Category: horses

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What Makes a Thoroughbred Horse? Meet a Horse Breed Known for Speed, Agility, and Spirit

Sometimes the word “Thoroughbred” is used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, but it technically only refers to the actual Thoroughbred breed. The breed was developed in 17th and 18th century England by cross-breeding native mares with imported Arabian, Barb, and Turkoman stallions. All Thoroughbred horses can trace their pedigrees to three stallions imported to England. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the breed spread throughout the world. They were imported to North America, Australia, Japan, and South America. 

Millions of Thoroughbreds exist today, with around 100,000 new foals being registered each year across the globe. Unlike a large number of registered breeds today, a Thoroughbred cannot be registered with the Jockey Club registry unless the foal was conceived by “live cover”, which is the witnessed natural mating of a mare and a stallion. Artificial insemination and other modern methods of breeding, though accepted in many other breed registries, are not useable with Thoroughbreds. This could be because there is a larger possibility of error with assigning parentage in artificial insemination, but it could also be for economic reasons. A stallion can only cover so many mares per year, which prevents an oversupply of Thoroughbreds. 

Love the Thoroughbred breed? Click the image to purchase a print!

Thoroughbreds are considered a “hot-blooded” type of horse. They are bred for agility and speed and are considered generally to be spirited and bold. They are used primarily for horse racing under saddle at the gallop. Thoroughbreds also compete in dressage, show jumping, eventing, polo, steeplechase, and fox-hunting. They have been influential to many other breeds as well, influencing the traits of the breeds they are introduced tt. The American Quarter Horse, Standardbred, and potentially the Morgan are just some of the breeds where the Thoroughbred was influential. 

Because of their world-wide fame, appeal, and influence, I decided to do something a little different for the map for the Thoroughbred piece in my Horses Of The World series. I used a map of the Northern Hemisphere to both invoke their breeding of both English and Oriental breeds and to illustrate their influence beyond their own breed. I wanted to illustrate the Thoroughbred doing what it’s most famous for – racing. The drawing for this piece was done in a digital drawing program, then printed out. I transferred the sketch to the map using a lightbox and a brush ink pen. Then the colors were added with Copic alcohol markers and colored pencils.

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Where are Paso Fino horses from? Meet the beautiful horse with a unique ambling gait!

The Paso Fino breed dates back to horses imported to the Caribbean from Spain. They are a naturally gaited light horse, prized for their natural, smooth, four-beat ambling gait. The Paso Fino is especially popular for trail riding, but are used for all disciplines. In the United States there are two main groups of horses referred to as “Paso Fino”. The Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino (PPR) originated in Puerto Rico. The other developed in Columbia, and is called the Columbian Paso Fino or Colombian Criollo Horse (CCC). The two groups developed independently in their countries of origin, though they are from similar Spanish ancestors.

The name Paso Fino means “fine step”. The horses were bred by Spanish landowners in Puerto Rico and Colombia for use in plantations because of their comfortable ride and endurance. The Paso Fino tends to be refined, standing at 13-15.2 hands high. It is powerful for its small size, however! Paso Finos are a lively horse with a natural drive, willingness, and amiable disposition. The gaits of the Paso Fino are performed at various levels of extension. At whatever speed the horse travels, the gait is so smooth that it ideally allows the rider to appear motionless. The video below explains the natural gaits of the Paso Fino.

 

The Paso Fino has been nicknamed “The Smoothest Riding Horse In The World”. The gaits of the Paso Fino are completely natural, not trained into them. Because of the smooth gait, many people who have injuries that prevent them from riding other horses have found that they can ride a Paso Fino!

Love the Paso Fino? Purchase a print by clicking the image!

 

Information for this blog post was taken from Wikipedia and the Paso Fino Horse Association.

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What is a Nokota Horse? History and Info about the Nokota Horse

The Nokota horse breed developed in the southwest corner of North Dakota, in the Little Missouri River Badlands. In the 19th century feral horses mingled with the domestic horses of ranchers. The ranchers ofter crossbred the local ponies, Spanish horses, and various draft, harness, stock horses, and Thoroughbreds to make hardy ranch horses. 

By the early 20th century, the feral horse population was the target of ranchers who wanted to limit their grazing so it could be used for livestock instead. Horses were rounded up to either be used for ranch horses, sold to slaughter, or be killed. In the 1930s and all the way to the 1950s, federal and state agencies worked to take horses from western North Dakota. The Nokota was saved from extinction when Theodore Roosevelt National Park was established in the 1940s. During construction of the park, several bands of horses were accidentally enclosed in the park fence, and by 1960 these bands were the last  feral horses living in North Dakota. 

