Types and Breeds of Horses

Draft horses

• Bred to carry and pull heavy loads over twice their weight for short distances

• Tall, strong and heavy, weigh over 1600 lbs. and stand over 16 hands tall

• Freight hauling to carrying armored soldiers, they were the trucking industry, tractors and heavy haulers of the pre-modern age

• Calm, even temperament and level-headed attitude (cold blood)

• Examples are Percheron, Suffolk, Belgian, Shire, and Clydesdale (made famous by Budweiser Anheuser Busch)

• Tails and mane are tied to prevent them from getting in the way of their work

• Feathering

  • Hair found on legs of the horse

• Hairs are thick to keep them warm in temperate climates

Examples of draft horses

Light horses

• Bred for speed, agility, endurance, and riding

• Used for every form of riding, from pleasure riding, to racing and ranch work

• Very greatly in height, weight, build, and color

• Bred to be used under saddle

• Examples are American Quarter horse, Rocky Mountain horse, Pintos, Polo ponies, and Morgans

• Some light horses conserved hot blood as well

  •   High energy, easily excitable, and fleet footed

• Examples are Arabians, Andalusians, and Thoroughbreds

Examples of light horses

Gaited horses

• Light horses bred for riding but best known for their exceptionally smooth ride

• Three gaits walk, trot, and gallop

  • Plus, pace, running walk, fox trot, rack, and slow gait

• Gentleman’s horse

  • Used for generals, officers, plantation owners, and men of wealth

• Prized for their show ring flair and smooth pleasure riding on the trail

Examples of gaited horses

Warmblood horses

• Middle weight horses created by cross of cold blood draft horse and a hot blood light horse

  • Resulted in best of both worlds

• Tall, strong, athletic horse with sensible attitude, and plenty of get-up-and-go

• Dominate dressage, jumping, harness and equestrian Olympic sports

• Examples are Duch Warmblood, Hanoverian, Selle Francaise, Trakehner, Holsteiner

Examples of warmblood horses

Ponies

• Horse that measures less than 14.2 hands

  • 14 in Australia

• Incredibly versatile horses

• Bred to do virtually everything imaginable

• Used for pulling, packing, harness, jumping, plowing, and even ranch work

• Examples Welsh Mountain Pony, Icelandic Pony, Shetland Pony, Hackney Pony

Examples of ponies

Non-horse types of equine

• Related to horses and can be interbred with horses but are not horses themselves

• Examples are donkeys, zebras, and mules

• Wild ass is untamed version of domesticated donkey

• Pound for pound donkeys are much stronger than horses

  • Original beasts of burden

  • Sturdy, sure-footed, easy to keep

• Mule is cross between horse and donkey

  • Very strong, agile animal

  • They are pack animals used to pull freight

  • Growing popularity as riding animals

• A male donkey is a jack, a female is a jennet

• Asses are commonly known as donkeys, burros, or jackstock

• Zebras are wild, non-domesticated equine

  • Difficult to train for riding under saddle

• Zebra-horse cross is a zorse

  • Sterile like a mule

Examples of non-horse types of equine

Breed

• Common origin

• Possess certain well-fixed, distinctive, uniformly, transmitted characteristics no common to other horses

Height

• Measured in hands

• Hand = 4 inches

• Taken from top of withers to the ground

Appaloosa

• Light horse breed

• Descended from Central Asia

• Origin

  • Idaho, Oregon, and Washington

• First bred by Nez Perce Indians

• Color

  • Variations and combinations of colors and spots

• Four distinguishable characteristics

  • Coat pattern

  • Mottled skin

    • Speckled and blotchy pattern of pigmented and non-pigmented skin

  • White sclera

    • Area of the eye which encircles the iris

  • Striped hooves

• 14 to 15.2 hands

• Uses

  • Stock, pleasure, race, parade, hunters, jumpers

Appaloosa

Arabians

• Light horse breed

• Dish face

  • Most distinguishable characteristic

• Uses

  • Saddle, show, stock, pleasure, racing, endurance races, completive trail rides

• Origin

  • Saudi Arabia

• Color

  • Bay, gray, chestnut, some white and black

• White marks common on head and legs

Arabians

Palomino

• Light horse breed

• Origin

  • United States

• Spanish descent

• Color

  • Golden with light colored mane and tail

• No more than 15% dark or chestnut hair in either main or tail

• 14.2 to 16 hands

• Type desired depends upon intended use

• Uses

  • Parade, stock, pleasure, saddle, fine harness

Palomino

Quarter horse

•   Light horse breed

• Origin

  • United States

    • Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas

• Color

  • Gray, black, bay, sorrel, chestnut, brown, buckskin, palomino, dun, grullo, red dun, blue roan, and red roan

