Horses

Whether you’re looking for profit or just for pleasure, a horse will make a wonderful addition to a hobby farm. Not only are they majestic, horses can be a great asset to any hobby farm. As opposed to some other animals, horses will need quite a bit room – a mare and her foal will need around 1.75 to 2 acres, yearlings will need around 1.5 to 2 acres. If you don’t have that much room, though, exercise can be used in place of acreage.

Large acreage will provide one thing for horses though, food. Horses require both natural forage and feed. Mature horses typically need about 2 to 2.5% of their body weight in feed every day. So, a 1,000-pound horse will need approximately 20 to 25 pounds of feed on a daily basis. They also require a minimum of 1% of their body weight in pastures or hay daily. If you are keeping horses as a hobby and not for any show or breeding purposes, they can maintain a healthy diet on high-quality forage alone. However, if you are keeping horses for show, breeding, or work, they will need grains (or feed) as a supplement.

To ensure your horses are happy and healthy, a well-maintained pasture is necessary. High-quality forage will provide the best nutrients for horses and keep them healthy. Hay is also a necessity for horses. High quality hay will provide the majority of the nutrients your horse needs. You can either purchase hay or you can grow your own.

If you’re looking for a sport horse, some popular breeds are Andalusian, Friesian, Morgan, Palomino, Pinto, Spotted Saddle, and Thoroughbred. If you’re looking for an exhibition, you can choose an American Saddlebred, Arabian, Drum, Lusitano, Morgan, Racking, Saddlebred, and Tennessee Walking. For work horses, you can have a Belgian, Curly, Draft, Mustang, Percheron, and Pinto.

If you’re looking for an all-around horse, some breeds to consider are the American Quarter, Clydesdale, Fjord, Gypsy, Haflinger, Irish Sport, Morgan, Quarter, Standardbred, Warmblood, and Western Pleasure.

Whether you are planning on keeping horses for show, breeding, work, or simply for fun, a hobby farm would certainly not be complete with one!

