Evolution, Breeds, Colors, and Terminology

History of the Horse

Horses evolved from Eohippus (“Dawn Horse”), a creature about the size of a small dog, which was known to exist about 60 million years ago.

It had four toes on each front leg and three on each back leg; these toes each ended in a tiny hoof-like structure instead of a claw.

Evolution

This animal is thought to be the common ancestor for tapirs and hippos, as well as members of the genus Equus (horses, donkeys, zebras, etc.)

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Evolution (con’t.)

Eohippus was a plant-eating animal whose best defense against attack was to run.

Over millions of years various adaptations were made for survival:

• grinding teeth
• longer head
• taller
• eyes more to sides of head
• loss of toes

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From cave paintings it is believed that the equid from which modern horses are derived resemble the modern Przewalski’s (sha-val-ski) Horse

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Przewalski (sha-val-ski)

• AKA Asiatic Wild Horse or Mongolian Wild Horse
• Last remaining true wild horse in the world

• Until 1992 was extinct in the wild
• In 1992 two combined breeding groups of Przewalski horses were reintroduced to Mongolia
• Small band at

Minnesota Zoo

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Przewalski (sha-val-ski)

• Przewalski's horse is similar to the domestic horse
• Smaller, more robust build, an upright mane, and a low-set tail
• The most common colors are sandy tan, dun, and reddish bay
• The horses have a dorsal stripe, a shoulder stripe, barring on their legs, and lighter coloring on their muzzles and bellies

Przewalski (sha-val-ski)

Ancestor of Modern Horses?

• Some authorities believe so
• Others say not, that it is a different species (like the zebra)
• 66 chromosomes as compared to the 64 of the domestic horse
• Crosses between the Przewalski and domestic horses result in a fertile hybrid; the offspring has 65 chromosomes
• Subsequent crosses result in 64 chromosomes and bear little resemblance to the Przewalski

Domestication of Horses

• The first domestication of the horses was probably in the steppes of central Asia between 3000 and 4000 B.C.

• These first animals were kept for meat and milk
• As early man became more mobile undoubtedly horses began to be used as pack animals.

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COLORS OF HORSES

Colors

Solid Colors

• Bay
• Brown
• Black
• Chestnut
• Sorrel
• Gray
• White

Colors

• Palomino
• Cremello
• Perlino
• Buckskin
• Roan
• Paint/Pinto
• Grulla/Grullo

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Bay

• Chestnut, brown or nearly black body with black points
• Mane, tail, legs, tips of ears

Bay

Bay

Brown

• Brown or “black and tan” with very dark body and tan flanks, belly and muzzle
• Brown horses usually have a mixture of black and tan or red hairs when observed closely
• May be difficult to distinguish from bay

Brown

Brown

Black

• True black horses are uncommon
• The coat is made up of only black hairs, no other color may be mixed in
• Black horses fade in the sun, so it may be difficult to tell the true color until winter or early spring

Black

Chestnut

• Body color any shade of red
• Reddish-brown
• Copper-red
• Orange-red
• Points may be the same color or lighter

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Chestnut

Chestnut

Liver Chestnut

Sorrel

• Another shade of red that is observed only by certain registries
• Typically seen in western breeds of horses (Quarter horses and Paints)
• Described as a light chestnut with a light mane and tail and lighter hairs on the legs, muzzle, and “armpits”

Sorrel

Sorrel

Gray

• Black skin with white and black or red hairs
• Usually born black, bay or chestnut and fade out over time, many becoming white with age
• Huge variation in gray colors
• Dapple gray
• Salt and Pepper Gray
• Rose gray
• Flea-bitten gray

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Gray

Dapple Gray

Flea-Bitten Gray

Steel Gray

White

• True white horses are rare
• They are born white with blue, brown or hazel eyes
• White horses may be differentiated from gray horses by the color of their skin
• A white horse has pink skin

White

Palomino

• Color of a “newly minted gold coin”
• Varies from light to dark
• Eyes are usually dark
• Minimal white on legs and face
• Considered a color breed

Palomino

Palomino

Buckskin

• Yellow to gold colored body with dark brown or black points

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Buckskin

Roan

• Mixture of white hairs with another base coat color
• Red
• Strawberry
• Blue
• Often Confused with gray
• Some horses may have roan spots on an otherwise solid coat

Strawberry Roan

Blue Roan

Pinto

• Mixture of white and another color
• May be large areas or “spots” or mostly solid
• Many different colors and patterns

Pinto

Markings

Facial Markings

Leg Markings

Equine Breeds

• Hot Bloods
• Cold Bloods
• Warm Bloods

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What does the temperature of a horse’s blood have to do with anything?

