Breeds of Horses

There are at least 60 recognized breeds of horses throughout the world. Some breeds, such as the Tennessee Walking Horse, are relatively new; others date back hundreds of years. Many breeds, such as the Great Horse that carried knights in armor, are extinct.

Some breeds, such as the Lippizan, have relatively few members. Others, such as the Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, and Standardbred, number more than 100,000 horses each in the United States alone. Some breeds are concentrated in a small area—for instance the Chincoteague and Assateague ponies of the islands off Virginia and Maryland. A few breeds, such as the Arabian, have spread far from their original home and have contributed to the bloodlines of many other breeds.

In the United States and most other countries, each of the popular breeds is represented by a breed registry association. The association for an established breed keeps records showing the ancestry of each horse it accepts for registration. These records show descent from the breed's foundation stock (the horses on which the breed is based); they form the stud book for the breed. A purebred horse is one whose sire and dam are both registered as members of the same breed. A crossbred horse is one whose sire and dam are registered in the stud books of two different breeds.

Horses of a particular breed have a particular breed character—a set of characteristics that distinguishes them from horses of other breeds and is passed on from one generation to the next. Breeders of some types of horses are trying to establish new breeds. They are trying to breed horses that will have a clearly defined breed character and will always “breed true” (pass on their distinguishing characteristics).

Many new or potential breeds in the United States are based primarily on color—for example, the American Albino, American Creme Horse (a cream-colored work horse), Pinto, Palomino, and such spotted types as the Colorado Ranger, Morocco Spotted Horse, and Pony of the Americas. Horses registered in a classification based on color often carry double registry; they are also usually registered members of an established breed based on other characteristics. The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse and the Paso Fino, or Peruvian Paso, are among the few types of horses characterized chiefly by their gait. (The fox trot is a slow, broken trot in which the hind foot hits just before the forefoot. The paso fino is somewhat similar to the pace and provides a smooth ride.)