Arabian

Worldwide there are now several distinct types of Arabians, sometimes named for their country of origin (French, Spanish, Russian, etc), or after a breeder (e.g., Davenport, Kellogg) or because they can be traced back directly to one of the original desert families (Kehilan, Seglawi, Abeyan, Hamdani, Hadban). However, it is the English, Polish and Egyptian strains that have had the broadest influence on the development of the modern Arabian, as follows:

English Arabian. This strain owes its origins to the intrepid Sir Wilfred and Lady Anne Blunt, who journeyed into the Arabian desert in the 1880s and bought horses from the bedouin for their newly formed Crabbet Park stud in England. Later they also imported outstanding horses from Egypt. Their daughter, Lady Wentworth, carried on the stud which became world famous, and even today, a Crabbet bred ancestor in a pedigree is synonymous with quality. Crabbet stud closed in the early 1970s but by then Crabbet-bred horses had been exported to all parts of the world and founded dynasties of their own.
Polish Arabian. This strain has been bred for more than 300 years, survived wars and political upheavals and is still rigorously maintained by private breeders and several state studs throughout Poland. The Polish Arabian is not quite so refined in type as some other strains, but originally was more stringently selected for soundness due to an emphasis on racing ability. Unfortunately, with the demise of Polish racing due to financial constraints, much of this emphasis has reportedly been removed. The legendary Skowronek, lynch pin of Lady Wentworth's breeding program at Crabbet, was pure classic Polish.
Egyptian Arabian. Absolute purity of breeding is claimed for the modern Egyptian Arabian, also it is said to be the strain most like the original desert horse. Quite large numbers of Egyptian Arabians were imported into USA directly from the royal studs of Egypt in the 1950s and they have since found their way to other countries, including Australia. The best of them are exquisitely beautiful horses with a quality that is almost ethereal.

All Arabians should give an immediate impression of refinement and elegance. They have a high natural tail carriage and a long floating action at the trot. Bodywise, they have a short back and level croup. Their head is a neat triangular wedge with a very fine muzzle and usually a dished face. Their eyes are large, luminous and wide-set.

It should go without saying that the leg conformation must be perfect. Unfortunately this is not always the case because of the emphasis placed by some breeders on showiness rather than soundness, also the failure of some showring judges to understand and recognise what constitutes poor conformation, particularly leg faults.

The exuberance of the Arabian is not for everyone, and regrettably, this has brought the breed its fair share of detractors. But in the right hands they are a joy to ride and handle and have great personalities. Apart from all general riding, driving and showring activities the breed is noted for endurance ability, with both pure- and part-breds figuring prominently in endurance ride results worldwide.

At an average height of 14.2-15.2 hands, Arabians are not big horses but neither are they ponies and should not be referred to as such. For those seeking a larger horse with Arabian characteristics, the Anglo-Arab is an excellent compromise. There is a separate stud book for these crosses between Thoroughbreds and Arabians. There is yet another separate registry for part-bred Arabians. To be eligible, a horse must be of at least 50% registered Arabian breeding. A part-Arabian can also belong to a colour registry and there are some very fine examples of, for example, dual-registered palomino, appaloosa and pied part-Arabians.

Down through the years the romance of the Arabian horse has captured the imagination of many people, including artists, sculptors and authors. Volumes have been written about the breed and there are many books and specialist magazines devoted to it.

Thoroughbred

The crosses between the oriental stallions and the common English mares were intensively selected for speed. A bigger horses of different conformation from either of its forebears began to evolve, and this became known as the English Thoroughbred, or “racehorse”. Other less correct terms used for the breed are bloodhorse and bloodstock.

The three main founding oriental stallions were the Byerley Turk, whose principal descendant was Herod (1758); the Darley Arabian, described as being faultless and the great-great-grandsire of the legendary Eclipse (1764); and the Godolphin Barb, rescued from the streets of Paris pulling a cart and later to become the grandsire of Matchem (1748). Other middle-eastern imports added to the milieu along the way, but it is said that all present-day Thoroughbreds can be traced back directly to Herod, Eclipse or Matchem.

