17 Most Beautiful Horse Breeds

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It is no secret that horses are innately beautiful no matter what color or breed they are. There are some horses, however, that are simply more striking than others and once you know about them, you will agree.

There are so many breathtakingly beautiful horse breeds in the world today that it is difficult to narrow down to the most beautiful, but some horse breeds just have to be on this list.

Here are the 17 most beautiful horse breeds.

Table of Contents

Appaloosa Horse

The Appaloosa horse breed is by far one of the most beautiful horse breeds.

The modern-day Appaloosa bloodline resulted from a combination of Spanish horses breeds as well as the Arabian, Thoroughbred, and American Quarter horse breeds.

Most Appaloosas have an unmistakable spotted or mottled color pattern on their bodies. They can have spots, snowcap coloring, leopard spotting, snowflake spotting, roan, mottled, or roan with spotting.

Their spotting can cover their entire bodies, or appear focused in one area, typically on their hind ends. No matter what color pattern they develop, all Appaloosa horses are undeniably gorgeous.

Haflinger Horse

The Haflinger horse breed has more than earned its place as one of the most beautiful horse breeds.

Originating in Austria, the Haflinger horse is a draft horse that stands around 13.2 to 15 hands tall, which is 54 to 60 inches tall.

They have gorgeous stout, muscular bodies along with chestnut-colored coats that are often light to deep gold in color. Their mane and tail are flaxen in color, which in this case means light yellow or almost white.

Haflingers almost look like draft-sized palominos, however, it is easy to tell these two horse breeds apart. Haflingers may be on the shorter side, but they are magnificent and visibly one of the most beautiful horse breeds.

Friesian Horse

Another exceptionally beautiful horse breed that must be on this list is the Friesian.

Friesian horses are almost always solid black with thick jet black manes and tails, although they can sometimes have a somewhat chestnut-colored coat.

These horses stand somewhere between 15 and 17 hands tall, which correlates to about 60 to 68 inches. Their bodies are exquisitely muscular and toned, while their stance is nothing short of elegant.

A Friesian horse is simply one of the most beautiful horses you will ever see. Their shiny coat color, build, silhouette, and powerful yet elegant stance make them utterly breathtaking to behold.

Black Forest Horse

The Black Forest horse breed earns its place on this list not only for its muscular draft build but also for its unique appearance. Black Forest horses have chestnut-colored coats with thick, striking flaxen manes and tails.

Their coat colors are either light or dark, but either way, it is not common to see such stark differences in mane color versus coat color.

They stand 59 to 63 inches tall, so they are not super tall draft horses, but they make up for it in build.

Their bodies are stout and muscular which, when combined with their coat and mane colors, make them a sight to see. When you see a Black Forest horse in person, you will understand why it is considered one of the most beautiful horse breeds.

Norwegian Fjord Horse

The Norwegian Fjord horse breed is one of the most beautiful and unique horses on this list. They hail from Norway, stand somewhere between 53 and 59 inches in height, which makes them a smaller draft breed.

Norwegian Fjord horses have sturdy, muscular builds, noticeably thick necks, and a dark dorsal stripe that runs down their backs. Their coats are one of five various shades of dun which include brown, grey, red, white, or yellow.

Their manes are their most recognizable feature because most of their owners cut the thick manes short so that it stands straight up to draw attention to their large, powerful neck.

Their mane is typically a combination of two separate light and dark shades. The darker shade grows out of the middle of the mane and tail, creating a gorgeous and one-of-a-kind two-toned look.

Percheron

Draft horses are clearly a favorite so far in the beauty department, so it makes sense that the Percheron earns a spot on this list. Originating in France, the Percheron draft horse breed is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful horse breeds in the world.

These horses are large, standing between 60 and 76 inches tall. They have thick, muscular bodies, broad foreheads, and slightly small ears.

Percheron horses can be black, grey, roan, bay, or chestnut-colored. They have a calm demeanor, but a strong and powerful posture.

Overall, the Percheron horse breed is one of the most beautiful horse breeds, which explains their popularity overseas and even still here in the United States.

Gypsy Horse

The Gypsy horse breed simply has to be on this list because it is hands down one of the most beautiful horse breeds. Most horses in this breed have stout, muscular bodies, feathered legs, and lush manes and tails.

Hailing from Ireland and Great Britain respectively, each Gypsy horse classifies as either a cob or a vanner type. Gypsy cobs stand between 59 and 61 inches tall while Gypsy vanners stand between 61 and 66 inches tall.

They can be any color or pattern and they tend to have gorgeous flowing manes and tails that can be straight or wavy. Most have stylish feathering down their legs that cover their hooves.

Gypsys are one of the most beautiful horses in not only my book but most other equestrians and horse enthusiasts as well.

Shire Horse

Shire horses are one of the most elegant and striking horse breeds in the world. They are British draft horses that stand somewhere between 66 and 70 inches tall.

Shire horses are usually black, brown, roan, grey, chestnut, or bay in color. They have large muscular bodies with thick arched necks and elegant feathered feet.

Their coat hair is silky and smooth, making them almost shine as they move. Shire horses have elegant builds that, along with their feathered legs and gorgeous manes, make them undeniably beautiful.

Rocky Mountain Horse

The Rocky Mountain horse breed is one of the most beautiful horses thanks to its gorgeous coloring and sleek body composition. Originating in Kentucky, horses in this breed stand around 56 to 64 inches tall.

