Since ancient times, people have revered and sung about horses. Many love them for their beauty and complaisant disposition, others value them for their nobility. Simple villagers use them as helpers in hard work, and the rich get horses to emphasize their status. Today it is considered prestigious to have an expensive horse. Rare breeds of horses are sold at auctions for a lot of money.
Akhal-Teke rare breed
The rarest horse breeds in the world
Horses that are on the verge of extinction are included in the rating of the rarest breeds. Basically, these are ancient breed lines. This list can also include animals that have preserved the purity of blood to this day. Rich people are ready to shell out a fortune in order to become the owners of a rare breed stallion.
Akhalteke
This breed is known worldwide for its speed, grace, beauty and intelligence. It is considered one of the most ancient on earth. Their ancestors lived over 3000 years ago. In the writings of Herodotus, references to this breed were found. Some believe that the Akhal-Teke is a direct descendant of the Turkmen horses, which have long since died out.
The Akhal-Teke breed of horses is distinguished by its ability to adapt to the harsh climate and its proud disposition. She is very beautiful and well built. Modern representatives of the breed line have a wide range of coat colors. One of the most beautiful colors is Isabella. Akhal-Teke stallions were presented to high-ranking officials and heads of state, this was considered a sign of the greatest respect.
Sorrayya
This is a very ancient breed of horses, its homeland is the Iberian Peninsula, the region of the Sorraia River, which flows in Portugal, hence its name. The locals used to call these horses “zebra” because the little foals have striped coats.
Sorraya horses lived in the wild until 1920, until one zoologist discovered a herd right in the middle of the European continent. No one could believe that the Sorraya horses remained unknown for such a long time and lived isolated from people in the wild until the beginning of the 21st century. Now on earth there are about 200 individuals belonging to this breed line. Work is underway to increase the number and conservation of these animals.
Sorraya horses
Falabella
This rare breed was bred by a farmer from Argentina in the mid-19th century. Quite often, its representatives are confused with ponies, although the Falabella is not classified in this category. She is a cross between a horse and a pony. Falabella is a carrier of a dominant gene, which, when crossed with stallions of standard sizes, leads to the birth of offspring that are short in stature.
Attention! The growth of an adult is 60β75 cm, sometimes there are specimens below 40 cm. The weight of a Falabella horse is 30β60 kg.
This breed is now popular in European countries. Small animals are used in the entertainment industry. They get along great with small children.
Newfoundland pony
These small horses come from the island of Newfoundland, and horses once brought from the British Isles are considered their ancestors. The growth of an adult does not exceed 140 cm. Animals have been used by local residents for several centuries to perform agricultural work. They are smart, obedient, strong and hardy.
Attention! Today, the population of Newfoundland ponies does not exceed 400 animals. The breed is recognized as a national treasure of the country and is listed in the Red Book of Canada as an endangered species.
Horse breed Newfoundland pony
Caspian
This breed is bred in Iran. According to hippologists, this is one of the oldest horses, drawings with its image date back to 3400 BC. e. A characteristic feature of animals is short stature, but their physique has the correct proportions, unlike ponies.
This breed line was thought to be extinct until a herd of wild horses was discovered in northern Iran in 1965. Having studied the anatomical features of these animals, scientists were able to establish a relationship between them and their ancient Persian ancestors.
Cleveland
This breed line was bred in England, in its veins the blood of extinct Chapman horses, English draft horses, Arabian and English Thoroughbreds flows. The Second World War caused serious damage to this breed, the breeding stock was barely saved. Now intensive work is underway aimed at restoring the number of livestock.
Today, Cleveland horses are used in equestrian sports. They are represented exclusively by the bay suit. Characteristic features of the breed:
- black color of the limbs;
- gray hair in mane and tail;
- long muscular body;
- deep chest;
- dry physique;
- height – 163β168 cm.
American cream
This rare horse breed is characterized by pink skin and blue or amber irises. Isabella is the most common color, but among the representatives of this population there are also albinos.
American cream horse
This is the only heavy draft horse bred by the Americans.. Her ancestors are Brabancons and Percherons. The breed acquired a characteristic coat color thanks to one mare, which was born at the beginning of the 20th century. After the First and Second World Wars, the number of livestock declined sharply, but enthusiastic breeders still managed to keep unusual horses.
Arabian Thoroughbred
The history of the Arabian horse goes back far into the past, according to experts, this breed already existed in the 6th century BC. e., as evidenced by rock paintings. These animals are:
- the ability to develop high speed;
- stamina;
- clear and stable gait;
- strong immunity.
The characteristic features of the Arabian horse are a pike profile and a high-set tail, which takes a vertical position while the horse is moving. The anatomical structure of the skeleton in these animals also has several features.
Attention! Arabian racehorses are not the rarest horses, but they have kept their bloodlines pure for thousands of years. Today, a huge amount of money is offered for a representative of this breed. It is not so easy to buy such a stallion.
The list of the rarest breeds of horses can include the German heavy draft, as well as the Hacknee. For most of the breed lines that are now trying to restore, the first and second world wars and the era of mechanization that followed these events became a turning point. Some breeds of horses have already disappeared from the face of the earth without a trace.
