11 Beautiful Mixed Horse Breeds
Mixed Horse Breeds
What is often considered beautiful and attractive varies from person to person. However, if you ask us, any horse out there can easily count as beautiful. There are some horses that are more visual than others. Some of them are bred purely for their looks, while others were bred for practical purposes and experimental knowledge—but ended up being beautiful.
We'll take a look at some mixed-breed horses in this article that are surprisingly stunning. Some of these hybrids have specific names, because they are more popular. Others are somewhat obscure and do not have fixed names.
The 11 Most Beautiful Mixed Horse Breeds
Although Appendix is an odd name for a horse, it is simply a crossbreed between a quarter horse and a thoroughbred. Both these horses are quite famous, so this mixed breed is also quite popular. The American Appendix Horse Association recognizes this cross breed. They can be registered as an appendix horse as long as both their parents were registered.
This breed of horses is known for various traits. They are commonly used in competitive rodeo events, especially racing. They can also make decent overall mounts and good farm horses. They are relatively fast.
An appendix horse that performs well in competitions can be registered as a "complete" quarter horse with the American Quarter Horse Association. Technically, they will have registered on merit.
2. Arabian x Thoroughbred
This is another good breed mix. Considering that Thoroughbreds are so popular, it's not surprising that there are many mixed-breed parents on this list. They can be registered in the Arabic registry as long as they have at least 12.5% Arabic blood.
These horses are usually taller than purebred Arabians and are less "finish". Anglo-Arabs typically compete in show jumping and eventing. They are not as fast as their thoroughbred parents, and their stamina is not as prominent as their Arabian parents.
3. Araloosa
Aralussa is a cross between an Arabian and an Appaloosa. They are known for their unusual appearance. Typically, they inherit the spotted coat from the Appaloosa due to the patchy cheetah gene. Although their body types are more similar to Arabians.
This mixed breed excels in endurance events, as both parents have high endurance.
This horse can be registered as both the Appaloosa Horse Club & the Arabian Horse Association. In some cases, they may be registered as "Sportaloosa", meaning Appaloosa Sporthorse.
4. Morab
This mixed breed consists of an Arabian parent crossed with a Morgan. These horses are very sleek and elegant, which is one of the reasons why they are so beautiful. This horse specializes in trotting, which is its main purpose.
This crossbreed is one of the few that has a fixed history. It started in the 1950s when a Morab was bred and named Gold Dust. This stallion sired more than 300 foals, leading to the popularity of this mixed breed.
Today, this race is sometimes considered its own race, as opposed to mixed race. It depends on who you talk to. Most horse breeds were created by crossing horses. They eventually become their own race and are no longer called mixed race. This generation is at the peak of this development.
Either way, this breed is wonderful about everything. They can be used as farm horses and general riding horses. They are also great for driving, endurance, and trail riding.
There is a Moorab Association where these horses can be registered. Morab should not be more than 75% and not less than 25% Morgan or Arabica. In other words, they should be close to a 50/50 mix.
5. Irish Draft x Thoroughbred
Another thoroughbred mixed breed, this strong and beautiful horse is known as the Irish Sport Horse. Many people breed Thoroughbreds with Irish Drafts to improve the temperament of the Thoroughbred, as Irish Drafts are known for their excellent character. These horses are also quite strong and strong, as are both their parents.
Although these horses can be used for small farm work like their Irish Draft parents, they are mostly used as competition horses. Unlike most mixed horses, only one parent of an Irish Sport Horse needs to be registered to be registered.
6. Desert Norman Horse
This crossbred has one Arabian parent and one Persian parent. Since the Percheron is most likely descended from the Arabian horse, this mixed breed is very similar to both parents. It represents an older version of Percheron. They are often considered athletic, although they also have a very refined appearance—like their Arabian parents.
The Desert Norman Horse can compete in many different things. They are often seen in jumping competitions, although they are often used in driving. They can also be used for light farm work, although this is rare.
7. North American Spotted Draft Horse
The parentage of this horse is somewhat ambiguous. Unlike other horses, it is not descended from two different horses. Instead, they come from many different horses. A single North American Spotted Draft horse contains Percheron, Clydesdale, Shire, American Cream Draft, Suffolk Punch and a bit of Belgian.
Not all Spotted Draft horses have this parentage though. Technically, this breed can be any combination of draft horses. These are the spots that distinguish it as its own species. The appearance of this breed is important, as it is the only thing that separates it from other breeds.
The spotted draft horse was also popular in medieval times when it was used as a drum horse. However, in modern times there has been a movement to preserve this unique draft horse pattern, leading to the establishment of a registry.
8. National Show Horse
Although the breed has a slightly odd name, it is simply a cross between an American Saddlebred and an Arabian horse. This horse is called the "National Show Horse" because it was bred specifically to be a show horse. It performs well in many competitions for this reason.
These horses are very sophisticated and have excellent gaits, which is why they perform so well in various competitions. They are sometimes used as pleasure mounts and can make good train horses.
These horses must have at least 25% Arabian blood to be registered, although for obvious reasons they cannot be 100% Arabian. They must be Arabian, American Saddlebred, or National Show Horse only — no other breeds.
9. Welsh Pony vs. Arabian
This breed of horse is sometimes called a Velara, although this is rare, as it is somewhat full-mouthed. This is another species with a well-known history. It was first introduced by a breeder in England in the 1920s. This breeder was somewhat prominent, so the breed took off fairly quickly. It is often advertised as a good riding horse for children and young adults.
These horses have their own registry called the American Velara Pony Registry. To register with this organization, a horse must be some even mix of Welsh pony and Arabian, with no other breeds included.
There are some height recommendations, however, a horse can be registered even if he is outside of this height requirement. Mixed races can be registered as long as they are at least 50% Valara. It is called Velara Sport Pony.
A Warlander is almost any Iberian horse crossed with a Friesian. This type of mixing has probably been going on for a very long time. However, we cannot point to a single time when this generation first began.
These horses were "discovered" in the 1990s. They are excellent horses with a high level of intelligence, strength and flexibility. They are good at everything. For this reason, they are often referred to as "superhorses". Many breeders try to breed these horses for this reason.
These horses are highly rated for dressage. They are usually very people-oriented and trainable, so they excel in many different competitions.
11. Quarab
These horses are a mix between an Arabian and a Quarter Horse. These horse breeds animals often look very similar to their Arabian parents, as they are fine sleek and refined. However, they are better than the average Arabian at bridging and roping. The breed is primarily located in the western world, as it is a way of "westernizing" most of the Arabian horse.
These horses are most common in English events, such as dressage and similar events. However, these horses are not as common as the other mixed breeds on this list.