American Cream Draft Horse
The American Cream Draft Horse, the only draft horse to originate in the United States, can be traced to an unusually colored mare in Central Iowa in the early part of the 20th century. Her offspring consistently showed the pink skin, amber or hazel eyes, and light, medium, or dark cream color that became the breed standard. Standing 15 to 16.3 hands high, Creams have refined heads, powerfully muscled bodies, and sturdy legs. Like most draft horses, they are kind, willing, and trustworthy.
American Curly
Originally a strain of northern mustang with a thick, curly coat; a curly mane and tail; and even curly eyelashes. A breed registry was formed in 1971; in order to avoid inbreeding, Arabian, Morgan, Appaloosa, and Missouri Fox Trotter blood was introduced, based on similarities between these breeds and the original Curly type. A sturdy breed resembling the old-style Morgan, Curlies are good, all-purpose ranch and family horses; they are exceptionally hardy in cold weather. Some Curly horses shed the mane and tail annually.
Curly horses have long been touted as hypo-allergenic, and new research appears to support this claim. In one test, 37 of 40 riders with documented horse allergies showed no signs of reaction after exposure to Curly horses, and the remaining 3 responded well to a single dose of inhaled medication. Additionally, allergic reactions to flat-coated horses diminished in some of the riders over the three years of the study, suggesting that exposure to Curly horses desensitized them to equine allergens in general.
American Indian Horse
A collective description of all Native American horses. Individual tribes had types of horses they preferred, but many of the bloodlines were lost when tribal populations were decimated. The American Indian Horse Registry researched and combined the remaining tribal lines into one breed, though some tribal lines remain individual. The American Indian Horse is a small, tough horse of Spanish type. Every color is allowed. American Indian Horses are excellent for trail and endurance, and are shown at Western breed horse shows, where they compete at their own variation of Trail classes and Western games.
American Paint Horse
A popular stock horse breed of pinto coloration, based on Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred bloodlines. In order to be registered as a Paint, a horse must have two registered Paint parents or one registered Paint parent and one Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred parent. Paints are found in most disciplines, including their own races, but they are most popular in the Western disciplines.
American Saddlebred/American Saddle Horse
A North American gaited breed, developed to have a comfortable stride and the endurance to go all day. Saddlebreds and the closely related Tennessee Walking Horses combine the qualities of colonial ambling horses with the blood of Thoroughbreds, Morgans, and Arabians. With their beauty, good minds, and endurance, they were the mount of choice for officers during the Civil War.
Today’s Saddlebreds are primarily show horses, though people also use them on the trail. They can make fine dressage horses and are also shown in harness. Saddlebreds come in two types: the three-gaited horse (shown at the walk, trot, and canter) and the five-gaited horse (which also performs the slow gait and the rack).
Saddlebreds usually stand around 16 hands high, with strongly arched necks and tails, and finely sculpted heads. All colors are permitted, including pinto and palomino, and splashy white facial and leg markings are common. Though generally good-natured, Saddlebreds have a reputation for being fiery.
American Walking Pony
A large pony (13.2–14.2 hands high) developed by crossing Welsh Ponies and Tennessee Walking Horses. Walking Ponies are beautiful and versatile athletes; some are capable of performing seven gaits. They are used for pleasure, driving, jumping, and trail. The breed, which has existed only since 1956, is small in population.
Appaloosa
A breed of athletic, dramatically colored and spotted horses developed by the Nez Percé Indians. Every Appaloosa is uniquely marked, but all share certain characteristics, such as mottled skin, mottling around the eye, and striped hooves.
The breed has two distinct genetic color patterns. Leopard Appaloosas are spotted all over, like their namesake. The background color of this horse’s coat is usually white, and the spots may be brown, black, bay, chestnut, or golden. One or both of the horse’s eyes may be blue (called a glass eye). On blanket Appaloosas, the spots appear primarily on the horse’s rump, in a blanket-shaped area. The background color of the horse may be black, gray, red, dun, or palomino.
Appaloosas were nearly exterminated by the U.S. Army following the surrender of Chief Joseph in 1887. Hundreds were shot, stallions were gelded, and mares were deliberately crossed with draft horses. A group of breeders began working to save them in 1938, crossing Arabians and Quarter Horses with the remnants of Appaloosa stock. Modern Appaloosas strongly resemble Quarter Horses. Some breeders are working to reproduce the old type in the form of the Tiger Horse (from Spanish tigre, which refers to a patterned coat).
Edited by Jessie Haas in "The Horse Lover's Encyclopedia", Storey Publishing, USA, 2017. Digitized, adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.