Even though the foundation hot blood in Thoroughbreds is generally regarded as predominantly Arabian, another school of thought is that the Akhal-Teke (Turkmen or Turkoman horse) made a considerable contribution. These horses appear to have originated in Turkmenistan, a desert country in central Asia which was once part of the Soviet Union. Turkmen horses are at least as ancient as Arabians and probably as pure, but are taller, leggier and faster. Comparing the two breeds today, it is not difficult to imagine that the Akhal-Teke did make some sizable contribution to the Thoroughbred.

The main importance of the Thoroughbred is for racing, which is an international industry linking all the major continents and involving vast sums of money in terms of value of the horses, prizemoney and betting turnover. Increased competition from other forms of gambling and a growing public awareness of animal exploitation issues are matters which the industry will need to address more and more in the future. But in the meantime, yearlings continue to be sold at auction for millions of dollars, stallions are syndicated for record amounts and now we even have shuttle stallions that traverse the world according to the northern and southern hemisphere breeding seasons. A top racehorse can certainly win what is literally a fortune, but it is little publicised that only about 10% of horses bred ever actually win a race. Of these, some win enough to cover their training fees and purchase price, but it is very few indeed that ever return really substantial stake money. However, the thrill of being a winning owner, whether “in Sydney or the bush”, can make it all worthwhile.

It has been said that the conformation of the Thoroughbred is now less standard than it was 50 years ago. Apart from an obvious aura of quality and breeding, Thoroughbreds are otherwise quite variable in appearance. The tall refined “look of eagles” that once typified the breed is now not so characteristic. Of later years a definite sprinting type has emerged, a more heavily muscled and blockier horse. Sprinters race over distances from 800 metres to 1400 metres, while stayers race up to 3200 metres (two miles) and sometimes even further. The world famous Melbourne Cup is one of the few 3200 metre races left in Australia.

Other uses of the breed include steeplechasing, hunting, jumping, hacking, eventing, dressage, stock work and general riding. Despite the proven track record of Warmbloods in international equestrian competition, many top riders still prefer pure Thoroughbreds. In fact some great performers have been ex-racehorses. Racing evokes the flight response and its attendant hyperactivity in very strong measure, but away from the stresses of training and the racetrack, racehorses can make excellent eventers, and quiet and reliable mounts for any form of equestrian activity or level of rider.

Like its predecessor the Arabian, the Thoroughbred has helped found other breeds. The Standardbred, Quarter Horse and Australian Stock Horse all carry Thoroughbred blood.

Standardbred

Harness racing is a very popular and economically important industry. It is more exciting to watch than Thoroughbred racing because the horses race on smaller tracks and are closer to the crowd. It is altogether a much less expensive sport in which to participate, the horses cost on average much less to buy, they stay sounder and some are still racing successfully into their teens. Also the fields are smaller, giving more runners a chance at the prizemoney. Often the owner is the trainer and driver as well.

The main use of Standardbreds is for harness racing, or trotting as it is still sometimes called. This is a lower prizemoney sport than Thoroughbred racing, though some feature races are worth very substantial purses, including the Interdominion series and the Miracle Mile, just two examples from Australasia.

In years gone by, Standardbreds were ridden in races and still are in some overseas countries. In Australia they are sometimes broken to saddle for training purposes but are only ever driven in races. Special lightweight sulkies called carts, gigs or spiders are used, the training versions being heavier and more robust. Advances in the design of gigs is one factor which has contributed to the continued lowering of world record times.

The breed can either trot or pace, the pace being faster, although the world record times for both are similar. The pace is a lateral gait, the two legs on the same side moving together like a camel, while the trot is the more familiar diagonal gait adopted by the majority of four-legged animals. Most pacers born nowadays pace naturally right from when they are foals, but very few race free-legged, that is, without hobbles. This special item of harness permits full extension of the lateral limbs while preventing diagonal action. The pressure of race conditions would make most pacers “break” into a gallop if they did not wear hobbles. Some Standardbreds will never pace properly even with hobbles, but might trot well. In Australia there are very few races solely for trotters, so these “square gaiters” as they are colloquially called, usually have to compete against pacers.

Standardbreds once had limited usefulness away from racing, but more and more are they being appreciated for their ability to perform willingly and successfully in just about any type of main-stream equestrian discipline. Their kind temperament and unflappable nature away from the racetrack often make them ideal for younger riders or driving enthusiasts. In some countries, particularly America, there are now very active adoption and retraining programs for retired Standardbreds. Australia has a Standardbred Pleasure and Performance Horse Association which promotes the Standardbred for racing as well as for pleasure purposes.

