History

• The domestication of horses is not easily dated, although it certainly dates back to several millenia B.C. In America, however, horses have been domesticated since the first colonies were settled. The American quarter horse was the first horse breed native to the country. The quarter horse was a hybrid bred between Spanish barbs from the Chickasaw Indians and the English stock horses brought over as early as 1611.
  
  

Size

• Several horse breeds are very tall.horse training image by Allyson Ricketts from Fotolia.com
  
  Horses range in size from very small to extremely large. The standard unit for measuring horses is called hands. A hand is equal to four inches. A true horse is 14.2 hands tall at the withers, while any horse shorter than this is considered a pony. The shire is the largest horse breed in the world, measuring 17 hands high.
  
  

Features

• Thick-bodied horsestwo horses image by Fotocie from Fotolia.com
  
  Horses' features are distinctive and unmistakable. They have long legs, an elongated body, erect ears and a large head with a long face. While they come in several shapes, sizes and colors, they all look remarkably alike due to their features. Different breeds were bred for different purposes, hence the varying sizes and body styles.