Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses. Furthermore, modern breeding management and technologies can increase the rate of conception, a healthy pregnancy, and successful foaling.
Stallion checking a mare in estrus. The mare welcomes the stallion by lowering her rear and lifting her tail.
A mare in the early stages of labor
A foal with its mother, or dam
A stallion with a proven competition record is one criterion for being a suitable sire.
A horse breed is a selectively bred population of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a broader sense to define landrace animals of a common phenotype located within a limited geographic region, or even feral "breeds" that are naturally selected. Depending on definition, hundreds of "breeds" exist today, developed for many different uses. Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament: spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance; "cold bloods," such as draft horses and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work; and "warmbloods," developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods, often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe.
Illustration of horse breeds from Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (1890–1907)
Australian Stud Books from the 1990s
One volume of the 1873 American Stud Book
Mules with pack saddles during a demonstration (2014)