Asteroid (horse)

Asteroid was one of the most successful Thoroughbred racehorses in the United States during the 19th century having retired to stud with an undefeated race record.

Pedigree

He was foaled in 1861 and was by the great racehorse and sire, Lexington. His dam Nebula was by the imported Glencoe. This Lexington/Glencoe cross made him a three-quarters-brother-in-blood to the undefeated racehorse and good sire, Norfolk and the twice-defeated Kentucky. All of these colts were foaled in 1861. Asteroid was from an early American family, A34, Norfolk was from another American family A2, while Kentucky was from an English family, 4-b. Asteroid was described as being a bay, standing 15.2 hands with a broad back, short coupling and well-developed hind quarters.

Racing record

In 1864 Confederate raiders stormed Woodburn Farm and Asteroid was stolen, but returned to his owner by a neighbour, after he saw the contingent pass and bargained for the horse’s release. The following February, 15 of Alexander’s horses were taken by soldiers, including two of Alexander's best trotting sires and a younger brother to Asteroid, Norwich. After this invasion, Alexander moved his horses, including the stallions Lexington and Australian, from Woodburn to Illinois, where they stayed until the end of the war, in April 1865.

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