Hot, Warm, or Cold?

• This is one way to classify horse breeds.
• The reference to hot, warm or cold blood refers to the temperament of the horse in question, not the actual temperature of its blood!

Hot Bloods

• Hot-blood horses are generally light bodied, high energy horses such as Thoroughbreds and Arabians
• Origins of ancestors = desert

(Arabian, from desert origins, is behind many light horses today)

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Warm Bloods

• The term "Warmblood" was created to explain the temperament of a horse when a "Hot" blood type was crossed with one of a "Cold" blood type
• Examples are Hanoverians and Lipizzans
• Most were developed in Europe

Cold Bloods

• Cold blood horses are generally heavier bodied, mild mannered draft type horses such as Shires, Percherons, and Clydesdales
• Often have fringed hair at ankles
• Origin of ancestors = N. Europe

Classification by size

Easier way to classify

• Draft = large, slow, heavy-bodied horses developed for farm work; often have much extra hair (“feathering”) around fetlocks
• Light Horse = medium-sized horses, used for riding, driving & competitions
• Pony = small, sturdy horses up to 14 hands high at the withers

1 hand = 4 inches

14 hands = 56 inches

• Miniature Horse

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Light horses

• Hundreds of breeds around the world
• Size = 800-1100 lbs
• Used for riding, racing, driving, polo, hunter/jumper, dressage, rodeo & cattle work, trail riding, and companionship
• We will only cover here the more popular breeds seen in the U.S.

Arabian

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• Origins in the desert, before recorded history
• The oldest pure breed in the world (other than Przewalski)
• 14-15 hands
• Black, bay, brown, chestnut, gray
• Behind the thoroughbred and, through that breed, behind many other light horse breeds
• Elegant but flighty
• Fine-boned, short back, high tail set, dished face

Arabian

Arabian

Arabian

Thoroughbred

• Developed in England
• Heavier English horses mated to Arabian & Turkish stallions
• 15-16.2 hands
• Long-legged, fast, versatile
• Hotter temperament than many breeds
• Crossed with many other breeds to produce horses for specific purposes

Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

Standardbred

• Developed in the U.S.
• Thoroughbred stallion bred to pacing mares from Canada
• Long tradition of harness racing
• Dan Patch, from Savage, MN, very successful harness racing horse
• 15.2-16 hands
• Bay, brown, chestnut
• Fastest trotting/pacing horses in the world
• Sturdy, competitive
• Favored as buggy horses by the Amish

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Standardbred

Standardbred

Quarter Horse

• Developed in the U.S. from the Mustangs left behind by the Spanish explorers, crossed with English running horses in 1600’s
• 15-16.2 hands
• Any solid color
• Extremely fast at distances up to ¼ mile
• Powerful, compact, calm
• Excellent “cow sense”

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Quarter Horse

Quarter Horse

Quarter Horse

Paint

• Special breed that has pinto coloring and quarter horse body type
• Tobiano and Overo color patterns

American Saddlebred

• Developed in Kentucky
• A blend of pacing stock, Morgan, Thoroughbred & Hackney
• 15-16 hands
• Usually chestnut, but other solid colors seen
• Tall & leggy, head carried high
• High-stepping action
• 3-gaited and 5-gaited

American Saddlebred

American Saddlebred

Tennessee Walker

• Developed in Tennessee in the 1800’s to provide comfortable transport at plantations
• 15-16 hands
• Black, brown, chestnut
• Very comfortable gaits, esp. the “running walk”
• Easy-going temperament

Tennessee Walker

Tennessee Walker

Paso Fino

• Developed in Puerto Rico from Spanish horses left behind by the Conquistadores in the 1500’s
• 14-15 hands
• Any color
• Very different gaits, extremely smooth & natural

Paso Fino

Peruvian Paso

• Totally different breed than the Paso Fino
• Developed in Peru
• Has a very smooth 4-beat gait
• Slightly larger than the Paso Fino