Australian Stock Horse

But all this changed in 1971, when the Australian Stock Horse Society (ASHS) was founded by a dedicated band of people determined to preserve the heritage of the waler. The aim of the society was to register and promote horses of waler type, with particular emphasis on ability to work cattle (stock). However, they did not have to be of known waler origins, unlike the requirements of the Waler Horse Society of Australia (WHSA), which was founded later on in 1986. The WHSA is distinct from the ASHS, it came into being mainly in an effort to locate and save horses of known waler breeding before they were gone forever. At that time, due to the dictates of the brucellosis eradication scheme in the Northern Territory, vast numbers of wild horses were being shot or trucked to meat works for pet food. The WHSA did successfully obtain horses from amongst the remaining feral populations, also others were found on stations known to have descendants of walers bred for the remount trade, which petered out in 1946. Enough true walers have now been saved to establish a small studbook and thus earn recognition as a breed - Australia’s own horse, the Waler.

An interesting aside is that the WHSA also acts as an umbrella society for the preservation of the Timor Pony. These tough and hardy ponies were brought into Australia from Timor in the early 1800s, but although their blood lives on in the Australian Pony of today, many ended up joining the feral horse population and were almost shot to extinction. Although mainly associated with the Northern Territory, there are some wild descendants of these ponies in the Coffin Bay area of South Australia. The Coffin Bay Pony Society works with the WHSA and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to manage and preserve them.

The Australian Stock Horse and its predecessor, the waler, contain a mixture of breeds, but Thoroughbred predominates. In years gone by it was not uncommon for graziers to pay top prices for Thoroughbred yearlings at major sales and return them to their properties as station sires, often without trying them on the racetrack first. Even today it is not unusual for very good types of Thoroughbreds to end up as station sires. Thus both the original waler and the modern ASH boast some of the very best Thoroughbred blood that has ever been available in Australia. But working ability, particularly campdrafting ability, was always a key selection criterion over and above the quality of the bloodlines; some of the famous old campdrafting strains that are incorporated into the ASH include the descendants of Bruce and his son Bobby, Cecil and his son Radium, and Saladin, plus there are many other great names which have passed into campdrafting legend.

Initially, entry of individual horses into the ASHS was by classification of type and working ability by a recognised ASH judge. It was not restricted to breed or even to proven waler origins. Those horses satisfying the standards were then registered as Australian Stock Horses and branded with a stylised A on the near side rump. But by 1988, the numbers of registered horses had built up to such extent that the Society decided to close the stud book. This meant that only horses which were the product of registered ASH parents could henceforth gain entry to the stud book. In this way the breed was able to be “fixed” or standardised. Of interest is that the stud book has been briefly reopened at times to horses of non-ASH registered parentage in parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

The Australian Stock Horse is first and foremost a good saddle horse with a no-nonsense attitude to work. They are generally nuggety types of average height with an instinctive ability to work cattle. Hardiness, endurance, the ability to work at speed yet still be able to stop and “turn on a sixpence”, and a kind, sensible temperament are also essential qualities. Solid colours and an absence of excessive white markings are preferred.

Though capable of performing well in most forms of equestrian activity, it is in campdrafting that the breed really excels. Campdrafting is Australia’s own sport, requiring great responsiveness and agility in the cut-out phase and speed and stamina to complete the coursework.

Quarter Horse

These original running horses moved west along with the early settlers and, because of their speed and solid build, soon proved themselves just as adept at cattle work, particularly roping and cutting. There were not many yards and fences in those days, so roping was an integral and necessary part of handling stock, though it is hard on cattle and not widely practised as a standard management tool nowadays.

There were many famous sires during the formative years of the breed, including Copperbottom (1828) and Shiloh (1840), both descendants of Little Janus, and Steel Dust (1845). In 1916 the great cattle empire in Texas, King Ranch, embarked on a revolutionary program to standardise the type. They crossed the outstanding stallion Solis, a son of Old Sorrel, with forty Old Sorrel daughters. Many would say it was a potentially dangerous form of inbreeding and well it could have been, yet it appeared to have been successful in achieving its aim. One of the resultant foals was the colt Wimpy, widely regarded as the cornerstone of modern American Quarter Horse breeding. The American Quarter Horse Association came into being in 1940 and remained an open registry for quite some years, meaning that some of the earlier registrations were not from the original running horse families.

