1. Horse Breeds

2. Types of Horses Light 14-2 hands to 17 hands high 900-1400 lbs
Uses: riding, driving, showing, racing or work
Draft
14-2 to 17-2 hands high
1400 lbs or more
Uses: heavy work or pulling loads
Ponies
Under 14-2 hands high
lbs
Uses: riding, driving, showing
Types of Horses

3. Quarter Horse Origin: United States
Characteristics: Racing, seldom longer than 1/4 mile, powerfully built, and heavy muscled
Common Colors: Chestnut, bay, dun, black, and brown
Uses: Pleasure riding, showing, racing, and stock horses

4. Thoroughbred Origin: England
Characteristics: Build allows speed, very angular, their thighs and quarters are powerfully muscled
Common Colors: Bay, brown, chestnut, black, their face and legs have white markings
Uses: Racing, polo, hunters

5. Appaloosa Origin: United States
Characteristics: Mottled or parti-colored skin
Eye: Encircled by white sclera – like humans!
Hoof: Vertically striped black and white
Common Colors: Black, brown, bay, chestnut – white with dark spots over loin and hips or over entire body
Uses: Stock horses, pleasure, racing, and showing

6. Arabian Origin: Arabia
Characteristics: Small to medium in size ( lbs), docile, great endurance, 14 to 15-1 hands high, less vertebrae in back and tail than other breeds, dished face, tea cup muzzle, thin throat latch
Common Colors: Bay, gray, chestnut
*Their skin is ALWAYS dark no matter what the color is
Uses: Stock, showing, racing, pleasure
Arabian

7. American Paint Origin: United States
Characteristics: They were very popular in the plains with the Indians and Cowboy period
Common Colors: Coat colors are white plus any other color
Tobiano: Head is marked like a solid colored horse, white legs, and regular spots over the body
Overo: Variable color head markings, one or more legs dark colored, and irregular body markings
Uses: Stock, pleasure, showing, racing

8. Clydesdale Origin: Scotland
Characteristics: Draft horse, 16-7 hands high, lbs
Common Colors: Bay and brown – both with white markings, feathering
Uses: Working, showing, pleasure riding

9. Shire Origin: Shires of England
Characteristics: One of the largest horses in the world
Stands up to 19 hands
An average shire will weigh 1 ton (2,000lbs) and is capable of moving a 5 ton (10,000lbs) load
Very gentle
Excellent worker, especially in the field of agriculture
Urban draft horse
Shires still work the land in some parts of the country and several brewers use them to pull drays in the city streets
Common Colors: Bay, brown, black or gray with feathering

10. Miniature Horse Origin: United States
Characteristics: No more than 34” in height at maturity
Are NOT dwarfs, runts, or genetic errors
Produced by selectively breeding down in size
Common Colors: Various colors
Uses: Showing and driving