Achievement (horse)

Achievement (1864–1872) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a career that lasted from April 1866 to June 1868 she ran twenty-three times and won sixteen races. She was arguably the best British two-year-old of either sex in 1866 when she won eleven times and was only beaten when attempting to concede weight to colts. As a three-year-old she won the Classic 1000 Guineas at Newmarket and then returned from a surprising defeat in the Epsom Oaks to beat the Epsom Derby winner Hermit in the St Leger at Doncaster. After failing to show her best form in 1868 she was retired to stud and died four years later.

Background

Achievement was a strikingly attractive dark brown filly standing 15.3 hands high. She was foaled in 1864 at Oakley Hall, the stud farm of Colonel (later General) Mark Pearson which was located twenty miles outside of Oakham in Northamptonshire. She was sired by Stockwell, winner of the 1852 St. Leger and 2,000 Guineas Stakes and a seven time leading sire. Achievement's dam, Paradigm, was not "fashionably bred" being sired by Paragone, a "3-guinea" sire noted more for producing hunt horses than racehorses. Paradigm's dam, Ellen Horne, was purchased by Pearson for around 18 guineas for his wife to use as a hack horse. Paradigm was an unsuccessful racehorse, running only twice and placing in the Lavender Stakes as a two-year old before injury forced her retirement from racing. Like her dam, Paradigm was also used as a hack before she entered the stud. Paradigm was later heralded as a worthy broodmare. In 1863, she had produced Achievement's full brother, Lord Lyon, the winner of the 1866 English Triple Crown. Paradigm produced a total of 13 foals and also produced King at Arms, Man at Arms and Blue Mantle.

Horse

The horse (Equus ferus caballus) is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus. It is an odd-toed ungulate mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature, Hyracotherium, into the large, single-toed animal of today. Humans began to domesticate horses around 4000 BC, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BC. Horses in the subspecies caballus are domesticated, although some domesticated populations live in the wild as feral horses. These feral populations are not true wild horses, as this term is used to describe horses that have never been domesticated, such as the endangered Przewalski's horse, a separate subspecies, and the only remaining true wild horse. There is an extensive, specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering everything from anatomy to life stages, size, colors, markings, breeds, locomotion, and behavior.

Horses' anatomy enables them to make use of speed to escape predators and they have a well-developed sense of balance and a strong fight-or-flight response. Related to this need to flee from predators in the wild is an unusual trait: horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down. Female horses, called mares, carry their young for approximately 11 months, and a young horse, called a foal, can stand and run shortly following birth. Most domesticated horses begin training under saddle or in harness between the ages of two and four. They reach full adult development by age five, and have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years.

Horse (disambiguation)

A horse is a hoofed mammal of the species Equus ferus caballus.

Horse or Horses may also refer to:

Animals

Arts and entertainment

Horse (zodiac)

The Horse (馬 午) is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. There is a long tradition of the horse in Chinese mythology. Certain characteristics of the Horse nature are supposed to be typical of or to be associated with either a year of the Horse and its events, or in regard to the personality of someone born in such a year. Horse aspects can also enter by other chronomantic factors or measures, such as hourly.

Years and the Five Elements

People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "Year of the Horse", while also bearing the following elemental sign:

Basic astrology elements

Relationship compatibility

Horses are thought to be particularly incompatible with Rat and Ox personalities; and to be particularly compatible with people of the Tiger and Dog type.

See also