The main breeds
There are a multitude of more or less ancient breeds of horses and ponies.
Find below the breeds classified by horse and by pony with their geographical origins and their specificities (whether it is the character or their area of expertise).
The main breeds of horses
FRENCH SADDLE PONY
Origins: France
A highly versatile pony capable of competing in show jumping, eventing, and dressage. It is also very practical and widely used for recreational riding and teaching.
WELSH COB
Origins: West Wales
This pony breed is used for both pleasure riding and competition.
SHETLAND PONY
Origins: Shetland Islands
A small pony around one meter tall, generally the favorite pony breed among children!
CONNEMARA PONY
Origins: Ireland
A compact yet athletic pony. Equally successful in show jumping, dressage, or eventing, the Connemara is also recognized for its gentle nature and practicality in riding schools.
NEW FOREST PONY
Origins: British Isles
Sturdy and elegant, the New Forest is a great sport pony suitable for both children and adults. It performs well in show jumping, dressage, eventing, driving, and polo.
HAFLINGER
Origins: Tyrol (Austria / Italy)
A pony breed characterized by its chestnut coat with flaxen mane and tail, strong musculature, and elegance. Used in many disciplines including driving, endurance, dressage, vaulting, and equine therapy.
MÉRENS PONY
Origins: France
A light, hardy draft pony with a black coat. It makes an excellent horse for trail riding, driving, and vaulting.
FJORD HORSE
Origins: Norway
Used in several disciplines such as TREC and driving. It is also one of the pony breeds favored for equine therapy due to its friendly and human-oriented nature.
The main breeds of ponies
SELLE FRANÇAIS
Origins: France
This horse excels today in the highest international competitions, both in show jumping and eventing. Well-balanced mentally, it embodies quiet strength. It is an intelligent, dynamic, and brave horse.
THE TROTTER
Origins: France
A horse renowned for its trotting abilities, both ridden and driven. Known for its good temperament, docility, and closeness to humans, it is versatile and adapts to all types of riders, from beginners to experienced ones.
THOROUGHBRED
Origins: Great Britain
A breed of riding horses bred for racing. They are delicate, spirited, and highly intelligent, but they also possess strong nervous energy that requires experienced handling.
ARABIAN HORSE
Origins: Near and Middle East
The Arabian horse is hardy, courageous, intelligent, and known for bonding closely with humans. Renowned for its endurance, its "hot-blooded" nature requires a delicate touch in handling and riding.
ANGLO-ARABIAN
Origins: France
The Anglo-Arabian is a balanced and generous horse suitable for all types of riders. It has a frank, willing, and responsive temperament, though it can sometimes show spirit or a strong personality. This breed excels in eventing.
IRISH COB
Origins: Great Britain / Ireland
Known for its gentle and docile nature, this breed was historically selected to be safely handled by young children. It remains powerful and intelligent.
PURE SPANISH HORSE (PRE)
Origins: Spain
Renowned as a noble and energetic yet calm and gentle horse, highly attentive at work. It has strong natural predispositions for dressage and High School classical riding.
CAMARGUE HORSE
Origins: France
A small, sturdy horse with a light grey coat, widely appreciated for its versatility. Generally calm and composed, it can display fiery spirit due to its semi-feral breeding conditions. It is also intelligent and highly enduring.
KWPN (DUTCH WARMBLOOD)
Origins: Netherlands
The KWPN dominates international competitions in show jumping, dressage, and eventing. It possesses an excellent temperament tailored for high-level competition: calm, willing, energetic, and close to humans.
APPALOOSA
Origins: United States
The Appaloosa is known as a hardy, docile horse with a level head and dependable temperament. Its endurance and agility make it a superb trail and outdoor riding horse.
HENSON
Origins: France
A calm, sociable, and confident horse. Thanks to its hardiness, the Henson is widely used in equestrian tourism as well as endurance riding, driving, and horse-ball.
FRIESIAN
Origins: Netherlands
An iconic show and cinema horse, the Friesian stands out with its black coat and proud baroque movement. Gentle, attentive, and generous, it is renowned for its strong bond with humans and eagerness to learn.
BWP (BELGIAN WARMBLOOD)
Origins: Belgium
A Belgian warmblood sport and riding horse. The BWP is straightforward and human-oriented. Though it can have a strong character, it remains a gentle, courageous, and willing horse built for competition.
QUARTER HORSE
Origins: United States
The Quarter Horse is calm, docile, adaptable, yet highly energetic. It is widely used in Western riding (reining, trail, barrel racing, cutting), ranch work, and trail riding.
LUSITANO
Origins: Portugal
Described as highly docile, generous, and enduring. Its maneuverability, agility, and flexibility are highly valued in dressage and High School classical riding. Its brave nature makes it an ideal mount for bullfighting.
HOLSTEINER
Origins: Germany
Features a calm, stable character and high intelligence. Powerful, sturdy, and resilient, this horse excels in show jumping, cross-country, dressage, and driving.