Hot-blooded Horses

photo courtesy of Danielle Peterson

Breeding the Arabians with English horses created the Thoroughbred, which is used for racing and other sporting events. Hot blooded horses are known for their speed: with lighter bodies and a passion that outstrips other breeds, their quickness makes them ideal race horses. But the same fire that makes them fast makes them high strung or fiery tempered. Hotbloods, often likened to passionate human artists by those who understand their temperaments, can injure themselves in training or racing when their need for speed outpaces their bodies' capacity for endurance. Because they are high strung, hot blooded horses may also be injured when trying to escape from something frightening, when upset at being transported or when faced with a new situation.

Race horses demand a lot from their owners and handlers. For the specialist with the money for training, stabling and racing, hot blooded horses can be an exciting life. But these horses have to be handled by people who know what they're doing; experts with plenty of experience. Because of their sensitivity, hot blooded horses can be too easily harmed by ineffective or inexpert handling. Their legs are delicate and must be protected by careful handling and the right kind of support. They are the most expensive horses, being costly to breed and buy, which makes them the playthings of the very wealthy and the backbone of the extremely lucrative worldwide racing industry.

Here are some horse breeds considered hot bloods:

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