WHY DO WE GROUP HORSES INTO BREEDS?

Text | Christie Wolhuter

In our HQ Pony Mag editions, we have been going through various pony breeds and showcasing their unique characteristics, but what is the point of a breed, and how did they come about? Why aren’t all horses and ponies just ‘horses and ponies’ rather than Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, Friesians etc.? Here we explain why we have breeds and what exactly being part of a ‘breed’ means.

Breeds

Humans have been breeding their best animals to try and produce even better offspring for centuries. This process is known as selective breeding. Over time this creates more and more specific groups of horses that share particular features. We call these breeds. Historically, horses were bred for specific purposes, from ploughing fields to racing at top speed, so most breeds are based around functionality, but some are also based on looks and height.

Selective breeding is the process of choosing breeding pairs with specific desired characteristics in the hope that those desired characteristics are passed onto the offspring.

For example, a draft horse with its thick, powerful musculature would be terrible on a racetrack. They were bred to pull carriages and help plough fields, and the biggest, strongest ones were selected to breed to pass on their genes.

Heavier type draft horses were also sourced from all over Europe to carry Medieval Knights into battle. They had to be heavyset, as a Knight’s suit of armour could weigh over 25 kgs. The finest of the warhorses were known as Destriers and were extremely expensive. A top-class warhorse could cost the same as 5–6 years' wages for an average worker!

On the other hand, a Thoroughbred would be terrible at pulling a heavy cart, as they were bred for speed. The fastest Thoroughbreds were therefore bred together in the hope of producing even faster offspring.

FAST FACT: Draft horses are still used to pull heavy logs out of fields in some countries as some forests are still inaccessible by truck.

FAST FACT: The modern Percheron draft breed may in part descend from Destriers, though it is probably taller and heavier than the average Destrier.

Why are there so many breed registries

Since horses and ponies have been selected and bred for their specific characteristics, it would not make sense to breed horses together, which do not meet the standards for that breed. The Studbooks and Breed Registries control which horses are accepted so that horses that do not show the suitable characteristics are not registered and thus become less appealing for breeding. For example, Friesians have to be black to be registered as Friesian. The Studbook is very strict on this, so if someone came in and bred a palomino to a Friesian and that foal came out palomino, it would not be able to be registered as a Friesian. Friesians also have to look a certain way, have lots of hair on their legs known as feathering, and be of a similar height. If they do not meet these criteria, they will not be registered.

Now some other breeds accept all sorts of colours, but the horses need to possess certain characteristics. For example, a Belgian Warmblood can be most colours and be accepted, but being exceptional at show jumping is considered important, and the studs choose stallions and mares that fit these requirements. For this reason, stallions that don’t seem to pass on jumping ability are then not used in the Studbook.

Preserving breeds

So now that draft horses are not necessarily used to pull carts anymore, why is it important to preserve specific breeds? Well, some people are passionate about these breeds that are no longer necessarily used for the functions they were bred for, and there is nothing wrong with keeping these unusual breeds going. Countries are often proud of the horses they have produced over the centuries and want to keep the breeds alive to showcase for as long as possible. Also, many people take great pleasure in owning and riding horses that are not ‘typical’.