How many breeds of horses are there?

A. There are over 350 breeds of ponies and horses in the world today which fall into four major groups.

1. Light Horses - Horses with small bones and thin legs which weigh less than 1300 pounds. Some examples are: Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Morgans, Arabians, Saddlebreds and Tennessee Walkers.

2. Heavy Horses – Draft or large horses weighing up to 2000 pounds. They are strong with large bones and sturdy legs. Some examples are: Percherons, Clydesdale, Shire, Belgian and Suffolk horses.

3. Ponies – Ponies are not usually larger than 58 inches tall ( 14.2 hands and under) which makes them smaller than a horse. Some examples are: Shetland, Haflinger, Caspian, Fell, Fjord and Chincoteague ponies.

4. Feral Horses – Horses which are wild or semi-wild. A mustang is an example of a feral horse.