2020 is shaping up to be the unofficial Year of the Armchair Traveller, so with that in mind, we asked our globetrotters for their recommendations on horse travel books to help tide us over until we can get back in the saddle on another horse riding holiday. The following true stories all come highly recommended, […]

Name of breed: Knabstrupper, or Knabstrup Country of origin: Denmark Breed origin: The Knabstrupper is believed to trace back to the prehistoric spotted horses that were native to what is now Spain. Cave paintings of horses with spots akin to the leopard patterning seen in many Knabstruppers have been discovered in these regions. However, the […]

Name of breed: Pottok, or Pottoka. Also known as the Basque Pony. Country of origin: The Basque Country in France and Spain Breed origin: The Pottok is native to the Basque Country in France and Spain and is one of the most ancient horse breeds in Europe, although its origins are the subject of much speculation. […]

Name of breed: Spanish Mustang, officially known as the Colonial Spanish Horse. Country of origin: United States Breed origin: Contrary to what its name implies, the Spanish Mustang (or Colonial Spanish Horse) is not a wild horse breed, nor is it very closely related to the Mustang. The Spanish Mustang is descended from various horse […]

Name of breed: Garrano Country of origin: Portugal Breed origin: This breed is so ancient that Northern Iberian Paleolithic cave paintings depict horses with a striking resemblance! During the most recent ice age, which ended about 10,000 years ago, many species of flora and fauna in northern Europe migrated south, where the climate was more […]

Name of breed: Black Forest Horse – in German, Schwarzwälder Kaltblut or Schwarzwälder Füchs Country of origin: Germany Breed origin: As the name suggests, the Black Forest Horse developed in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in Germany’s Baden-Württemberg region as far back as 600 years ago. Horse breeding in the area has been documented since the […]

Processions on horseback are traditional in many rural regions of Bavaria, Germany. Perhaps one of the most well known processions is the ‘Georgiritt’ – the Saint George Ride – in the city of Traunstein every Easter Monday. The earliest known record of this festival dates back to 1762, although it probably evolved from a medieval […]

Name of breed: Mérens, also known as the Ariégeois pony. Country of origin: Southern France (the Pyrenees and Ariégeois mountains) and Northern Spain (near Andorra) Breed origin: The Mérens horse is thought to have emerged in prehistoric times, although the early history of the breed remains a mystery. It could have come from the Iberian […]

Name of breed: Gypsy Horse (also called the Gypsy Cob, Gypsy Vanner, Irish Cob, Romany Tinker and Traditional Cob) Origin: Great Britain and Ireland Breed origin: The Gypsy Horse was originally bred by Irish Travellers and Great Britain’s Romani Travellers to pull the wagons in which they lived and travelled. These wagons, often known as […]

Name of breed: Colorado Ranger, or Rangerbred Country of origin: United States of America Breed origin: The Colorado Ranger is named for its homeland, the Colorado High Plains in the USA. The breed’s story begins in 1878, when General U.S. Grant visited Sultan Abdul Hamid of Turkey. As a token of their friendship, the Sultan […]

For the Tibetan people, horses are a significant part of their daily lives and culture. Multiple breeds (including the Tibetan pony and the Riwoche) have been developed to suit the various needs of the people, including food, riding, racing and load-bearing. For the Khampas, a nomadic group of Tibetans who still live more or less […]

Name of breed: Kazakh Horse Country of origin: Kazakhstan Breed origin: The Kazakh horse dates back at least as far as the 5th century, when it already had a large population. Its ancestors were wild horses of the steppe, but the breed was later refined and selectively bred by the Kazakh people, who primarily live […]

Name of breed: Aegidienberger Country of origin: Germany Breed origin: The Aegidienberger was developed in Germany by crossing the elegant Peruvian Paso with the the hardy Icelandic Horse. The first Aegidienberger was bred in the 1980s by a man named Walter Feldmann and his son, Walter Junior. The aim was to breed ‘a natural tölting […]

Name of breed: Marismeño Country of origin: Spain Breed origin: The Marismeño is an endangered breed, and one of the oldest in Europe. It is native to the marshlands of the Guadalquivir River in Andalusia, Spain. Current populations exist mostly within the Doñana National Park, a 543 km2 nature reserve of marshes, sand dunes and shallow […]

Yep, it’s as weird as it sounds – no, weirder, actually. The Welsh Christmas-time tradition of Mari Lwyd involves a hobby horse made by mounting a horse’s skull on a stick, with a white sheet decorated with ribbons and bells concealing the man beneath, who animates the horse. The Mari Lwyd, the white mare, is […]

Name of breed: Selle Français, also known as the Cheval de Selle Français Country of origin: France Breed origin: Like most warmblood horse breeds, the Selle Français was developed with a mixture of different and diverse breeds. In the 19th century, Norman breeders imported Thoroughbreds and Norfolk Trotters, crossing them with their native stock. These […]

If you are visiting Spain in May – maybe even to experience our rides in Andalusia or Catalonia, or the Dressage Ride – then you MUST visit the Jerez Horse Fair! This festival is an annual event in Andalusia, the southwest region of Spain, homeland of the gorgeous Andalusian horse. Thousands of visitors flock to […]

Name of breed: Dole, but it’s also known as the Dølehest, Dole Trotter, Dole Gudbrandsdal, Ostlandhester and Norwegian Trotter. Country of origin: Norway Breed origin: The Dole is the largest of Norway’s four native horse breeds. It originated in the Gudbrandsdal valley in the east of Norway and while organised breeding only began in the […]

Name of breed: Criollo, sometimes called the Argentine Criollo Country of origin: South America – Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay Breed origin: The Criollo is synonymous with the gaucho (the horseman and cowboy of the pampas) – the saying goes that a gaucho without a horse is the same as a man without legs. The Criollo’s […]

Name of breed: Dales Pony, or simply Dales Country of origin: United Kingdom Breed origin: A native mountain and moorland pony from the Yorkshire Dales of England, this breed was originally developed as a pack pony for the lead industry, which flourished in the region from Roman times until the mid-19th century. Teams of nine […]

Name of breed: Cleveland Bay Country of origin: England Breed origin: The Cleveland Bay is England’s oldest breed of horse, although the Cleveland Bay Horse Society and studbook was not formed until 1884. It is also the last remaining pure breed of warmblood! The origins of the Cleveland Bay predate any written records of its […]