New Forest Pony

History
 The New Forest Pony is native to England, and was first found roaming the New Forest by William the Conqueror. It is estimated that the ponies were there as much as sixty years before being discovered, allowing them time to adapt to rough, low-nutrient plants and develop into hardy little ponies. From time to time, other breeds were added to the native ponies, including Arabians, Throughbreds, and Welsh ponies, all of which contributed to making a diverse, hardy breed.

New Forest Pony credit

 In 1910, around the time when the breeding of the ponies was taken more seriously, the government decided to record the New Forest Ponies in the National Studbook, which meant that any native pony could cross-breed with the New Forest Ponies. This was later stopped when the New Forest Pony Breeding and Cattle Society opened its own New Forest Pony stud book.

 In the 1950s, England had begun exporting their ponies to other countries, including the U.S. and Canada. Originally, only 22 New Forest ponies, three of which were geldings, were exported to the U.S., and 12 to Canada. Now, there are over 300 in North America.

 The New Forest Pony Association was founded in 1989, by Mrs. Lucille Guilbault and Jody Waltz, and is open to New Forest Ponies throughout North America.

Breed Description and Uses
 Though pony-sized at an average of 11 to 14.2 hands, the New Forest Pony resembles a horse more than any other breed from the UK. The shoulders slope into the withers, which is more common in horses than ponies. Life in the forest has caused the pony to develop in to a robust, sure-footed pony that is both strong and docile.

 Today, most New Forest Ponies roam southern England, though some are used for show jumping, dressage, driving, and as pleasure mounts.

Morab

 History

In 1855, the palomino foal of an Arabian and a Morgan was born. Gold-dust, named for his golden color, grew to be a fantastic show horse and a fast racehorse. His offspring shared similar traits and made excellent carriage horses. 

 Millionaire William Hearst began breeding the pretty horses to work in his cattle operation, naming them Morabs. Before long, other ranchers noticed the usefulness of the Morab as a cow horse and also began using them while working with cows.

The Morab

 Then, a woman name Martha Doyle Fuller decided that the Morab was better suited for the show arena than a dusty cattle ranch, so she bred the most flashy Morabs to accomplish the task. In 1973, her daughter founded the first Morab horse association.

 Since then, the Morab has been considered a breed, not just a cross-bred horse. Each generation has distinct characeristics. It is not uncommon that rather than crossing a 1st generation Morab with another of the same generation, the Morab is crossed with a pure blood Morgan or Arabian.

Breed Description and Uses

 Morabs share traits of both Morgans and Arabians. They are short, standing only 14.1 to 15.2 hands high on average, and are refined yet muscular. Often, they have small, concave heads with tiny ears, wide-set eyes, and arched necks. Morabs have a lot of stamina and grace from their Arabian, and recieve their strength and agility from their Morgan side. The result is a horse with the best from both breeds.

 The breed is a prized show horse and excels at endurance racing and dressage.

Marwari

History

 The Marwari, a horse from India, is special to those living there. The breed has been there for centuries, and  is possibly the descendent of desert horses from Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Over the centuries, many horses were brought to India by invaders from Persia, Greece, and Turkey. Although no one knows for certain, most people suspect those horses were Arabians, Mongolian horses, and Oriental horses.

 In the Middle Ages, noble families of India selected only the best quality imported horses and to breed with horses native to their land, creating a superior war mount later known as the Marwari. The Indians honored their horses, praying over foals, having festivals in honor of the horse, and even setting up tombstones for those who died in battle.

Marwari dressed traditionally. credit

 When the British occupied the country in the 1800s, however, the number of Marwarisquickly diminished due to slaughter and castration, and by the start of the 20th century, only 600 remained.

 Late in the 20th century, Francesca Kelly traveled to India, becoming interested in saving the rare breed.  With the help of Indian people enthusiastic about the Marwari, a breeding program was started in 1995, and then the Indigenous Horse Society of India. Kelly wanted to important some Marwaris to American, but horse exportation regulations disallowed it because India didn't meet the required standards. Five years later, Kelly was finally able to bring six Marwaris to the United States, hoping to help the breed.

Breed Description and Uses
 Though small at a maximum of 15.2 hands high, Marwaris are quick and agile with a lot a stamina and energy. Many are born with an extra gait, called the apchal, that resembles the pace. All colors are found, including pinto. Perhaps most intriguing trait of the breed is the ears the curve inwards.

 In India, the Marwari is used for farm work, transportation, and as police work.

Haflinger

History

 During the late 19th century, in the southeastern Alps along the border of Austria and Italy, the Austrian government decided to breed strong pack horse for their military. They started in 1874, when they crossed a half-Arabian stallion with a mare native to the area, producing the chestnut colt Folie. Mares were continuously bred with him, and the resulting offspring were called "Haflingers." All of today's Haflingers are descendants of Folie.

 Even though the breed only got its name in the late 1800s, similar horses have been seen in paintings from as early as the beginning of the 19th century. This proves that when the military horses were being bred, the government may have just been refining an already existing breed, one that has never been named.

