Horse Basics Category

Flaxen Horse Breeds

Flaxen BreedsWe’ve already taken a look at breeds that are primarily chestnut, grey, bay and black. Today we take it one step further and visit flaxen breeds, chestnut bases with lovely blonde mane & tail hair.

Uncommonly Blonde

The flaxen modifying gene is somewhat of a mystery as far as genetics go. It only affects chestnut based horses by displaying a creamy white mane & tail. Unlike some of the more common colors, this genetic combination doesn’t affect all breeds – many of the breeds below only come in flaxen.
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Horse Breeds From Estonia

Estonia FlagIt’s Friday, time to visit another country of the world and all of the lovely horse breeds it’s given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is truly an interesting ride. Today a look at the breeds from Estonia.

Modern Changes

This is a relatively flat country with a rather mild climate, not a bad one for equines. Like most places, horses were traditionally used for transportation and agriculture so individual breed numbers flourished at one time or another. However, as inefficient horses are phased out of agriculture entirely, the breeds developed for the task are facing a bleak outlook.
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Horse Breeds From England

England FlagIt’s Friday again, time to visit another country of the world and all of the varied horse breeds it’s given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is truly an interesting ride. Today a look at the breeds from England.

Good Things in Little Packages

The UK in general is known for their riding ponies of all shapes and sizes – the variety is almost endless. Perhaps one of the most colorful found in England is the British Spotted Pony. This spotted little fellow doesn’t come from appaloosa horses, but rather thought to be a native to the British Isles. In fact, spotted ponies may have been there before mankind ourselves.
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Bay Horse Breeds

Bay BreedsBays are common among most breeds, however there are a few exceptional breeds for which the bold red coat and shiny black points are a distinguishing characteristic.

Beloved Bays

While it is an incredibly common color, bay is also quite a pretty one. From light, dusty browns to vibrant rich reds – all offset by the handsome contrast of a deep black mane and tail. Although common, bay is not one of the base colors, it is the result of a bay modifier (Agouti gene) on an animal with a black base.
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Horse Breeds From Egypt

Egypt FlagIt’s Friday, time to visit another country of the world and all of the fascinating horse breeds it has given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is truly an interesting ride. Today a look at the breeds from Egypt.

Chariots of Fire

Horses have been an integral part of Egyptian civilization for thousands of years. The chariot a tool that gave them military might and control over neighboring nations for centuries. Although these animals have contributed so much the resulting modern breeds are strangely polarized. From the mongrel that is the Baladi Horse horse to the fine strains of Egyptian Arabian.
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Horse Breeds From Denmark

Denmark FlagIt’s time to visit another country of the world and all of the majestic horse breeds it has given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is an interesting ride indeed. Today a look at the breeds from Denmark.

Some Old Papers

When it comes to horse breeding, the Danish are meticulous and it’s clear the equine world actually learned a thing or two from them. The handsome Frederiksborg breed is the oldest pedigreed domestic animal in the world and was traditionally used as a royal riding mount.
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Chestnut Horse Breeds

Chestnut BreedsChestnut coloring can be found in almost every horse breed on the planet & some cultures regard this color to be the strongest and fittest of them all.

Basic Chestnut

Although I can’t testify to the truth of the legend above, there are some breeds who are prized for fiery red coats. Chestnut is one of two base colors (the other is black) and perhaps the most common of all horse colors. Unlike the black & grey breeds, many of the chestnut breeds weren’t created by natural selection, they were created by mankind through selective breeding.
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