Thoroughbred

A horse breed developed for horse racing, known as a hot blooded horse for its agility, speed and spirit; the name Thoroughbred properly belongs only to this breed, though it is sometimes used loosely for any purebred horse. It emerged in England during the 17th and 18th centuries, when native mares were crossed with imported stallions of Arabian, Barb and Turkoman breeding, and every modern Thoroughbred traces its ancestry to three foundation stallions imported in that period, the Byerley Turk, the Darley Arabian and the Godolphin Arabian, alongside a larger number of English foundation mares. Beginning in 1730 the breed was imported into North America and later spread to Australia, Europe, Japan and South America; millions of Thoroughbreds exist today, with about 100,000 foals registered worldwide each year. Thoroughbreds are bred mainly for racing but are also used in show jumping, combined training, dressage, polo and fox hunting, and have shaped many other breeds through crossbreeding.