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Appendix Quarter Horses
Appendix Quarter Horse
The Appendix Quarter Horse Breed
The Appendix Quarter horse breed is actually an American breed of
horse. This is a horse, like most Quarter horses, that actually excels
at running short distances. They are super fast and have been clocked
at going speeds of 55 mph. Of course, like most animals that run
that fast, these horses can not hold that top speed for long. Thus,
they do not do good in long races, but they are great at the short
distance ones. Appendix Quarter horses should actually only race in
races that are a quarter mile or less. Overall, this is the most well
known breed of horse in the whole world. In fact, there are over 3
million Appendix Quarter horses in the world today, pretty much meaning
that this horse makes up a lot of the world's horse population. Now
let's talk a little bit more about the Appendix Quarter horse. We known
that it can run short races, but what else can this amazing horse
do?
It is not uncommon to see the Appendix Quarter horse in rodeos and
other horse shows. However, a lot of people just use these horses to
work on the ranch. They can work for a long time when they are not
running full speed. They are very speedy and maneuver very well. Thus,
they are the perfect horse to work with other farm animals like cattle.
Of course, not all is grand in the world of the Appendix Quarter horse.
In fact, this is a horse that is known to have a lot of diseases.
Although it is not yet known why this horse gets more diseases than
other horses, one thing is for sure, it does happen. Right now we are
going to talk about just three of the many disease that it can get.
The first disease that the Appendix Quarter horse may end up with is
Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency. This is also called GBED, and it
is a genetic disease where the horse actually is lacking in the enzymes
to make glycogen. This means that the horse's heart, as well as the
skeletal muscles do not function right. This leads to a very rapid
death for this long lived horse. This kind of disease can be found by
dong a DNA test.
Then there is the Equine polysaccharide storage myopathy. This is
sometimes called EPSM, and it is known s a metabolic muscular
condition. To some extent a good diet can help the horse control this,
but it will never be able to shake it.
Last is another disease that can be found in other horses as well. This
is known as lethal white syndrome. Many horses carry the gene for
lethal white syndrome, and when it hits, it will take the horse's life
before it ever grows up. In fact, it will normally die within 72 hours
of birth. However, most people do not make the horse live that long.
Having this disease is very painful for the horse, and the horse will
have to suffer for those 72 hours. Most people help the horse by
putting it down quickly.
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