Saddle horses

These horses make up an important group of breeds. Many people ride horses for pleasure or raise them as a hobby. Some riders achieve great skill and compete with others in shows.

The most popular breeds in the U.S include American saddle horse, Tennesse walking horse, Morgan, Quarterback and the Arabian.

Southern plantation owners developed the American saddle horse and Tennesse walking horse. The Tennesse walking horse are noted for their comfortable running walk and smooth canter.

Morgans were originally used for pulling carriages and for horse racing. They were then developed into excellent saddle horses.

Quarterbacks are used for sorting out cattle from a herd. They start, stop and turn quickly. Immediately responding even to the slightest shift of the reins.these surefooted horses have great endurance. They can scramble up and down steep trails and streams.

The strong Arabian horse is noted for it's endurance. Arabs developed this breed for use in the desert. One breed that developed through these is the Throughbred.

All Throughbreds can be traced back to three stallions namely Darley Abrahim, Godolphin Barb and Byerly Turk. Cool huh.

The Lipizzan horses came from home imported into Austria from Spain and Italy during the middle 1500's. These beautiful show horses have strong bones, short legs and thich arched necks. The best known are those trained at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna in Austria.