Horse Basics Category

Basic Black – Horse Coat Colors

Black HorsesRecently I’ve begun updating some of the images in my colors section and getting in touch with the times when it comes to color. It’s a complicated ride, but it sure is a pretty one!

Basic Colors

Coloring in horses comes from a pigment called melanin which appears in two forms, eumelanin (black) and phaeomelanin (red). These two expressions are responsible for the two base horse colors, black and chestnut. All other coat colors come from an interaction between these two genes and that of various modifiers, dilutions and white patterns.
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Horse Breeds From Scotland

Scotland FlagThe end of another week and a great time to visit another exotic location and learn about the ineresting horse breeds it’s given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is a fascinating ride, & today a peek at the breeds from Scotland.

Scottish Greats for American Beer

Scotland is home to perhaps the most recognizable of the draft breeds, the mighty Clydesdale, created early in the 18th century from Flemish animals crossed with local working animals. Centuries of selective breeding has created a find draft animal with feathered feet, handsome bearing and a noble disposition.
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Horse Breeds From Portugal

Portugal FlagThe end of another week and a good time to visit another exotic location and learn about the ineresting horse breeds it’s given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is a fascinating ride, & today a peek at the breeds from Portugal.

Iberian Greats

Portugal isn’t a large country and its horse breeding is closely tied with that of Spain. Their breeds clearly share common ancestors as they both display the noble Iberian traits. Both the Alter Real & the Lusitano are good examples of this with their stout composition and grandiose demeanor.
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Horse Breeds From Poland

Poland FlagThe end of another week and time to visit an exotic location and learn about the ineresting horse breeds it’s given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is a fascinating ride, & today a peek at the breeds from Poland.

Running Contender

Perhaps Polands strongest contender for horse of the year is the Wielkopolski, a cross between Trakehner and native Polish stock. These animals are known for their athletic ability and sportman-like attitude.
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Horse Breeds From Peru

Peru FlagThe end of the week again and a great time to visit an exotic location and learn about the unique horse breeds it’s given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is a fascinating ride, & today a peek at the breeds from Peru.

Andean Tough Guys

All horse breeds in the Americas were introduced by (primarily Spanish) explorers and settlers. Only the toughest animals were selected for the journey, and only the toughest of those survived it. Their descendants went on to form two distinctive types of breeds in Peru. Tough Andean mountain horses and smoother, more civilized riding horses. The mountain horses survive inhospitable climates at altitude
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Horse Breeds From Norway

Norway FlagThe end of the week is a great time to visit another exotic location and learn about the unique horse breeds it’s given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is a fascinating ride, & today a peek at the breeds from Norway.

Old & Cold

The breeds from Norway tend to be rather old and similarly unique ones. The first example would have to be the Døle Gudbrandsdal, one of the smallest cold blooded trotters on the planet. Relatively new on the books, the Døle’s bloodlines are thought to date back somewhere between 400 – 800 BC. Today they are protected and controlled by the government.
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