HomeHorse12 Spotted Horse Breeds of the World You Should Know

12 Spotted Horse Breeds of the World You Should Know

The horse chose a horse breed based on stamina, color, height, and usefulness. The horse’s color is a vital and sometimes most crucial criterion for selecting a horse breed. Spotted horses are an ideal space for choosing as a pet and companion among horse lovers.

Most Common Spotted Horse Breeds


Due to horses’ increased demand and look, many spotted horse breeds have evolved. Many people know about a few spotted horse breeds like Appaloosa, tiger horse, and British spotted pony. The horse’s coat color is spotted due to a combination of the Leopard Complex (LP) gene in Appaloosa. There are two other genes involved in the spotting pattern of horse coat color, like Tobiano and Sabino pattern. In my article, I shall briefly discuss the spotted horses with pictures.

Most Common Spotted Horse Breeds

1. Appaloosa Horse


Appaloosa horse of America is one of the most popular spotted horse breeds globally. The horse was developed in the United States of America in the 17th century. The horse was initially being brought to America by Spanish settlers. Later on, the horse was crossed with Arabian, Thoroughbred, and American Quarter horse. The horse is renowned for its stamina, speed, athletic ability, personality, and intelligence. The horse has an exceptional quality in athletics and sports. The horse is more famous due to its spotted color combination.

Appaloosa

2. American Paint Horse


American paint horse is a horse breed of the United States. The horse has a coat color of pinto that has tobiano, tovero, and overo genes. The breed was developed by cross-breeding with spotted American Quarter Horse with Thoroughbred horses. The most common coat colors of the horse are bay, chestnut, brown, or sorrel. The less common color of spotted American Paint horses is palomino, cremello, tobiano, roan, and dun.

American Paint Horse

3. Tiger Horse breed


Tiger horse is one of the famous spotted horse breeds in the United States of America. The horse was developed very recently in 1992 by Mark and Victoria Varley with cross-breeding between Appaloosa and gaited horse. The horse is also famous as the horse’s gait is without artificial aids.

Tiger Horse Breed

4. Pony of the Americas (POA)


Pony of the Americas (POA) is one of the newest horse breeds in 1950 in the Midwestern United States. The horse was developed by crossing an Appaloosa/Arabian mare with a Shetland pony stallion. The unique appaloosa color of the breed is visible from 40 feet distance, and the horse has an LP gene. The average height of POA is from 11.2 to 14 hands (46 to 56 inches). The horse is beautiful, charming, intelligent, and athletic ability.

Pony of the Americas

5. Spotted Horse: Noriker


Noriker is a draft horse breed of Austria that has the LP gene. The horse’s name was taken from ancient Roman province ‘Noricum’ in the Alps Mountain. The horse is famous for its versatility and robustness. The breed has some spotted horses, and another standard color of the horse is bay, paints, sorrel, and black. The horse is suitable for drafting, agricultural works, riding, horse carriage, and athletics. The horse is very gentle, clam-tempered, and intelligent.

Spotted Noriker Horse

6. Colorado Ranger


The Colorado Ranger is one of the spotted horse breeds of America. The horse was imported from Turkey to Virginia, Nebraska, and Colorado of the United States of America. The horse breed was developed in the Highland of Colorado. Earlier, the horse was registered as Appaloosa; later, the horse was registered as Colorado Ranger, and at present more than 6000 horses are in the registry. The horses may be in any color except pinto. The horse is famous for its endurance, stamina, beauty, and behavior.

Colorado Ranger

7. Spotted Horse Breed: Nez Perce


Nez Perce is a native breed of indigenous Nez Perce tribal people of Idaho, America. The horse was developed by cross-breeding between Appaloosa and ancient horse breed Akhal Teke. The horse is strong, with excessive stamina, and suitable for long-distance running.

American Horse Breeds- Nez Perce

8. British Spotted Pony


British spotted pony is one of the most popular pony breeds that originated in England. The pony is kept as a companion animal. The breed’s average height is 8 to 14 hands (32 to 56 inches). The number of the pony is around 800 throughout the world.

British Spotted Pony

9. Spooted Horse: Knabstrupper


Knabstruppes is a rare horse breed that originated in Denmark. The horse was about to extinct; the horse was evolved from a chestnut-colored mare having Leopard Complex (LP) gene. The horse is top-rated in Europe. Later the horse was bred with Appaloosa and revitalized the horse. The average height of the horse is 15 to 16 hands (60 to 64 inches). The horse is excellent in athletics and participated in several equestrian events.

Knabstrupper Horse

10. Spotted Horse Breed: Walkaloosa


Walkaloosa is an American horse breed that has an intermediate ambling gait. The horse was developed by cross-breeding between Appaloosa, Paso Fino, and Missouri Fox Trotter horse. The spotted color came from the Appaloosa horse, and the gait came from Paso Fino and Missouri Fox Trotter horse.

Spotted Horse Walkaloosa

11. Marwari Horse


The Marwari horse is an Indian horse breed that originated in Kathiwari of Rajsthan. The horse is a medium-sized, gentle, hard-working, and beautiful breed of India. The horse is distributed throughout the Indian Subcontinent. The horse is found in any solid horse color, including piebald and skewbald. 

Marwari Horse of India

12. Icelandic Horse


The Icelandic horse is a native horse breed of Iceland. The horse was descended from Mongolian horse when they conquered Asia and Europe. The horse is like a large pony, and the breed’s average height is 13.2 hands (54 inches). The Icelandic horse is kept pure by limited breeding imposed by the government. The standard colors of the horse are pinto, chestnut, white, brown, and black.

Icelandic Horse

Concluding Remarks on Spotted Horse Breed


The spotted horses are famous for their exceptional color pattern and beauty. There are many different colors of horses, and many people choose their horses based on the color representations. I have described almost all spotted horses with a short description in my article. This article will help you to select suitable animals for your home. 

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