HomeHorse16 Most Common American Horse Breeds Reviewed For Horse Lover

16 Most Common American Horse Breeds Reviewed For Horse Lover

Horses are an essential part of the history and development of the United States of America. Horses have contributed in many folds to the development of agriculture, transport, sports, pleasure, endurance, stamina, pride, and competitiveness to American society. Many horses were originated and developed in America and Canada. American horse breeds are popular topics to many horse lovers.

How Many Breeds of Horses are There in America?


If you like to ride a horse, you would like to learn about the horse breeds. The selection of horse breeds is the prime task of a successful horse rider. Horse riding and equestrian sports are some of the most popular games in the United States of America. Moreover, many horse breeds have been developed and originated in America.

Horse Breeds of America

American horse breeds are now discussed with many horse lovers. As many as more than hundreds of horse breeds were originated or developed in America. All horse breeds are not equally popular or available. In my article, I shall discuss the most common American horse breeds in brief.

Common American Horses

1. American Quarter Horse


American Quarter Horse (AQH) is one of the most popular and oldest horse breeds of America. AQH was developed in 1600 AD for racing a quarter-mile distance (440 yards or 2 furlongs), and the name of the horse was taken from this distance. The horse is medium in size, healthy, well-behaved, and charming.

Golden American Quarter Horse

The horse can run at a speed of 55 miles/hour or 85 km/hour. The horse population is more than 3million in America. The horse is widely used in barrel racing, eventing, showjumping, English racing, calf roping, cutting, reining, and western riding.

2. Morgan Horse


Morgan is also one of the oldest American horse breeds developed in the 17th century by Justin Morgan. The horse is versatile, multidimensional, and disciplined. The horse is medium in size, compact, muscular, and hardy. The horse was widely used as a cavalry horse in the American Civil war by both sides. The horse may be in black, brown, or bay in color, and many found in pinto or paint. The horse used in English and Western discipline, dressage, eventing, showjumping, pleasure riding, endurance riding, and driving. Morgan horse has contributed to developing American Quarter Horse, Tennessee Walker, and Standardbred horse of America.

Origin of Morgan

3. American Saddlebred Horse


American Saddlebred horse is known as “Horse American Made,” was developed during the Civil war. The officers extensively used the horse during the war. The horse was developed from the Thoroughbred, Canadian Pacer, Morgan, and Narragansett Pacer horse. The horse is medium in size, stands from 15 to 16 hands, and weighs 450 to 55o kgs. The horse is found in any color of horses, including pinto and palomino.

Horse Breeds- American Saddlebred

The horse gaited and found in five-gaited, three-gaited, and two-gaited. The horses are widely used in dressage, pleasure riding, Show ring, English Riding, and combined driving. The horse is also famous in Hollywood movies.

4. Tennessee Walker Horse


Tennessee Walker is a gaited horse breed of America. The horse was developed in 1790 from Canadian Pacer and Narragansett pacer and brought in Tennessee of South America. The horse has also crossbred with Spanis Mustang and added extra gait to this breed. The horse can walk smoothly and speedily. The horse is famous for show rings, trail riding, endurance riding. The horse is well-known as a running walk horse.

Tennessee Walker Horse

5. Tiger Horse


The Tiger horse breed is one of America’s newest horse breeds developed in 1992 by Mark and Victoria Varley. The horse is famous for its exceptional color combination, “Tiger Like Appearance.” The horse was developed from “El Caballo Tigre” of Iberian Penninsula, Appaloosa of America. The horse has a genetic similarity to the Chinese horse “Solun.” Later the horse was crossbred with Arabian, Thoroughbred, and AQH.

Tiger Horse Breed

6. American Horse Breeds: Kiger Mustang


Kiger Mustang is one of the most extinct horse breeds of America. The horse is only found in the Oregon state in open space in two reserve forests. The purity of the horse is maintained by the Beuro of Land Management (BLM). The captive horse is not considered in this breed. The horse was originated from a Spanish horse breed that first came to South America during the 16th century.

Physical Characteristics of Kiger

7. American Horse Breeds: Appaloosa


Appaloosa is one of the most famous horse breeds of America due to its excellent color pattern. The horse was originated on the bank of the Palouse River in Idaho and Washington. The spotted horse was found in the ancient china Han Dynasty, Greece, and Persia. The Nez Perce horse breed of South America took the color combination of horses. The European settlers took this excellent color horse and started breeding.

