1.
Equus (genus)
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Equus is a genus of mammals in the family Equidae, which includes horses, asses, and zebras. Within Equidae, Equus is the only recognized extant genus, comprising seven living species, the term equine refers to any member of this genus, including horses. Like Equidae more broadly, Equus has numerous species known only from fossils. The genus most likely originated in North America and spread quickly to the Old World, Equines are odd-toed ungulates with slender legs, long heads, relatively long necks, manes and long tails. All species are herbivorous, and mostly grazers with simpler digestive systems than ruminants, while the domestic horse and donkey exist worldwide, wild equine populations are limited to Africa and Asia. In both systems, females take care of their offspring but males may play a role as well, Equines communicate with each other both visually and vocally. Human activities have threatened wild equine populations and out of the seven living species, only the plains zebra remains widespread and abundant. The word equus is Latin for horse, and is cognate with the Greek ἵππος, horse, and Mycenaean Greek i-qo /ikkʷos/, the genus Equus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is the only recognized extant genus in the family Equidae, the first equids were small, dog-sized mammals adapted for browsing on shrubs during the Eocene, around 54 million years ago. These animals had three toes on the feet and four on the front feet with small hooves in place of claws. Equids developed into larger, three-toed animals during the Oligocene and Miocene, from there, the tridactyl toes became progressively smaller through the Pleistocene until the emergence of the single-toed Equus. The genus Equus, which all extant equines, is believed to have evolved from Dinohippus. One of the oldest species is Equus simplicidens, described as zebra-like with a head shape. The oldest material to date was found in Idaho, USA, the genus appears to have spread quickly into the Old World, with the similarly aged E. livenzovensis documented from western Europe and Russia. Molecular phylogenies indicate that the most recent common ancestor of all modern equines lived ~5.6 mya, mitochondrial evidence supports the division of Equus species into non-caballoid and caballoids or true horses. Of the extant equine species, the lineage of the asses may have diverged first, zebras appear to be monophyletic and differentiated in Africa where they are endemic. Molecular dating indicates the caballoid lineage diverged from the non-caballoids 4 mya, genetic results suggest that all North American fossils of caballine equines, as well as South American fossils traditionally placed in the subgenus E. belong to E. ferus. Remains attributed to a variety of species and lumped together as New World stilt-legged horses probably all belong to a species that was endemic to North America
2.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
3.
Horse
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The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus. It is an 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, Eohippus, into the large, 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. 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 use of speed to escape predators and they have a well-developed sense of balance. Related to this need to flee from predators in the wild is an unusual trait, 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 and they reach full adult development by age five, and have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years. There are more than 300 breeds of horse in the world today, horses were historically used in warfare, from which a wide variety of riding and driving techniques developed, using many different styles of equipment and methods of control. Many products are derived from horses, including meat, milk, hide, hair, bone, humans provide domesticated horses with food, water and shelter, as well as attention from specialists such as veterinarians and farriers. Specific terms and specialized language are used to describe equine anatomy, different life stages, colors, depending on breed, management and environment, the modern domestic horse has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years. Uncommonly, a few animals live into their 40s and, occasionally, the oldest verifiable record was Old Billy, a 19th-century horse that lived to the age of 62. In modern times, Sugar Puff, who had listed in Guinness World Records as the worlds oldest living pony. The exception is in endurance riding, where the age to compete is based on the animals actual calendar age. The following terminology is used to describe horses of various ages, Colt, a common terminology error is to call any young horse a colt, when the term actually only refers to young male horses. Filly, A female horse under the age of four, foal, A horse of either sex less than one year old. A nursing foal is sometimes called a suckling and a foal that has been weaned is called a weanling, most domesticated foals are weaned at five to seven months of age, although foals can be weaned at four months with no adverse physical effects. Gelding, A castrated male horse of any age, mare, A female horse four years old and older
4.
