Breeds of Horses:
Occasionally a horse will emerge that is a unique individual, and from these “mutations” new breeds have been created. The Russian Lokai and American Baskir Curly are certainly examples of this. The Baskir Curly is an ancient breed and has been depicted in early Chinese art. It is possible that the Mongols brought them across the Bering Strait in the 1300’s, or that the gene for the curled coat was spread from the Orient through North African, and thus brought by the Barb to the Americas. References to curly coated-horses in Brazil date back to the 1700's. These animals were considered mutants and the stallions were gelded and the mares slaughtered to cull the "inferior” and “ugly” animal. The Native American, however, revered the curly horse. A group of wild Mustangs was found in recent years sporting curls, and from these, the breed was “created”. The horses are somewhat primitive in nature, and may be closely related to the Przewalski and Tarpan. The curly coat appears to be dominant, and Curlies crossed to flat-coated horses will more than likely produce more Curlies. All coat-colors are found, including Appaloosa, Dun, Palomino and Cremello. The Curlies share a unique trait with the Przewalski horse in that they shed the entire coat, including the mane and tail, each year.
Another example of a breed founded on a "mutation"is the American Morgan Horse. The entire breed stems from only one foundation stallion, the horse known as Figure, then later named after his owner Justin Morgan. The man Justin Morgan was a singing schoolteacher in Vermont in the 1700's. Apparently he was paid a debt in the form of a small bay stud colt. The stud colt (Figure) was put to many uses throughout his lifetime, from plowing to logging. It became apparent that the little stallion was a remarkable animals, not only in stamina, but in speed and form. He is claimed to have outpulled and outraced every animal he was matched against. Figure was bred to mares of every type, but no matter the conformation or blood of the mare, the foals all resembled their sire. His sons also passed their unique looks on to the next generation, and to this day, the Morgan is virtually unchanged from Figure himself.
The bloodlines of this incredible stallion are, unfortunately, unknown. They have been the subject of much debate and research. It is a fairly well established fact that his sire was a Thoroughbred stallion known alternately as "True Briton" and "Beautiful Bay". The partial pedigree of this horse is known, and, like all Thoroughbreds of the time, has large percentages of Arabian blood.
His dam is more of a mystery - a few pedigrees list her as the 'Wildair" mare. If this is her name, then she too has a large percentage of Arabian and some Barb blood. Descriptions of the time say that she was stout (as Figure was) with long hair around her fetlocks, indicating "cold blood" Some research has even gone so far as to speculate that"Figure had some Friesian blood. Whatever the background of this remarkable little stallion, he has left an indelible stamp on his get that has withstood the test of time and generations.
There are over 100 recognized breeds of horses, and new "breeds"created by careful blendings of other breeds coming up every year. There are often several registries for a single breed, or for breeds of a similar type. A breed is defined as a specific type of equine with similar characteristics. If two members of the same breed are mated, the result is another purebred with t he same body type, coloration, etc.
Just to name a few, some breeds of horse you may be familiar with are the Arabian, Quarter Horse, Paint, Appaloosa, Thoroughbred, Friesian, Mustang, Andalusian, Lippizaner.
Other breeds of horse and pony are the Dales, Exmoor, Norwegian Fjord, Baskir Curly, Kiger Mustang, Barb, Akhal-Teke, and Russian Don.
Are there Breeds of Donkeys and Mules? :
There used to be many specific breeds of donkeys. The Andalusian, Catalonian, Maltese, Poitou. Now, there are only a few purebred animals of these breeds left. Although many donkeys may resemble a certain breed, they are really classified by height in the United States. Mammoths may be of Andalusian Type if they have the right features, but they are just listed as Mammoths. The one breed slowly in a comeback is the Poitou Donkey.
Mules cannot breed, and since they are really hybrids, they are listed by type. There are miniature mules, Saddle mules, work or pack mules, and Draft mules. The mule may be spotted in pinto patterns, but he is not really a Paint mule, since the Paint Horse Association has strict guidelines as to what is defined as a Paint.
Defining Type and Species
Type - is an outward appearance. You may have heard Arabs classified into Halter and Performance types. Miniature horses might be listed as Stock Type or Arab Type. You might have a Park Type Horse - this means it falls into a category suitable for a certain job and/or appearance. So What is a Species? HORSES, DONKEYS and ZEBRAS as a group are a GENUS - equus. HORSES are a different SPECIES than donkeys or zebras. DONKEYS are a different sub-species - assinus. The Przewalski (Mongolian Wild Horse) is a different Sub-Species of EQUINE because the overall genetic makeup is slightly different than that of domestic Horses. ZEBRAS are of the genus Equus and have three different SPECIES (Plains, Mountain and Desert) - and there are SUB-SPECIES within those. (Grants, Chapmans, Hartmanns, Grevy’s, etc).
(Some of the Text about Equines on this website is taken from the book Stars, Stripes and Spots, by Leah Patton and Juanita Snyder. It is currently under revision pending the addition of newly researched Donkey color genetics.)
