Meeting the Top Ten Horse Breeds

Hundreds of horse breeds exist in the world today, but only a handful of them are among the top ten most popular riding breeds in the United States. The reasons for the popularity of these breeds can be narrowed down to a couple of factors: Each breed has a strong registering organization that promotes it among the horse-owning public, and each breed has redeeming qualities that a large number of horse people have come to appreciate.

Owning or riding one of the top ten breeds has its benefits. Plenty of information and support is available on the animals that make up the breed. 

Horse shows for the breed also are common and so are an array of sources from which you can learn more about the breed. Additionally, if you want to buy a horse of one of these breeds, you won’t have too much trouble locating one.

Fans of lesser-known breeds of horses don’t have these advantages and must fend for themselves in many respects.

As you read our breed descriptions, keep in mind that we speak in generalitieswhen it comes to the personalities of different horse breeds. For example, we say that Arabians are friendly horses. However, you may meet one or two Arabians in your travels that are complete grouches. Remember that each horse is an individual, and as you get to know different horses, you’ll find horses that

simply don’t match the personalities typically attributed to their breeds.

That said, we’re going to take a look at the top ten most popular riding breeds in the United States. Their popularity is determined by the number of horses that are registered in the breed each year. We list them here in alphabetical order, and you can see photos of each breed in the middle of the article.