Mixed Breed

A mixed-breed horse has ancestry from more than one breed, type, or unregistered family line. The term may describe an intentional cross, an unknown-background horse, or a horse whose usefulness is clearer than its pedigree. Mixed-breed horses can be stocky, refined, gaited, pony-sized, draft-influenced, or sport-horse-like, so the label itself tells less than the individual animal's build and history.

Good mixed-breed ownership starts with evaluating the horse in front of you. Age, training, soundness, temperament, height, movement, and workload fit are more reliable than guesses about breed makeup. Breeders should be honest about parentage and avoid producing foals without a purpose, while buyers should arrange a practical veterinary check and ride or handle the horse in the setting where it is expected to work.

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