Horse Frame Heaviness

As I was looking through horse images on some website or another I was suddenly struck by the difference in horse frame size. A quick search for information left me with nothing useful to refer to so I thought I’d create my own scale of body types.

Not Very Scientific

I’ll admit, there is nothing scientific in how I came to my conclusions about frame size. All of it is based on experience, research and looking thousands upon thousands of horse pictures over the years. The categories below are general & loosely gathered, based simply on how heavy the ‘average’ or ‘typical’ type is for the breed.

When you put look at them all together, it’s pretty amazing that the slender, fine-boned Akhal-Teke is the same species as that enormous Ardennes Draft!

The light framed horses are generally hot-blooded animals that come from desert areas. Native to hot weather, they tend to possess very fine coats, long legs and a lean constitution. Their lighter build doesn’t make them weaker – the light equines are incredibly tough and adaptable. This group includes some of the oldest & most prolific domestic breeds on the planet.

Light breeds include: Akhal-Teke, Anglo-Arabian, Arabian, Barb, Marwari & Thoroughbreds.

Midweight frames are perhaps the most common horse frame size, and includes the largest percentage of domestic horse breeds. The middle size ranges from the Iberian horses to Northern European warmbloods to a variety of breeds in the Americas of Iberian descent.

Midweight breeds include: Andalusian, Cleveland Bay, Dutch Warmblood, Holsteiner, Knubstrupper, & Swiss Warmbloods.

Heavy breeds tend to be relatively newer and generally have draft influence in their bloodlines. Often bred for light agriculture or pulling coaches, these animals are robust, adaptable and generally well suited to colder climates. A high percentage of these breeds come from the northern European countries, Russia & Canada.

Heavy breeds include: Cob, Irish Draft, Poitevin, Noriker,Russian Draft & Sugarbush Drafts.

Traditionally drafts are built and bred for two things (one of which we don’t like to mention) and the idea is always this: bigger is better. Strong, but usually gentle giants, the draft breeds also tend to come from the northern parts of the world. The size race has slowed considerably in recent years, as the need for draft animals in agriculture wanes and horse meat taboos grow.

Draft Breeds Include: Ardennes, Belgian Draft, Clydesdale, Jutland, Percheron & Italian Heavy Drafts.

What’s Your Take

What do you think, did I do an alright job of categorizing? I’m sure there could be another category at the top, perhaps the ‘light’ category should be split into two? However you feel, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below and if you know of any good online resources for the information I’d appreciate hearing about them.