BREEDS

ABACO BARB

Profile: The rare Abaco Barb, which is in great danger of extinction, is believed to have descended from Spanish horses that were in route aboard ships with early explorers to the New World. Many of these ships never reached their destination, and instead were shipwrecked or pirated in the Caribbean. It’s believed that some of the Spanish horses survived the ordeals and made it safely to the island of Great Abaco, where they have remained for centuries.

Characteristics: The Abaco Barbs share traits of other Spanish-lineage horses, such as low-set tails, convex faces and thick, long manes and tails. Their ears tend to be pointed, and they have broad foreheads that taper. The horses are small, about 13.2 to 14.2 hands, and are exceptionally strong.

AKHAL-TEKE

Profile: With its unusual, gazelle-like appearance, the Akhal-Teke (Ah-cull Tek-y) is an incredibly distinctive breed. Experts say the Akhal-Teke breed is at least 3,000 years old. The Akhal-Teke may be the last remaining strain of the Turkmene (a horse that has existed since 2400 B.C.). In the Middle Ages (500 to 1500 A.D.), Akhal-Tekes lived with nomadic tribesmen near the Kopet Dag Mountains in Turkmenistan. The nomads treated the horses as part of their families, tethering them near their shelters. In the early 1900s, Russians used Akhal-Tekes as cavalry horses. Today they excel in sport, particularly in racing, show jumping, dressage and endurance racing.

Characteristics: The Akhal-Teke’s coat has a metallic sheen, although some shimmer more than others. The unusually thin, yet flexible neck makes it seem ‘above the bit’ by modern standards, however, this flexibility is considered an asset. The Akhal-Teke developed in a rocky, flat desert so the breed evolved with a long narrow frame, which created a flat, gliding gait.

AMERICAN CREAM DRAFT

Profile: Nearly 98 percent of all American Cream Draft horses have the blood of an Iowan cream colored draft-type mare called Old Granny, who was born at the turn of the 20th century. Her beauty and unique coat coloring prompted breeders in the area to try to create a breed of cream-colored draft horses. Although Percheron, Shire and Belgian blood was later incorporated into the breed, blood typing has shown the Creams are a distinct group of horses and not simply a color breed. Although tractors have replaced horse power on the farm, the American Cream Draft and other draft horses are still used for hobby farming, logging, driving and hay rides. Some are also ridden.

Characteristics: All horses are cream colored with white manes and tails and other white markings, as well as pink skin. Foals are born with almost white eyes and as the animal ages the eyes become amber colored. Height ranges from 15.1 to 16.3 hands high.

AMERICAN PAINT

Profile: In 1519, the explorer Hernando Cortes carried two horses described as having pinto markings on his voyage. This is the first known description of such horses in America. By the early 1800s, horses with Paint coloring were well-populated throughout the West. A favorite among American Indians, the loud-colored Paint horses were particularly well-liked by the Comanche Indian tribe. Evidence of this is found in drawings painted on buffalo robes. Throughout the 1800s and into the late 1900s these painted horses were called pinto, paint, skewbald and piebald. In the early 1960s, interest grew in preserving and promoting horses with paint coloring and stock horse builds. In 1965 the American Paint Horse Association formed, and today, the American Paint Horse is extremely popular in traditional stock-horse western events as well as a variety of other riding disciplines.

Characteristics: American Paint Horses sport a combination of white and any other color of the equine spectrum: black, bay, brown, chestnut, dun, grullo, sorrel, palomino, buckskin, gray or roan. Markings come in any shape or size and can be located anywhere on the horse’s body. The variety of colors and markings appear in three specific coat patterns: overo, tobiano and tovero. American Paint Horses average 14.2 to 16.2 hands high.

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