Name of breed: Comtois. Country of origin: France. Breed origin: The Comtois breed comes from the Jura Mountains on the French-Swiss border. In the 4th century, the Burgundians of northern Germany introduced a heavy type of horse known as the ‘German Breed’ to the French regions of Jura and Franche-Comte. Here they mixed with oriental […]

Name of breed: Oldenburg (also known as Oldenburger) Country of origin: Germany Breed origin: The Oldenburg is a warmblood breed that can be traced back to the 17th century in the German provinces of Oldenburg and East Friesland. Count Johan XVI of Oldenburg took a keen interest in horse breeding, producing fine war horses to […]

It’s become an iconic image in the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement: Bri Noble astride her Appaloosa, Dapper Dan, leading a protest with her fist high in the air after the murder of George Floyd. With Dapper Dan standing 17 hands high, Bri was literally someone to look up to at the Oakland protest and […]

Name of breed: South German Coldblood (German: Süddeutsches Kaltblut) Country of origin: Bavaria, Germany Breed origin: The South German Coldblood is a descendant of Austrian Noriker horses that were introduced to Bavaria, in southern Germany, in the 1800s. The Noriker is a fine draught horse, but breeders in Upper Bavaria wanted to create a different, […]

For globetrotters who have ridden The Patagonia Trail in Argentina or our safari ride in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, it’s common knowledge that guide Jakob von Plessen is a force of nature – a human whirlwind of charisma and courage with a penchant for sniffing out adventure. So it will come as no surprise to hear […]

Jenny Bright is one of a handful of globetrotters who have been lucky enough to visit the island of Sumba, Indonesia for the Pasola Festival and enjoy the many delights of this slice of paradise. Afterwards, she shared such brilliant feedback with us that we HAD to share it with you! Check it out below. […]

Name of breed: Retuerta (Spanish: Caballo de las Retuertas) Country of origin: Spain Breed origin: The Retuerta horse is named after the ‘retuertas’, flooded, sandy areas where animals come to drink in what is now Doñana National Park. This region of Spain is the homeland of the Retuerta, but it is believed to have roamed […]

In the Soma district of Fukushima Prefecture, a famous horse breeding region in Japan, a festival called Soma Nomaoi has been celebrated since ancient times. It’s said to have originated in the early 10th century as a series of military exercises undertaken by the samurai of the Soma Clan. Even today, the role of ‘Supreme […]

Name of breed: Estonian Native horse, also called the Estonian horse or the Estonian Klepper Country of origin: Estonia Breed origin: There are no prizes for guessing that the Estonian Native horse is a breed native to Estonia! In fact, its ancestors are believed to have lived in this part of Europe for at least […]

 Jean-François Pignon is a famous horseman, often called a horse whisperer, whose liberty training and performances have made him a household name among European equestrians. We wanted to share the above video with you all, globetrotters, because it reminded us exactly why we love these animals so very much – and why there really […]

Name of breed: Bavarian Warmblood, or Bayerisches Warmblut Country of origin: Germany Breed origin: The Bavarian Warmblood developed from an ancient Bavarian breed called the Rottaler. The best Rottalers were calm, substantial, all-purpose horses used for everything from carriage driving to plowing to riding. A registry for Rottalers was founded in 1907, but when the […]

Name of breed: Falabella Miniature Horse, or simply Falabella Country of origin: Argentina Breed origin: The ancestors of the Falabella are believed to have been brought to Latin America by the Spaniards, eventually forming large wild herds that roamed the vast pampas and in turn gave rise to various breeds including the Criollo. Shaped by natural […]

The Royal Windsor Horse Show was scheduled to take over the grounds of Windsor Castle from the 13th to the 17th of May, but due to COVID-19, it had to be cancelled. It’s a familiar story to equestrians all over the globe, with competitions and shows cancelled across all disciplines and horses and riders left […]

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 […]