Animal welfare
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Animal welfare is the well-being of animals. The standards of animal welfare vary considerably between different contexts. These standards are under constant review and are debated, created and revised by animal groups, legislators. These concerns can include how animals are slaughtered for food, how they are used in research, how they are kept. Animal welfare was a concern of some ancient civilizations but began to take a place in Western public policy in 19th-century Great Britain. In the 21st century, it is a significant focus of interest in science, ethics, there are two forms of criticism of the concept of animal welfare, coming from diametrically opposite positions. One view, dating back centuries, asserts that animals are not consciously aware, however, some still maintain that consciousness is a philosophical question that may never be scientifically resolved. The other view is based on the animal rights position that animals should not be regarded as property, accordingly, some animal rights proponents argue that the perception of better animal welfare facilitates continued and increased exploitation of animals. Some authorities therefore treat animal welfare and animal rights as two opposing positions, others see the increasing concern for animal welfare as incremental steps towards animal rights. There are many different approaches to describing and defining animal welfare, providing good animal welfare is sometimes defined by a list of positive conditions which should be provided to the animal. This approach is taken by the Five Freedoms and the three principles of Professor John Webster, in the past, many have seen farm animal welfare chiefly in terms of whether the animal is producing well. g. Others in the field, such as Professor Ian Duncan and Professor Marian Dawkins and this approach indicates the belief that animals should be considered as sentient beings. In any assessment of welfare, it is these feelings that should be assessed, Dawkins wrote, Let us not mince words, Animal welfare involves the subjective feelings of animals. Yew-Kwang Ng defines animal welfare in terms of economics, Welfare biology is the study of living things. Despite difficulties of ascertaining and measuring welfare and relevancy to normative issues and they have offered the following eight principles for developing and evaluating animal welfare policies. Decisions regarding animal care, use, and welfare shall be made by balancing scientific knowledge, Animals must be provided water, food, proper handling, health care, and an environment appropriate to their care and use, with thoughtful consideration for their species-typical biology and behavior. Animals should be cared for in ways that minimize fear, pain, stress, procedures related to animal housing, management, care, and use should be continuously evaluated, and when indicated, refined or replaced. Conservation and management of animal populations should be humane, socially responsible, Animals shall be treated with respect and dignity throughout their lives and, when necessary, provided a humane death
5.
Rights of way in England and Wales
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In England and Wales, other than in the 12 Inner London Boroughs and the City of London, public rights of way are paths on which the public have a legally protected right to pass and re-pass. Private rights of way or easements also exist, definitive maps exist for the Outer London boroughs. Currently, legislation allows the Inner London boroughs to choose to produce definitive maps if they wish, in 2011 Lambeth Council passed a resolution to work towards creating a definitive map for their borough, but this does not yet exist. The City of London has produced a Public Access Map, in England and Wales a public footpath is a path on which the public have a legally protected right to travel on foot and in some areas public footpaths form a dense network of short paths. It is probable that most footpaths in the countryside are hundreds of years old, the majority of footpaths are shown on Ordnance Survey 1,25,000 and 1,50,000 maps. Local highways authorities are required to maintain the definitive map of all rights of way in their areas. If a path is shown on the map and no subsequent legal order exists then the right of way is conclusive in law. Just because a path is not shown on that map does not mean that it is not a public path, the Countryside Agency estimated that over 10% of public paths were not yet listed on the definitive map. The right of access on a public footpath normally only extends to walking, the highway right to use a right of way is restricted to passing and re-passing, associated activities, and the taking of usual accompaniments. Thus, the right to cycle exists even though it may be difficult to exercise on occasion, cyclists using a bridleway are obliged to give way to other users on foot or horseback. Definitive Map Modification Orders are needed to correct these errors, since the 2006 Regulations to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 BOATs should more properly be referred to as byways. A road used as public path was one of the three types of right of way introduced by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. This process was slow as it involved research into historic usage and often public enquiries and this reclassified all remaining RUPPs as restricted byways on 2 May 2006. On 2 May 2006 the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 reclassified all remaining Roads Used as Public Paths as restricted byways, some permissive footpaths and bridleways are shown on 1,25,000 and 1,50,000 scale Ordnance Survey maps. A permissive path is closed on a specified calendar day each year. The act of so closing or signing it ensures that any use of it does not count towards the 20 years use as of right needed to establish its public status. These are precautions to prevent it becoming designated as a right of way in relation to its permitted use. Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 the public also has a right to walk away from rights of way on designated access land and this right is in addition to rights of way, and does not extend to horse-riders or cyclists
6.
