All you need to know about horses: breeding, domestication and feedstuffs

an imageHorses have been without doubt the most important human being’s fellows as they have allowed us to evolve, to go forward with our dreams, inventions and discoveries. One of the main topics about horses is definitively horse breeding as well as its reproduction methods. Horse breeding, as in many other animals, have become a specialized approach as pregnancy, gestation, can last from 320 to 370 days, usually giving birth to only one foal. As precocial mammals, colts can be fully developed within one or two days after the birth, allowing them to stand up and run without the mare’s support. Reproduction usually shows on males at about a year and a half although mares are not typically used for breeding until they are 3 or 4 years old as these are considered mature ages for horses. Their final purpose of most of them only depends on their prime of life, their adulthood, although they finally get to be trained to be ridden when they are around 2 or 3 years old; however, horses explicitly raised for sports have different breeding and training methods, being capable to be ridden when they are 3 years old and older due to both, corporal and bone structures, as it could incur on severe injuries for these animals. For that reason, sport horses cannot compete until they are 5 years old or older because their bone structure is not dense enough for these contests.

an imagean imageThe domestication process of the horse was discovered in East Europe, Middle East as well as central Asia around the 3500 BC; due to the DNA procedures, these discoveries have revealed the similarities between prehistoric and contemporary breeds, although several hypothesis have been able to confirm that, horse evolution has been interrupted by the human being and these domestication processes, which have originated new horse breeds. You can find below a list with horse breeds and some others such as ponies.