Haflingers are strong yet athletic. credit

 Once World War II broke out, the military need shorter, more agile horses. Since then, the Haflinger has developed into a sturdy horse strong enough for driving yet agile enough for riding.

 In 1954, Tempel Smith wanted horses with great bloodlines for his breeding farm, so he sent a man named Leo Lightner in search of horses throughout Europe. Though Lightner recommended the Haflinger, Smith decided to get the Lippizaner.

Breed Description and Uses
 Haflingers are sturdy, strong horses with powerful hindquarters and are perfect for driving and packing, though they also make good riding horses. Despite their muscular build, they are quite small, standing only 13.2 to 15 hands high. Their coat is thick and soft, coming in a golden chestnut color with cream manes and tails. White legs are undesired, yet blazes are preferred, though it is not very important. They have calm, friendly temperaments and are very patient, especially with young children.

 Today, Haflingers are used for a variety of sports: driving, like they were traditionally used for; jumping, dressage, and even western disciplines.

By the way, check out this cool contest with Amy.

The Colorado Rangerbred

History
The Colorado Rangerbred's history began in 1878, when Ulysses S. Grant sailed to Europe and the Middle East, particularly Turkey, during his presidency. When it was time for Grant to leave, Sultan Abdulhamid gave Grant two young stallions–an Arabian by the name Leopard and a Barb called Linden Tree. Those two stallions helped diversify Grant's stock.

 In 1879, Leopard and Linden Tree arrived in Virginia. There, they caught the attention of Rudolph Huntington, who wanted to use them to produce a light harness horse. Grant gave Huntington permission to use the horses in his breeding program. However, Huntington lost funding for the project just before the 20th century when the horseless carriage was introduced, so he had to sell the horses. General Colby, a rancher from Nebraska, managed to convince Huntington to lend him Linden tree and Leopard for one breeding season. It wasn't long before ranchers in Colorado heard of excellent cow horses with Barb and Arabian blood in them. A.C. Whipple, one Colorado's most respected ranchers, headed to Colby's ranch to buy a small band of mares, all sired by either Leopard or Linden Tree, and a stallion named Tony, who was the gray grandson of Leopard. These horses were bred with mixed bred stock horses, producing spotted offspring with amazing cow sense. Before long, there were many Appaloosa-patterned horses in Colorado.

The Colorado Rangerbred
source

 In the 1930s, Colorado State University became interested in the breed. With the help of Mike Ruby and his stallions Patches #1 and Max #2, descendants of Linden Tree and Leopard, a breeding program was created. Foals received the refinement and stamina of the Barb and Arabian while still maintaining there dam's level-headedness and cow sense. In 1938, the breed was officially named the Colorado Ranger Horse and the Colorado Ranger Horse Association was founded. However, the association had a fifty member limit, and not all the horses could be registered at the time, so many were accepted in the Appaloosa Horse Club instead. Only in 1964 was the limit removed. Since then, many Appaloosas with some Rangerbred blood in them have been registered.
Today, all registered Rangerbreds must have either Patches #1 or Max #2 in their pedigree.

Breed Description and Uses
 Standing from 14.2 to 16 hands high, the Rangerbred has a stock horse conformation: powerful haunches, clean legs, solid hooves, and a level topline. Because of this, they are generally used in western classes, particularly western pleasure, though they are used in ranching too.

The Budenny

History
 After the Russian Revolution and World War I, with many equines having died in battle, the Russians needed to breed new mounts for the cavalry officers. Marshall Semyon Budenny, a respected Soviet general, began trying to create a perfect officer's mount in 1921. He looked for horses with favored characteristics–strength, sure-footedness, controllability, maneuverability, and spirit. Furthermore, the horse had to be be to survive on scanty rations and still be ready for action the next day.

 They achieved creating such a horse by crossing the Don, a native cavalry horse that traces back to Thoroughbreds, Arabians, and Russian Orlovs, with the English Thoroughbreds that had come over as racehorses in 1885. The best of the offspring was sent to the Budenny(pronounced bood-yo-nee) Higher Cavalry School, where they received training before becoming cavalry horses. Of this small amount of horses, only 10% of the mares and 5% of  the stallions were accepted as suitable breeding stock. In 1948, the horses were recognized as a breed and was named Budenny. In 1953, though, the USSR Calvary disbanded, changing the Budenny's role from a war horse to a sport horse.

If you really look at the Budenny, you can see the Thoroughbred in it.
source

 Today, only 2,500 Budennies have been registered, with only 600 of them being mares.

Breed Description and Uses
 The Budenny has received the best qualities from both the Thoroughbred and the Don. From the Thoroughbred came its flowing, agile movement; its long neck; its slender, strong legs; large bones, and pretty head, while it inherits its hardiness and calm from the Don. Standing around 16 hands high, the Budenny usually comes in various shades of chestnut, also inherited from the Don. One peculiarity of the breed is that it has the same metallic sheen in its coat as the Don and the Akhal-Teke.