Quarter Horses are of average height and solidly built, particularly in the hindquarter, which can be massive in some individuals. They are often photographed from behind to exaggerate this feature. Another characteristic is that they can have “mutton withers”, a rounder and flatter wither than other breeds giving the false impression of being too low in front. 13 distinct colours are recognised, including the popular sorrel. White markings, where present, should be limited to the face and lower legs.

Quarter Horses can cover 440 yards (quarter of a mile) in 21 seconds or less, and in America Quarter Horse racing is a multimillion dollar industry but has been slow to gain popularity in other countries. Away from racing, the breed is noted worldwide for its versatility and gentle nature, making it suitable for just about any form of equestrian activity. It is claimed to be the biggest breed registry in the world.

Warmbloods

Warmbloods probably originated centuries ago in Europe, where there always was a preference for riding and driving horses that were sturdier and with a calmer temperament than the traditional pure hot bloods. Warmbloods are in fact a judicious mixture of hot and cold blood breeds, the proportion varying depending on the exact country of origin or locality or purpose for which the horse was intended. Heavy war horses, English coaching horses, Thoroughbreds, Arabians, and Prussian cavalry and carriage horses all played a part at various times in the evolution of the modern Warmblood.

The foregoing explains in part why defining a Warmblood can be quite confusing. All were once known collectively as European Warmbloods and included several distinct breeds such as Hannoverian, Holsteiner, Trakhener, Oldenburg, Rhinelander, Gerlander, plus others. There were further categorisations according to main country of origin, e.g., German, Danish, Dutch, Belgian, Swedish. These individual breeds and types are still being maintained and shown and competed with as such, but in some countries including America and Australia, the emphasis is more on encouraging the breeding of excellent sporthorses under the one banner of Warmbloods, rather than defining the individual breeds. Thus the Australian Warmblood Horse Association (AWHA), for instance, is open to all horses with minimum 25% Warmblood blood. The other 75% can be Thoroughbred or Arabian, but to be in the studbook, all parentage three generations back must be proven in competition. If this cannot be done they can still be registered with the AWHA, but not as breeding stock.

There is also a sporthorse association in Australia, formed only in the last few years but growing in popularity, which caters for conventional Warmbloods as well as hot bloods crossed with straight cold bloods such as Irish Draught, Clydesdale, Percheron.

Appaloosa

The Nez Perce acquired spotted horses in the early 1700s by various means and quickly became superb horsemen. They were perhaps the only Indian tribe to practise selective breeding and they developed a tough, fast, surefooted and refined mount, which they used for war and buffalo hunting. But the glory days of these wonderful horses ended in 1877 when, disheartened by a string of broken treaties, virtually the whole Nez Perce nation set out to seek asylum in Canada. With the help of their Appaloosa horses they almost made it, in fact were only about a day short of their goal after travelling almost 1800 miles over some of the harshest terrain in the country, when the pursuing US armies caught up with them and forced them to surrender. Their horses were taken from them or shot and those that remained were crossed with draft horses, thus virtually destroying the original type. It was not until 1938 that an organisation was formed to resurrect this lost breed.

Appaloosa spotting is controlled by certain genes which can be introduced into any breed, as evidenced by the development of spotted Arabians, drafts, Paints, Pintos and others, which in some cases have their own uniquely named colour registries, e.g., Araappaloosa, in the case of the Arabian/Appaloosa cross. It is a very ancient colouration and is even depicted in cave drawings, although this may be an artifact due to the superimposition of other animal drawings, such as spotted salmon and panthers, on top of earlier horse outlines. But certainly, spotted horses were well known and highly valued as officers’ mounts at the time of the Roman invasion of England, also they figure prominently in the early art and literature of various Mediterranean countries, particularly Spain.

Today’s Appaloosa is of average-size, 14.2 to 15.2 hands high and weighing about 1000 pounds. Their colouring can be spectacular, varying from an all-over pattern of dark spots on a white background (leopard), to light spots or speckling on a dark background (snowflake). Others have the spotting confined to the rump (blanket), though it can extend as far forward as the withers. The spots may appear to have a halo effect and the background colour can exhibit roaning, frosting or silvering. No wonder it is said that no two Appys are ever the same colour!

