Grade

Grade is a practical horse-world label for an animal that is not registered as a recognized breed or whose parentage is partly unknown. A grade horse may be a crossbred horse, an unpapered purebred, or simply a useful riding or working animal with no formal studbook behind it. The term says little about height, color, movement, or ability; a grade horse can look like a Quarter Horse, cob, pony, draft cross, or saddle horse depending on its ancestry.

For owners and buyers, the individual horse matters more than the label. Temperament, training, soundness, age, and a clear health history are the points to investigate, preferably with a pre-purchase veterinary exam when money or long-term use is involved. Grade horses may compete in many open shows and trail, ranch, pleasure, lesson, and driving settings, but they are usually excluded from breed-restricted classes. Breeding an unregistered horse deserves extra thought because foals may have a smaller market and less predictable type.

Colors: Bay, Black, Brown, Chestnut, Sorrel, Gray, White, Palomino, Buckskin, Dun, Red Dun, Bay Dun, Grullo, Cream, Cremello, Perlino, Smoky Black, Roan, Blue Roan, Red Roan, Bay Roan, Pinto, Tobiano, Overo, Tovero, Appaloosa, Leopard Appaloosa, Blanket Appaloosa, Fewspot Appaloosa, Snowcap Appaloosa, Varnish Roan, Rabicano, Sabino, Splash White, Skewbald, Piebald, Silver Dapple, Champagne, Classic Champagne, Amber Champagne, Gold Champagne, Flaxen Chestnut, Liver Chestnut, Seal Bay