Peruvian Paso

Mustang

• Feral horses descended from stock left behind by Spanish explorers
• 14-15 hands
• Any color
• Managed by federal gov’t
• Bureau of Land Management
• Adopt-a-Horse program
• Hardy, rebellious

Mustang

Morgan

• Developed in the U.S., down from one horse “Justin Morgan”, in late 1700’s
• background Arabian, Welsh Cob, & Thoroughbred
• 14-15 hands
• Any solid color
• Strong, solid, sensible, versatile

Morgan

Color Breeds

• Palomino – golden or cream, with lighter (flaxen or white) mane & tail
• Appaloosa – blanket of spots or spotted overall
• Dev. by Nez Perce Indians in NW U.S.
• Paint – irregular splashes of white over colored body; many patterns
• Pinto=colored this way but not a registered breed

Palomino

Appaloosa

Paint-Overo

Paint-Tobiano

Some warmblood breeds�-elegant & athletic-

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• Friesian
• Dutch Warmblood
• Lipizzan
• Hanoverian
• Holsteiner
• Oldenburg

Friesian

Lipizzan

Draft Horses

• Size = around a ton (2000 lbs)
• Many breeds exist in the world
• Here in the U.S. we mainly see:
• Clydesdales
• Percherons
• Belgians
• Shires
• Suffolks
• There are also draft mules, crosses of very large donkeys with draft breed mares

Clydesdale

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• Originated in Scotland
• 16-18 hands high
• Usually bay or bay roan, with wide white blaze and high white on legs
• High, flashy action at the trot, compared to the other draft breeds
• Popularized by Budweiser advertising

Clydesdale

Clydesdale

Percheron

• Developed in France
• 15-17 hands
• Usually black or grey
• Influence of Arabian horse, bred in repeatedly, can be seen in the head, which is finer & more elegant than the other draft breeds

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Percheron

Percheron

Belgian

• Developed in Belgium
• 16-17 hands
• Usually a light chestnut with flaxen mane & tail
• Sorrel or Blonde
• Level-headed work horses
• Still extensively used for farming by the Amish

Belgian

Belgian

Shire

• Developed in England
• Traces back to the English Great Horse of the Middle Ages
• Over 17 hands
• Heaviest & largest of the draft horses
• Bay, brown, chestnut, gray, with heavy white feathering on legs

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Shire

Shire

Shire

Draft mule

Ponies

• Under 14 hands (56 inches)
• Size variable, under 500 lbs
• Sturdy, tolerant, good temperaments
• Hundreds of breeds
• Good first mounts for children & often used for driving

Some common pony breeds

• Shetland
• Hackney
• Welsh
• Pony of the Americas

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Shetland

• Originated in Scotland
• Harsh weather conditions
• Worked as “pit ponies” in the coal mines
• Up to 10 hands
• Any color
• Sturdy & tough; profuse mane & tail
• Great kids’ ponies

Shetland Pony

Pony of the Americas

• Developed in the U.S. in the 1950’s from Appaloosa-Shetland crosses
• 11-14 hands
• Spotted coat
• Good temperaments
• Popular & versatile kids’ ponies

Pony of the Americas

American Miniature Horses

• Developed in the U.S. within the last fifty years
• Have proportions more like those of horse than of pony
• Cannot exceed 34” at withers
• Pets; some are like house dogs

Donkey / Burro

• Female is a Jenny or a Jennet
• Male is a Jack
• Only 62 chromosomes

Mule�

• Cross of a female horse (64 chrom) and a male donkey (62 chrom)
• Mule has 63 chromosomes
• Sterile hybrid; cannot reproduce (usually)

Terminology

• Stallion – Adult male horse, 4+ yrs
• Mare – Adult female horse, 4+ yrs
• Colt – Young male horse, under 4 yrs
• Filly – Young female horse, under 4 yrs
• Gelding – Castrated male horse, any age

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Terminology (continued)

• Foal – Young horse, either sex, usually not called this after 1 year of age
• Suckling – Foal still nursing on the mare, usually up to 4-5 months old
• Weanling – Foal which has been weaned (no longer nursing)
• Yearling – Young horse, either sex, that has reached the age of 12 months

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That’s the long & the short of it