Uma (horse) - Horse

Japanese: ウマ(馬) - ウマ

A mammal of the Perissodactyla order, family Equidae. Horses appeared in North America at the beginning of the Tertiary Period (50 million years ago), but migrated to the Asian continent at the beginning of the Quaternary Period, and evolved into the present-day horses in the Old World. In the strict sense of the term horses, excluding donkeys and zebras, the only truly wild species currently extant is the Przewalski's horse, which lives in the grasslands of Mongolia. Domestic horses are thought to have been domesticated from the Przewalski's horse, a subspecies of the Przewalski's horse (which became extinct in the late 1800s, but was brought back by backbreeding and is now kept in zoos around the country), and were probably domesticated at the same time around the 3000s BC in several places, such as the Iranian plateau and the grasslands of Western Turkestan. There are currently about 200 varieties with different sizes and shapes. They are 1.2 to 1.8 meters tall at the shoulder, with most being around 1.5 meters. They have a long mane that runs from the top of their head to their shoulders, and their hooves are large and strong. Their coat colors are called by special names, such as blue (all black), chestnut (all chestnut), bay (black mane, tail, and tips of the legs, brown elsewhere), moon (all white), and reed (a mix of white and dark hair). They are docile and used for riding (racing), transport (drawn), and farming, and were one of the most important livestock, especially in the past when transportation and machinery were not yet developed. Their meat is edible, called cherry meat, and their bones and skin are also used. The main breeds are as follows. [For riding and racing] They are relatively small in size, elegant, and agile. Thoroughbred, Anglo-Arab, Arabian, etc. [Light draught] More sturdy than riding horses, suitable for pulling light vehicles. Examples include the Anglo-Norman (originating in France) and the Hackney Horse (originating in England). [Heavy draught] Large, extremely sturdy and powerful. Used to pull carts and heavy plows. Examples include the Percheron (originating in France) and the Shire (originating in England). Japan's native horses are small Przewalski's horses, and well-known examples include the Nanbu horse in Tohoku, the Akita horse, the Miharu horse, and the Satsuma horse in Kyushu. However, after the Meiji period, foreign breeds were introduced and crossbred, and most of them disappeared, and today only seven horse breeds remain, including the Hokkaido Washu (Dosanko), the Kiso horse, and the Misaki horse of Toi-misaki in Miyazaki Prefecture.
→ Related topics Livestock

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

奇蹄目ウマ科の哺乳(ほにゅう)類。ウマ類は第三紀の初め（5000万年前）に北アメリカに出現したが，第四紀初めにアジア大陸に渡り，旧世界で現在のウマ類へ進化した。ロバ類，シマウマ類を除く狭義のウマ類では，現生の真の野生種はモウコノウマ（プルジェワリスキーウマ）だけで，モンゴルの草原などにすむ。家畜のウマはモウコノウマの１亜種のタルパン（1800年代後期に絶滅したが，もどし交配で復活。現在は各地の動物園で飼育）を飼いならしたものと思われ，イラン高原，西トルキスタンの草原などいくつかの場所で前3000年代ころ同時に家畜化されたと考えられる。現在は大きさや形の違う200ほどの品種がある。　肩高は1.2〜1.8m，多くは1.5mほど。頭頂部から肩までの頸(くび)すじに長毛のたてがみがあり，蹄(ひづめ)は大きく頑丈。毛色は特別な呼び名が使われ，青（全体が黒色），栗(くり)毛（全体が栗色），鹿毛(かげ)（たてがみ，尾，肢先が黒く，他は褐色），月毛（全体が白色），葦(あし)毛（白色と濃い色の毛が混じる）などがある。性質はおとなしく，乗用（競走用），運搬用（輓(ばん)用），農耕用などに使われ，特に交通や機械の発達していなかった昔は，最も重要な家畜の一つであった。肉はさくら肉といって食用にされ，骨，皮も利用される。おもな品種に次のものがある。〔乗馬用・競走用〕　体は比較的小柄で品位に富み，機敏。サラブレッド種，アングロ・アラブ種，アラブ種など。〔軽輓用〕　乗用馬よりは頑丈で，軽い車を引くのに適する。アングロノルマン種（フランス原産）やハクニーホース種（イギリス原産）など。〔重輓用〕　大型，きわめて頑丈で力が強い。荷車や重いすきを引くのに使う。ペルシュロン種（フランス原産），シャイア種（イギリス原産）など。　日本在来のウマは小型なモウコノウマ系のもので，東北の南部馬，秋田馬，三春馬，九州の薩摩馬などが知られる。しかし明治以後，外国産の品種を移入・交配したため，ほとんどが姿を消し，現在では北海道和種（道産子(どさんこ)），木曾馬や，宮崎県都井岬の御崎馬など７馬種がわずかに昔の姿を伝えているにすぎない。
→関連項目家畜

出典　株式会社平凡社百科事典マイペディアについて　情報

<<: Umai - Good

>>: Ubon Ratchathani (English spelling)