9 Best Horse Breeds for Long Distance Riding

Long-distance horse riding has been instrumental in getting human beings including warriors and explorers across difficult and vast terrains. This practice has eventuated to the contemporary usage of the horse mainly for recreational pursuits. You’ll come across 2 primary types of long-distance riding. These are endurance rides as well as competitive trail riding. In a typical endurance ride, the winning horse will be the one to cross the finishing line first while stopping periodically for passing a veterinary check which deems that the creature is in proper health and will be able to continue. Long-distance horse riding originated historically by riding along state and national trails across the US. You will come across several breeds of horses which are ideal for long-distance riding. In the following paragraphs, we have mentioned the best horse breeds for long-distance riding.

1. Akhal-Teke

This particular horse breed origin is from Turkmenistan where it is considered to be a national treasure. These horses are mainly reputed for their speed and endurance. Their coats likewise have an exclusive sheen which seems to be almost metallic from a certain distance. There are approximately 7,000 horses at present across the globe in this particular endurance breed.

The history of this horse breed is derived from the indigenous tribes which have regarded Turkmenistan as their home for centuries. The tribes bred their horses selectively while choosing only the best for raiding, breeding, and general defense. This breed has influenced many of the Russian horse breeds of today.

2. Anglo-Arabian

The Anglo-Arabian is a combo of an Arabian and a Thoroughbred. At present, it has gained the status of an independent breed. Those horses which belong to this breed ought to be at least 12% Arabian so as to qualify for recognition of this breed. The majority of the best endurance horses of today from this particular breed are coming from France.

You will come across noticeable differences in the appearance and size in this breed since there are cross-genetics involved with it. The majority of the Anglo-Arabian horses are between 15.2 and 16.3 hands which is somewhat taller as compared to a purebred Arabian while the color of their coat tends to be gray, chestnut, or bay. They are quite versatile as well as competitive mainly because of their intelligence and strength which provides them with a sturdiness which can only be derived from a combo of the 2 horse breeds.

3. Arabian

It is a fact that Arabian horses come with an extremely distinctive appearance with a distinctive shape of the head and a high tail carriage. It is believed that their lineage dates back to over 5,000 years with horses spreading across the globe by means of war, exploration, and trade. You will find Arabian bloodlines in almost every contemporary horse breed out there.

Since this particular horse breed had been developed in desert environments, their stamina and endurance are particularly unsurpassed at present in the world. Apart from being sensitive, they are likewise willing; therefore, it will be possible for a skilled rider to maximize this breed’s competitiveness. Besides being popular for endurance sports, these horses are also used for recreational riding as well as other events which make them amongst the most common breeds that you will come across in the world right now.

Unlike other breeds, this breed is comparatively small, and most of them weigh less than 1,200 pounds. Their height is typically 15 hands or less than that. The majority of the Arabians are black, gray, chestnut, or bay in color.

4. Criollo

Although, as compared to most of the other horse breeds mentioned here, this particular breed is not that famous, yet we have mentioned them because they have proven to be quite good when it comes to long distances. Being originally South American, this horse breed has the reputation of carrying plenty of weight over a long distance.

These are actually rather small horses with a size of just 14.3 hands on average. This implies that they’re quite light in weight which is ideal for going long distances. Besides this, these horses perform really well with low and high temperatures. This is of prime importance since you are not aware of the kind of weather that you will be experiencing during your journey. The Criollo horse breed does quite well in both cold and warm weather conditions given that they have their origin from Pampas which has this kind of weather.

5. Boerperd

This endurance horse breed originates from South Africa. Despite the fact that they resemble the historic Boer horse traditionally found in and around the Cape of Africa, this older breed is thought to be extinct at present. The reason for this is that a lot of horses in this area had been killed at the time of the Boer Wars which took place between 1880 and 1902. Since 1996, the Boerperd is considered to be an individual breed.

As compared to several other horse breeds for long-distance riding, this breed is comparatively laidback as well as calm when it comes to temperament. They come with as many as 5 gaits which are used without any sort of interference. It is important for the horse to be considered appropriate for all the riders so as to be eligible for breed recognition.

A Boerperd is affectionate as well as trustworthy which implies that they can also be used for all types of jobs such as herding and driving as well as various types of farm works on the rugged topography of South Africa.

6. Marwari

This is a rare horse breed which has its origin in the Jodhpur area of India. The appearance of this horse is quite unique given that it has ear tips which are inward-turning. This horse is extremely hardy along with an ambling gait. When it comes to its endurance, it is believed to have originated from the horses of the Arabian foundation which had been crossed with indigenous ponies.

The Marwari is thought to be amongst the oldest recognized horse breeds on the planet at present. In fact, it was subjected to strict breeding standards since the 12th century mainly because of the efforts made by the Rathores who used to rule this part of India. However, in spite of being used as a warhorse, this breed started deteriorating during the 30s when inadequate management as well as lack of need virtually wiped it out totally.

Since the year 1995, the breed started recovering thanks to the efforts made by a breed society. Although exports have been restricted for a long time, restricted exportation was allowed from 2000 to 2006 for supporting the breed. Since 2008, restricted travel passports are available for this breed. It is available in all types of common coat shades along with pinto.

7. Morgan Horse

This breed is reputed for its versatility. This horse had been bred to be capable of working on the farm at the daytime and also pull a carriage at night. This implied that the Morgan horse required having stamina too. This horse had to work the entire day and also pull the carriage of their owner in case it was asked to do so. This sort of stamina and versatility helps to make this breed fantastic endurance horses. Some of them are also gaited which implies that there ideal for traveling long distances.

8. Missouri Fox Trotter

This long-distance horse breed had been developed exclusively in the Ozark Mountains in the US. It was reputed for its stock horse attributes, particularly for the exclusive gait which is a part of its name. At present, you will come across approximately 90,000 horses of this particular breed on the planet; however, almost all these horses are in the United States. Only 500 Fox Trotters are thought to live in Europe at present.

Similar to many contemporary endurance horses, its initial foundation is actually in the Arabian influence which provides it with fantastic endurance levels which is required for this type of breed. In spite of being robust endurance horses, the majority of this horse breed is employed for their trail-riding capabilities. Their gait provides a smooth ride while enabling them to carry lots of weight as compared to their size.

9. Spanish Mustang

Many individuals are of the notion that this breed is a descendent of the Colonial Spanish horse which is now rare. The Spanish Mustang is actually originated from Spanish horses which were brought to the US at the time of the Colonial Era. In most cases, these horses are feral living in the Western part of the United States freely. The US government is going to sell these horses to those individuals who will be able to prove that they can work with the animal for reducing their tendencies of destruction. Living for over 400 years in the wild has helped to make the stamina of this breed quite competitive just like any other breed on this list. Even though it is not an officially recognized horse breed at all times, one should not underestimate its performance abilities.