Love the Nokota Horse? Purchase a Nokota print by clicking the above image!

The park, however, wanted to eliminate these horses. The National Park Service was declared exempt from the Wild and Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, allowing them to view the horses as a nuisance and to send many of them to slaughter. In the late 1970s, public opposition to the removal of the horses grew to the point where management strategies changed, and today the herds within Theodore Roosevelt National Park are kept for purposes of historical demonstration. In 1986 the dominant herd stallions were removed and outside bloodlines were introduced to the herds with the aim of modifying the appearance of the Nokota. Park management felt that horses created with outside bloodlines would sell better at auctions. 

At the 1986 auction, Leo and Frank Kuntz purchased 54 horses that had been rounded up from the Nokota herds, including a dominant blue roan stallion. They purchased more horses at subsequent auctions, and by 1993 the Kuntz herd was 150 horses strong. In 1999 the Kuntz brothers founded the Nokota Horse Conservancy to protect and conserve the breed. The Nokota Horse Conservancy tracks about 1000 living and dead horses throughout the United States. 

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What is a Marwari Horse? A Hardy Riding Horse with a Unique Set of Ears

In north-west India is a region called Rajasthan. This region contains Marwar, sometimes called Jodhpur, and that is where the Marwari horse comes from. The first to breed the Marwari horse were the Rathores, traditional rulers of the Marwar region. Throughout history, the Marwari has been used as a cavalry horse by the people of Marwar. This horse breed is noted for its loyalty and bravery in battle. In the 1930s the breed deteriorated some because poor management practices led to a reduction in breeding stock, but today the breed has regained some of its popularity. 

The true origins of the Marwari are hard to pin down. They are thought to descend from the warhorses of the Rajput warriors of the Marwar region, with the influence of the Turkoman type of horse brought by invaders in the sixteenth century. Unlike the Kathiawari, another horse breed from the area, the Marwari shows little influence from the Arabian horse. The Rathores, the traditional breeders of the Marwari and the rulers of the Marwar region, began following strict breeding guidelines for the horses in the 12th century. The horses were considered divine beings, and could only be ridden by the rulers and the warrior caste. The Rathores believed that a Marwari horse could only leave a battlefield on one of three conditions: victory, death, or carrying their wounded master to safety. The Marwari horses were trained to be cavalry and were extremely responsive to battlefield conditions and complex riding maneuvers. Over three centuries later, Marwari lancers assisted the British in World War I.

Love the Marwari horse? Purchase a Marwari print by clicking the photo!

 

The British occupation of India led to reduced numbers of Marwari horses. The British preferred other breeds and tried to eliminate both the Marwari and Kathiawari breeds. They reduced the reputation of the Marwari so much that even the distinctive inward-turning ears were ridiculed and seen as a mark of an inferior “native horse”. The breed was on the brink of extinction until the intervention of Maharaja Umaid Singhji in the first half of the 20th century saved them.  

The Marwari horse is one of my favorite designs in this series of artworks! I am fascinated by the Marwari and their unique ears that turned inward, sometimes even to the point where the tips touch. I wanted to create a Marwari piece that would celebrate the area it came from, which is why I decided to put this black horse in a beautiful bejeweled headstall and breastcollar. I drew the horse from the front-on, to really show off the unique ears.

This piece was done with india ink, Copic markers, colored pencils, and watered down acrylic paint for the white areas. 

Purchase a Marwari handmade ornament by clicking the photo!
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What’s the Difference Between a Paint and a Pinto? Meet the American Paint Horse!

The American Paint Horse shares a common ancestry with the Quarter Horse and the Thoroughbred. A registered Paint horse should have the “stock horse” body type of the Quarter horse: muscular and heavy but not too tall, with a low center of gravity and powerful hindquarters that are suitable for sprinting. In 1940, the American Quarter Horse Association emerged with the mission of preserving horses of the “stock” type, and it excluded horses with pinto coat patterns and those with white body spots or white above the knees and hocks. Fans of the more colorful stock horses formed a variety of organizations that merged in 1965 to form the American Paint Horse Association. The APHA breed registry is now one of the largest in North America. The registry allows for the registration of non-spotted animals as “Solid Paint Bred”, and considers the Paint Horse to be a breed with distinct characteristics, not just a distinct coloring.

