Horse Basics Category

Coldblooded or draft animals are a very obvious type as their physical characteristics tend to be so very large. The term generally describes larger, more robust animals that are bred for heavy work.
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It’s horse breed Thursday again and time to meet the next letter of the equine world. Be sure to go visit the breeds section where I’ve written pages about every breed I can find.

If you haven’t met the rest of the alphabet, be sure to do so A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R. Today it’s about breeds that start with S, from the wild little Sable Island Pony whose origins are a mystery to the sleek Swiss Warmblood, a breed significant in Swiss equine history.
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It’s horse breed Thursday again and time to meet the next letter of the equine world. Be sure to go visit the breeds section where you can meet hundreds of amazing animals from around the globe.

If you haven’t met the rest of the alphabet, be sure to do so A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q. Today it’s about breeds that start with R, from the lightning fast Racking Horse developed prior to the Civil War in the US to the speed demon Russian Trotter only recently officially recognized.
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When most people think of colorful horses, duns don’t often come to mind. Believe it or not, the dun is one powerful dilution gene that can display in a number of colors & striping patterns.
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The earliest evidence of the Orohippus is in North America during the mid-Eocene era, about 2 million years after the little eohippus. Although this species was not as abundant as their smaller cousins and their fossils are only found on the North American continent.
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Baroque horses are often the most romantic looking animals, flowing of mane & tail and noble of confirmation. The term generally describes the descendants of athletic war horses in the Middle Ages, with muscular hindquarters an arched neck and a powerful presence.
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It’s horse breed Thursday again and time to meet another letter of the equine world. The breeds section has hundreds of amazing animals from all around the world.

If you haven’t met the rest of the alphabet, be sure to do so A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P. Today it’s about breeds that start with Q, from the mysterious Qatgani Horse of Afghanistan who I could find nothing about to the well loved Quarter Pony an American classic.
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The Eohippus is one of the earliest equidae species and roamed North America & western Europe during the early to middle Eocene era (about 55 – 45 million years ago). They were about 2 feet long and weighed around 50 pounds.
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It’s horse breed Thursday again and time to meet another letter of the equine world. The breeds section has hundreds of different animals & I hope you’ll meet them all.

If you haven’t met the rest of the alphabet, be sure to do so A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O. Today it’s about breeds that start with P, from the tiny Padang Pony developed by the Dutch on the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the ancient Przewalski’s Horse the only surviving breed of wild equidae still alive.
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Bend Or Spots (also called Ben D’or, smuts and grease spots) are dark spots found randomly on a horse’s coat. This type of marking was named after a Thoroughbred stallion (a chestnut) called Bend Or.

Mysterious Spots

Their cause is unknown and they do not appear to be genetically linked to other spotting patterns, although they are often mistaken for them. Beyond the obvious case of appaloosa spotting patterns, roans can display similar patches of dark hair. Called ‘corn marks’ or ‘corn spots’, these are spots of solid colored hairs which grow over old cuts, scratches & scars. Another potential culprit is dappling which is patches of darker hairs on a lighter coat (often an indication of the grey modifier).
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Lately Thursdays have been dedicated to the wide world of horse breeds and I’m having a great time with sharing, I hope everyone else is enjoying them as well. The breeds section is a huge one that took years to complete so it’s fun to show it off.

If you haven’t met the rest of the alphabet, be sure to do so A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N. Today it’s about breeds that start with O, from the rare and robust Ob Pony of Siberia to the wild Outer Banks Ponies that roam the Carolinas & come from the mounts of Spanish settlers early in the 16th century.
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Although we have come to know and love domestic horse, there are quite a few members of the equidae family that are sadly no longer with us.

Hard Luck Stories

So I thought I’d start sharing some of the cousins that didn’t make the genetic cut (or got in mankind’s way a few times too often). The first one I’d like to share is the Quagga which is a southern subspecies of the Plains Zebras. The name Quagga comes from the Hottentot speaking people of the South African interior & is an imitation of their call (it’s actually used to describe all zebras in the area).
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