Horse Breed Guides

The Exmoor pony is one of the nine native breeds of pony to be found throughout the British Isles. The pony originates from the moor in the south west from which it takes its name.  The Exmoor for this reason is often seen as something of a pair with the other southwestern native breed, the Dartmoor pony. Although, both breeds are very different to one another.   Work done by the veterinary school in Edinburgh on its antecedents would indicate that the Exmoor pony is derived fr...

Is the Appaloosa a breed or a colour? Well, like the palomino, it is one of those rare things, it is actually both. In terms of origin and development, the Appaloosa more closely resembles warmbloods in that there have been many and varied breed influences throughout the years so in this respect, it differs from other breeds which have a closely guarded gene pool.  Historically the Appaloosa is more recently viewed as an American breed although wall paintings have been discovered in Europe ...

Mountain and Moorland is a generic term that is normally used to refer to the indigenous and native breeds of pony which can be found throughout the United Kingdom. The title is used because many of these breeds are indeed found in their natural homes, on mountains and moorland.   The UK is blessed to have nine of these native breeds that are the envy of the world over.  A popular question in equestrian quizzes, the best way to remember the identity of all of the nine native br...

The Welsh breeds are divided into four sections types called the Sections A, B, C and D.  The smallest of the four groups are the Welsh Section A, the Welsh Mountain pony and the Welsh Section B, the Welsh pony. All four sections come under the auspices of one society which is the Welsh Pony and Cob Society but each section has its own studbook. The Society was founded in 1901.   It is probably fair to say that the Welsh ponies are arguably the most popular and iconic of all ch...

The Arab horse is perhaps the most influential of all breeds in the modern equine population. Consider its prominence in the modern Thoroughbred through the three founding stallions, the Godolphin Arabian, the Darley Arabian and the Byerley Turk, Turk being another word for Arabian. This Arab foundation of the Thoroughbred is often overlooked in favour of the subsequent pre-eminence of the Thoroughbred, which itself has gone across the world to influence so many different breeds. But what th...

Of all the breeds of horse to have perhaps the greatest and most far reaching influence on not just other breeds but the development of the modern sports horse, the Thoroughbred  must take the accolade. As the supreme equine athlete, the Thoroughbred is beyond compare and it is for this reason that its influence can be found in so many other breeds and cross breeds.   During the last century, the Thoroughbred was exported to Europe to introduce lightness and quality to modern w...