Physical Characteristics of Appaloosa

The horse is medium in size and excellent temperament. The horse is intelligent, disciplined, and docile. The horse influences n development of many horse breeds of America like Tiger horse, Mustang, Tennessee Walker, Morgan, and American paint horse. The horse is used in many equestrian disciplines, pleasure riding, show jumping, racing, and kids riding. The Appaloosa horse is famous in movies and TV serials.

8. American Paint Horse


American Paint horse is a famous horse breed of America with pinto color patterns. The horse developed from American Quarter Horse (AQH) and Thoroughbred horse. The horse association is the largest in North America. The horse color is a combination of white over dark colors. The horse is widely used in Western riding, reining, equestrian discipline, and pleasure riding.

Beautiful paint Horse

9. Nez Perce Horse


Nez Perce is a spotted horse breed of America developed by the Nez Perce tribe of Idaho. The horse was developed in 1995 by crossbreeding of spotted Appaloosa and Akhal Teke horses of central Asia. The Akal Teke is a horse breed of Turkmenistan, well known for its superb endurance and metallic shin color. The horse is found in buckskin, palomino, or appaloosa color. The Nez Perce horse is used in endurance riding, jumping, often gaited, and has smooth running.

American Horse Breeds- Nez Perce

10. American Cream Draft


American cream draft is the only draft purpose horse breed in the United States of America. The horse is one of the rare horses in America, and the number of horses is decreasing due to mechanization. The color of the horse is generally cream. The horse is also known as the “Champagne horse” due to the champagne gene’s presence over the chestnut color. American cream draft horse was developed in the early 20th century in Iowa state.

American Cream Draft Horse

11. Blazer Horse


Blazer is one of the newest horse breeds of America developed between 1950 to 1960. The horse was developed as a ranch horse by F Neil Hink, who has a ranch. The horse was developed by Morgan and American Quarter Horse’s blood with Shetland pony and Thoroughbred horse. The horse’s average height is 13 to 15 hands, commonly found bay, black, or chestnut in color. The horse was developed as a ranch horse but suitable in endurance riding, trail riding, and eventing.

Blazer Horse Breed

12. Canadian horse


The Canadian horse is a medium-sized horse breed of Canada and North America (Michigan, Illinois). The horse developed in Canada in the 16th century and found wild in America. The horse is used in the agricultural field, draft purpose, and pull the carriage. The population of horses decreased due to the modernization of agriculture and the improvement of the transport system. The horse used widely in the American Civil as a Cavalry horse.

Distinguished Features of Canadian

13. Rocky Mountain Horse


Rocky Mountain horse is one of the newest horse breeds that originated in the United States of America. The horse was developed from Tennessee Walker, Missouri Fox Trotter, and American Saddlebred horse. The horse is famous for its single-footed ambling gait. Initially, the horse was developed to work in the agricultural field. At present, the versatile horse is used in many equestrian disciplines, including dressage, trail riding, pleasure riding, endurance riding, and showjumping.

Rocky Mountain Horse Breed

14. Pony of the Americas (POA)


Pony of the Americas (POA) is the most popular pony breed in America. The horse is neither big nor small, relatively comfortable in size. The pony is intelligent, docile, and well-behaved. In 1950, a Shetland Pony breeder developed the pony crossbred with Arabian and Appaloosa horses. The good color is the leopard-complex appaloosa color. The pony can be an excellent companion animal in your home.

Pony of the Americas

15. Standardbred Horse


Standardbred horse is one of the famous harness racing horse breeds of America. The horse was developed in the 19th century for harness racing. The horse is slightly heavier than a Thoroughbred horse, and the average height is 16 hands. The breed has been influenced by Narragansett Pacer, Morgan, Norfolk Trotter, and Canadian pacer. The horse also used in pleasure riding, showjumping, and endurance riding.

Standardbred Horse

16. Virginia Highlander Horse


The Virginia Highlander is a relatively smaller and new horse breed of America developed in 1960 in Virginia. The horse is gaited and has a four-beat ambling gait. The horse was developed from Pogo, a small horse crossbred with Wales Pony and Arabian/Tennessee Walker mare. Later the horse was developed by breeding Morgan, American Saddlebred, and Hackney Pony. The number of horses is meager, and by 2004 only 120 horses registered in the studbook. The horse is commonly used as a riding horse and companion animals.

Virginia Highlander Horse Breed

Concluding Remarks on American Horse Breeds


Horses and horse racing is famous in American society. Horses have a significant contribution to the development of the present United States. Many horse breeds developed and conserved in this great country. As many as around a hundred horse breeds have been originated or developed in America. All the horse breeds are not equally important and viable. The most common American horse breeds I have discussed in my article.

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