You may have heard of these horses with color patterns referred to as both “Paint” and “Pinto” horses. Which is correct? Well, “Paint” is the name of the breed, but “Pinto” is the coloring of the horse – so they’re technically both correct!

Love the Paint Horse? Purchase a print by clicking the image!

When I started adding past the initial six Horses Of The World pieces, I knew the Paint horse was going to have to be added to the series. Who doesn’t love a Paint horse, right?! This red and white Paint horse was illustrated on a vintage map page using India ink, Copic markers, colored pencil, and slightly watered down white acrylic paint for the white areas. 

Historic information for this article was referenced from Wikipedia.

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Where Does the Percheron Horse Originate From? Meet This Amazing French Draft Horse!

The true origins of the stock that produced the Percheron are unknown, but ancestors of the breed were present in the Huisne River Valley in western France by the 17th century. These well-muscled, intelligent, and hard-working horses are usually gray or black in color. They were originally bred for use in war, but over time they began to be used for pulling stagecoaches, and later to pull farm equipment and to haul heavy goods. Arabian blood was added to the breed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a common practice across many breeds to improve their traits. 

Before World War I, thousands of Percherons were shipped from France to the United States. An embargo stopped shipping after the war began because the breed was being used extensively in the war effort. By the 1930’s the Percheron accounted for 70 percent of the draft horse population in the United States. However, like the Clydesdale horse, their numbers began to dwindle after World War II because of booming technology. The breed is still used extensively for draft work, forestry work, pulling carriages, and work under saddle such as show jumping and other English riding disciplines. In France they are also used for food.

Purchase a Percheron print by clicking the above photo!

 

The ideal size of the Percheron varies by country. In France, height ranges from 15.1 to 18.1 hands (61 to 73 inches) and weight ranges from 1,100 to 2,600 pounds. In the United States the breed ideal is between 16.2 to 17.3 hands, with a weight of 1,900 to 2,600 pounds. Though they are generally gray or black in color, the United States registry allows the registration of roan, bay, and chestnut horses. In France and Britain, only gray and black horses may be registered Percherons. Excessive white markings are considered undesirable for the breed. 

Today, the Percheron is the most famous and populous of all French draft breeds. Percheron stock was used to improve the Ardennes and Vladimir Heavy Draft Horses, and to create the Spanish-Norman breed. 

The largest team of working Percherons in Europe can be found at Disneyland Paris, where the breed makes up 30 percent of horses in the park. 

To say that I love the Percheron breed is an understatement. The horse I learned to ride on was a Percheron crossbreed and I adored her patient and chilled out personality. I wrote an entire blog post about her, in fact! The Percheron was one of the first breeds I added to the Horses of the World after drawing the initial six breeds. I modeled the horse in the drawing after a Percheron that was boarded at my first barn job, a big gray horse who was just the coolest horse. Like the other early horses in the series, this piece was done with black india ink, Copic markers, and colored pencil. White areas were added with acrylic paint that was slightly watered down to allow the map to be seen through it.

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Who Owns the Chincoteague Ponies? Facts and History of the Wild Ponies of Chincoteague and Assateague

Evidence strongly suggests that the ponies of Assateague Island are descendants of the survivors of a Spanish Galleon that wrecked off the coast of the island. Before modern navigation methods, ships would often get off track during storms or heavy fog, and would crash on sandbars along the coast. A large number of shipwrecks, combined with it being very common for wooden ships to transport ponies to the Colonies or South America, makes it very likely that this story of the origin of the wild ponies is true. 

By the 1700s, Penning was an annual event. It began as a way for livestock owners to claim, brand, and break the loose herds. The event soon turned into a custom that was complete with drinking, food, and lots of partying. The earliest description of the by-then “ancient” custom of Pony Penning was published in 1835. Penning continued on both Chincoteague and Assateague for years. By 1885 they were held on Assateague one day and then on Chincoteague the next. As word of the event spread, hotels and boarding houses would be booked solid for the festivities. By 1914 another annual event, “Sheep Penning” was discontinued because of the overwhelming popularity of the Pony Penning. 