Horse Breeds


Abaco Barb

Argentine Criollo

Abtenauer

Asturcón

Abyssinian

Augeron

Aegidienberger

Australian Brumby

Akhal-Teke

Australian Draught

Albanian

Australian Stock

Altai

Austrian Warmblood

Alt-Oldenburger

Auvergne

American Cream Draft

Auxois

American Indian

Avelignese Haflinger

American Paint

Azerbaijan

American Quarter

Azteca

American Saddlebred

Baise or Guangxi

American Warmblood

Balearic: Mallorquín and Menorquín

Andravida

Balikun

Anglo-Arabian

Baluchi

Anglo-Kabarda

Ban'ei

Appaloosa

Banker

AraAppaloosa, Ara-Appaloosa, Arappaloosa or Araloosa

Barb

Arabian

Bardigiano

Archaic Jennet or Spanish Jennet

Bashkir Curly

Ardennes or Ardennais

Basque Mountain

Arenberg-Nordkirchen

Bavarian Warmblood

Blazer

Belgian

Boulonnais

Belgian Half-blood

Brabant

Belgian Warmblood

Brandenburger

Black Forest , Black Forest cold blood or Schwarzwälder Kaltblut

Brazilian Sport

Clydesdale

Brumby

Coldblood trotter

Budyonny or Budenny

Colorado Ranger

Burguete

Comtois

Byelorussian Harness

Costa Rican Saddle

Calabrese

Cretan

Camargue

Crioulo

Camarillo White

Cuban Criollo

Campolina

Cumberland Island

Canadian

Curly

Canadian Pacer

Czech warm blood

Carolina Marsh Tacky

Daliboz

Carthusian or Andalusian

Danish Warmblood

Caspian

Danube Delta

Castilian

Dole Gudbrandsdal or Dølahest

Castillonnais

Draft Trotter, Light Dole, Dole Trotter or Coldblood trotter

Catria

Dutch harness

Cavallo Romano della Maremma Laziale

Dutch Heavy Draft

Chickasaw or Florida Cracker

Dutch Warmblood

Chilean or Chilean Corralero

East Bulgarian

Choctaw

East Friesian

Cleveland Bay

Estonian

Florida Cracker

Estonian Draft

Fouta or Foutanké

Falabella

Frederiksborg

Faroese or Faroe pony

Freiberger

Finn or Finnish

French Trotter

Fleuve

Friesian

Holsteiner

Friesian cross

Hungarian Warmblood

Friesian Sport

Icelandic

Furioso-North Star

Indian Half-Bred

Galiceno or Galiceño

Iomud

Galician Pony

Irish Draught or Irish Draft

Gelderland

Irish Sport or Irish Hunter

Georgian Grande

Italian Heavy Draft

German Warmblood

Italian Trotter

Giara

Jaca Navarra

Gidran

Jutland

Groningen

Kabarda, Kabardian or Kabardin

Gypsy Vanner, Gypsy Cob or Coloured Cob

Kaimanawa

Hackney

Karabair

Haflinger

Karabakh or Azer At

Hanoverian

Karossier

Heavy Draft

Kathiawari

Heck

Kazakh

Heihe

Kentucky Mountain Saddle

Hirzai

Kiger Mustang

Hispano-Árabe, Hispano or Spanish Anglo-Arab

Kinsky

Hispano-Bretón

Kisber Felver

Lipizzan or Lipizzaner

Kladruber

Lithuanian Heavy Draught

Knabstrupper

Lokai

Konik

Losino

Kustanair

Lusitano

Latvian

Lustiano Altèr Real

Mongolian

Lyngshest

Monterufolino

Mallorquín

Morab

Malopolski

Morgan

Mangalarga

Moyle

Mangalarga Marchador

Murakoz , Muräkozi, or Muraközi ló

Maremmano

Murgese

Marismeño

Mustang

Marwari

Namib Desert

M'Bayar

Nangchen

Mecklenburger

National Show

Menorquín

Nez Perce

Mérens

Nivernais

Messara

Nokota

Metis Trotter or Russian Trotter

Noma pony

Mezőhegyes felver

Nonius

Mezőhegyesi sport

Nordlandshest or Lyngshest

Miniature

Noriker or Pinzgauer

Misaki pony

Norman Cob

Missouri Fox Trotter

Norsk Kaldblodstraver or Norwegian Cold Blood trotter

Modern Spanish Jennet

North Swedish

Monchina

Norwegian Fjord

Ostfriesen

Novokirghiz

Pampa

Oberlander

Paso Fino

Oldenburg, Oldenburgh or Oldenburger

Pentro

Orlov trotter

Percheron

Russian Heavy Draft

Persano

Russian Trotter

Peruvian Paso

Salerno

Pintabian

Samolaco

Pleven

San Fratello

Poitevin or Mulassier

Sarcidano

Pottok pony

Sardinian Anglo-Arab or Sardinian

Pryor Mountain Mustang

Sardinian Anglo-Arabo-Sardo

Przewalski, Takhi, Mongolian Wild or Asian Wild

Schleswig

Pure Spanish-bred

Sella Italiano

Purosangue Orientale

Selle Français

Qatgani

Shagya Arabian

Quarab

Shire

Racking

Siciliano indigeno

Retuerta

Silesian

Rhenish-German Cold-or Rhineland

Sokolsky

Rhinelander

Sorraia

Riwoche

Soviet Heavy Draft

Rocky Mountain

Spanish Barb

Romanian Sport

Spanish Mustang

Rottaler

Spanish Tarpan

Russian Don

Spanish-Norman

Swedish Warmblood

Spotted Saddle

Swiss Warmblood

Standardbred

Taishuh

Suffolk Punch

Tawleed

Svensk Kallblodstravare or Swedish Cold Blood trotter

Tchernomor or Budyonny

Swedish Ardennes

Tennessee Walking

Warlander

Tersk

Warmblood

Thoroughbred

Welsh Cob or Welsh pony

Tiger

Westphalian

Tinker or Gypsy Vanner

Wielkopolski

Tolfetano

Württemberger or Württemberg

Tori

Xilingol

Trait Breton

Yakutian

Trait Du Nord

Yili

Trakehner

Yonaguni

Tuigpaard or Dutch harness

Žemaitukas, Zemaituka or Zhumd,

Ukrainian Riding

Zhemaichu or Zhmudk pony

Unmol

Zweibrücker

Uzunyayla

Ventasso or Cavallo Del Ventasso

Virginia highlander

Vlaamperd

Vladimir Heavy Draft

Vyatka pony

Waler

Waler, Waler or Australian

Walkaloosa

It is very important for horse lovers to understand that these animals need of extra special care and for these reason, horse owners should learn as many tips as possible. Most of the ingredients that have been used in most of the animal feeds, specially horse feeds, can frequently contain harmful and poisonous components; genetically modified products such as corn, soy bean, alfalfa, sugar beets and many other GMO grains found in the horse feeds, have been already categorized as the main sources for cancer, not only among horses but also in other animals as well as human beings, creating autoimmune diseases tied to genetically modified organisms.