Top 10 Horse Breeds and Their Characteristics
Here, you’ll find a list of the most popular horse breeds and their temperament
We introduce you to the 10 best horse breeds. Our breed profiles you'll find you everything about them: all about their character, size, appearance, coat color, origin, special features, warmblood or heavy blood.
You will also find out whether their strengths lie in dressage, jumping or eventing. Would you like to know which breeds are suitable for beginner riders? You can also find this information in our breed profiles. Of course, there are also exciting records and fun facts!
You can read how horses differ in their nature, appearance and gaits under the list of horse breeds (with picture).
All Horse Breeds:
How Many Horse Breeds Are There?
There are already over 200 different ones! It is estimated that there are more than 60 million horses in the world. The Hanoverian, Trakehner, Holsteiner and Oldenburg are known worldwide as German horse breeds.
The Most Beautiful Horse Breed
Among the horse breeds, the most beautiful are the Arabian, Akhal-Teke, Friesian, Tinker, Appaloosa, Mustang, Lusitano, Lipizzaner and Pinto.
The Oldest Horse Breed
The Caspian horse is believed to be the oldest breed and lived around 3,400 years before Christ. This is known from an archaeological find in an excavation site in Iran. The horse was very small and had a stick size of only 11 hands (4 feet or 120 cm).
The Tallest Horse Breed
Shire Horse, Brabant and Clydesdale are considered to be the largest horses. The tallest that ever lived was 21 2½ hands (7 feet and 2.5 inches or 219 cm) at the withers. It was a Shire horse named Sampson (later named Mammoth).
The Fastest Horse Breed
English Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses are famous for their speed and are said to be the fastest in the world. English thoroughbreds can reach a speed of 70 km/h. Quarter horses have the edge, especially over short distances, and can even reach a speed of up to 80 km/h.
Each horse breed has its own special character, interesting coat colors, different mane lengths and more. The breed profiles contain interesting facts and information as well as fun facts and records.
The Top 10
The most popular horse breeds in Germany are:
- Shetland pony
- Westphalian
- Haflinger
- German Riding Pony
- Icelandic horse
- Holsteiner
- Oldenburg
- Hanoverian
- Tinker
- Friesian
Why isn't the Arab named here? It is beautiful and many dream of owning such a noble horse. However, the most popular breeds are particularly friendly and sociable. Of course it's different in other countries. Preferences change from year to year. These horses are currently the most popular worldwide: Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, Arabian, Shetland Pony, Appaloosa, Morgan, Tennessee Walker, Paint Horse, Andalusian and Friesian.
