Writing about horses: Horse types to use in your novel

Hi! Are you an author confused about horses? Maybe you're writing a historical or fantasy novel and want to describe the horses in it accurately, but are (understandably) baffled by all the different breeds out there and want to pick the one that will spare you 1 star ratings on Goodreads by very pedantic horse people irate that you put a Friesian in your book that takes place a hundred years before that breed even existed. Well, that's okay, because as an author and lifelong pedantic horse girl I'm here to tell you that a horse's breed actually does not matter in this context! What's more important, in my opinion, is naming the type of horse you're writing about.

What's the difference between breed and type? Horse breeds are selectively bred over generations to isolate and enhance certain characteristics: Thoroughbred, Lipizzaner, American Quarter Horse, American Paint, Shetland Pony, these are all breeds. However, "type" is much more generic than that. These are broad categories that can be used to refer to any horse or pony that fit a prescribed set of characteristics and/or usages, regardless of breed. If a metaphor would be helpful, sedans, SUVs, coupes are all generic "types" of car. But a Subaru Outback (I'm a lesbian, FYI) is a specific brand of sedan--the "breed, "if you will.

The reason I endorse referring to a horse's type over its breed is that you can do so without getting into sticky research questions like, "Wait, did this breed even exist in the time period where I'm writing?" and, "Ugh, how can I have a Shetland Pony, a breed from the British Isles, in my imagined fantasy world where the UK does not exist?" With types, you get to be just as evocative and specific without worrying about this kind of stuff. Plus, you'll sound knowledgeable as hell and horse people won't come for you. It's a win-win.

To make things easier, I've divided horse types into three different categories: types based on body size/conformation, movement, and use. Please keep in mind this is by no means an exhaustive list, and a lot of the information here has been greatly simplified.

My intention is that you'll use these little overviews as a jumping off point for your own research as needed. YouTube is a wonderful extra resource, especially when it comes to observing horses in motion. (I recommend that for the ambler/gaited horses since those movements are hard to describe, let alone visualize.)

Horse types based on conformation

"Conformation" is the word horse people use to describe a horse or pony's physical anatomy and makeup; literally how the animal is put together, from forelock to hocks to pasterns.

Pony - Now, I know what you're thinking: "Everyone knows what a pony is!" WRONG. Most people believe that ponies are simply tiny horses (or worse, baby horses), but neither of these things are true. Of course, ponies are shorter than horses (14.2 hands high or under when measured at the shoulder), but ponies also tend to have stockier legs, shaggier coats, and all around more rotund bodies than the average horse. In other words, if you took a horse and scaled it down to pony height, it still would not qualify as a pony because its legs would retain the slenderness of a horse's legs, its coat would retain the fineness of a horse's coat, etc. It will be small, yes, but not a "true" pony. The reason for the pony's compactness is that most pony breeds originated in rugged climates where such features were advantageous to survival. For this reason ponies are quite hardy and can be used for pretty much anything, from riding to pulling light carts to being pasture ornaments... and while they are popular mounts for children, please be aware that that doesn't mean all ponies are gentle and patient. Almost every single pony I've known has been a total bastard; it's difficult to find a trainer that is both small and experienced enough to train them properly, and they tend to get away with a lot because they're cute and small, just like little dogs.

Cob - Oooh, okay. These are my favorite. A cob is a compact, big-boned horse. They stand on the smaller side (13-15ish hands--I told you not all small horses are ponies!), but are known for their tremendous strength, heart, and dependability. Unlike ponies, most of which do have a rider height/weight limit, most adults of all sizes can ride a cob just fine. Their heads tend to be more delicate and refined than average (that's why most saddleries offer a "cob" bridle size, in between "horse" and "pony") and most cobs I've known, my own childhood horse included, were extremely sensible and intelligent. You can use them for both riding and driving; indeed, a pair of sleek matched cobs would make a very fine team to pull a country gentleman's or lady's carriage.

Draft - These are the gentle giants you see doing heavy farm labor. Once ubiquitous, their numbers have been decimated thanks to the Industrial Revolution; sadly, many formerly common breeds of draft horse are endangered now. Nevertheless, the term is still used to refer generically to very large horses with "feathered" feet, meaning long hair that grows over their hooves to protect them from mud, moisture, etc. The typical draft horse stands at 18 hands or higher and are thick and powerful all around. Though they absolutely can be ridden, you most commonly see them in pulling competitions or in use as driving horses. Oh! And the British spelling is "draught" which I always thought was cool.

Grade horse - Okay I admittedly didn't know where to put this so I'm sticking it here. A "grade" horse or pony is the term for a mixed breed or a horse whose breed or parentage is not known. It's the horse world equivalent of "mutt." And like mutts, they can be of any size, shape, color, or temperament based on this mysterious ancestry.

