliography, most
of which pretty much concurred with the above.

Heidi Smith, DVM--Sagehill Arabians (Oregon)