Horse Types and Breeds Horses can be organized into three categories draft horses light horses and ponies These categories are based on how big the animal is Horses are measured in 4-inch 10-cm units called hands This measurement is taken from the top of the withers to the ground Paint horse
Shetland ponies
HORSE TYPES AND BREEDS Draft Horses Draft horses are heavy muscular and large They were bred to pull weighty loads They can weigh between 1,400 to 2,200 pounds 635 to 1,000 kg or more and stand 16 to 19 hands high Starting in the 1830s draft horses were brought from Europe to North America to help with agriculture These strong well-built horses pulled heavy equipment to help farmers with their harvests Sometimes more than 40 of these horses would be harnessed to one machine Today draft horses can still be found on farms They are used for many tasks such as pulling carriages in parades helping clear fallen trees in forests and carrying riders Clydesdale horses are one type of draft horse Belgian Horses Belgian horses have short legs and large muscles They stand 16 to 17 hands high and can weigh between 1,800 and 2,200 pounds 820 to 1,000 kg Belgians can be many colors including roan bay sorrel or chestnut Belgian horse
Percheron horse Percheron Horses Percheron horses have long thin ears and wide foreheads They have long necks and stand around 15 to 19 hands high These horses weigh around 1,800 to 2,600 pounds 815 to 1,180 kg They can have a bay sorrel roan black chestnut or gray coloring Shire Horses Shire horses have feathering on the lower part of their legs Stallions of this breed can stand around 16 to 17 hands high and weigh 2,200 pounds 1,000 kg Shire horses can be black gray brown or bay Shire horse
