Even
for those who get lured to horses racing, it would be a different kind out
there – Gallops of Morocca, is a desert endurance challenge where riders of the
globe battle gusts of sandy wind
struggling to control feisty
stallions.
Morocco,
officially the Kingdom of Morocco is a
unitary sovereign state located in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is
the one of the native homelands of the indigenous Berber people, and has a lengthy coastline along the Atlantic Ocean
and Mediterranean Sea.In a country with an ancient history of horsemanship, the
event in the wilderness of Merzouga was the first of its kind -- a six-day test
of stamina, navigation and teamwork. Competitors
spend four to seven hours a day in the saddle, covering up to 30 kilometers (18
miles) of rough terrain a day.
Riders
use stopwatches to pace themselves and GPS devices to find their way through
the sandy plains, deep dunes, rocky hills and passes. The unforgiving terrain
and fickle weather are not the only challenges: competitors must ride Barb
stallions they have never met.Fifteen teams took part in the late February
adventure, made up of 80 horse-lovers, enthusiasts of everything from trail
riding to polo.On the first day itself, several riders fell off their horses and
some gave up entirely -- while others said they were exhausted but enjoying the
challenge.
In
case you are wondering – a stallion is a
male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions have more muscular
physique as compared to female horses, known as mares, and castrated males,
called geldings.Temperament varies widely based on genetics, and training, but
because of their instincts as herd animals, they may be prone to aggressive
behaviour, particularly toward other stallions, and thus require careful
management by knowledgeable handlers. The term "stallion" dates from
the era of Henry VII, who passed a number of laws relating to the breeding and
export of horses in an attempt to improve the British stock, under which it was
forbidden to allow uncastrated male horses to be turned out in fields. "Stallion" is also used to refer to
males of other equids, including zebras and donkeys.
Contrary
to popular myths, many stallions do not live with a harem of mares. Nor, in
natural settings, do they fight each other to the death in competition for
mares. Being social animals, stallions who are not able to find or win a harem
of mares usually band together in stallions-only "bachelor" groups
which are composed of stallions of all ages. Even with a band of mares, the
stallion is not the leader of a herd, but defends and protects the herd from
predators and other stallions. The leadership role in a herd is held by a mare,
known colloquially as the "lead mare" or "boss mare." The
mare determines the movement of the herd as it travels to obtain food, water,
and shelter. She also determines the route the herd takes when fleeing from
danger.
Lot
of care is taken in breeding horses, especially the race horses or those used
for special purposes. A stud book also
known as breed registry is maintained.
The stud maintains data of animals
within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered
by their breeders when they are still young. Registries usually issue certificates for each
recorded animal, called a pedigree. Registration papers may consist of a simple
certificate or a listing of ancestors in the animal's background, sometimes
with a chart showing the lineage.
Studbook
selection process allows a breed registry to direct the evolution of the breed
towards the ideal by eliminating unhealthy or undesirable animals from the
population. The removal of individuals from a population is called culling, and
does not suggest killing the animal in question. Typically, culls are castrated
or they and their offspring are unable to be registered. This also helps
preventing inbreeding or diluting progeny.
The pattern of studbook selection varies from nation to nation and
registry to registry.
Read
that Stallions at the National Stud in
Newmarket are subscribed to a matching tool - an equine dating system where the
numbers are crunched to identify potential partners."The tool will go back
through the pedigrees and find successful horses that have been bred on the
same cross, the same lineage," said the stud's marketing and nominations
executive."They will come up with the probability of producing a Group One
winner, or what distance it might be best at. It will give you a 20-20 match,
which is what you are looking for, but there will be lots of 20-20 matches that
don't work. Sometimes it's just luck."
Stud
deals are normally signed on a no-foal-no-fee basis; hygiene is paramount -
there are checks to guard against sexually-transmitted disease - and lots of
paperwork."Stallions have so much testosterone going through their veins
that they are very territorial," said one who manages a stud. To them the stallions capable of reproduction
are so valuable and they are keen to keep them in good stead. Reproduction is not exactly science, yet
mankind tries to develop ways and methods to define and redefine it further.
Interesting
!
~
the one pictured is of course not a pedigree stallion – a roadside click near
Chepauk.
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