How to Choose a Horse Breed: Matching Breed to Your Riding, Experience and Budget
There are hundreds of horse breeds, and owners of each will tell you theirs is the best. The truth is that a breed gives you a starting point: certain body types, movements and temperaments are more common in some breeds than others. But within every breed, there are calm horses and hot ones, well-trained horses and green ones. Use breed to narrow your search, then judge each horse on its own.
Start with what you want to do
Before thinking about breeds, decide:
- What will you ride? Trails, Western events, English events like jumping or dressage, endurance, ranch work, driving?
- How experienced are you? Beginners need a quiet, forgiving horse. Experienced riders can enjoy more sensitive ones.
- How big are you? Taller and heavier riders often fit better on larger or stockier horses. See how much weight a horse can carry.
- What's your budget, and where will the horse live? Some breeds are easier keepers; others need more feed and care.
Stock horses: versatile and steady
| Breed | Known for | Typical height |
|---|---|---|
| American Quarter Horse | Calm, muscular, quick off the mark; the most popular US breed; Western events, ranch work, trails | 14.3–16 hh |
| American Paint Horse | Quarter Horse type with white and colored patches | 14.2–16 hh |
| Appaloosa | Spotted coat patterns, hardy, sure-footed, versatile | 14.2–16 hh |
Stock horses are bred for working cattle, which rewards a calm mind, quick reactions and a strong, compact body. Many are excellent first horses. The "appendix Quarter Horse" is a Quarter Horse crossed with a Thoroughbred, usually taller and more athletic for English sports.
Gaited breeds: smooth rides
Gaited horses have an extra, natural four-beat gait between a walk and a canter. It's much smoother than a trot, so riders don't bounce. Many trail riders, older riders and people with back or joint problems love them.
| Breed | Signature gait |
|---|---|
| Tennessee Walking Horse | Running walk |
| Missouri Fox Trotter | Fox trot |
| Paso Fino | Paso fino gait, very quick, short steps |
| Peruvian Paso | Paso llano, with a swinging front leg motion |
| Rocky Mountain Horse | Single-foot / ambling gait |
| Icelandic Horse | Tölt; small but strong enough for adults |
| Racking Horse | Rack |
Gaited horses need riders who understand how to ask for and support their gaits. Some lessons with a gaited-horse trainer help.
Sport and performance breeds
| Breed | Known for |
|---|---|
| Thoroughbred | Bred for racing; athletic, brave, sensitive; eventing, jumping, hunters; many available as OTTBs |
| Arabian | Ancient breed; stamina, intelligence, sensitivity; dominates endurance riding |
| Warmbloods (Hanoverian, Dutch Warmblood/KWPN, Oldenburg, Holsteiner, Trakehner and others) | Bred for dressage and show jumping; big, powerful movers; often expensive |
| Standardbred | Harness racers; calm, sturdy; retired racers can make good trail horses; some pace instead of trot |
| Morgan | Compact, versatile, strong, an easy keeper; trail, driving, English and Western |
"Warmblood" doesn't mean the horse's blood is warm. It's a group of European sport-horse breeds developed by crossing heavy "cold-blooded" draft horses with lighter "hot-blooded" Thoroughbreds and Arabians.
If you're considering a retired racehorse, see our OTTB guide.
Draft horses and draft crosses
Belgians, Percherons, Clydesdales, Shires and other draft breeds were bred for farm work and hauling. They're often called gentle giants: calm, patient and strong. Some people ride them, and draft crosses, such as a draft crossed with a Thoroughbred or Quarter Horse, are popular for larger riders and as steady trail and hunt horses.
Plan for their size: bigger stalls, trailers and tack, more hay, and higher farrier bills. See how to measure a horse.
Ponies
A pony is a horse under 14.2 hands. Many pony breeds are hardy, clever and long-lived:
- Welsh ponies and cobs: athletic, popular for children's jumping and driving.
- Connemara: sturdy, excellent jumpers; larger ones carry adults.
- Haflinger: a small horse with a stocky build and chestnut coat with a flaxen mane, strong enough for adults.
- Norwegian Fjord: dun-colored, calm, strong and versatile.
- Shetland: very small and strong; better for driving and small children with supervision.
Ponies tend to be easy keepers, which also makes them prone to obesity and laminitis. See laminitis.
Mustangs
America's wild horses, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, can be adopted or bought, sometimes already gentled or trained. They're often hardy, sure-footed and have tough feet. An untrained Mustang needs an experienced handler, but a well-started one can be a great partner.
What "grade" means
A grade horse is a horse without registration papers, often of mixed or unknown breeding. Grade horses can be excellent, and they're often cheaper. If you're not planning to breed or compete in breed shows, papers matter much less than training and soundness.
Color is not a breed
Many people search for a "palomino horse" or "buckskin horse" as if it were a breed. Colors describe coats that show up in many breeds:
| Color | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Bay | Brown or reddish body with black mane, tail and lower legs |
| Chestnut or sorrel | Red to copper all over, with a mane and tail of the same or lighter shade |
| Black | Black all over |
| Gray | Born dark, gets lighter with age; most "white" horses are actually gray |
| Palomino | Gold body with a white or cream mane and tail |
| Buckskin | Tan or gold body with black mane, tail and legs |
| Dun and grulla | Tan or mouse-gray body with a dark stripe down the back |
| Roan | White hairs mixed evenly into a colored coat, with a darker head and legs |
| Pinto, piebald, skewbald | Large patches of white and another color |
Some registries, such as the Palomino and Buckskin associations, register horses by color, but those are color registries, not breeds.
Choosing the horse, not just the breed
Once you've narrowed down breeds, focus on the individual horse:
- Age and training matter most for beginners. A well-trained 15-year-old of any breed beats a green 4-year-old of the "right" breed.
- Temperament: watch how the horse reacts to new things, other horses and handling.
- Soundness and conformation: see parts of a horse and conformation.
- Fit: you should feel comfortable on it, and it should be big enough to carry you comfortably.
See buying your first horse for the full checklist.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Quarter Horses, Paints, Appaloosas, Morgans and many gaited breeds are popular with beginners, but a calm, well-trained older horse of any breed is the real goal.
-
A horse that naturally performs a smooth, four-beat gait between a walk and a canter, such as a running walk or fox trot, instead of or in addition to a trot.
-
A group of European sport-horse breeds, such as Hanoverians and Dutch Warmbloods, bred for dressage and jumping by crossing heavy draft breeds with lighter Thoroughbreds and Arabians.
-
A grade horse is unregistered, often of mixed or unknown breeding. It can be just as good a riding horse as a registered one.
-
Grade horses, Mustangs, off-track Thoroughbreds and retired Standardbreds are often inexpensive to buy. Their upkeep costs the same as any other horse.