There are many horse breeds (hundreds) but they all fall into one of three categories: warm blood, cold blood or hot blood.

The breeds making up the cold blood category originated mainly from Europe, where they were the result of breeding programs to produce horses that could work long hours each day, doing heavy work such as pulling plows, barges or carts. For these tasks there was little need for speed but they were required to have both strength and endurance. Consequently, these breeds developed with large muscular bodies, heavy bone structures and big joints. They also were bred to have a quiet and obedient nature, so that they would obey commands and work long hours without complaint and without risk of them spooking and running off. To deal with the cold winters, they had heavy coats and manes.

Hot bloods originated mainly from the middle-east and other warm climates, where they were used for racing and riding. Instead of the cold breed qualities of power and docility, the hot bloods were bred for speed or distance riding, so had lighter legs and bodies. Due to the warmth of their native climates, they had shorter hair in their coats, manes and tails. Likewise, their blood vessels are nearer the skin surface to allow heat to be dissipated better. In temperament they are energetic and spirited, with a desire to run. Perhaps the best known breeds in this category are the Arabian (ancestor of many modern hot blood breeds) and the Thoroughbred (also used as part of the breeding program for many other breeds).

The warm blood breeds (also known as warmbloods) are between the hot and cold bloods both physically and in terms of their nature. In fact, many of the warmblood breeds are the result of mating hot bloods and cold bloods to develop a new breed with the positive characteristics of both. Their build is athletic, providing both speed and endurance, but without the power of a cold breed or the pure speed of a hot blood. They have a calm nature and are generally intelligent, making they easily trainable for sports such as show jumping and dressage. Although bred for a variety of duties in the past (such as war horses and carriage horses), today they are mainly used for sport and pleasure riding. The Friesian and Hanoverian are examples of warm breeds

The categories cold, warm and hot has nothing to do with the temperature of the horses (all horses have a normal temperature of about 38C) or their blood. Instead, it refers to the origin of the breeds (cold or hot climates), their build (heavy or athletic) and their character (calm or spirited).

Over the past hundred years we've seen machines replace much of the functions of horses, with farm and other equipment taking over the function of cold bloods, while modern transport has taken over the traditional employment of warmbloods. Fortunately, sports and pleasure riding have grown to partly fill this gap, with different types of activities suited to each category. In addition, even for pleasure riding, the preferred horse type depends on what you want to do. For pure speed it is the hot blood, for complex sports such as show jumping it is the warmblood, while the cold blood's calm and reliable nature make it a favorite with many children and less confident adults.

As the owner of Horses For Sale Duber Stewart writes new articles weekly such as Warmblood and Cold Blood Horses and other horse related topics

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Written by Duber Stewart using tags: cold blood, cold blood horse, coldblood, coldblood horse, horse, horses, Pets, warm blood, warmblood, warmblood horse