Horse types based on movement

Trotter - This is the generic term for a flashy, light-boned carriage horse that trots with its legs in diagonal pairs, which is how 99% of horses trot anyway. In other words, when a trotter is trotting, its left front leg moves together with its right rear leg and vice-versa. Upscale carriage horses were often some kind of trotter, prized for their elegance, speed, and economy of movement. Keep in mind that there's a difference between a horse that can trot (which, again, is like literally every horse) and a true trotter. You would almost never use this term to refer to a saddle horse; it is used exclusively for driving horses. A trotter's trot would not make for a comfortable ride in most instances so they are not trained under saddle. AGAIN, I AM SPEAKING GENERALLY. Do not come for me.

Pacer - Remember how a trotter trots with its legs in diagonal pairs? A pacer performs a similar gait, but by moving its legs in lateral pairs: the front and rear left legs will move in unison, and then both right legs will move in unison. Like trotters, pacers are rarely ridden, and while I'm sure some were used for every day carriage work, their true purpose is competing in harness races. They are FAST. So if you're looking for a generic term to refer to a horse pulling a hansom cab or phaeton through the crowded London streets, I would go with trotter and leave the pacers to the racetrack.

Ambler - While most horses have only four gaits (walk, trot, canter, gallop) the term "ambler" was once used to describe a saddle horse with a secret fifth gait, commonly referred to as (yes), the amble. This is a natural ability that cannot be taught, though it can be encouraged with careful training.

The amble itself is a little hard to describe, mostly because this is a catch-all term and there are many possible variations, but when I think of an "ambling" horse I envision it performing a smooth, gliding walk with its front feet and a little trot/jog with the back. Ambling horses were renowned for being comfortable to ride over long distances, and were prized as saddle horses for riders of all levels, especially ladies and beginners, extra especially in the American South in the 19th and early 20th centuries. If you're having difficulty picturing an amble, I recommend looking up videos of Missouri Fox Trotters (a breed) performing their unique gait, the fox trot, on YouTube.

Gaited horse - This is the more modern term for an ambler, used to refer to any breed of horse with an extra gait that is not walk, trot, canter, or gallop. As someone who grew up in the Northeast U.S., I associate gaited horses almost exclusively with the American South: Tennessee Walkers, Kentucky Saddlers, and Saddlebreds are all Southern breeds with their own distinct gaits, some of which are artificially developed with (abusive, sorry) training aids while others occur naturally. And because they're from the Southern U.S., many gaited breeds also have unfortunate associations with slavery. For example, the Tennessee Walker was developed so plantation overseers could ride comfortably while terrorizing the enslaved people laboring in the fields. It's a despicable legacy that isn't the horses' fault, BUT the humans in charge of the today's breed associations have a duty to reckon with it that they have (sadly but unsurprisingly) avoided.

Horse types based on use

Palfrey - This is a term from the Middle Ages used to describe a slim, elegant lady's riding horse. These were typically docile since while ladies sat on them they did not technically "ride." Most palfries were led by escorts, typically a man mounted on his own horse, or a groom walking on the ground. That's because nearly all women rode aside (sidesaddle), and up until the 19th century sidesaddles were not safe for real, literal riding. I could write an entire PhD dissertation on sidesaddle riding in the mid-to-late 19th century so I'll save that topic for another time.

Destrier - A lot of people might know this one, but basically a destrier is a heavy war horse capable of carrying a knight in full armor, in addition to its own armor. I don't know much about them because they were ridden by men and I don't care about men. Or war. But I do know that while very large, they were NOT technically draft horses, which, again, are used primarily for agricultural work, though you do often see draft horses masquerading as destriers at Renn Faires in modern times. I am willing to tolerate the anachronism in this one instance solely because this is a horse type that doesn't have a true modern corollary.

Courser - These are lighter war horses used for lighter war things. They were finer boned and not expected to carry quite so much weight and armor as a destrier.

Hunter - Any large, courageous, athletic horse used for galloping cross country on fox hunts. Many of the finest British hunters were actually of Irish lineage. They had to be able to keep up with the pack while covering all sorts of terrain, including natural obstacles like streams and brush fences. Fox hunting was dominated by men but women did participate quite capably, even while riding sidesaddle.

Hack - A huuuuuge catch-all term for any pleasure horse that is ridden with an English saddle. (Do western riders use this word? I genuinely do not know.) A horse of any breed can be a hack, as long as they have the right disposition for slow, leisurely rides through woods and fields; the word was very common in the 18th through the early 20th centuries and is still used widely today. While obviously a noun in this usage, you can also turn it into a verb--as a teenager when I told my mom I was "hacking out" I meant a ride around the neighborhood or through the woods. You can also "go for a hack," (noun, referring to the walk itself and not the horse) or, "hack back to the barn" (verb). No matter what the part of speech, the word is synonymous with gentle, pleasant, peaceful. (At least, it's supposed to be. My pony often had other ideas.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this by no means comprehensive guide to horse types! I did this exclusively off the dome so any errors are mine, obviously. Please don't correct me, I truly do not care. But if you want to reach out with any horsey questions (related to types or not!) please don't hesitate to DM me on Threads or Instagram. I can be found @jennifer.nissley on both platforms.

Seriously, please DM me about horses I'm friendly and helpful and a little bit autistic.

The oil painting at the start of this post is of a horse called "Victorian Bay," painted by an unknown artist before 1890.