In 1925, after a string of disastrous fires, the town realized their Fire Company was inadequately supplied. The town authorized the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company to hold a carnival during Pony Penning as a fund-raiser. Over 15 colts were sold that year to benefit the Fire Company, and the carnival was an overwhelming success. By 1937 the Penning drew an estimated crowd of 25,000, and the Fire Company was able to modernize their equipment and facilities. In 1947, the Company began building its own herd by purchasing from local owners. They moved the herd to Assateague where the government allowed publicly-owned herds to graze on the new Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. That same year, Marguerite Henry published Misty Of Chincoteague, a book that made Pony Penning internationally famous and is still enjoyed by new generations to this day.

Purchase a print of the Chincoteague Pony by clicking the above image!

 

Pony Penning is still held annually in July during the Volunteer Fireman’s Carvival. “Salt Water Cowboys” herd the horses across the Assateague Channel at low tide and the horses are then given a vet examination. After a rest, the ponies are herded through the town to a corral at the carnival grounds, and the auction takes place the next day. The Pony Auction provides revenue for the Fire Company, while also trimming the herd’s numbers down to the number allowed by the grazing permit. 

Assateague Island is a harsh environment for the ponies and their diet is limited. They have adapted to the diet over hundreds of years. Chincoteague Ponies average between 12 and 13 hands in height. They are stocky, have short legs and thick manes. 

I read Misty Of Chincoteague countless times as a child, and two of the three Breyer horses I ever owned when I was younger were Misty and her foal, Stormy. I still have these Breyer horses, in fact, and they are displayed on a shelf in my office! I have always wanted to go to Pony Penning, but despite growing up in Maryland I have never been to Chincoteague. I hope to be able to go one day. The Chincoteague Pony piece in the Horses of the World series was definitely inspired by my love of Misty Of Chincoteague and my fascination with the horses that were shipwrecked, adapted, and then became famous all over the world.

Research for this blog post came from Chincoteague.com

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The Most Famous Gentle Giants in the World Were Nearly Wiped Out In World War I – Meet the Clydesdale Draft Horse

Clydesdale horses typically are between 16 hands (64 inches) and 18 hands (72 inches) at the shoulder, and can range anywhere from 1,600 to 2,400 pounds. Despite their imposing size, they generally have a calm temperament and are very gentle, earning them the nickname of “Gentle Giants”.

I absolutely love Clydesdales. They are one of my favorite breeds, probably from seeing Budweiser commercials and also going to Busch Gardens on a yearly basis as a child. In fact, I have a photo of me from roughly 9-10 years old, at Busch Gardens, with a Clydesdale that I was undoubtedly delighted to be so close to. I’ve just had a life-long fascination with these big draft horses! So adding them to the Horses of the World series of art was a no-brainer for me. Normally I don’t like drawing tack, but it felt like not including a harness and putting the Clydesdale in all its finery would do a disservice to this breed that is so famous for being a carriage horse.

Like the other horses in this series, the black outlines were done with India Ink in a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen (a brush pen with bristles like a real brush, but with the convenience of a pen! Plus it’s refillable, so it’s a little more eco-friendly than buying a new pen every time I run out of ink. You can buy one from this affiliate link if you’re looking for an amazing pen for art or hand lettering!). Coloring was then added with Copic markers and colored pencils. The white face marking on the horse was done with slightly watered-down white acrylic paint. I water the paint down slightly so that the map still shows through a little.

Keep reading after the photo for some more facts and history about the Clydesdale breed!

Purchase a Clydesdale Print by clicking the above photo

The River Clyde flows through what was once the Lanarkshire district of Scotland. This river is where the Clydesdale gets its name from. The breed was developed during the late 18th and early 19th century. The Clydesdale breed was first introduced to North America when Scottish settlers brought them to Canada, then they were introduced to the United States in the 1880’s. Clydesdales were used to plow fields, power machinery, pull wagons, and any other task that required a horse with great strength and high endurance. 

Clydesdales nearly went extinct when powered machinery began replacing heavy horses in both agriculture and industry. The horses were also taken for use in World War I, which contributed to their declining numbers. To this day, they are still considered an “at-risk” breed, despite being highly recognizable and popular thanks to their fame as the breed that is used to pull the Budweiser wagons. The Clydesdale has been used as a symbol for the brand since the end of Prohibition in the United States. The breeding program for the Budweiser Clydesdales, with its highly strict color and conformation standards, have influenced the look of the breed so heavily that most people believe all Clydesdales are bay with white markings. Clydesdales are usually bay, but can be black, grey, chestnut, or have a roaning pattern. 

