Mythology gave us Pegasus and Unicorns. And when a man domesticated a horse, he hardly thought about the beauty of this hardy and strong creature. However, both horses and people have come a long way together, and these faithful four-legged friends began to be appreciated not only for physical strength, but also for grace and become.
Today we will show you photos of the most beautiful horses in the world and tell you interesting facts about each of the breeds.
30. Appaloosa Horse
Bred by the non-Persian Indians in the United States, this beautiful horse breed is known for its leopard spots. Moreover, they are found not only on the wool, like in other forelock horses, but also on the skin, on some parts of the body, such as the muzzle and places near the eyes and thighs.
29. Andalusian horse
This breed is also called the Purebred Spanish Royal Horse or Pura Raza Espanola. The favorite horses of the Spanish nobility have features that distinguish them from their relatives - elegant lush manes and tails.
And Spanish royal horses are easy to recognize by their very high-set neck with a developed crest, which gives these beautiful animals a special majesty.
28. Knabstrupper Horse
Another beautiful and unusual horse breed with a wide variety of spots. There are also leopard and black-backed and marbled and trout Knabstruppers. With its spots, this breed is similar to the Appalusian horses, but the Knabstruppers were bred not in the USA, but in Denmark. And, unlike the Appaloosa, where spots are confined to one part of the body, Danish horses have spots all over the place.
The good temper and submissiveness of the Knabstrupper breed makes them ideal candidates for circus performances or equestrian sports.
27. Gypsy Harness Horse (Tinker, Irish Cob)
Some of the most beautiful horses were bred by gypsies who traveled around England and Ireland. These tough, unpretentious and phlegmatic animals usually have lush tufts of hair on the lower legs, which gives them a very cute look.
Gypsy draft horses are still used by the British Army Cavalry Regiment, under saddle for drummers.
26. Black Forest Horse
As the name of this breed suggests, it was developed in the German region of the Black Forest, or Black Forest. Strong, good-natured heavy horses helped German lumberjacks to haul huge logs.
25. Marwar horse
“I am listening to you attentively,” as if the Marvar horse tells us.A characteristic feature of this breed is the tips of the ears, which are carefully raised inward, curved inward.
For a long time, these handsome men were forbidden to be exported outside the country, but since 2008, the Indian government has made a relief and in small quantities has been issuing visas allowing the export of Marwari abroad.
24. Norwegian Fjord Horse
These pony horses are bred in the mountains of Western Norway. Despite their small stature, fjord horses are very strong, because they were once the combat companions of the Vikings. And now they are equally good under the saddle and in harness.
The docile and friendly nature of these "yellow horses" allows them to be actively used in hippotherapy and in children's equestrian schools.
23. Friesian horse
One of the most beautiful animals in the world looks very graceful despite its massive size. He has a very strong, muscular body, beautiful and thick mane and tail, and thick hair (friezes) on the lower legs. The most beautiful horse of this breed is named Frederick the Great in honor of the king of Prussia.
For its completely black color, the Friesian horse has earned the nickname "Black Pearl".
22. Haflinger
These little "sunny horses", so nicknamed for their beautiful golden color, have a sturdy build and can carry very heavy loads. They are also very hardy and able to travel for a long time on winding mountain trails. The lush white mane and beautiful tail look very impressive and immediately distinguish the halflinger horses from among their not so beautiful brothers.
21. Hanoverian horse
It is the most abundant half-bred breed in Europe. Representatives of the breed can be seen at the Olympic Games and in other equestrian competitions. The Hanoverians are an elegant, strong and sturdy breed for dressage, circus performances, hunting and horse riding.
Hanoverian foals are marked with a special sign to show that they belong to the given breed.
20. Arabian horse
Thoroughbred Arabian horses are one of the most ancient and noble oriental horse breeds. According to one of the legends, they were created from the wind by the Almighty himself.
Arabian horses are distinguished by a lean build, a long, curved neck, a long, straight croup and a high tail. They are known to be very empathetic, intelligent and energetic animals.
Most modern horse breeds have one of the ancestors of the Arabian horse.
19. Mustang
Mustangs are often called wild horses, but because their ancestors are domesticated horses, they are classified as feral domestic horses. These proud horses are hot-tempered, fast and very hardy. Books have been written about them, films and cartoons have been made, for example, the stories “The Headless Horseman”, “The Mustang Pacing” and the animated film “Spirit: Stallion of the Prairie”.
18. Oryol trotting horse
The pride of Russian horse breeding is named after Count Alexei Orlov, who selected the best horses from several breeds, including Arabian, Dutch and Danish, to create this breed. Oryol trotters are hardy, graceful, very intelligent and versatile in use. They are distinguished by a hereditarily fixed ability to run at a fast, stable trot.
17. Don horse
The famous Russian horse breed was bred by the Don Cossacks in the 18th century. Its ancestors were steppe horses, which were crossed with Turkmen, Turkish and Persian stallions.
