Category: Horse Breeds

Information about Akhal Teke Horse AKHAL TEKE HEIGHT: 15–16 hands PLACE OF ORIGIN: Turkmenistan SPECIAL QUALITIES: Metallic sheen to coat; soft, gliding gaits; extraordinary endurance BEST SUITED FOR Endurance and dressage Akhal Teke is the most sources consider the Akhal-Teke (pronounced ah-Kul TEHkey) to be a strain closely related to the Turkmenian, an ancient, influential breed that was developed in the desert east of the Caspian Sea. The Turkmenian steppe was one of the first areas in the world where horses were domesticated. It is hard to know exactly where the ancient Turkmenian, or Turkoman, breed ends and it’s descendant the Akhal-Teke begins. The people of Turkmenistan, where both breeds arose, refer to the present breed as the Turkmenian, but most horse historians believe the ancient breed to be extinct. Nomads of the Kara-Kum Desert developed these horses. Because they lived largely by raiding other nomadic tribes, they needed horses that could run long distances in the desert.

GOTLAND PONY HEIGHT: 12–14 hands ORIGIN OF GOTLAND PONY: Gotland, Sweden SPECIAL QUALITIES: An ancient but now rare breed of stocky ponies characterized by their “primitive” color and markings BEST SUITED FOR – Driving, jumping, children’s pleasure mounts The island of Gotland lies in the Baltic Sea, east of Sweden. Small horses, very similar in type and color to the Exmoor Ponies of England, have lived there since the Stone Age. These horses, and the people who eventually settled on the island, contributed much to the history of Europe and the world. By 1800 BCE, the Goths had established their civilization on Gotland, and from these people, the island got its name. Sculpture from 1000 BCE shows the people using Gotland-type horses to pull chariots. By approximately 200 BCE, the Goths began to migrate and settle in Eastern Europe, taking with them their household goods and livestock, including horses. Their travels took them through what is now eastern Germany,

HEIGHT: 13–16 hands, with 14–15.2 hands being most typical and desirable PLACE OF ORIGIN: Northwestern United States SPECIAL QUALITIES: A rare gaited breed with Appaloosa color patterns BEST SUITED FOR Trail riding, ranch work, pleasure riding; good horses for riders with physical limitations Information About Tiger Horse   Tiger Horses have spots, not stripes. The name Tiger Horse comes from the Spanish word Tigre, which refers to cats with patterned coats, not just tigers. Horses with leopardlike spotted coats occur or have occurred almost everywhere horses are found, from China and Siberia, across the Russian steppes, throughout Asia, and in Europe from Norway to Spain, from where they were brought to the Americas.   There are records of them in works of art going back thousands of years. In some places, the color patterns have simply been observed, in other places they have been treasured, and in some places they have fallen in and out of fashion.

Origin: France The Percheron Horse is a horse breed developed in the Huisne river valley in France, which was previously known as Perche. Originally bred as a warhorse, the Percheron is known for its strength, intelligence, and work ethic, which makes it a historically popular breed. Percherons horse are bred primarily in the United States, France, and Great Britain for draft work and as show horses, and are bred for food in France. Like many draft horses, Percherons suffered a steep population decline after WWII, but have since rebounded. More than 2,500 were registered just in the United States as recently as 2009. Overview Is the Percheron Horse the Right Breed for You? Suitable for Novice Owners: As a cold-blooded equine, like their European ancestors, they have a gentle disposition and tend to be larger than their hot-blooded and warm-blooded peers. Their easygoing demeanor makes them great for children. Typically they are meant to perform heavy work and are not suitable for sports besides hauling or pulling competitions at farm shows.

SUFFOLK PUNCH HEIGHT: 16.1–17 hands ORIGIN OF SUFFOLK PUNCH: Suffolk, England SPECIAL QUALITIES: Extremely rare. In England fewer than 100 horses. World population of fewer than 3,500 BEST SUITED FOR: Farming and logging The Suffolk Punch is perhaps the oldest draft breed in England. It originated on the farms of East Anglia, a peninsula surrounded by the North Sea on the east, south, and north and by the Fens — large swampy marshes—to the west. Because of the geographical isolation, local horses were hardly influenced by outside breeds. The farmers of Suffolk independently developed several unique breeds of livestock, including the famous Suffolk sheep, all ideally suited to their particular way of life. Camden’s Britannia dates the Suffolk Horse from 1506, but the breed was likely present and well defined before it was ever described in print, and it has changed very little since then. Some historians think the Vikings brought the ancient Jutland horse, which resembles the present-day Suffolk Punch,

Andalusian Horse History Named after the Spanish region of Andalusia, the Andalusian shares a bloodline with Iberian horses, which appear in cave paintings as old as 20,000 to 30,000 BCE. Throughout the years, the Andalusian and other Iberian breeds heavily influenced the native Spanish and other cultures inhabiting the region including the Romans and Celts. It is thought by some that the Andalusian was the first “warmblood” developed in Europe, which combines the mild temperament of heavy work horses such as the Clydesdale with the refinement of saddle horses such asthe Arabian. Although the Andalusian has ancient bloodlines, the current breed is the work of a select few breeders during the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, most Andalusians (about 66 percent) exist in Spain, with only 8,500 registered in the United States. The spanish horse, the horse of Andalusia. the star of the spectacle “Como bailan los caballos andaluces” (How the Andalusian Horses Dance), registered in the Stud Book of the Breed as Purebred Spanish Horse,

AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE HEIGHT: 14.2–17 hands ORIGIN OF AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE  : North America; originated along the eastern seaboard and solidified into a breed on the ranches of the American West SPECIAL QUALITIES: Exceptional athleticism and versatility; extreme speed for short distances; most highly developed “cow sense” of any breed BEST SUITED FOR: Ranch work; short-distance racing, cutting, reining, and other competition The American Quarter Horse is truly an American creation. It may be the first horse “type” to have been deliberately produced on this continent. Its history can be traced back even before the earliest days of the American colonies, all the way to the official royal breeding farms established on this continent by the very early Spanish in what is now the southeastern section of the United States, an area then known as Spanish Guale. The Quarter Horse’s pedigree includes Spanish Barbs, Colonial mid-Atlantic Quarter-Pathers, Rhode Island racing stock, English Thoroughbreds, Andalusians, Mustangs, and the small but excellent horses of the Chickasaw Indians,

BRABANT HORSE HEIGHT: 15.2–17 hands PLACE OF ORIGIN: Belgium SPECIAL QUALITIES: Massively built; can weigh as much as 3,000 pounds BEST SUITED FOR: Farmwork Brabant Horse The word “Brabant” signifies an area in what is now Belgium, once the duchy of Brabant. It also identifies a particular draft horse that originated in this region. In Europe, “Belgian” is a generic term applied to several slightly different breeds of heavy horse. To confuse Americans further, the Brabant itself goes by various names, depending on the area or country of origin. In southern Belgium it is called the Cheval de Trait Belge. In northern Belgium it is called the Belgisch Trekpaard. In France it is the Cheval Trait du Nord, and in Holland it is the Nederland Trekpaard. Brabants have been imported into the United States since the mid-1800s. They were crossed with local stock to develop the American Belgian, which continued to look very much like the stocky European version until the interruption of horse imports from Europe during the First and Second World Wars.