Equestrianism
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Equestrianism, more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding, refers to the skill of riding, driving, steeplechasing or vaulting with horses. This broad description includes the use of horses for practical working purposes, transportation, recreational activities, artistic or cultural exercises, Horses are trained and ridden for practical working purposes such as in police work or for controlling herd animals on a ranch. They are also used in sports including, but not limited to, dressage, endurance riding, eventing, reining, show jumping, tent pegging, vaulting, polo, horse racing, driving. Some popular forms of competition are grouped together at horse shows, Horses are used for non-competitive recreational riding such as fox hunting, trail riding or hacking. There is public access to trails in almost every part of the world, many parks, ranches. Horses are also used for therapeutic purposes, both in specialized paraequestrian competition as well as non-competitive riding to improve health and emotional development. Horses are also driven in harness racing, at shows and in other types of exhibition, historical reenactment or ceremony. In some parts of the world, they are used for practical purposes such as farming. Horses continue to be used in service, in traditional ceremonies, police and volunteer mounted patrols. Riding halls enable the training of horse and rider in all weathers as well as indoor competition riding, though there is controversy over the exact date horses were domesticated and when they were first ridden, the best estimate is that horses first were ridden approximately 3500 BC. Indirect evidence suggests that horses were ridden long before they were driven, however, the most unequivocal early archaeological evidence of equines put to working use was of horses being driven. Chariot burials about 2500 BC present the most direct evidence of horses used as working animals. In ancient times chariot warfare was followed by the use of war horses as light, the horse played an important role throughout human history all over the world, both in warfare and in peaceful pursuits such as transportation, trade and agriculture. Horses lived in North America, but died out at the end of the Ice Age, Horses were brought back to North America by European explorers, beginning with the second voyage of Columbus in 1493. Humans appear to have expressed a desire to know which horse were the fastest. Gambling on horse races appears to go hand-in hand with racing and has a history as well. Thoroughbreds have the pre-eminent reputation as a breed, but other breeds also race. Under saddle, Thoroughbred horse racing is the most popular form worldwide, in the UK, it is known as flat racing and is governed by the Jockey Club in the United Kingdom
7.
Driving (horse)
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It encompasses a wide range of activities from pleasure driving, to harness racing, to farm work, horse shows, and even International combined driving competition sanctioned by the FEI. The term in harness often is used to describe a horse being driven, for horse training purposes, driving may also include the practice of long-lining, wherein a horse is driven without a cart by a handler walking behind or behind and to the side of the animal. This technique is used in the stages of training horses for riding as well as for driving. Horses, mules and donkeys are driven in harness in many different ways, for working purposes, they can pull a plow or other farm equipment designed to be pulled by animals. In many parts of the world they still pull carts, wagons, horse-drawn boats or logs for basic hauling and they may draw carriages at ceremonies, such as when the British monarch is Trooping the Colour, as well as in parades or for tourist rides. Horses can race in harness, pulling a very lightweight cart known as a sulky. Draft horse showing, Most draft horse performance competition is done in harness, draft horses compete in both single and multiple hitches, judged on manners and performance. Carriage driving, using somewhat larger two or four wheeled carriages, often restored antiques, pulled by a horse, a tandem or four-in-hand team. Pleasure competitions are judged on the turnout/neatness or suitability of horse, nearly any breed of horse can be trained for pleasure driving. Fine harness, Also called formal driving, horses are hitched to a light four-wheeled cart and shown in a manner that emphasizes flashy action and dramatic performance. Refined pony breeds and certain light saddle horse breeds noted for their action are most often seen in fine harness, roadsters are shown at two types of trot, known as road gait and at speed. A team is more than one animal used together for draft, the animals may be arranged in various ways. While a single animal is placed between two shafts, a pair is usually hitched side by side with a single pole between them. A troika is a team hitched in a row of three, the center horse in shafts and each of the other two hitched on either side. A tandem hitch has one animal in shafts, then one or more others hitched ahead of the first in single file. Larger teams are usually in pairs, with four, six or even more animals overall, sometimes other arrangements are used, such as the unicorn, and the pickaxe. Teams larger than six are generally limited to situations where large loads must be hauled over difficult ground, for example, eight-ox plowing teams were once common on the heavy soils of southern England, as were very large ox teams used in 19th century South Africa. Twenty-mule teams were used in the century for hauling ore in California
8.
Highway
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A highway is any public road or other public way on land. It is used for roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks, It is not an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or a translation for autobahn, autoroute. In North American and Australian English, major such as controlled-access highways or arterial roads are often state highways. Other roads may be designated county highways in the US and Ontario and these classifications refer to the level of government that maintains the roadway. In British English, highway is primarily a legal term, everyday use normally implies roads, while the legal use covers any route or path with a public right of access, including footpaths etc. The term has led to several related derived terms, including highway system, highway code, highway patrol, the term highway exists in distinction to waterway. Major highways are named and numbered by the governments that typically develop. Australias Highway 1 is the longest national highway in the world at over 14,500 km or 9,000 mi, China has the worlds largest network of highways followed closely by the United States of America. Some highways, like the Pan-American Highway or the European routes, some major highway routes include ferry services, such as U. S. Route 10, which crosses Lake Michigan. Traditionally highways were used by people on foot or on horses, later they also accommodated carriages, bicycles and eventually motor cars, facilitated by advancements in road construction. In the 1920s and 1930s, many nations began investing heavily in progressively more modern highway systems to spur commerce and these features are typically present on highways built as motorways. The general legal definition deals with right of use not the form of construction, the status of highway on most older roads has been gained by established public use while newer roads are typically dedicated as highways from the time they are adopted. In England and Wales, a highway is also known as The Queens Highway. The core definition of a highway is modified in various legislation for a number of purposes, scots law is similar to English law with regard to highways but with differing terminology and legislation. What is defined in England as a highway will often in Scotland be what is defined by s, Highways generally have a route number designated by the state and federal departments of transportation. Smaller roads may be termed byways, modern highway systems developed in the 20th century as the automobile gained popularity. The worlds first limited access road was constructed on Long Island New York in the United States known as the Long Island Motor Parkway or the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, construction of the Bonn–Cologne autobahn began in 1929 and was opened in 1932 by the mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer. In the USA, the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 enacted a fund to create a highway system
9.
