Horse Breeds A To Z

Horse Breeds A to Z: American Cream

The American Cream is a draft horse named for its cream colored coat. The American Cream first originated in Iowa around the turn of the 20th century. It is the only draft breed to originate in the US. American Cream horses typically have pink skin and amber eyes that accompany their cream colored coat. American Creams can weigh anywhere from 1600 to 1800 pounds, although early on 1400 pounds was a much more common weight. They typically stand about 16 hands high. The name American Cream was coined by an Iowan man named C.T. Rierson who pioneered an effort to get the American Cream recognized as an established breed in the 1930's. Due to the increasing popularity of the tractor throughout the 20th century, the American Cream was not widely needed as a draft horse, and nearly became extinct. Today, there are still very few American Creams, however in 1982, the American Cream Draft Horse Association was formed to ensure the continuing survival of the breed.

Here's a video of a lovely American Cream in action. Enjoy!

Horse Breeds A to Z: The Abtenauer

The Abtenauer is the first horse in our new series: Horse Breeds A to Z. As it's name may indicate, the Abtenauer horse hails from Germany, although some say it originally came from Austria. The Abtenauer is a close relative of the Noriker, but is smaller in stature.

The Abtenauer breed of horse is small and stocky, with very powerful legs. It excels as a draft horse - as it's small and muscular legs help the horse keep a good center of gravity, which leads to excellent balance. This is especially useful for navigating the rough mountain and forest terrain of Western Germany. The fact that the Abtenauer is cold blooded also makes it an excellent candidate for work as a draft horse.

Black is the most common color of the Abtenauer's coat, however, rich brown, blue roan and a variety of other colors are also found. Typical Abtenauers will stand between 14 and 15 hands high.

One interesting fact about the Abtenauer (according to wikipedia) is that the mares and foals are sent to pasture up in the moutains during the summer months , and are fed salt once a week to prevent them from becoming feral.