Breeds of Horses - s

The first horses on Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada were brought to the island during the late 1700s. Many people believe that they arrived on the island from many shipwrecks. However, this romantic notion is false - they were in fact intentionally left on Sable to graze and multiply, and were most likely seized from Acadians during their expulsion from Nova Scotia at the hands of the British. Although often referred to a ...

The true Salernitano horse originated from the plain lying between the Sele and the Calore (Salerno - Campania). But, as well as this breed, another type was also raised, which came to be known as the “razza governativa di Persano” (the ruling breed of Persano).  

Established in 1762 by the Bourbon king, Charles III, it was the result of crossing mares of largely eastern origin with Andalusian Arab stallions In 1874 the governm ...

The Salerno, or Salernitano, horse is a saddle-horse, originally from the plains of Battipaglia, Eboli and Paestum, in the province of Salerno (Campania). It is a very ancient breed, which was improved during the period of Spanish domination by crossing it with Andalusian and Oriental horses. It has also been used to improve Russian breeding stock. The Salernitano horse was once used by the army. In the second half of the nineteenth century ...

Samolaco are a rare breed of horse originating from Valchiavenna and Valtellina, in Lombardy, northern Italy. They get their name from the town of Samolaco, near Chiavenna in the province of Sondrio. They are gravely endangered; however, they are not among the fifteen indigenous horse "breeds of limited distribution" recognized by the AIA, the Italian breeders' association. The population is listed in DAD-IS as over 12 in 1994, and under 10 ...

Sandalwood Ponies originated in Indonesia, on the Sumba and Sumbawa Islands. They are named after the Sandalwood trees, which are a major export of the country. Sandalwood ponies are one of the finest in the country, partly due to the great amount of Arabian blood. They are very nice children's ponies. Sandalwood Ponies have been exported to Australia and other Southeast Asian countries for use as racing ponies. They have been crossed with ...

The Sanfratellano dei Nebrodi, or San Fratello, horse is an Italian breed originating in Messina (Sicily).

The account of its origins is of great historical and sociological interest. It was not a “padronal breed”, raised by a noble or baronial family enjoying ascendancy during a certain historical period, but rather a population of horses connected to the people and history of a particular part of Sicily. Today, as 1000 years ago ...

Sanhe means three rivers in Chinese. Where these three rivers meet is some of the best forage or grassland in all of China. Sanhe horses are found in the northeast of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and are used mainly for riding and pulling loads or carting. They are considered the most developed of the Chinese horse breeds.    

During the Liao dynasty, about 1000 AD, the region was known for the quality of its horses, ...

Sarcidano Horses ( orCavallo del Sarcidano) are a rare breed of semi-feral horse originating from the Altopiano del Sarcidano ("plateau of Sarcidano") in the commune of Laconi in the Oristano province of Sardinia, Italy. They are one of the fifteen indigenous horse "breeds of limited distribution" recognized by the AIA, the Italian breeders' association. Although they should never exceed 148 cm (14.2 hands) at the withers, they are official ...

Schleswig (also known as Schleswiger Heavy Draft, or Schleswiger Kaltblut) horses are from the Duchy of Schleswig, Germany. They are thought to be the origin of the Schleseiger Draft Horse along with the Jutland Heavy Draft Horse. Although not a certainty, the Schleswiger Heavy Draft's ancestors not only worked in agriculture tilling and pulling, but the Schleswigers probably descended from the large war horses of the Middle Ages.  
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See Black Forest Horse. 

Sella Italiano horses were developed in Italy. The Italian Government has passed a law that created a stud book for the new breed. The breed is blending the remnant indigenous Italian breeds of Maremmano, Salernitano, and Persano horses with Anglo Arabo Sardo, Purosangue Orientale, Arabian and Thoroughbreds. The progeny of said horses can be registered as Sella Italiano if they can pass a “performance test”. Furthermore, the stud book is op ...

Selle Francais horses comes from France, where they are popular as a racing horse and have an incredible ability for high jumping. One in particular, the Selle Francais Baloubet De Rouet, was the winner of three World Show Jumping Championships. Over time they have been cross-bred Norfolk Trotters and English Thoroughbreds. Anglo Norman horses and French Trotters were the result of all some of the breeding. Over time various styles of the Se ...

Senner, or Senne, horses are a critically-endangered German riding horse. They are believed to be the oldest saddle-horse breed in Germany, and are documented at least as far back as 1160. They are named for the Senne, a natural region of dunes and moorland in Nordrhein-Westfalen, in western Germany, and live in feral herds there and in the Teutoburger Forest to the east.  

