Breed name: Suffolk Punch, also known as the Suffolk Horse or the Suffolk Sorrel. Country of origin: England. Breed origin: The Suffolk Punch is England’s oldest breed of heavy horse, dating back to the early 16th century. Developed in Suffolk and the surrounding counties in East Anglia, the breed’s most distinguishing feature is its colouring.…
Breed name: Dartmoor Country of origin: England Breed origin: Named after its ancient habitat, the moors of Dartmoor in southwest England, the Dartmoor pony pre-dates modern Britain by a long shot. The bones of their prehistoric ancestors have been discovered in tombs in southern Britain dating back to around 3500 BC. At that point in…
Breed name: Waler Country of origin: Australia Breed origin: The Waler was developed in colonial Australia by crossing a huge number of breeds including heavy draught types, strong coach horses, Timor Ponies and native British ponies, Thoroughbreds, Arabians and the African Cape Horse. To handle the harsh Australian conditions and the tough work required of…
Name of breed: Tarpan Country of origin: Russia, although Tarpans once roamed over most of Europe. Breed origin: The original Tarpan is an extinct subspecies of horse whose scientific name is Equus ferus ferus. The Tarpan developed during the ice age as a subspecies of Equus ferus, which lived all over the land from western…
Name of breed: Brumby Country of origin: Australia Breed origin: ‘Brumby’ is the name given to Australia’s wild horses. Populations exist in every state and territory except Tasmania thanks to a huge variety of reasons and events. The first horses came to Australia with the First Fleet in 1788. Only seven survived this initial voyage,…
Name of breed: Arabian, or Arab Country of origin: This is a much-disputed point! There are arguments to support the breed’s development in northern Syria, southern Turkey, the Piedmont region in northern Italy, the Fertile Crescent running from Iraq to the coast of Egypt, and southwestern Arabia. Breed origin: The prototype for the modern Arabian…
Name of breed: Alter Real Country of origin: Portugal Breed origin: In Portugal, there was a royal stud in Alentjo that supplied horses to the classical riding academy for the Royals to use. In 1756, the stud breeding was moved to Alter and 300 Andalusian mares from Spain were introduced into the line. In the…
Name of breed: Hanoverian Country of origin: Germany Breed origin: Surprisingly, this German breed owes its existence in large part to an English king, George II, who was also the Elector of Hanover in what is now Lower Saxony, Germany. George II established the Celle State Stud in 1735 with the intention of producing horses…
Name of breed: Appaloosa Country of origin: North America Breed origin: There have been several theories as to where the Appaloosa originated from as many thought that the Spanish Conquistadors brought the horse to the Americas in the late 15th or early 16th centuries. However, one theory suggests that they had already been there. The…
Name of breed: Westphalian Country of origin: Germany Breed origin: The Westphalian horse breed was bred at Warendorf Stud in 1826 and their mission was to produce a useful riding horse for all disciplines. Even though this breed is very similar to the Hanoverian, they have differences in their structure and temperament. The horses from…
Name of breed: American Saddlebred Country of origin: United States Breed origin: The American Saddlebred is known as ‘The Horse History Made’ because its development has been so closely tied to the needs of the nation over the centuries. Its story begins at the beginning of the 18th century, when Thoroughbreds were imported to the…
Name of breed: Selle Français, also known as the Cheval de Selle Français Country of origin: France Breed origin: Like most warmblood horse breeds, the Selle Français was developed with a diverse mixture of bloodlines. In the 19th century, Norman breeders imported Thoroughbreds and Norfolk Trotters, crossing them with their native stock (now known as…