 The Buddenny's temperament, intelligence, and trainability make it an excellent war horse. Often, it is known as a one-person horse because it bonds so deeply with its handler, bravely doing anything for him, whether that be bravely marching into battle or boldly soaring over fences. Also, Budennies are smart enough to think independently should their rider be otherwise occupied. At the same time, though, they will do what their rider asks of them, even if they had made another choice.

 The Budenny excels in dressage, jumping, steeplechase, and eventing, though its ability to recover quickly from a hard exercise makes it an ideal mount for almost any sport.

Magic of the Egyptian Arabian

Usually, when I draw a picture I just show you guys a finished copy. Today, I have decided to show you the unpainted version, as well as the painted one.

Before

After

Caspian Horse

 In the late 1950s, Louise Firouz moved to Tehran, Iran with her husband, establishing a children's riding school in Norouzabad once she got there. However, since only large hot-blooded horses were available to her, and she believed that such horses were not suitable for young riders, she decided to hunt for a smaller, more cool-headed breed.  For years she searched for the perfect mount for children riders. Finally, in 1965, while exploring the densely forested Elburz Mountains near the Caspian Sea, she found what she was looking for: a small, calm, Arabain-like horse. 

 She purchased one of the horses from a nearby villager, naming the breed Caspian since it had no other name. Then she collected some feral horses of the same breed. She had a feeling that she had found something important that day, as if she had rediscovered an ancient breed. Later, zoologists performed DNA, bone, and blood tests, proving that Caspians were direct descendants of Horse Type 4, an ancestor of the Arabian and other hot-blooded horses that was thought to be extinct for over 1,300 years. They believed that the Caspian had survived all these years because their homeland had been secluded from the rest of the world, blocked by Elburz Mountains on one side and the Caspian Sea on the other.

 After discovering breed, Firouz founded a breeding program to preserve the almost extinct horse breed.   However, in 1974, when war and political turmoil tormented the country, the breed almost became extinct. During that time, Firouz tried to export many of the horses as she could, but she was only able to export 33 mares and stallions. From those 33 horses, the breed began thrive in the UK, Australia, Scandinavia, North America, and the rest for Europe. 

 In the '90s, after the all the trouble in her country ended, Firouz began another breeding program, this time at Persicus Farm, which is currently overseen by the Iranian government.

Caspians, like the one above, resemble Arabians with
high-set tails, a dished face, and a prominent forehead.
Visit Equus Callabus for credit.

 The Caspian horse, unlike most other horses, quickly reaches full height of around 9 to 12 hands at the young age of 18 months. They resemble the Arabian in many aspects, with a dished face, a high-set tail, large eyes, a long neck, and prominent forehead. Their hooves a tough so they seldom are in need of shoeing. Although many people consider the Caspian a pony, they are incorrect since their skeletal structure is just like that of their full-sized cousins. In reality, they are small, well-bred horses.

Today, they are often used by children for gymkhana, dressage, jumping, and driving because of their athleticism and versatility, as well as their intelligent and willing nature.

 An interesting fact about the Caspian is that their genes seem to be dominant. Even if a mare has very little Caspian blood in her, she can throwback a foal with Caspian features. 

 Even after over thirty years of breeding, the Caspian is still considered a rare breed with critical status by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, The international registrar states that there are only about 450 left in the U.S. and 1,200 worlwide. Since 1965, only about 2000 have been registered.

The Arabian Horse

Arabians are probably the most popular horses in today's world. Because of there spirit, endurance, and athleticism, they excel in all sports, including jumping, dressage, and endurance racing.

 An Arabian's most distinctive features are its arched neck, dished face, high-set tail, and large nostrils on a small muzzle. Also unique to the breed is that it has five lumbar vertebrae, seventeen ribs, and sixteen tailbones, while other horses have eighteen ribs, six lumbar vertebrae, and eighteen tailbones. Furthermore, every Arabian has dark skin, which protected them from the blazing Middle Eastern sun.

 Arabians have lived with the Arabian Peninsula's nomadic tribesmen, the Bedouins, for thousands of years. The Bedouins were so fond of their horses that they even brought them inside their tents. Even Mohammed used the hardy, loyal horses as a way to spread the word of Islam.

For original photo,  click here

 However, it wasn't until the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, when the Turkish government sent forty-five to the event, that the Arabian finally became popular in America. At the time, a businessman by the name Peter Bradley had bought a lot of them. Thirteen years later, he funded an expedition for cartoonist Homer Davenport to buy more of the treasured horses and send them to America. Two years after that, Davenport, along with Arabian enthusiasts, founded the Arabian Horse Registry of America.

Then, in 1950, the International Arabian Horse Association was finally formed. It offered shows specifically for registered Arabians and half-Arabians. Finally, the two organizations(Arabian Horse Registry and the International Arabian Horse Association) united as the Arabian Horse Association.

Arabians are very spirited horses.(Click here for original photo)

   Arabians perform well in almost every event, both Western and English. Because of this, Arabians have been crossbred with other breeds to improve the breed and create good sport horses. Nowadays, most saddle horses can be traced to the Arabian.