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The origin of modern equine breeds

A horse of mixed breed, Dorset, UKHorses come in various sizes and shapes. The draft breeds can top 20 hands (80 inches, 2 meters) while the smallest miniature breeds can stand as low as 5.2 hands (22 inches, 0.56 meters). The Patagonian Fallabella, usually considered the smallest breed in the world, compares in size to a German Shepherd Dog.

Several schools of thought exist to explain how this range of size and shape came about. These schools grew up reasoning from the type of dentition and from the horses' outward appearance. One school, which we can call the "Four Foundations", suggests that the modern horse evolved from two types of early domesticated pony and two types of early domesticated horse; the differences between these types account for the differences in type of the modern breeds. A second school -- the "Single Foundation" -- holds only one breed underwent domestication, and it diverged in form after domestication through human selective breeding. Finally, certain geneticists have started evaluating the DNA and mitochondrial DNA to construct family trees.

Breeds, studbooks, purebreds and landraces

The idea of a "purebred" animal gained importance in Europe during the 19th century but selective breeding has occurred almost everywhere man has kept horses. The Arabs had a reputation for breeding their prize mares to only the most worthy stallions, and kept extensive pedigrees of their "asil" (purebred) horses. During the late middle ages the Carthusian monks of southern Spain, themselves forbidden to ride, bred horses which nobles throughout Europe prized; the lineage survives to this day in the Andalusian or caballo de pura raza español.

The modern landscape of breed designation presents a complicated picture. Some breeds have closed studbooks; a registered Thoroughbred, Arabian, or Quarter Horse must have two registered parents of the same breed, and no other criteria for registration apply. Other breeds tolerate limited infusions from other breeds—the modern Appaloosa for instance must have at least one Appaloosa parent but may also have a Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, or Arabian parent and must also exhibit spotted coloration to gain full registration. Still other breeds, such as most of the warmblood sporthorses, require individual judging of an individual animal's quality before registration or breeding approval.

Breed registries also differ as to their acceptance or rejection of breeding technology. For example, all Thoroughbred registries require that a registered Thoroughbred be a product of a natural mating. A foal born of two Thoroughbred parents, but by means of artificial insemination, is barred from the Thoroughbred studbook. Some other breed registries allow artificial insemination, embryo transfer, or both.

Hotbloods, warmbloods, and coldbloods

The Arabians, whether originating on the Arabian Peninsula or from the European studs (breeding establishments) of the 18th and 19th centuries, gained the title of "hotbloods", for their fiery temperaments. The Thoroughbred is also included in the "hotbloods" category. The slow, heavy draft horses class as "coldbloods", as they usually possess a quite calm temperament. The term "warmbloods" covers everything else, but the term also specifically refers to the European breeds, such as the Hanoverian, that have dominated dressage and show jumping since the 1950s. True hotbloods usually offer greater riding challenges than other horses, especially the coldbloods. They show more excitability, and often more dominance; and the longer you ride them, the more excited they become, instead of merely getting tired (although any breed of horse can succumb to fatigue).