There are many different breeds in the horse world. Most of them are versatile and can do numerous tasks, such as the Quarter Horse and the Arabian. Others are more suited to English riding, such as the Warmblood. There are also heavy Draft horses that are extremely strong, and can pull heavy loads, such as the well-known Clydesdale, or the Shire. Whatever discipline you ride, there is a breed for you.

The Quarter Horse is considered a true American horse, because it originated here. Its founding fathers, however, were imported from Europe. Thoroughbred-like horses were shipped from England to Virginia in 1611. The colonists bred them, in hopes of creating a fast horse. Spanish influence probably came from the West, where the Spanish had imported their horses in the previous century. When combined, they created a very fast breed. Originally called the “Short Horse” because of their size, the name was later changed to Quarter Horse, because of the distance of the races they ran. The races rarely exceeded ¼ mile. When longer races became popular, and the English Thoroughbred began to make its mark on the racing industry, and on the Quarter Horse breed, the taller, more refined horse won out for racing. Then, people turned to the Quarter Horse’s other qualities. The horses were found to be extremely good at ranch work, a good thing in those days when people depended on farming and ranching for food. They were also found to be strong and reliable mounts, so when pioneers began moving west, the Quarter Horse came, too.

They are usually stocky, strong, and slightly short. The normal heights are about 14.3-16 hh. They have excellent temperaments, and make wonderful riding horses. They are usually not fazed by things that would scare hot-blooded horses, and are very good trail horses. Most rodeo cowboys ride Quarter Horses because of their strength and obedient nature.

The Thoroughbred originated in England. The breed was the result of Asian and African horses mixed into the best British horses, creating a strain that was very fast. The first important outside horse was the Byreley Turk, a Turkmene Akhal-Teke captured by Captain Byreley during a battle with the Turks. He later rode the stallion in the wars in Ireland. The Byreley Turk was retired to stud in 1690 in County Durham. The next outside founding sire was the Darley Arabian, a horse from Aleppo in 1704. He was probably the most influential of the founding sires, and stood at stud in Yorkshire. The third horse was the Godolphin Arabian, who was actually a Barb from Morocco in 1728. He was used by the Lord of Godolphin as a teaser stallion. He was eventually bred with a mare called Roxanna, who would have nothing to do with the Lord of Godolphin’s champion stallion, Hobgoblin. Those three stallions were the founding sires of the Thoroughbred breed, but it was the four stallions produced by them that are considered the four lines of the breed. The Byreley Turk sired the horse Jig, who sired the first of the four lines, Herod. Herod sired the second of the four, Highflyer. The Darley Arabian sired the Bleeding or Barlett’s Childers, who sired Squirt, who in turn sired Marske, who sired the third of the four, Eclipse. Eclipse was possibly the most famous racehorse of all time, and was unbeaten on the track. The fourth was Matchem, who had been sired by Cade, the Godolphin Arabian’s son.

Although the Thoroughbred is usually associated with racing, it has many other talents as well. The breed has done very well in the Show Jumping arena, and in Eventing. They have also been used for Western riding, although with the tall build, they can not get low enough to the ground, as is needed in many Western sports. They are tall, normally 15.2-16.3 hh, although they can be as tall as 17.3 hh. Thoroughbreds are built cleanly, with an elegant head, and strong hindquarters.

The Arabian is considered one of the oldest breeds in the world. Arabian-type horses existed about 2,000 years before the Christian era. They were bred by the Bedouins, a desert people that believed they were the wind incarnate. A Bedouin legend reads:

 Allah said to the South Wind: “Become solid flesh, for I will make a new creature of thee, to the honour of My Holy One, and the abasement of Mine enemies, and for a servant to them that are subject to Me.” And the South Wind said: “Lord, do Thou so.” The Allah took a handful of the South Wind and he breathed thereon, creating the horse and saying: “Thy name shall be Arabian, and virtue bound into the hair of thy forelock, and plunder on thy back. I have preferred thee above all beasts of burden, inasmuch as I have made thy master thy friend. I have given thee the power of flight without wings, be it onslaught or in retreat, I will set men on thy back, that shall honour and praise Me and sing Hallelujah to My name.”

They originated somewhere in Western Asia, possibly Saudi Arabia, although they have ties to Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. It is a hot-blooded horse, meaning it is excitable and can be high-strung. The Arabian has an interesting skeletal system. Most horses have 18 ribs, 6 lumbar bones, and 18 tail vertebrae. The Arab has a 17-5-16 skeleton. They also have a unique head/neck attachment, called the mitbah. This allows them greater flexibility and mobility of the head. The Arabian horse has an unusual head, as well. It has a small, beautifully shaped head, with a wide forehead, and a tapered muzzle. They have large nostrils, which were a necessity in the Middle East, because of the hot climate. Their foreheads have a large shield-shaped bulge called the jibbah. They have a high tail carriage, long, elegant neck, and good bone in the leg. The back is short, and the chest well muscled. Many people consider them the most beautiful horse in the world.

The Warmblood is actually a group of European breeds, best suited to English riding. There are different variations of the breeds from different countries. France bred the Selle Francais, also known as the French Warmblood, the Netherlands bred the Dutch Warmblood, Belgium bred the Belgian Warmblood, Sweden: the Swedish variation, Denmark: the Danish Warmblood, and Germany has bred many different variations. The Hanoverian, the Oldenburgh, and the Holstein/Holsteiner are German breeds. They are all on the large side, with big bones and muscles. Warmbloods are tall- some reach as tall as 17.3 hh. Normally, though, they are about 15.2-16.2 hh. They are very well suited to Dressage, as they have beautiful movement. Many Warmbloods can jump very well. You can see many variations in the Olympics. Many are imported from Europe, because they originate from there, where they have very good quality Warmbloods. Most Warmbloods have attractive faces and sloping necks and shoulders.