June 2, 2012
Country of Origin: SpainUse today: The Lipizzan is considered the ambassador of classical dressage because it was specifically bred for this ancient art that began as training for cavalry mounts. Color: Today’s Lipizzans are mostly white because the Austrian nobility preferred and selectively bred white horses. Height: 14.3 and 15.3 hands. Profile: The Lipizzan’s roots go back to Moorish-occupied Spain when Spanish-bred horses were considered the optimum cavalry mount. In 1562, Maximillian II brought Spanish horses to the Austrian court. His brother Archduke Charles II created another stud at Lipizza by the Adriatic Sea. The White Stallions of Vienna at the Spanish Riding School in Austria are part of this heritage. The school’s performances were originally for the cavalry to show off the best-trained horses of the Austrian empire. Six stallions are foundation sires: Conversano, Favory, Maestoso, Neapolitano, Pluto and Siglavy.Characteristics: The Lipizzan is considered the ambassador of classical dressage because it was specifically bred for this ancient art that began as training for cavalry mounts. They are masters of the high movements of dressagepiaffe and passage. Their strong haunches and hocks make the horses naturals at collection. Todays Lipizzans are mostly white because the Austrian nobility preferred and selectively bred white horses. Bay and black horses do occur but are rare. Lipizzans are born dark, brown or gray, but they turn white between the ages of 5 and 10. The Lipizzan stands between 14.3 and 15.3 hands. For more information: United States Lipizzan Registry Lipizzan Association of North America
Posted by Charlotte Knight. Posted In : Breeds
June 2, 2012
Country of Origin: DenmarkUse today: Today, the horses are valued as top dressage horses and are also found in eventing and show jumping. Color: The most popular spotted pattern is the full leopard, which is solid white with black or brown spots. Height: 15.2 to 16 hands. Profile: The Knabstrupper was developed by Major Villars Lunn in Nordsealand, Denmark, who put a chestnut blanketed mare of Spanish breeding to a Fredricksborg stallion in 1812. This first breeding resulted in a colorfully s... Continue reading...
Posted by Charlotte Knight. Posted In : Breeds
June 2, 2012
Country of Origin: IrelandUse today: Riding and harness workColor: Brown and bay are the most common colors in the breed, but chestnut, gray and dun are also found.Height: 10 to 11.2 hands. Profile: The Kerry Bog Pony is believed to be descended from the Celdone ponies, used by the Celtic settlers in northwest Spain. Military and trading relations between Spain, Portugal and Ireland have been credited with introducing these ponies to Ireland. Like other equines in Ireland, the ponies were use... |
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Posted by Charlotte Knight. Posted In : Breeds
June 2, 2012
Country of Origin: IndiaUse today: The Kathiawari is a utility horse in India, used for farming, driving and riding and in mounted police units. Color: The breed is found in all solid horse colors except black as well as pinto and many variations of cream including palomino and cremello. Height: 14.2 hands and under. Profile: The Kathiawari originated in the Kathiawar peninsula in Western India and is probably a mix between the Arabian and other desert breeds. The Marwari and Kathiawari are o... Continue reading...
Posted by Charlotte Knight. Posted In : Breeds
June 2, 2012
Country of Origin: IrelandUse today: The Irish Hunter and other Irish Draught crosses are successful in the show jumping and eventing world. Color: Any solid color is acceptable.Height: 15.1 to 16.3 hands. Profile: The Irish Draught Horse is one of the two native equine breeds found in Ireland. Its ancestry is unclear. Thoroughbred stallions may have been put to local mares whose origins were a conglomeration of whatever swam to shore after shipwrecks (perhaps from Spanish galleons) and Frenc... Continue reading...
Posted by Charlotte Knight. Posted In : Breeds
June 2, 2012
Country of Origin: IcelandUse today: The Icelandic Horse is still treasured in its homeland today, and many people still use the horses for sheepherding, local transportation and competition.Color: The breed comes in more than 100 colors and color combinations, including pinto.Height: 12 to 14 hands. Profile: The Icelandic Horse was most likely brought to Iceland by the Vikings in the 9th century. Although the breed shares characteristics with the Mongolian horse and the Lyngen or Nordland, l... |
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Posted by Charlotte Knight. Posted In : Breeds
June 2, 2012
Country of Origin: ScotlandUse today: Today it is a prized pack pony, trail mount and family pony.Color: The Highland Pony is mainly dun in color, but may also be gray, brown, black, and a dark chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail. Height: 13 to 14.2 hands. Profile: The Highland pony is one of the two native pony breeds hailing from the north of Scotland. It is the largest and strongest of all the native ponies of Great Britain. The Highland Pony was never purposely cross-bred to other animal... |
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Posted by Charlotte Knight. Posted In : Breeds
June 2, 2012
Country of Origin: GermanyUse today: Hanoverians often top the leader boards in dressage, jumping, and even in the hunter ring. They are also found in eventing and in combined driving. Color: The Hanoverian is found in the following colors: chestnut, bay, brown, black and gray. Height: 15.3 to 17 hands. Profile: Like most German warmbloods, the Hanoverian is named for its region of origin: Lower Saxony in northern Germany was formerly the kingdom of Hannover. In 1714, King George I of England... |
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Posted by Charlotte Knight. Posted In : Breeds
June 2, 2012
Country of Origin: Austria and Northern Italy Use today: Today, the horses are shown in riding and driving throughout the world, but many are still found in their original mountain environment at work with farmers. Color: All Haflingers are chestnut in color (ranging from light to very dark) with white manes and tails. Height: 13.2 to 15 hands. Profile: The Haflinger hails from the Southern Tyrolean Mountains of Austria and Northern Italy and is thought to have been there since medieval times... |
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Posted by Charlotte Knight. Posted In : Breeds
June 2, 2012
Country of Origin: Great BritainUse today: The Hackney is known for its tremendous trotting ability and is a popular driving horse.Color: The common colors are black, brown, bay and chestnut, and there are even some spotted Hackneys.Height: 14 to 15.3 hands. Profile: The Hackney was developed in Great Britain in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and was descendant of the Norfolk Trotter, Yorkshire Roadster, the Arabian and the Thoroughbred. Their early ancestors were even thought to be F... |
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Posted by Charlotte Knight. Posted In : Breeds
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