Before the availability of DNA techniques to resolve the questions related to the domestication of the horse, various hypothesis were proposed. One classification was based on body types and conformation, suggesting the presence of four basic prototypes, labeled the Tarpan, Forest horse, Draft and Oriental, each of which was hypothesized to have adapted to their environment prior to domestication.
More recent studies suggest that all domesticated horses originated from a single wild species and that the different body types of horses were entirely a result of selective breeding after domestication, or possibly landrace adaptation.
Angevin horse – The Angevin is an extinct breed of light saddle-horse from western France. It was bred principally in the area around Angers, France. It stood about 149–157 centimetres at the withers. It was used as a mount for light cavalry.
Berrichon horse – The Berrichon is an extinct breed of horse from central France. It was bred principally in the area around Berry, France. It was used in public transportation by the General Omnibus Company to pull buses in Paris Between 1855 and 1900.
Bidet horse – The Bidet is an extinct type of small horse from France. It was a landrace developed principally in the area around Brittany, Morvan, Auvergne, Poitou, and Burgundy. It stood about 10.8 – 13.3 hands at the withers.
Chapman horse – See Cleveland Bay, into which it developed.
Charentais horse, or Vendéen – The Charentais and Vendéen are extinct breeds of horse from western France. They were bred principally in the area around Poitou-Charentes and Vendée, France. The Vendéen breed was originally imported by the Dutch in the seventeenth century from Friesland. They were crossed with thoroughbred stallions and used as a mount for light cavalry.
Mazury horse – The Mazury horse and the Pozan horse were crossed to create the Wielkopolski horse, also known as the Mazursko-Poznanski.
Navarrin horse – The Cheval Navarrin, also called Navarin, Navarrois, Tarbais, Tarbésan or Bigourdin, is an extinct breed of light saddle-horse from south-western France. It was bred principally in the plains of the Pyrenees around Tarbes, and in Bigorre, now in the Hautes-Pyrénées. It stood about 14.5 hands at the withers. Lively and elegant, it had an excellent reputation throughout the 18th century. It was used as a mount for light cavalry, as a saddle-horse and for classical dressage.
Norfolk Trotter, also called the Norfolk Roadster, Yorkshire Trotter or Yorkshire Roadster
Öland horse – The Öland horse, from the island of Öland, was a close relative of the Gotland, but went extinct in the early 20th century. The Gotland Pony, Hucul and Konik of Poland resembles the now extinct Öland Breed. All of these breeds, it is thought, originally descended from the Tarpan.
Pozan horse – The Pozan horse and the Mazury horse were crossed to create the Wielkopolski horse, also known as the Mazursko-Poznanski.
Tundra Horse, the probable ancestor of the Yakutian horse.
The Old English Black (also known as the Lincolnshire Black) is an extinct horse breed. During the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, the conquerors took some of the Great Horses from Europe across the English Channel and crossed……Continue to Old English Black or Lincolnshire Black Horse
The Narragansett Pacer was the first horse breed developed in the United States, but is now extinct. It was developed during the 18th century and associated closely with the state of Rhode Island. It had become extinct by the late……Continue to The Narragansett Pacer
The Norfolk Trotter, , also called the Norfolk Roadster, Yorkshire Trotter or Yorkshire Roadster is an extinct horse breed once native to East Anglia and Norfolk, England. It was said to be a large-sized trotting harness horse originating in and around……Continue to The Norfolk Trotter
The Turkoman horse, or Turkmene, was an Oriental horse breed from the steppes of Central Asia. They influenced many other horse breeds, including the Thoroughbred horse. Some horses bred in Iran and Turkmenistan today are still referred to as Turkoman,……Continue to Turkoman horse
A jennet or Spanish jennet was a small Spanish horse noted for a smooth naturally ambling gait, compact and well-muscled build, and a good disposition. The jennet was an ideal light riding horse, and provided some of the foundation bloodstock……Continue to The Jennet
The Charolais or Charollais is an extinct breed of warmblood horse from the Charolais region of France surrounding the town of Charolles, now in the Saône-et-Loire department of Burgundy, in eastern central France.…Continue to The Charolais horse
The Karacabey horse was a light riding horse that originated in Turkey. The Karacabey was a very sound breed with good conformation, showing Arabian influence but with more body mass.…Continue to The Karacabey horse
The Anglo-Norman horse was a warmblood horse breed developed in Lower Normandy in northern France. A major center of horse breeding, the area had numerous regional types that were bred to one another and then crossed with Thoroughbreds to form……Continue to The Anglo-Norman horse
The Neapolitan Horse, also known as Cavallo (Itallian), Napoletano, Neapolitano or Napolitano, is a horse breed that originated in the plains between Naples and Caserta, in the Campania region of Italy, but which may have been bred throughout the Kingdom……Continue to The Neapolitan horse
The Galloway pony is an extinct horse breed, once native to Scotland and northern England. It was said to have “good looks, a wide, deep chest and a tendency to pace rather than trot.” In the 18th century Galloways were……Continue to The Galloway pony
The Yorkshire Coach Horse is an extinct horse breed once native to England. It was a large, strong, bay or brown horse with dark legs, mane and tail. It was said to be a longer-legged carriage horse with unmatched ability……Continue to The Yorkshire Coach Horse
The modern horse, as we know it today, has been around for about 6 million years. The early ancestor of the modern horse has been traced back sixty million years to an animal scientists call Eophippus. The first complete skeleton……Continue to History of the Horse
Ferghana horses were one of China’s earliest major imports, originating in an area in Central Asia. These horses, were depicted on Tang dynasty pottery. The Han dynasty bronze statuette Gansu Flying Horse is most likely a depiction of this breed. Dayuan,……Continue to The Ferghana horse
The Nisean horse, or Nisaean horse is an extinct horse breed, once native to the town of Nisaia, located in the Nisaean Plains at the foot of the southern region of the Zagros Mountains in Iran. The first written reference to……Continue to Nisean horse
The Irish Hobby horse is an extinct breed of horse developed in Ireland prior to the 13th Century.The breed provided foundation bloodlines for several modern horse breeds, including breeds as diverse as the Connemara pony and the Irish Draught.…Continue to The Irish Hobby horse