• 15 to 16 hands

• Well-muscled

• Powerfully build

• Most versatile of all breeds

• First breed native of United States

• Uses

  • Stock, racing, pleasure, hunting, jumping

Quarter horse

Miniature horse

• Pony

• Origin

  • England

• Color

  • Any color, marking patterns, or eye color

• Height

  • No more than 34 inches

• Uses

  • Pets, shows

• First used to pull ore carts in coal mines

Miniature horse

Shetland ponies

• Pony

• Origin

  • Shetland Isles, Scotland

• Color

  • Any color, solid, or mixed

• Height classes

  • Under 43 inches

  • 43 – 46 inches

• Long, shaggy outer coat during winter

• Full mane and tail

• One of the oldest breeds in existence

• Uses

  • Children, harness, racing, roadster

Shetland ponies

Belgian

• Draft breed

• Origin

  • Belgium

• Color

  • Chestnut, sorrel, some roans and bays

• 15.2 to 17 hands

• Size

  • Known for draftiness

  • Widest body

  • Most compact, massive

• Lowest set draft breed

• Uses

  • Exhibition, special attractions, farm work

Belgian

Clydesdale

• Draft breed

• Origin

  • Scotland

• Color

  • Bay, some black, brown, chestnut, and roan

• 4 white socks

• Well-defined blaze or bald face

• Size

  • Medium draft breed

  • 16.2 to 18 hands

• Superior style and action

• Heavy feathering of feet

  • Fringe of hair

• Uses

  • Exhibition, special attractions, farm work

Clydesdale

Percheron

• Draft breed

• Origin

  • France

• Color

  • Most common

    • Black and gray

  • Some

    • Chestnut and roan

• Size

  • Intermediate

  • Between Clydesdale and Belgian

  • 16.2 to 17.3 hands

• Extremely docile

• Clean-cut head

• Uses

  • Exhibition purposes, special attractions, farm work

• Mated with Thoroughbreds

  • Produce hunters and jumpers

Percheron

Shire

• Draft breed

• Origin

  • England

• Color

  • Black, brown, gray, chestnut/sorrel

• Undesirable

  • Excessive white markings, roaning

• Size

  • Large

  • Matched in weight only by Belgian

  • 16.2 to 17.1 hands

• War horses in the 15^th and 16^th centuries

• Uses

  • Exhibition purposes, special attractions, farm work

Shire

Color breeds

• Any type or breed of horses accepted for registration with the color as the only requirement or primary criterion

• Unlike true breeds, they have few is any unique physical characteristics

• The color does not always breed true

Palomino

• Golden horse with light-colored flaxen mane and tail

• Chestnut horse that has one cream dilution gene that turns the horse into golden, yellow, or tan

Palomino

Pinto

• A mixture of white and colored areas on their bodies

  • Piebald

  • Skewbald

Piebald

White and black spotting pattern

Piebald

Skewbald

• White and any color other than black

• White with two other colors which may include black

Skewbald

Categories of painted horses

• Tobiano

• Overo

• Tovero

Tobiano

• Most common

• White splotches across their back

Tobiano

Overo

• White extends from belly and legs upward towards the back

  • But does not cross the back

• Have a “war bonnet” or white face

Overo

Tovero

Combination of Tobiano and Overo

Tovero

Appaloosa

• Color breed / color preference

• True breed

  • Leopard

  • Snowflake

  • Blanket

Leopard

White with dark spots all over the body

Leopard

Snowflake

Dark horse with tiny white spots

Snowflake

Blanket

• Best known pattern

• White blanket with dark spots on the rump

Blanket

Characteristics of appaloosa

1. Striped hooves

2. Unpigmented sclera

3. Mottling of skin around nostrils, muzzles, and genitalia

4. Color pattern