Talk:Messara

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I believe that the content if this article is inaccurate. Messara is the name of a valey at the Heraklion perfecture in Crete and not the name of the native horse found there. The name of the horse is named Georgalidiko (in Greek Γεωργαλίδικο).

Aka Peneia Pony. This should probably be treated as a herd or foundation of the Peneia (Georgalidiko) line, and not a separate breed.--Jpbrenna 17:31, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

This article (in Greek) seems to suggest that the Messara is a separate breed; that is not how it appears in any of the other sources which I used to develop articles or at least stubs on the other Greek horse breeds. This needs investigation. There are veterinary geneticists who test horse breeds to determine whether they should be classified as separate breeds or not; I will try to find out if they have tested the Messara herd and compared it to other Greek breeds. This article may end up a candidate for merger. If it stays separate, it will still need a rewrite and removal of absurd, unsourced statements. I have spent years riding and working in horse stables, including a summer as a stablehand -- where I dealt extensively with horse poop from breeds as diverse as Arabian, American Quarter Horse, Shetland Pony and even a beautiful Lipizzaner -- and their shit all looked and smelled the same to me. Differences in shape, texture, color and smell are generally due to variations in diet and medical issues, not to breed.--Jpbrenna 17:39, 31 August 2006 (UTC)