Sometimes Appaloosas have no visible spots but they can still be eligible for registration provided they have vertically striped hooves, a mottling of the muzzle and genitalia, and show a white sclera (white of the eye). Often they have a sparse mane and tail.

Though obviously noteworthy for its often loud colouring, the breed continues to display the performance qualities so highly prized by the Nez Perce - versatility, endurance and great temperament. A strain has been developed for racing, while other specialisations within the breed include cutting and roping, gymkhana events, jumping, dressage, and just plain recreational riding.

Draught Horses

In more recent times, draught (or draft) horses have enjoyed a resurgence of numbers, with enthusiasts all over the world actively breeding and promoting them for competition and show purposes, also they still have a use in some farming and haulage situations where mechanised vehicles are not always suitable.

Better known breeds are the Shire, Clydesdale and Percheron, also the Belgian and Suffolk Punch. The Shire is the largest and is a descendant of the original Great Horse of Britain. The Clydesdale, a native of the Clyde Valley in Scotland, is slightly lighter with less leg feathering and has more style and action. Percherons are French in origin, always some shade of grey depending on age, and cross well with other breeds for a variety of purposes. Less well known breeds still being actively maintained include the Ardenne, Comtois, Rhenish-German and Breton. Special mention must be made of the Irish Draught, an active and freemoving horse which was once the backbone of the Irish small farm where it also had to do duty as a hunter. Nowadays crosses of Irish Draughts and Thoroughbreds are sought after as show jumpers.

Ponies

The Australian Pony is a slightly smaller version of the Australian Riding Pony, though with similar origins. Their stud book information states that “The Australian Pony came about from the blending of various breeds of horses and ponies imported to Australia from the early 1800s. The main contributors were Thoroughbreds, English Hackney and Hackney Pony, Arabian, Welsh Mountain Pony and Welsh Cob, Timor, Hungarian and Exmoor bloodlines”.

The Welsh Mountain Pony is synonymous with pretty heads and flowing locks. A quality pony with a characteristic fast trotting action, it is indeed from Wales where it has been bred for centuries with an occasional infusion of other blood, notably Arabian. The stud book is divided into four separate sections, with Section A considered to be the purest. Another section is for the larger Welsh Cob, a sturdy galloway-sized horse capable of carrying a heavyweight rider to hounds or pulling a sulky for hours at a spanking trot.

There is a quite inhospitable but very picturesque part of western Ireland called Connemara. And yes, this is the home of the Connemara Pony, the largest of the pony breeds and noted for extreme sure-footedness, remarkable jumping ability and excellent disposition. Commonest colours are grey and dun.

Another large pony is the Highland Pony, a true workhorse that has had a long association with the British Royal Family starting with Queen Victoria and still continuing today.

Perhaps the best loved and most well known of all, the Shetland Pony is a native of the bleak Shetland Islands off the north coast of Scotland. Often less than ten hands high, this shaggy little pony is very strong and a renowned weight carrier relative to size. It is not unusual to see old prints depicting these ponies with burly highlanders astride them, feet almost touching the ground. Although a favourite first mount for small children, some strains can be of uncertain temperament.

The group known as the native ponies of Britain contains some old and venerable breeds close to the British heart, including the Dartmoor, Exmoor, Fell Pony, Dales and New Forest. One characteristic these ponies share is extreme hardiness due to the often harsh environments in which they evolved. Some are on the endangered breeds list.

Other Breeds

The American Miniature Horse is a true small horse, not a pony, though some countries have a separate register for miniature ponies. Miniatures have been known since at least the 1600s and incorporate many types and bloodlines, including the Falabella of Argentina. To qualify for registration they must not exceed 34 inches (8.2 hands).

It is convenient to talk about the American Saddlebred and the Tennessee Walking Horse together, as both are gaited horses and owe this ability to 2 foundation breeds that are all but extinct now, the Narragansett Pacer and the Canadian Pacer. The American Saddlebred is the older of the two breeds, in fact helped to found the Tennessee Walking Horse. Both also contain Thoroughbred, Standardbred and Morgan breeding.

They are stylish and elegant horses suitable for riding or driving. The natural gaits of the American Saddlebred are walk, trot and canter, and additionally they can be trained to perform the slow gait and the rack. The main characteristic of the Tennessee Walking Horse on the other hand is the running walk, a fast gliding 4-beat gait which is very comfortable and can be sustained for long distances. They also perform the flat-foot walk and a slow rolling canter. Deliberate soring of these horses to make them perform these gaits in exaggerated fashion is illegal and cause for prosecution.

