Furioso Horse breed

The Furioso Horse Breed
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Furioso Horse breed
Introduction
Horses are domesticated hoofed mammals. They share most characteristics like long tails, masculine torsos, short body hair, elongated heads and long thick necks. Because of their domestication, horses are found worldwide and are known to have existed for over 50 million years. They are known to have originated from North America and then spread to Europe, and Asia. The original horses found in North America have been extinct for the past 10, 000 years and have since been reintroduced to those areas by the European colonialists. The domestication of horses began in Asia mainly for meat and milk before being utilized for animal transportation. Worldwide, there are over 400 varying horse breeds with different characteristics. The largest horse breeds have a height of up to 69 inches when measured up to the shoulder from the hooves and can weigh up to 998 kgs. On the other hand, small horse breeds can be as tiny as 30 inches in height and have a weight of 54 kg only. The paper presents an analysis of the bloodline, characteristics, and the uses of the Furioso horse breed, one of the unique and most popular breed of horses.
History
The Furioso horse breed was first bred in 1784 at the Mezohegyes animal farm in Hungary. A horse named ‘Furioso’ originating from England among the Thoroughbred stallions was one of the original parents of Furioso breed of horses. Furioso was given birth to in 1836 and was ready for stud in 1841.

Another original parent of Furioso horse breed is the “North Star” who was given birth to in 1844 and was ready for stud by 1850, aged six years. The bloodlines of “North Star” horse breed can be traced back to Norfolk Roadster who descended from an excellent race horse named “Waxy” who won a 1793 derby. The descendants of North Star were brilliant racehorses. These two horse breeds were mated with Nonius mares and resulted in two separate offspring lines. After the addition of various other horses from the Thoroughbred bloodline, the two lines of horse breeds were further interbred. The two breeds of horses merged around 1885, however, at the close of the 19th century, the Furioso breed became the dominant breed and therefore the horse breeds from this bloodline adopted Furioso’s name. The horse breed is considered one of the most valuable breeds of horses, however, it’s regarded as an endangered species with only a few animals from this line still in existence. Small numbers still exist in Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. The breed remains in the hands few private owners (“Furioso Horse – Horse Breeds – Horse Games,” n.d.).
Characteristics
The color of the Furioso breed of horses are mainly black, dark bay, or dark brown but can also be of any other solid color. Their height range from 64-65 inches (approximately 16 hands high) with good conformation. The horse breeds from this bloodline have a very strong body structure and a noble appearance. Their body is of a medium-heavy type of frame and very large. Furioso horse breed heads are well shaped and balanced with the overall size of the body. Furthermore, their heads are not coarse but fairly fine like their foundational sire the English Thoroughbred male. It has an elegant, muscular neck which is slightly arched or straight. Their shoulder is deepened and well positioned, their withers are long and medium, its loins and back are solid and strong, with a fairly deep chest and girth (Hendricks, 2007). Their shoulders are lean but well sloping and muscular. The legs are well defined and muscular with clean and strong joints. Their hooves are well shaped and hardened. Additionally, the Furioso is pigeon-toed, and its hind legs are somehow cow hocked. Furioso’s temperament is calm and very pleasing. The calm temperamental nature of these horses makes it very easy to understand their anger and fear emotions. Furthermore, it is very convenient considering the fact that horses relate to emotions of humans, and they can sense the emotional status of the rider, owner, and trainer at any point in time which greatly impacts how they perform in various activities. The horse breed is regarded as warm blooded. They possess strong racing skills an activity that their conformation favors (“Furioso Horse – Horse Breeds – Horse Games,” n.d.). The Furioso Horse breed is among the most social horse breeds and like the rest of other horse families they live in groups known as herds. They are also herbivores and feed on vegetation mainly grass; however, the domesticated Furioso Horse breeds can be fed on rolled oats, bran, hay, and barley. They feed on up to 1-2% of the weight of their body in roughages like hay or grass each day. Furthermore, they can be given supplementary nutrients by providing them with lick salt blocks and solid nutritious minerals. These animals graze for the most of their day just like other herbivores to sufficiently feed, however, unlike cows, they have a single stomach. The gestation period before birth lasts for up to 11 months.
Uses of Furioso Horse breed
The continued breeding of the Furioso Horse breed is because of its economical and serviceable use. Its body conformation makes carriage and racing among its major uses. The racing capability of the Furioso Horse breed is enhanced when it is bred by an English Thoroughbred male. However, in its pure breed, the animal provides a sufficient farm service. The Furioso horse is a tough, continuous farm horse of brawny conformation, and it can be utilized for work over a long period. The breed is easy to relate with due to its favorable temperamental nature, and it can be useful for several purposes. The breed’s jumping ability is not good; however, some individual animals are marvelous over obstacles and can be utilized for security (Hendricks, 2007).
Conclusion
The Furioso Horse breed is a uniform and extremely valuable horse breed. Currently, the breed is facing the threat of extinction; thus, the task at hand remains to protect the Furioso Horse breed from gene erosion. An increase in the body mass of this breed is desirable, and selection of the breed is carried out according to its descendants and conformation before they are bred. Before individual animals from the Furioso, the bloodline is utilized for breeding they are tested saddle or harness use. The specific characteristics, like the cool temper, makes Furioso breed worth saving. Furthermore, if well taken care of, the Furioso breed can be useful for very many purposes, both economic and domestic purposes. The breed also provides one with an aesthetic pride due to its physical characteristics that make it stand out. The Furioso horse breed is among most valuable breeds among all the available breeds, and its preservation should be at the center of the interest of all horse lovers. It resilient nature has cultivated its survival for decades, and it is now time that conservation organizations take up the role of securing this important part of animal breeding history.
References
Furioso Horse – Horse Breeds – Horse Games. Horse-games.org. Retrieved 3 December 2016, from http://www.horse-games.org/Horse_Breeds/Furioso_Horse.html
Hendricks, B. (2007). International encyclopedia of horse breeds (1st ed., pp. 200-203). Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.