A horse breed relies on the existence of a stud book. The stud book records and registers pedigree. However, a breed used to refer to a group(s) of equines living in a particular area. They would be influenced by their enviornment and would often have a similiar conformation, coat colour, height and character. However, now horses are bred more selectively.
There are two types of stud book – an open book and a closed book. The latter, can only be registered if both parents are already entered in to the book. With an open book, admission of a horse is allowed provided they are the offspring of pedigree parents.
Horse types are Equines that do not qualify for breed status, such as the Hunter, the Cob and the Polo Horse. The reason for this, is that they lack fixed character. e.g. The Hunter is a horse used for hunting – conformation, size, charactor nor colour bare any importance on this type.
