
All
About
Horses
All About Horses

There are over 200 different horse breeds living around the world today. Although breeds can look wildly different, they all belong to a single species: Equus caballus.
Over thousands of years, people created different breeds by mating horses that have desirable traits. That's why the look of a breed is often related to what it's used for. When these traits get passed down over many generations, a new breed is produced.
For example, about 200 years ago, English horse breeders mated light, swift Arabians with local riding horses. This created the Thoroughbred—a lean, leggy, super-speedy breed used in horse racing.
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Explore 18 Horse Breeds!
Find out about their colors, body types, the different jobs they do, and where in the world they come from.
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All images © AMNH.