The Three Types of Horses – Warmblood, Coldblood, Hot Blood
The three general categories of horses are warmblood, coldblood and hot blood. Each of the hundreds of different horse breeds fits into one of these categories.
The cold blood breeds originated in Europe. They were bred for heavy work and long hours, pulling farm equipment, carts, barges and other heavy items. They had to have both power and endurance but there was little need for speed. Consequently, they were bred to have well developed muscles, on heavy bones and large joints. They also need to have a calm, even docile nature, so that they would obey commands and would not frighten and run off with farm equipment or other loads. In response to the need to work in cold European winters, their tails, manes and coats had long, thick hair. The Shire horse and the Clydesdale are typical cold blood breeds.
