Horse Facts and Equestrian Sports

Horse Facts - Types and Breeds

February 5th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

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There are many types and breeds of horse and pony which can often be confusing to the true Equestrian, never mind the lay person. I felt it might be useful to give a brief description of the differences which will lead on to a more detailed occasional series of articles on each of the different breeds – Horse facts if you like.The principle difference between a horse and a pony is known by most people – above 14.2 hands = horse, below = pony but this is not strictly true as many small breeds are classed as horses because of other characteristics, as they say ‘rules are for guidance’. Stud Books vary in their criteria and each should be judged individually. For example the Fallabella is a miniature horse, not a pony.

Breeds are a slightly more thorny issue, generally a breed is defined as a ‘viable true-breeding population’, such as Andalusian or Percheron. Some newer breeds of horse do not strictly fall into that category yet but are still classified as breeds. It is generally held that most domesticated horses today spring from one of four wild species, the warmblood or forest, the oriental, the draft and the Tarpan, from these have developed the hundreds of different types of horse in the modern world.

In addition to the true breeding type there are also what are called ‘colour breeds’ and the only criteria for inclusion in the Stud Book is adherence to the colour – any foals not conforming will not be eligible, examples are the Palamino and the Buckskin. Some, such as the Appaloosa have a preferred colour but it is not a breed requirement.

Types of horse are different again, the best way to describe it as a group of horses that have similarities of appearance or temperament such as Cobs, Hacks or Sport Horses. There are many ‘types’ whose names come down from history though we rarely use those terms today. Horses were not classified by breed but by type in the past – lovely names such as Destrier, Jennet, Palfrey and Hobby. The Hobby Horse was not always a wooden toy but a lightweight horse, maybe just under the 14.2 hands classification, that was bred in Ireland from Spanish stock. They were highly prized as cavalry mounts employed in light skirmishing, often covering as much as 70 miles a day in a form of guerrilla warfare – a little know horse fact.