Horse breed

However, the term is sometimes used in a broader sense to define landrace animals of a common phenotype located within a limited geographic region, or even feral "breeds" that are naturally selected.

These inherited traits are usually the result of a combination of natural crosses and artificial selection methods aimed at producing horses for specific tasks.

[2]: 155  Thus, powerful but refined breeds such as the Andalusian or the Lusitano developed in the Iberian Peninsula as riding horses that also had a great aptitude for dressage,[2]: 155  while heavy draft horses such as the Clydesdale and the Shire developed out of a need to perform demanding farm work and pull heavy wagons.

[2]: 156–57  Ponies of all breeds originally developed mainly from the need for a working animal that could fulfill specific local draft and transportation needs while surviving in harsh environments.

However, the concept of purebred bloodstock and a controlled, written breed registry only became of significant importance in modern times.

[7] Some breed registries have a closed stud book, where registration is based on pedigree, and no outside animals can gain admittance.

Most of the warmblood breeds used in sport horse disciplines have open stud books to varying degrees.

These registries usually require a selection process involving judging of an individual animal's quality, performance, and conformation before registration is finalized.

[8] However, since the advent of DNA testing to verify parentage, most breed registries now allow artificial insemination, embryo transfer, or both.