Some Unique Horse Breeds Which Are Going to Get Extinct If We Are Not Careful

There are certain horse breeds which are flourishing today but there a lot of breeds which are simply struggling to stay alive. Today there are a number of horse breeds which are categorized as endangered but fortunately there is some hope of keeping them alive. A lot of popular breeds of horses used to be endangered earlier also. We have seen several breeds recover in the last 50 years only. In this article, you will learn about some of the most seriously endangered horse breeds in the world today.

Although these horse breeds are currently endangered, we still have hope that they will make a full recovery as time goes on.

1. The American Cream breed: American cream breed horses are primarily draft horses. In fact, it is a draft horse which is completely native in the United States. The unique color that these horses have comes from the combination of champagne and some Cheshire genetics and not the possible dangerous totally white coat genetic combination. Only about 100 of American Cream horses survive today.

2. Suffolk horses: These are also drafting horses which are highly endangered. Today less than 1000 of these horses survive. These horses have a coat that is chestnut colored. Some have different shades of chestnut brown. It is a horse which was specifically bred to work in the farms. Suffolk is a region which has a lot of marshes and wetlands and this breed adapted itself to that condition successfully. Suffolk horses are not adapted for riding and driving purposes.

3. The Cleveland Bay horses: Cleveland Bay horses are perhaps the oldest and easily recognized breed of endangered horses. They also have a global population of around one thousand. These horses were used often for transporting various goods between different religious institutions. Currently, they are used as carriage horses, riding horses and are also used for competitive sports. These horses have an easy-going gait, they are sensitive, and they have dark brown and chestnut colored coats.

4. The Caspian Horses: These are Iranian horses. They almost became extinct during the 1960s. These horses are like miniature horses and are bigger than ponies. Their average height is around nine to ten hands. Horses of this breed will reach their final height in about six months after they are born. Persians used the Caspian horse for military purposes earlier. They are one of the unique breeds in the whole world.

5. The Exmoor Ponies: This horse breed has been the main foundational horse breed for a lot of pony breeds in today’s world. However, it has also become endangered. When World War 1 ended, there were lesser than just 50 horses of this breed in the world. The numbers of these horses are still limited and low. Currently, it is estimated that there are around two-thousand of these horses remaining in the world. Domesticated Exmoor Ponies are used to drive and ride.

6. Shire Horses: Shires are also draft horses. These were used originally to help with farming and other agricultural work. These horses made good war horses also because of their big size. They are strong also and could carry armed knights into battle easily. The population of these horses is about two thousand currently. But they can still be used for doing a lot of agricultural works. They are quite useful today in the forest industry.

7. Canadian Horses: The Canadian horse breed used to be one of the most popular horse breeds in the world in the mid-seventeenth century. These horses used to be exported throughout the world because they were so versatile. These horses were used s war horses; they were also good as farm horses. These horses were also used for driving and riding but could be used to other things also. It is because of this versatile nature that these horses became almost extinct. But in the last 50 years, there has been a lot of effort to conserve these horses.

8. The Dales Ponies: The Dales Pony is a breed that is quite hardy and is a native of England. These horses were used a lot in for mining. The numbers of these ponies have however reduced a lot since the 1950s. Today, around three thousand ponies of this breed survive only.

9. The Marsh Tackies: The marsh tacky breed is a native of South Carolina. This is a horse breed which originated from the time of the Spanish colonists during the mid-1550s. These horses are not too big, they are small and can be used to work in lowland swamps. Currently, there are not more than only 300 such horses exist in the world.

10. The Akhal Teke horses: This horse breed is most unique in the world because they have beautiful coats. These horses have a certain sheen which looks almost metallic when they are seen from far away. These horses are generally thin and lanky when compared to the other breeds. Their features are quite delicate and gorgeous.

11. Black Forest horse breeds: This breed of horses was developed basically in Germany in the Black Forest area. This breed is almost 600 years old. They are wonderful for helping with agricultural work. The breed has stopped being in popularity after industrialization. During the last 1970s, the number of these horses were no more than 200 throughout the world. Today, a lot of conservation agencies have come forward to look after their breeding proactively.

You can visit TVG if you want to learn more about endangered horse breeds and how you can help in conserving them by spreading awareness and giving personal donations.

Wrapping things up

Although it can seem improbable, there are a lot of horse breeds which are currently on the path to extinction. It is up to us to spread awareness to help them remain safe and to conserve them. Hopefully, the information mentioned in this article will have helped you.