The Clydesdale Horse Society was formed in 1877 as a breed registry. Breeders and enthusiasts work to ensure the survival of the Clydesdale. The United States has the largest number of Clydesdales currently, with around 600 new horses being registered each year. 

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What is the American Quarter Horse? A Versatile Breed Who Excels At Sprinting!

The Quarter horse is famous, to the point where it seems like even people who don’t know anything about horses knows about Quarter horses. The American Quarter Horse Association is the largest breed registry in the world. Because of their versatility for use in quarter horse racing, reining, showing, jumping, and more, they are an insanely well-known breed of horse! That’s why the Quarter Horse was one of the first 6 designs in the Horses Of The World series. I knew that I would have to have a Quarter horse in the line-up. When I think of the Quarter Horse, I think of a palomino with a cowboy on her back, heading out across the American plains. This is the only piece in this series that I added extra designs to. At the time, I felt like the water area of the map was just so empty, so I added some Western-style flowers. 

This piece was done with India Ink, Copic markers, and colored pencils. A small amount of watered-down white acrylic paint was added for the white markings and mane on the horse. After doing the Arabian and Appaloosa, I realized that I needed to water down any paint that I used on these so that the paint wouldn’t completely cover the map areas. 

Keep reading to learn more about the history of the Quarter Horse!

Purchase Quarter Horse prints by clicking the photo above!

 

The American Quarter Horse gets its name from its ability to sprint short distances. This breed gets its name from its ability to outrun other horses in a race of a quarter-mile or less. Some Quarter horses have been clocked at running speeds of up to 55 mph! The Quarter horse breed began in the 1600s, when colonists on the Eastern seaboard of North America started breeding imported Thoroughbreds horses with breeds like the Chickasaw horse, a breed that was developed by Native Americans from horses brought to the Americas by Conquistadors. One of the most famous of the imported Thoroughbreds that contributed to the Quarter Horse breed was Janus, who was foaled in 1746 and moved to Colonial Virginia in 1756. Janus’ genes were crucial to the development of the small, hardy, and quick “Famous American Quarter Running Horse.”

Flat racing became popular with colonists, leading to the growing popularity of the Quarter Horse. The courses in the colonial races were shorter than classic racecourses in England, and were often just a flat, straight stretch of road or open land. Put up against a Thoroughbred, the sprinting Quarter Horse often won in these short, fast races!

The American Quarter horse is the most popular breed in the United States today and has the largest breed registry in the world. Almost three-million American Quarter Horses were living and registered in 2014. Next to the American Quarter Horse Association, the second-largest registry of Quarters is in Brazil. The third-largest is in Australia.

Because of the compact body of the Quarter Horse, it is well suited for the quick and intricate maneuvers required of a horse involved in cutting, reining, calf roping, barrel racing, and other western riding events. Their athleticism is also useful in many English riding events, such as show jumping, dressage, and hunting. Quarter horses come in two types – the “stock” type and the “hunter” type. The stock horse is compact, shorter, stocky, and well-muscled but still agile. The hunter/racing type more closely resembles the Thoroughbred, with taller stature and smoother muscling.

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What is a Norwegian Fjord Horse?

I LOVE FJORD HORSES. There, I said it. I think they are just so darn cute. They are like a short draft, and I love it when people cut patterns into their manes to show off the black stripe down the center of them. So, when I started up the Horses of the World series, the Fjord was one of the first 6 designs I created. The black areas of the horse drawing are done with ink, and the colors are created with a combination of Copic markers and colored pencils. I chose a pose for this portrait that would have the map almost making a halo around the horse, making the illustrated animal fit in as neatly to these drawn countries as the real horses do into the culture of Norway. 

The Norwegian Fjord horse is a possible relative of the Przewalski Horse. Horses were known to exist in Norway at the end of the last Ice Age. The ancestors of the Fjord are believed to have migrated to Norway and were domesticated 4,000 years ago. The Fjord horse “type” has been selectively bred for at least 2,000 years, according to archaeological evidence found at Viking burial sites. Fjord horses have been used for everything from Viking war mounts to plow horses because of their strength and agility. 

The breed standard recognizes only four colors of Fjord, all of them some variation of dun. The prevalence of the dun gene provides the Fjord with their dorsal stripe and two-toned mane and tail. White markings are rare on Fjord horses. The Fjord is a good all-around horse. They are small enough and gentle enough to be ridden by children, but strong enough for pulling carts, farm work, or being ridden by adults. 

Click here to purchase a Fjord horse print!