Rocky Mountain horses can be any color, however, the most popular and sought-after color is chocolate with a flaxen mane. The dark chocolate color creates a striking contrast with the lighter, flaxen mane.

They have strong but sleek bodies, with slightly arched necks and deep chests. Even their gait is beautiful as well; this breed has a smooth, ambling gait.

Clydesdale Horse

The Clydesdale horse breed is probably one of the most popular draft breeds but they are also one of the most beautiful horse breeds. They stand between 63 and 70 inches tall.

These horses can be black, chestnut, grey, Sabino, or bay in color. They can have gorgeous patterns in their coats including piebald, roaning, and skewbald.

Clydesdale horses are very muscular, have noticeably arched necks, and they simply look majestic when they move. Feathered hair flows down their legs and covers each of their hooves.

American Paint Horse

The American Paint horse has definitely earned its place on the list of most beautiful horses thanks to its gorgeous coat colors. The majority of paint horses have white spots randomly patterned on their solid-colored coats.

Their markings are so unique and so utterly breathtaking it is hard to believe they are real. They can have various patterns to their spots, round, sharp, irregular, splashed, or some combination of these.

American Paint horses have strong, muscular builds and typically stand between 14 and about 16 hands tall. They can have more white than the darker color on their coats, or they can have more solid dark color than white on their coats.

No matter their pattern, American Paint horses are absolutely stunning.

Lipizzaner Horse

The Lipizzaner horse breed earns its place as one of the most beautiful horses due to the breed’s striking gray color. Lipizzaner horses can be black or bay-colored, however, most of them are gray.

These horses are born with solid, dark-colored coats that slowly turn light gray over time, however, they always retain dark-colored skin underneath. This causes the horses to appear almost solid white, but technically gray with some areas on their coat remaining darker than others.

Along with their gray color, Lipizzaner horses have bright, almost white-colored manes and tails. Their bodies are small but stout and they stand around 58 to 62 inches tall.

Lipizzaner horses are simply and irrefutably stunning, making them one of the most beautiful horse breeds around.

Orlov Trotter

People often confuse the Orlov Trotter with the Lipizzaner horse, but this breed is just as gorgeous yet still unique in its own right.

Orlov Trotter horses are taller than Lipizzaner horses, standing 63 inches tall on average.

Horses in this breed can be gray, black, bay, or chestnut-colored. Gray Orlov Trotter horses, like the Lipizzaner, are born a darker color and slowly lighten to the point that they appear to be completely white.

Their captivating trotting gait and gorgeous long muscular legs only add to their beauty. If you ever see this horse breed in action, often in trotting harness races overseas, you will agree they are one of the most beautiful horses.

Camarillo Horse

The Camarillo horse breed is exceptionally beautiful thanks to its muscular builds and solid white color. Camarillo horses are born solid white, unlike Lipizzaners or Orlov trotters.

This horse breed is a true white color since the skin under their hair is pink.

Camarillo horses have noticeably muscular bodies along with white manes and tails. These horses are extremely rare, with only about 17-20 Camarillo horses living in the United States today.

Maybe it is their rarity or their solid white color, or a combination of both that makes them so appealing. Either way, the Camarillo horse breed is one of the most beautiful in the world.

Akhal-Teke Horse

The Akhal-Teke horse breed is unlike any other horse breed on this list and maybe that is why they are so absolutely beautiful. Hailing from Turkey, this horse breed has extremely sleek and shiny coats of downright unusual color combinations.

They are super elegant, have lean bodies, and have hooded eyes. Akhal-Teke horses are not overly muscular, instead, they are very toned and sleek in appearance. Their mane and tails are thin, but shiny, which only accentuates their body coloring even more.

Horses in this breed can have various coat colors including bay, dun, black, cream, chestnuts, gray, and golden. Many of them have a metallic glistening to their color that makes them appear to be champagne or golden.

The Akhal-Teke horse breed includes some of the most absolutely stunning and exquisite-looking horses I have ever seen.

Knabstruuper Horse

The Knabstruuper horse breed is another one of the most beautiful horse breeds thanks to their strong bodies, luscious manes, and stunning coat colors. They stand between 62 and 64 inches tall.

Their coats can be solid bay or chestnut-colored, but they can also have leopard spots as well as other pattern variations. The complex, leopard-spotted coats are just breathtaking, where they have white and darker-colored areas in a pattern on their coats that resembles leopard spots.

Knabstruuper horses that display the leopard spotting on their coats, also tend to have dual-colored manes and tails. They are simply striking to see and utterly beautiful from head to toe.

American Cream Draft Horse

The American Cream Draft horse breed is a large draft horse that must be on this list of most beautiful horse breeds. These horses are large, strong, powerful, and breathtaking.

American Cream Draft horses either have cream or more golden, champagne-colored coats. They stand between 60 and 67 inches in height.

This horse breed gets its color from the champagne trait acting on a chestnut-colored base coat. This means that chestnut is actually their true base coat color, but the champagne trait produces a creamy, golden appearance.

American Cream Draft horses can have lighter-colored eyes like amber or hazel, which only adds to their visual appeal. There is no doubt, this horse breed is one of the most beautiful horse breeds in America and the world.

Concluding Thoughts

It is almost hard to believe that all these horse breeds exist in the world today, but they definitely do. Of course, all horses are beautiful, but the horses on this list are unquestionably the most beautiful horse breeds today.

Resources:

Determining which horse breeds are the most beautiful was a struggle, but it was much easier once I had them all in front of me. I used the following sources to write this article.