Selecting Your Horse

The accompanying diagram gives a very broad genealogy of the popular breeds of light horses (pleasure horses). Assuming that the Arabian is the oldest breed of light horse type, then in turn, the Thoroughbred was developed by combining Arabian blood with selected native English mares; the Morgan, American Saddle, and Standardbred horse were developed from the thoroughbred; the Tennessee Walking Horse came from a specific strain of Standardbred and American Saddle Horses. Obviously the diagram over-simplifies the development of these breeds which are quite separate and distinct as we know them today.

Genealogy of prominent breeds of horses.

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