A horse is an animal belonging to the order of artiodactyls. There was once a large group of animals that make up a limited family of one-hoofed animals, but now it has very few representatives.
One of the main qualities that a horse possesses is maximum speed. It is this indicator that affects its performance.
Origin
The most distant ancestor of an ordinary domestic horse and other ungulates can be recognized as paleoteria (its value is from a pig to a rhinoceros) - an extinct animal from the order of ungulates of the Tertiary period. Its ancient remains were studied and described by the famous French zoologist Cuvier.
It is not known at what times the domestication of this animal by people took place, but it coexisted with them during all the studied periods.
The very first information about the horse is present in the holy book of the most ancient Iranians (Persians) - in the Zend Avest. It turns out that these peoples already had tamed horses.
It is known that approximately 4000 years before the Birth of Christ, such animals also lived in India.
The Chinese, who had separated from their ancestors even before the historical flood, also owned these animals, as evidenced by the old hieroglyphs found. The existence of horses in Egypt and in those days is also traced.
Horse breeding was well developed in Macedonia and in Greece. The Greeks were especially fond of them and enthusiastically engaged in horse breeding, as evidenced by the ancient Olympic Games and mythology.
Mostly in those days the horse was used as a harness. The maximum speed of these animals today is much higher than that, and the species and purpose were different.
Breeds and types
The horse is not comparable in beauty and nature to any animal. The maximum speed of this animal depends more on its breed and origin.
According to their body structure (exterior), horses are divided according to purpose into the following types:
• horse;
• draft;
• horse harness;
• pack.
And horsebacks, in turn, are divided into heavy and light types.
According to the origin of the horse are:
• cultural;
• indigenous (local);
• transitional.
For breeding and its methods, horses are:
• herd;
• cultural herd;
• factory.
Maximum horse speed, depending on the method of running
Due to the fact that these animals were used mainly for transportation purposes, horse breeding began to set itself a higher priority task - the creation of new, faster breeds of horses. Thus, for example, a horse breed of pure English blood appeared.
The maximum speed of a horse depends on the breed and the method
(type) of running. For example, at competitions (races) horses move not just at a gallop, but at a quarry or accelerated gallop. This is the fastest way to go. However, not all breeds of horses have the ability to run this way.
There is a direct connection between the suit of the horse, its speed and, of course, temperament. For example, red horses always personify fire. It is believed that the fastest horses are red. Crows are very hot, but angry and rather slow, whites are gentle, and bay are very capable, hardworking and courageous. In Russia, the fastest and most ardent - red breeds were most often used in cavalry.
The gallop step is considered traditional, common for this animal. In this case, the maximum horse speed (km / h) is 15-20.
And the gallop according to the nature of movement and speed is divided into maneuver (300 m / min.), Shortened (speed - up to 700 m / min.) And fast (1000 or more meters per minute).
If necessary, a horse can run a long distance, developing a speed of up to 60 km per hour.
It is also important to note that the speed of a horse of pure blood, like its other indicators, is usually one order of magnitude higher than that of animals of other breeds.
Record holders
What is the maximum horse speed ? This can be found by studying the statistics of records.
In terms of speed of running, these smart, strong and beautiful animals have their own records. They are mainly owned by English purebred breeds.
A purebred stallion named Beach Rekit (1945) set a world record. Then in Mexico City at a distance of 400 meters, this beautiful horse was able to reach a speed of 69.69 km / h. The record of the absolute champion in speed of Beach Rekit was repeated (but not beaten) by the stallion Onion Roll only in September 1993.
Today, the most striking example of fast running is 69.3 km / h. The horse of Siglevi Slave I developed this speed by running more than 800 meters. True, he ran without a rider, but this is also considered a rather high indicator.
What speed can a horse develop with a rider? The maximum speed belongs to the frisky stallion John Henry, who developed more than 60 kilometers per hour at a distance of 2.4 km.
There are also world records for trotters at a distance of 1600 meters: among the stallions (1 minute 51 seconds) belongs to Pai Chip, and among the mares (1 minute 51.8 seconds) - Bittze Wil.
For a long time, a horse has been an indispensable helper for humans. People love and honor horses as their closest and most
loyal friends. It is not in vain, according to ancient mythologies of different peoples, this animal was the protector of people from evil, various diseases and misfortunes.