Picture:Breed:
american-quarter-horseAmerican Quarter:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: work, sport, pets
Breed Note: Most popular breed of horse in the U.S
american-saddlebred-horseAmerican Saddlebred:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Exhibition, sport
Breed Note: weighing in between 1,000 to 2,000 pounds
andalusian-horseAndalusian:
Origin: Spain
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport
Breed Note: On occasion these horses can grow horns
appaloosa-horseAppaloosa:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport
Breed Note: Widely liked for its colorful spotted coat pattern
aqha-horseAqha:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport
Breed Note: One of the oldest recognized breeds originating in the U.S
arabian-horseArabian:
Origin: Arabian Peninsula
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, Exhibition
Breed Note: Have extreme stamina and excel in any activity of endurance
azteca-horseAzteca:
Origin: Mexico
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport
Breed Note: Males and females weigh 1,000 to 1,200 in maturity
belgian-horseBelgian:
Origin: Belgium
Coloring: White, chestnut, brown
Production: Work, exhibition
Breed Note: One of the strongest horse breeds
clydesdale-horseClydesdale:
Origin: Scotland
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Work, exhibition, pets
Breed Note: Can reach up to 2,200 pounds
curly-horseCurly:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Work, sports, pets
Breed Note: Known for their calm and friendly personality
draft-horseDraft:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: work, breeding
Breed Note: Because of their size and appetite is can be quite expensive to care for and feed them
drum-horseDrum:
Origin: Unknown
Coloring: Multiple
Production: exhibition
Breed Note: Used as a carrier of drums for show
fjord-horseFjord:
Origin: Norway
Coloring: Multiple
Production: work, pets, sport
Breed Note: one of the worlds oldest and purest breeds
friesian-horseFriesian:
Origin: Netherlands
Coloring: black, chestnut
Production: Sport, Exhibition
Breed Note: Noted for their dark black coat
gypsy-horseGypsy:
Origin: British Isles
Coloring: Multiple
Production: work, sports, exhibition
Breed Note: A decrease in height is a trend with this breed
haflinger-horseHaflinger:
Origin: Austria
Coloring: Multiple
Production: work, pets, sport
Breed Note: First breed to have been cloned
hanoverian-horseHanoverian:
Origin: Germany
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Show, exhibition
Breed Note: have genetic health concerns, although few
icelandic-horseIcelandic:
Origin: iceland
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, pets
Breed Note: Although the size of a pony, they are still called horses
irish-sport-horseIrish Sport:
Origin: Ireland
Coloring: Multiple
Production: work, sport, exhibition, pets
Breed Note: really excel in jumping
lipizzan-horseLipizzan:
Origin: Austria, Hungary
Coloring: Bay, black, gray, white
Production: Pets, exhibition
Breed Note: life expectancy of 30 to 35 years
lusitano-horseLusitano:
Origin: Portugal
Coloring: Gray, bay, chestnut
Production: Sport, Exhibition
Breed Note: Main and tail hair is extremely thick compared to other breeds
miniature-horseMiniature:
Origin: Europe
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Pets, exhibition
Breed Note: life span ranges from 25 to 35 years
morgan-horseMorgan:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, pets, exhibition
Breed Note: One of the earliest horse breeds in the u.s
mustang-horseMustang:
Origin: North America
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Working, riding
Breed Note: Can live up to 40 years old
paint-horsePaint:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, Exhibition
Breed Note: Higher life expectancy than most breeds at 35 years
palomino-horsePalomino:
Origin: Unknown
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, pets
Breed Note: Have no known breed specific diseases
paso-fino-horsePaso Fino:
Origin: Puerto rico, Columbia
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, pets
Breed Note: Can reach speeds of up to 30 miles and hour
percheron-horsePercheron:
Origin: France
Coloring: Gray, black, chestnut
Production: Sport, work
Breed Note: Can weigh up to 2,600 pounds
pinto-horsePinto:
Origin: Unknown
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, work, pets
Breed Note: If horse has "lethal White Syndrome" it will die shortly after birth. have a certain gene
quarter-horseQuarter:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: work, sport, pets
Breed Note: Great at sprinting long distances
racking-horseRacking:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Exhibition, pets
Breed Note: Can reach speeds of up to 30 miles and hour
riding-horseRiding:
Origin: Various
Coloring: All Colors
Production: Riding
Breed Note: Group of Horses, not a breed
rocky-mountain-horseRocky Mountain:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Chocolate, white
Production: Pets, exhinbition
Breed Note: Only about 15,000 registered in the world, considered rare
saddlebred-horseSaddlebred:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Exhibition, sport
Breed Note: Generally step high when running, almost as in going up stairs - popular
shire-horseShire:
Origin: England
Coloring: Black, bay, gray, white
Production: work, pets
Breed Note: Breed is known best for its easy going temperament
spotted-saddle-horseSpotted Saddle:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, Exhibition
Breed Note: Weigh anywhere between 900 ans 1,100 pounds
standardbred-horseStandardbred:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, pets, exhibition
Breed Note: trot with the same legs on each side. left front with left back and vise versa
suffolk-punch-horseSuffolk Punch:
Origin: England
Coloring: Chestnut, white
Production: Exhibition, work, breeding
Breed Note: Economically friendly, do well with little care
tennessee-walking-horseTennessee Walking:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, pets, exhibition
Breed Note: Averages 900 to 1,200 pounds full grown
thoroughbred-horseThoroughbred:
Origin: England
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport
Breed Note: bred for speed and agility
warmblood-horseWarmblood:
Origin: Europe
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, pets, exhibition, working
Breed Note: Group of horses, not a specific breed
western-pleasure-horseWestern Pleasure:
Origin: Various
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Sport, pets, exhibition, working
Breed Note: Group of horses, not a specific breed