Horse Health Horse Care Breeds of Horse

Breeds of horse and Horse Breeds from around the World.

What are breeds of horse - A breed is a group of animals with a common origin. Each group, or breed, has definite breed characteristics not commonly found in other breeds. These characteristics are fixed in the genetic makeup of the breed and will be passed from parents to offspring.

You can recognize many horse breeds by the style of their body and some popular and recognisable pleasure breeds include the Quarter Horse, Arabian, Appaloosa, Morgan, Thoroughbred, American Saddle Horse and Paint Horse. Popular pony breeds for smaller riders include the Shetland and Welsh.

Horses that are crossbred are produced from mating two or more breeds and once you learn to recognise breed characteristics you can identify whether a horse is a Thoroughbred, Arabian or Quarter Horse. You will also be able to tell when certain purbred characteristics appear in crossbred horses.

Breeds of Horse Index :

Horse Breed Types :

Appaloosa - Cob - Hack - Hunter - Knabstrup - Palomino - Paint - Polo Pony

Horse Breed Classifications :

The Stock horse
The stock horse is short-coupled, deep-bodied and well muscled. They were developed to work cattle, and often will compete in rodeos. The Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, Arabian, Paint, Morgan or P.O.A. usually predominate stock horse breeds. Their easy-going gaits are the walk, jog and lope.

The English style horse
Horses of this type are found in all light breeds. Their walk, trot and canter are popular for pleasure riding. English pleasure horses usually are more angular than stock horses and have more extreme style and action. Some of the popular breeds are Saddlebred, Morgan and Arab Horse.

The Hunter
A hunter is a large, clean-cut horse bred for cross-country riding and jumping. It moves boldly and briskly and has a long purposeful stride. They are usually Thoroughbreds or crossbreds selected for stamina, speed and surefootedness.

Ponies
Ponies are small horses of less than 14.2 hands in height at maturity. Most common are the Shetland and the medium-sized Welsh pony. These two breeds are often crossed with Arabians, Morgans and other breeds of light horses to produce larger, more spirited ponies. The POA is the result of cross breeding an Appaloosa with a Shetland. Hackney ponies are noted for their high trotting action and light carriage use.

Sporthorses (warmbloods)
Some of the popular breeds are Anglo-Arab, Holsteiner, Trakehner and Hanoverian. These breeds are used for dressage, jumping, combined training and combined driving. Warmbloods combine Thoroughbred and Arabian blood with draft breeds.

Gaited horses
These horses have a unique gait that results in a smooth and rhythmic comfortable ride. Each breed has a specific synchronous lateral gait that is characteristic to the breed. Some gaited breeds are Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso, Tennessee Walking Horse, Missouri Fox Trotter and Rocky Mountain Horse.

Registered
Horses belonging to a specific breed with registration papers documenting the horses ancestry. Some registered breeds are considered purebreds. Other breeds of horses have open registries.

Crossbred
A crossbreed is a horse that combines the characteristics of two or more horse breeds.

Color breeds
Coloured breeds are bred for their coat colors or markings. Some color breeds are Pintos, Palominos and Buckskins. These horses can sometimes be registered with more than one association.

Draft horses
Draft horse breeds are heavily muscled horses used as workhorses. They stand 16 hands or taller and weigh 1,600 pounds or more. Breeds of draft horse include Percherons, Belgians, Shires, Clydesdales and Suffolks.

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