Wikipedia:

List of horse breeds

Horse breeds (1).
Enlarge
Horse breeds (1).
Horse breeds (2).
Enlarge
Horse breeds (2).

This page is a list of horse and pony breeds, and also includes terms used to describe types of horses that are not breeds but are commonly mistaken for breeds. A breed is defined generally as a viable true-breeding population. However, in horses, the concept is somewhat more flexible, as open stud books are created for fairly new types of horses that are not yet fully true-breeding, and also a number of "breed" registries have been created for various phenotypes of horses and admit any animal fitting a given set of physical characteristics.

For additional information, see horse breeding and the individual articles listed below. Additional articles on different breeds may be listed under Category:Horse breeds, linked at the end of this page.

Horse breeds

Main article: Horse

Horses are animals that generally mature to be over 14.2 hands, but many breed registries do accept animals under this height and classify them as "horses," as horse characteristics include factors other than height. For the purposes of this page, if a breed registry or stud book classifies the breed as a horse, it is listed here as a horse, even if some representatives are pony-sized or have some pony characteristics.

Pony breeds

Main article: Pony

Ponies are usually classified as animals that mature at less that 14.2 hands. However, some pony breeds may occasionally have individuals who mature over 14.2 but retain all other breed characteristics. There are also some breeds that now frequently mature over 14.2 hands due to modern nutrition and management, yet retain the historic classification "pony." For the purposes of this list, if a breed registry classifies the breed as a "pony," it is listed here as such, even if some individuals have horse characteristics.

(Please note: Because of this designation by the preference of a given breed registry, most miniature horse breeds are listed as "horses," not ponies)

Color "breeds"

Main article: Color breed

There are some registries that accept horses (and sometimes ponies and mules) of almost any breed or type for registration. Color is either the only criterion for registration or the primary criterion. These are called "color breeds," because unlike "true" horse breeds, there are few other physical requirements, nor is the stud book limited in any fashion. As a general rule, the color also does not always breed on (in some cases due to genetic impossibility), and offspring without the stated color are usually not eligible for recording with the color breed registry. The best-known color breed registries are for the following colors:

There are breeds that have color that usually breeds "true" as well as distinctive physical characteristics and a limited stud book. These horses are true breeds that have a preferred color, not color breeds, and include the Friesian horse, the Cleveland Bay, the Appaloosa, and the American Paint Horse.

Terms used to describe types, not breeds

A "type" of horse is not a breed, per se, but is simply a term used to describe a group of breeds that are similar in appearance (phenotype) or use. A type usually has no breed registry, though horses of a given type may be registered as one of several different recognized breeds.

Extinct species and breeds

These horses and ponies either were a recognized, distinct breed of horse that no longer exists as such, or are a species of equus caballus that has become extinct at some point since domestication of the horse.

The "Four Foundations" wild prototypes

Main articles: Evolution of the horse#The "Four Foundations" theory and Domestication of the horse

These are the original wild prototypes from which domesticated breeds developed.

  • "Warmblood subspecies" or Forest Horse, also called Diluvial horse (Equus ferus silvaticus)
  • "Oriental" subspecies, (Equus agilis)
  • "Draft" subspecies
  • Tarpan subspecies

Other extinct breeds and types

These are human-developed types and breeds, now no longer in existence

Archaic types

See also: Horses in Warfare and Horses in the Middle Ages

Prior to approximately the 13th century, few pedigrees were written down, and horses were classified by physical type or use. Thus, many terms for Horses in the Middle Ages did not describe breeds as we know them today, but rather described appearance or purpose. These terms included:

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
 

Join the WikiAnswers Q&A community. Post a question or answer questions about "List of horse breeds" at WikiAnswers.

 

Copyrights:

Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of horse breeds".  Read more

On this page:   E-mail   print Print  Link  

 

Keep Reading

Mentioned In:

 |  More >More >
 

Do you have the answers?