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How the Horse is Measured
Horses are measured as “hands high” (hh) from the withers to the ground. Each “hand” is equal to four inches. Horses that are actually considered ponies are generally 14.2hh or shorter (14.2 = 14 hands plus 2 inches).

Colors of the Horse
The four basic colors of the horse are black, brown, bay, and chestnut (or sorrel). For a horse to be considered black, it must have a black coat, mane, and tail. A brown horse has a brown coat, mane, and tail. The bay colored horse has a brown coat but a black mane and tail. For a horse to be considered chestnut, its coat is reddish-brown. The mane and tail can be lighter or darker but not black. The brown, bay, and chestnut colors can be of varying shades. Other horse colors include gray (black and white mixture coat), roan (a white and brown or white and chestnut mixture coat), dun (yellow coat with black mane and tail), piebald (patches of black and white), skewbald (patches of brown and white), and palomino (gold colored coat with flaxen or white mane and tail). The palomino is often confused as a breed of a horse, but it is in fact a color description. Pinto is also a color but has been established as a breed in the us. Two colors of pinto include ovaro (base solid-colored coat with large splashes of white) and tobiano (base white coat with large patches of color).

Markings of the Horse
The colors of the horse may include markings on the head or legs. Head markings include the star (white shape on the forehead), stripe (narrow white marking going down the face), blaze (broad white marking down the fac and over the bones of the horse’s nose), white face (white forehead, nose, eyes, and part of the muzzle, and snip (white mark between the nostrils). Leg markings include ermine (black spots on white), sock (white covering the fetlock and part of the cannon area), stocking (white leg as far as the knee or hock). For a good description of the horse body parts, including what the terms “cannon” and “hock” mean, check out this link: http://www.gaitedhorses.net/Conformation/BodyParts.htm.

Horse Descriptions
A foal is a newborn or a horse less than a year old. A horse older than a year is called a yearling. A horse older than two years is a two-year-old. A filly is a female horse that is under four years old while a colt is a male horse under four years old. To be considered a colt, the horse must not be castrated. If it is castrated, it is considered a gelding. Geldings are castrated male horses of any age. A male horse that is not castrated and is over four years old is called a stallion and a female horse over four years old is called a mare.

Common Horse Types
Horse types are not necessarily specific breeds. They are generally a mixture of various breeds and bred for specific purposes. A cob is a thickset horse with a calm nature. It is a good endurance horse and can gallop comfortably for long distances. Cobs are good family horses and are especially great for younger or older and less confident riders. A hack is an elegant-looking horse generally of Arab or Thoroughbred breed mix (see below for breed information). It does not have the long-distant endurance of a cob and today they are generally used as show-horses. Like the cob, the hunter type of horse is also bred for traveling long distances. They are also able to carry heavy weight. Their nature is calm and generally compliant.

Horse Breeds
There are well over a hundred breeds of horses. Breeds are generally termed as either hot blooded, warm blooded, or cold blooded. The hot blooded breeds include the Arab and the Thoroughbred. These hot blooded breeds are considered the purest breed of horses, the Arab being the purest. Hot blooded breeds are bred for speed. They are not actually hot blooded, but are termed as such because they tend to be more spirited that other horse breeds. Warm blooded horses include the Danish, Dutch, and Swedish Warmblood, the Oldenburg, Trakenher, and Westphalian. Warm blooded breeds tend to be calmer in nature and today are primarily used in riding for leisure or in equestrian sports such as show jumping. Cold blooded breeds are the calm draft or work horses. The well-known cold blooded breed in the us is the Clydesdale. Other cold blooded breeds include the Dutch Draft, the Finn Horse, Fresian, Noriker, Percheron, and the Shire Horse. The horses of Africa and the Middle East include the Arab, the Barb, and the Caspian. Horses of Asia and the former Soviet Union include the Bashkir, Don, Latvian, Przwalskii’s Horse, and the Russian Trotter. In Australia, there is the Australian Stock Horse and the Brumby. Europe has the Andalusian, Camargue, the French Trotter, Hackeny, Irish Draft, the Welsh Cob, and more. Horses in America are generally considered as either gaited or non-gaited. The American gaited horses include the American Saddlebred, the Missouri Fox Trotter, and the Tennessee Walking Horse. The American non-gaited breeds include the Appaloosa, the Canadian, Florida Cracker, the Morgan Horse, Mustang, Quarter Horse, and the Standard Bred.