Slender and long-legged Donchaks cannot boast of the same lush mane or friezes as their foreign counterparts. However, in terms of speed, they will give odds to most other breeds.
16. Russian riding horse (Orlovo-Rostopchinskaya)
Looking at photos and videos of some of the most beautiful horses in the world, you can confuse them with Arabian horses because of the graceful structure of Russian riding. In these large and stately animals, Arabian blood really flows, and also English (from a thoroughbred horse), Trakehner and Akhal-Teke.And from all the ancestors the Russian horse took all the best, distinguished by good nature and wonderful light movements.
15. Tersk horse
One of the young Russian breeds received official recognition only in 1948. The exterior of the Terek horses is similar to the Arabian horses, but the Terek horses are longer and larger animals.
Light gray color with a beautiful silver tint, smooth movement, beautiful figure and exceptional kindness - these are the characteristic features of the majority of the Terek breed.
14. Percheron horse
A French horse breed that is distinguished by its power and speed. Horseback riding on the Percheron is a pleasure, as these tall handsome men walk very gently.
Fun Fact: Most of the horses in Disneyland Paris are Percherons.
13. Falabella
The smallest and perhaps the cutest horses in the world. This breed was bred in Argentina and named after the Falabella family, who have devoted many years to breeding miniature horses. Of course, riding such a horse will not work (the growth of the largest representative of the breed reaches only 75 cm, weight - 60 kg). Falabella are used as pets and decorative horses, they are easy to train, obedient and playful.
12. Icelandic horse
Although the Icelandic horse looks like a pony, it does not belong to this subspecies. This small horse with a beautiful and long mane has a friendly and calm disposition. In the 9-10th centuries AD, the Icelandic horse was brought to the island by the Vikings, and since there was little space on the drakkars, preference was given only to undersized "compact" animals.
Iceland has a law that says that when an Icelandic horse goes to another country, it is not allowed to return. This is done to prevent disease.
11. Missouri foxtrotter
This is a horse breed bred in Missouri. It is characterized by a muscular body, a strong physique and the ability to walk in a special gait - "fox trot" or "foxtrot", while the front legs of the horse move at a pace, and the hind legs - at a trot.
10. Morgan's horse
One of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Its representatives are valued because they can easily learn different types of gait. The Morgan horse has a muscular compact body with a well arched neck and a neat head, as well as a high tail.
The first horse of this color was called "Figure", and since it belonged to a man named Justin Morgan, the breed was given his name.
9. Scottish cold-blooded horse (Cleydesdale)
These majestic horses have a thick white pile on the lower legs that develops beautifully as they run. Especially when Cleydesdal is running in a team.
8. Oldenburg horse
Initially, this breed could not be called very beautiful, because it was bred for agricultural work, and the creators valued strength and endurance more than external qualities.
However, over time, Oldenburg horses have become more graceful and can now become an adornment of any stable.
7. Andravid horse
Large, powerful Andravids have long been bred in Greece, but the origin of this breed is shrouded in mystery, given the few local "horse resources". Andravid horses were widely used in the Greek army as well as for agricultural work.
Today, representatives of the breed participate in equestrian sports and equestrian tourism. They are docile, good-natured, and great for beginners learning the basics of horse handling.
6. Menorca horse
The pitch-black stallion rears up - this is what a monument could be erected to the Menorah horse, a child of the island of Menorca. These proud, graceful animals were never used for agricultural work, a Balearic donkey coped with this thankless job instead.
5. Anglo-Norman horse
Strong, hardy children of the local Norman breed and the "alien" English thoroughbred and half-blooded are good for their versatility. They are suitable under the saddle, and are not bad in harness, and are suitable for driving.
4. Thoroughbred riding horse
And these four-legged ladies were bred in England and were originally called English racehorses. Their agility is admired by everyone who is fond of horse racing. For this breed, a gallop at a speed of 1 kilometer per minute is considered the norm.
3. American paint horse
American Paint Horse is translated from English as "American painted horse". Indeed, if you look at the photos of some of the most beautiful horses, you might think that they were painted by some playful spirit of nature. A distinctive feature of the American pace horse is a piebald suit of any type.
2. Connemara pony
These are the tallest pony horses. And at the same time and the only national breed of Ireland. According to legend, the Connemara ponies are the fruit of the love of horses, transported by the Spanish Invincible Armada, which sank off the coast of Connemara in 1588, and local wild ponies. The long, bushy tail and soft, shiny mane of these beautiful creatures are especially beautiful.
1. Akhal-Teke horse
They are the most beautiful horses in the world, also known as "golden horses" because of their unusual and shiny color. For 5 thousand years, Akhal-Teke horses have not interbred with other breeds and are still the standard of a riding horse.
Apart from the metallic sheen of the coat, this horse breed is known for its intelligence, speed and endurance, as well as its ability to adapt to almost any weather. Due to the extraordinary leanness of the noble Akhal-Teke people, they are compared with greyhounds and cheetahs.
The Akhal-Teke horse is the pride of Turkmenistan and is even present on the state emblem of this country.