Senner horses were bred principally as a riding horse, ...

Shagya Arabian horses were developed in the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the 19th century at the Bábolna, Mezohegyes, Radautz, Piber, and Topolcianky stud ranches. Today can be found in Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Poland, and Czech Republic.  

Shagya Arab horses originated in Hungary and were developed to create a much taller and sleeker version of the traditional Arab styles. One of the major founding sires was ...

Shetland Ponies are the smallest of the British breeds, and unlike other pony breeds, do not increase in height when bred on more favorable land and in a milder climate.

The early 1800s saw a demand for this breed from outside the Shetland Islands (Scotland) where it developed initially this was mainly for circus animals and children’s ponies. However, with the abolition of child labor in the coal mines demand grew even further an ...

Shire Horses are the largest – and among the oldest – of the British horse breeds. Among its ancestors were the chariot horses of the Britons – described and admired greatly by Julius Caesar two thousand years ago.

For centuries its primary role was as a War Horse (its original name). It has also been known as the Great Horse and the Strong Horse.

Strengthened by crossing with horses imported from Europe (e.g. Friesian H ...

Hailing from eastern Sicily, the Sicilian horse might not be a "purebred" in the strictest sense, but its beauty and diversity are undeniable. Experts debate its purity, highlighting its clear oriental influences, particularly evident in the eastern part of the island where horses boast lighter builds and longer bodies. The interior regions, however, showcase a more muscular physique, sometimes exhibiting irregularities.

While captivat ...

Silesian (or Kon slaski, or Slunski kun) horses are warmblooded horses from the area of historic Silesia, which lies mostly within modern Poland. They are the heaviest of the Polish warmblood breeds, and have been influenced mainly by Thoroughbred and Oldenburg horses, and partly by East Friesian and German halfbreds. The Oldenburg influence was particularly pronounced after World War II, when imported stallions were used to keep the breed ...

Single footing horses come in many varieties, sizes, colors and coat patterns. They must be of good temperament, willing, have endurance, easy to train, have good gait, and be smooth at all speeds of gait. They are a light breed with a solid conformation. They must be able to perform an even 4-beat gait. Some are able to reach speeds of up to 20 mph. At the fastest speeds these horses will be traveling with one foot on the ground at a time, ...

Skyros Ponies are believed to be descended from horses brought to the island of Skyros during the 5th to 8th centuries BCE by Athenian colonists. It is possible that they were used by Alexander the Great in his conquests, and also possible that they are the horses depicted in the friezes of the Parthenon.  

They developed mainly as semi-feral horses in the mountainous area on the southern part of the island, although individual ...

Slovak Sport Ponies are raised in the areas of Vel'ké Pole and Nitra, Slovakia, and were developed from Thoroughbred, Arabian and Slovak Warmblood breeds crossed with Welsh and German riding ponies.  

A genealogical record was established in 1984. They are mainly gray and sometimes black. Adult males and females weigh on average 354 kg and 248 kg with a height at the cross of 143 cm and 140 cm respectively. They are on average 13. ...

Sokolsky, or Sokolka, horses originated in Poland. They are used for heavy draft and farm work, and are a tough breed with great stamina.  

Sokolsky horses were developed in the 1900s, and has been heavily influenced by Belgian, Ardennes, Norfolk, Dole/Gudbrandsdal, and Anglo-Norman stock. The result of this breeding is a heavy draft horse that is not excessively large, with stamina, toughness, and good gaits.    

S ...

Somali Ponies are from Somalia in East Africa. They are genetically horses but are considered Ponies because they are pony sized (only 13-13 1/2 hh). The severe climate and poor food sources, in Somalia, have contributed to their smaller size. They are bred by most tribes excluding the Esa and Géri. The Dolbanhanta tribe is the breeder of Somali ponies.    

They have heavy heads, short, thick necks, with inharmonious conform ...

Sorraia horses come from Portugal and Spain. They received their name from where they where originally bred: the Raia and the Sor rivers that flow between Spain and Portugal. They were initially utilized for herding bulls all over Iberia. They look similar to Przewalski’s horse or Tarpan horses, and are often mistaken for them. They are found all along the Iberian Peninsula. Many experts have taken into account that these Sorraia horses coul ...

South German coldblood, or Suddeutsches Kaltblut, Horses are descended from the Austrian Noriker.

In the end of the 19th century the Noriker was introduced to Bavaria. Holstein and Oldenburg breeds were added to the breeding program in Upper Bavaria. In Lower Bavaria Oldenburg, Cleveland Bay, Clydesdales, and Belgian Draft Horses were used as outcrosses by those breeders. Over time the German breeders used the original Noriker blo ...