The Andalusian or Iberian Horse is known as the Pure Spanish Horse in Spain and the Lusitano in Portugal. They appear to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula and were known long before BC as war horses without equal. Later they were famous throughout Europe for dressage and high school abilities equivalent to the Lipizzan, in fact contributed to the development of the latter breed. They have great strength, agility and impulsion and are mostly grey, though do come in other colours including bay.

Perhaps the oldest domesticated horse in existence is the Caspian. There is archaeological evidence to suggest this small, fine-boned desert horse may have been domesticated as early as 2500BC. Miniature horses much like it feature on monuments and seals dating from the time of King Darius of Persia (522-586BC). The breed was considered to be extinct until rediscovered near the Caspian Sea in Iran in 1965.

Another breed that almost became extinct is the Cleveland Bay. This large dual-purpose carriage horse, sometimes called the English Warmblood, originated in Yorkshire in the 17th century in parallel with the Thoroughbred and based on the same cross, that of native mares with oriental stallions, though the mares involved were reputedly all bays. A cross back to the Thoroughbred produced the unrivaled Yorkshire Coach Horse, which sadly is now extinct.

The Cleveland Bay was at its peak in the 1880s but fell into decline with the advent of mechanisation. They were further decimated during the first world war when they were used as artillery horses. Fortunately a few dedicated admirers ensured the survival of the breed, which remains in small numbers but is on the comeback trail. The Queen is patron of the breed and the Royal Mews houses a number of pure- and part-bred Cleveland Bays used on ceremonial occasions.

The Hackney is now classified as rare, though not that long ago it was quite a common and spectacular sight in Australian showrings. This lightweight carriage horse, which also comes in a pony variety, is noted for extravagant knee and hock action. Once the swiftest and showiest of all driving horses and proof of the prosperity of its gentleman farmer owners, the Hackney is yet another breed to have suffered at the hands of mechanisation, owing its survival to a dedicated few fanciers.

Perhaps the breed which has most captured the public’s imagination through frequent portrayal in art, films and literature is the Lipizzan, also known as the Lipizzaner. These beautiful white horses (some are bay and black) are based at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, an institution steeped in tradition and classical horsemanship. The breed was recognised as far back as 1580 and owes its origins to a mixture of Andalusians and other Spanish horses, Barbs, Berbers and Karsts. Later on, Kladruby and some Arabian blood was introduced.

Throughout their long history, Lipizzans have been horses on the move. Whenever threatened by military conflict, the stud and performance stallions were moved to safer areas, but sometimes this led to a cessation of breeding activities and near extinction. This was the case even as late as the second World War, when the mares were moved to Czechoslovakia by order of the German High Command and breeding ceased. General Patton of the American army stepped in towards the end of the war and returned the stud to Austria, thus ensuring the perpetuation of the breed.

Lippizans are world famous for their ability to perform the intricate and taxing movements of haute ecole - so famous, in fact, that public performances in their homeland are often booked out months ahead. In other countries they are proven competitors in a variety of equestrian disciplines, including dressage and driving.

Fanciers of the Morgan claim it is a horse that can do anything. Certainly the breed excels in many disciplines, though it is perhaps best known in driving competition. Interestingly, a few Morgans were imported into Australia for harness racing purposes more than 100 years ago but their bloodlines were integrated with the Standardbred breed and lost. It was not until 1974 that Morgans were reintroduced to this country.

Colour Registries

The recognised colour breeds are Buckskin, Palomino, Paint, Pinto, and recently, Champagne. Some countries also have a Cremello colour registry, often wrongly called Albino.

As mentioned earlier, Appaloosas may be classified as a colour breed, but in countries like America they are entitled to full breed status, being descended from the horses of the Nez Perce or the remnants of them, and selected on type as well as colour.

Quite recently, an organisation has been formed in America to register and promote horses with brindling or striping. This is a very rare coat pattern but has been reported from time to time in a variety of breeds. It particularly occurs with dun colouration where it seems to be an accentuation of the dun effect, in that it causes pronounced zebra striping, although the striping can also involve white hairs against any body colour. Curly coated horses occur occasionally and in fact a curly coated “breed” society exists. However, curly coats that appear spontaneously may be associated with pituitary disease.

