When we think of endangered animals we are thinking of wild animals but did you know some of our own farm animals are endangered? Just looking at horses there are dozens of breeds about to fade out of existence, but there are concerned organizations big and small that are trying to keep the breeds alive. You can read all about these horses on websites such as Rare Breeds Canada and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. In Britain you can find information through the Rare Breed Survival Trust.
There are so many unwanted, abandoned horses; many are sent to slaughter. These lists answer the question as to why people are still breeding horses. Someday we may not have these beautiful animals at all and what shame that would be. The horse itself will continue to live in our world but their history will be lost as the breeds are blended.
Endangered Horses registered in the US:
Critical
American Cream
Canadian
Caspian
Cleveland Bay
Dales Pony
Galiceño
Hackney Horse
Morgan – Traditional¹
Newfoundland Pony
Shire
Suffolk
Threatened
Akhal-Teke
Colonial Spanish²
Dartmoor
Exmoor
Irish Draught
Lipizzan
Watch
Clydesdale
Fell Pony
Gotland
Mountain Pleasure /Rocky Mountain
Recovering
Belgian²
¹ – Strains include Baca-Chica, Banker, Belsky, Choctaw, Florida Cracker, Marsh Tacky, Santa Cruz, Sulphur / Vaquero, Wilbur Cruce, and numerous other sub strains and composites. Feral horses from the Cerbat, Pryor, and Sulphur areas include some that would meet the criteria as well as some that do not. Colonial Spanish horses are represented by several registries, and several strains have independent conservation breeding programs. Each of these strains contributes to the overall composite breed.
² – Includes horses whose pedigrees are absent of outcrosses after 1930.
Source:
http://www.livestockconservancy.org/
And in Canada:
1 – 15
Bashkir Curly
Lac La Croix
Indian Pony
Newfoundland Pony
American Saddlebred
Cleveland Bay
Exmoor Pony
Fell Pony
Hackney Horse and Pony
Shetland Pony
Suffolk Horse
Dales Pony
Dartmoor Pony
Irish Draft
Highland Pony
16 – 50
Alberta Wild Horse
Brittany Triangle Horse
Nemiah Valley Horse
Sable Island Horse
Shire
51 – 150
Canadian Horse
Morgan
Welsh Cob and Pony
151 – 500
Clydesdale
Percheron
Source: http://rarebreedscanada.org/home
Ratings
Endangered horse ratings are universal:
• Critical
– Fewer than 300 adult breeding mares.
• Endangered
– Fewer than 500 adult breeding mares.
• Vulnerable
– Fewer than 900 adult breeding mares.
• At Risk
– Fewer than 1500 adult breeding mares.
• Study
– Breeds of genetic interest but either lack definition or lack genetic or historic documentation.
• Recovering
– Previously listed breeds that have exceeded the at risk category(fewer than 1500 adult breeding mares), but are still in need of monitoring.
Livestock Conservancy Organizations
Based in the CANADA:
• Rare Breeds Canada : Rare Breeds Canada is a federally registered charitable organization formed in 1987 that is dedicated to conserving, evaluating and studying heritage, rare and minor breeds of Canadian farm animals. L: Website, pictures, links.
Based in the USA:
• American Livestock Breeds Conservancy : The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy shows a comprehensive list of the current state of horses and their ratings as described at the top of this page. L: Website, some pictures, links.
Based in the UK:
• Rare Breed Survival Trust: The Rare Breed Survial Trust works to restore Britain’s native livestock breeds to their rightful place in our countryside. L: Website, breed list, register, links.