Footpath
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A footpath is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, cycles, and horses. They can be found in a variety of places, from the centre of cities, to farmland. Urban footpaths are usually paved, may have steps, and can be called alleys, lanes, steps, National parks, nature preserves, conservation areas and other protected wilderness areas may have footpaths that are restricted to pedestrians. The term footpath can also describe a pavement/sidewalk in some English-speaking countries, public footpaths are rights of way originally created by people walking across the land to work, market, the next village, church, and school, this includes Mass paths and Corpse roads. Some footpaths were also created by those undertaking a pilgrimage, examples of the latter are The Pilgrims Way in England and Pilgrims Route in Norway. Some landowners allow access over their land without dedicating a right of way and these permissive paths are often indistinguishable from normal paths, but they are usually subject to restrictions. Such paths are closed at least once a year, so that a permanent right of way cannot be established in law. A mass path is a track or road connecting destinations frequently used by rural communities. They were most common during the centuries that preceded motorised transportation in Western Europe, and in particular the British Isles and the Netherlands (where such a path is called kerkenpad. Mass paths typically included stretches crossing fields of neighboring farmers and were likely to contain stiles, some mass paths are still used today in the Republic of Ireland, but are usually subject to Irelands complicated rights of way law. Corpse roads provided a means for transporting corpses, often from remote communities, to cemeteries that had burial rights, such as parish churches. In Great Britain, such routes can also be known by a number of names, bier road, burial road, coffin road, coffin line, lyke or lych way, funeral road, procession way, corpse way. Nowadays footpaths are mainly used for recreation and have been linked together, along with bridle paths and newly created footpaths. Also organizations have formed in various countries to protect the right to use public footpaths. Footpaths are now found in botanic gardens, arboretums, regional parks, conservation areas, wildlife gardens. There are also educational trails, themed walks, sculpture trails, in England and Wales, public footpaths are rights of way on which pedestrians have a legally protected right to travel. Other public rights of way in England and Wales, such as bridleways, byways, towpaths, in Scotland there is no legal distinction between a footpath and a bridleway and it is generally accepted that cyclists and horse riders may follow any right of way with a suitable surface. The law is different in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and there are far fewer rights of way in Ireland as a whole, Footpaths and other rights of way in England and Wales are shown on definitive maps
10.
Bridle path
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A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, bridle road, or horse trail, is a path, trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now serve a range of users, including equestrians, hikers. Such paths are either impassable for motorized vehicles, or vehicles are banned, the laws relating to allowable uses vary from country to country. In industrialized countries, bridle paths are now used for recreation. However, they are important transportation routes in other areas. For example, they are the method of traveling to mountain villages in Lesotho. However, In England and Wales a bridle path now refers to a route which can be used by horse riders in addition to walkers. The term bridleway is rarely used in the U. S, most of the time horses are presumed allowed to use trails in America unless specifically banned, although rules differ among locations. Rail trails can often be used by equestrians, thus the right to cycle exists even though it may be difficult to exercise on occasion, especially in winter. Cyclists using a bridleway are obliged to give way to other users on foot or horseback. A number of long distance multi-use trails have created in England, including three National Trails, the Pennine Bridleway,192 km, The Ridgeway,139 km. In Scotland there is no distinction between footpaths and bridleways, though it is generally accepted that horse riders and cyclists may follow rights of way with suitable surfaces. Often, horses under saddle are subject to the regulations as pedestrians or hikers where those requirements differ from those for cyclists. For example, horses are allowed on the American Discovery Trail, which crosses the country, access to trails and pathways on private land is generally left to the discretion of the landowner, subject to the general trespass laws of each of the 50 states. Rail trails/paths are shared-use paths that make use of abandoned railway corridors and they can be used for walking, cycling, and often horse riding as well. The following description comes from Australia, but is equally to other rail trails that exist throughout the world. Following the route of the railways, they cut through hills, under roads, over embankments and across gullies, apart from being great places to walk, cycle or horse ride, rail trails are linear conservation corridors protecting native plants and animals. They often link remnant vegetation in farming areas and contain valuable flora, wineries and other attractions are near many trails as well as B&Bs and other great places to stay
