Less Common Breeds
Breed popularity waxes and wanes with time. New breeds arise from crossbreeding or genetic mutations. Some breeds enjoy greater popularity in one country than another. There are literally hundreds of breeds in existence around the world, so it's impossible to list them all here. However, here are some less common but noteworthy ones.
This was a significant Spanish breed in Europe from the twelfth to the seventeenth centuries and was the basis for many modern breeds, including the Lipizzaner and even the Appaloosa. They are typically gray and of average height, around 15.2 hands, and compactly built. The breed is used today primarily in exhibition riding and dressage and is the horse of choice for Spanish bullfighting.
According to the registry for this breed, it has been in North America since the early 1800s. They are generally medium sized, but they can be pony sized or draft sized as well. Their coat is curly, as their name implies, and the curls get long in winter. The mane tends to split down the middle. They are said to be nonallergenic, which makes them attractive to people with allergies to horses. They are used in all riding disciplines.
Thought to have evolved in the seventeenth century, Cleveland Bays peaked in popularity in the late 1800s in Britain, where they originally developed; they are now considered a rare breed, with less than 500 purebred horses worldwide.
They were imported to the United States in the early 1800s, and Buffalo Bill Cody was said to have used them in his Wild West show. Cleveland Bays are, as their name implies, bay in color. They stand sixteen to seventeen hands, and were often used as carriage horses because of their uniform characteristics. Purebred and part-bred (often crossed with Thoroughbreds) Cleveland Bays make excellent mounts in all equine disciplines.
The Norwegian Fjord horse is one of the world's oldest breeds. The original Fjords are thought to have migrated to Norway more than 4,000 years ago. The present-day Fjord is believed to be descended from Przewalskii's horse and retains many of the same characteristics. The Fjord has distinct coloring, usually dun with black zebra stripes on its legs and a dorsal stripe that runs from its forelock, through the mane, down the back, and through the tail. It is relatively small in height, averaging 13.2 to 14.2 hands, and weighs in at around 900 to 1,200 pounds.
Used in war during the Middle Ages, this breed has also been used as a draft and carriage horse. In fact, they were said to have influenced both the Clydesdale and Shire draft breeds. Fresians are black beauties with long feathered fetlocks, making them a very impressive animal. In recent years, they have become increasingly popular in the United States as dressage mounts and exhibition horses.
One of the oldest British breeds (dating back to the eleventh century), Hackneys are a mix of Thoroughbred and Arabian. Because of their animated gaits, they are used mostly as carriage horses.
These horses are golden chestnut in color with a long, white mane and tail. They were used heavily as pack horses during World War II but now are popular in all types of riding.
This breed was founded in 1580 in Austria by Archduke Charles II. The stallions were originally from Spain. Foals are born black but whiten with age. The occasional rare bay Lipizzaner is considered good luck. The horses are typically small, compact, and muscular. They are best known for the choreographed quadrilles and airs above the ground (spectacular controlled leaps) they perform routinely at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.
According to the World Class Miniature Horse Registry (WCMHR), miniature horses were thought to have been bred in Europe as pets for the children of royalty. Under 36.5 inches tall, these little horses are exactly like big horses, only reduced in size. The WCMHR website (
Horseshoes are considered lucky only if the open end faces up. According to folklore, all the luck runs out of a downward-facing horseshoe. Interestingly, until 1999, the horseshoe engraved on the Kentucky Derby trophy faced down. In 1999, the horseshoe was turned up for a special 125th anniversary edition of the trophy.
The term
