People race horses for a reason These large creatures are amazingly fast Some are faster than others however The American quarter horse is the fastest breed for short distances It can run 0 25 miles 0 4 km in less than 21 seconds In addition to track races people also use quarter horses in rodeos A fast horse makes easy work of racing around the barrels It also helps a rider catch a calf before tying its legs with rope Quarter horses are also a popular choice for leisurely riding Some quarter horses even appear in movies about the Old West There are 17 recognized coat colors of the American quarter horse AMERICAN QUARTER HORSES RACE DOWN THE TRACK 1 4
The first quarter horses date back to the 1660s Great Britain shipped tame horses to the British colonies in North America Colonists then bred these horses with Spanish horses The result was the animal we know today In 1940 fans of these horses formed a registry This list included many details about the new breed Owners use it to make sure they breed horses with the best possible traits A DIFFERENT KIND OF RACE Quarter horses used on ranches must be fast in many ways Life on a ranch does not involve track racing But these horses must be able to run turn and stop quickly All of these skills are important for separating a single cow from a herd 2 5 million Number of quarter horses registered by the late 1900s The quarter horse is one of the oldest horse breeds in the United States Quarter horses are known for their calm nature A quarter horse weighs 950 to 1,200 pounds 431 to 544 kg A woman competes with her American quarter horse in a pole bending competition 5
The blue wildebeest lives on the grassy plains of eastern and southern Africa This large species shares the savanna with many dangerous creatures Some such as lions and hyenas are known for their speed Fortunately the blue wildebeest is also super fast It can run at speeds around 50 miles per hour 80 km h This usually gives the animal a fair chance of escape Blue wildebeest are a type of antelope They live in large groups Blue wildebeest have a long black mane and beard BLUE WILDEBEEST JOIN THE STAMPEDE 2 6
When one senses a nearby predator such as a lion it will warn the others with special grunts The entire group then begins to run This thunderous event is called a stampede Wildebeest can also sense when rain is coming They move toward the areas where the storms are taking place Land that receives rain usually has plenty of grass for the wildebeest to eat 10,000 Size of an average wildebeest herd The blue wildebeest is also known as the brindled gnu Wildebeest spend most of their lives roaming together in search of food and water The entire herd will swim across rivers and lakes as they move from one place to another Some blue wildebeest travel as many as 30 miles 48 km in a single day 7