Soviet Heavy Draft horses originated in Russia at the end of the 19th century and became established by the 1940's. The need for a strong but relatively fast draft horse breed was recognized in Russia during the latter part of the 1800’s . The initial breeding took place at the Khrenov stud, and from there expanded to the Pochinkozsk stud.

They were created by crossing native mares with imported Belgian stallions. The native mares wer ...

Please see our description of Mustang horses

The modern day pure Spanish Horse is derived from very ancient horses whose body shapes are depicted in cave drawings from at least 5000 BC in both north-eastern and southern regions of Spain. Eventually predominating in the southern province of Andalucía, they became known as Andalusian horses. However, the authorities of the Spanish stud book now prefer them to be known as Pura Raza Española (P.R.E.) or Pure Spanish Horse. There are about ...

Spanish Barb horses originated in America. They are a cross between Barb and Andalusian horses. They are known to be extremely resilient, good riders, and possess an immaculate cow sense. Andalusian ancestry has given them good conformation and responsiveness.    

They average in the range of 13.3 to 15 hands high. They are found in bay, dark bay, and black, with grays appearing because of Andalusian influence. Their head is ...

The original Spanish Jennet was a type of horse more than a distinct breed, and became extinct. However there have been effort to recreate a colored variety of gaited horse that resembles the historical Jennet or "Spanish Jennet."  

The Jennet was a smooth-gaited type of horse popular in the Middle Ages, known for their presence, style and smooth ride. They were often ridden by European nobility. Some early Jennets sported pin ...

Spanish-Norman horses are considered to be an exclusive and rare breed. Genetically Spanish-Norman horses are a blending of Andalusian and Percheron horses. They are suited for many disciplines including fighting. They were used on the battlefields in Europe by noblemen.

In 1991 the Spanish-Norman Horse Registry was created to record the pedigrees of this special breed. The Registry was started by Allan and Linda Osterman Hamid of Ha ...

Spiti Ponies (also known as Chamurthi Ponies) are a gaited pony from India. They are indigenous to the Pin Valley which is found in a Buddhist tribal district called Spiti.  

Spiti is a unique and isolated area located in the state of Himachal Pradesh in north-western India, a high altitude desert which is closed off from the rest of the country for 6 months of the year by snow on the high passes which access this region. To t ...

Sport ponies have been enjoyed for hundreds of years in Europe and their stock gradually made it’s way to North America.

Through the years, American’s started their own breeding programs to further enhance and promote them. In 1981 a North American Sport Pony Registry was initially founded as a division of the American Warmblood Registry. However by 1997 the number and quality of the ponies being produced in America was large enou ...

Spotted Saddle are light riding horses from the United States. They were developed from small gaited pinto ponies of Spanish ancestry. These were crossed with larger American breeds such as the Morgan and Standardbred, developed after the American Revolution, to increase size while retaining coloration and the desired gait. After the American Civil War, additional gaited blood was added, with contributing breeds including the Tennessee Walk ...

Spotted Saddle are light riding horses from the United States. They were developed from small gaited pinto ponies of Spanish ancestry. These were crossed with larger American breeds such as the Morgan and Standardbred, developed after the American Revolution, to increase size while retaining coloration and the desired gait. After the American Civil War, additional gaited blood was added, with contributing breeds including the Tennessee Walk ...

Suffolk Punch horses have a long and well-established history as a draught animal of English origin. Arthur Young, one of the earliest writers on British livestock, and who himself came from Suffolk, was the first to refer, in 1771, to the area’s 'noble breed of horfes', as a distinct breed. He noted that even in his childhood (he was born in 1741) the Suffolk was referred to as ‘The Old Breed.’ It is almost certainly the oldest existing pur ...

Swedish Ardennes horses were developed in Sweden when the Count C.G. Wrangle brought large Ardennes horses to the country in 1872. By 1880 most parts of south and central Sweden had imported or crossed Ardennes. These heavier horses were bred with the horse of the Swedish countryside. The resulting horse was very mobile and marked by longevity. So successful was the breeding effort that a stud book was opened in 1901.  

For years, ...

Swedish Warmblood horses were developed at Stromsholm and Flyinge. They are descended from imported stock in the 17th century from Denmark, Germany, England, Hungary, France, Russia, Spain, and Turkey. These horses were extraordinarily varied, but along the way became the Swedish Warmblood.

The decade from 1920 to 1930 was an important decade in the development of the breed. The three most noticeable influences on the breed were Trib ...