Ask the Farrier » Horse Breeds http://www.askthefarrier.com Learn Horse Care and Horse Hoof Care Tips Plus Horse Breeds Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:48:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=6914 en hourly 1 Horse Breeds A to Z: American Cream http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-american-cream/ http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-american-cream/#comments Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:13:48 +0000 admin http://www.askthefarrier.com/?p=177 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!

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]]> http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-american-cream/feed/ 2 Horse Breeds A to Z: The Alter Real http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-alter-real/ http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-alter-real/#comments Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:06:10 +0000 admin http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-alter-real/ The Alter Real's history dates back to 1748 Portugal to the town of Alter, the horses namesake. The Alter Real was originally bred from Andalusian Mares that had been imported from Spain and Arabian horses.  The Alter Real is a large and intelligent horse it was used heavily throughout Portugal's history. In the Peninsula war of 1804, the horses were used for battle and the breed was nearly destroyed. If it had not been for Ruy d'Andrade, a local horse expert, there surely would be no Alter Reals today. Ruy was able to spare a handful of Alter Reals, and single handedly save the breed.

According to Wikipedia, the Alter Real stands between 15.1 and 16.1 hands high and still maintains a very similar appearance to it's ancestors from the 18th century. The most common colors are bay, brown, chestnut and gray.

The Alter Real can still be found being bred in Portugal today.

Below is a short video from the Lusitano Festival 2007 showing an Alter Real in action.

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]]> http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-alter-real/feed/ 0 Horse Breeds A to Z: The Altai http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-altai/ http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-altai/#comments Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:31:51 +0000 admin http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-altai/ The Altai (sometimes known as Altay) is a horse named after the great mountain range in Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan converge.  Obviously, the Altai horse also hails from this region. The Altai was developed to survive in some of the harshest conditions, as the Altai mountains feature a very unforgiving climate. The Altai has been bred to be especially adept at navigating rugged mountain terrain. It is not uncommon for the Altai to be crossed with a variety of other Russian draft horses, which results in increased size and strength. Typically an Altai will stand 13.2 - 13.3 hands high, and common colors include chestnut, bay, black, gray and Leopard Appaloosa (source: wikipedia).

The following video shows a group of Altai horses racing in the actual Altai region. The quality is a little choppy for the first few seconds, but the overall quality is great!

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]]> http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-altai/feed/ 0 Horse Breeds A to Z: The Albanian http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-albanian/ http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-albanian/#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:08:48 +0000 admin http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-albanian/ Albanians are a small and stocky breed of horse, ideal for long distance uses and their origin can be traced to the Balkan peninsula. There are actually two types of Albanian horse, the Mountain breed and the Plains breed (also known as the Myzeqea). There are a few differences between the two varieties, but the Albanians have been heavily interbred, so there is little means for distinction between the two.

The small stocky stature of the Albanian horse has made it perfect for endurance applications, and navigating difficult terrain. Historically, this has made the Albanian a preferred choice for transportation - ideally for pulling a wagon or carriage.

The Albanian horse breed has been targeted by horse breeders, and mixed with several other breeds of horses in an attempt to improve the horse's usefulness for agriculture related applications.

Common coat colors for the Albanian include chestnut, black and gray. The mountain Albanian typically stands at about 12.2 hands and the plains Albanian stands at about 13.2 hands.

Below is a video of Robin Hanbury-Tenison with his Albanian horse:

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]]> http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-albanian/feed/ 1 Horse Breeds A to Z: Akhal-Teke the Pride of Turkmenistan http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-akhal-teke-the-pride-of-turkmenistan/ http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-akhal-teke-the-pride-of-turkmenistan/#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2008 01:43:22 +0000 admin http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-akhal-teke-the-pride-of-turkmenistan/ The Akhal-Teke doesn't just hail from Turkmenistan, it's also the country's national emblem! Turkmenistan is a small country bordered by Afghanistan and Iran plus several other countries, and was a part of the Soviet Union until it's collapse.

Photo © Animal Photography, Sally Anne Thompson

Some say the Akhal-Teke is one of the oldest breeds of horses, possibly favored by the Mongols as early as the 13th Century. It has also been said that Alexander the Great's horse was an Akhal-Teke. A possible key to the amazing longevity of the Akhal-Teke is the near flawless genetic makeup of the horse. Their superior DNA has helped the horse adapt to the harsh, cold and rocky terrain of Russia and other Central Asian countries, and has also made the Akhal-Teke a favorite for genetically engineering new breeds of horses for a variety of tasks. The Akhal-Teke also requires very little food and water compared to other horse breeds, which may explain why it was likely favored by nomadic tribes and armies throughout history.

The features of the Akhal-Teke include almond eyes as well as long ears and back. The torso is very sturdy and rugged which allow high performance on endurance applications. Typically an Akhal-Teke stands 14.3 - 16 hands high, according to the Akhal-Teke Association of America, and there are many colors allowed.

The following video offers more information and shows a variety of beautiful Akhal-Teke horses in action:

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]]> http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-akhal-teke-the-pride-of-turkmenistan/feed/ 2 Horse Breeds A to Z: The Aegidienberger http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-aegidienberger/ http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-aegidienberger/#comments Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:17:24 +0000 admin http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-aegidienberger/ The Aegidienberger is a gaited horse hailing from Germany and became officially recognized as a breed of horse at the end of the 20th century. It is small in stature and tailor made for riding. It's smaller size helped riders to navigate terrain to rugged for larger horses. The Aegidienberger was developed by breeding a Paso and an Icelandic Horse. The reason for doing so was to create a larger gaited horse that would adapt well to the German climate. The Aegidenberger stands at least 13 hands high, and can reach up to 15 hands. All colors are permitted for this breed.

Check out the following video to see the Aegidienberger in action:

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]]> http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-aegidienberger/feed/ 1 Horse Breeds A to Z: The Abyssinian Gala Horse http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-abyssinian-gala-horse/ http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-abyssinian-gala-horse/#comments Sat, 02 Feb 2008 17:37:45 +0000 admin http://www.askthefarrier.com/horse-breeds-a-to-z-the-abyssinian-gala-horse/ The Abyssinian breed of horse, also sometimes referred to as a Gala horse or an Ethiopian horse, is a rough and short haired breed of horse that originated in Africa in the country of Ethiopia along the coastlines of the Red Sea. The Abyssinian horse is quite small in stature, standing only about 13 hands high.

The coat of the Abyssinian horse, as stated above, is quite harsh and one interesting thing about this breed, their coat features many rosettes and ridges and these horses can easily be identified by the trademark "mustache" which grows around the nose.

The Abyssinian first came to the UK in the 17th century, and has long since been a favorite horse breed in England and surrounding areas.

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