Buckskin

There are 4 colours eligible for Buckskin registration - buckskin itself, dun (yellow dun), red dun, and grulla. All are due to dilution genes acting on the basic colours of chestnut, bay, brown and black. Buckskin and yellow dun are diluted bays - the typical yellow to tan coloured horse with dark points. However, yellow dun in addition exhibits a dorsal stripe and usually leg barring and face mask as well. Red dun is a diluted chestnut and phenotypically is a pinkish red with darkened points. Grulla is a diluted black with dark points and can also be called a blue dun.

All have ancient origins, but yellow dun in particular is a primitive colouration in horses, perhaps for camouflage purposes. Przewalski’s Horse is dun; the Sorraia of Spain, a very old breed predating the Andalusian in origin, is dun or sometimes grulla; another ancient breed, the Norwegian Fjord, is dun with a very pronounced dorsal stripe.

Palomino

This golden horse of the Old West is perhaps the most eye catching of all colour breeds. For this reason it has always been a great favourite with parade organisers and movie makers, but long before the advent of the silver screen, palomino horses were the treasured mounts of ancient rulers and even figured in Greek mythology and the Bible.

Palomino is due to the action of a dilution gene on chestnut and is said to approximate the colour of a newly minted gold coin, with some variation from light to dark permissible. The mane and tail are white, silver or ivory with not more than 15% darker coloured hairs. Palominos occur in many breeds and types but in some countries full registration is restricted to certain breeds.

Paints and Pintos

These are colour registries for pied horses, i.e., horses with patches of white against almost any other colour. (Note that in America “pinto” [small “p”] is synonymous with pied in this general sense). The Paint registry is open only to horses of Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred breeding, while the Pinto registry, which once was for pied horses of any type and breeding known or unknown, now usually requires breeding stock to be registered with a Pinto association or another breed society approved for Pinto breeding.

In the dim distant past pieds were considered a bit inferior, probably because true pieds were not thought to occur in the so-called “pure” breeds like Thoroughbreds or Arabians, though it is widely accepted nowadays that at least the sabino pattern does exist in these breeds. But the Native Americans and later the settlers and ranchers had always valued pied horses for their versatility and good temperament as well as eye appeal, and now these horses have large and vigorous registries which have set type standards and helped sort out the complex genetics involved in the inheritance of their coat colour.

All pied horses were once known as piebalds or skewbalds - piebalds being black and white, while skewbalds were any other colour and white. This was much too vague a description and these terms have now been replaced by tobiano, overo, and a combination known as tovero. Tobianos have patches that are clearly demarcated against the background colour and they generally have solid coloured heads (aside from stars, strips, etc). Overos have splashy white patches that are less regular with indistinct borders, and they usually exhibit bold white markings on the head. There are other characteristics that define the two, also overos can be further grouped into frame overo, sabino overo and splash white overo patterns. Some of these overo patterns are linked to highly undesirable traits like deafness and the lethal white foal syndrome, in which afflicted foals are born dead or die soon after birth due to incomplete digestive tracts. Tovero is used where the pattern is a mixture of tobiano and overo. These descriptions are used in combination with the horse’s base colour, thus the old piebald becomes a black tobiano or black overo or maybe even a black tovero, while the mind boggles at the possibilities for skewbald, seeing it is any other pied colour except black and white. No wonder the terms were replaced.

It is still acceptable to use the broad description “pied” particularly if the registration status of an individual horse is unknown. The word is combined with the horse’s base colour, thus for example pied-chestnut can cover chestnut tobiano, chestnut overo or chestnut tovero.

Champagne

The diluted colour now known as champagne is rare but has been around for a long time, particularly in the gaited breeds. In the past it was simply lumped in with the other dilutes like cremello, palomino and the various duns, but in the early 1990s, it was recognised as being due to a separate gene and now has its own registry.

Champagnes have a wheaten skin and their coat colour is somewhere between buckskin and palomino. They may have skin pigmentation known as mottling and speckling, and a type of dappling that is particularly noticeable when wet. They often have a metallic sheen or gleam to the coat. Foals are born with blue eyes which change to a normal colour by twelve months of age.

There are four main shades - amber champagne, gold champagne, lilac champagne and ivory champagne - the result of the champagne gene acting on bay, chestnut, black and palomino respectively.